Rolling Hills Plaza is the no man's land of hidden gems. Dwarfed by a big Bed Bath and Beyond, in the shadow of the AMC, beyond the gaudy greens of Whole Foods, lies all the affordable good stuff... If you know where to look.
Look no farther than Mashawi, where their signature Tri-tip Shawarma Plate is meaty and messy in the best way possible. Use a generous amount of garlic sauce as this roasted cut gets heavy, and don't neglect the sides. I've never had a Yogurt like this fresh cuke-y concoction, and the silky char on the Babaganoush is a luxury.
The Chicken Shawarma Plate is flavorful and fresh, a much lighter option than the steak-on-a-spit. The Hummus here is a perfect grainy-smooth texture, sliding yet lingering.
That makes me three-for-three in the search for hidden gems in Rolling Hills. Hopefully they'll keep 'em coming.
I am wary of the recent Riviera gentrification project that seems to be underway, but Rebel Republic is so undeniably cool! Outdoor patio, casual inside tavern-esque bar with a modest menu of bar bites that blow my mind. Impressive beer selection but they make a decent old fashioned as well.
The brainchild of H.T. Grill's Nael Taki and Hennesey's Paul, the menu appears deceptively simple yet brings out sensations most complex.
I've had pork, I've had cheek, and I've had tacos, but I've never had these Pork Cheek Tacos. The pork is impossibly tender and shreddy-soft, as it floats beneath avocado burnt by poblano. Radish-onion salsa anchors the pillows of pork as the queso fresco enriches the mix.
They may make the best meat in the Riviera if the Short Rib Double Dipped is any indication. Short rib is so easily bland and tough, yet the slivers that slip out of this crusty baguette are almost as soft as the pork cheek and almost dynamic enough to stand alone. Add an au jus with enough elements to be a brothy soup, and you have a sandwich that rivals Phillippe.
Rebel Republic. Wow. You have to a set of brass ones to come up with a name like that, and your food better make a punch-me-in-the-face kind of impression. Bold and innovative it is not, but the meat did make one heck of a lasting memory. Delicious favorites in a fun-in-the-sun-and-shade kind of bar is hardly a rebellious concept, but they do add a spunky spin on all the things that go with beer. And damn, it does go well.
It's wedding season, and I just got back from my first this year. It was beautiful, stunning in luxury and scale, a production of epic proportions. One down, three to go.
I love the people getting married, but I will admit to a love-hate relationship with the wedding itself. The cost becomes prohibitive, especially if you earn a coveted spot next to the bride or groom, and flights can be hell. (I am writing this post from my economy-class seat next to the world's most vocal baby and a very popular bathroom.) But the list of cons ends here. More than anything, weddings are a rare opportunity to witness true love, to watch two fabulous people pooling their better qualities to add up to a sum greater than its parts.
Next year I'll have my turn. My wedding will be simple. A requisite ceremony and a reception that rocks. No tuxedoed waiters or splendid chandeliers, just a garden in the open air and a generous barbecue buffet.
They say that planning isn't easy, and I know I will agonize over every detail. I'm already finding that interracial bride and groom cake toppers do not exist. But the big decisions have been easy, and it was only a matter of minutes before I chose Naples Rib Company's Dave Ursini. I am all about his professional, yet caring demeanor, and his methodical, efficient nature leaves me no doubt about his competence.
He had me at his "appetizers", intended warm-ups that double as a meal. The steamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip is great for guests, creamy yet thick with artichoke chunks.
A basket of pulled pork and beef brisket Sliders are so filling they could be an entree of their own.
It was love at first bite for the Slow Roasted Tri Tip, a juicy chunk of beefy-got-back.
I never like chicken, but a dark meat leg of Bone-In BBQ Chicken is impossibly tender, and that smoky grill goes clear to the bone. The Sausage has a spicy kick, and the BBQ Baby Back Ribs are a classic.
The regular ribs are good, but the Luau Style Baby Back Ribs are unforgettable. That sweet and tangy pineapple paradise sauce is aptly named, and all those sides...yum! The Baked Beans are reminiscent of Boston, the Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a bite that nibbles back with a good pinch of garlic but not so much that you can't speak to the other guests, and the hearty Mac n' Cheese is as all-American as Henry Ford.
Barbecue specialists don't always make vegetables well, but their Roasted Vegetables will change your mind. They're even better in the Pasta Primavera, tossed with white wine garlic sauce and farfalle, a vegetarian option that doesn't feel like a settle.
I've never been to a tasting before, but this one was clearly too generous. There's a lot I didn't even talk about, and we were so busy eating I forgot to snap photos. Not pictured: two full-sized, well-balanced salads; a soaked-through slab of big Brisket; a clean white breast of boneless Teriyaki Chicken Breast; a Cole Slaw so good, that this slaw-hater ate the entire scoop; crumbly Cornbread loaves with honey butter; and a fire-blasted Grilled Artichoke sweet enough to be dessert.
Choosing the food you want to eat and reconciling that with what your guests want can be quite the moral quandary, but they say you don't have time to eat at your wedding anyway. I really hope that's not the case because I really don't want to miss out on Naples.
I used to love a terrible pepperoni pizza. Domino's would put a smile on my face, and Papa John's would light my night. I got older and my tastes got wiser, and I said bye bye bye to cheap delivery pie.
I moved to NYC, where the streets will make you feel brand new and the lights will inspire you... And you can get a floppy, foldable slice of no-frills, all-thrills New York pizza on every corner of every street. I never thought I'd find that kind of comfort in Cali, but Pie Pie Pie is along those lines. Their White Pizza blends three cheeses on thin-crust, and it pans out quite nicely with a zest of garlic and just enough grease to be believable. Not quite New York, but an enjoyable New York style with a little less street.
The pizza hits the spot, but they sell more savory pies than pizza pies. The Beef Pie is crusty, full of well-seasoned ground beef, packed dense but lightened by onions and shrooms. The chicken curry looks great too, but that'll have to wait til next time.
Nowadays, I rarely go out for pizza, and I can't stand the smell of a chain. Pie Pie Pie is so much more than that, and their pizza is so much better. A family-owned vibe with good food, individuality, and unique savory pies... Yes yes yes!
Honda-Ya is well-hidden, tucked into a Little Tokyo mall. It takes some work to find, buried in plain sight above several random floors of stores. Not the most memorable location, and the generic grill is as boring as the mall it came in.
The skewers are strung with quality ingredients, but they are the blandest and priciest I've ever had. The Beef Tongue is a tender, juicy favorite, but this one is just okay.
And thus, a parade of lightly-salted, slightly-tender things-served-on-sticks begins. The Chicken Hearts are up next. They may have been brushed with a bit of sauce, but it made no impression whatsoever. Even my favorite guilty-pleasure Pork Belly is blah. Shishito Peppers are a break from mediocre meat, but there's not much to say about a string of peppers.
I've never see Duck served anywhere else, and I see why. It's dry enough to be jerky and had all the flavors of what I can only describe as mystery meat. I was really looking forward to the Scallops, but even that rich strip of roe isn't saving them.
The Chicken Cartilage is the blandest cut of all, tasteless scraps of white meat clinging to crunchy rib-tips. Lamb Chops are my splurge-y treat, but they fall just as flat.
Even my favorite Chicken Skin was the worst I've had. No salt and impressively dry.
DineLA heaped high praise on Honda-Ya's offal-on-a-stick, yet nothing stuck out about any of their skewers. Two thumbs DOWN for these top-dollar doldrums.
I am so suspicious of pier restaurants. I usually avoid those top-dollar tourist traps at all costs, but we had to eat somewhere. We had other options, but A Basq Kitchen's soft sea breeze is impossible to resist...And three Asian women dining at Oriental Breeze just feels so wrong.
Yet nothing feels wrong at A Basq Kitchen, and the Traditional Basque Sampler is very right in flavor AND in price. Three hungry ladies and we were still stacking generous leftovers into boxes at the end.
The Charcuterie & Cheese Plate covers all the bases; chorizo and jamon Serrano round out the requisite meats while manchego schmoozes with bleu and brie.
Piperada Vasca is a sippable stew, hot contrasts cold as pulpy, earthy peppers mix with a topcoat of cold-cure, chewy jamon. Break it up with plump House-Marinated Olives when the stew gets too heavy.
The Basque stew is surprisingly deep, a heavy daily special with meaty chunks. The Potatoes Bravas are an aside, home fries in a mayo-esque sauce. Just don't fill up on the potatoes of you'll neglect the triangle sandwiches of Tortilla Vasca Pintxo in the back.
So many tapas, so little time. It made sense to split the sampler that night, but we dallied over much of the menu, especially those Spanish classics like paella, pulpo, and bacon-wrapped dates. The sampler was a fair sample, but it would only be fair to sample some more.
Most of my dumplings are boiled from a freezer bag, but some nights, even that's too much work. Enter Myung In, a stall next to South Bay's cheapest sushi counter, serving an affordable supply of manju and mandoo.
There's been much ado about their mandoo ever since Bourdain descended upon the K-town branch. The Fried Dumpling with pork, shrimp, and vegetables are heavy potstickers, bulging with meaty chunks.
The Pork Kimchi boiled dumplings are made to order, flavor-pockets of pork with a pickled, kimchi kick.
The Red Bean steamed dumpling is a misnomer for steamed bun. The fluffy, white-bread comfort food of Asians everywhere is too perfectly round to be house-made but these soothing giants double as dinner or dessert. I like big buns and I cannot lie.
There was much ado about their dumplings, but I think it's much ado about nothing. The dumplings are fresher-than-frozen, and the steamed buns are fluffy and fine, but they don't trump a frozen bag. I'm really onto dumplings, but I just couldn't get into Myung In.
