Truxton's American Bistro

There's a Truxton's in Santa Monica and one in Westchester. One just opened in Torrance at the Hillside Village where Christine's used to be. Naturally, we had to see what this American Bistro was all about. The bar section seemed a lot bigger than it's predecessor.

For drinks, they had a selection of cocktails and mocktails. Sandi had the Blueberry Lemonade Spritzer and I had the Virgin Mule; pineapple, fresh lime and ginger beer. Both drinks were refreshing especially on a very hot summer afternoon.

The have small plates, salads, burgers, wraps, pasta, soups; they have something for everyone, even vegetarians. We ordered the Pork Bahn Mi; sliced vegetable Vietnamese style pork, pickled daikon, and carrots, cucumbers, red onions, fresh jalapeños, cilantro, mint with mayonnaise and hoisin sauce on ciabatta bread. The other entree we ordered was the Truxton Taco Salad; slow roasted chili-spiced beef tossed with shredded lettuce, black beans poblano corn salsa, cheddar and cotija cheese, tortilla chips, pico de gallo & spicy dressing. This was served on a crispy wheat tortilla.

There was so much food that we could not finish the salad which was delicious. The Bahn Mi had a nice flavor which we enjoyed. Our server Karen was great, constantly checking if everything was o.k. She was concerned since we didn't finish the salad. We assured her it was only because we were too full. However, we had room for dessert. She seemed delighted to hear that from these 2 gluttonous women.

There were several choices for dessert. We agreed to split the Salted Caramel Sundae; salted caramel gelato, caramel filled cinnamon sugar churros topped with fresh whipped cream. I've never had a stuffed churro before so this intrigued me. The churros were served hot which was fine but it made the gelato melt faster than we could eat it. Otherwise, this sundae was a perfect way to end a meal. As the owner Tim, walked by, I made the suggestion to serve the gelato separate next time. He was gracious enough to take note. I was very surprised that he did not charge us for the dessert which I thought was very nice. If you decide to have this dessert, make sure you ask them to serve the gelato in a separate cup so you can fully appreciate the dessert. A bite of the warm crispy filled churro and a spoonful of the salted caramel gelato is the way to go.

Truxton's American Bistro's address in Torrance is 24530 Hawthorne Blvd. at the Hillside Village. We can't wait to try the sliders which looked great. We have a lot of homework to do!