Joannie's Fruit Cake

You all know what they say about fruit cake. The numerous jokes and how some people use them as doorstops. I have had my share of the terrible hard and dry ones in the past.

My friend Joni who is more like a cousin since her father and my father used to be best friends, loves to cook and bake. I recently had her pumpkin chocolate cake on Thanksgiving and loved it; considering I hate pumpkin and so does she! 

One of Joni's specialties is her Fruitcake. It is her grandmother's recipe. She used to help her grandma make it together with her mom, Tita Julie. She promised to give me one the next time she saw me, which was Christmas Day. I reminded her not to forget my fruitcake, or I would have sent her back home!

The fruitcake was really heavy (weight wise). Two days ago, I decided to try it as I slowly unwrapped the many layers of wrapping. The aroma of the brandy was intoxicating. I couldn't wait to take a slice. As I did, it sort of fell apart but it was a good sign because it was so very moist. I didn't need an electric knife to cut it.

The cake was so incredibly delicious. I haven't had anything like it before. When I called her, she explained to me that all the fruits are individually soaked in brandy, the pineapple, orange and citron peel are individually glazed.There are currants, golden and amber raisins and whole candied cherries. She also uses unsulfured organic molasses which is only sold out of state. I know I'm not doing her justice in explaining this process since I am not a baker. I only remember that she told me it takes about 5 days for the process. So this is not your "buy the ingredients, put it together and pour brandy" kind of cake. 

It really takes a lot of time and love to make this and it's only when you experience the unwrapping, the  whiff of brandy and your first bite will you understand what I am talking about. 

Joni's email address if you are interested in this amazing experience is JoanF@joanofartenterprises.com

Cremé de la Crêpe

After visiting our friends Frank and Mary, we planned to have an early dinner at Cremé de la Crêpe. Wednesdays are their "free corkage night'. We took advantage of that, plus I was dying to try their Mussels with fries. I was ready to compare it with the ones from Meet in Paris in Culver City, which prepared them perfectly. 

We were both starving. I ordered the Mussels, and I was offered a choice of sauces. I decided on the Dijon Mustard. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity of Mussels and the large number of fries. As soon as I tried it, I was hooked. The mussels were delicious, and the sauce was addicting. There was a large amount of fries that they begged to be dumped in the dijon mustard sauce. I was in 7th heaven! 

Zohreh ordered the Crab Burger with a generous amount of fries. She was happy with her burger and insisted I try it, so I did. It was mouth-watering. She could not finish her fries, so I lent her a helping mouth.

I was impressed with their food's quality, quantity, and presentation. I can't wait to return to Cremé de la Crêpe. They have multiple locations. We went to the one located at 550 Deep Valley Dr. #145 in Rolling Hills Estates, California.

Musso and Frank

The last time I dined at Musso and Frank was with Sandi in March 2019. They closed during the pandemic, and I've been dying to return. Zohreh and I spent the night at the Everly Hotel, a one-night stay Christmas present from my son. Zohreh has never been to this iconic restaurant, which opened in 1919. She's wanted to go since she saw the restaurant featured in movies including The Kominski Method.

I looked for Mr. Landroche, the maître d', but unfortunately, he was off that evening. So was our last server, Nick. We ended up with Craig, who was just as fun and professional as Nick. We had to order their famous Martini. We both ordered them very dirty with 3 olives. 

I was able to convince Zohreh to let me take care of the ordering. But before we ordered, Craig brought us some of their delicious sourdough bread with lots of butter. 

We both like Caesar Salad, so we split an order of that. I ordered their Classic made-to-order Grenadine of Beef with Bearnaise sauce. We had to have the famous Original Fettucine Alfredo, which tastes like the one I've had several times in Rome. Zohreh agreed that this was no ordinary Alfredo which is normally too rich. This was light and just heavenly!!!

We really were both too full for dessert. Craig filled us in with some history. He informed us that we were sitting in the Marilyn Monroe-Joe DiMaggio booth. He also told us that the 1st booth was Charlie Chaplin's, which he liked since he would park his horse right by the entrance and could keep an eye on him.  We thank Craig for a nice dining experience and look forward to our next visit.

Musso and Frank is located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.

Potato Pizza at Bonello's New York Pizza

Wayne and Tiffany came over yesterday for an informal dinner which pizza was to be the main event. I had warned them that this was not their ordinary pizza and that it was heavy on carbs! They gave me a puzzled look and seemed perplexed. I immediately told them to "hold their horses" and told them to be open because it really was delicious, especially when they took my suggestion of adding spicy honey to the pizza. 

I asked Tony at Bonello's if he could partially cook the pizza, and I would finish cooking it in my oven. He asked if I had a pizza pan, and I said yes, though it was much smaller than his regular-size pizza, which is humongous. He was so nice to lend me one of his pans to ensure everything went well. I preheated the oven to 500 degrees and cooked the pizza for 10 minutes, and let it stand for another 5-10 minutes. It looked incredible! 

They loved the pizza. My response was, "Would I serve anything that I didn't like and was not delicious?" I served it with a salad. 

Before they left, Tiffany saw the beautiful moon outside and wanted a picture. So we all went out in the cold, and I took pictures of the moon and the lovely couple. 

Iccho

When Amy called and wanted to take me out to dinner, I chose her favorite restaurant, Iccho. We got there before 5 p.m. and went in the back door only to be told they were not yet open so we had to go back to the car and wait. 

They started us out with a small dish of Edamame. Amy had to have her glass of red wine, and so did I. She ordered a Pork Belly dish which was very good. 

I was torn between Shrimp Tempura and Udon. It was wet and cold outside so I thought Udon would be great. When our server came, I told her about my dilemma, and she suggested I order the Udon with Tempura on the side which was on the menu and I neglected to see. I so loved the Udon, and the Tempura was cooked to perfection. I got 2 shrimp and some vegetables with them. That really hit the spot!

We both enjoyed the evening and I left the restaurant happy and full. I just wish they open earlier than 5 p.m. Iccho is located at the Rolling Hills Plaza at 25310 Crenshaw Blvd. in Torrance, California. 

Nafoura Jerusalem Wall Restaurant & Bar

Of all the places in Jerusalem, this was the best food we had experienced.  Ante, Edna, Gary, Ramon, and I were elated to have this charming restaurant recommended by our guide, Lazarus.

The staff was amiable and explained that we might have a wait since there was a big party ahead of us. We were seated outside with the wall of Jerusalem behind us, and we waited patiently like the cat who roamed around waiting for a handout.

Ante ordered the Lamb Chops and was very happy with his choice. He had ordered lamb chops at the fancy restaurant we went to several nights ago, and he was very disappointed.

The three of us had the Boneless Chicken Kebab. We were all blown away by the flavor of both the chicken and the rice. We thought that once you've tasted a kebab, they are pretty much the same. Even Lazarus made that comment before lunch. 

We thought we were stuffed, but all it took was for our server to recite the dessert menu. It was agreed by everyone to order the Baklava. We devoured those little squares in seconds, and they were delicious. 

If you ever find yourself inside the Old City of Jerusalem, make it a point to go to this restaurant. It is worth it! Nafoura is located at Latin Patriarchate Rd. 26, in Jerusalem.

My Favorite Quiche

My favorite quiche recipe is from the old restaurant in Beverly Hills called L' Escoffier, which is no longer there. Whether or not it is the original recipe, all I can say is it never disappoints. 

I invited my niece Anne and her husband OJ for dinner last night. We started with a Mushroom Salad which they loved, and I did too. They were commenting that they'd never had raw mushrooms before. 

Dinner was a quiche that is not in any way healthy as it is made with bacon, heavy whipping cream, and Gruyere cheese. I neglected to tell them to bring some Lipitor if they had a cholesterol problem. My neighbor had given me a bunch of vegetables from their garden, so I cooked those for our side dish. 

Dessert was store-bought Blueberry Pie. It was not the best pie, but it wasn't bad. Sandi wasn't here to make one of her delicious pies! Oh well, it can't be all perfect.

Back to Meet in Paris

It was just last week that I was at this restaurant. I wanted to take advantage of the dineLA, so this time, Zohreh and Mike whose never been there, came along. We sat outside, and though it was a beautiful day, there was a cool breeze enough for us to have them turn on the heater. I must mention that our initial server tried really hard to get the nice heater with rocks next to us going but was unable to do so.  After some time, he concluded that it was broken, so he moved the big heater next to us. That's what I call genuine service.

We all ordered the excellent Crab Cakes. Both Zohreh and Mike had the Steak Frites. I was elated by the fact that they truly enjoyed it. Both steaks were cooked to perfection.

I decided to have their great Mussel.! I had forgotten how good they were.  Zohreh was kind enough to share her fries with me, which went well with the mussels. I had no problem emptying my bowl. We also ordered their freshly baked French bread, but we ingested it before I could take a picture.

When our server came back to ask about dessert, I took charge and ordered 2 of my favorites. The Tarte Tatin, and the Profiteroles. Again, before I could take a picture of the Tarte Tatin, Zohreh had already dissected the dessert. Both were devoured and enjoyed. Sebastian, the owner, came by our table and ensured everything was up to par. 

Meet in Paris is located at 9727 Culver Blvd. in Culver City, California. They are open every day for lunch and dinner and are also open for brunch on the weekends. They have "Happy Hour" and  Jazz night. 

Jame Enoteca dineLA

Sujata, Amy, and I took advantage of the dineLA for this restaurant in El Segundo. Though Sujata, Sandi, and I have been there numerous times, Amy never had the pleasure of dining here. 

They had the 3-course meal: one gets to pick an appetizer, an entrée, and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Sujata picked the Brussels Sprouts, which is one of the best I've had. Amy and I settled for Spicy Caesar Salad which indeed was spicy but tolerable. It was delicious. 

For our entrées, Amy tried the Paccheri Rigati, spicy pork sausage, sugo, fennel, sage, and pecorino. She loved her pasta. I tried it, and though it was perfectly cooked and the spiciness perfect, I did not care for the overpowering taste of the fennel. If you like fennel, you will love this dish.

Sujata and I were torn between the Capellini and the Spicy Rigatoni, so we agreed to order one of each to share. We both enjoyed them. The next time I think I would stick to the Spicy Rigatoni "alla vodka" since it had more flavor. One thing for sure, no matter what pasta you order, you can count on it as being aldente which is perfect for any Italian pasta dish. Both Sujata and Amy had leftovers. I had none to take home, but Sujata graciously insisted I take her leftovers. I did not argue. I have to mention, our server Brian was very attentive; service with a smile!

The Chocolate Chip Cookie was a perfect dessert. It was nice and warm, a bit gooey, and not too sweet. 

You can always count on a great deal for Jame Enoteca's dineLA menu. They are located at 241 Main St.in El Segundo, California. 

Meet in Paris

I have been to Meet in Paris multiple times, and almost every time I go, we get lost. But it is worth getting lost for. This restaurant is consistently good. My friends Wayne and Tiffany wanted to take me out for lunch and asked where I would like to go. I first asked them if they liked Mussels or Steak Frites and the answer was yes. Wayne drove, and Tiffany was the navigator with the help of her GPS. We got there without getting lost this time.

It was hot the afternoon they picked me up, but we loved the table they assigned us to. It was outside, but there was a canopy and a very nice breeze. It really was a perfect afternoon. 

Since Wayne and Tiffany have never been to this restaurant, I suggested we go for the dineLA menu. For appetizers, Wayne had the Lobster Bisque. Tiffany and I ordered the Crab Cakes. I've never had them before. We thought it to be delicious. Something I would order again.

For our entrée, Tiffany had the Mussels. Their mussels are the best. I used to love the Chorizo but they no longer have it. They narrowed it down to about 6 kinds. I might try the Lobster and Brandy Bisque or the Truffle and Mushroom -Crème Fraîche next time.

Wayne and I had the Steak Frites, which is always wonderful. Though Wayne finished his steak, he had a problem finishing his fries. I, on the other hand, cleaned out my plate! Surprising?

Meet in Paris is consistently good as far as food and service go and is always a delightful experience. Thank you, Wayne and Tiffany, for an enjoyable afternoon.

Meet in Paris is located at 9727 Culver Blvd. in Culver City, California.