Pinwheel Salmon

I purchaced a package of two pieces of salmon from Trader Joe's a few days ago. It was less than $12.00. It didn't have directions on how to cook it so I called them up and they were happy to assist. I baked them in the oven for 15-20 minutes and that was it. 

I served it with some mashed potatoes and corn. It was absolutely delicious with the creamed spinach in between the flaky salmon. My son and I thought this was a very good buy and I am definitely buying this again. 

Hopefully Trader Joe's will continue to sell this item because often times when I discover something very good, it ends up being discontinued. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed!

La Bocca Felice

We can't get enough of this restaurant in San Pedro. The food is consistently good, and we love that they have no corkage fee, especially when restaurants are raising their prices on everything. Sure, they can charge whatever they want for a corkage, but when we have a choice of a good restaurant, it's almost a no-brainer to pick one where you can bring your wine and eat and pay more for your food, and that's precisely what Zohreh and I did a week ago. 

We always enjoy their superb scallops cooked with cranberries in Marsala wine and garnished with shaved parmesan cheese. Zohreh loves calamari, and they do that very well with 2 sauces, so we ordered that. It's always very light and crisp.

For our entreé, she ordered the Vitello Marsala with portobello mushrooms. I had been eating a lot of meat lately, so I opted for the Penne Alla Vodka with mushrooms, which was very much to my liking.

Our server Samuel was no stranger to us since he had served us before. He was attentive and was always there to top of our wine. We decided not to order dessert, but there's always the next time.

La Bocca Felice is located at 301 W. 6th St. in San Pedro, California.

Paul Martin's American Grill

My friend Sugar received an email from this restaurant. They were having a prix-fixe dinner that was hard to ignore, and it included a nice salad, prime rib, and a dessert. She offered to pick me up, and at that point, it was hard to say no.

We arrived for an early dinner, 3:30 p.m. We ordered the special and decided to just have wine by the glass. Sugar asked the waiter which wine he recommended that was not sweet, and he suggested one, and it was nice to offer a sample. The wine was sweet. He never came back to check, so I had to wave both arms hoping to catch someone's attention after some time. The lady bartender looked our way, and I asked for our waiter. She approached our table, and I asked her to bring Sugar the exact wine I got. That took a while. 

Our waiter finally decided to come and take our order. Sugar ordered her meat medium-rare, and I ordered a medium. We started with the salad, which was a generous serving, and it was good. Then came our prime rib, and I have to say that it was cooked to our liking. The meat was tender, and Sugar even commented that it was like butter. The mashed potatoes were equally delicious. 

The dessert was all chocolate, and it did not disappoint. 

Paul Martin's Grill is still good, but the service has gone downhill. Paul Martin's Grill is located at 2361 Rosecrans Ave. in El Segundo, California. They have numerous locations in California.

Sampa's Gourmet Pizza

I have blogged about Sampa's previously, and here I am again with their dessert pizza called Romeo and Juliet. It's guava paste and cheese, and it sounded intriguing to me, and I always wanted to try it, so I did. By the way, you can order half of their dessert pizzas. 

If you like the tropical fruit guava, you will like this pizza. I dislike the fresh fruit, but I like a good guava jelly. The sweetness of guava was a perfect pair with the cheese used in the pizza. You had salty and sweet. The combination of salty and sweet is familiar to me since this is a staple breakfast; bread with jam or jelly and cheese on top or bites of sharp cheese in between the bread with jam. It is most delicious.

I couldn't go to Sampa's and just buy a dessert pizza, so I ordered the Prosciutto Pizza with fresh arugula and glazed balsamic. I cannot say enough about their pizzas; they are just absolutely perfect with their thin crust. You just have to try it to believe it.

Sampa's Pizza is located at 2413 Pacific Coast Hwy. #107, in Lomita, California.

Filet Mignon

While shopping at my local Ralph's Market, I came across 3 pieces of individually packed organic filet mignons on sale. The regular price for the 6 oz. meat was usually $14, which I would never dream of paying. I could not pass the sale price of $4.99 apiece since it expired the following day. I got 2 pieces, though I really should have bought all 3. 

I cooked them in butter with a bit of vegetable oil to not burn the butter and added some fresh rosemary and thyme. After a couple of minutes, I added the steak and cooked it for 5 minutes on each side. It was still a bit rare, so I added an extra minute or so, which was a mistake since I forgot about the resting period in which the steak continued to cook. It came out more well than medium, but it was still super tender and delicious. I served it with peas and potatoes that you can buy in a box and just add butter and the seasoning included in the package. I took a picture of my dish, but my son said I should have included the herbs for presentation, and he was right.

It was a reasonably inexpensive dinner for two. Yesterday as I went through the meat section of Ralph's, I looked for any sale items, but there were none. As the saying goes: "You win some, you lose some."

Golfers Lounge

I had to check if the Golfers Lounge at the Trump National Golf Club was still offering "Happy Hour." The answer was yes, so I texted my friend Zohreh and asked if she felt like being happy sometime soon. I had a reply within minutes after I had sent her a copy of their menu. I remember them having delicious burgers, and their Calamari was always delicious. I also asked our 92-year-old friend Amy if she wanted to join us, and she said yes.

It was very foggy when we arrived, but I had hoped that we would be able to see Catalina Island by the time we left. We ordered a bottle of wine which was perfect for the 3 of us. We all decided on the Hamburger on a Brioche bun with French fries, and we also ordered their famous Calamari. 

The burgers were huge and delectable. It was not easy eating them, but we managed. Amy only ate half of hers and took the other half home. The Calamari was fresh, succulent, and very light instead of some that are heavily breaded. 

Our server, William, was a blast. We not only had excellent service, but we also enjoyed his wit and humor. If he didn't have other customers, we would have had him join us.

By the time we were ready to leave, the fog had lifted, the sun was about to set, and we had a clear view of Catalina Island. The three of us left there very happy, and we look forward to returning, and hopefully, William will be there to welcome us again. 

Golfers Lounge at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes is open for Happy Hour on Wednesday to Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Dark Chocolate Scones

My friend Cindy read my blog on the Lemon Poppy Seed Scones that she decided to give me a package of Dark Chocolate Scones made by Sticky Fingers. I guess she wanted me to be the guinea pig as she didn't want to waste her time (not much time involved) baking the scones in case it was not good. 

So I got a bowl, emptied the package, and preheated my oven. All it took was a lot of mixing with water using a fork, then shaping them into scones on parchment paper. I had 11 instead of 12 scones by the time I was done. I baked them, and the house smelled like chocolate all over!

The scone was quite moist. It was good, but it lacked something. I then took some Orange Curd out and dabbed some with each bite. Voila! That was it. The chocolate scone with chocolate chips was not too sweet since it was dark chocolate, and the orange curd added the right amount of sweetness and tanginess. It was so good that I had a second scone.  

So, Cindy, go ahead and get your Sticky Fingers Dark Chocolate Scones package, but don't forget to buy some Orange Curd.

Mama Jackie's Rum Loaf

I received this Rum Loaf from the Trinidad's for Christmas, and it sat in my refrigerator for a few days before I tried it. When I first cut a piece out of the aluminum pan, I got excited because of the texture. It was very moist, so I imagined it would be delicious. 

I had a bite, and boy was I elated. It was truly scrumptious. Upon further investigation, I found that Jackie can either make a loaf or a bundt cake version. She also makes Food for the Gods, but unfortunately, I haven't tried that yet. 

The rum loaf sells for $35, and I assure you that every bite is worth it!

Sampa's Gourmet Pizza

What better way to celebrate New Year's Eve than to have a pizza from Sampa's and some Champagne? Who says you have to celebrate with people you care about? Well, that's all well and good but when everyone else is busy or not busy by themselves or alone, there is no reason why you shouldn't have a good time, and good time did I have last night. 

I stopped by Sampa's on my way home after dropping my son off to meet with friends. I asked how long it would take to order a pizza and they told me about 15 minutes. Of course I knew the wait would be worth it since I have been a customer since I discovered this place in May of 2019. My only problem was deciding which pizza to order. I eventually settled for the Caprese with fresh tomatoes, ricotta, olive pesto, and fresh basil. Their Funghi Al Tartufo, mushrooms ricotta, mozzarella oregano and truffle oil is also one of my favorites but I thought ordering 2 pizzas for one was overkill!

As soon as I walked out of Sampa's, I immediately turned  on the heater on the empty seat in my car. Thats the only time I use the heater, to keep it warm. I got a plate and started on the 8 piece pizza with champagne. The pizza was delicious as ever. It was very thin, kinda burnt on the bottom and just perfect. The tomatoes were nice and firm but juicy and I could really taste the freshness of all the ingredients. I managed to eat 5 large pieces with only 3 left. Now I wish I left one more so I could at least have 4 pieces tonight. Oh well, that's instant gratification for you! Plus I thought what if that was my last meal; at least it would have been very fulfilling.

I still haven't tried their dessert pizzas which sounds very interesting; like the Romeo & Juliet which is Guava paste and cheese or the Banana Flambe Pizza, with bananas, cinnamon and sugar or the Churros Pizza which is dulce de leche, cinnamon, sugar and mozzarella. Theres also the Nutella & Strawberries Pizza.

Sampa's Gourmet Pizza is located in a little strip mall in the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. and Pacific Coast Hwy. in Lomita, California.