The Little Oliva

Cindy has been wanting to try this restaurant. We all read about it and decided to experiment with this semi-new place in Rolling Hills Estates. We finally got a day when all three of us were free, so we made reservations for a late lunch. 

We were all in awe as we walked in. This charming place had a warm and exciting vibe. The menu was Greek, Italian, and American, so there was something for everyone. 

Cindy and I ordered the Santorini Moussaka since the article we read raved about the Moussaka. This had a different twist in that it had a layer of potatoes. We were excited since the last time we had Moussaka was at Petro's in Manhattan Beach. Sadly, we were both disappointed with it. It was not bad, but it was not great either. It was on the bland side. 

Sandi, however, had better luck. She had the Athens Chicken Skewers, which were delicious. I had a bite, and it was moist and juicy. 

Since most of us were unimpressed with the food and service, we didn't order desserts. The consensus was that we would not make a special trip back unless maybe if we were invited. 

Wool Growers Restaurant

When in Bakersfield, we usually go to Frenchie's Basque restaurant. This time, we decided to try another Basque restaurant. We made reservations at Wool Growers. The owners, Mayie and J.B. Maitia, opened the restaurant in 1957. It was located at Sumner St. but has since relocated to 620 19th St. in Bakersfield, and their granddaughter Jenny and her husband Francois now run the restaurant.

Sandi and I had just come from hearing mass and were starving. The menu was a prix-fixe offering; the entée price included Pyrenees bread, vegetable soup, salad, beans, salsa, vegetable of the day, penne pasta, and French fries! This guaranteed no one would leave the place hungry. We truly enjoyed the crusty bread and the vegetable soup. The beans and salsa were delightful when we added them to the soup. The pasta was a nice addition; the fries were crispy, and who wouldn't want fries?

Sandi was ecstatic to see Halibut on the menu. I decided to order something healthy, so I chose the Salmon with a cream sauce. They were both quite edible. Next time, I want to try steak or veal.

We were both stuffed but needed something to settle our tummies. Sandi had a scoop of Spumoni, and I had the Raspberry Sorbet. 

Service was very good, and we enjoyed the food and atmosphere. We definitely will be going back to Wool Growers.

Zaytinya

The name Zaytinya means olive oil in Turkish. This restaurant is another José Andés restaurant. It is  Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese cuisine. It is located inside the Shay Hotel in Culver City, quite a nice setting. 

Gary invited Sandi and me for our past birthdays. Gary ordered his usual Old Fashioned, and I had the Sidecar to Tangier, which had orange liqueur, honey, and lemon. It was both pretty and delicious. Sandi stuck to her usual 2020 Diet Coke.

Their Pita bread was not the usual we were all accustomed to. They were all puffy and airy. They went well with the Baba Ghanoush, which is fire-roasted eggplant, tahini, lemon, and garlic. The different thing about this dish was that it had pomegranate seeds, which not only made it super attractive but added a lot of life to the baba ghanoush. 

Our server, Patrick, was vital when it came to ordering. We had so many questions, and he was so helpful. He made his suggestions, and they were all spot on. We ordered the Za'atar Pide Flatbread, a blend of dried za'atar, sesame seeds, sumac, kasar cheese, and an egg. The Crispy Brussels Sprouts had coriander seeds, barberries, and garlic yogurt. Both were delicious. The Black Cod with mushroom tahini, warm greens, lemon, and pine nuts lacked flavor. Note that this was not one of Patrick's recommendations.

We tried the Shish Taouk, a grilled chicken skewer with sumac onions, garlic toum, and a grilled tomato. We all enjoyed this tender and juicy chicken, and the sumac onions were great, all topped with the garlic sauce. The Bone Marrow Kibbeh was interesting. It consists of beef and bulgur wheat fritters with bone marrow filling with almonds, pine nuts, currants, and labneh. We were not all excited about this dish. I couldn't pinpoint why; maybe it just had a lot going on.

We were all pleasantly full but had to order dessert. Sandi decided on the Golden Raisin Sorbet and Apple Sorbet. Gary and I were excited about the Turkish Coffee Chocolate Cake; molten chocolate cake with roasted pistachios, Turkish coffee syrup, and Mastic ice cream. This was just a glorified lava cake. We didn't detect much coffee flavor. The ice cream was one of the worst flavors we have had. We asked Patrick what Mastic was. It's a resin from the Pistacia lentiscus tree, a small evergreen native to the Mediterranean. They should have left it in the tree! We noticed the next table left their ice cream too. The best dessert was the little shot glass Sandi got for her birthday, which had yogurt and apricot. That was very good. Fortunately, she shared it with me and Gary. 

Zaytinya is at 8801 Washington Blvd. in Culver City. Parking is valet only, and it costs $18.

Musso & Frank Grill

There is a very good reason why Musso & Frank is still one of the best restaurants around. It was established in 1919, the oldest restaurant in Hollywood. 

I happily agreed that Sandi wanted to go there for her birthday dinner. I ordered their Dirty Martini, Gary had an Old Fashioned, and Sandi settled for a very dry Diet Coke. Before our drinks arrived, we were served their delicious sourdough bread with lots of butter.

Sandi and I knew what to order before setting foot in the restaurant. We knew we were going to have the Grenadine of Beef with the wonderful Béarnaise sauce, plus we were going to split an order of the incredible Fettuccine Alfredo (the recipe is from the legendary original Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome). When Benjamin took our order, I think he couldn't believe we ordered the additional Fettuccine, especially when I told him Sandi and I were sharing it, and Gary was not included.

We ordered a Caesar Salad to share among the 3 of us. Gary did not want any pasta, and he announced that he didn't care for creamy pasta, which was not that creamy. I know he enjoyed the original one in Rome, as we always have to have it in Rome. 

Gary ordered the Ribeye with the best smoky flavor but didn't have the Béarnaise sauce. Sandi and I loved our Filet with the sauce. A few minutes passed when Gary asked Sandi for some of her sauce. I noticed he didn't ask me. Soon, he was adding more sauce to his steak. He also tried the pasta, and after a few sound effects of hmm, hmmm, he commented that it was not that creamy, but it was indeed very good. 

Unfortunately, Sandi and I did not have any leftovers. Gary could not finish his steak, so he took it home with the last bite of the pasta. 

We ordered the Trio of Sorbets since we enjoyed it the last time. We asked for 2 scoops of blueberry basil (omitted the strawberry) and 1 scoop of orange sorbet. We also ordered the Diplomat Pudding, which was strawberry-flavored and light as a soufflé. In addition to this, Sandi was presented with a Birthday Brownie, which she happily shared and was fully consumed by everyone.

Musso and Frank Grill serves great food; you can't beat the old-fashioned service. The servers take pride in their jobs, which is sadly not too common nowadays. 

Musso and Frank is located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California.

Zoku

Ante and Edna were in our area and wanted an early dinner somewhere good. I gave it some thought, and Zoku popped into my mind in a matter of seconds!

Ante asked for suggestions, which I gladly gave. He ended up ordering them and then some. We started with Ebi: Giant Shrimp with butter shoyu, followed by the Wagyu Beef with apple steak sauce. I have had both previously, and they were just as delicious as I remembered. 

We all loved the Giant Ebi Mayo, Rock Shrimp Tempura with sweet mayo. Teba, chicken wings, were tasty, but too much work for me, and did not have much meat. Since Edna does not care for spicy food, her husband Ante thoughtfully ordered the non-spicy Zoku Karaage, Japanese fried chicken with "Chick-fil-A" mayo.

Ante wanted to try their A5 Wagyu, so we ordered that to compare to the regular, and it did not disappoint. There were other chicken skewers on the menu, so we tried several of them, including the Chicken Meatball, which was not a ball but on a stick.

The Zoku Salad was terrific. It's a Japanese-style Caesar with chicken breast and a miso dressing. We saved the best for last, in my opinion. Their signature dish is the Spicy Karaage: Japanese fried chicken in bamboo charcoal sauce with red arako and cilantro. It is quite spicy, so beer or sake is best to tone down the spiciness.

Though we were all full, we had to try Yui's desserts. The Macha Brûlée and Strawberry Cheesecake. Both were very good. 

We thank Ante and Edna for the gracious invitation and wonderful company. 

Zoku is at 261 Avenida del Norte in Redondo Beach, California.

Monorom Cambodian Restaurant

I know nothing about Cambodian food, so when Mary Ann suggested we have lunch there, Sandi and I were game. Cora volunteered to be our Uber driver. She had picked up Evelyn before picking us up, and Mary Ann was to meet us there. 

We left all the ordering to Mary Ann since she has been to this restaurant. It was nice not to think about what to order. We were all in capable and good hands.

The Shaken Beef (Sach Goh Lok Lak) is the Cambodian rendition of the Vietnamese dish Bo Luc Lac, which is stir-fried marinated tenderloin lightly caramelized in black pepper, garlic, and soy sauce. It was delicious. Of course, there was white rice to go with all the dishes. We had deep-fried and crunchy tofu. There was also a Tofu dish with sauce, which was just as delicious as the other. 

The noodles that were ordered were called Pin Noodles because they looked like pins. In my excitement, I forgot to take a picture. There was a vegetable that resembled the Philippine vegetable, Kangkong, which might be called water spinach here. Everything we had was "healthy," at least in my book. Healthy and delicious usually don't go together, but in this case, I would want to go back to try the other healthy and unhealthy options. 

This was a nice introduction to Cambodian food. It was nothing fancy, but it was great food. The company was not bad either. We all had lots of fun and can't wait for the next adventure.

Monorom Cambodian Restaurant is at 2150 E. Anaheim St. in Long Beach, California.