The Pan

I had to put a new roof on our house six months ago, our roofer Andrew from American Roofing who by the way did a great job, told me about the restaurant, The Pan in Gardena. He informed me that you usually have to fall in line as it is always crowded because the food is very good and prices are reasonable.

The one time Sandi and  I  made it there was on a Tuesday and we felt so lucky since there was no line. We quickly found out that they are closed on Tuesdays. We also thought of going there with Amy and Nako after our workout at the gym but it was never convenient since we are done by 7:15 a.m. and The Pan does not open till 9 a.m. on weekdays. We all think that is too late for a restaurant to open especially if they serve breakfast.

We finally made it there this morning before it opened. There were 4 people ahead of us so that was a good sign. The place is not big, It is charming inside and has an additional enclosed patio. The menu looked exciting; so exciting that we had to strategize on what to order to make the most of it. Sandi and I did our usual mode of ordering; two entrees to split. We decided on the Original Loaded Hash Browns: 2 eggs cooked any style, sausages, green onions, bacon, jack and cheddar cheese over hash browns topped with chili aioli sauce and choice of toast.

We chose "Best Ever" Banana Pancakes, something we never order but it sounded too good. These pancakes were filled with banana cinnamon puree, topped with bananas, walnuts, whipped butter and powdered sugar. They were super delicious. We both loved them.

The servings were big. Even I could not finish 1/2 the pancakes ( I almost did). I had no trouble with 1/2 of the hash browns. That too was delectable. I didn't even have to add ketchup to my potatoes as it was tasty. The aioli sauce had a bit of a kick which made it more exciting.

We can't wait to go back to try the Chorizo Scramble and the Lemon Pancakes. They are open from 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday till 9 p.m. On the weekends, they open at 8 a.m till 10 p.m. The Pan's address is 16601 S. Western Avenue in Gardena, California.

I thank Andrew for telling me about The Pan.

Burrata with Black Truffles

I was at Bristol Farms Market this afternoon to get my free orange juice but before that I walked by the cheese section and sampled a couple of them. I was there to buy some Burrata cheese since I still had fresh tomatoes from Amy's garden and another that Sandi bought from the Farmers Market. I spotted the Burrata Cheese with Truffles! I have never had that before. I love truffles and I love burrata so how can I go wrong. All I did was cut up the tomatoes, added salt and pepper. I then got one of 2 balls of burrata, opened it up and spread the cheese on top of the tomato; sprinkled a bit more salt and pepper and topped them with fresh basil then poured some Glazed balsamic vinegar.

While I was there, I got a small French baguette and a jar of Rao's Puttanesca Sauce; went on to the produce section and got a small container of ready made greens and French bread croutons. I already had some spaghetti at home. As soon as I got home, I got my spaghetti boat out and proceeded to cook the spaghetti in the microwave. Note: When using the boat, always reduce cooking time to make sure you get the pasta "aldente". I warmed the sauce and just dumped the cooked pasta in it.

The greens I got were so pretty, it had some edible petals that made the salad pop. All I did was add the croutons I bought, poured some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also added salt and pepper. Because of my laziness, instead of having another saucer for the tomatoes, I just topped the salad with the tomato.

Everything was delicious especially with a glass of  Barolo wine.

Amy's 87th Birthday at Good Old Lawry's

Amy is an incredible woman. She just turned 87 and is in great shape. She does not think she is in great shape since she has the occasional arthritic pain in her knees or shoulders but considering everything, I can only wish I could be as strong as she is when I turn 87. She still goes to the gym with her husband 5 days a week and paints (oil), does gardening and cleans constantly. If that's her secret, I don't have many years left!

Last night we celebrated her birthday at one of her favorite restaurants; Lawry's Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. As soon as we got there, we helped ourselves to their meatballs and fabulous homemade potato chips. We brought our own salt as it always lacks salt. I had previously requested for Ms. Sagent, the server we got to know but was informed that she doesn't come till later, but they would have her come to say hello to  us when she arrived. We started with a bottle of their very nice Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Our server this time was Ms. Armendiaz who we found a delight. She brought us a basket of warm "very" sour dough bread which we all loved. Sandi was only allowed 1 piece as she very often cannot finish her entree on account of too much bread.  Shortly after the bread, Ms Armendiaz came and performed her act of spinning the salad but not before she served us our very own chilled forks. The salad was good as usual. It's never the same when you make this at home even if you have the right ingredients.

We all had the Prime Rib with creamed horseradish and the usual mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and creamed corn. Some had half and half: creamed corn and creamed spinach. Everyone had left overs except me. I cleaned my whole plate; I had nothing to take home!

Ms. Armendiaz came back with another server and began to sing "Happy Birthday" to Amy and brought her a slice of the English Trifle. Desserts were included with our dinner. Nako and Amy brought theirs home. Sandi and I had the Créme Brûlée. We requested it to be burnt. It was perfectly burnt. Ms. Sargent came to say hello to us. I must say, the women that work there all seem to enjoy what they do. It is not merely a job for them, you can tell they aim to please. Other restaurants should take note!

We all were whining at the end of the meal as we were too full to move. It almost felt like we should all have been wheeled out on wheelchairs; at least the 3 of them. I could have used a wheelbarrow.

Champagne Teaspoon When You Don't Have a Stopper

You may or may not have heard that when you are unable to find a champagne stopper for left-over champagne, you could use a spoon or teaspoon. Huh???

I tried it yesterday but first, I have to inform you that this was a "sparkling wine" Schloss Biebrich from Germany. It's our everyday pretend champagne which is quite delicious and very inexpensive. I didn't want to experiment on the "real" champagne in case it didn't work.

I opened a bottle yesterday and had a little less than half a bottle left.  I was able to find a teaspoon with a handle slim enough to fit in the mouth of the bottle. I had forgotten all about the bottle till I saw it this evening. I took the teaspoon out and poured some in a glass. I was very surprised to see bubbles! I expected it to be flat, especially since there was space between the lip of the bottle and the handle of the teaspoon.

I don't know the scientific explanation for this; maybe the metal interacting with the carbon dioxide. I am not a scientist, an engineer nor a physicist. I only know what I did and it did work. So next time you misplace your stopper, get a teaspoon and stick it in the champagne bottle. Better yet, drink the entire bottle so you won't have to worry about a stopper or a teaspoon and you'll be happier!

Compartés

I saw pictures of these chocolates on the internet and I was hypnotized. I was surprised to find out that Compartés has been around since 1950 and likes of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley were repeat customers. They also have supplied chocolates to events like the Oscars and Emmy's.

I was intrigued by the Roses and Rosé Chocolate Bar. It's a pink chocolate bar infused with rosé wine with edible crystallized rose petals. I totally loved the flavor however I found it to be much too sweet. I shared this with several people and they all thought the same. At $9.95, I would not buy it again.

The other chocolate I ordered was a box of Fleur de Sel (salted) Caramels. This was a winner. Not only did it look beautiful but it was delicious. These homemade salted caramels are made with real Tahitian vanilla beans and French sea salt. The caramels are dipped into a rich dark chocolate. The slight bitterness of the chocolate was perfect with the salted caramel. When you bite into one or if you decide to pop the whole thing in your mouth (I never recommend this as I always think one should take small bites to truly savor the chocolate), the crisp shell cracks and surrenders to the salted caramel which is quite an explosion. At $25.00 for a box of 10, I expect something to happen and indeed it did!

Compartés has 2 locations in Los Angeles; one in Brentwood and the other on Melrose. They also have a website you can order from.

Back to Azure

We haven't been to Azure in a long time so last night Sandi and I thought it was time to see if the food is still good. We weren't very hungry so we decided to just order the Fried Cauliflower and the Cheese Lovers Feteer.

They were both still very good. You can't go wrong with either of those. First we had our veggies then the wonderful cheesy feteer with small pieces of crisp bell peppers. I really love vegetables when they're dressed! That was our protein and lots of calcium for the day.

We really were pleasantly full but it was hard not to order the Nutella (which I normally dislike) Feteer. That too was too good with chopped pistachios on top but also too sweet to eat more than two. It's really good for a crowd. We took the leftovers home for dessert for another day.

Azure is located at 1810 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo Beach, California.

Delicious Corn on the Cob

The other day Sandi decided to make a BLT sandwich for dinner. She had a beautiful tomato she got from the Farmers Market. This was a very simple BLT, with my favorite Japanese mayonnaise. She didn't even toast the bread and it was simply delicious.

She never makes a sandwich without the trimmings. While at the Farmers Market, she bought some fresh corn on the cob. I normally just microwave these but she baked them in the oven wrapped in foil with a paste made with mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. That corn was outstanding. That was plenty for a "simple dinner" but since Sandi is incapable of "simple", she had to cook some French fries. Japanese mayo squeezed on the fries was the best. Again, we had carbs plus carbs plus more carbs except for the bacon, our protein and fat. I have to mention that Aaron didn't care for the corn. He had 1 bite and that was it. I hate to see food end up in the trash so I sacrificed once more and ate his corn.

With all that starch, dessert had to be a bit healthier; Blueberry Cobbler. There's our fruit for the day!