One of them needs to move. I recently had dinner with friends who live in Sherman Oaks, Gardena and El Segundo. I’m in Brea. Somehow we ended up on Fairfax and Melrose. WTF?
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If you’re yearning for seafood and are ok with Mexican these places seem to be semi-in between
Holbox, coni seafood, 106 seafood underground (sergios place)
Or quality seafood at redondo harbor (steamed and raw)
I’m going to 106 next weekend w/ the FTC crew…so that rules out both 106 and Coni since I’ll already be scratching that itch. I would like Holbox, but not sure they would and a more scenic location would prob be good since we’re celebrating my bday. I’ll check out quality seafood… but yeah we might just end up in LA as js76 said…lol
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wrote this meal up in a little more detail on the blog today with pictures of everything we ate.
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Finally made it to the Torrance Farmer’s Market. Quick trip…
- have never had a pupusa and had to finally try one at the stand there. delicious! The chicharron pupusa is more shredded pork than skin, but I’m a huge fan of the toasted corn meal (I think) shell that is soft, yet crisp in some areas. And the filling is flavorful without being over salted. Also tried the shrimp and veggie which was stuffed to the gills with fresh pieces of shrimp and crisp veggies. I’m by no means a pupusa expert, but I’m a fan.
- Ken’s: got the white nectarines and mango nectarines. We get the whites because our kids like them - crisp, super sweet, but not as aromatic as a good yellow nectarine. The mango nectarines… wow! juicy, perfect texture, sweet and tart, and very strong hints of mango. Delicious.
- Tamai: picked up some of their non-treated strawberries. They look and smell great but have not had a chance to try yet…
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Little Sister. Had high hopes and the ambience / service is excellent. Prompt, constant attention, trendy, but not too cool or loud, so that a family of 4 can dine in peace! Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. Most of the dishes were oversalted, which I accept when we dine out. But what was lacking was the aromatics… like when you get a fish or prawn claypot at a vietnamese restaurant and open it up, the steam hits you in the face with garlic, onion, basil, etc., but Little Sister has none of that. The sauces, in general, were very one note and just not fragrant at all. So, overall, we were bummed because in concept, the dishes all sound great. One note is that while each dish is pricey, they do not skimp on quantity or quality… our final dish was a prawn and pork rib clay pot for ~$32… and it came with a mound of large, fresh shrimp and pork ribs that practically felt like a bargain for that price.
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These have both been delicious the last few weeks. Perfectly ripe and sweet.
Yeah, the white nectarines are great, but I will always prefer a good yellow nectarine. But man, these mango nectarines, which are a new variant for me, are just incredible. Worth noting that this was our first trip to a farmer’s market since COVID and for the past 2+ years, we have been subsisting on the mealy, unripe, mostly tasteless and boring stone fruits from Whole Foods. I had almost forgotten what it was like to love stone fruits… practically tears in my eyes 
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I think it’s a relatively new variant overall. The only other vendor I’ve seen the mango nectarines at is Arnett (maybe in the last 3-4 years). Kens are significantly better.
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Finally had a chance to try Dim Sum 101. The only real negative is the menu is fairly limited. But what they do have is all extremely well executed. My younger son loves sticky rice (nuo mi ji) and this was a very fragrant rendition chock full of sausage, meat and mushrooms. The shrimp / beef stuffed rice rolls were again chock full and the crepe itself had a nice firm texture to it, i.e. not oversteamed. Scallion pancakes were nicely pan fried, so not too greasy, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, although could have used a bit more scallion. Can’t recall what else we had, but 4 of us were stuffed for $75 all-in, which feels very reasonable these days for dim sum. Given none of us passed out afterwards, the food didn’t seem to have much / any MSG and no salt bombs, which I generally can’t stand. We’ll be back, definitely a nice addition to the area!
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Just saw the signage go up for Lunasia in Rolling Hills Plaza. Have never been to any of the other outposts, but what should we be expecting? Like high quality dimsum? If so, Schezwan and 101 may have a serious fight on their hands!
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Some people feel Lunasia has the best dim sum in the SGV. Not everyone agrees but the fact that they’re in the conversation tells you something.
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Oh. Very exciting!
Makkah market is awesome super affordable and tasty food run out of a market. Reminds me of Zam zam with more variety, dishes, and flavors. I haven’t had Pakistani or Indian food in a minute. Everything was well spiced and flavorful. Not pictured is the huge fluffy naan. Dal, aloo palak, chicken tandoor, seekh kabob, and two orders of naan for less than 40 bucks.
Not sure of the nuances between Indian/pakistani food (I know they are huge regions so even saying that is broad generalization), other than Muslim/Hindu religion and ethnicity but it seems to an outsider they share quite a few common dishes with Pakistanis seeming to be a little more meat heavy. Someone on the board who is more knowledgeable please educate me.
Also stopped by hisaya chestnut they sell Asian chestnut desserts didn’t not like the cake loved the chestnut/vanilla soft serve
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Whoa. #TransfixedOnTheImage
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Agree!
The border between these two countries was decided by outsiders so they do have many many dishes in common. In Pakistan they eat much more beef because their diets do not restrict this meat, so on your next visit try their beef nihari which is full of the deep, rich flavors of bone marrow, plenty of spices, and the sourness of lemon. It is oily and thick and sticks to naan perfectly, but also can be paired with rice if you prefer.
Also available in the beef category is their thick beef haleem, which comes topped with chopped peppers, cilantro, and fried onions. Even thicker than usual with barley and lentils, the stew is spicy and aromatic and just good.
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I’ll try those next time!
Yeah I am going to need that soft serve. Might have to visit McD’s tonight to get my soft serve fix
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