Back to Republique Heaven

It was time for another Kouign Amann run to Republique. Since my partner in crime, Sandi, and I were to make the 31-mile drive to Los Angeles, we made sure we were there as soon as they open to avoid the line and reward ourselves by having breakfast there. We already had their delicious Avocado Toast and Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon, so we thought of exploring the many other dishes on their menu. We split an order of Mushroom Toast and Croque Madame.

The Mushroom Toast had ham, spinach, scrambled eggs, Hollandaise, and red wine sauce. It was topped with lots of delicious mushrooms. This was very tasty and was as good as it looked. The Croque Madame had cured ham and Gruyѐre cheese, topped with a fried egg and served with baby green salad, which was also delicious. I should have taken a picture after it was cut in half and the egg oozing onto the plate, but my excitement got the better of me, and I just started devouring it but savoring each bite. 

We couldn't leave without the 14 Raspberry-Pistachio Kouign-Amann's I previously ordered the day before.

Republique is located at 624 South La Brea Ave., in Los Angeles, California.

Artiano's Appetizer 2GO

Three months ago, we ordered cold sandwiches from Artiano's Appetizer. We ordered several sandwiches while 4 of us players scrabble. They were all delicious, but the Roast Beef Sandwich really stood out. It was unanimous that it was by far the best. I had ordered it since then but always forgot to take a picture; therefore, I couldn't really blog about it. 

Several weeks ago, I craved the Roast Beef Sandwich, so I drove there and got one to share. It was delicious as ever. The sandwich is simple; just mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomatoes. You could really taste the freshness of all the ingredients, especially the outstanding roast beef. I am not much of a sandwich eater. I'd rather eat "real food," but I will say I consider this "real food" now. You have to try it to understand what I'm talking about. 

They do have pizzas, salads, and soups. I will have to try their pizza next time. Artiano's Appetizer is located at 24422 Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, California.

Gaetano's Restaurant

Another consistently good restaurant is Gaetano's in Torrance. We dined there the other day, and everyone was happy with their food. The delicious bread is the same one they serve at Bettolino's Kitchen, the sister restaurant. As usual, everyone overdosed on the bread. 

I ordered the Calamari, and the Stuffed Artichokes for appetizers. I was asked which pasta I would recommend, so I suggested the Tagliatelle with Chianti Short Ribs. This has shredded tender short ribs with pancetta cooked in a chianti sauce. Someone ordered the Halibut which looked great The halibut is encrusted with pine nuts and panko topped with a pesto sauce served on top of their homemade linguini and veggies on the side.

My son had the Chicken Parmigiana; tender and juicy chicken encrusted with Parmesan, cooked in marinara sauce, mozzarella with homemade tagliatelle in cream sauce. That was very tasty. I couldn't talk anyone into ordering dessert, so we skipped it.

Gaetano's Restaurant is located at 2731 Pacific Coast Hwy., in Torrance, California.

Bettolino Kitchen

My friend Bum-Bum, and yes, it's a funny nickname, from the Philippines came to visit me last week. We haven't seen each other in 2 years. I took her to Bettolino Kitchen for lunch because I knew she would love the food there. 

We started with their wonderful warm bread served with olive oil, herbs and of course, I had to ask for Parmesan cheese. There's always a problem with this bread. Everyone that's had it can't stop eating it once they start. It really is THAT GOOD!

I asked Bum-Bum if I could order for the both of us. She agreed, but I first had to ask her if she eats octopus, and I meant grilled, not the regular fried calamari, and she said yes. I got excited since most of my friends don't like even looking at the tentacles. I ordered the Polipo Alla Griglia; Grilled Octopus. Bum-Bum was impressed with how tender and tasty it was. I feel sorry for people who get turned off by their appearance. They really are missing out!

I ordered the Tortelloni al Limone for our entrée. Rebecca, our server, asked if we would like a salad to go with it. I really was not planning on it, but it did sound good. After the Polipo and numerous servings of the bread, we were both getting full, especially after consuming the Caesar Salad. The Tortelloni arrived, and we were both happy she just brought us one order which was perfect because even if we were super full, we had to leave room for dessert. My friend absolutely loved the Tortelloni; who wouldn't?

I had to have her try the Salted Caramel Semifredo which was of course a hit. Andreanna didn't think that was enough so she sent us the Torta di Cioccolato which we enjoyed as well. Thank you Andreanna and thanks to Rebecca for your suggestions and great service.

Bettolino Kitchen is consistently good. You can be sure you will not be disappointed with the service and food. Bettolino Kitchen is located at 211 Palos Verdes Blvd., in Redondo Beach, California. 

Double Birthdays at Lawry's

What better way to celebrate birthdays than to have dinner at Lawry's. It's been a while since I've been there especially since the pandemic broke out. They later offered outdoor dining which looked inviting with the lights and all but I thought I would wait until they resume indoor dining again. It was my son and brother's birthdays in June and with everyone's busy schedule, the first available date was July 2nd. 

I had just missed Mr. Aniel Chopra, the general manager whom I haven't seen in a long time. But, the manager Mr. Peter May came to say hello. Though the food was as wonderful as ever, we did miss the theatrics of the spinning salad and carving of the prime rib. I even looked for my favorite carver, Anthony who no longer works there. Our server, Jacquie Cardinale, took very good care of us. Both my brother and I were curious to find out if she was related to Claudia Cardinale, the famous Italian actress and she said no. We were surprised she knew who she was. Though she mentioned that she was related to Joe DiMaggio which we thought was very interesting.

Two orders of English Triffle arrived for the birthday boys and Mr. May sent over an additional Flourless Chocolate cake. Needless to say, we were all stuffed. In our excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the Chocolate Cake!

I look forward to returning to Lawry's when I can experience the " Good Old Lawry's" complete with its theatrics. 

Sorry I missed you, Mr. Chopra. I thank you for our dessert and it was a pleasure meeting Mr. May.

Nick's Manhattan Beach

My friend Yvonne invited me to lunch at Nick's in Manhattan Beach. I was excited since I've never even heard of Nick's. However, she's been there, so I expected it to be good. Since it was my first time, I didn't want to venture too much, so I decided to take her suggestion. We both settled for the Bistro Plate. A petite filet mignon topped with steak butter on garlic toast. It included a bistro salad and a generous cup of the day's soup; that day, it was tomato. 

The steak, though really petite, was cooked to perfection and was delicious. The salad was also delicious, and the soup was all about the flavor. It had the right balance of acidity and sweetness. The portion is just right, and I think this is perfectly calculated to have room for dessert. 

Yvonne mentioned that she loved their signature Warm Butter Cake. I almost ordered that, but I saw an 8-Layer Lemon Cake, so I decided to try that. The Butter Cake was truly wonderful. It had a crystallized sugar crust and was served with vanilla ice cream garnished with a berry compote.  I, too, loved it. My Lemon Cake was equally as good, with tangy lemon curd between the cake and a creamy vanilla frosting. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I couldn't finish this humungous slice of cake.

This will definitely not be my last time at Nick's. Nick's has several locations. The one in Manhattan Beach is located at 451 Manhattan Blvd. I thank my friend Yvonne for introducing me to Nick's.

Heaven in Republique

I had the assignment of finding the best Kouign Amann in Los Angeles. I knew where to get excellent ones, but they have all closed. Wildflour Bakery/Restaurant in the Philippines came to mind. The last two times I was there, we dined there several times. I remembered how I enjoyed their pastries and food (lunch). That said, I thought it would be a good time to check out Republique in Los Angeles. It's a restaurant/bakery, and the pastries are baked by none other than Margarita Manzke.

I ordered 6 of the Kouign Amann's the night before, and I talked Sandi into going with me to pick them up, and since we had to drive the distance, it only made sense for us to have breakfast there. We were overwhelmed when we walked into the restaurant. So many pastries, and they all looked delicious. We picked a few to try before we ordered breakfast. We ordered one Salted Caramel Donut, Banana-Poppyseed muffin, a Scone, and the Crème Brȗlée Bomboloni; custard inside and topped with bruléed sugar which was my absolute favorite. I also ordered an Empanada, which they called BBQ Chicken Hand Pie to try at dinner time as an appetizer. And while thinking of dinner, I had to order the Chocolate Cake for dessert.

As we sampled the pastries while making sounds like animals in ecstasy, our breakfast dishes were delivered to our table. Sandi's Avocado Toast looked too beautiful to eat. It really was picture-perfect. It had loads of avocado slices. She loved it. She almost didn't finish it, but she talked herself into eating the whole thing. I was torn between the Brioche French Toast and the Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon. I first had to ask if the pancake was thin, and he said yes, so I immediately made up my mind to have that. It was another picture-perfect dish, and by gosh, it was heavenly. One bite, and I thought I was in heaven though I  was too busy to look for angels! Our thoughts were: it's too bad they are not close to our area. Then again, maybe that is a blessing because we would both be super fat in no time. To describe our feeling after this outing; Comatose.

On our way home, we pondered about dinner. We were too full that we agreed to postpone any dinner plans. Mind you, we were there at 8:00 a.m. By 2:00 p.m., we both were still too full to think of even eating anything else. We usually have our dinner from 3:30-4:00. Since we still had to try the Chicken Pie and chocolate cake, we decided to have those items for dinner. We split the Chicken Pie and the Chocolate Cake.  We both loved the pie, which reminded me of Philippine Empanada, which has more flavor than the Mexican one. This pie was so flaky and was loaded with wonderful flavors of the different veggies that went well with the chicken. Our first thought was...we should have bought 2! The Chocolate Cake was also wonderful. The caramel in between the layers made it! It was not too sweet. 

My son had the Kouign Amann that evening and he loved it. I saved mine for the following day for breakfast because I really wanted to enjoy it. I didn't even bother to heat it up. I just ate it as is. OMG, it was perfection! I can finally say I have a new friend and her name is Kouigny.

I can't wait to go back to Republique. They are located at 624 South La Brea Ave. in Los Angeles. I got to meet Margarita, the pasty Chef, and owner. She was a delight. Margarita, will you open a Restaurant/Bakery in Rolling Hills or in Torrance?