Polly's Pies

Two days ago we were at Carson Street close to Harbor General Hospital when we came across Polly's Pies.  There were 4 of us and though I was familiar with the restaurant, my 3 companions have not heard of it. I knew that their pies were supposed to be good though I have never tried any of them. I have tried their oatmeal raisin cookies and they are chewy and delicious.

We got there past 4:00 p.m. so this was a late lunch early dinner. Alma ordered a chicken dumpling soup and a Tuna Sandwich which was served with mashed potatoes with country gravy. Erik had the Avocado Burger & Friends. Some of the friends were: tomato, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts and mayonnaise. This is usually served on a bun but Erik requested toasted sour dough bread instead; this came with a small cup of creamed spinach. Raymond and I decided on something new they just added to the menu; Jambalaya Pie. Everyone seemed to like what they ordered. The Jambalaya took the "pie."  Spicy meat and vegetables cooked with a variety of smoked sausages, chicken, ham, celery, red & green bell peppers, onions cooked with Cajun style spices all simmered in a Creole sauce wrapped in Polly's flaky pie crust. The pie was served with Louisiana rice. I don't know if we were all just too hungry in which case most anything is delicious but hunger aside, it really was very good. It was spicy but not too spicy. I would go back and get that again.

We were all full but we thought it would be a crime not to try the pies and since we were all law abiding citizens, we voted on ordering 2 kinds of pies and sharing them. We ordered a slice of Peach Pie and a piece of the Apple Crisp with ice cream on the side. The waiter asked if we wanted them heated and while I said no, the 2 said yes.....who ever invented the rule: majority rules?! For some strange reason, I don't like my pies warm. Another sacrifice on my part...getting ready for lent. The pies arrived and as we were all excited, we just dug in.  In my excitement, I completely forgot to take pictures of the pies. Not to worry, I will buy a whole pie so you will be able to get the picture.
Till then, you will just have to take my word for it; it's honest to goodness pie.....envision your grandmother baking .....envision Polly.

Polly's Pies have multiple locations. We went to the one at 819 W. Carson St. in Torrance, California.

Creme de la Crepe

Creme de la Crepe has several locations in the beach area; Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Redondo and Culver City. I used to love this place until I took my aunt for her birthday one year (many years ago) and I told her to order something I used to like and it turned out to be "not good".
I can't even remember what it was. That was years ago so I thought I would give it another chance.

A friend and I were in Redondo Beach 2 days ago we ended up across Creme de la Crepe. It was late so there weren't too many people; we got good seats. We decided to split a savory crepe: Saint Pierre which was a sweet batter crepe with crab meat, shrimp, tomato, bell pepper and jack cheese. My friend was is the mood for some pasta. I had my reservations as I would normally not order and Italian dish in a French restaurant but I do like pasta so she ordered the Pasta Bolognaise (Bolognese).

Our waitress brought us the nice french bread the same time she brought the crepe and the pasta. Oh, how I hate it when that happens. Bread should be served shortly after the customer puts in their order. The St. Pierre was good but nothing to write home about. The salad that came with it was tasteless. It seemed like it was the last 2 drops from a bottle. The pasta was terrible. I asked my friend what she thought and before I could say what I thought .......she finished my sentence which was " It tasted like it came from a can".  It was so bad that we both had just 2-3 bites. In fact I was surprised that the waitress didn't wonder why we left most of it and when she asked if we wanted it boxed, we both said: "No, thank you". Note: My pasta picture turned out really blurry, it must have been a sign.

Creme de la Crepe may have been THE place to go many years ago when not too many restaurants made crepes.  I don't think I will be returning anytime soon as they are not the only creperie in town.

Yellow Fever

I read about this Asian bowl place about a month ago and forgot about it. Then, my friend Connie asked me if I've been there. I felt I owed it to Connie to find out soon. Soon was yesterday........
Sandi and I were scheduled for a walk in the park. It was almost 5 p.m. when she asked me if I still wanted to walk. I told her it was cold and windy out so maybe we should just walk to Yellow Fever which is about a 1/4 mile from her house; that way we won't feel to guilty eating.

We got there at shortly after 5 when it was empty. Cute decor, clean lines and asian bowls adorned the wall. There was just another couple eating. The young lady Michelle, explained everything to us since it was our first time. First, you have to pick a base: Rice, Noodles or Salad. Step two is the meat; pick filet mignon, grilled chicken breast, braised pork belly etc. and they are named either with a country or state. Then comes the additional toppings like garlic, shallot chips, ginger chips, baked kale or avocado, fried egg, ugly egg rolls though it didn't look ugly to me! There are also "Things to Share" like tiger wings, rice balls, the traditional french fries or the parmesan furikake.

I knew that I wanted to try the Seoul which was the grilled filet mignon with asian slaw, mushrooms, fried egg with gochu sauce(Japanese condiment). For my base, I picked the rice. They asked what additional topping I wanted so I asked their suggestion and this is when Andrew, another server came to the rescue and asked if I liked kale to which I said Yes, but only if it is fried. He suggested the baked kale for my topping and the fried egg. He was as enthusiastic as I would have been explaining the different flavors. How could I refuse. Sandi decided on the Shanghai which was the braised pork belly with sauteed onions, steamed bok choy, asian slaw, shiso leaves and kung pow sauce. She also settled on rice as her base.

We both thought we had to order their famous Parmesan Furikake. That had a ton of flavor plus it was served with their signature sauce that was wonderful with the fries.

I absolutely loved the Seoul. First of all, the kale, though not fried was baked to a crisp. When I mixed everything up, it almost seemed like an explosion in my mouth. Not the "terrorist" kind but more like fireworks. The gochujang sauce on the rice was spicy (not unbearable) and was perfect with the rest of the ingredients. Then you had the different textures, crunchiness of the kale, the tender filet, the soft mushrooms and the crisp asian slaw.

Sandi's Shanghai was also delicious but her sauce was on the sweet side. She tried mine and decided that mine was more exciting.  So for people that can't handle a little heat and prefer something sweeter, Shanghai is the way to go.

For the vegetarians, they have the Californian: baked organic tofu sausage as the meat and they even have the Kona: spam& egg asian slaw, kimchi, furikake, green onions and tamarind katsu sauce. I may want to try this another time but I will have to get the Seoul out of my system first as I am already craving it.

For our beverage we picked the homemade Lychee Lemonade. One word of advise: Order it!

Kelly, the chef and owner came by and sat with us and explained our food in detail. She was very nice and down to earth. In fact the staff is so well picked that they all were efficient, professional and friendly.

By the time we left to walk back home, the restaurant was no longer empty and by the time I drove by there, the parking lot was full.  Yellow Fever is open everyday except Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.  They are located at 24416 Crenshaw Blvd. in Torrance, California. They are on the east side of Crenshaw across from Crossroads Shopping Center.

I was so excited about this place that when I stopped by Ralph's market on the way home, I told the manager about my new discovery. So Connie, you have my approval; hurry down there but go before the crowd. To Kelly: It was nice meeting you and we will see you very soon!

Standing Room; Still Standing

Haven't been to this place in a long time and since I have studied their menu in the past, I have always wanted to try their burgers, particularly The Napoleon. My favorite has always been the soft shell crab which is delicious.
See prior blog: http://solittlethyme.blogspot.com/2012/02/standing-room.html

Sandi and I agreed to try it so I called in the order for 1 Napoleon and 1 Oscar which is the Soft Shell Crab. We got there and we immediately drove back to her house to split both sandwiches. Though they now have a few chairs at the parking lot, we didn't feel like eating our early dinner there as it was chilly.

I unwrapped the Napoleon and was shocked to see how humongous it was. Let me tell you what was inside this sandwich. It had 1/2 lb. of pattie, bacon, smoked gouda, cheddar, caramelized onions, spring mix topped with......are you ready?......braised short rib, fried egg (cooked well done), and some truffle parmesan fries....yes, fries inside the sandwich! We ordered an order of the truffle fries as we didn't know the sandwich came with it.  We cut it in 1/2 , it was not easy handling it let alone opening my mouth wide enough to bite into it. Make no mistake, I was game enough and was successful in eating the rest of it without a fork or knife. I manged to convince Sandi to do the same. It was very good but very filling!

We also had to eat the 1/2 of the Oscar. The Soft Shell Crab was very crispy.  The Thai crab mayonnaise gave it a little spunk, the avocado added some creaminess to it and was topped  with the bubu arare (balls).  I enjoyed this as I previously have; sadly, Sandi could not finish her portion. Remember we had an extra order of truffle parmesan fries.

Food is very good at this place though you have to be prepared to eat in your car or the parking lot because by the time you get home, the food is just not hot anymore. The good news is they will be opening a full service restaurant in Hermosa Beach next month, in March 2014. I can't wait for that.  If the opening is delayed for some reason and you can't wait to try the many exciting sandwiches, you may visit The Standing Room at 144 N. Catalina Ave. in Redondo Beach, California.

J Sweets Heavenly Mochi

Most of you have heard of Mochi ice cream as they sell these at supermarkets and Trader Joe's in the frozen section.

May I introduce you to the Mochi of Mochis. You can't miss this store inside Mitsuwa Market in Torrance. The mochi store is called J Sweets and the company that makes the mochi is Tokyo Ginza Rokumeikan. They have a variety of fruit flavored mochi balls and miniature mochi donuts.

I have been there three times to try as much as I can. First of all I have to tell you these heavenly mochi are not cheap. The price ranges from $1.80 to $2.30 each. So far I have tried 10 flavors. The consistency is nothing I have ever had before except for the ones my friend Lorly used to bring me straight from Japan which had the fresh strawberry inside, I believe they were called Ichigo Daifuku. These mochi are sold frozen since they come directly from Japan. They tell you it is ready to be enjoyed in 10-15 minutes. They also say it has to be consumed within 24-48 hours. If you freeze them as soon as you get home (in a Ziploc) they are fine and can still be enjoyed days later. I can't really say weeks after as I haven't had the opportunity to try that.

All mochi are soft and fluffy as cotton balls and inside, most of them have flavored white bean (I didn't know this), whipped cream and the fruit flavor. Some of them do not have the white bean flavor. On your first bite, you will understand what I mean...if you happen to pick the flavor you like, it is truly like you died a happy death and zoomed up to heaven!

I will start with my favorite ones. Caramel Macchiato is the best; it's like drinking a chocolate coffee truffle, rich and light at the same time. There is something very sensual when eating the mochi; picture Nigela Lawson taking a bite. The next one is the Cafe Au Lait which is also like drinking your morning cafe au lait but creamier than that.

I really enjoyed the Orange Cheese which taste like an orange popsicle, reminded my of my childhood when we used to get them as treats. The Double Mango was also very good but I preferred the Orange. The Peach Yogurt was delicious; think peach pie but silky and very peachy.
The Rum Raisin Cream didn't have enough rum extract but had actual raisins in them. The Honey Cranberry Cream had the right amount of tartness with the whipped cream.

I was not fond of the Caramel Pudding. It was too eggy and rich for my taste. The Apple Pie was interesting. It was like eating a dutch apple pie inside a mochi with the crunchy sugar/cinnamon topping. The White Chocolate was terrible.  It was too sweet. I gave my son and a friend who loves white chocolate one to try and they both didn't like it.

There are still many flavors I have not tried but will slowly and surely try them. I am out of my favorites so I will have to make another trip one of these days.

J Sweets is inside the Mitsuwa Market at 21515 Western Ave. Suite 100 in Torrance, California.

GOSQUARED2

Another Japanese place in the Mitsuwa Market Gosquared2 looked interesting only because they had Ramen Burger in their menu. I pride myself in saying that I was able to try the original from the one and only Chef Keizo Shimamoto. The problem is he is not in the Torrance area. Sandi and I were skeptical though it looked bigger, we thought it might not be too bad.

First of all, the service was very slow. The cashier was the cook. He looked like he was not scheduled to work and was called in the last minute; he was an unhappy person. His helper did nothing but wrap the burgers in slow motion. He was cooking several ramen burgers for a family of 4. Two men were before us. When it came to our turn, he informed us that it would take 15 minutes. While we waited for the burgers, we ordered the Grilled Octopus Balls which looked good. My friend Sandi who hates using chopsticks quickly got the hang of it by just stabbing the ball! They didn't taste as good as it looked. I wasn't even sure there was octopus in there. It was bready; essentially fried bread with some good sauce.

The Ramen Burger was huge compared to the original one. It had an egg (cooked well done), lettuce, cheese and they dipped the cooked burger in a sauce before laying it on the ramen.  The first bite was o.k. but it was downhill from there. First of all, the ramen was too thick and tasteless.
The burger itself was fine only because of the sauce. After our 3rd bite, Sandi suggested we eat it without the other ramen patty. That didn't do much to improve the taste, so we tried it without the ramen. Believe it or not, we both left half on our plates.

If you haven't tried a Ramen Burger and are curious to see what it taste like......do not even think of ordering it from this place. Your curiosity will kill you!

Keizo Shimamoto: Come out, come out wherever you are!  It's time to come back to Torrance.

Santouka Ramen

Santouka Ramen is located in the Mitsuwa Market at 21515 Western Ave. in Torrance.  The last time I was there was when Sandi and I fell in line to have a taste of the one and only original Ramen Burger. Our friend Ana once mentioned a good ramen place in the market. She didn't know the name because there is no English name; there's just Japanese characters. I had to call the market later to find out it's proper name.

It was a cold and rainy evening; my friend and I craved something hot. What better time to have ramen, so I called our expert ramenista, Ana and asked her what we should order.  I drove down there and looked for this place with no name and sure enough we found the one on the corner of the food court. We both had a medium bowl of Tokusen Toroniku Ramen which is their signature ramen with simmered pork cheek meat. You have a choice of the kind of ramen (soup part) to go with your noodles. We were to pick "salt".

We got our order and stared at it. We were given chopsticks and soup spoons. We were both determined to attack our food using just these 2 utensils. I have to tell you that ramen never really excited me but for some reason, I did get very excited. The flavor was unbelievable and the pork was so tender with a bit of fat but not "icky, yucky" fat.....this was deeeelicious "ohhh yes" fat. For those who are not familiar with pork cheek, apparently this is very rare since only 200-300g can be taken from each pig. The other ingredients were bamboo shoots, pickled plum, green onions etc. etc.

I can now say I am becoming a ramenista thanks to Mrs. Ana.