Nick's Manhattan Beach

My friend Yvonne invited me to lunch at Nick's in Manhattan Beach. I was excited since I've never even heard of Nick's. However, she's been there, so I expected it to be good. Since it was my first time, I didn't want to venture too much, so I decided to take her suggestion. We both settled for the Bistro Plate. A petite filet mignon topped with steak butter on garlic toast. It included a bistro salad and a generous cup of the day's soup; that day, it was tomato. 

The steak, though really petite, was cooked to perfection and was delicious. The salad was also delicious, and the soup was all about the flavor. It had the right balance of acidity and sweetness. The portion is just right, and I think this is perfectly calculated to have room for dessert. 

Yvonne mentioned that she loved their signature Warm Butter Cake. I almost ordered that, but I saw an 8-Layer Lemon Cake, so I decided to try that. The Butter Cake was truly wonderful. It had a crystallized sugar crust and was served with vanilla ice cream garnished with a berry compote.  I, too, loved it. My Lemon Cake was equally as good, with tangy lemon curd between the cake and a creamy vanilla frosting. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I couldn't finish this humungous slice of cake.

This will definitely not be my last time at Nick's. Nick's has several locations. The one in Manhattan Beach is located at 451 Manhattan Blvd. I thank my friend Yvonne for introducing me to Nick's.

Heaven in Republique

I had the assignment of finding the best Kouign Amann in Los Angeles. I knew where to get excellent ones, but they have all closed. Wildflour Bakery/Restaurant in the Philippines came to mind. The last two times I was there, we dined there several times. I remembered how I enjoyed their pastries and food (lunch). That said, I thought it would be a good time to check out Republique in Los Angeles. It's a restaurant/bakery, and the pastries are baked by none other than Margarita Manzke.

I ordered 6 of the Kouign Amann's the night before, and I talked Sandi into going with me to pick them up, and since we had to drive the distance, it only made sense for us to have breakfast there. We were overwhelmed when we walked into the restaurant. So many pastries, and they all looked delicious. We picked a few to try before we ordered breakfast. We ordered one Salted Caramel Donut, Banana-Poppyseed muffin, a Scone, and the Crème Brȗlée Bomboloni; custard inside and topped with bruléed sugar which was my absolute favorite. I also ordered an Empanada, which they called BBQ Chicken Hand Pie to try at dinner time as an appetizer. And while thinking of dinner, I had to order the Chocolate Cake for dessert.

As we sampled the pastries while making sounds like animals in ecstasy, our breakfast dishes were delivered to our table. Sandi's Avocado Toast looked too beautiful to eat. It really was picture-perfect. It had loads of avocado slices. She loved it. She almost didn't finish it, but she talked herself into eating the whole thing. I was torn between the Brioche French Toast and the Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon. I first had to ask if the pancake was thin, and he said yes, so I immediately made up my mind to have that. It was another picture-perfect dish, and by gosh, it was heavenly. One bite, and I thought I was in heaven though I  was too busy to look for angels! Our thoughts were: it's too bad they are not close to our area. Then again, maybe that is a blessing because we would both be super fat in no time. To describe our feeling after this outing; Comatose.

On our way home, we pondered about dinner. We were too full that we agreed to postpone any dinner plans. Mind you, we were there at 8:00 a.m. By 2:00 p.m., we both were still too full to think of even eating anything else. We usually have our dinner from 3:30-4:00. Since we still had to try the Chicken Pie and chocolate cake, we decided to have those items for dinner. We split the Chicken Pie and the Chocolate Cake.  We both loved the pie, which reminded me of Philippine Empanada, which has more flavor than the Mexican one. This pie was so flaky and was loaded with wonderful flavors of the different veggies that went well with the chicken. Our first thought was...we should have bought 2! The Chocolate Cake was also wonderful. The caramel in between the layers made it! It was not too sweet. 

My son had the Kouign Amann that evening and he loved it. I saved mine for the following day for breakfast because I really wanted to enjoy it. I didn't even bother to heat it up. I just ate it as is. OMG, it was perfection! I can finally say I have a new friend and her name is Kouigny.

I can't wait to go back to Republique. They are located at 624 South La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. I got to meet Margarita, the pasty Chef, and owner. She was a delight. Margarita, will you open a Restaurant/Bakery in Rolling Hills or in Torrance?

Dittman Truffle Carpaccio

I got this package of Truffle Carpaccio from Ramon; he asked me if I've ever tried them as it is or was available at Costco.  

Last month, I finally tried it; Italian black truffles thinly shaved in olive oil. I expected it to be good, but boy was I surprised. It was better than good. It was delicious! You could really taste the truffles, and I don't mean truffle flavor but actual truffles. 

I am not a Costco member, so I looked it up on Amazon, and they sell the little jar for $37. If you see it somewhere for less, go ahead and buy it; you will not regret it and you'll be glad you did. I promise.

Dinner at the Assadi's

When Zohreh and her husband Mike invites us for dinner, the answer is always yes. If you have other plans, you cancel because it is like being invited to a real feast! I keep telling her that she does not have to work so hard to serve numerous dishes as we (her friends) are so easy to please.

Sandi, Amy, and I really prepared by not eating before dinner. We conditioned our tummies to be in a "holding pattern", we were starving by the time we got to her house. I can't speak for our other friend Britt, as she doesn't seem to eat as much as us. 

Hors d' oeuvres were an array of homemade Tabouli, yogurt with cucumber, olives, walnuts, a variety of cheeses. and guacamole. We enjoyed all of it with countless glasses of champagne, except for Amy who opted for her red wine. 

Dinner was Chicken Curry, Salmon with Farro, Chicken with split peas, okras, zucchinis. She also served that burnt rice which we all loved! 

With all that food, we managed to enjoy dessert, a very light chocolate cake, and some fresh fruit. We were lucky to witness a nice sunset from their dining room. 

What a wonderful way to end the day! The company was the best. Thank you to the Assadi's for another fun and delightful evening.