Lobster Tails

I don't get to have Lobster Tails often because they can be expensive as they are usually served with a piece of steak. The ones they serve at Lawry's Prime Rib is always cooked to perfection. When I saw the ad for Ralph's Supermarket that had them on sale for $3.99 each, I immediately went and got a few. I allowed for 2 tails per person since you only get about 3 bites for one. I planned to serve them with baked potatoes and roasted chicken, which I bought in their Deli section. I looked for the easiest recipe and decided to bake them instead of boiling. The method called for cracking the lobster tail, (cutting in the middle with a pair of scissors) and pulling the meat out of the shell but leaving it attached.  I squeezed lemon on them and brushed them with melted butter, sprinkled a bit of paprika. At the bottom of the pan, I poured melted butter and some champagne since I didn't have white wine. That allowed for a steaming effect so as not to dry the meat.

We were all surprised at how delicious and succulent they were. I have to say that preparing lobster tails are not that easy. Separating the shell was tricky. I kept thinking I would cut my fingers and end up in the Emergency Room. Luckily, that didn't happen. I now have more appreciation for these lobster tails since I now know what it involves to make them look pretty!

Jame Enoteca

We've wanted to try this restaurant in El Segundo and thank God for their outdoor dining, we were able to finally go. Sandi's grandson, Matthew, and his friend Anthony were here visiting from Florida, so she thought this was the perfect opportunity to sample the cooking of  Chef Jackson Kalb, a Michelin-trained chef who's worked at Melisse, and Joel Robuchon.

We ordered 2 appetizers to share; the Charred Octopus with chickpea puree and crunchy chickpeas and the Crispy Brussels Sprouts. Sadly, Sandi did not partake with the sharing of the octopus as she missed a delicious appetizer, but then again, there was more for the 3 of us to share. The Brussels Sprouts were excellent, they had a lemony and salty flavor which I loved.

Sandi and I split 2 entrées. One was the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe and the Tagliatelle Al Ragu Bolognese. I loved them both and thought they were perfectly cooked, aldente, and I didn't have to ask for extra parmesan cheese.  Sandi preferred the bolognese over the cacio e pepe.

Matthew had Ricotta Cavatelli (dumplings) fennel sausage, chili, cavolo nero, and breadcrumbs. He enjoyed his dish. Sandi and I are not dumplings fan so we thought it was too starchy. Anthony had what I would have ordered had they not had the cacio or bolognese. He ordered the Squid Ink Bavette with rock shrimp ragu, chilies, stracciatella, and breadcrumbs. That was delicious.

The dinner was lovely, company, and food, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the ambiance of sitting outside. We were right next to the Cleaners. One made a joke that if you got sauce on your clothes, you could just take it straight to the cleaners!

We did not have dessert there because we already had plans to go to Honeymee, the milk ice cream place in Gardena. What's unique about the ice cream is the very creamy ice cream with honeycomb, which I have had before in another location. Everyone loved it. My selection was the best, the Affogato, which is drizzled honey with coffee. One of the boys had the Dear Caramel, Ghiradelli caramel syrup with sprinkles of salt, and a honeycomb. What a way to end the day!

Jame Enoteca is located at 241 Main St. in a little strip mall in El Segundo. Honeymee is at 15480 S. Western Ave. in Gardena.

Thank you, Sandi, for a beautiful dinner.

Fauchon Cookies

My brother got me a beautiful box of cookies from the well renowned Fauchon of Paris. The cover of the tin can box with colorful butterflies was designed by Christian Lacroix. So beautiful that I was leery about the cookies. They say: You can't judge a book by its cover, and it is the same with food. When something looks so good, I sometimes get disappointed with the first bite. Of course, this is not always true, thank God for that.

I opened the box and sampled the different cookies with a cup of Moroccan mint tea. I am happy to report that they were all delicious.

 All that was lacking was the ambiance of sitting in a sidewalk cafe somewhere in Paris!

Hawkins House of Burgers

My son and I were heading back home from Anaheim when my inner clock suggested dinner. I asked him to look up a place where we could eat. Not too many popped up for dine-in at this time with COVID 19. He finally came up with Hawkins which supposedly had the best burgers. This apparently is an institution that's been around in Watts for the longest time. Not a great neighborhood but since it was early, we thought it wouldn't be a problem. He called to place the order and the lady said it would take 30 minutes. We headed towards Hawkins and noticed that there was hardly any parking spots on the street. Luckily, a car left across the street and I was able to park. To make the long story short, the half-hour had turned into a good hour. We were planning to eat in the car but by then, it was 83 degrees outside and we thought it best to just drive home.

We got home and I immediately got paper plates and served the humongous burgers. Mine was just the Fat Burger (all burgers made from Angus beef) with all the trimmings except pickles. My son had the Whipper which is made with 2 Angus beef patties, topped with pastrami and spicy hot link, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions. The burgers were very good. The whipper was very hard to eat, I could not open my mouth big enough for a bite. We ordered some chili cheese fries to share and regular fries and onion rings.

The closest to these burgers in goodness is the ones I used to get at The Standing Room. I will have to have some soon so I can really compare it. We were both happy we got them to try but I don't know if these were the best I have had. Size-wise, it is beyond compare. The meat was excellent but I still had to add my Mayochup (mayonnaise and ketchup) to enhance the taste.

Hawkins is located at 11603 Slater St. in Los Angeles.

Sandi's Pork Loin with Mango Salsa

This pork loin was moist and tender and was perfectly good on its own but Sandi had to use the Manila mangoes we bought last week so she decided to make a salsa with red onions, cilantro, and tomatoes.  It was delicious especially since the chunks of mangoes were super sweet. She served this with cabbage which she sauteed with onions and bacon. What's not good with bacon? Nothing! The only thing we were not crazy about was the pearly couscous which didn't have enough flavor. It just reminded us both of boba.

Dessert was a simple scoop of Caramel ice cream with topped with a thin Oreo Mint.

Peach Mango Pie

This is the best you can get; Peach Mango Pie from Jollibee. Jollibee is a Filipino Fast Food Chain that is now all over the United States. They are known for their Fried Chicken with gravy, but what is impressive is their dessert: Peach Mango Pie.

This is reminiscent of the McDonalds Baked Apple Pie, but it is beyond comparison. The Peach Mango Pie is fried, and this is why it is soooooo deeeelicious. Served warm, but since I dislike warm desserts, I popped mine in the refrigerator to cool. It is very crunchy, and as you bite into it, you see the beautiful peach and mango; juice oozes out while you enjoy chunks of peaches and mangoes.

I bought an extra one to consume the following day. I thought it would be soggy but I was happily mistaken. It was as crunchy as the first day. I will have to experiment to see how well they freeze and thaw.

Key Lime Glazed & Key Lime Kreme from Krispy Kreme

I marked my calendar when I got an email announcing these 2 kinds of donuts from Krispy Kreme.; Key Lime Glazed and Key Lime Kreme. Sandi and I went early this morning to pick some up from their drive-thru.

First of all, they look much better on the video and pictures. The lime green color glazing the donuts were too pale. I bought a dozen of regular glazed in order to get the dozen of key lime for $8.00. I had trouble at first glance to see which was which as they almost looked alike except for a very pale tinge of green on the key lime donuts. This did not lessen my excitement because I was still after the taste.

In my opinion, Krispy Kreme donuts (glazed) are only delicious when hot otherwise it tastes almost like any other glazed donuts. I proceeded to heat one in the microwave for 12 seconds which makes it taste like the hot ones you get as you stand in front of the conveyer belt at the store. The donut was good in that it has a bit of the lime flavor. I expected it to have more and would have preferred a much more limey taste.

I had half of Kreme filled Glazed. I had a bite of it without heating and was not impressed so I heated it along with the key lime glazed. The filling melted but I just pretended I was dipping bread in gravy. I liked that better since it had a bit more lime flavor.

The verdict on these donuts is that they are okay and a nice change but nothing to get excited about. I wonder if the Lemon Glazed will be better than these. Those are due next week.