California Pizza Kithchen

This is our go-to restaurant after seeing a movie at AMC. It is in the same plaza, and they have no-nonsense food, very good happy hour, and a $5.00 corkage fee. We have been there numerous times, and we have gotten to know most servers. This time, we had Madison, who was on the ball and lively as well. Speaking of lively, she reminded me of the actress Blake Lively.

Upon studying the menu, Sandi accidentally discovered their special lunch menu in the very back, which we had never noticed before. From 11AM-4PM, they offer Lunch Duos. You can order half a pizza or sandwich with salad or soup, etc. It was a bit confusing, but Madison was patient enough to explain how it worked. 

Zohreh had the Mushroom Pizza with a Caesar Salad. Sandi had the Spaghetti Bolognese with the BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad. I also had the Spaghetti Bolognese with their Caesar Salad. We were all happy with our choices. 

While we dined, our favorite manager, Jasmine, stopped by. She's the best, always running around and working hard. We've seen her in the kitchen and on the floor, always busy and always with a smile on her face.

We love their Butter Cake, so we ordered one to share. We all went home happy.....till the next movie. 

Simonette

We wanted to try one more restaurant before the dineLA ended last Friday. Simonette was one of the French restaurants on the list. The menu looked exciting. I asked my brother Gary if he's ever been, and he said no. He then invited Sandi and I for lunch last Wednesday. 

The restaurant is inside the Palihotel, a small boutique hotel in Culver City. The DineLa menu looked good as there was something for each of our heart's desires. Before we ordered, our server informed us they were already out of 2 items on the menu. We were okay with one because none of us would order that item. Then he proceeded to tell us they were out of the dessert that was included, which was the Crème Brûlée. He mentioned a couple of desserts for replacement, and one of them was Crêpes Suzette; Bingo! We all love Crêpes Suzette.

For our appetizers, Sandi ordered the Croquettes with aioli sauce. Gary had the Tapenade a Crostini, kalamata olives, orange, capers, and garlic. I settled for the Steak Tartare Crostone with sauce gribiche dijon, capers, and truffles. We all shared our appetizers, and they were spot-on and delicious. I especially loved that the steak tartare was already on the bread, ready to devour!

I was very disappointed that the entée I was looking forward to was no longer available: the Poisson en Papillote, fish baked in parchment. I reluctantly ordered the Parisienne Burger with fries.  Gary ordered the same thing. Sandi had the Croque Madame. Gary and Sandi shared their entrées. The burger was okay, nothing to brag about, and so was the Croque Madame.

Our saving grace was our dessert until our server told us they were out of the Crêpes Suzette. They had some chocolate tart, so we all settled for that. I had three bites, Gary and Sandi had one bite, and we decided to take the rest home. 

This dining experience was very disappointing. We were there shortly before noon, and for them to be out of several items on their DineLA menu is just inexcusable! I can understand if it was late in the day for lunch but at the height of lunch hour? DineLa is a great introduction for restaurants to showcase their food. This place failed completely. 

When I try somewhere new, I always ask myself, "Will I ever come back or recommend this place?" The answer is "No." By the way, the service was slow, as they only had one server in our area. It was not his fault; I can only blame the management. 

Jame

Sandi and I have been to Jame in El Segundo multiple times. Once again, they participated in the dineLA, and since we both loved their pasta, we thought we would have a late lunch. This time, we were accompanied by our friend Carrie, who had never been there. 

Carrie and Sandi both chose the Brussels Sprouts with Schiaffoni dressing. We have had that before, and it's always super delicious, a bit tangy, and burnt in a beautiful way. I love their Spicy Caesar Salad with chili dressing and pangrattato (crispy bread crumbs). Since the two of them ordered the Brussels sprouts, I was guaranteed a couple of bites from each.

Sandi and Carrie ordered the Capellini with the sauce cooked for 36 hours. I have had that and just remembered thinking this sauce would have been better on a different pasta.

I had the Spicy Rigatoni and was very happy with it. Sandi was not too excited about her Capellalini. It didn't have enough flavor. I mentioned it to our server, Artemio, and he immediately offered to replace it with something else, but Sandi said it was okay; there was no need since it wasn't bad.

The dineLA menu included a cookie for dessert, but since they ran out of cookies, we all got a slice of their Meyer Lemon Pie, which was perfect, tangy, and refreshing. Artemio also included a big slice for us to take home to make up for Sandi's meal. I am always impressed when a server is more than a server. It is not just their job; you can tell they care about the customer. Most people do not share their displeasure and don't return to the restaurant. This way, we are sure to return!

Thank you, Artemio. We hope to see you next time. Jame is located at 241 Main St. in El Segundo, California.

Lawry's

It's been a while since I've been to Lawry's, partly because I couldn't drive at night. Now that it's summertime and the dineLA is for two weeks, there was no excuse not to go. It was also a perfect time to celebrate our friend Cindy's birthday.

They made some interior changes, making it a bit Art Deco. I looked for Mr. Aniel Chopra, the general manager, but unfortunately, it was his day off.

Sandi brought a bottle of Perrier Jouët in honor of the birthday girl. We toasted and then enjoyed their delicious bread and butter. It was hard not to eat more than a slice, but I restrained myself unlike the rest of the gang. 

Three of us had the special, which included the Prime Rib with the spinning salad and a choice of creamed corn or spinach, Yorkshire pudding, and a lobster tail. 

Zohreh opted for the Salmon Rockefeller with scampied shrimp. She decided on the creamed spinach to accompany her salmon.

When the food arrived, the conversation felt silent. We all enjoyed and savored every bite. The prime rib was as delicious as ever. The creamed corn can't be beat, the aus jus perfect for the Yorkshire pudding, and the lobster tail perfectly cooked. 

We were all too stuffed to have dessert, but Nanci, who catered to our every need, presented Cindy with a birthday treat.

Lawry's is still one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles. It's elegant and one of a few restaurants with class, with food and service to match. It's a shame that some people wear T-shirts and don't dress up.

Lawry's is at 100 La Cienega Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California.

MB Grille

MB Grille is not to be confused with MB Post in Manhattan Beach. I assumed they were the same because of the MB. 

Zohreh, Sandi, and I went there right after seeing a movie. They sat us inside as opposed to the patio. It took at least 10 minutes for someone to come to your table after we were seated. Since we'd never been there, we asked about the extensive menu and the "happy hour."  We were assured we could also order from the regular menu beside the happy hour menu. The drinks were discounted, so we decided to go with the happy hour. Our server then informed us that we would have to move to the patio and had to see if we could. Mind you, the restaurant was not busy at all. We got there around 3 p.m. We patiently waited, but she never returned, so we went to the reception desk, where we were escorted to the patio.

We finally got a server who looked like he knew what he was doing. Before we put in our order, he brought us some nice warm crusty bread with butter. We ordered the Creative Combo, which included fish, shellfish, chicken, or steak. In addition, you had to pick 2 sides, and the choices were cheese potatoes, rice pilaf, red potatoes, coleslaw, or French fries. 

Sandi was excited to see her favorite Halibut on the menu, so she had it with grilled shrimp, rice pilaf, and veggies. Zohreh had it with grilled shrimp, cheese potatoes, and veggies. 

I ordered the Trout with cheese potatoes, and coleslaw. Instead of charbroiled oysters, I opted for raw oysters. Everything was delicious. The oysters were fresh, and the fish was nice and flakey. 

Zohreh and I were not crazy about the glass of wine. We hardly drank it, so our server was kind enough to offer to open a fresh bottle of wine, which was better. 

When the bill came, we noticed we were billed for 3 Halibuts, so I told him I ordered the Trout. I got the halibut and didn't even notice. I just thought it was very good. Again, our server acknowledged his mistake, and instead of just discounting it because the halibut was more, he offered to bring me the trout with rice "to go." His service made us disregard our frustration with the earlier incident.

We will return to MB Grill. Hopefully, we can ask for Ezequiel, who made our dining experience fun. 

MB Grille is located at 21536 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance.

Salt & Pearl

Sandi and I received gift cards from Salt & Pearl for our birthdays. Since we had no plans for the 4th of July, as our friends already had previous engagements, this was a perfect day to make a reservation.

We chose to sit inside because it was a warm day. We wanted to be nice and cool, and we wanted our food to stay warm before we consumed it. We ordered the Fried Rhode Island Calamari, mae ploy, with wasabi slaw. The calamari was very well-seasoned and crispy, and the wasabi slaw was excellent—not too spicy.

For our entrée, we decided to eat healthy and order fish. Sandi ordered the Blackened Mahi-Mahi with black-eyed peas, charred leek succotash, and achiote crema. I chose the Seared Togarashi-Encrusted Albacore with crispy onion and pickled fresno in a pear ponzu sauce. They were both delicious. I was thrilled with mine as the fish melted in my mouth!

We also ordered the Beet Salad to go with our entrées. The salad had thyme, pistachios, preserved lemon crème fraiche, and medjool dates. We had to order something "unhealthy" to not shock our system, so the Garlic Parmesan Fries sounded perfect. Everything went well together. 

We were too full to order dessert, so we even took home leftover fries. Our server, Forrest, was a lively lad who made our experience even more enjoyable. 

Salt & Pearl is open every day for lunch and dinner except Mondays when it is only open for dinner. However, it does have Happy Hour, Monday through Friday, from 3PM to 5PM. We will definitely be back for lunch or happy hour. 

Thank you, Amy, for our gift cards. We loved this restaurant. 

Salt & Pearl is located at 1719 S. Catalina Ave in Redondo Beach, California. 

Musso & Frank

Musso & Frank has always been one of my favorite restaurants. The food and service are unbeatable. It's been almost two years since my last visit. Zohreh, Sandi, and I had just enjoyed the play Mrs. Doubtfire at the Pantages, and our " go-to" restaurant is always Musso & Frank.

I looked for Mr. Ladroche, the maitre d'. Unfortunately, it was his day off. I asked if Nick was still there, and he was, so we were escorted to his station. Before we ordered, Nick brought us some of their delicious bread and butter.

Sandi and I didn't have any difficulties deciding what to order. We can never get enough of the Grenadine of Beef with the best ever Bearnaise sauce! We can't leave this restaurant without ordering their famous Original Fettuccine Alfredo, the same one you would get when you go to the Original Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome. I can attest to that, as I've had the one from Rome several times.

Zohreh wanted to try something different, so she opted for the Veal Schnitzel with prosciutto, arugula, and Parmigiano. She was very happy with her meal.

Nick came around to ask if we wanted more bread. Before I could answer, Zohreh said: Yes, please, and would you heat it up for us. In a few minutes, the bread arrived, and it tasted even better.

We were all too stuffed and decided not to have dessert, but when asked, it was hard not to even look at the menu, which we did. We all agreed to try the Trio of Gelato. It was supposed to be blueberry basil, which sounded very interesting, orange, and strawberry. Since we were not fond of strawberries, we asked to have two scoops of blueberry basil. We were not disappointed. We enjoyed the refreshing flavors. It also came with a chocolate chip cookie and some berries.

We truly enjoyed ourselves. Nick was the best, and the food was excellent, as always.

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