Little French Bakery - Redondo Beach

Never say I won't go the extra mile for my child. I went an extra two miles to the Riviera with a 40-minute time restriction to get a baguette for my never-accept-anything-else toddler and emerged victorious. 

I must admit, the baguette here didn't have the chewiest crust, but the assortment of human head-sized pastries more than makes up for plain bread. I'm told the owner wakes up at midnight to bake, and the display cases are full of beautiful, flaky creations, both savory and sweet. 

The Apple Cinnamon Puff Pastry is perfection, stacks of fresh apples upon a pond of marzipan. 

The Caneles aren't as springy as others I've had, but the custard flavor is there.

The Chocolate Custard Brioche is one I had yet to see, an S-shaped indulgence streaming with custard, studded with chocolate chips. 

But I think basics are best. The Chocolate Croissant is perfect, with so many chewy layers.

Pretty yet elegant, executed with flair and solid skill, yet still practical whether you're just looking for a sweet start to your day or need a goody box to butter up your colleagues. 

Like it a lot, love it so much. It's not all perfect, but it has a personal touch that the bigger, more commercialized bakeries lost. 

Urth Caffé - Hawthorne

I think we found a glitch in the matrix. It's Urth Caffe, Santa Monica's iconic, line-out-the-door main street magic copied and pasted. But the mouse must have slipped and dropped it in the middle of an industrial dystopia that is the Lawndale/Hawthorne border. 

Here it sits, serving up bowl-sized Cappuccinos and slinging sumptuous sweets, sandwiched between tile manufacturers and industrial kitchen outlets. Despite the no-traffic backstreet, the valet controls this tiny lot, and for the flat fee of five dollars, you can watch the valet drive your car into a spot ten feet over. 

Despite all this, there is a reason they are in business - they know good, clean eating. They make a mean Pancake, firm but fluffy organic buttermilk with an almost-crispy griddled crust. It's white-people food, undoubtedly well done.

The Breakfast Burrito, however, is a whitewashed one to avoid. Quality ingredients; scrambled egg, bland black beans, and runny guac, bundled together in extreme sterility, like a burrito with the soul sucked out. And this "salsa" or whatever on the side is an abomination resembling a ketchup puree. A bad one. 

I moved to Lawndale to seek shelter from Santa Monica snobbery, but I've always loved much of what Santa Monica offers in terms of quality food. Urth Caffe is just as good here, I think, but the location feels invasive, and the theme is positively bizarre. Maybe it won't last, but it's more likely a prequel of what's to come, giving us a gander at the early stages of gentrification. The truth is, I'd gladly come back to Urth Caffe sometime, but I just can't help thinking, "There goes the neighborhood". 

The Donut Man - Grand Central Market - Los Angeles

I would totally go to Glendora for something so special, but I sure am grateful they brought it to Grand Central. 

This legendary Strawberry Donut is surely the sweet soul of SoCal cuisine. Because SoCal cuisine is quite simple, but the devil's in the details. Those sunkissed strawberries are in season, and that's the only time they're used. The fluffy fried shell that holds them is this perfect fluffy yet substantial donut, covered in a single, smooth layer of glaze, just enough to make a thin skin, but not so much as to overshadow the dough in the doughnut. A smear of syrup gives those whole, fresh strawberries a bit of a boost as well and sticks them together to make the filling more cohesive. It tastes like a sweet, sunny SoCal day, stunning in its simplicity. 

They also do a nice Old Fashioned - the outside crust keeps its crunch, and the inside is firmly soft. A gentle glaze will give you the flavor of chocolate, but the donut still shines through. My favorite is their Tiger Tail, a brown baton of cinnamon stripes and glaze that's firm outside and plush within. 

We had our donuts mid-day, but I wish we'd come early. I loved every bite here, but hot and fresh out of the oven would have made something already super into something truly superb.

Sushi Gen UPDATE - Los Angeles

For OG Omakase, saunter into Sushi Gen. Saunter swiftly and saunter early because the line opens before the doors. 

Kazu is our chef, and he serves a corner counter with nine seats. He works like lightning and filets like magic, first with chopped bits of light, translucent Flounder in ponzu. Fresh and refreshing, vinegar adds a bit of a bite to these little white bits. 

A three-tone Tuna Trio starts with a lean and mean red for texture and taste progressing to a dab of tuna with pure buttery fat, with a half n' half in the middle. 

Sea Bream on the right is smooth, and Black Snapper is more meaty and firm. Both carry a generous squeeze of lemon to bring out the salinity and mollify the yuzu burn. 

Yellowtail Belly is better than any salmon I've ever seen, a slick, soft bit in a beautiful petal pink. 

Amberjack (right) is gooey, and Jack Mackerel is mighty meaty. 

Amebi (right) is superb, and you get the head back souped or fried. Sea Perch is silky sweet.

Ikura is less briny and more fresh than most, and Uni granules pop on the tongue.  

Amebi Heads hurry back from the fryer, crunchy shell housing gooey brain bits. 

Bitty baby Squids are perfectly tender, and Needle Fish is so light and sweet, elevated by a pad of pungent, slightly potent grated ginger. 

The Scallop (right) is so good, and I haven't seen a good slice of Mirugai in years. 

Aji (right) is that meaty horse mackerel, Albacore is whiter and lighter, polished by the ponzu. 

A Negitoro Hand Roll is so buttery and rich, with a satisfying nori crunch. 

Our last is Unagi and Anago, a denser freshwater filet followed by its equivalent, the satiny-smooth eel of the sea. To top if all off, there's a fluffy cube of Tamago, 

If you're looking for that sterile sushi encounter, don't come to Sushi Gen. The counter is clean, but it won't be that intimate, get-to-know-your-chef experience of Takeda or Tama - this counter gets rowdy and crowdy quick. What you do get is a classic and scrumptious serving of sushi...if you can block the side spectacles out. 

Lalibela Ethiopian - Los Angeles

Rain, rain, keeps everyone away so we get this whole restaurant to ourselves for our random Wednesday lunch. 

It's early enough for Coffee, and it's never too late for this bold, fruity brew. Add a spoonful of sugar to taste, sip slowly. 

Does coffee go with Doro Wot? A surprising but wholehearted yes. The fruity notes brighten the earthy notes of the spices, bold and bitter with bits of burning brightness. Confirmation bias be damned, this does taste different from any other doro wot I've tried, and though the spices check the boxes, there is something more memorable about these flavors. New angles are unlocked as you eat, and no two bites are the same. 

I can never resist the richness of a Kittfo. Is it meat-butter or butter-meat? At Lalibela it's delightfully hard to tell. Chopped so finely it turns to liquid silk on the tongue, buffered by a creamy cottage cheese, this is another dish that evolves as you eat, a gorgeous gasp of meaty steak and milk. 

It's impossible to finish a meal at any Ethiopian restaurant, but it all warms up so well. The trick is to melt the ghee without cooking the kittfo, but it all makes a beautiful morning-after meal. Come to Lalibela anytime you're around. It's unforgettable food and food for days, and it's all just so fantastic. 

Sakura-Ya - Gardena

A single, dimly-lit display case will greet you when you walk in, and a sweet old lady will greet you. Have cash on hand and don't be cheap. 

Order everything you can, but no more than you can finish. This stuff is made fresh every morning, and it's flash-fare; the fresher the more fantastic. Orange Mochi is like a Hi-C but less sweet with that same satisfying pseudo-citrus. 

Kiku Manju is a surprise favorite, a thin, sweet pancake, red beans and white mochi within. Kuri Manju is sweet simplicity, a flour bao with white bean paste. 

It's all beautiful, it's all amazing, but it's the namesake Sakura Mochi that is truly spectacular. Gooey grains of flower-pink encase a silky red bean, surrounded by a salty blossom leaf. The salt makes the sakura sing, releasing a new rush of tongue-tantalizing bliss. 

Chikara is only a few blocks away, but Sakura-Ya has the goods. Less fancy, far from frills, but full of real substance. 

Ichimi-An UPDATE - Torrance

 

The best soba. Never second guess. 

I always get the same Scallop Bowl with Zaru Soba, but a revisit is worth writing about. 

Those scallops are still fresh, the noodles are chewy buckwheat, a texture that is divine. 

There's a Tai Yuzu Special with gooey snapper that might be even sweeter than scallops,

And you can always get your soba hot when the days are cold.

Tai aside, I didn't try anything new, but as every other time, I come here seeking and always leave satisfied.