Eataly L.A.

The long awaited Eataly L.A. is finally here at the Westfield Century City Mall on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. The original Eataly was founded by Oscar Farinetti from Turin. Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and her son Joe are partners and collaborators. New York, Boston and Chicago have been the lucky cities to have their very own Eataly. They opened last weekend and though we stayed away, I heard that there were thousands of people in the mall waiting to experience Eataly.

Last Friday, Ramon, Milena and Gary announced that they would be going and asked us if we wanted to meet them at 11:00 a.m. It was a Friday so we thought it was a good day since most people would be at work. Sujata, Mertz, Sandi and I got there at 10:30 a.m. We went up the escalator and walked through a large glass door. We were in awe of what was inside. It was a market, restaurants, cafes, counters, Italian goods for sale, tables and chairs and lots of people. We first secured several tables as we sat waiting for our friends. My brother Gary called and told us to fall in line at the Pasta and Pizza place. The line was comparable to the line to see the Sistine Chapel. We all did not want to stand for that length of time. When everyone arrived, we all agreed to eat wherever we wanted. Mertz, Sandi and Sujata decided to get Panini since the line was not too long. Ramon, Gary, Milena and I lined up at Il Pesce Cucina which had a short line. I was excited because I knew Chef Michael Cimarusti is none other than the Chef at Providence, one of my favorite restaurants.

Gary and I ordered the Calamata; calamari shaped pasta, squid, chili flake, parsley as well as the Spaghettoni Aglio & Olio; extra virgin olive oil, chili, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Italian parsley. Both were good but we especially enjoyed the Spaghettoni. I have to mention our server, Shane, warned us that the pasta would be served really aldente. Of course that was music to my ears. Milena and Ramon had the panini, Tonno Bianco; Oregon Albacore, fennel pollen, lemon, red onion, iceberg, pickled red peppers and the Pesce Sammy panini; Ling cod, lettuce, Calabrian chili aioli. They said their panini were just o.k. The Chili potato chips were outstanding though.

After we had all eaten, we made a quick survey of what exciting things were for sale. They had mozzarella, big wheels of cheeses, Italian chocolates, all kinds of olive oils, and panettone but not just your regular panettone. They had pear and chocolate, moscato wine and peach chocolate panettone.  We all decided to have some gelato which was downstairs on the lower level of Eataly. Instead of taking the stairs, we went outside to take the escalator. We were shocked to see a long line to get in the entrance to Eataly. We told the guards we just wanted to have some gelato and that we were already in and had just left. No can do.....once you leave you have to fall in line to get in. The line was unbelievably long. There must have been at least 500 people waiting.

One word comes to mind when I think of Eataly: chaos. Mertz corrected me in saying that at least it is "organized chaos". We later figured out that last Friday was the Veteran's Day weekend. My brother Gary has been there several times already and he suggested going in the late afternoon on a weekday. We will be going back to Eataly for sure but it won't be anytime soon especially not on a weekend or a holiday.

Angelina's Pizzeria Napoletana

I had not heard of this restaurant before but that's only because it's not in my area. It is located in the city of Irvine, California. We were invited to an Italian Thanksgiving  4-course dinner party given by Vino-Direct, an Italian Wine Distributor here in Southern California. It was hosted by non other than the alluring and charming Elisabetta Cressi.

Sujata, Mertz, Sandi and I were lucky enough to be invited to this intimate event. The restaurant was impressive. Wine bottles lined one wall and they had a bar and a huge pizza oven. There were tables set aside for our party and we were the first to arrive. Elisabetta was preparing the wines that were to be paired with our courses. She started us off with a welcome drink, Franciacorta Brut DOCG La Montina Sparkling Wine. The menu looked great.

We first had an Antipasto which was an Insalata d' Autunno. The slightly bitter radicchio leaves were great with big slivers of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and tossed with aged balsamic. The Nero d' Avola wine was a perfect pairing for this salad. We all finished our salads.

The Primi was a Pappardelle all' Agnello. We loved the thick ribbon egg noodles that were cooked aldente of course. The lamb ragu was delicious. We enjoyed that so much that we forgot there was another course. Sujata had a Spaghetti with a red meatless sauce. For our Secondi, they served Tagliata di Manzo; prime flat iron steak served with roasted cipollini onions and Brussels sprouts topped with olive oil. They served an Eggplant dish to our vegetarian friend, Sujata. I had a bite of hers and it was delicious. The tagliata di manzo was cooked to perfection. It was tender and juicy. I couldn't get over how much I enjoyed the cipollini onions that were so sweet. Sandi, Mertz and Sujata hardly ate their food since they were so full. I was too but I couldn't stop eating since I was enjoying it so much. I left 1 piece and donated it to Mertz to add to her food to take home.

Gelato Con Fragole was our dessert. The vanilla gelato was nice and creamy.
We were lucky to meet Chef Jonah as he brought out one of the courses. We all commended him for a job well done.

The hour and a half drive on the 405 Freeway was worth it. We really enjoyed ourselves. We all thank Elisabetta for a delightful evening; sorry we missed Paolo.

Panera Bread

Panera Bread has been around for awhile and most everyone at one time or another has been to one. The best thing you can buy in my opinion is an Egg Soufflè. They have several kinds; ham & cheese, four cheese, spinach & bacon and my favorite, spinach & artichoke. They had an outstanding mushroom soufflè at one time but discontinued it. The soufflès are flaky, fluffy and soft inside. They are only available in the mornings and when they run out of them you are out of luck. I forgot to take a picture of my delicious soufflè so I took a picture from a previous blog.

There's a group of us that meets on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. Sometimes there will be just 6-7 of us but when everyone shows up it's a big group. Their bagels are good and I am told that the salads are good too, though I can't make myself order one at 9 in the morning. Everyone has their favorite thing.

In the past months we have all noticed that the service has been going downhill. It was not good to begin with but now, it is just unacceptable. Sometimes, if you're lucky, there's no line when you arrive but if there is a line like this morning, it is frustrating to see one cashier and 5 or 6 employees in the back that are experts in looking busy but not really accomplishing much. I don't know if there is ever a manager anymore. One time my coffee (bold/strong) had the taste and smell of hazelnut and they kept insisting that it didn't have hazelnut. What probably happened is that the container had the hazelnut coffee previously and was not properly cleaned. The manager at an earlier visit was there and he looked like he didn't know what he was doing. It was like the blind leading the blind. Two days ago I ordered a bagel, toasted twice, and coffee. It was given to me in a bag. I told them it was "for here" so he took it out of the bag and placed it on a plate. It was pale as can be so I reminded him I wanted it toasted twice.

Today when I arrived, Nako was eating a coffee cake and I asked him how it was and his reply was: "It's dry". We all told him to have it replaced but he didn't since that was the last piece. It was probably the last piece from yesterday! Then Jean came and ordered a bagel. The bagel was MIA (missing in action) and it took a long time before she was united with her bagel. Ed had a salad which he enjoyed and Amy had a healthy sandwich with avocado, tomato and spinach.

We go to Panera because we all are creatures of habit and it is convenient for everyone. One of these days, there will be a place close by and I won't be surprised if we all explore something new. I have to mention that almost every time there is a line, you hear comments from people in the line saying things like: "they're so slow", "why do they have just one cashier", or "what are those people in the back doing?" People look at each other and sometimes just roll their eyes.

We all hope to see an improvement in the service and hope they get a manager that can really manage and see what needs to be done. There used to be a server named Ashley and  she was the only one on the ball. I told her she should have been the manager. She was recently transferred to another Panera so the only efficient employee is now gone.

Panera Bread's address is 2733 Pacific Coast Hwy. in Torrance, California.

Another Dinner at Forma

Sandi, Mertz and I were on our way back from Bakersfield and it was going to be dinner time soon. We were on the infamous 405 Freeway so we had to put on our thinking caps to see what restaurant was on the way home. Of course we had lots of choices. We thought of Santa Monica. It was almost a no-brainer then to think of Forma; the restaurant where they finish the Cacio e Pepe by pouring it into a large cheese wheel, after some cheese has been loosened from the wheel by scraping and then tossing it to combine. We got there at 5:30 p.m. and the place was busy. I was afraid we wouldn't be able to get a table since we didn't have any reservations. The hostess studied the chart on the computer as I said my prayers. She finally informed us that she could take us if we didn't mind sitting at one of the high tables and that we would have to be finished eating and ready to leave  by 7:00 p.m. Oh my, of course that was not a problem since we all eat fairly quickly. Thank God for the high tables. I personally would have sat anywhere at that point.

We ordered two Crispy Artichoke Salads to share; fried baby artichokes, walnuts and goat cheese. This is one salad I get excited about because it really is delicious and no restaurant that I know of can make this better. We ordered 3 pasta dishes to share: Cacio e Pepe, Tortellini with mushrooms, light cream and truffle oil tossed in cheese and the Burnt Spaghetti Assassina; arrabiata with dry Ricotta. We enjoyed everything.

Dessert had to be one of our favorites: Banana Pecan Tart with chocolate. The bananas are caramelized and taste so good with the chocolate. Our server, Manuel Luigi, took very good care of our needs. I told him that I thought he served us the last time and his response was: "Yes, I remember your group sat by the window." It must be nice to be young and have such good memory. I asked if I could take his picture and he pulled over one of the female servers to pose with him.

Forma is located at 1610 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, California.

; krust

; krust is a bakery that's new to me though it has been in operation for almost two years. I cannot believe I have not heard about this bakery until the other day when Piero and I were talking about bakeries. He asked me about Pinwheel, the bakery that took over the space of the former L'amande Bakery. I told him that it was a big disappointment to me and my friends. So he started googling (is that a correct term?) He then asked if I've heard of krust which has very good reviews. We started oohing, awing and salivating just looking at the pictures.

Sandi and I were on a mission to check out this bakery. We drove there on a Monday after the gym and realized half way there that they are closed on Mondays. We couldn't wait till Tuesday. Right after the gym, we drove there and discovered they open at 7:00 a.m. and are open till 3:00  p.m. I like bakeries that open early. The place was small but very cozy. They don't have a big variety but that's o.k. What they do have is very good pastries.

The best thing I have tried so far is the Lemon Glazed Donut. It does not have a filling but the glaze is very lemony and the donut itself is what a typical donut should be: light. It has just the right amount of sweetness. Sandi had a Cinnamon Scone which she liked but she thought it would be better served warm. It was not served with butter so I asked for butter and it immediately got better. I also bought an Almond Croissant for us to split. Boy, was that good. They make their croissants right; not limp or burnt but nice and crisp outside and flaky. The almond paste was delicious, again not too sweet.

Today, Amy and Nako accompanied me to the the bakery right after our workout at the gym. This time I wanted to try the Custard Filled Donut and couldn't leave without a Lemon Glazed Donut. I also bought a Mocha Bun to try. The custard filled donut was very good and so was the lemon glazed donut. That is still my favorite; you just can't beat it. The mocha bun did not excite me. It had lots of raisins but it would probably be better for people that don't like sweets.

Amy who never gets excited over breakfast had the Hazelnut Croissant and absolutely loved it. Surprisingly, she ate the whole thing. Nako had the Cinnamon Sugar Donut and a Custard filled Donut. Nako was a very happy camper and bought more to take home. When we were just about done, Chef Yun asked if we would like to try the baguette. Of course we did; it was warm since it just came out of the oven. We each received a slice with butter and topped with sea salt. Ohhhhh myyy, unbelievable!!

Piero, the friend that demanded a Finder's fee for discovering this bakery wanted me to get him a Lemon Glazed Donut for the next time I see him. The problem is he is only in the area on Mondays and they are closed on Mondays. I asked the Chef and owner Yonghee if it would still be good on Monday if I bought it on Sunday and she said no. So, Piero will have to wait......

;krust is located at 1300 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo Beach, California. The cross street is Ave. E and it's across from Arby's.