Hors d' Oeuvres

My mother is here from the Philippines and we had a rather heavy lunch the other day. Sandi wanted to cook dinner for her which was a very nice gesture but we told her we did not want to waste her time and energy. It would not have done justice to her cooking on our full stomachs.

She then decided to just make light hors d' oeuvres.  I suggested serving cheese as we are all cheese lovers, and some crackers and wine. She thought it to be a great idea. We got to her house and her dining table was fully set covered with food enough to have feed a minimum of 12 people. There were 6 of us, including my husband, his caregiver and Aaron.

She had chips and salsa, turkey roll, chicken salad, rice balls, little hot dogs in puff pastry, a variety of cheeses, sliced apples, sliced baguette from L'Amande bakery, fried chicken, crab fried rice from the Thai restaurant and my favorite meatballs. Everything was delicious with the champagne.

Dessert was a truly simple one; a scoop of Talenti Salted Caramel Gelato with whipped cream topped with dark chocolate covered espresso beans.

We thank Sandi for going through a lot of trouble making this very "simple" impromptu dinner....yes, this was dinner.  I suggested she see a therapist as going overboard is not normal. Her next simple dinner will probably be a banquet!

Sweetee Thai

Sandi and I had the pleasure of having dinner at Sweetee Thai recently. Our friends Ana and Gonz have been there numerous times and have always liked their food. I was excited to join them with other members of her family. 

The restaurant was busy; a lot of energy.  Everything on the tables looked good as we walked by people dining. As we sat, we were all given the menu. I didn't bother to look at it. I surrendered my soul entirely to both Ana and Gonz. Anything they ordered would be fine with me. Well, anything but the fresh coconut which they both loved. I dislike coconut and the juice of it but since I was their guest, I thought I would be kind and be a good sport to try the coconut again in case my palate has changed. I took a bite of it and eeewww....it tasted like a thick chunk of white cardboard! I gave it a chance and to this day, I still hate coconut.

The food they ordered made up for the unpleasant experience. We had calamari and soft shell crab. Those were delicious. Sandi thought it was the best calamari she's ever had. They ordered Beef Satay,Thai Spaghetti, Crab Fried Rice, Phad Thai, Pad See Eu. This was truly a feast. I loved all the dishes. My only complaint was the rice didn't come till later. I have to remember that when I go to a Thai restaurant, I will ask them to bring the rice first as it is the essence of the meal. I want every portion of food scooped into my spoon to have some rice with it.  This is how I was brought up and honestly, I think it is the best way to eat. How much food can you stick on your fork? 

For dessert, we shared the Sticky Rice with Mango. Warm sticky rice with coconut milk (I like coconut milk in food; not to be confused with the fresh juice) That was wonderful with the fresh mango. It was a nice ending to our meal. We were all stuffed. Gonz had suggested earlier that we should walk around the block but no one took him seriously....thank God!

Thanks to Ana and Gonz for introducing me to the best Thai Restaurant yet.  Sweetee Thai has two locations, one in the city of Cypress and the other one in Artesia, California. 

Crispy White Peach Tarts

One of the Mother's Day Specials this weekend at L'Amande is the Crispy White Peach Tarts. We had it this morning and it taste a lot better than it looks; not that it looks bad but it is surprisingly delicious. When you pull the tart apart, you see the white peaches that are not too sweet and it is wonderful with the cup of their "real" coffee.  We didn't think that would be enough for breakfast after our walk along the park for exercise, so we ordered French Toast.

The special bread was the Red Wine Bread which we attacked before we got our food. It was something to hold us over. The tarts looked especially appetizing with the flowers on them. Not that I need flowers to entice me because I already know they are all delicious, especially the Salted Caramel Tarts.

Tomorrow, Sunday May 10th will be your last chance to sample these wonderful tarts. L'Amande has 2 locations; Torrance at the Rolling Hills Plaza and in Beverly Hills on Sta. Monica Blvd.

Carmelo at Il Pastaio

If the pasta at Il Pastaio is the main actor, it is only fair to say that the supporting actor is Carmelo, the Italian waiter who made our meal more enjoyable. My friend Mary took me there just a week ago and Carmelo took very good care of us.

A few nights ago, I had the pleasure of going back with Sandi and my brother Gary. Sandi and I got to the restaurant half hour before our reservation and Gary was going to be there at 5:30 p.m. We were hungry so we ordered Calamari Fritti to start. When Gary arrived he announced that his stomach was not feeling normal so he would just order pasta; Cacio e Pepe. Sandi had to order the wonderful Cacio e Pepe and though I just had it a week ago, I wanted to have some of it again and wanted to try the Pappardelle with venison and mushroom ragu. Sandi and I decided to split both as we usually do to. I have previously blogged on the Cacio e Pepe which is excellent. The pappardelle was homemade wide green spinach pasta that was cooked aldente and very tasty ragu. For those that would not venture into venison or boar.....I plead to you to please don't even think of the animal. Every time I have had ragu made from boar, lamb or venison, it has never been disappointing. This was particularly delicious.

Sandi and I did not plan on ordering dessert even if I missed the Tiramisu. Carmelo surprised us with an order of the Tiramisu. Sandi who doesn't like coffee did not touch it. Gary, whose stomach was queasy, made a sudden recovery after the first bite. He realized and announced that all he needed to calm his stomach was a plate of pasta and Tiramisu. I of course did not want to seem ungrateful so I had to partake in the consumption. It's one of the best tiramisu I have had.

Il Pastaio is at 400 N, Canon Dr. (Brighton) in Beverly Hills. Thanks to Carmelo and Nina the manager for another fabulous meal and service.

Raspberry Croissant

I guarantee you will not find anything better than the Raspberry Croissant from L'Amande Bakery. They make it fresh every morning and they also make the raspberry compote that goes inside the delicate flaky croissant.

When L'Amande first opened, I practically ate this everyday till I decided to try the rest of the stuff they baked. Every person I informed of this fabulous croissant always thanked me for educating them. I have not had it for a long time and since I abandoned my diet, I decided to try it again with a cup of their wonderful coffee. It is best if you can come shortly after they open in the morning at 8:00 a.m. when it is fresh as can be.

Allow me to suggest a certain way to consume the croissant, You will understand why after your first bite. First of all. never eat this croissant with a fork and knife. I suggest you wash your hands before tackling this creature.  You tear it apart in the middle and while pulling them apart, you get to see and appreciate all the layers that make this single croissant. When you take your first bite, you taste a bit of tartness from the raspberry yet it taste sweet. That together with the buttery croissant will make you produce sounds you were not aware you were capable of. If you do not experience anything like this, I suggest you just buy yourself a cheaper so called croissant elsewhere.

L'Amande Bakery has 2 locations; one in Torrance at the Rolling Hills Plaza and the other in Beverly Hills in Sta.Monica Blvd.

Il Pastaio

Another birthday dinner; this time it was at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills. My friend Mary said she was taking me to this Italian restaurant but could not remember the name. I was so happy when I found out it was Il Pastaio. I love this restaurant and have been wanting to go back for a long time but never got to it. I even ordered some food for my niece when she had her daughter's christening party at their house.

On my prior visits, the service at this restaurant was terrible and this was confirmed by friends and associates who had dined there on different occasions.  This time, we were lucky. Our reservation was for 6:30 p.m. and since it was a beautiful day, sun still out and no birds in sight (I am afraid of birds), we decided to sit outside. Our server Carmelo was the best! He catered to our every questions and needs. A real Italian (not the fake one that tries to be one) with the personality to match his antics.

We ordered a Caesar Salad to split and an order or Arancini. The salad was great with anchovies and though Mary does not like anchovies, she did enjoy the salad. The Arancini was good but not better than the ones I order from Gaetano's. In my excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the salad.

I had to order my favorite Cacio e Pepe which I always enjoy. Mary had the Spaghetti Bolognese which is also one of my favorites. My pasta still lived to my expectation. It was aldente and just couldn't be better. The last one I had at Osteria Mozza was not good; too much pepper it overpowered everything. Mary loved her bolognese which I tried and it was still very good. She has never had the cacio e pepe so I had her taste some of mine and she loved it.

We ate a lot of bread to start  so we felt like we didn't have room for dessert. Since this was a birthday celebration, Mary thought I at least had to order dessert. I remember the Tiramisu being excellent but since it was my choice, I ordered something lighter and healthier; Lemon Meringue Pie (healthier cuz it's made with fruit) . It came with a candle. I was able to convince Carmelo to sing Happy Birthday in Italian. He did a good job! The pie was very good. It tasted as good as the picture below.

Il Pastaio is at 400 N. Canon Dr. (corner of Brighton St.) in Beverly Hills. They are open for lunch and dinner everyday. I think I may return next week with my brother and another friend just to check it out to see if the service has truly improved. I am hoping this was not just a fluke. Who knows, maybe Carmelo will be on duty.

Republique

I was very excited to get invited to Republique. A couple of months ago I tried to get a reservation for 6 and they were all booked. My brother thought this was a perfect birthday gift. He himself has not been there before.

The place was well lit with a high ceiling. They had regular and communal tables. They also had a quieter room but Gary picked the busier section. We sat along a wall filled with jars of  spices you can imagine.

I got to the restaurant first and shortly after I sat, our server came and offered me a grissini. While I was munching on it, he asked me if I would like to try a certain Brunello while I waited. What could I say but "yes of course". It was a very nice Brunello which was $26 a glass. Gary arrived and as soon as he sat, our server poured him a bit of Brunello to try. Since we both liked it, he decided to order a bottle.

There were so many things on the menu that it was hard to decide what to order. Our server informed us of the wonderful Grilled Octopus Salad which we ended up ordering. The grass fed Steak Tartare with tarragon aioli with pickled red onions and potato chips sounded good as well. It had a very nice presentation with the potato chips. Unfortunately, it failed to impress us both. We were more impressed with the potato chips which was the star of this show.  If you've had the steak tartare at Ink or Hinoki and the Bird, you will truly be disappointed with this one. The octopus salad made up for the lack of excitement of the tartare. It was refreshing and had the right amount of chili and lime.

Another small plate we wanted to try was the Spaghetti with crab.That was delicious. It didn't need any Parmesan. The Steak (also grass-fed; guess these were happy cows) was served with Bearnaise sauce and French fries.  Again, the steak was mediocre at best. The Bearnaise sauce was excellent and the fries were very good. Maybe these cows would have been happier with another kind of diet.

For dessert, our server suggested the Bread Pudding and Chocolate Souffle. He informed us in the middle of our meal that the chocolate souffle takes 20 minutes so he would place the order while we were still working on our dinner. We both loved the bread pudding, a bit burnt and crunchy and yummy inside. The chocolate souffle was terrible. It did not have the right consistency. The server apologized and told us it would be on the house as they were having problems with the oven. My opinion is if something is not right, it should not be served to customers.

There are probably more good things on the menu at Republique but we were both sorry not to have experienced more of those good things.  Republique is located at 624 S. La Brea in Los Angeles.