Istanbul Kebab Cafe Restaurant

Our friend Ana recommended this restaurant to us. Ana has been to Istanbul numerous times, and as a foodie, she knows her stuff, so when she suggests something, we listen.

She suggested we try the Creamy Sea Bass Casserole. Since this was a kebab place, I thought it was wise to order a kebab. There were several choices, so I asked for the server's help, who suggested the Beef Shish Kebab. 

While we waited for our food, we were presented with complimentary pita bread cooked on a griddle and some chopped tomatoes with a generous amount of herbs and spices. This was reminiscent of the Italian bruschetta. In addition to this was a serving of yogurt. The combination of the sauce and yogurt was perfect on the pita bread. Sandi and I could have had just that for dinner!

Our Sea Bass Casserole arrived bubbling, served in a clay pot. It contained tomatoes, parsley, and some unidentified green vegetables. We didn't care because the fish was so tender and flaky. The creamy sauce was incredibly delicious, especially when paired with the French fries and rice.

The Beef Kebab was also delicious. I have had many kebabs, but most of the time, they were tough. These were so tender and packed with wonderful flavors. 

We were not planning on ordering dessert, but they gave us some Baklava with tea. This was a nice touch!

Istanbul Kebab Cafe Restaurant is across from the Esve Hotel.

Yeni Locanta

I made reservations for Yeni Locanta while I was still in Los Angeles. I read about this restaurant, which is listed in the Michelin Guide book, and the food did look amazing. Although it offered à la carte, we opted for the seven-course tasting menu instead of the nine-course one. 

We arrived before our 5:00 p.m. reservation time, so we had a choice of where to sit. Our server, Nevin, was a young, sweet lady who explained each course as it landed on our table. I had a glass of wine, and Sandi had her vintage Coke Zero. 

Our first course was the Yeni Lokanta Mantisi, beef dumpling. This was absolutely delicious. I could have eaten a large bowl of it! Warm bread with garlic, and I believe pistachio, served with butter. We enjoyed that. For the sake of simplicity and to avoid confusion, I am not typing the Turkish names of the dishes. This next one was Hummus with the most delicious morel mushrooms and maras tarnahasi, which is fried yogurt. Who would have thought I could fall in love with yogurt?

The next course was a Mersin Prawn with carrot spread, ginger, and za'atar. The prawn was fresh and succulent. After this, we had a plate featuring smoked tomato, watermelon, coriander, sumac, sour cherry sorbet, and chili. A melting pot of flavors made this dish interestingly wonderful.

 

The fifth course was Aubergine, also known as eggplant, paired with Tulum cheese (made from goat's milk), dried figs, and smoked almonds, accompanied by a hint of chili sauce. Again, the combination of flavors made this dish exciting. 

The sixth course was Lamb cut of the day, accompanied by oyster mushrooms, tarragon, and tarhana, a dried food ingredient made from a fermented mixture of grain and yogurt or fermented milk.

The final course was the dessert. Katmer is a traditional Turkish pastry originating from Gaziantep. It is made with thin layers of phyllo dough filled with a mixture of pistachios, sugar, and kaymak (a cheesy type of clotted cream similar to Italian mascarpone). 

Sandi and I knew the restaurant had Baked Alaska. Though not included in the seven-course menu, we decided from the start that we would order one to split. So, Nevin brought the beautiful Baked Alaska. We did split it, and we were both happy as clams! I must mention that Nevin asked me what my favorite was, and I told her that I loved the first course, the beef dumplings. She offered to give me another serving! I would have taken her offer, but I did not have any room for it. It was very sweet of her.

Yeni Locanta was an experience. The food and service were outstanding! If you're ever in Istanbul, be sure to make a reservation and book yourself for a seven- or nine-course Tasting Menu. Nevin informed us that there is also a Yeni Locanta in London. 

Marvani Cafe & Restaurant

Our first dinner in Istanbul was at Marvani. This restaurant was recommended by our hotel. Most recommendations from a hotel are not always the best, but this time, it was a cousin of the man at the desk, and he had someone from the restaurant pick us up as he walked us to the restaurant.

A Greek Salad was our starter, which seemed healthy. A basket of pita bread with olive tapenade made things more exciting than the salad. I usually don't get excited over pita bread, but the olive tapenade was most delicious.

We ordered a Marvani Special: Testi Kebab for two people. This consisted of meat cubes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, red and green peppers, tomatoes, spices, and special sauce cooked in a pottery, baked in the oven, and served with potatoes and rice. The presentation was quite elaborate. Served tableside, they make noise by striking the knife against the table and later the clay jar. They tap the clay jar, then bring the hot jar to the table and pour its contents into a very hot clay pot.

It just needed a bit more salt, and then it was delicious with the fries. We had no leftovers. After this most satisfying dinner, we were presented with Baklava and hot tea, which was a nice finale. 

Our first dinner in Istanbul did not disappoint.

Sugo Social

The last time I visited Sugo was in January 2025. I was impressed at that time because the food we ordered was all delicious. I was excited to have Sandi try it, so our friend Cindy tagged along as she had never been there and was curious.

The complementary Brazilian Popovers, Pão de Queijo, were still wonderful, just as I remembered them, paired with the lime aioli dip.

We decided to try the Fried Calamari with Shishito peppers, lime aioli, and marinara sauce. We were disappointed with this as it lacked sufficient flavor. It was not at all spicy. 

Cindy decided to just have a salad since it was a hot day. I recommended the Modena Salad, which I have had and was quite good. She was happy with her salad. Sandi ordered the Stone Pot Korean Bibimbap. Though it looked terrific, it also lacked flavor. She did like the crispy rice in the bottom, but that was it. She ended up eating less than half.

I ordered the Octopus Pomodoro Pasta. I did enjoy the aldente pasta, and the octopus was grilled to perfection.

We did not order any dessert. Frankie, the manager, was not there at the time. When our server asked how everything was, I did tell him what we thought nicely, and he apologized. It ended there. I wondered if we could have more of the wonderful Pão de Queijo, and he informed us we would be charged. 

Though he was not a manager, he should have offered to give us a discount or remove an item from the bill, or at the very least, a few more popovers would have gone a long way. That's what I would have done to get the customer to come back. 

Sugo Social is located at the Peninsula Mall in Rolling Hills. With their high prices and inconsistent quality of food, I doubt they will remain there for long.

MB Grille

In July, I received an email from Manhattan Beach Grille about a special: Summer Surf & Turf, which includes a Flame Grilled Filet and Lobster Cream Shrimp for $25. When Zoreh, Sandi, and I got there, we immediately looked for the special on the menu, and it was not listed. Our server, TJ, who we had before, informed us that this was a special sent via email, which I was happy to receive.  

We ordered wine by the glass called Arborist, and both Zohreh and I thought it was terrible. TJ apologized and wanted to make things right, so he brought us another Cabernet to sample, and that was much better!

Sandi and I ordered the Surf & Turf, which was delicious. The steak was cooked perfectly, and so were the shrimp. Zohreh had the Blackened Swordfish served with rice pilaf and broccoli. She did enjoy her fish.

When TJ came back, he asked us if we cared to order dessert. We did not want to disappoint him, so we ordered a Butter Cake which we shared. It was delightful with the ice cream on top!

We will be returning to MB Grill because the food and service are both good, especially if you get T.J.

MB Grille is located at 21536 Hawthorne Blvd. at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance.

Telefèric Barcelona

I've been to Telefèric Barcelona in Brentwood a couple of times and loved the food. It was nice to see the restaurant listed on dineLA. We went to the one in Long Beach this time.

We had the Crab Croquetas and Patatas Bravas for appetizers. We absolutely loved both. The third appetizer, the Tuna Tacos, marinated ahi tuna with mashed avocado in a wonton shell, was good but lacked flavor. 

The Mixta Paella had pork, chicken, Gulf shrimp, and octopus. We ordered it with the slightly burnt bottom, which is the way to go. This was delicious as well. The only complaint is that they did not clean the shrimp. I ate them, but it was noted that the veins were in the shrimp. When we asked our server, Alvaro, he explained that in Spain, they eat the whole thing and don't necessarily remove the black strip.

Dessert was included in the $35 dineLA menu. Churros con Chocolate: Barcelona's famous street fried dough filled with Nutella. Sandi and I weren't sure we would like it because neither of us cares for Nutella. I am used to the churros, which are dipped in rich hot chocolate.  Luckily, there wasn't much in it, so we were able to enjoy their churros.

Alvaro, by the way, was an excellent server; very attentive and pleasant as well. Telefèric Barcelona is at 6420 Pacific Coast Hwy. Suite 160 in Long Beach, California. The one in Brentwood is at San Vicente Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Anaheim White House Restaurant.

I have dined at this restaurant several times in the late eighties and early nineties. I haven't been back since then only because of the distance. The restaurant has a fascinating history for those who haven't heard of The Anaheim White House. 

It is a historic landmark in Anaheim, California, that has been at its location since 1909. In 1981, the Stovalls transformed it into a restaurant. In 1987, Chef Bruno Serato, an Italian from Verona, took over the ownership. It was unfortunate that in 2017, the restaurant suffered a fire, resulting in $2 million in damages. However, the following year, they were able to complete restorations. It has been business as usual since then.

You have the choice of dining outside on their charming patio or indoors, in the elegant house. We were celebrating our friend Cindy's birthday. Neither she nor Sandi has ever been there. I knew they were in for a treat.

Shortly after we got settled at our table, Sylvano Ibay, managing partner, came to welcome us. Soon after that, Chef Bruno, the owner, came to say hello. His charismatic personality matched his flamboyant appearance.

Our server, Lexie, was informative and very pleasant. We all had the lingering question of whether we could order a side of their white chocolate mashed potatoes, which is part of their signature dish, included with the Salmon. None of us was interested in the Salmon, but we wanted to try the white chocolate mashed potatoes. We didn't see it on the menu, but we were all relieved when Lexie assured us that we could order it as a side dish.

We ordered the Tempura Artichoke Hearts, which were fried in tempura, buttered, and topped with Burrata cheese, Italian pesto, and spiced aioli. Though not crispy, it had very good flavors, but lacked salt. The birthday celebrant ordered the Braised Beef, a White House Signature Dish, braised in a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction with wild mushrooms and yellow polenta. I had a bit of the beef, which was absolutely delicious.

Sandi had the Filet Mignon with mushrooms and Porcini sauce. This was served with polenta. She did enjoy her steak. I had the Scaloppini Funghi, tender slices of veal with "Chef's favorite" Morel mushrooms. I could see why it was a favorite. It was positively and undoubtedly one of the best sauces I have had. The White Chocolate Mashed Potatoes were heavenly! Who would have thought?

Bryan Peterson, an assistant manager, stopped by to introduce himself and ensure everything was in order. It is rare nowadays to have service this efficient and great food to go with it. Most restaurants are there to just make money, which is understandable, but something is lost when the quality of food and great service do not go hand in hand. 

All three of us decided before our entrée that we would order their famous Soufflé Nino, a Grand Marnier Soufflé served with three sauces: chocolate ganache, crème anglaise, and chantilly cream. This had to be ordered 20 minutes prior to our desired consumption. Lexie did a beautiful job of pouring the two sauces and topping them with the chantilly cream. While we were devouring the soufflé, Lexie brought the birthday girl a generous slice of Tiramisu. It would have been an insult not to appreciate and enjoy this wonderful dessert, so we happily consumed it.

Last night's dinner experience was superb. Both Sandi and Cindy were equally impressed with the food and service. We all thought we would come more often if it weren't for the 91 freeway. If someone offers to do the driving, we're all in. 

The Anaheim White House is at 887 S. Anaheim St. in Anaheim, California.

Interesting Fact: YOU MUST LOOK UP THE INCREDIBLE, CHARITABLE, CHEF BRUNO SERATO, WHO FEEDS PEOPLE DAILY. A TRUE HUMANITARIAN LARGER THAN LIFE.