The Trim Tart

Let me start by saying that this new bakery has potential. I say this because they have good products but adjustments will have to be made in my opinion, to make it successful. We first went there 2 weeks ago to try the Blueberry Lemon Scone which was very good. Something delicious just came out of the oven and according to the owner and chef, was one of their best sellers. It was cake-like with chocolate and smelled wonderful, that was the Chocolate Banana Cake. That too was very good. We were on our way somewhere so we didn't have the time to sit and savor.

Last week, after the gym, four of us decided to have breakfast there. We got there before 7:30 a.m. so we were the only ones there. There is only one table and the rest of the seating area are stools facing the street. They had a table outside but we didn't want to sit and inhale the fumes and watch the traffic on Lomita Blvd. We would have taken the only table inside but the owner had her laptop on the table and it was obvious she was using the only table as her desk. We were going to eat at the restaurant so we ordered coffee. The pastries we ordered came in a wrapper so we had to tear the paper and make it into a plate. I asked the owner if they had paper plates and she said no but she would give me a plate instead. She later came and handed me a small saucer. This time, I had ordered the Blueberry Chocolate Muffin which looked yummy. It was yummy and very messy. I had chocolate all over my fingers. There were no utensils.

Amy had the Blueberry-Lemon Scone, Sandi had the Orange-Cranberry and Zohreh had the Date Scone. Everyone loved what they had.

Back to my first sentence which was that the bakery has potential. I see little things that need improvement. The first one being awareness. There were 4 of us that obviously were there for a nice leisurely breakfast. The owner should have cleared her desk and had us sit there so we can all be comfortable talking to each other as opposed to us sitting side by side in a row facing the street. Second, they should have plates (paper is o.k.) and utensils especially since most of their products are nice and moist. It would be nice to have butter with the scones although I didn't ask for any. Again, knives would be very helpful. Since they are not yet well established, a better sign outside would help. They currently have a board w/ some balloons but they are not that visible. Perhaps she should get a larger sandwich board with large bold letters and colorful balloons or something unique to grab the attention of potential customers.

The question is would I or we go back there. The answer was unanimous. We would BUT we would have to buy our pastries and go to someone's house and make coffee so we can be more comfortable. In the meantime, we all wish her luck.

The Trim Tart is located at 2213 Lomita Blvd. in Lomita, California.

Cafe Dulce

It has been at least 5 years since I have made a trip to Little Tokyo's Cafe Dulce. Last Sunday, Sandi and I thought it was time to make the trip to have some of the best Bacon Donuts and the Spirulina Rolls aka Dinosaur Churro and the Koko Churro.

The bacon donut was still as good as I remembered it to be. They really have the best bacon donuts. Sandi opted for the Maple Donut with macadamia nuts on top. I ended up just buying some of the bacon donut holes to take home to freeze. I also got some Dinosaur Churro aka Koko Churro. After having the donut, I studied their menu and the Black Forest Ham with cheese on their fresh out of the oven French bread sounded very good. So I went ahead and ordered one to split with Sandi. It came with a salad which was a bonus. The crusty bread crunched as I took my first bite. Wow, it was ever so delicious.

A few hours later as I got settled at home, the spirulina rolls kept staring at me. I had to try it. It was nice and crunchy outside but very chewy inside. The roll is so light and the texture was wonderful with the walnuts and sesame seeds. They usually have the rolls without the sugar but they didn't have it that day. I don't know when we will be back to Cafe Dulce but I know I won't be waiting years to have the wonderful donuts and bread.

James, the owner was not there at the time and I am happy to report that even without him, the bakery/cafe is doing well and the employees are still just as nice. Cafe Dulce is located at 134 Japanese Village Plaza Mall in Los Angeles. Sunday mornings is a good time to go.

Silog Still Going Strong

We haven't been to Silog in a while and since the majority of our party of 6 were Filipinos, we thought it was appropriate to have good Filipino food. Sandi loves Silog so she did not need any convincing. Amy just went with the flow.

It's hard not to order their famous Sizzling Sisig (braised pork belly topped with chicharron and garlic creme aioli) so everyone ordered Sisig. But before that, we had to order their delicious Fried Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls). They still serve a small delicious salad with a mango dressing which wakes up your palate to prepare it for what's to come. The Sisig is now served in a separate dish so you have to do your own mixing and the egg is still in the center of the rice so when you break the egg, the yolk oozes nicely over the garlic fried rice.  Since they do not serve alcohol, we had to settle for non-alcoholic drinks which was fine because their Calamansi Mojito is just the right drink which goes well with everything.

Dessert was an easy choice; Turon a la mode which is fried banana with jackfruit and a scoop of Langka ice cream (jackfruit). Chef Archie came with an extra dessert for us to try which was a Flan creme brulee style which was a nice touch. Though the owner, Lemuel was not there, we were well taken care of by our server Keisha.

Silog is a hole in the wall but this hole is no ordinary hole. When you want good Filipino food, head over to Silog. They are located in a strip mall in Torrance. Their address is 1555 Sepulveda Blvd.

Black Angus is Hot

I just can't get over the Fall Deal that Black Angus is offering right now. I read the coupon twice to make sure I was reading it right and that there were no exclusions. For $19.99 you can have a USDA Prime Wrangler Steak, sweet cold-water Atlantic Lobster Tail and Crispy Shrimp.....and that's not all. You also get 2 classic sides and their sweet molasses bread. With that deal, you would expect something wrong; either the steak not cooked right or something else wrong. Instead, you get a very juicy and flavorful steak, a small lobster tail and shrimp; all delicious. I had mine with the fully loaded baked potato and Brussels sprouts. Though I do really miss their wonderful cauliflower which they discontinued.

Our server, Hector was great. We liked him so much we asked him to pose for a picture which he obliged. He reminded us of our friend Gonz. I know we will be going back to take advantage of this deal while it lasts. Black Angus has several locations in Southern California. Don't miss this great deal!

Back to Clutch and Coffee

Since our first visit to this restaurant, food-wise, was very good except for the service and the noise, we thought we would go back but this time, much earlier. Amy, Zohreh, Sandi and I went straight from the gym. We got there before 7:30 a.m. This is the key, there were only a few people and we were able to carry on a conversation without yelling at each other.

Zohreh and Amy split an order of their Breakfast Wrap; 3 eggs over medium, artichoke, roasted red peppers, scallions, sharp cheddar, avocado, thick-cut bacon, spicy aioli wrapped in a spinach tortilla. They also ordered the Buttermilk Pancakes with homemade syrup and whipped butter. Sandi and I had the Breakfast Wrap as well to split but we had the Blueberry Pancakes with lemon butter and powdered sugar. The wraps were delicious and so were the pancakes that were ever so light and fluffy. This was Zohreh's first time and she was impressed. She commented that usually, breakfast is just breakfast, there's not much to make it exciting and this definitely excited her.

This is not going to be our last time at Clutch and Coffee, there will be more early visits. Just make sure you do not have any place to go right after because service is still slow. Clutch and Coffee is located at 1321 El Prado Ave. in Torrance, California.

Spam with String Beans

Amy invited us for what she called a very simple dinner. Her table setting looked formal even with paper plates which she kept apologizing for. She even had little goodie cups with sweets on each plate which added a nice touch to the festivities.

Her simple dinner consisted of chicken, short ribs, rice, salad, and spam with green beans. Her granddaughter, Kaela made some yummy Brussels sprouts with bacon. Spam has gotten a bad reputation because of its fat, cholesterol and salt content.  But people from the Philippines or Hawaii have always cooked them in many ways. Amy who is from Hawaii cooks it with string beans, scrambled eggs and shoyu sauce (Japanese soy sauce). That in my eyes becomes healthier with the addition of the vegetable.

Everything was delicious. Oliver the dog enjoyed the dinner as well. He was lucky to get a nice relaxing massage after his meal.

Colapasta

Michelin-starred Chef Stefano de Lorenzo opened this small restaurant on 1241 5th St. in Santa Monica not too long ago. He previously was the chef and owner of La Botte in Santa Monica which closed in 2014. Before that, he was at the restaurant in Venice, Piccolo and recently, he was cooking at another one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Maccheroli Republic. He makes his own pasta and since the kitchen is not big, it only allows him to cook one boiling pot at a time so you can be sure your pasta is fresh and aldente.

Sandi and I picked up my brother Gary as this was his discovery. Nothing on the menu is more than $14 which is a bargain. Sandi and I ordered the Zuppa Granoturco (Sweet Corn Soup) to start and Gary had the Bresaola Arugula e Burrata which was sliced paper-thin aged beef, arugula, and burrata. Though the soup was very good, the Bresaola was outstanding. I, of course, had some. Gary offered Sandi some and she proceeded on taking some of the burrata and arugula without the beef. Gary and I forced her to try it with the beef and she really didn't have a choice because I took the fork from her and added the beef. She did admit that it was indeed delicious!

Gary ordered the Gramigna Bolognese, Gramigna pasta with beef ragu. I would have ordered that but when I saw the picture of the Lasagna that had thin layers of pasta and with the burnt top, I had to forgo the Bolognese. Sandi wanted to order the Bolognese but decided to be adventurous and order the Rustica al Pesto with ricotta and arugula. I commented that she normally does not like pesto but she thought she would try it anyway. She should have ordered her first choice because she thought ours was way better than what she ordered. The lasagna was so good and so was the bolognese.

Colapasta gets part of its name from colander hence a picture of a little boy with a colander on his head. The restaurant is currently waiting for its liquor license and they do not have any desserts as yet.  But if it's pasta you want, you won't be disappointed with Colapasta.