Birthday Dinner at Bettolino

My old friend Mary (not that old), invited me to celebrate my belated birthday dinner. Before we even made our decisions on what to order, Sonia my favorite server, brought out fresh warm bread accompanied by a dish of olive oil with herbs. I asked for some fresh Parmesan to go in the oil. That alone made us very happy and even happier with the bottle of Pinot Noir Mary brought.

She asked me if I wanted to order an appetizer which I did but I would have wanted to share it with her so I don't get too full. I was thinking of the Polipo (Grilled Spanish Octopus) but I knew Mary would not go for that so we decided to split a Caesar Salad instead. While we were splitting our salad, Sonia came with a dish of the appetizer I wanted. I told her I didn't order that unless she had ESP and read my mind. She explained that it was sent by Andreanna, the owner. Unfortunately, it was not Mary's cup of tea so I devoured that little sucker. Mary ate the beans. If you can get past the looks of it, you would love the octopus; it was so tender and the lemon garlic sauce made it so delectable.

Though there were many interesting things on the menu, we decided we wanted pasta. Mary wanted pasta with scampi which was not on the menu but they were happy to accommodate. I tried something I haven't tried before; the Tortelloni al Limone stuffed with spinach and ricotta which had a beautiful lemon cream sauce topped with Parmesan. I absolutely loved this dish. I had to leave 2 on my plate since my belly was too full from the salad, octopus, and mounds of bread since Mary asked for more warm bread.

The dessert we ordered was my favorite, the Salted Caramel Semifreddo. This is a semi-frozen salted caramel mousse, layered with graham crackers with a chocolate sauce. The picture speaks for itself. There was a bonus dessert presented to Mary so she could blow out the candle and make her wish.

Another wonderful dinner at Bettolino. Thank you, Mary, for a delightful evening. Thank you Andreanna for the Polipo and thank you, Sonia, for the excellent service. Bettolino is located at 211 Palos Verdes Blvd. in Redondo Beach, California.

Spago

My brother Gary invited Sandi and me to celebrate our birthdays at Spago. I haven't been there in a long time and Sandi has never been there. We were excited as I was hoping that we were in for a treat.

We were seated on the outdoor patio which had heaters for when it got chilly. Since Gary has been there more often, Sandi and I told him to order for us. He decided to order a few things for us to share but also asked us if there was something specific we wanted. Halibut, Sandi's favorite fish was on the menu so we did order that. We also ordered the Crispy Scaled Black Bass with Maine Lobster and the Grilled Prime "Cote de Boeuf" with pommes aligot with a peppercorn-Armagnac sauce. As soon as our orders were taken, someone brought an array of bread with different textures. We did ask for butter just in case the dip was not satisfactory. The dip, in this case, was quite edible. Yogurt with harissa was a nice balance that brought out the flavors of the bread.

For starters; two items had to be ordered. One was the Spicy Tuna Tartare in a sesame-miso cone with shaved bonito and the other was a Cheese Pizza with Italian Summer Truffles. Sandi, who normally will not eat anything raw had a cone and loved it. I was hoping she would not want to try it so I could have two! The pizza was wonderful; thin crust, a bit charred on some parts though I would have wanted to see it all throughout. The flavor of the summer truffles was oh so good. As Milena (aka Ms. Gourmet) would say: " I would have been very happy with just the cones and the pizza", in which we all agreed.

The Alaskan Halibut arrived. It was nice and flaky. I much preferred the Crispy Scaled Black Bass with Maine Lobster. It couldn't have been any crispier. The flavor was ausgezeichnet (that's excellent in German) and anyone that knows me know I rarely get excited about fish.

Just as we were finishing our fish, the Grilled Cote de Boeuf arrived. The big hunk of meat made a grand entrance.  I loved that they sliced the meat and even plated them for us. Another server came to serve the Pommes Aligot; cheesy mashed potato. It was entertaining to watch as he stretched the cheesy deliciousness up to eye level. It almost reminded me of how they pour the dressing at Lawry's for their spinning salad. It was a spectacle to watch. The pommes aligot was the perfect side dish to showcase the beautiful beef which was cooked to perfection.

It was time for dessert. We unanimously decided to share the Tangerine Crepe Cake "Suzette", tangerines with toasted almonds, tangerine gelato with Grand Marnier.  Gary also ordered  "Alexander McQueen Inspiration". We loved the Crepe, it was not sweet and the many layers of the thin crepe were light and yummy. The tangerine gelato was a nice escort to the crepe. The Alexander McQueen was a chocolate pearl with dark glazed chocolate. Inside this pearl was creme fraiche mousse with raspberry jelly. The pearl sat on a bed of lemon possit.  If that were not enough, it also had some dehydrated rose petals. The details of these desserts always amazes me.  For our birthdays, they presented us with a plate with an assortment of cookies. There was no dieting this evening.

I must mention that our server Bryan was professional, knowledgeable about the menu and not at all pretentious; we loved that about him. The service, food, and ambiance could not have been better. By the time we left, the patio was pretty full. Thank you Gary for some enchanted evening!

Spago is located at 176 N. Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills California.

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

Most of us have heard of Dickey's Barbecue and I know they have been around for awhile but I have never been to one. We finally made it to one in Redondo Beach.  The menu had several options of ordering the various meats. You could buy them by the pound, a la carte, meat plates or family packs.

My friend and I decided to order 2 meat plates to share. One was Half Rack of Ribs and the other was the Beef Brisket. We had a choice of  2 sides. I had the Mac and Cheese and Fried Okra. She had Baked Potato Casserole and Cole Slaw.  We could not get over how the meat literally was falling off the bones of the ribs. The barbecue was way too good and the beef brisket was just as tender.  The mac and cheese could have been better if they had used a sharper cheese. The baked potato casserole was satisfactory and we enjoyed the fried okra though we had to ask for a ranch dressing for dipping.

At the end of the meal, you can have a serving of ice cream from the soft serve machine on the house. I didn't have any because I like something on my vanilla ice cream like a topping or some sauce. My friend had one and she commented on the nice crispy and tasty cone. I might have to bring a little fudge with me next time.

I can't wait to return to Dickey's Barbecue in the near future.  We went to 407 N. Pacific Coast Hwy. in Redondo Beach, California though they have multiple locations all over the United States.

Chocolate Sour Dough Bread

This sounded intriguing to me though I have had chocolate bread in the past, I was curious to taste this one which I got from Paris Baguette. When my eyes first glanced at the dark bread, the word "Healthy" jumped at me so I dismissed giving it a second glance.  I was lucky to have Sandi notice it and said to me: "Did you see the Chocolate Sour Dough Bread"?  I immediately grabbed one to take home.

I have been having the delicious bread for breakfast the past few days. I experimented to see how best to enjoy the bread. Rule #1 It must be toasted so you get the intoxicating aroma of the chocolate. Rule #2 It has to be toasted dark to get the full flavor.  On one slice, I applied butter. On the other slice of bread, I put some whipped cream cheese. Both were good but it needed something else.

I added some Kir Royale Jam on both and that sealed the deal! The bread had cherries and cranberries in them so there was some tartness from the fruit, some bitterness from the almost burned toast, creaminess from the cream cheese and sweetness from the chocolate chips not to forget the jam.  Who can ask for anything more?

Paris Baguette has 3,000 locations worldwide. We are lucky to have one in Redondo Beach, California.

The Albright

I was fortunate enough to be invited by friends to The Albright a few weeks ago. Their specialty is Fish and Chips. It's not easy to find good fish and chips. Some have too much breading or soggy and some can't even get the fish right, either it's not fresh or it's overcooked.

It was a beautiful day in Santa Monica as we parked our car in one of the parking lots and proceeded to stroll along the path towards the restaurant. I loved that the restaurant had pictures of the characters Popeye the Sailor, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Sweet Pea, and Wimpy. It reminded me of the time I was a kid and watched the cartoon on Saturdays.

Though there were many items on the menu, we were there for the Fish and Chips and that's what we all ordered. It really was very good. The fish was fresh and flaky and the breading was crisp. Someone ordered corn on the cob which I tried and was also good.

I know there will be a next time for me to visit The Albright. I will have to try the oysters, clam chowder and the lobster roll!

The Albright is located at 258 Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California.

Taco Llama

My friend Josephine introduced me to Taco Llama on Sherman Way in the valley a few weeks ago. It's a hole in the wall inside a strip mall that has been there for at least 30 years. They have to be doing something right if it still exists today.

We both ordered a plate with 3 Carnitas Tacos. The plate came with a salad, rice, beans and chips. I was blown away on how good they were. It is on the salty side and that is probably why I loved them.

On our way home from Bakersfield, yesterday, Sandi and I decided to stop by Taco Llama as long as we were passing through the valley. This time I wanted to try the other tacos to see if there was something better than the carnitas. I ordered one Carnitas, one Pollo, and an Asada. Though the pollo and asada were good, it didn't come close to the carnitas. Both Sandi and I agreed.

Taco Llama has a new owner and yesterday, I got to meet them. Juan, the son lof the owner and his cousin were busy holding up the fort while Juan's mom was on her way home. Taco Llama is located at 16858 Sherman Way in Van Nuys on the corner of Sherman Way and Balboa. They have multiple locations and different owners.

Early Dinner at Forma

Josephine and I left the valley early hoping to avoid the 405 rush hour so by the time we reached Santa Monica, we made the good decision to stop and have an early dinner. The restaurant we decided to go to was non-other than Forma. I told her about the best Crispy Artichoke Salad and that alone was enough to excite her.

We ordered one Crispy Artichoke Salad which consists of fried artichoke, fennel, artichoke, mache, snow peas and aged goat cheese. I was happy that Josephine loves octopus unlike my other friends (you know who you are), so we ordered the Char Grilled Spanish Octopus which sat on a bed of lentils and harissa. The octopus was tender and went very well with the lentils; the flavor was wonderful. Both appetizers are something I would never tire of.

We were almost full before our entrées arrived. Josephine had the Fettuccine Bolognese which she thought was delicious. I ordered the Chitarra Cacio e Pepe which never disappoints. Before they serve the plate, the pasta is tossed into a large cheese wheel and swirled around while they add more cheese. You really have to love cheese and pepper to enjoy this dish. Once served you have the option of asking for more cheese if you please.

Omar, our server who I had the pleasure of meeting on my last visit asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu. Both of us being so full we could hardly move had to decline. Just then Mario, the owner, walked in and came over to our table. He asked about us ordering dessert and we told him we had to decline this time since we were too full. Before we knew it, Omar came with a dessert sent by Mario. It was a Vanilla Pot with Chia seeds and Blueberry jam on top. It was so good that we managed to finish the dessert. We didn't want Omar to think we were pigs so I told him we had to finish it so as not to hurt Mario's feelings! Aren't we considerate and courteous?

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