Bluewater Grill

The last time I was at this restaurant was at least 20 years ago. It was nice to know that they were still around, so they must have been doing something right. Amy loves the water, so what better way to celebrate her 95th birthday than to take her to this restaurant. Though you couldn't see the water, the boats were good enough for her.

The menu had many choices. We ordered two appetizers: Calamari and Spicy Edamame. But before that, they brought us warm sourdough bread, which everyone enjoyed. 

Sandi was in seventh heaven when she saw the Walnut-Crusted Halibut with lemon caper, asparagus, and scalloped potatoes. She had no regrets! Zohreh ordered the Snapper with Fried Artichokes. She was happy with her choice. 

The birthday girl, Amy, had Beer-battered Fish and chips. I had a bite of it, and it was delicious. Cindy and I ordered the Sautéed Sanddabs with lemon caper buerre blanc sauce, spinach, and scalloped potatoes. I expected the Sanddabs to be better. They were good but not outstanding—I've had better. The scalloped potatoes were excellent, though.

They presented the birthday girl with a dish of ice cream at the end of our meal. Happy 95th birthday, Amy!

We had a ton of fun. I love that the restaurant does not charge a corkage fee for the first two bottles. Not to worry, we had our very own designated driver, Sandi.

Bluewater Grill is at 665 N. Harbor Dr. in Redondo Beach, California.

Giorgio's

Giorgio's in Rolling Hills Estates has been in operation for about 10 years. My friend Berenice took me there shortly after it opened. Berenice used to own Cafe Cego's with her husband Gerhard, which used to occupy the current Giorgio's. I spoke with Berenice to ask her how the food was, as I could not remember. She remembered the food as very good, so yesterday after church, Zohreh, Sandi, and I went for dinner. 

Our reservation was for 6:15 p.m., which is late for us seniors. I asked if Cristian, the server, was working that evening, and the lady said yes and that he would be our server. I've known Cristian since Cafe Cego's days. It was nice seeing an old friend; I used to hang out at the restaurant at least 3-4 days a week. 

Before we placed our orders, they brought us a bread basket with a bowl of chopped tomatoes and herbs. We all decided to have a salad with our entrée. Zohreh had the Garden Salad with Blue Cheese dressing, and Sandi and I had the Caesar Salad. The salads were a nice portion and delicious. 

For our entrées, Sandi and Zohreh ordered the special Sea Bass Piccata, which was delicious but had a few bones in it; luckily, they were big enough that one could not miss them. This was served with veggies. It was perfectly cooked if you like your veggies on the soft side. You must let them know in advance if you prefer them on the "aldente" side.

I didn't even have to look at the menu until Cristian mentioned that Giorgio had just returned from Italy and had brought truffles. I then ordered the Pappardelle with truffles. I noticed it was mixed with other mushrooms, which was fine. It was delicious. 

We were all pleasantly full. I couldn't believe I was unable to finish my pasta; I had to take it home. We were not planning to have dessert, but Cristian surprised us with a wonderful dessert of Spumoni with Tiramisu.  Thank you, Cristian. This is a continuation of a beautiful friendship. We shall be back!

Giorgios's is at 777 Deep Valley Dr., Rolling Hills Estates, California.

Dante Beverly Hills

After our wonderful lunch at Avra, Sugar, Zohreh, Sandi, and I walked by Canon Dr. and the plaza by the Hotel Maybourne, formerly The Montage. My brother Gary had mentioned that he and his friends had dinner at Dante on the hotel's rooftop. We decided to take a look. I was curious about their menu, so I asked the maître d' if I could see it. The view was spectacular. While looking at the menu, Sugar announced she would like to treat us ladies to drinks. No one objected! 

Before we knew it, we were led to a lovely table with a view of Beverly Hills. Our server, Dimitri, was so animated and fun. Sugar had a Martini with lemon peel. Zohreh ordered a Dirty Martini, and I had something different: a Chocolate Negroni, which I absolutely enjoyed. It was not sweet at all. In fact, it was a bit bitter but truly enjoyable. Sandi stuck to her favorite drink, a Diet Coke.

It was a lovely afternoon. We all enjoyed ourselves. Next time, we may have to go back to Dante and try their lunch. 

Dante is located at the Maybourne Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Avra Beverly Hills

Our friend Sugar mentioned that her gym trainer, who is Greek, highly recommended this restaurant. For lunch, they had a 3-course prix-fixe for $38. There was a wide variety of choices for both the first and second courses. 

The restaurant had a nice ambiance and an open feeling. It offered both outdoor and indoor dining. We chose to be indoors, away from the people walking on the sidewalk. They had an array of beautiful fresh fish on display. 

We ordered a bottle of sparkling wine, and before we decided on anything, they presented us with a plate of hummus, pita bread, and olives. 

Sugar had the Greek Salad as her first course. Sandi, Zohreh, and I picked the Spanakopita. We were all surprised by their size—they were two large ones. It was really the best we've ever had. They were so flaky and delicious. Sandi and I had one and decided to take the other home for dinner.

For our second course, we all ordered the Fish of the Day. I don't recall what it was called, but it was sheer delight. Since they are known for their fresh fish, I expected it to be perfect, and it did meet all my expectations.

The dessert was good. One ordered the very light Cheesecake, and the rest had the Orange cake, which was the best! The cake's texture was not smooth like a regular cake, but it had little bits of orange, which was excellent!

Our server, Kevin, initially took care of us, but later, Robert took over. I didn't get a chance to take Robert's picture. They were both excellent and very attentive. We would definitely go back to Avra.

By the time we were ready to leave, the restaurant was packed. Avra is at 233 N. Beverly Dr., in Beverly Hills, California.

Torrance Yokocho

My brother and friend Milena, aka Ms.Gourmet, alerted me to this recently opened restaurant in Torrance. They wanted me to try it and report back so that the Santa Monica and Glendale friends would eagerly make the trip to Torrance. 

They do not take walk-ins, so I made reservations for Sandi and me after church last Saturday. I was excited, as the inside was quaint and indeed reminded me of the alleyways in Japan, with red lanterns and all, hence the name Yokocho.

We had a nice semi-private booth with curtains. A server came later to inform us that there was no paper menu. There was a screen at the end of the table, and we could place our order there or scan the QR code, which we were not fans of. We decided to scan so we could view the menu on our phones. My phone would not cooperate, so I asked our server to do it for me. He tried several times before it worked, so I didn't feel bad. 

We first had to decide what to drink. I ordered an Asahi beer, and Sandi had the Shikuwasa Citrus Chu-hi, which was very good and refreshing. 

We both wanted to try their Shrimp Tempura. In addition, we ordered the Pork Shu-mai  and Maru Gyoza (homemade dumplings). Sandi wanted French fries, so we ordered them as well. We were curious if that was enough, so we ordered the Harami Steak, as the picture looked good.

The Shrimp Tempura was excellent. It was very light, crisp, and delicious. The Shu-mai was delightful. The Gyoya was the best I've had. Usually, they all taste the same, but this was crispy outside and cooked to perfection. It was not doughy like most gyozas. We were pleasantly surprised with the fries, as they were much better than they looked. 

The Haru Steak came last, and unfortunately, it was disappointing. We did not expect it to be a filet mignon, but we expected it to be reasonably tender and easily chewed. Sandi and I loved the flavor, but I couldn't eat anymore after one bite as it was hard to chew. Mind you, I don't have dentures and still have my set of teeth. It was hard to get a server's attention inside this cozy little cove, so I had to open the curtains and call one of the servers. I explained that we could not eat the steak as it was unchewable. He said he would let the chef know, but nothing happened. Later, someone asked if we wanted to take it home, and I said I already informed a server that we could not eat it. I suggested they have the chef try to see if it was edible to him. The server said she would relay the message to the manager. She later came and asked if we wanted another order. I figured the meat was not tender, so there was no sense in ordering it again. Sandi and I ordered 4 more pieces of the Shrimp Tempura. We were then happy once more. 

I later read reviews online, and read that some thought the steak was "a bit tough"; ours was more than a bit. One item not being good is not enough for us not to return. Their Ramen looked good, so we have to go back and try those, along with other items on the menu.

Torrance Yokocho is located at 2589 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Torrance, California. They are closed on Sundays, open for dinner at 6pm but on weekends, they open at 5pm. They close at midnight!