Truxton's American Bistro

This pandemic is making us all crazy, and it helps that we can now dine outdoors again. Since I cannot drive at the moment and Sandi strongly suggested it was time to venture out (we both have had our covid vaccine), I happily obliged her request. 

I thought it would be nice to dine at Truxton's nearby. We sat outside by a heater; though it was a sunny day, it was still a bit cold even at 3:30 p.m.! It took a while for us to study the menu and decide on what to order. We finally agreed to get two appetizers: Grilled Artichoke marinated in garlic and herbs, served with dijon mayonnaise and Buffalo Cauliflower, florets tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce topped with bleu cheese crumbles & green onions served with a ranch dressing. Both appetizers were delicious; eating the artichoke required patience since I was in a hurry to get to the heart. The cauliflower was spicy as expected and very tasty. 

We had the Al Pastor Sandwich for our main meal; thinly sliced marinated pork seared, topped with sliced avocado, pickled red onion, cilantro, and chipotle mayonnaise served on a brioche bun. This came with coleslaw or, for $1.00 more, Garlic Parmesan Fries. It was an easy choice! The sandwich was too good; tender and juicy slices of pork went well with the super crispy fries, which still makes my mouth water. We both agreed that we would easily order the same thing next time as everything was delectable. Oh, I must warn you, these are not "date-type" things to order. It's very messy; our server, Mike, was happy to bring us the extra napkins.

Truxton's American Bistro has several locations. We went to the one located 24530 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, California. 

Peruvian Dinner

Our go-to Peruvian restaurant is Inka Wasi. Sandi found a recipe for Peruvian Chicken, Cilantro Rice, and Cilantro-Jalapeño sauce. She brought it over the other day, and boy did it look impressive. Before the main meal, she prepared a Beet Salad with blueberries which was absolutely delicious.

The chicken was very moist, and the rice was nice and fluffy with the lime-cilantro distinct taste. The sauce made the whole experience magical. It was unbelievably delicious and had quite a bit of kick to it. 

At first, I noticed Sandi not having any sauce. When I asked her why she said she normally does not like the sauce at Inka Wasi. This had a mayonnaise base that she's not fond of. I had to almost threaten her to try it as I could not fathom her missing out on this magical sauce. She did finally try a bit and ended up liking it, which did not surprise me. We both agreed this recipe was definitely a keeper.

Panettone Al Limoncello

My brother brought me this Panettone al Limone during Christmas. Not to worry, it was not near its expiration date. I normally only like chocolate or lemon panettone. I find the regular ones too dry. He had purchased this at Eataly. 

I thought it would be good to heat it up a bit in the microwave. I didn't have any ice cream to go on top, so I searched my refrigerator and freezer. Lo, and behold, I found home-made caramel sauce our friend Ana made years ago. I took it out of the freezer; it smelled and looked good, so I heated some and drizzled it all over the warm panettone. It went well with the candied lemon peel and lemon cream. Two words to describe it: Unbelievably delicious!

Laura's Birthday Dinner

Since the birthday girl couldn't celebrate with her boyfriend, who is currently out of town, she had to make do with 3 old ladies. I made steaks ala Cindy; filet mignon with brandy cream sauce. Instead of the usual mashed potatoes I normally serve or baked potatoes, I cooked something new; Smashed Potatoes, which has to be boiled first. It was effortless to make.  After boiling, you smash the potatoes a bit, then drizzle olive oil on the potatoes, season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, flip them, add Parmesan cheese and bake for another 5-7 minutes. When done, add some chopped parsley for color. The salad was store-bought that had the fixings and Tangerine dressing in the bag. The steaks were nice and tender as should be, and the sauce was amazing if I may say so myself.

For dessert, Sandi made a Key Lime Pie and an extra treat she got at a bakery.  Laura loved the pie so much that she shocked everyone when she had another big piece! We were all proud of her. 

Happy Birthday Laura.....

Laura's Rigatoni Ala Vodka

Our friend Laura decided to make us an Italian dinner. She prepared the secondi and made the primi,  Burrata with Black Truffles on a bed of prosciutto drizzled with olive oil sprinkled with salt and fresh ground pepper. Sandi and I had to split one of those burrata balls since they were big, and we had to leave room for the pasta, salad, and bread. Erik had the assignment of getting some crusty bread, and he opted for Olive bread to stay with the Italian theme. 

The burrata was incredibly delicious. I could have eaten a whole one, but we had to restrain ourselves. The salad and bread went well with the wonderful Rigatoni served with fresh arugula, shaved parmesan, and some olives. We all loved the rigatoni.  I have to mention that this is the first time in history that I could not finish any pasta on my plate. This was only due to the humongous portion she put on my plate!

I had nothing for dessert except ice cream but lo and behold, I got a text from our friend Milena, aka Ms. Gourmet, and she had a dessert delivered just in the time shortly before dinner. She had sent us a box of Burnt Basque Cheesecake from Mr. Tetsu. It was a really nice ending to our dinner. The cheesecake was very light, not sweet, and had a lemony custard-like center.

Thank you to Laura for a job well done, and thank you, Milena, for sending us the perfect dessert.

Lunch Delivered from San Diego

I should be so lucky for 2 of my friends from San Diego decided they would come and cook for their currently invalid friend.  Berenice had cooked some Paella from home. Her sister Lorly made some Shanghai Lumpia, Turon (fried banana with jackfruit), and her famous Pancit Lomi, a Filipino noodle soup with chicken, fish, and shrimp. She already had the lumpia wrapped but not yet fried so that it could be enjoyed fresh and crisp. The Lomi, she made from scratch in my kitchen. 

I felt so guilty just sitting waiting for the 2 chefs to cook away. We had to have some champagne to match the wonderful food. We all were paralyzed after eating. None of us could move a muscle. We were all in ecstasy!

Thank you, Berenice and Lorly, for a fantastic lunch!

Embotido

Embotido is a Filipino dish that is comparable to meatloaf but with different ingredients. Those of you may know of my recent accident breaking my femur and surgery to repair it. Thus, I have had to hire a full-time caregiver to help me get around hopping with a walker since I cannot bear weight on the bad leg. 

My Filipino caregiver's mother is 91 years old, and she has been cooking up a storm this past holiday. She graciously has sent her son and his lucky patient, me, some good old Filipino dishes. She had sent us some Shangai Lumpia (eggrolls), which I neglected to take pictures of. Last week she sent some Rellenong Banugs, which is Milk Fish mixed with chicken and other delicious ingredients, then stuffed them back in the Bangus. A few days after that, she sent over some Embotido, which we all loved. The embotido consisted of ground chicken, hard-boiled eggs, Vienna sausage, bell pepper, raisins, and sugar.

The first thing on my mind was can I order food from her. My friends had the same question. Unfortunately, the answer was no because it really is not worth the time and money. She cooks with her heart and soul. I think doing it for money would take the fun out of her cooking and rightfully so.

I was shocked to see a picture of this 91-year-old classy lady named Rosa. I had to include a picture of this young gourmet cook.