Figs Galore

If you love figs, you would have wanted to attend our Neighborhood Watch meeting last week at our neighbors house. It was an informative meeting but honestly I knew I had to go because I was sure Tricia was going to cook or bake something wonderful. We were all to bring something to eat or drink. I  didn't have time to make something so I just brought some fried pork dumplings from Paradise Hut.

The main event as far as hors d'oeuvres was Tricia's Fig Pizza. she got the wheat dough from Trader Joe's and added some olive oil, ricotta cheese and honey goat cheese. It was delicious. How I wish I could order that for dinner when it's pizza night. I will even pick it up from her house! Then she made these intriguing balls.  The balls were fresh figs with smoked Gouda inside and then wrapped with prosciutto and then broiled. She normally would have cooked them on the grill but it was 100 degrees that day hence the broiler. Those were exquisite; when you bit on the figs, the melted cheese burst in your mouth. The prosciutto complemented the sweet figs. For dessert, she baked cookie fig bars which she claimed she got the recipe from Sunset magazine. Those were delicious as well. There was my fruit consumption for the week.

The other neighbors brought deviled eggs, caprese salad, burrata with tomatoes and basil. Everything was delectable but the figs took the cake.

Though the temperature went down to the 90's, we all ate well and enjoyed the lovely view from their backyard. Oh, the meeting went well. Lots of information from the Lomita sheriff, the paramedics and the city of Rolling Hills Estates.

Cynthia's Birthday at Forma

When asked where she would like to celebrate her birthday, Cindy chose Forma where the star ingredient is Formaggio (cheese) hence the name Forma. She read my previous blogs and wanted to experience the Cacio e Pepe finished on a wheel of cheese.

I myself don't always remember what excited me at a certain restaurant so it was nice to review my previous blog. I don't know how I almost forgot the Crispy Artichoke Salad. We had to order that and everyone loved it of course.

Cindy, Mertz and Sandi ordered the Cacio e Pepe. My brother Gary agreed to split his Tortellini with mushrooms, light cream, truffle oil tossed in Bella Lodi cheese. I naturally had to split my Cacio e Pepe with him. Sujata who loves spicy food went for the Burnt Spaghetti Assassina. We were all fascinated with this Apulian style burnt spaghetti arrabiata with dry ricotta. The spaghetti is actually fried! We all tried it and loved it. A bit spicy but not too spicy. This time only Cindy and I finished our pasta. The rest of the girls and Gary took left overs home. I was again saddened that I had nothing to take home.

Cindy got a bread pudding for her birthday dessert. We ordered the mango, lemon and raspberry sorbet which was refreshing and the Banana Pecan Tart with chocolate which I have had before and loved.

The traveling birthday balloon now rests with Cindy till the next birthday which is Sujata and that would be in December. Cindy gave us all a bag for her party favor which consisted of multicolored pasta, lemon salt, baby spatula, 2 sided dish rag, baby balsamic vinegar and champagne chocolate.

I just noticed that Forma has a Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm. The menu looks very good; Filet Mignon tartare, burrata stracciata, panzerotto Pugliese, tortellini, cacio e pepe of course, arancinni, meatballs, fries, mussels and charcuterie. Lucky Gary works next door so I will have to live vicariously through him.

Just as we were about to leave I heard a voice behind the bar which was familiar. It was Mario, the owner, so in my very limited Italian I greeted him: "Buon pomeriggio". It's always nice to see him and know he's there overseeing everything. Service was very good as expected. Forma is located at 1610 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, California.

Gourmet Chicken from Specific Pacific

I have known Mark from Specific Pacific for over 30 years. He is the owner and driver of Specific Pacific Foods. He delivers frozen quality meats, seafood and desserts. The wonderful thing about ordering his quality meats, seafood and desserts are, you can bake most everything frozen. If guests pop in, it's not a problem. You won't have to order Domino's Pizza, instead, you just take something out of the freezer and bake. Here is a link to their website which shows the pictures of the items so you get a good idea of what you are buying.
https://spf.specificpacificfoodsllc.com/product-category/poultry/

I recently baked some of the Artichoke Parmesan Chicken. I did take it out of the freezer a couple of hours before and kept them in the refrigerator. I also added a sauce; ready made store bought Classico Riserva Alfredo Sauce. The reason I did was because I had planned to serve it with Parmesan Couscous; also store bought and thought I needed a sauce as the couscous was dry. I served them with fresh asparagus with a homemade sauce of Japanese mayo, Worchestershire sauce, lemon and mustard. The result was quite impressive. Not only did it look good, it was juicy delicious and looked like I slaved away stuffing those breasts.

Dessert was a Mango Sorbet with Fran's Caramel sauce. Nice and light after a most satisfying meal.

Lunch at Catalina Island

Sandi, Mertz and I were in for a treat. We were invited by the Gonzales family at Catalina Island. Piero, our dance instructor was the instigator of this event. Mertz and I brought our favorite La Montina Rose Wine and Sandi made her special bread pudding. We left from San Pedro and took the Catalina Express and we arrived there in an hour and 15 minutes later. Yesterday was very hot in Los Angeles. Catalina Island was cooler plus there was always a nice breeze.

Piero and Inez met us at the dock and we walked to their cottage which was 10 minutes away. Sandra and Alvaro welcomed us with a big bowl of Shrimp & Seafood Ceviche with chips. The ceviche was fresh and delicious. We were all fascinated with the little coconut bowls for our individual ceviches. We all would have been happy with just the ceviche. Italian women are known for their love of cooking and loves having everyone eat and eat and eat more...Mangia, Mangia. Sandra had made some pasta with nice succulent shrimps. It was hard not to overeat. When she asked if we would like a second serving, the answer was yes.

After our lunch, it was time for Sandi's bread pudding.  Everyone loved her pudding. It had blueberries and had a nutty top which I'm sure was made with lots of butter.

We were done eating and though I had visions of lying on a swing and taking a nap, someone suggested we walk. So we did walk and absorbed Catalina's local color. Piero suggested we go for Happy Hour at Luau Larry's to have their famous Buffalo Milk. In case you are not familiar with the drink, it is made with vodka, Kahlua, creme de cacao, milk, fresh bananas. This particular buffalo's milk also had nutmeg. It was delicious and refreshing. I did not particularly like the nutmeg but it was very drinkable. We all had no problem finishing our drinks. It was very nice of Mertz to treat us to the buffalos.

Good things don't last forever so it was time to sail back home. We left at 7 p.m. and witnessed a gorgeous sunset. It was a beautiful day spent with beautiful people thanks to the Gonzales family.

Lawry's Bevery Hills

Dinner at Lawry's just never gets old. We celebrated Amy's 88th birthday with her husband Nako and Sandi. We got there a bit early to take advantage of the meatballs and homemade potato chips at the bar.

Our server, Dolce greeted us as we took our seats. We ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon but before we put our orders in, Ariel Chopra Lawry's general manager came to say hello and I introduced him to the birthday celebrant. We were all delighted when he asked Dolce to bring us all a glass of Champagne. 

It was hard not to eat more than 1 piece of their delicious sour dough bread. No one passed that test. Dolce came over to start us with the spinning salad which we all enjoyed with the chilled forks. 

Anthony our carver, whom we've had many times before served us our prime rib with the best creamed corn. The Yorkshire pudding came next. The creamy horseradish was great on top of the perfectly cut meat. Everything was delicious as we ooohed and ummmed.  Nako, Amy and Sandi had fairly large left overs.  I guess they ate too much bread. I on the other hand ate everything on my plate. It was sad as I had nothing to take home.

Amy got a birthday English Trifle for dessert. The 3 of us ordered the Crème Brûlée but before anything we asked Dolce if they could really burn the top. It came perfectly burnt they way we all like it. It was delicious. The custard was not too sweet or overpowering. 

We all thought we ate too much that we all vowed to see each other at the gym the following morning. I am happy to report that we all kept our promise. I never get tired of Lawry's. They are consistently very good and service is unbeatable. 

Thanks to Dolce and Ariel for another unforgettable birthday celebration.

Uovo

After seeing the movie "A Trip to Spain" which was about food,  it was appropriate to have a nice lunch at this new restaurant a few feet from the Laemmle theater on 2nd street in Santa Monica.

It's a small restaurant and they do not take reservations. I was not sure if they would have a line on a Sunday afternoon. I just hoped and prayed that not too many people would have heard of it at this time. It was a relief to see that there was no line. We walked in shortly after 1:00 p.m. We looked at the menu and I immediately saw 3 items on the menu that I wanted to try. I wanted to try the Lasagna Verde, the Tagliatelle al Ragu which was different as it was made without cheese, milk or cream, and the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe. Sandi announced that she would order the Ragu so I positioned myself across from her so we could share that and I decided to have the Cacio e Pepe to share as well.

Sujata ordered the Tonnarelli all'Arrabbiata which was spicy.  She was very happy with her choice. Mertz opted for the Ravioli ai Carciofi (artichokes). Uovo prides themselves with their pasta which is made in Bologna and flown overnight to the restaurant. I have to say that the pasta is the main event at Uovo. You really can taste a difference. They were cooked aldente. Our server explained that since everything is made to order, they would bring them out as soon as it is cooked. They do not wait and bring all the food at once.  The Bolognese was great. If you are accustomed to heavy sauces, you would be disappointed in this dish. I loved it as you could taste the pasta which was simply delicious and the meat though too salty for Sandi, was perfect for me. I did ask for some Parmigiano cheese and Carlo came over and suggested that we try it first but would be happy to bring some if I needed it. Carlo, part owner of the restaurant was attentive and asked if he could mix the pasta for us. He made sure we experience it fully the way it should be eaten and enjoyed to the maximum. He was not pushy. I totally understood where he was coming from because I am the same way. I like people to experience the joy I get when I eat something a certain way. If they don't like it, then they are free to do what they want. I also enjoyed the Cacio e Pepe.

Mertz was not too excited about her Ravioli. I tried one and I felt the same way only because I am not used to a soft ravioli. It was not aldente and apparently, it is meant to be soft. When Carlo came over he asked us if everything was satisfactory, I mentioned that we thought the ravioli was a bit mushy. He offered to bring us something else and Mertz told him it was not necessary but he insisted he bring us an order of Ravioli di Ricotta to share. Though the ravioli was not aldente, it had a very good pomodoro sauce. We cleaned that plate! Not everyone like their ravioli aldente so if  that doesn't bother you, you would enjoy the Ravioli di Ricotta.

Uovo is a good Italian restaurant. I don't think you would get any better pasta. You really will be able to tell the difference. I can't wait to try the Lasagna Verde and the Carbonara. Uovo is located at 1320 2nd St. in Santa Monica. Don't let google maps fool you because even if they have the correct address, it tells you to go to 5th street which does not make sense. Go and enjoy the wonderful pasta at Uovo and say Ciao to Carlo.