I forgot to turn off my weekday alarm setting - woke up too darn early for a holiday - so I made a cuppa, read the paper and headed out to Gjelina Take Away to grab some breakfast goods.
Big-ass cup using the Clever pour over cone:
Gjelina Take Away toasts with banana/almond butter/bee pollen, and avocado.
Toast with water spinach and soft boiled egg.
Buckwheat-blueberry scones.
Focaccia with shaved asparagus, mushrooms and egg.
Breakfast burrito with chorizo, egg, potatoes, jalapeños and cilantro.
The breakfast burrito was substantial and delicious. It takes about 10 minutes to make, but worthy of the wait.
Sounds like you’re having an excellent weekend. Funny stuff about the kids. We or I have those conversations with ours too.
Brunch at Cora’s Coffee Shoppe was sunny and invigorating. It’s a perfect beach day in Santa Monica today.
Breakfast burrito with jicama, cucumber, papaya, strawberry & chile powder:
Capo’s rigatoni with white truffle meat sauce:
Cora’s sticky buns:
#Gjusta
It was a fucking mad house today, arrived around 11:15 got ticket 49… they were on 19, fuck me with a stale baguette.
##Sidecar
Huckleberry
Coconut flan
Butter and salt
Strawberry elderflower
##Plan check
Crab dip
Blueprint burger
Sweet potato fries
##Brians shave ice
We had an early Father’s Day celebration at Andria’s Seafood Restaurant & Market in Ventura Harbor Village. My poor dad always wants to have fish and chips here, but is consistently rebuffed by my aunts and mom who exclaim Greek chorus style, “It’s too greasy!” Since it was Father’s Day, he finally had his wish fulfilled without familial intervention.
While waiting in the longish queue, my aunts advised me against ordering any of the charbroiled fish offerings. Apparently, the fish is often overcooked. Since deep frying is their forte, we all ordered the Captain’s Combo, which comes with fish, calamari, scallops, shrimp, and a side dish. My mom stuck to her guns and chose charbroiled halibut.
We started off with a New-England-style clam chowder, which was very hearty, thick, and redolent of bay leaves. Since my elderly parents are pretty light eaters, they had their meals packaged in take-out containers, so the clam chowder arrived comically in tallish soda cups.
The Captain’s Combo was generous and fried to high heaven. The seafood seemed pretty fresh, but there was no mistaking the grease. However, most importantly, my dad was satisfied with his meal for the most part. His only complaint was that the shrimp was slightly overcooked, resulting in very sturdy breading. My mom fared better with her broiled halibut, which was surprisingly moist.
This wasn’t cooking with great finesse, but it’s filling and generous. As one of the more affordable options in Ventura Harbor Village, the entrees range from $12 to $22. I think more than anything, it’s popular due to its casual atmosphere and lovely view of the harbor. One bonus is that Harbor Cove Beach is a two-minute walk from the restaurant. While I wouldn’t say Andria’s would be my first pick in Ventura, it provided a nice, relaxed setting.
As our meals were packaged in unattractive take-out containers, I took a picture of someone else’s order while I was waiting at the counter.
After yesterday’s fried feast, I was craving the tea leaf salad from Daw Yee. I love the textures from the crunchy nuts, seeds, and beans. The tea leaves provide sour, salty pops of flavor. Sadly, the tomatoes were a bit mealy, but the salad was near perfect.
I can’t wait until Daw Yee opens their Silver Lake branch, so I don’t have to make the trek to Monterey Park when my itch for tea leaf salad strikes, and I know I’m gonna hanker for it during the summer since it’s a wonderfully light, yet filling salad.
In the meantime, I can’t wait to dig into my homemade baba ghanoush and fattoush, so I can offset the damage from Sunday’s fried blowout.
Tell me more about that shave ice place. Looks unbelievable…
Brian’s is a pretty popular Hawaiian shave ice place on Sawtelle. They use actual shaved ice and top it with a choice of dozens of flavored syrups unlike most of the other places that shave a flavored ice into a snow like texture. I find Brian’s more refreshing than the shaved snow on a hot day. You can also get a “filling” underneath the ice. I got the dole whip flavored with orange, strawberry, and mango syrup and topped with condensed milk.
Pro-tip: Volcano tea house down the street also serves a very good shave ice that a lot of people don’t know about, almost everybody there is ordering the boba.
Looks like a delicious weekend. crab dip is a weakness of mine. How was it?
The crab dip was solid, they use “dynamite” sauce and masago to give it some heat and brininess.
Well … I didn’t know Plan Check rolled like that.
More reasons to have a “frozen desserts” DoTM this summer 
Did the touristy thing this Memorial Day weekend.
Original Farmer’s Market
Magee’s Corned Beef on Rye.
Zia Valentina Hot cocoa waffle cone shots for the kids.
Neptune’s Net Sampler Platter
No wonder so many tourists come back as residents.
Oh, that focaccia looks lovely. The flatbread at Huckleberry frequent disappoints b/c it’s often kind of burned (and not reheated upon serving).
The sampler plate looks mouth-watering…
It usually looks lovely x 2 or 3. GTA and Gjusta usually offer at least two types - one with some protein, another more vegetarian-friendly. I opted only to get the one that AM.
You may have noticed that the egg yolk is broken - my fault. Had to hit the brakes on the way home and the box slid/bumped up against something. The eggs are really good here - don’t know their source. So when I saw that I’d broken the yolk, I felt like Bluto in Animal House when he witnessed a bottle of booze being dropped, and he screamed in horror. 
House special crab, pork ribs, vermicelli beef and mustard greens in pork broth @ Seafood Village, Temple City
DIY, 70 day dry aged bone-in strip steak from Pat La Frieda. I think I’ll stick to 30ish day aged steaks. Meat begins to take on a cheesy funk (mild Brie)… I prefer a beefier flavor profile. Very tender though.
I completely agree. I liken it to blue cheese.
At that point the aged controlled decay smell outstrips the natural flavor of the beef for me.
