Suburbia

My friend Mary took me out for my birthday dinner last night at a restaurant I have heard good things about; Suburbia in Redondo Beach.

We ordered small plates. She had to order the Spicy Spaghetti with sliced hanger steak, stir-fried with Thai basil, mushroom, and spicy tomato sauce. I was afraid it might be too spicy but I was able to tolerate it especially when I added some parmesan cheese. The General T's Prawns with chili, crab, peanuts and salted pork was good. The Brussels Sprouts was shaved meaning they were easy to eat; no hard chewing required. It had bacon, lemon, parmesan brown butter, and almonds. It was delicious. We both loved Street Corn "Off the Cobb". It had spicy mayonnaise, magic seasoning (and it was magic) cilantro and radish.

Mary wanted some bread which they didn't have. However, Jessica our server suggested we order Pao de Queijo; Brazilian chewy n gooey cheezy poofs served with butter and spice honey. Those cheezy poofs were soooo very good. They were doughy but in a good way and truly cheezy. They were wonderful little balls!

We didn't have any problems consuming the bottle of red wine Mary brought along. It was a fun evening celebrating my birthday in May and as always, fun getting together with an old and dear friend.

Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery

Pinwheel Bakery opened recently. It is where the former L'Amande Bakery (best ever) used to be. We have been waiting as the signage has been there for some time. Sandi and I have been there several times to try various items. The place is cute; different decor from L'Amande but still inviting. They have a variety of baked goods from nice looking French breads to croissants. They have soups and sandwiches; Croque Monsieurs, French Toast, Waffles, etc. etc. I met the owner, Sophie, a French lady who was very sweet.

The first time Sandi and I went, we ordered the Croque Monsieur. She had hers with the green salad and I had mine with the tomato soup. The salad dressing was too tart for me. The soup was nothing special. The sandwich was not cooked enough for us but that's just a preference. We like ours almost burnt on top. Service was slow even though they were not that busy. It took some time for my coffee to arrive but they apologized and gave us some Choquettes on the house. Those were excellent. They were airy, nice and very light. We also ordered a trio of mini croissants. They were good but again nothing special.

On our second trip, we ordered a French Toast and Chocolate Waffles. We also ordered a Lemon Poppyseed Scone which looked good. We would have liked the Brioche bread to have been cut thicker. Thin French toast just doesn't do it for us. The strawberries were sour. The waffles were too sweet. In all fairness, a plain one might have been better. The Lemon Scone was a good size one but it came alone, unaccompanied by anything. I had to ask for some butter. One small triangular piece came which was enough for 3 bites. Scones have to come with butter, preserves or better yet, lemon curd to go with it.

A few days ago, Sujata, Cynthia, Sandi and I saw an early movie at the AMC and when we got out, we all decided to have a snack at Pinwheel since we had a tub of popcorn. The 2 ladies have never been so I didn't say anything since I did not want to influence their opinion on anything. Two of them ordered the Lavender Hot Chocolate. Both Cynthia and Sandi couldn't believe that the small order was truly small. It was tepid, not hot and had about 2 sips of the chocolate milk, the lavender flavor was undetected, and lots of foam on top (notice the small cup was not even full). Cynthia ordered 6 of the Choquettes to share which everyone enjoyed. I ordered the French Onion Soup. I have to say it was disappointing. The cup was small and it had the piece of French bread floating inside.I have had numerous French Onion Soups and I expect very good ones from a French restaurant/bakery. Usually, they are overflowing and dark and crusty rich with onions. This was far from it. Sandi had the trio of mini croissants which were o.k. There was a Chocolate Caramel Tart that looked gooey so I got a slice for everyone to try. It was good but I couldn't help comparing it to the salted caramel tart from L'amande that was rich but not too sweet.

I did buy a baguette to take home and that was good. Both Sujata and Cynthia were not impressed. Sandi and I gave it three tries. The bakery is good but it just didn't blow me away. It's not like I wanted to tell the whole world to go there ASAP. I spent a lot of money when L'Amande opened since I was blown away. I literally was there almost every day if not eating there, I was buying the goods for my friends to try. I so wanted this bakery to be the next L'Amande but unfortunately, it falls short.

Pinwheel Cafe is located at 2553 Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance, California.

Brio Coastal Bar and Kitchen

This is a new restaurant that just opened at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance. It was by accident that we ended up eating there.  Sandi dropped me off in front of the restaurant since I still have my orthopedic boot as she looked for a parking space. We were going to the mall to pick up some things. As I waited, I got up and looked at the menu posted by the door. It looked interesting. When Sandi arrived, I showed her the items that needed some investigating. We decided to have lunch there after our shopping.

We ended up sitting at the bar since it was quite busy. They had interesting drinks under "Adult Sips". Sandi ordered the White Peach Sangria; peach nectar, fresh berries, citrus fruits, peach schnapps and chardonnay, and I ordered the Italian Mule: absolut vodka, limoncello, and ginger beer. We both were happy with our drinks.

We decided to order little plates. The Crispy Calamari with sweet chili aioli, buffalo sauce, lime and cilantro, the Shrimp and Grits; black pepper shrimp and creamy smoked Gouda polenta and the Stracciatella Caprese; creamy burrata filling, heirloom tomatoes, basil sea salt on ciabatta. The Calamari was delicious though it could have been crispier. the shrimps were wonderful but 3 was not enough. We had to fight over the 3rd one. The Caprese was good when more salt was added. We liked everything that we decided we would come back to explore the rest of the menu.

Yesterday, Mertz picked me up to go to Best Buy. She even brought a wheelchair to wheel me around. After our shopping was lunch time. We called Sandi and she just had lunch. Mertz asked where I would like to go and I told her how Sandi and I liked Brio and she had to try it. Off we went. This time I had the Blackberry Mojito; Bacardi dragonberry rum, blackberry, blueberries, mint, and lime. I loved this drink. It was better than the Italian mule plus healthier with all that fruit. Mertz had the Italian Mule.

We ordered the Shrimp but instead of 3, we ordered 6 so there was no fighting this time. We ordered the Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Hobb's bacon, walnuts, maple mustard aioli and balsamic vinegar. Deeelicious! Mertz would have preferred it to be more tender. We also had the Buffalo Cauliflower Steak with Gorgonzola and creamy horseradish. We enjoyed everything. What a healthy lunch: fruit drinks and lots of veggies.

I can't wait to try their burgers, frites, grilled cheese etc. etc. Brio is at 21532 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, California.

MasterCard Priceless Table Dinner at The Beverly House

Six of us attended the latest MasterCard Priceless Table Dinner three weeks ago. Chef Antonia Lofaso couldn't have had this event at a better venue. It was held at "The Beverly House" in Beverly Hills. This was the house of former magnate Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies. President John F. Kennedy honeymooned there. Iconic movies like The Godfather and The Bodyguard were filmed there. The house and grounds was spectacular but I was unable to take pictures of the premises since it was not allowed.

Chef Antonia Lofaso has competed in several food competitions including Top Chef. We were treated to specialty drinks which we all enjoyed and several wonderful hors d' oeuvres while we walked the grounds. We all had at least a couple of the specialty drinks. We couldn't get enough of the very light and crispy Squash blossom. The scallop was just as delicious and the steak tartare was very nice. Chef Lofaso made her rounds and she was very gracious and posed with us several times as my brother tried to take a picture with our heads cut off, and the second and third time he accidentally tapped the video. Chef Antonia made sure we got a reasonably good picture before she went on.

Dinner was outdoor. The table setting was gorgeous as always with these MasterCard events. Our only complaint was it was a bit chilly and once the winds picked up the food got cold real fast. Our first course was a Crispy Baby Artichoke, zucchini, burrata, frisée, walnuts and herbs. This was paired with a glass of Château de Brézé Chenin Blanc from Loire, France. That was very good. The second course was Stuffed Shells; duck sausage, fennel pollen, ricotta, and mozzarella. It came with a nice Vallana Nebbiolo from Piedmont, Italy.
The main course was a T-Bone steak with polenta and market vegetables. I don't know if it was a combination of the meat being rare and cold that made it unappetizing. The Ultraviolet Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley was enjoyable.

Desserts were  Housemade Cannoli, Italian Cookies, Affogato, vanilla gelato espresso. The cannoli was one of the best I've ever had. How I wish I could have taken a few home. They went well with the de Forville Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont.

It was an enjoyable evening and as we left the mansion, we were handed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine with the MasterCard emblem and of course, our signed wooden menu from Chef Antonia Lofaso.

Chef Dieter Schorner

My friend Di Aquino was going to be in town and I was supposed to take him and his wife Mary whom I never met, out to dinner. Things don't always go as planned. The restaurant was going to be closed on that day.  I am was not supposed to drive because of my swollen ankle which is due to a fall when I was in Seattle. I have been hobbling along in an orthopedic boot. So, to make the long story short, I invited them along with Mary's sister Sylvia and her husband, the famous Dieter Schorner.  I had not met any of them before. I could not be on my feet for long so cooking was out of the question. I had them over for hors d'oeuvres and I still had some left over La Montina Rose Wine from my birthday.

The main go to quickie hors d'oeuvres was chicken wings from Wing Stop. My friend/chauffeur, Sandi was nice enough to pick up the wings from there and some potato salad from Island Hut. Some chips and salsa, Delice cheese from Trader Joe's contributed to the menu. I had some Burrata cheese which I prepared with truffle oil and truffle salt. Everyone got a tablespoon of that. I did have some Weisswurst which I fried and served with a nice mustard.

It was a beautiful warm afternoon as we reminisced about old times. What I was not prepared for was meeting Dieter. Sandi and I were so impressed with the background of this very humble and charming German man. Dieter was the owner of the renowned Cafe Didier in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC until he sold it in 1998. Condé Nast Traveler named Cafe Didier the third best restaurant in America in 1992. He prepared desserts for Presidents Nixon, Carter and Reagan and has cooked for the Queen of England. Chef Schorner has been pastry chef at the distinguished restaurants as Tavern on the Green, La Cote Basque in N.Y. and Le Cirque in N.Y. He was the one that brought Cremè Brlûée to the U.S.! He also was a teacher at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). I even read that he once had lunch with Salvatore Dali.

While we drank our champagne and munched on the food, Dieter kept telling us how my friend Di was such a good cook and Di couldn't stop telling us stories about how Dieter made special desserts. Yes, it was like the mutual admiration society. I told them both that they would have to prove to me how good they really are by cooking and baking for us next time. They both graciously agreed. They probably also agreed not to come visit me for a long time.

I envied Sylvia for being married to wonderful pastry chef and also envied Mary for being married to Di who loves to cook. I guess I really have to thank God I am not married to a chef or I would definitely be obese or probably be already dead.

The Crumpet Shop

This blog was supposed to be about the Bacon Donuts at the Daily Dozen which we heard about. We were disappointed in them as they were not as light as we expected and was too sweet. So far the best bacon donuts I've had is still from Cafe Dulce in Los Angeles. As we walked around the Public Market in Seattle, we came across a place called The Crumpet Shop.

Since none of us have ever heard of a store specializing in crumpets, we thought it needed some investigation. We proceeded to eat our not so good, overly sweet bacon donuts outside and Mertz and I ordered a cappuccino and coffee. I had to try at least one crumpet. There were a lot of choices but one stood out. That was the Lemon Curd and Ricotta Crumpet. I don't know about the others but this alone is worth going back to Seattle for. It was most delicious. The crumpet was crunchy and bit chewy and the lemon had a bit of tartness but the ricotta balanced everything. I still dream about this crumpet.

On the way out, I had to meet the owner/manager. A nice young man by the name of Rob. He told me that this was a family business. My first question was where else do they have the Crumpet Shop and my second question is will they open one in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, you would have to go to Seattle to try these wonderful crumpets. There are no current plans yet to open in Los Angeles but there's always that possibility.

Here's the link to their website in case you find yourself at the Public Market in Seattle.

http://www.thecrumpetshop.com/crumpet1.html