Panelas Brazil Cuisine - Redondo Beach

What's a Redondo Beach neighborhood bistro doing among LA's 101 best?

To be honest, I don't know. I don't know much about Brazilian food, but this was a good place to learn. 

I know all about the Pao de Queijo, the delectable chewy cheese bread. These are on the bigger side, but the texture is spot on. 

Feijoada is a bucket list dish, and this one is my first. A heart stew of black beans, so savory and salty, full of chunks of beef, bone-in ribs, chunks of pork, and slices of sausage. It's a dense dish, and even a few bites can be filling. Mix every bite with rice and farofa for texture, and don't overlook the show-stealing collard greens.

The Brazilian Plate has picanha or a protein of your choice, and it's a pretty good cut of meat. A bit of chewing required but a nice mix with a little fat. Break the egg yolk across the top and eat with all the sides.

I am a little confused about Panelas. I like the food a lot, but I'm not sure it deserves the prestige it gets, up there with the likes of Bestia and Kato. There is a range of price points among LA's 101 Best, but even compared to iconic food trucks like Mariscos Jalisco, I'm not sure Panelas was all that memorable. 

Brazilian Plate House - Torrance

I had my doubts. A Brazilian barbecue takeout window might be the Torrance equivalent of a Hollywood Bowl danger-dog, but fortunately, Brazilian Plate House is immaculate. And when two young women walked up to the window and discussed their order with the cashier in Portuguese, we knew we were onto something good.

So we start with the Pao de Queijo, which looks to be the most boring item on their extensive list of appetizers. But this is a Brazilian classic I can't do without. Their fluffy little cheese puffs are a lot bigger than the ones I've seen at sit-down places, but the cheese inside stays delicate and light.

Cheese bread and Picanha and my day is made. The steak is a thin strip with a little pink inside, simply seasoned, and grilled well enough.

Turf then surf. The Shrimp Skewers hold 8 large shrimp wrapped in bacon. A bit too salty for me, but goes great with rice and beans. The beans have the luxury of bacon and fresh bay leaves, oozing softly over an al dente bed of rice.

Yes, it is a lovely view of...Torrance Blvd, and yes, it is in the middle of a parking lot, but it is walled off and sheltered from most of the exhaust from both sides. It's a simple, no-frills take-out window, and it doesn't cost a pretty penny like By Brazil. If you're looking to add some inexpensive Brazilian flare to your day, it does curb the craving and hit the spot. Great for a movie night or a solo stuff-your-face, and just as good for a working lunch if you can handle the food coma to come.

Bossa Nova - West Hollywood

It's been a while since I've gone to a truly deplorable restaurant. After so many diplomatic reviews, I was afraid I was losing my touch. Then I went to Bossa Nova and it's time to let 'er rip.

I left with one lingering question: How does a restaurant with forgettable food and shameful service occupy prime-time real estate overlooking the iconic Abbey?

God I love Pao de Qieijo! Come hither you soft little cheesy breads! You know what I would have loved even more? The Sangria we ordered to go with them! The entire basket of bread was gone before we could flag a server to assist in the search for Sangria-la.

Good thing we got the Sangria before the entrees... It really filled in the 20- to 30-minute gap. The Chicken Skewers were gag-coughing dry and devoid of detectable seasoning. It's not a good sign when the best things on the plate are the plantains and the beans.

The Picanha was significantly better - at least they got the medium rare right. It's a tender cut for sure, and it's the only thing I don't regret besides the booze and the bread.

Seriously guys? One of the flashiest locations in WeHo and you can't wait a proper table? Clearly this place is run by the author of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!

Feeding Frenzy at Fogo de Chao - Beverly Hills

My name is Kelsey and I am a glutton. Last month I was a hoarder, but a glutton is just a hoarder of food with self-replenishing storage space. It’s not that I've changed, just that my goals have become more focused and better defined. I think that reflects some personal growth rather than perpetuation of a problem...right? Instead of raiding antique stores, thrift shops, and other people’s attics, I’ve switched to overstaying my welcome at unlimited dining places like Fogo de Chao.

For starters, the Salad Bar is every veggie hoarder’s dream. The impressive array of vegetables fresh and pickled provide a much-needed break from the steak. Bite of meat, bite of pickled onion. Bite of chicken, bite of palm heart. Bite of lamb, bit of caprese in pesto.

I don’t like the term glutton because it implies quantity over quality. At Fogo de Chao you get both and not just with the steak. Be a non-discriminating, quality-oriented glutton and try the signature sides as well as the meat. 

I didn't want to fill up on bread, but saying no to light little rolls full of chewy cheese like the Pao de Queijo is about as plausible as declining the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster. The Caramelized Bananas are a little too sweet - I would have preferred plantains. You’d think I would have stopped there, but a glutton’s gut is can hold far more than you’d expect. The extra pocket in my third stomach opened right up for the Crispy Polenta, the creamy-gritty high-end take on fries, and the Garlic Mashed Potatoes turned out to be some of the best mashed potatoes I've had. 

Unlimited slices of sixteen savory meats-on-a-stick for sixty-something is already an amazing deal, and the DineLA menu is even better. Eight cuts of meat instead of the usual 16 for $45 is fine by me. The Frango is a whatever bacon-wrapped chicken breast, but I'm just not a fan of chicken. Some how the Costela de Porco never made it to our table – I think they might have substituted it with a bitter cut of Garlic Beef. No big deal, the great thing about hoarding is that the stuff you like less gets buried by the stuff you like more. 

I definitely liked the house special Picanha more. It's juicy and marbled with dripping fat. The Alcatra is a soft sirloin that barely needs a chew. The Linguica is a standard sausage - eat with a full glass of water. The Fraldinha was probably my favorite. This bottom sirloin is red with flavor, and the salt crust rounds it out just right. The Cordiero is my second favorite, a pink leg of lamb that is just the right amount of gamey. 

Sorry for the one unappetizing picture. I know slabs of amorphous bleeding meat on a plate don’t do justice to the glistening cuts on spikes, but it's a pretty authentic portrayal of a hoarder's plate. The photos of me stuffing my face weren’t much better. And if you want to see what a glutton looks like, don't bother with the pictures, just take me there and watch me eat!