Tapas at the Beach

Three days after my Jamie Oliver revelation I had Friday night dinner plans with an old friend. We go way back. Like to first grade. Technically, kindergarten, but I think our friendship truly blossomed in first grade. Anyway, dinner. Our venue of choice was Mediterraneo, a restaurant on the Hermosa Beach pier that specializes in tapas. Personally, I was rather excited as I’d always admired the outside decor and the idea.

We began with their red sangria (they also offer a white). Being ambitious we went ahead and decided to split a pitcher. Turns out that was a little too ambitious. I won’t be too ashamed to say we didn’t finish the whole pitcher. But, I will say, it was rather yummy. Actually, technically we began with their focaccia, which was also very yummy.While we were munching on the focaccia, sipping on the sangria, and taking in the atmosphere, I noted that I was impressed with the overall ambiance and I thought it would be a great place to go for a casual or slightly gussied-up night out with friends. Dates surrounded us on both sides, so I’ll venture to say it’d probably be a good date place too. Not all that intimate, but casual enough for the nervous and tapas for sharing.

Finally it was time to order. We went with four items – their house salad and three tapas. My choice was the plate of chilled mussels with a Spanish vinaigrette, she chose the salad, and we both agreed upon the tortilla espanola (this seemed almost imperative to me since we were having tapas, and I think it was a first for us both), and the roasted dates filled with Cambozola blue cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. I thought the salad was pretty standard with a decent vinaigrette.

I had high hopes for my mussels. I never really knew I liked mussels until I had them, caught the same day, at a family feast – “feast” really is the right way to describe the table spread , but after that meal I was sold. That story’ll be forthcoming – hopefully in the not so far future. Anyway, back to the beach – and the mussels. They weren’t bad…better than unforgettable. The vinaigrette had nice flavor and a nice tang, but the mussels tasted more fishy, if you will, than I was accustomed to. I hope this doesn’t mean I really don’t like mussels. I think maybe I wanted more of a less chunky vinaigrette.

Next, the dates. As in the fruit, not the four people surrounding us. The dates I also had high hopes for after my visit to Cafe Was. The dates made it 0 for 3. Sad. They were so small! And the cheese was almost nowhere to be found! I thought that was pretty unacceptable. As for the package as a whole – not bad, decent especially if you’ve never had blue cheese-stuffed dates before, but definitely not the best representation. Not to be too picky…okay, I’m being picky – but the presentation left something to be desired as well.

Okay, onto the tortilla espanola. Just knowing how I feel about egg dishes I wasn’t too crazy about the idea of this, although I thought since this was my first tapas experience I ought to try a classic. I like eggs, don’t get me wrong, but usually not for dinner. I’m usually one of those people who doesn’t like to eat cold pizza from the refrigerator for breakfast and who doesn’t like a good plate of eggs and potatoes for dinner. Call me crazy. However, for what it was supposed to be, I think I liked this dish best of all the tapas. Plus, it came with a decent side of aioli. I love aioli. A lot. Aioli makes almost anything worth eating. That definitely biased me towards this dish, I’m sure. By the way, the aioli was good. No complaints there.

You’d think at this point we’d be full. Well…we were. However, yes, there is a but, Nutella panna cotta was on the dessert menu. Nutella panna cotta. Now the first time I ever tasted panna cotta I fell in love with it. The first time I ever tasted Nutella I fell in love with it. I couldn’t say no. Plus, Marcona almonds and sea salt accompanied the panna cotta. Marcona almonds are totally Spanish and we had a totally Spanish-influenced dinner. It must be meant to be. The biggest problem with the Nutella panna cotta was that I had to share it, but that’s OK because the company was good. It was probably the best thing I ate that evening, although the focaccia was up there too – yes, I just gave free bread a shout out. :)

All in all, a pretty good experience, and I wouldn’t protest too much about going back. Especially if I were promised Nutella panna cotta.

Watching Vancouver 2010, Part 3: The Story of Alejo’s and the Pink Sauce

March 9 there was an Olympic reception to honor Evan Lysacek, the men’s figure skating champion, at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. I found myself there, and afterwards Alejo’s came to mind.

Alejo’s is an Italian restaurant just past LAX in Westchester. I first heard about Alejo’s from a cousin. She told me they had the best bread and dipping sauce of minced garlic in olive oil. I was sold on that alone. Well, that and the family recommendation. I eventually made my way to Alejo’s maybe a year and a half or two years ago for the first time. I was really intent on trying their pink sauce, as I’d heard it was really good. I also, however, wanted meat sauce. I asked for pink sauce with meat in it. I was easily accommodated. I added a little of the garlic and olive oil mixture to my pasta which easily enhanced the dish – surprise, surprise, I like extra garlic. The second time I found myself at Alejo’s was last spring. It was a nice occasion indeed – a family dinner. I’m not entirely sure what prompted it, but we ended up with a good-sized table. I love few things more than sitting around a table sharing a meal with people I love. Not like I talk about that a lot or anything. So especially after that meal, Alejo’s has conjured up a familial connection for me.

Since Alejo’s is near El Segundo and the airport, which isn’t exactly what you would call “close” to me (although comfortably close enough when traveling), I thought I should take advantage of its proximity and order some take-out. Apparently, the Olympics inspire to-go orders in my world.

Anyway, back to the story. When I walked into Alejo’s that night I felt calm and comfortable and it came off as quintessentially “L.A.” in there (beachside neighborhood vibe included). I loved it. I felt kind of like I was home. See, all that backstory was leading up to something. ;) I walked up to the bar/counter and tried to explain the pink sauce/meat sauce spaghetti I desired. I got a strange look from the lady taking my order and she wanted to make very sure that I had ordered this before because it’s not on the menu and, apparently, other people had asked for it and then not liked it. I assured her I knew what I was getting into. I happily sat at the bar taking in the atmosphere and waiting for my order. After a few minutes had passed the telephone rang and the woman answered. She was taking another take-out order. I heard her ask the person on the line if they had it before and if they were sure that’s what they wanted because some people will order it and not like it. I smiled to myself and wondered if they had ordered the same thing as me. Once she hung up the phone she looked at me, smiling. She said the person on the phone had just ordered the same thing as me and commented it was funny because it’s not an order they receive often. Laughing, she said, “That wasn’t your boyfriend, was it?” Amused, I said no, but was intrigued as to who this “Mystery Pink Sauce Man” was. My order was ready before he came in, so I never got to see him – he remains a mystery.

And now without further adieu, I give you Alejo’s  off-the-menu pink meat sauce. One order lasted me about 5 meals. The bread, however, didn’t last that long.

Watching Vancouver 2010, Part 2: A Gyro Plate and Poutine

Come the Saturday night after Ash Wednesday, I was – finally – willing to entertain the idea of something other than French onion soup for dinner. I found myself with a pretty intense craving for Greek food. I came across a restaurant near my home that looked like it would fit the bill, Redondo Beach Café. What sold me on that eatery was that not only did they serve Greek food, but they served Canadian food – and one dish in particular that was of great interest to me – poutine. After all, I was watching the Vancouver Olympics. Canadian just felt right that night. I had recently read about poutine – fries with gravy and cheese. That can’t be too awful now can it? We’re talking about taste here, not health – obviously. If it makes you feel better – it made me feel a little better – I didn’t eat my entire following order that night. It actually lasted me about 3 meals, although I don’t know if I would call the third serving a “meal,” per se.

I placed my take-out order: an order of poutine and a beef and lamb gyro plate. The poutine came slightly different than it would have in the restaurant – the fries and cheese were kept separate from the gravy. I couldn’t begrudge them for trying to keep my fries from getting too soggy. The cheese was creamy and had a very slight tang to it. The gravy had a very concentrated meaty, gravy flavor. The meat was very flavorful, although it all looked and tasted the same, leading me to believe that maybe beef and lamb had been combined and cooked into some sort of loaf and then sliced. It was very savory and my guess would be there was some combination of parsley, maybe basil, and garlic amongst other flavoring agents. The rice seemed to be pretty standard saffron rice with peas and carrots, and the tzatziki was very tasty and sufficiently garlicky for me. Tomato slices, slices of white onion, and feta topped with oregano, to which I added fresh chopped parsley, accompanied the dish.

I was happy to find a restaurant serving Greek food that wasn’t a fast food joint. A beloved, albeit not spectacularly tasty in all its endeavors, local Greek restaurant closed earlier this year leaving a gap in for Greek food in our general neck of the woods. Redondo Beach Café also advertises itself as a sports café with an emphasis on hockey.

I <3 NY

Seeing the city skyline for the first time, listening to our cabbie yell at pedestrians (seriously) and greet friends from across the street, taking the subway to Yankee Stadium for a Friday night game surrounded by fans, sitting alone in my seat, rather high up, trying unsuccessfully to shield myself from the light but steady rainfall, while laughing at Yankee Stadium’s humorous choice of music – “Singing in the Rain” – thanks, guys! Making small talk with strangers at the game, bantering back and forth with a fan at a Yankees merchant in the legendary baseball park, and later diving into a Nathan’s with brown mustard – I will only eat hot dogs with brown mustard now – unless, of course, I’m under duress – these are some of my favorite and first memories of my trip to New York City last year. No, it wasn’t my inaugural trip, but it was just as special. It was my first time to Yankee Stadium, my first time indulging in a Nathan’s hot dog – my favorite hot dog – in its home locale, and some of my first interactions with NYCers that I remember. On that note – everyone we talked to was nice, not rude. Who’d ‘uve thunk stereotypes might be wrong? My first meal at a Bobby Flay restaurant, my first bacon and chocolate tart, courtesy of Gramercy Tavern, my first time visiting the impressive and awe-inspiring U.N., my first trip to the Met, and, possibly most memorable, if not most important, my first time hurrying as quickly as I could out of a nice restaurant (Peter Luger’s), well, really, any restaurant for that matter, because I had clogged the toilet (no, not like that, I swear). My first visit to Coney Island – and the original Nathan’s – see a trend here? And we made sure, of course, to try two popular NY pizzerias – Lombardi’s first in Little Italy and Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn, just under the famous bridge. Both were great, by the way, and have led to pizza-making at home and obsessive searching for the best pizza in the greater L.A. area give or take. O.K. I guess the trend isn’t just hot dogs, huh? Food, in general, was a large part of our trip. The official reason – to see the original Yankee Stadium before it was torn down; it’s a piece of U.S. popular history people! And since we were going to be there – one of the best food destinations in the U.S., if not the world – well, clearly, we had to fit as much food in as we could. I’m not going to say that on more than one occasion we ate four full meals, or the equivalent thereof, but I can’t lie about something as serious as food either. Tonight we’re making pizza, watching a movie set in New York City, and going to think about how awesome NYC is.