JoeAnn's Corner

The basics - fresh local organic foods! There is a garage but being an LA snob, I typically valet as it is usually a nominal fee at restaurants.

2361 Rosecrans Avenue
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 643-9300


This photo right here illustrates what they are known for. Oysters, fresh ridiculously fabulous oysters! I don't even like oysters but I love these oysters! They usually have around 3-4 different kinds, more if they are in season and FRESH. Soooooo good!


Their take on lettuce wraps - that is actually shrimp in the butter lettuce - very good and a creative different interpretation of lettuce wraps!

Right here is the Kim Chi Steak - wowza. Yummy in the tummy. Seriously the kim chi flavors of this steak will kick your lil taste buds into happiness!


Below is seriously an amazing burger - this photo does no justice to the juiciness and tastiness of the burger - yes I know. I am raving about a burger - what does this tell you if you know my taste buds by now - amazing burger - like top 3 for me!

Suffice to say - I love Paul Martin's and it is an excellent choice for when we have guests in town or when we just want some good ole yummy in the tummy!

Beard Papas - Japanese chain with random locations throughout the US, primarily California, Hawaii, Washington and some tri-state area stores.

Here in LA - there is one off of Sawtelle & Olympic in West LA. There is a validated garage to park in. The one at Hollywood and Highland = nasty. Don't go there. West LA = awesome clean and nice!

Creme puffs - really tasty creme puffs. They get filled up with custard when you order and the best part is there is an array of different custards. I usually go with the traditional vanilla but green tea is a close second favorite. They also have chocolate and other flavors depending on the day.

We usually buy a 6 pack of creme puffs and down it in one day. They really don't keep more then a day so only order what you can eat in that day! Oh and don't chock on the powdered sugar they sprinkle on top as you stuff your face :-). I am of course not speaking from personal experience :-p

2002 Manor Road
Austin, TX
I think many of you know my Texas roots! I was born and raised in good ole East Texas and yes I still have the twang when I go back especially to my hometown! This is the kinda food that really is the heart and soul of Texas to me. Good ole southern soul food! It definitely adds a little bit of fat to the hips but hey its worth it right :-).

Above you will see my stand by, the chicken fried chicken. So many from Cali ask if this is fried chicken and as you can see the answer is no! It is actually chicken that has been tenderized, breaded and then fried! Top it off with some white gravy and good ole fried okra! Delicious! For the record, I can eat about 1/2 of that and there are always leftovers!

Below is the Aus-Tex wings. These are super spicy with a bbq flavor. Great starter!


Their BBQ sausage here is really good! And I do mean really good. Lots of seasonings to the point where you do not need any sauce at all! Note the amazing sweet potatoes on the side! They are sweet gooey oodles of goodness! The green beans are flavored with bacon too!


Last but certainly not least - the game changer, the winner, the sweet stuff of people's dreams - drumroll please! The blackberry cobbler - a seasonal speciality that will melt in your mouth and make you want to cry when you can't get it! Okay so maybe I am talking it up a tad - suffice to say if you go and see it on the menu, get it!

For those who happen to be driving up the coastline or are in the Central Coast - this is a gem of a find in Morro Bay. The hubby's company is headquartered up in San Luis Opispo (SLO) so occasionally we make the drive up the coast. This was a recommendation from one of the hubby's co-worker who knows his food! Morro Bay is a tiny little town about 20 minutes north of SLO.

The restaurant is in downtown Morro Bay and owned by a husband wife team. Shawn (the chef) was cooking at a Ritz Carlton in Laguna Beach before deciding to move up to Morro Bay. The restaurant itself seats maybe about 40 folks and is very warm and inviting! I have never seen anyone but Shawn making our food so I think he is pretty much there when they are open.

Here is the basic information:
912 Main St

Morro Bay, CA 93442

(805) 772-1059
The restaurant also has a pretty decent list of wines and are supportive of the local wineries in the area. We typically do their wine flights as it is a great way to try different local wines at a great price!

Below you will find Shawn's take on bruschetta with the balsamic vinegar drizzled on top of the tomatoes and crisp bread! The photo does this dish no justice! Seriously :-)



Another standout appetizer was the seared tuna! As you can see the tuna is perfectly seared and resting on some cabbage with a soy sauce based sauce! Shawn's on Main stands out not only for their perfectly executed food but also the sauces that Shawn makes from scratch! Cabbage is nothing special but this cabbage is due to the sauce!

Now onto the Pièce de résistance - yes I know I love my desert but this this - I dream of this English chocolate toffee cake. There have many many times I have thought of driving the three hours to Morro Bay just for this - there are no words just heaven on a plate.


FYI we have driven out of our way just to get a meal at this amazing little gem in Morro Bay - you should too! :-)

Here is the link to their website where you can find out where they are!

I know for sure there are locations in Dallas, Houston & Austin though! There are also two airport locations - one in the Houston airport and one in Dallas so if you have a long layover :-)

Above is my favorite and I mean favorite appetizer - fried alligator! Don't be apprehensive - this is like fried chicken but way more moist!

And yes I know this is a chain but good chains are cool by me (meaning tasty)!

Right here is the winner that I get a lot - not quite everytime though! It is the crawfish plate with 1/2 crawfish and 1/2 crawfish etoufee. Now for those of you who are not from the south, I can honestly say these lil guys are so tasty with tons of flavor! They are related on the lobster and live in freshwater! Really the most important thing is that they are tasty tasty tasty whether fried or in an etoufee!

At Pappadeax, you can expect pretty good Cajun food! I will put a disclaimer and say that I am not from Louisiana but next door Texas does have quite a bit of Cajun cuisine!

When we moved to Redondo Beach last year, we went out to eat to avoid the moving boxes and found this local gem. This was right around the corner, from our new place (at the time).

We walked in the owner came over mentioned he had never seen us there before. We told him we just moved into the area, next thing you know he came back over with a $10 gift card and welcomed us to the neighborhood! We felt so welcomed and to top it off the food was top notch. Having lived in WLA for a while, it was quite the treat to be treated as an individual at a family owned restaurant!

Turquoise

We were meeting a friend and wanted a 1/2 point between West LA and Redondo Beach and through yelp, which I take with a grain of salt, we decided to come to the Oceanview Cafe in Manhattan Beach. Naturally as with any beach town, parking is mostly metered through downtown MB does have some parking lots - http://www.ci.manhattan-beach.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=703 -

Above you will see delicious and I mean delicious hash browns. They were the perfect amount of crispy and a bit mealy on the inside! This would be the biggest reason I came back!

229 13th St
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-6770

The view is quite nice - you can see a slice of Manhattan Beach as the restaurant is towards the top of a hill! Everything else was pretty decent - the bacon was nice and thick but not too fatty!

I would come back as it is a great little place with a fabulous view and decent brunch!

So if you are visiting the LA area and want to swing by Malibu, this is the place! First and foremost the drive up is very scenic in many places - not all though. You will be taking the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica all the way up and it is a little trafficy at times. However, Malibu Seafood is worth the drive for certain dishes! Above are the fish taquitos that I think are really great with some pico de gallo on the side!

Some logistics, there is parking on the side as well as the back on the building. There is a paid parking lot for some state park on the right too - it is $5. Some folks will actually park on the side of PCH and walk in but I don't recommend crossing PCH as it is busy and cars go pretty fast.

The actual store is more like a small hut with a seafood market on the inside. However, there are three seating areas all with beautiful views of the ocean. If it is cold, the top seating area is the best as they usually have it enclosed

Malibu Seafood
25653 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA(310) 456-3430

The first time I came here was with a good friend who knows good food. We went hiking for several hours in Malibu so needless to say we were starving by the end of the hike. My friend suggested the Ahi Tuna burger - well she more insisted that I must get it actually! This was a very well made burger - it is not something that you would travel across the world for but sometimes you might get a craving!


They also have a squid steak burger that is quite interesting. If you are into adventerous foods - that might be something you should go for.

We have not gotten a ton of the fried seafood but we did get fried clams once (see below) and they were really fresh and tasty! Overall a fun side adventure within the greater LA area!!!!

Cheap but great eats in Austin. This is one of those types of food that I get cravings for while living in LA. I used to eat it all the time in college and even after I graduated. Texadelphia has evolved to become a Texas chain with locations in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Rio Grande, Oklahoma City (random) & Houston.

So the gist of Texadelphia is that is a Texas take on the Philly Cheesesteak. They of course have thinly sliced beef along with sauteed onions. However, they don't use cheese wiz, which I know may seen sacrilegious for those from Philly. However, in Texas this works. Soft bread, tasty meats, grilled onions and a lil bit of ranch on top - this really hits a spot in my tummy!

The hubby gets the Founder's Special which also comes with jalepenos and mushrooms. He likes it but I am a meat eater and don't need all the veggies! (at least for this).

Texadelphia also has a variety of sauces available to pour on top. My personal fav would be the ranch but others rave about the mustard blend. Oh and all orders come with a side of chips and salsa!

This is not a healthy meal so just keep that in mind! Personally I do indulge for things that are worth it - like this!

Westwood Novel Cafe
1101 Gayley Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-6410

This was a little haven for me when I lived in Westwood - a little peace and tranquility away from the craziness of campus! I would come and order some Tiger Chai (see above) which is chai with a bit of cinnamon! On nice days - I would be out on the patio but at night when it was chilly, inside was the way to go!

I would order the Ahi Tuna sandwich on rosemary bread, which was just divine! The whole piece of Ahi Tuna on the rosemary bread was an almost perfect combination of flavors! This was a filling yet light meal and of course since it was "healthy" I would have to order the fries :-)

UCLA students - this place does have wireless so it is pretty awesome to study at if you can handle some music!

Tito's Tacos
11222 Washington Place
Culver City, CA 90230-4618

Apparently this is another so called LA Institution. I can honestly say that I was unimpressed. We had the tacos and tostados (see below). The tacos were hard, really hard. The hubby cut the top of his mouth on the tacos.



Sadly I have had better tacos at dollar taco nights at Don Antonios. I guess you could come if you had a craving or something but for the long lines - you have to ask yourself if is worth it to wait.

Hey all,

As many of you know, grad school is currently kicking me in the butt. However, in moving we have transitioned from eating out a lot to cooking a lot. I also know many of you still live on-campus but for those who have a kitchen - this will be a great place for easy cooking! Therefore while the blog will still review restaurants within the greater Los Angeles area as well as wherever we travel, I'll also be featuring recipes that cook everyday as well.

I am also committed to blogging more regularly, at least once a week so look out! If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section!

JoeAnn

934 Hermosa Avenue
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254-4122
(310) 374-3747

Since moving down to the Southbay, we have been looking for a replacement to our local Westwood favorite, Sprazzo's. Utilizing yelp one night while I was having an Italian craving, we decided to check this place out. My other half and a friend (visiting from SF) & I chose this place based on the prospect of homemade pastas. I mean really not many places offer this so it was the top choice!

FYI - they do have parking in the garage in the driveway right past the restaurant and plenty of metered spots as well.

First the crusty fresh hot bread. Really I think some of the best breads I have had - just warm and fresh. You can either dip in olive oil or slather in butter - which for me is dependent on whether I have been running :-). After the bread, we decided on our entrees. We read quite a bit about the homemade pastas so with three of us we ordered the bolognese, lasagna, and gnocci. The pastas were incredible and the gnocci second only to Osteria Mozza. If you are craving lasagna, this is the place where it taste homemade and yet so much better! The hubby's bolognese was also comforting with just enough meat in the sauce, we are from Texas!


We have been back a few times going for many of the specials they have. They have some pretty fabulous deserts including a chocolate pyramid - I only remember heaven plus berries in the taste! Above was a strawberry creme brulee that was yummo - I think they make their own whipped creme!

All in all, this is our fave new Italian in the southbay!