Chinchikurin - Torrance

If you're looking for a soupless Top Ramen for tired, famished, or imbibing grown-ups who can afford the better ingredients than college kids staving off starvation, say no more. The Chinchikurin okonomiyaki will deliver. 

I love the Hiroshima, love every bite of the chewy pressed fried squid, which despite bilateral breading, is pressed paper-thin. I love how its contrasting chewy almost-jerky texture contrasts the soft noodles and fluffy egg. The bed of cabbage is in balancing the mound of carbs.

The B&C, basil and cheese gets an easy A. The basil. Is everything. The cheese brings the crumbly salt and the fragrant basil is intoxicating. It’s infused into the omelet, it skims the pork and noodles, and it sinks deepdeepdeep into the crumbles of cheese. 

“Omelet” doesn’t quite cover it. "It's like putting an omelet on a pepperoni pizza and calling it an omelet," in the words of my husband. He's the writer. The real writer, obv and he's write on (because I can't let him tell all the dad jokes). The okonomiyaki is a meal on a single grill and more than one if you weigh less than 500 pounds. And have no doubt, it'll be the best three-in-one meals you have all week. 

Bollywood Zaika UPDATE - Redondo Beach

Oops I did it again. 

I have NEVER ordered the exact same dinner two days in a row, but Bollywood Zaika's Butter Chicken is no mistake. My finger didn't slip on the Ubereats - I just had to have it again. So. Much. Cream. Unbelievable texture, gravy like silk. This is like the Harvard of butter chicken, go crimson!

The Palak Paneer again. The fenugreek adds a layer of depth to the flavor that spinach alone just won't do. I got it on a plate this time so there were some softer sides to for contrast. The Daal is a gentle lentil, little buttons of comfort and substnace. The Jeera Aloo has a little more oomph, spiced potatoes the color of the sun.

Here's an app I’ve never seen: Vada Pav.  A patty of spicy potatoes on a toasted bun parties with a chutney that kicks. It's like a veggie burger slider, but I've literally never had a meat burger that could beat this balance of seasoning.

You got me, Bollywood Zaika, you got me good. I can’t stay away, and for Indian food, I can no longer stray. I don’t know what kind of crack you're sprinkling on your spices, but keep doing it because whatever it is has got me hooked!

Bluesalt Fish Grill - Torrance

I loved them when they first opened, but I'm afraid the takeout has gone a big downhill. 

I always get a fish from the grill, but this time my go-to Idaho Rainbow Trout with cajun garlic butter is uncharacteristically dry. It's only half a mile from their door to mine, so I'm guessing it sat on the grill for a moment too long. The sides still work, though. Liking the corn, though if you're charging an extra dollar for broccolini, maybe include an extra stalk or two. 

My first time getting the Fisherman's Basket, aka "all the fried sh*t" of varying quality. The scallops are okay, the calamari is good enough. They do a nice job with cod - the breading is fluffy and the fish underneath is flaky butter. The crab cake tastes like celery dough, and the both it and the shrimp are in a rock-hard shell. Methinks the cook let everything cook a little longer today. Except the hush puppies which are pleasantly spicy but rather doughy and undercooked-tasting in the middle.

It's unfortunate that this happened because I loved every other thing every other time. The barramundi is so buttery, the sea bass is sometimes a worthy splurge, and the scallops are surprisingly affordable. I hope today was a fluke because I've always loved Bluesalt. An affordable, fresh filet is so hard to find, and I can only hope my favorite fish isn't drowning.

Hopsaint Brewing UPDATE - Torrance

Times are hard but I am lucky. Few can boast of job security right now, but all my extra years of training are finally paying off. I may be on the front lines of a deadly pandemic, but at least I can fight it with some of the best people I know.

I GET to work here, I GET to share the space with them, and they make the world a little better place by existing. 

Some of the best times I’ve shared with them were at Hopsaint, and those weekday happy hours are what I’m hanging onto as I don't get to see them outside the office anymore.

Our happy hours are on an indefinite hold, and sometimes it feels like happiness is as well. But with a click of a mouse and a swipe of a card to Grubhub, at least I can try to remember those good times again.

A dunk of a buttered baguette into a Shrimp Dynamite sauce and I can see us crowding around a menu, picking out the first beer to try. 

The habanero is a creamy kick in the mouth, and it always pairs with the hoppy twang of the latest IPA. A round of beers are getting guzzled, we exclaim about the flavors as we take one down and pass it around. There’s always a healthy debate raging between the IPA die-hards and the gentlemen who prefer blonds.

A bolder person than me breaks the seal and white lava pours from a hot Baked Brie. Almonds float on top like pumice, and there are fruits of the season to sweeten the deal: summer stone fruit when we’re sweltering in our shorts or a fruity jam when we’re in our jackets. 

Another round of beers, as the banter takes an upward turn. There’s always at least one crack about my cats, and sometimes sports rivalries find their way into the friendly fire. 

The Pure Intention always makes an appearance as the meatier stomach-fillers start to come out. 

The hops play off a lighter Catfish Po Boy. A crisp-on-the-outside, all-fluff-within baguette is good enough to be a French, and a catfish filet is serious about its spices.

It's not brisket night tonight, but there's a Brisket Po Boy that'll bring tears to a meat-lover’s eye. A fluffy brioche is cradles cubes of brisket coated with a sugary glaze that turns them into meat candy.

Chicken Drumettes count as an app, but they can be substantial with some serious smoke. Choose a sour to pair with the poultry or a hoppier ale to spar with the smoke. I do love a good drummette, but these pickles are competing for the best part of the plate.

I still see them in the office, but the mood is more somber now. The collegiality creates calm amidst the chaos but there’s less laughter without the booze. I miss shared experience of discovery, the competitiveness of corn hole and giant Jenga. 

Hang in there, guys, we'll get back to Hopsaint someday. I’ll always be your social chair, waiting for the day we take off our masks to pass the brisket and the beers.  

Orleans & York Deli - Carson

The boy wanted a po’boy and Darrow’s wasn’t open. That’s the only reason we ordered here. 

Do pardon my cynicism, the food isn't bad at all. It's nothing you'll remember, but definitely nothing you'll try to forget. 

The Catfish Po’boy is nice. A good, golden fry with even breading on tender filets. Plenty of it packed into a soft sub, squished in with shreds of lettuce and slices of tomato. 

The Shrimp Po’boy is better pan-grilled. Some seasoning on some butterflied shrimp, though not particularly flavorful, is a nice contrast to the monotony of more breading. Plus you can pretend it's healthy. 

They’re not my first choice for Cajun, and they're probably not my first choice for anything, but they’re not really not bad, just not particularly exciting. They’ll satiate and minimally satisfy but don’t expect the fireworks. Hold out for Darrow's if you're local, otherwise save yourself for Little Jewel of New Orleans in LA. 

Wadatsumi - Torrance

If there were a James Beard award for best plastic plating, Wadatsumi would win. 

 The scarlet pinwheel of tuna makes a garnet swirl. You much try the Tuna Bowl - it is truly the other red meat. 

Pink petals of Yellowtail bloom supple over sushi rice. I’ve never had a cut so tender, never a yellowtail so yielding.

Have an orange pinwheel of Salmon for some contrast. The meat is sweet and slick. 

If sushi bowls are too light for lunch, the Karaage should top you off. Morsels of chicken fried in golden bread, a portion both heavy and light, best lit with drops of lemon. 

The quarantine menu is nothing like the dine-in, but it is a one-page wonder. The food is only for takeout, but the quality is as good as any dine-in.