Crustacean in Beverly Hills

This high class Vietnamese restaurant has been around for ages. I have not been there in a long time.  I stumbled upon one of those deals I get in my email occasionally on a special for $29.00 for a 3 course lunch for 2.  Can't get better than that.

Sandi has never been there and was impressed with the decor. It's very classy and impressive especially as you take a walk on the see through floor with koi swimming underneath. She was hesitant in walking over it and I had to assure her it was o.k.(not to worry, mommy's right next to you).

The waiter came along and informed us we could choose 2 appetizers and 2 entrees plus we would get a bowl of their famous garlic noodles. We chose the Grilled Beef Satay which was marinated in lemongrass and Asian herbs. There were 4 in one serving. We had 2 each though we probably could have eaten more. They were not your usual satay, no peanuty flavor at all....and it was still delicious. The other appetizer was just as good if not better. Crispy Rice Paper Roll which were filled with chicken, black mushrooms, carrots, jicama, vermicelli and came with a dipping sauce.
They were so light and crispy without the greasiness which usually accompanies these type of egg rolls.

Four our entree: we shared the Hanger Steak served with Haricot Vert (fancy "French" name for string beans) and Angel Hair with Prawns.  These 2 entrees were less impressive. The steak was chewy, the beans were undercooked; no tenderness there.  It was also served with sesame seasoned rice.
The spaghetti was nothing special though the prawns were tasty and cooked to perfection.

The Garlic noodles were good but definitely overrated.

If we return to Crustacean, we would probably concentrate on the appetizers and perhaps try their other specialties like the crab and a few others.

Jim Beam Bourbon Burger at Carl's Jr.

Finally had the opportunity to try the Bourbon Burger at Carl's Jr. In order not to feel too guilty since my friend and I are on a semi-diet, we walked 1 1/2 hrs. from her house to a park 2 miles away, stopped at Carl's then walked back home.

She did the ordering as she had a coupon for buy one get one free. She ordered two of the single bourbon burgers. That was a good choice since we really didn't need the double as we were ordering regular and sweet potato fries. Then she showed me another coupon for $1.00 off a shake or malt.  It's amazing what we do for coupons or discounts. We had to order one of those too.

The burgers were quite good and not too shabby. I expected an "all bun" burger. The burger was reasonable, the bourbon sauce was a bit too sweet but we got used to it real fast. It had bacon, pepper jack cheese with just a little kick and crunchy garlic onion straws (chopped up onion rings) which added a nice texture to all the other ingredients like lettuce and tomato.

The regular fries tasted better than ever; maybe it was our long walk that made everything better? Sandi preferred the sweet potato fries (healthier)?

When I got home, I looked at their full menu and realized that they had a Six Dollar Bourbon Burger! The big difference is the quality of meat.  This is made with Angus beef as opposed to just regular char-broiled beef patty.  You know what this means.....I will have to try that Six Dollar Bourbon one of these days; perhaps we can add an extra mile to our walk.

This one's for you David.

Dinner at Sandi's

Sandi is a great cook and she just loves to cook. She usually cooks for her staff, her friends, and anyone that is willing to try her creations. She cooks when she is stressed, when she's happy or sad...you get the picture.

Last night she had me and my husband over for dinner.  She also invited 2 other friends which ended up cancelling; oh well, more for us to eat. The problem is she cooked all day and had enough food for eight. Her hors d' oeuvres were so exciting and good that I suggested we finish them and come back the following night for dinner. 
She had 2 kinds of salami with mozzarella cheese in them. There was goat cheese that she baked with a marinara sauce, there was a garlic cheese spread, assorted nuts and some of her favorite and mine, Vermont cheddar cheese served with crackers. She also had little sandwiches (rye bread) stuffed with ham, cheese and Jalapeno jelly. Can you understand why I suggested dinner be postponed?

We started our dinner with a Beet, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad. The dressing she made didn't turn out the way she wanted so she served it with a blue cheese dressing. That worked well.  The juicy pears, the sweet beets and salty goat cheese was such a nice combination.

For our entree, she mad Black Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Sauce. That was absolutely delicious.   She served this with mashed potatoes, equally as good and she roasted some Brussels sprouts and asparagus.  My husband could not finish his portion as he was too full.  I on the other hand tried my very best to clean my plate and was successful.

Dessert came and we didn't have to make choices as she made 2 kinds which of course we had to try.  My favorite key lime pie with just the right amount of tartness served with whipped cream was one of them. The other was called "brown paper bag apple pie" ; this is because the apple pie is baked in a brown paper bag.  I have never heard of that before...with my luck I would probably set the kitchen on fire.  The top was all nice and crunchy with the mixture of flour, sugar and lots and lots of butter.

When we got home I tried to watch some television, go on the computer and tried to amuse myself as there was no way I could go to sleep on such a full stomach. Needless to say, when I weighed myself this morning, the couple of pounds I lost came back with another friend (an extra pound).  This is the end result of dinner at Sandi's.

Ruby's Diner

I have news for you. If you haven't been to Ruby's Diner lately, do make the trip. The location we were at was at the Peninsula Center at 550 Deep Valley Dr. in Rolling Hills Estates, California. It is best to go when kids are at school so it wouldn't be quite chaotic as it is next to a skating rink.

We had a coupon for buy one get one entree free.  Right now, they have these entrees called Comfort Plates. They are indeed very comforting.  We had the Fresh Roasted Turkey Dinner and the Peppercorn Chopped Steak Dinner.  The hand carved slices of turkey was served with mashed potatoes with a rich turkey gravy (cranberry sauce on the side) and fresh vegetables.

The chopped steak was made of USDA super premium beef and you will be able to tell as the beef was so tender and it did taste like beef without fillers! This was smothered in grilled onions and a very tasty mushroom peppercorn sauce served with buttery mashed potatoes and also served with fresh garden vegetables.

We didn't order dessert, though I had to try the Oreo-Mint shake. I felt guilty ordering one but the server talked me into ordering the "kids" size.  That was sooooo thick, it wouldn't go through the straw.  This creamy, minty shake is refreshing and while savoring the shake, you end up having to chew on these chunks of oreo cookies....yummmy!

Ruby's has always been consistently good.  You will always leave there full and have a smile on your face or maybe not....you might end up with a frown on your face from the guilt of eating shakes, fries, bacon waffle, burgers to name a few.

Ross, this is for you.....better than Mr. Ed!

Dominique's Going Strong

Celebrated a friend's birthday at Dominique's  Kitchen in Redondo Beach, Ca. last night. There were 5 of us and the celebrant brought a bottle of Champagne and I brought a bottle of red wine.

We had a trout mousse served with grilled baguette to start.  That was very tasty. For entree, the birthday celebrant had their famous Roasted Chicken with Garlic Fries.  I have had this before and blogged about this incredible edible chicken. See previous blog: http://solittlethyme.blogspot.com/2013/02/dominiques-chicken.html
One had the Macaroni and Cheese which was absolutely creamy and cheesy like it should be.  The other had the Risotto with Portobello, Shitake, and Oyster Mushrooms in a cream sauce with Parmesan. If you like risotto, this will cheer you up. If you are a vegetarian, I forgive you and give you my blessing to enjoy this wonderful dish.

My other friend had the Slow Braised Short Ribs with Pinot Noir, Tomato, Onions and Garlic served with vegetables. I had a bite of it and loved it. I ordered the Boston Sea Scallops with Crushed Potatoes, Shallots, Parsley, Garlic and Lobster Reduction Au Jus. The scallops were large enough to fill you up. They were cooked to perfection and the sauce added a nice flavor to them.

For dessert, we had the Floating Island, Panna Cotta with Berry Compote and the Passion Fruit Creme Brulee.  All of which I have had in the past with no complaints.

 

After our dinner we had planned to take a walk to try and dissolve some of the fat we consumed. We walked towards the beach and admired the view and walked back to our cars....that took a good 25 minutes!  So that took care of probably 3 bites of the dessert. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.....and yes...the Calories!

Mashawi Grill

Yesterday, Sandi and I decided to take an hour walk to try and do our bodies good. We went to a nearby park and did our brisk walking. It was very windy and chilly so our walk was harder as most of the time we had a head wind. After half an hour we thought....enough is enough.  The nearby steak house we wanted to try wasn't going to open for another 30 minutes.

We drove to the Rolling Hills Plaza and ended up at Mashawi Grill, a Mediterranean restaurant. She ordered the chicken and I ordered the beef kebob.  This came with Jasmine rice which I thought was very good, a bit sweet or it might have been my imagination. The plates came with 2 sides. She had the coleslaw and garlic fries and I had the garlic fries and steamed vegetables.

We were pleasantly surprised as both chicken and steak kebob were so tender and not overdone nor dry. The garlic fries were good as well. The steamed vegetables were done to perfection; not overcooked...the broccoli and carrots had the vibrant green and orange color which appealed to my inner healthy heart (not sure how healthy it is).  The big disappointment was the coleslaw. It was sour; sour could could be good but this was not good. Unless you want to do some penance in lieu of the garlic fries, then by all means, order it.

If you really are on a diet like we are supposed to be, you could order one chicken or steak kebob and split it but maybe order an extra side of the delicious Jasmine rice.

Mashawi Grill has 2 locations: 25362 Crenshwaw Blvd.  in Torrance and 3901 Inglewood Ave #101 in Redondo Beach, California.  They have a variety of kebob plates, wraps, soups, and salads.

Easter Dinner 2013

Survived another Easter dinner. This was an easy one as my main entree was a Ham from Bristol Farms.  All I had to do was figure out what to serve with it.

Since I experimented on the lemony asparagus with the anchovies (recipe on previous blog) last week and was such a hit, I thought I would serve it again. For potatoes, I made mashed potatoes in the morning. When it was almost time to for dinner, I microwaved it in a serving dish and added some whipping cream. I then put it in the oven topped with a mixture of grated Gruyere and sharp cheddar cheese. I also decided to make Lawry's creamed corn which was good but it didn't quite taste like Lawry's. There's probably a secret ingredient they don't divulge.

Rewind to hors d' oeuvres; I had some sea salt chips, variety of cheeses, smoked salmon and the star of the show was my little sandwiches made with L'Amande's Easter bread. I stuffed some with an egg salad, and some with cabernet sauvignon salami and Swiss cheese with a thin application of blackcurrant jelly. Everyone seemed to like them as they quickly vanished.

Fast forward to dessert; The Tarte Tatin I ordered from L'Amande Bakery lived up to expectation... delicious and flaky to the end. My niece Aimee, brought a Triple Chocolate Cake which was nice and moist.  This was real chocolate with chocolate pudding, chocolate chips and more chocolate and the surprising thing about it was it was not overly sweet. It's the type that is perfect for dessert or breakfast with a strong cup of coffee.  I know....... because this was breakfast this morning.

Our son left shortly after dessert (eat and run) as he had to do some work for today, so he missed out on our photo shoot.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter as we did.  Farewell from the senior Easter bunnies....