Dominique's Kitchen

It's been a while since I was at Dominique's Kitchen in Redondo Beach. Cindy, Zohreh, and I thought it was time to revisit the restaurant. 

We were greeted by the lovely Liza, Dominque's wife, who looked younger. She swore it was just moisturizers, but I'm sure her almost daily golfing is what's keeping her young. 

We settled in a lovely table; our server, Casey, was very personable and delightful. She recited the specials of the evening. We ordered the Garlic Fries to share and shared a Wedge Salad, which was delicious. 

For our entrée, we made it easy for Casey. We all had the same order, which was their Sole. Cindy and I have had it in the past, and we loved how it was fresh, flaky, and tasty. The Sole was pan-seared and served with black rice, wilted spinach with lime and tarragon butter. This was unlike the previous Sole, but it was still perfect, if not better.

Casey came back to check if we had room for dessert, and before anyone could answer, I said: "Yes." We shared the Panna Cotta of the day, which included berries. Light and not sweet, the perfect way to end a beautiful meal. 

Thank you, Liza, for your hospitality. It was so lovely to see you and catch up! Dominique's Kitchen has always been special to me. It was 10 years ago that I celebrated my 60th birthday there, and it was quite a celebration.

La Bocca Felice

Zohreh invited me and Sugar to one of our favorite restaurants. We were welcomed by Nima, the owner, who was all spiffed up looking dapper.

Zohreh and I got there first. Shortly after we were seated, Sugar made her grand entrance. It's always interesting to see what wild outfit she would wear, and she did not disappoint, dressed in a sparkly jacket, shiny black pants, and black boots. 

We all agreed to order our dirty/filthy Martinis. Our appetizer had to be the most delicious Capesante, jumbo scallops, dried cranberries, and pine nuts cooked in Marsala wine topped with shaved Parmesan. That was consumed faster than you can say," supercalifragelisticexpialidocious."

Both Zohreh and Sugar ordered the special Halibut with a portabello mushroom on top, served with potatoes and grilled asparagus. They both loved how it was tender, flaky and tasted very fresh. I did have a bite, and it was indeed delicious.

I ordered the Vitello Picatta, thinly sliced veal seared with garlic white wine in a lemon-caper sauce. I asked if I could have pasta with garlic and olive oil with it. They gave me a generous amount of pasta, which was the best side that complemented my scrumptious veal.

We were all very happy with our selections. Our server, Jose, brought us the dessert menu but strongly suggested we try the Panna Cotta. Wow! That was just perfect. It was not sweet, yet very satisfying.

It is always a pleasure to dine at La Bocca Felice, and the fact that they do not have a corkage fee is a real bonus. La Bocca Felice is located at 301 W. 6th St. in San Pedro, California. 

Thank you, Zohreh, for a fun evening!

Parkers' Lighthouse

Lydia, aka Sugar, invited Zohreh and me for dinner at Parkers' Lighthouse in Long Beach. Both Zohreh and I have never been there. We were supposed to sit outside, but it was a bit too nippy, so we decided to sit inside. It was a beautiful, clear evening, and we had a fantastic view of the Queen Mary.

Shortly after we were seated, we were presented with a basket of warm rolls with butter. This was great because we were all starving, and three Martinis were on their way, so we needed something to soak up that vodka. 

Our server, Rory, informed us that seafood and mixed grills were their specialty, but before our entrees, we ordered Calamari, which was delicious. Sugar opted for the Turkey Soup, which was also delicious. 

Sugar decided on the Ribeye with mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus. Zohreh had the Chilean Sea Bass with a miso-mirin glaze and chose to have it on mashed potatoes instead of rice. I had a bite of the steak and fish and loved them.

I usually order steak, but since seafood was their specialty, I had the Mixed Grill Day Boat Catch which included shrimp, scallops, jumbo lump crab cake, garlic-roasted fingerling potatoes with lemon butter, and almond Romesco sauce. It was what I expected and then more. 

Before we could think of dessert, Rory brought us the menu. He strongly suggested we order their special Warm Butter Cake served with strawberry puree, streusel crumble, and ice cream on top. Rory was right on the money. We all loved this moist buttery cake!

When we left the restaurant, Mother Nature gave us a beautiful view of the skyline and the buildings. Parkers' Lighthouse is at 435  Shoreline Village Dr. #1 in Long Beach, California. On the second floor is another restaurant called Queensview Steakhouse.

Thank you, Sugar, for a wonderful evening of food, drinks, and especially your company.

California Pizza Kitchen

After seeing a movie at AMC in Rolling Hills Plaza, Amy and I decided to go to CPK. We have had good meals there in the past. We arrived shortly after 4 p.m., and they still had "happy hour." So the drinks and the appetizers were half off. We were served warm bread with their dip, which was delightful.

Since Amy is not a big eater like me, I thought it would be good to order just appetizers. We had to have their Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower, buttermilk battered and lightly fried. This was tossed in a siracha buffalo sauce topped with celery, cilantro, scallions, and Gorgonzola cheese. This had a kick and was super delicious. 

Amy ordered the Dynamite Shrimp, tossed in a sweet and spicy siracha sauce topped with scallions and toasted sesame seeds. That was very good but less spicy than the cauliflower. We also ordered the Szechwan Chicken Dumplings with soy ginger chili sauce. This was the perfect combination. We had our protein and our veggies. 

Our server, Vincent, was excellent. He was very friendly and professional as well. 

California Pizza Kitchen has multiple locations. So far, all our visits have been satisfactory. The food has been constantly delicious. 

Bettolino Kitchen

I had not seen Sister Terrence in about 2 years. The last time was when I had her over for dinner at my house. I meant to call her, but something always came up, and I'd forget until I got the Peninsula magazine and saw her on the front page. I finally called and asked her if she was free for a late lunch. Lo and behold, she agreed to meet. 

I took her to Bettolino Kitchen. She ordered a glass of Pino Grigio, and I had a Cabernet. She's allergic to shellfish, so we couldn't order their delicious Calamari. We both enjoyed the bread and the dip with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

The Gemelli Con Oxail caught her eye as she mentioned that she did love oxtail. I wanted to order the pasta with squid ink, but unfortunately, they took it off the menu. I settled for one of my favorites, the Tortelloni Al Limone, which was as delicious as ever. Sister Terrence managed to eat only half, though she did love her oxtail pasta. She planned to consume the rest for a late dinner. I told her this was my dinner (our reservation was for 3pm, though we arrived early). On the other hand, she goes to bed at 2:00 -2:30 in the morning!

Nothing caught her eye for dessert. She wanted gelato, and they did have it, but only had Vanilla, which was fine. She had a scoop of gelato and cappuccino. I skipped dessert but ordered a cappuccino as well.

The service was excellent, and we were happy with our dining experience. 

Bettolino Kitchen is located at 211 Palos Verdes Blvd. in Redondo Beach, California.

Early Thanksgiving at the Nakasato's

It was nice to be invited to Amy's house for Thanksgiving. They had to celebrate on the 18th of November because that was the only date they could all make it. There were many appetizers, but Lynn's stuffed mushroom and Lisa's deviled eggs took the cake. I would have been pleased dining on those two items all evening. 

Lynn made a ham with her father's recipe of raisin currant sauce. The turkey was furnished by Bryce and Lisa. There was salad, creamed corn, stuffing, various mashed potatoes, and more!

Dessert was Pumpkin Pie and a Chocolate Mocha Cake from Red Ribbon. We were all stuffed, but we all managed to have dessert.

Everyone had a good time, including Oliver, the dog! Thanksgiving is significant not just because of the food but because being part of a family is so precious. That's what it's all about.