Forma

This place never disappoints. So when it was time to invite Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti to lunch, it was a no-brainer to take him to Forma, where they have several cheese wheels and finish some pasta dishes there by scraping the cheese from the wheel and incorporating it into the pasta.

We ordered bread, of course, to start, and my favorite salad, the Fried Artichoke Salad. Msgr., as a rule, can do without the salad, but Sandi and I assured him he would like this one. We were happy to see he did enjoy it.

We ordered four pasta dishes: their signature, Chitarra Cacio e Pepe; Pappardelle Bolognese; Tortellini; and Msgr.'s favorite, Linguine Alle Vongole. It seemed like a lot, but we managed to consume almost everything. 

Tommaso, who made the reservation, came by our table and asked Msgr. where he was from since he looked familiar; he thought he might be a movie star! Turns out, his wife knew him, so from then on they spoke Italian and seemed like old friends. He made sure everything was very good, and indeed it was.

Dessert had to be light, so we had Spumoni and Semifredo. It was a delightful, blessed day.

Forma is located at 1610 Montana Ave. in Sta. Monica, California.

Frugatti's

Sandi and I have been to Frugatti's a couple of times in the past few years. This is one of our favorite restaurants when we are in Bakersfield. It is a family-owned Italian restaurant.  I made reservations before our arrival. After church, we excitedly headed for the restaurant. We got there, and it was now a Mexican restaurant! So I googled directions, and we ended up at a new, larger location. We were surprised by how inviting the restaurant looked, as it was very open and very "Italian". They had red tablecloths and pictures on the wall, including the original owner when he was a little boy. 

I looked at my previous blog to see what we ordered in the past. We loved their bruschetta, but we thought we should order something different. We ordered the Wood-Fired Roman Artichokes. The artichokes with their stems were served on focaccia garlic bread with roasted tomato and burrata cheese, all baked in their oven. This was our appetizer, and we did enjoy it.

For our main meal, we decided on the Truffle Sacchetti, which we both have had before.  "Beggeer's purse shaped with black truffle shavings and truffle oil, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses tossed in a basil pesto sauce with cream. And yes, it is rich. This is why we also ordered the Bolognese, but instead of rigatoni, we asked for spaghetti. That was delicious, and it complemented the rich sacchetti. Unfortunately, we were unable to finish our entées as we devoured our appetizer. So we took it home in a cooler on our drive back to Los Angeles.

We had a lively conversation with our server, Andrew, regarding the restaurant and how they have been in their current location for three years now. We talked about the menu and the wine they were promoting.

I am not surprised that Frugatti's has been voted best Italian Restaurant for the last 7 years. Very good food and great service. What more can one ask for?  They are located at 8109 Brimhall Rd. in Bakersfield, California.

Eiffel Tower Restaurant

It has been a while since I've been to Las Vegas. One of my memorable dinners there was at the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. I remember having the best Lobster Thermidor. I looked up the menu before we headed to Las Vegas and discovered they no longer had that on their menu. However, they did have Beef Wellington, which is rarely seen on menus these days. Halibut was also on the menu, so when Sandi heard that, I was free to make the reservation. It so happened it was Bastille Day, so there was a parade going on around the casino with can-can dancers and their respective musicians.

We were lucky enough to get window seats to witness the Bellagio Fountains going off every so often.

We had a delightful server named David. We had engaging conversations about the menu, and he even remembered the time they served Lobster Thermidor. We decided to split an order of their Warm Caesar Salad, which was lovely. 

Sandi had her Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Citrus Buerre Blanc accompanied by basil couscous. I had a bite of it and had no complaints. She, too, was happy with it. I ordered the  Eiffel Tower Beef Wellington. It came with sautéed sugar snap peas. The filet mignon was perfect inside the fluffy, crispy pastry. I was so full that I could not finish the last bite, so Sandi did me a big favor by consuming it. Too full but not for dessert. David informed us that if we wanted a soufflé, we would have to order ahead of time, which we did. 

Our Grand Marnier Soufflé arrived, and we had no problem devouring it. 

The Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Hotel in Las Vegas is still very good and a match for other high-end restaurants. David made our dining experience memorable. We also had interesting conversations with a couple behind us who live in Las Vegas, and they are long-time patrons. Another couple we spoke with at the elevator were also long-time patrons, and they loved dining here. I have to mention that people had the right attire and everyone looked nice as opposed to other restaurants where some people dressed like they were going to the gym or the supermarket. Sandi and I had so many compliments on how nice we looked; probably because we dressed accordingly.

We hope to return and have more memorable dinners at the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas.

Palos Verdes Wine Club

Sandi and I returned to the PV Wine Club to pick up her credit card, which she left a week ago.  They were closed the days shortly after our visit. When Jeff, the owner, welcomed us and asked someone to retrieve her card, he asked if we wanted to be seated inside. We had not planned on having dinner since we had lunch at our monthly meetings with the nuns. Before I could say anything, Sandi replied: "Yes". So we ended up sitting and studying the menu once again. 

Sandi ordered the Citrus and Burrata Sub Heirloom Tomato Salad, which was beautiful, and she enjoyed it. She ate half of it as she was full, so she took the rest home. Note that the following day, we both had it and it was still very good!

I was excited to order the Octopus as they do not always have it. It comes with sweet potato, which I do not care for, so I asked if they could just give a small order of fries, which they did, only it wasn't a small order. We took the leftovers home, and the following day, they were good as new after being heated in the air fryer. I must say that the octopus was so tender. Apparently, the octopus was cooked sous vide and then charred.

We enjoyed our dinner. I have to mention that our server, Siena was such a delight. She was so understanding when a small glass of coke landed on the floor, (glass didn not break), someone mopped the floor and she got down and wiped the remaining wet spots. And, she did this with a smile on her face. Now that's what I call service with a smile. 

PV Wine Club is located at 767 Deep Valley Dr. in Rolling Hills Estates, California.

Ben Scoops

Someone sent me a picture/video of Ben Scoops, a Filipino-owned ice cream store that was located in Torrance. I got all excited. They, of course, had ube, which I don't care for, but they had other flavors like avocado, langka (jackfruit), macapuno (coconut), mango, lychee, etc.

Sandi and I drove to the Enclave, an outdoor shopping mall in Torrance. Sandi ordered the Cantaloupe and the Chocolate Caramel Crackle. She said the cantaloupe was just okay, and the chocolate caramel lacked enough flavor.

I ordered a scoop of Espresso Toffee Crunch; it had toffee candy and espresso chips. That was good. The other scoop I had was the Kahlua Mocha Cream, with Kahlua liquor, coffee, and cocoa. That was not very good. I had a few bites, but ended up tossing the whole scoop to focus on the espresso-toffee crunch.

I have to bring up that Sandi asked if she could have a cup of water, just enough to take her pill. They did have cups available. The young girl informed Sandi that she had to buy a bottle of water. This was after she had given her a tip for scooping the ice cream into a cup! 

Would I recommend Ben Scoops? The answer is NO. Mediocre ice cream and service???? What's an ounce of tap water so someone can eat ice cream without upsetting their stomach? Not too smart!!!

Palos Verdes Wine Club

Although this is technically a wine club, it is also a restaurant where anyone can enjoy wine tastings and dinner. I've heard about this place from Uriah, a Physical Therapist, and he had good things to say about it. Sandi and I decided to try it at the last minute. The only bad thing about it is that I could not sample any of their wines since I was taking a medication that could not be taken when any alcohol was involved. Sandi suggested we go at another time when our wine drinking friends would be available to join us. I thought that we might as well see if it was worth coming back to. 

The place was nice and airy. The location has housed several restaurants in the past, ranging from French to Mexican. The furniture looked welcoming and comfortable. They even had a little patio that looked cozy.

We were not terribly hungry for steak or anything like that. The PVWC Burger looked appetizing. It had onion bacon jam, smoked gouda, blue cheese crumbles, and arugula on a Pretzel Bun with aioli sauce, served with French Fries. The Caramelized Onion & Gruyere Grilled Cheese with a demi-French onion au jus sounded most interesting, so we had to order that. Sandi and I had split both sandwiches. Though both were very good, the Grilled Cheese took the cake. That was the best grilled cheese we've ever had. The au jus was strange, but it worked well and was a nice touch!

Since we were sharing the fries, we thought it would be a good idea to order something healthy. We ordered the Roasted Cauliflower with brown butter, olives, and fried capers served with red pepper hummus. That was a large serving. We enjoyed our healthy veggie and even had some leftover to take home. Thanks to Brandon for his service and cheerful disposition.

PV Wine Club is closed on Monday and Tuesday. They are open by appointment only on Wednesday, and on Thursday to Sunday they have regular hours. Check their website for their schedule of events. They are located at 767 Deep Valley Dr., in Rolling Hills Estates, California.

Nam Vietnamese Kitchen

When Nam was named #3 on the Top 100 Places to Eat in 2026, I had to find out how good it really was. After us, three ladies had facials and were glowing (one didn't want her picture taken), we headed down to Nam. The original is in Gardena, and they opened one in Lomita. Many years ago, I used to frequent this location when it was Stardance Studio. I had many dance lessons and showcases there. Now, it is an open, airy space with lots of light and a nice vibe. 

We planned for each of us to order a dish to share. Before that, we ordered drinks; I had the June Lemon: lemonade wth yuzu and peach purée. I enjoyed this refreshing drink. Cindy had the Lychee Peachee: jasmine green iced tea shaken with peach purée.

Sandi ordered the Nam's Spicy Wontons, which had pork and shrimp, scallions, sesame oil, peanuts, and Szechuan-spicy sauce. Cindy ordered the Truffle Fried Rice; Asian-fusion fried rice with tender pork jowl, drizzled with umami-rich truffle oil, celery paired with shitake mushrooms, Cantonese pork, and chicken sausage. We had to have noodles, so we ordered the Cauliflower Beef Noodles: filet mignon, red onion, cauliflower, and fish sauce.

We loved everything we ordered. The Truffle Fried Rice, although packed with flavor, was thought by all to need a stronger truffle presence. Other than that, we were all very happy and can't wait to return and try their pho and other dishes.

Nam Vietnamese Kitchen is located in Gardena, the original location, and thank God, it has a location in Lomita, California.