Terranea - Palos Verdes

In the true spirit of a quarantine Thanksgiving, Terranea will make you a meal to go. More than enough to feed a family, expertly packed and loaded into your trunk by a couple of gloved-and-masked men who now think I live in my car. Word of advice: clear out your trunk BEFORE you pick up dinner. 

Don't worry, it was worth the humiliation once I got that dinner home. 

For starters, there's a cream Soup with a hint of butternut squash and a drop of ginger. The flavors are smooth and sweet for those who prefer less pungency. The ginger isn't really detectable, so it makes the soup appeal to more palates.

A Harvest Salad is a supposed side could be a main by itself. Sweet slices of roasted acorn squash are punctuated by pomegranate and all sorts of seeds add a hearty, earthy touch. A sherry vinaigrette has some sweet to temper the tang and brings out the sharper flavors of all the mixed greens.

Half a Turkey will feed four if all are famished. The meat is tender and juicy, and the skin is crispy and pretty close to melt-in-your-mouth. Even the usually-bland breast holds some, and the gravy is light but rich.

It’s Cranberry Compote instead of canned supermarket sauce. It’s tangy with the finish of a real fruit and may be the only cranberry sauce I can truly love. 

Add some cranberry to the Brioche Stuffing as well. The fluffy shreds of bread make an airy accompaniment. I’ve never liked stuffing, but this one works, even for me.

The Mashed Potatoes are buttery, fluffy, well-whipped with cream. The best part is you get two containers. 

The Candied Sweet Potato is surprisingly, pleasantly minimalist, simply roasted with cranberry and pecans. You taste just the natural sweetness from the yams, and there's little-to-no sugar added. 

Eat your vegetables too. The Roasted Root Vegetables: turnips, shallots, beets, rainbow carrots, and honey nut squash give you quite the selection and a variety of texture, too. 

You only get half a turkey but you do get a whole pie. We got Pumpkin Pie for tradition, but they have a lot of mouth-watering choices including pecan. The pumpkin pie filling is one of the better ones I've had, a super-smooth, creamy texture, a lot less pulpy than most I've had.

The best dinner is a dinner I don't have to make. Holiday outsourcing will become my new passion if all efforts turn out like Thanksgiving at Terranea, and I am more than happy to never baste a turkey again. At least this Thanksgiving, Terranea has all my thanks.

Messob UPDATE - Los Angeles

Last review of the year to complete my 100, for a restaurant that completes me. I love you Messob! 

There's no equivalent experience to sitting at a table sharing a steaming injera, but the Super Messob Exclusive travels just as well if not better. Where other foods get soggy, the sauces have more time to soak into the bread beneath. 

They divide this meant-for-two combo into two take-home boxes in case you shouldn't share or if you don't want to share with your spouse. Start with a heaping helping of Doro Wot to the left, fall-off-the-bone chicken stewed in an earthy red pepper sauce. Other meats include square of Siga Wot, beef in the same sauce; Yebeg Siga Alicha, cubes of lamb in a yellow, very mild, almost-curry; tender Tibs, a buttery stirfry of beef cubes, and my favorite ground beef with assertive spices. Moving on the veggies, there's Yemisir Wot, that rich red pepper sauce on lentils; Yater Alicha, the only split pea stew I'll ever eat; fresh Collard Greens; Yatakilt Alicha, potato and carrot in a yellow comfort stew; and Tomato Fit-Fit, bits of injera tossed in tomato. 

Grab your injera and dip a little into every dish. Alternate your veggies, rotate your meats. This platter is a playground for the palate, with all sorts of flavors and all sorts of spices. It's a sampling of some of the best of Messob, but don't hesitate to add on some house specials if you're serving and sharing with a party bigger than two. I think I'll try a few new things next time I order, but it really says something that I still love this sampler platter after seven years of going to Messob!

El Pollo Inka - Torrance

I know, I know, it's a chain. But it's a Socal chain and I love their lomo! It's Peruvian stir fry, and what's not to like? A fusion of Peruvian potato with veggies and fried Chinese-style, it's my people's cultural contribution on a plate, a melting pot in a wok. 

My favorite is the Saltado de Camarones, though the fish is quite good as well. The fish is more fishy so make sure you like that, otherwise stick with the shrimp if you want some seafood. They're not stingy with the shrimp, which are pretty tender and fresh. The red onions are sauteed sweet but still have some crunch and bite. Tomatoes are tangy, peppers are crisp, and I love that they throw in the french friess. 

Lomo Saltado is the standard, and they do a good job cooking the meat through without making it tough. Throw on some green sauce no matter what you're eating. It'll add a little singe, but it'll make your stir fry sing. 

Wow, the Pollo a la Brasa! Tender, juicy oven-roasted masterpiece of a chicken. Get all dark meat if you can - it compounds the flavor and seals in the savor. I rarely order chicken, and it's hard to do a roasted chicken well, but El Pollo Inka has earned their name. 

A side of Platanos because I just have to. They do a decent job on these, though I prefer them more gooey and theirs is the firm and starchy approach. 

The Ceviche Mixto will make you cry. SO much lime juice, too much. The fish, shrimp, and calamari are fine, but there's just so much acid they burn your mouth, and it actually takes a moment to recover your sense of taste. 

I'm curious about a few other items, and I may have to try the beef heart next time the craving hits. I would probably avoid the other apps after my misstep with the ceviche, but I won't stay away from the lomo for long. 

Standing Room UPDATE - Redondo Beach

I think I’ve hit a burger slump. Another disappointing order, this time from beach cities legend The Standing Room. 

I thought their outrageous burger options sounded awesome, but they were every bit as ridiculous as the menu made them sound. The individual ingredients sounded fun enough, and the buttery brioche buns were promising, but the lack of balance and restraint were clear. The Genghis Khan was a destroyer of burgers, and what could have been an epic sandwich was more like an epic disaster. I think they got so caught up in making the most unusual burger that they forgot to make it well. The patty seemed like an afterthought, pink in the middle but somehow hard and dry all around. Imperceptible amidst the crumples of bulgogi and a sea of sweet potato fries. There was so much stuff that couldn't be stuffed into that burger so they ended up being eaten separately with fingers and a fork. The individual ingredients were likable enough, but nothing went together, and it became a bland burger with another meat and a side of fries. I could have gotten this anywhere else, and if I had, the burger would have been better.

The Charlotte Sammie was a bit more realistic. The carnitas were good, and the sweetness of hoisin bbq sauce added a fun Asian twist. The coleslaw was cold and hot, and I appreciated that balance. I wouldn't come here just for this sandwich, but I did enjoy eating it. 

The Oscar Sammie was a pleasant surprise. We took a chance because I'm a sucker for soft shell crab, but I wasn't sure it would turn out well. It did. The crab was fresh, fried golden with a crispy crunch, and the gooey mayo and avocado only made the crab taste better. 

The side of Shishito Peppers was hard to finish because they were all HOTHOTHOT, but if you can handle spicy, these make a great side. They were perfectly cooked with a sweet roast and a bitter, fiery heat, yet not so cooked as to lose their snap. The chili soy was reduced to sticky, which made the sausage extra savory by locking in the juices. 

I really liked the Dressed Burger before so I think I’ll try that again next time, if there is one. After this experience, I don't see a reason to return to The Standing Room, sadly, but if I ever do, it seems best to err on the side of simple here as they don't do complicated well. 

Nouilles of 3rds UPDATE - Lomita

Most people don’t know this, but I am indebted to Nouilles of 3rds. Because pregnancy also comes in thirds, and I wouldn't have made it through the first third if I didn't have Nouilles of 3rds. 

During first trimester, I was one of the “lucky” ones. No nausea or vomiting, but I had my own equivalent; fatigue and a complete lack of appetite so severe I could barely force feed myself a single banana.

Everyone finds a food they can handle, and for me it was the House Noodle Soup. Almost once a week, I'd muster all my strength to get into the car for almost a full bowl of noodle soup. The beef broth is full of flavor and savor, rich without being too fatty or thick. That giant bone that's full of marrow adds extra layers of depth, and the rice noodles are always cooked just right. And Nouilles of 3rds was extra kind. I just don't love their meatballs,and when I would ask to substitute the meatball for extra tendon, they loaded it up without batting an eye, and I would get a bowl so full of tendon that I would catch a bit of it every time I dipped my spoon.

I had to know if I loved that soup just because I was pregnant or because I just love that soup so I ordered that soup again. I just love that soup. It's just as good today as it was all those other days, though it may be even better without the progesterone to screw with my system.

They make other dishes too, Cambodian/Asian staples from the south if you're looking for less liquid. They make a good Hainan Chicken, for example, a deceptively difficult dish. The chicken is tender with none of the sliminess that sneaks in when chicken is poached. The ginger dip is strong and stings in a way that is hard-hitting without being a full-on assault. The garlic rice is just right, made in a broth with a little edge. 

The Beef Loc Lac is juicy little bits, tiny bites sautéed with a sweeter soy. It’s not my favorite thing only because I like the chicken better. 

I think I’ve had everything on the menu now, and I have yet to find something that doesn't make me smile. In a pandemic world where there is less and less reason to smile, at least I'll be smiling about the soup.

Boiling Point UPDATE - Gardena

How do you make hot pot travel well? You don’t.

Covid presents unique challenges for restaurants, some far more than others. Boiling Point is the severest of sufferers, with its signature heated pots of Asian stew. Some things just aren’t meant for a take-home box, and bagging up a hot pot gets you a lukewarm mess. Their House Special, for example, has a smooth yet pungent broth of fermented tofu funk that does not lack potential. I love that the after-shock of the tofu sneaks into your sinuses, and the shreds of pickled Chinese radish add a salinity that is unique. The contents are a sampling of all the Asian things, but here's where it starts to devolve.  The curly slices of pork get tough as they continue to cook in the back of the Doordash car, the pieces of intestine boil into a texture of slimy rubber, and the meatball is rubber to begin with. I do love the soft chunk of taro, and the sweet n’ chewy fish cakes are always fun. There’s even a cute little quail egg that comes up when you dig deep, but I wish there was more than one of something so small. 

I prefer the sweeter spice of the Korean Bean Paste broth, which is thicker and richer, though lacking in layers of flavor like the house special. They call the sliced pork “belly”, and it may have been fattier and lighter, but it’s pretty hard to tell, again due to the cooking en route. There’s a chunk of hybrid fish cake-tofu stamped most adorably, a single chewy fish ball with visible chunks of lobster, and ropy egg noodles that lost some al dente in transit. I like the sweet zucchini and enoki, and there are plenty of bean sprouts to calm the burn.

The apps survive the trip better than the entrees, though they didn't leave a lasting impression themselves. The Holy Cow has all my favorite parts: tripe, tendon, and slices of soy sauce beef, but they're drenched in a numbing chili oil that completely takes over. I know spice is a matter of preference, but I felt like I was sipping from the bottle at times. 

The Spicy Fermented Tofu is coated with the exact same oil, and a similar layer of it also graces the Korean hot pot. I welcome a bit a spice, but so much of the same can get old pretty fast. The tofu itself is a palatal adventure. It starts as just a chewy bean curd, dense but porous. Then the funk sneaks in, spreading through the back of your throat and up your nose like a force. Your eyes will water as putrid turns to pleasure, just be prepared to literally feel fumes in your brain. 

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Just like boba without the boba is just tea, hot pot without the hot pot is just a soup that's overcooked. I hate writing this review because I love Boiling Point, but boxing up a hot pot is a no-go. I do hope they find a way to hang in, though, because I'll sit down to show my support as soon as it is safe!