Mr. Fries Man

If you love French Fries, you should take a trip to one of Mr. Fries Man's location in the South Bay. We happen to be closer to the one in Gardena, so we headed there the other day. They do not accept phone orders, which was not a problem since we didn't have to wait long. This would be a problem for people that do not like to go inside to place their order during this pandemic.

They have 6 different fries you could order, or you can also build your own. There were 4 of us, two ordered the Chicken Bacon Parmesan; one had it with fried chicken, and the other with grilled chicken. I tried both, and they were delicious.

One ordered the Honey Garlic Shrimp & Steak, and we were pleasantly surprised at how tender the steak was. I expected it to be low-quality tough meat. I had the Lemon Garlic & Snow Crab fries with cheddar cheese. I loved my choice, as well. The fries were delicious and again surprised with the generous portion of crab. No one finished their dinner, and that included me, which shocked everyone.

Most of the reviews found the fries to be too salty. I don't know if they have altered the recipe, but we thought they were perfect!

Mr. Fries Man's 2 locations are 14800 S. Western Ave. #108 in Gardena, the other is at 1120 W. Florence Ave, Suite C in Inglewood, California.

Iberico Chorizo

Iberico Jamon is considered the most expensive ham in the world since it comes from the Iberian Pig, which is dark gray in color, commonly known as "pata negra" which means dark hoof. The reason it is expensive is the diet of these pigs. Most of them eat acorns, olives, and nuts. The chorizo is a lot cheaper since it is a sausage. It has a high-fat content, but it's the good fat, unsaturated, the same as olive oil.

While I was browsing at Pavillions Market a few days ago, I came across packages of Fermín Iberico Chorizo from Spain. I grabbed one to try. It recommended placing the plastic enclosure under warm running water for 10 seconds, which I did. It was greasy, but nothing good old Bounty paper towel couldn't handle. I served it with crackers. It is quite salty, so be sure and pair it with something bland. The taste was heavenly. It's nothing like any sausage or salami I've ever had. I checked to see if Amazon sells them, and yes, they do, but it's a bit more expensive there. Pavillions is still a better buy.

Pacific Standard Prime

There's a new Steakhouse in the South Bay. I was excited to try this since there's no decent steak house in the Torrance area aside from this one, which is in Redondo Beach next to Torrance. 

Sandi and I decided to splurge since we haven't been to any fine dining restaurant since COVID-19. We made a reservation for 4 p.m. when they open. The restaurant occupies the old Mediterranean restaurant, Azure on Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo Beach. They renovated the inside, which looks much more inviting than the old layout. They have a nice area for the bar, and the indoor sitting was cozy. Luckily they have a patio, which made dining very pleasant for a hot day since you get the ocean breeze.

Prices are what you would expect for a steak house, and everything is a la carte. Instead of ordering a starter, we just ordered 2 entrées to split and a side dish, which is plenty for two. We had the 9 oz. Prosciutto-wrapped Filet Mignon with the Bearnaise sauce and the 8 oz. Wagyu Skrit Steak with the Beurre Rouge sauce. The skirt steak had a very nice flavor but not as tender as the filet mignon which was excellent. We shared an order of Scalloped Potatoes with fontina, parmesan, and gruyere cheese. That was naturally delicious; how can it not with all that cheese! The steaks were not as hot as we wanted it to be. I think this is the disadvantage of eating outside, food cools off immediately. 

Our server, Stephanie, suggested we try the Candied Bacon Bread Pudding with salted caramel sauce. The only problem was Sandi likes her pudding hot, and I like it cold. Stephanie was nice enough to see if she could have the chef figure something out. The pudding came cold, which was good for me but not for Sandi. I suggested we have her half heated, but she declined. The bacon on top was the best part. I think I could have eaten more of that. The owner, Kevin Leach, came to our table and asked if we had already ordered dessert, and we said yes. He wanted us to try the Brown Sugar Pound Cake with vanilla bean créme anglaise, so he sent us one on the house. That was absolutely delicious. The créme anglaise had black little seeds. They were some sort of rice reminiscent of the tea with brown rice. Stephanie did confirm that my suspicion was correct. This is an absolute must-order if you decide to order dessert as it was far more superior to the bread pudding.

The food at Pacific Standard Prime is worth the trip. How can it not with Chef Christine Brown in the kitchen, former owner and chef of Christines in Torrance. Pacific Standard Prime is located at 1810 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo Beach, California.