Joey Manhattan Beach

Our friend Sugar suggested we have lunch at Joey Manhattan Beach, as she has been there previously and was happy with the menu.

She picked Sandi and me up, and off we went.  As soon as we walked in to check in with the receptionist, we were offered a glass of sparkling wine. Wow! That alone impressed me, it was not Dom Perignon but quite drinkable and lively on the palate.

Since we started with sparkling wine, I thought it was a good idea to stick to something sparkling, so Sugar and I had a glass of rosé.

Sugar ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Salad, which she loved. I tried the salad that came with it, and it was very good. She insisted I try the tuna, but there weren't many slices, so I passed.

Sandi and I had the Steak Frites, 5 oz. Cut steak with garlic butter, rocket greens, and cherry tomatoes.  I asked for extra sauce. The medium steak was cooked to perfection, and we didn't have to struggle to cut the steak. It was quite tender, something that surprised us since this was not a filet mignon. I would order this again as it was so tasty and just the perfect size for lunch.

Our server, Ally, was delightful, which enhanced our dining experience.

Joey Manhattan Beach is a chain with numerous locations. 

Truxton's American Bistro

I keep forgetting about Truxton's, probably since it is just down the street from where I live. After picking up Sandi from the airport, we went straight to church to attend the 4pm mass.  We discussed where we could grab a bite to eat on the way home. I remembered that Truxton's sent me an email offering me $20 off for my birthday. So, why not, since we always had good food in the past?

We ordered 2 mocktails that were very interesting. Sandi had the Blueberry Lemonade Spritzer, and I had the Moscow Mule in the traditional copper mug. We both loved our selection. The best part was that we were entitled to one refill!!

For our dinner, Sandi chose the Fish Sandwich: crispy panko-crusted cod, tartar sauce, shredded iceberg, fresh tomatoes, and red onion on a toasted Brioche bun. She had the garlic parmesan fries with it. She did enjoy this humongous sandwich. 

I had the Al Pastor Sandwich: thinly sliced, marinated pork seared on the griddle, topped with avocado, pickled red onion, cilantro, and chipotle mayo, served on a Brioche Bun. It was super delicious. As good as it was, it was messy to eat, but it was worth the trouble. I would definitely order this again. 

Our server, Ingrid, was great. She raved about their Gilly Burger and Tater Tots. We'll have to try that next, especially since it's coming from someone who isn't fond of burgers. She was a delightful server, and next time, I think I would ask to be seated at her station.

Truxton's is located at 24530 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, California. They also have another location in Westchester, California.

Majordomo

Easter Brunch was spent at Majordomo, David Chang's restaurant.  My brother treated me, and along with our cousin Ramon, who made the reservation and informed them of my upcoming birthday.

Both Gary and Ramon have been there before and raved about the menu. They were disappointed to find out that they only had the brunch menu. They asked if the dinner menu was available, and the answer was no. So we had to make do and study the menu. First things first, we ordered our cocktails. Ramon and I had the Amoro Spritz, and Gary had the Blood Orange Mimosa. For our appetizer, we ordered the Bing Bun Basket, which came with 3 large buns and 3 specialty spreads. Honey butter, Ricotta Jam and Chili, Citron Cream Cheese & Sesame. All were super delicious. 

Both Gary and Ramon have had the Bo Ssäm; pork shoulder, sesame leaf with condiments. This fed 4-6 people, and for $125, it better feed all three of us starving people. It was decided to order it. I thought that would have been enough since we had the big rolls. Gary insisted we order something else, and so we did. They ordered the Steak and Eggs Crispy Rice with scallions, sesame, and soy pickled daikon.  Our server proceeded to mix everything. 

The pork arrived, and I was shocked at the size. We barely made a dent. This had the best flavor, and it was so tender that all you needed was a fork. I tried it with the leaf, but after having one, I decided it was too much work to stuff the small amount of pork into the little lettuce. So I just enjoyed it with the rice. 

The Steak & Eggs were delicious, and we enjoyed the burnt rice. We were all stuffed but had room for dessert. When our server came, we asked him what was for dessert, and they only had one thing: something with coconut. We simultaneously cried out: "Ohhhh," since Gary and I dislike coconut, and Ramon was fully aware of that. Our server felt bad and said he would be back.

After a few minutes, our server returned with a tiny dessert for me. He presented me with a Honey Pie, and it was most delicious! I don't think I offered the other 2 a taste since it was so small, and I'm glad I didn't because I savored every small bite!

We had enough left over that they were able to divide the pork into 3 big servings. So it really does feed 6 people!

Majordomo is located at 1725 Naud St. in Los Angeles. It is one of many restaurants owned by David Chang, who, by the way, is also a part-owner of Anyday Microwave Cookware. If you haven't heard of this, Google it, as it is truly a life-changing way of cooking, and his recipes are easy and delicious!

 

Dubai Chocolates

I have tried numerous Dubai chocolates, from the $20 bar to a few made in Turkey. 

I have never had one better than the one my niece, Anna, makes. She makes her chocolates with dates and stuffs them with shredded kataifi, pistachios, and a few more ingredients. She also uses dark chocolate, and even if you are not a fan of dark chocolate, you have to try it because that is what makes it perfect, as it cuts the sweetness. I have seen her make it, and though it is not difficult, it is time-consuming. 

I am working on convincing her to make it to sell. I would be her first customer! With a family discount, of course.

The Pan

I haven't been to The Pan in a while, and since my sister-in-law, Grace, was only here for a limited time, I decided to take her there for breakfast.

She ordered the Pastrami & Egg Sandwich: pastrami, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, over two medium eggs, hash brown, mustard on grilled rye bread. When it arrived, we both gasped at the sight of it. It looked delicious, and Grace concurred.

I had the Original Loaded Hash Browns: two eggs any style, bacon, sausage (though I asked to omit the sausage), green onions, jack & cheddar cheeses over hash browns topped with chili aioli and choice of toast. I was very happy to see my dish arrive and be set in front of me. It's what I expected, and I was truly delighted with my choice. 

I stopped going to The Pan because they opened late, at 9am for breakfast, but they now open at 8am, which makes more sense, so I guess I will be dining there more frequently. The Pan has several locations: Gardena, Long Beach, Bellflower, Southgate, Lomita, and Torrance, California.

Lazeez Mediterranean Grill & Bakery

I saw a Grand Opening sign outside Lazeez Mediterranean Grill as I drove along Sepulveda Blvd. in Harbor City. It was not a Friday, so I could eat meat, and I did crave for some meat. I parked my car and went in.  I was overwhelmed with the menu. Thank God for pictures!

I decided to order the small Filet Mignon Kabab, which came with 2 sides. There was a picture of something that looked like hummus, but it had something in the middle: olive oil, chickpeas, and maybe jalapeño. I thought a healthy choice to go with this was the grilled vegetables. As I thought out loud, the young man helping me mentioned that the vegetables were really good, so I decided to get them.

As I waited for my order, I sat there watching a video of someone slicing some Shawarma. That made me even hungrier than I already was. I couldn't help noticing the beautiful paintings on the wall. My server informed me that a friend of the owner painted them. 

As soon as I got home, I poured myself a glass of red wine and started digging. I ate from the plastic container with the plastic utensils. I was so impressed by how the plastic knife cut through the well-done but very tender and juicy filet. The vegetables were indeed full of flavor. The hummus is the best I've had, including the ones I have had in Turkey. It tasted like very rich, creamy, and yummy mashed potatoes. The only hummus I buy here is the chocolate hummus, which I dip strawberries in. 

I am definitely going back to try the many platters, wraps, and pizzas.  You can order them large, which includes 3 sides and pita bread, or small, which includes 2 sides and pita bread.

Lazeez is located at 1650 Sepulveda Blvd. in Harbor City, California.

Bettolino Kitchen

I took my sister-in-law, Grace, to lunch on her last day in Los Angeles for her birthday. We both decided not to have any alcoholic drinks, so we settled for their mocktails. Grace opted for the Strawberry Basil, and our server Sonia recommended the Balsamic Fig, which sounded intriguing to me. We both loved our drinks. 

I asked Grace if she liked Quinoa and she said yes, so I ordered the Farrata, which normally would be the last thing on my mind as it is a "healthy food" which is not my kind of food, but I've had this numerous times, and it is quite delicious with arugula, tomatoes, quinoa in pesto sauce, sliced avocado and burrata cheese with basil infused olive oil. This went well with their delicious baked bread with olive oil, herbs, and, of course, we asked for Parmesan to add, which made it even better.

For our entrées, Grace had the Short Rib Hash, which looked delicious with Tuscan potatoes and mozzarella, served with garlic-toasted ciabatta bread. She could have had an egg on top, but she chose not to. I had the Del Mare; linguini with halibut, lobster, shrimp, capers, green Italian olives, cherry tomatoes, white wine in a spicy tomato sauce. I have never had this before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how I truly enjoyed it. I had a bite of Grace's short rib hash, and it was very good too. I could not finish my dish as I had a lot of the Farrata, but that was a good thing because I already had my dinner planned: my leftovers plus a salad. 

We both had room for dessert. We ordered the Salted Caramel Semifreddo: a semi-frozen salted caramel mousse with a graham cracker crust and chocolate sauce. Sonia surprised Grace with a birthday Calabrian Pasta Cake: pasta dough folded with sweet mascarpone sauce, citrus zest, and powdered sugar. Both were scrumptious because they weren't too sweet. 

Bettolino Kitchen has always been consistently good. You can always count on delicious food and good service. They are located at 211 Palos Verdes Blvd. in Torrance, California.