Egg Tuck - Gardena

I tried some egg toast once, at a place I won’t name here. And I didn’t know what all the fuss was all about. Did I miss something or was it just bread with eggs and maybe meat? 

I didn’t miss anything but they did because apparently I just needed to have GOOD egg toast, and Egg Tuck was the answer. Their Bacon & Cheese sits between beautifully buttery brioche, and those eggs are light and fluffy beyond my wildest dreams, so airy I think I have to eat them before they float away. Add gooey cheddar cheese and smears of slightly spicy sriracha Mayo and I swear there is nothing better in the world.

The Original Royal West opts for a runny over-medium egg with a sweet-sauce galbi patty, a perfect little burger. It’s a good one but I just can’t choose it over those otherworldly scrambled eggs. 

Don’t want bread? The Eggcellent Burrito will do but you’re missing out - the brioche is brilliant and for once, the bread adds something instead of acting as an afterthought. Same spectacular scrambled eggs, though, same great sauce, with dots of tots added for texture. 

These egg toasts have converted me from indifference to obsession, but one thing still eats at me. The egg doesn’t reach to the bottom of the toast so you always end with at least an inch of untouched toast and nothing left to eat it with. At least this bread is good, I guess.

It’s been done, all of it, except it’s never been done like this. It’s just eggs in a sandwich but Egg Tuck’s eggs make it so much more.

Good Stuff UPDATE - Redondo Beach

Sometimes you just want something simply good, something pure and kind. Good Stuff will always have that, guaranteed.

Wholesome breakfasts like the Skillet Scramble will stay with you all day. Three eggs are plenty of protein, and there’s a meat lover’s mix of bacon and sausage as well as some veggies and a handful of cheese. It gets a little bland on the bottom with the bed of hash browns, but it’s nothing a little hot sauce can’t fix. 

Get the Good Stuff Breakfast for something nostalgically all-American. Eggs, meat, and a carb of your choice.

A dense California Omelet has all my favorite things: avocado, mushrooms, bacon, and an entire helmet of melted cheese.

The Churro Waffle is a Thursday special and oh my, there’s a reason they only give you half. It is full on churro, down to the grease-dense deep fry and the composition of 90% cinnamon sugar. Is it a bit much? Yes. Is it delightful? Also yes. 

Every day, every flavor Muffin! They had strawberry on one day, pineapple on the other. Both are hot and fresh and just so fluffy. Why go for a boring toast when you can get two of these?

Alright, I get it, Good Stuff makes good stuff but it’s not necessarily great. Is this food blowing my mind? Honestly, no. Can I make everything I’ve eaten here for a fraction of the price? Probably, yea. But there’s something so sweet and satisfying about this stuff. So will I continue to eat here? Absolutely.

Sweet Wheat UPDATE - Redondo Beach

What a lovely patio to sit upon, a bit of ocean view…if you can see over the constant traffic of PCH. That’s said, they do block it off quite nicely - it’s surprisingly serene considering the side-of-the-highway location.

There’s a significant selection of breads and baked goods, like a nice Country Sourdough to snack on or slide into a soup.

Pastries like the Caramelized Apple Tart are pretty good…

But it’s the Pear Tartlette with its crunchy crust and soft half-pear center that I remember as a standout.

Caneles are a classic,

And their Flan is nice, less eggy and a texture more like cheesecake. 

Baguette sandwiches make a filling lunch. Here we have the Iberico sandwich with meat that gets oily and salty with warmth.

The Parisian sandwich has thicker cuts of ham and

an overpowering amount of cheese.

Good stuff, the kind you’d find ducking into a random, middle-of-the-pack boulangerie while wandering the Paris streets. Not too many standouts, and none of the delicate refinement of smaller shops like Pinwheel, but if you’re looking for something simply French, this stuff will do.

Nonna Mercato - Long Beach

Lauded as one of Long Beach’s best restaurants, the line on a Saturday morning is proof that it’s at least a local fave. I don’t know if I was quite as enchanted as Eater, but I did like the apps a lot. 

In a cute cafe with an airy patio, Italian brunch and dinner are made from scratch, and the bakery churns out plenty of pastries and bread.

Spanish Milk Tea is a fantastic drink, a murky black with sweetened milk that finishes with floral notes and an aroma of orange peel. 

Bruschette should be basic but they make it their own with gorgeous wedges of heirloom tomato that carry such a depth of flavor. They taste like tomato but you didn’t know tomato could taste like this. I’ve only ever had savory bruschetta, but this one is sweet with creamy burrata, and threads of drizzled honey that make it absolutely divine.

I thought I’d tried all the cheeses, but the Tomino Alla Piastra is very new to me. It’s mild and smooth, slightly nutty, a salty/savory variety with a firm and rubbery (in a good way) rind. It’s an agrees with both sweet and savory pairing while still asserting its own unique profile. It’s a harmonious clash of sweet and tangy with acerbic notes of mustard that also mix with tangy-sweet dried apricot. I’ve never had anything like this, especially in this combination.

Floppy, folding Rigatoni tubes come with a tomato-based sauce with deeply cheesy notes. it’s beautifully rich but the sharper notes of rucola as a balanced finish that makes you just keep eating.

Pappardelle belts are impossibly long and wide, and the texture is the reason I’ll always order it if it’s there. The sauce is a meaty ragu, one that’s meaty and not much else. Too heavy and a bit crude, imo. 

Their bakery sure is pretty, with colorful croissants and every flavor of cupcake. The pink and white croissant has a creamy crust and is filled with the smoothest cream with just the right amount of sweetness and a breath of strawberry sunshine. A raspberry cruffin has a similar filling, and both taste more like dessert than a companion to your morning coffee. The matcha croissant just has the crust on top. The inside just has those airy, chewy layers, and I think it’s this simplicity I’m seeking. Like the ragu, they’re a bit heavy-handed with the bigger flavors.

S’mores cupcakes are a fantastic dessert later that night, and I may be biased because of my obsession with marshmallow, but these seem to be the perfect size to enjoy but not overindulge in, with just the right ratio of icing to cake. 

I liked Nonna Mercato but I can’t say I fell in love. The made from scratch concept is endearing, but their pastas could use more polish, and their baked goods try to be glam but venture into gimmick. If the 45-minute wait for a weekend brunch is any indication, there are plenty of people who don’t agree with my assessment, and in all fairness, even I’d be willing to eat there again.

Bombay Curry & Pizzeria - Gardena

Some things are meant to be together, like bread and cheese or wings and beer. I never would have guessed Indian food and pizza, but Bombay Pizzeria is living proof. 

Indian pizza reminds me of the end of a meal, when you scrape up the bits and pieces and sop up the sauces left on your plate with bread. Did you devour several chunks of scarlet-red tandoori chicken and several spoonfuls of something sweet and chicken tikka masala-esque? Drag a piece of “naan” through it, throw some melted cheese on top, and voila, the Tandoori Tikka Pizza is born. 

Replace the cheese with cheese and you get the Paneer Tikka Masala Pizza. A creamy, heavier gravy base topped with strips of paneer.

I’ll always order Bhindi Masala if it’s on the menu, but after this I’m going to stop doing that. Several pieces of okra were too fibrous to chew, and none of it tasted very fresh. 

I won’t ever stop getting Gulab Jamun, however. They’re super-sweet balls of pure delight.

I’m loving the concept, and liking the flavors. Nothing fancy here, but the pizza is enjoyable though not necessarily habitual. 

Wing Ferno - Gardena

Man, I had high hopes for this one. A specialty shop slinging all sorts of wings, with trays that looked like they were guaranteed to make your game day.

Well, they do have all sorts wings with plenty of flavors, but that’s where it ends. Our forty-pack of four flavors falls rather flat.

The Louisiana Rub, for starters, is more like a Louisiana sprinkle. The fry on the wings are nice and crispy, but otherwise it’s just a little bit of seasoned salt on top. 

The Garlic Parmesan wings are plain wings in a lake of sauce. The sauce itself is so creamy and so pungently, unapologetically garlic, and for those who love the stuff, it tastes like a dream. But pouring the sauce on top instead of tossing the wings in it leaves a soggy mess. Eat the wings anyway and use the leftover sauce to dip both sides of veggies and fries. 

The other two flavors are at least made correctly, coated evenly with a layer of Honey Sriracha or Sweet Thai Chili. Both are sweet, sriracha is spicier, Thai chili has a bit of that Asian sweet n’ sour. A bit too similar but both are good enough.

The super crispy fries on the side are satisfying, and the wing sauces are alright, but the main event just doesn’t feel eventful. These wings are alright enough to order once but not good enough to order again.