I’m so excited that I donut want to hide it! Randy’s Donuts has just opened their sixth location ever as well as their second location in the South Bay! Today Randy’s Donuts opened up just off Hawthorne Blvd in Torrance, California.
Two years ago I wrote about the first Randy’s Donuts in El Segundo at Apollo Landing. Similar to the El Segundo location this Torrance location has many of their famous world class donut flavors. They’ve got their popular Glazed Raised. They have their unique Maple Raised Churros. They even have the colorful Fruit Loops donuts. There is donut for every tastebud.
With the grand opening today; they will be offering free Glazed Raised donuts from 6am to noon to every one. After noon; one can get a free Glazed donut till 8pm if you follow them on their Instagram .
For more smiles; please see my Yelp Review on Randy’s Donuts Torrance
I truly miss traveling! How nice would it be to visit Naples, Italy; the birthplace of pizza. Alas though I can’t visit Naples now; there was a way I got to eat Naples style gourmet pizza. I didn’t even have to travel outside the country much less outside my city!
Thanks to Felice Italian Catering; Naples came to me. ;). Felice Italian Catering has been bringing authentic Naples style pizza to the cities of the South Bay (Redondo Beach, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, California) since 2016. The pizza is made in a traveling wood fired oven and so you’re guaranteed not only authentic pizza but a delicious, fresh pizza too!
They’ve got a variety of different pizzas such as classic favorites pepperoni and cheese. You can also get the pizza that was born in Naples; the Margherita. (A fun fact; the Margherita was named in honor the queen of Italy when she visited Naples in 1889.) The Margherita pizza of Felice Italian Catering is one out of eight specialty pizzas. The other eight include The Chef’s Special (sausage, banana peppers, basil, red onions, pesto drizzle, garlic), the Chino Special (pepperoni, sausage, basil, red onions, jalapeños), BBQ Chicken, Greek, Spicy Hawaiian and the Blanca (ricotta, cherry tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, garlic).
Aside from pizzas; Felice Catering also offers bbq, Buffalo and garlic parmesan wings. All wings come with a side of ranch.
I chose to get a combo with the Chef’s Special pizza, bbq and garlic parmesan wings and ranch dressing.
I really liked the Chef’s Special. I loved how they had equal spread of sausage, basil, red onions, banana peppers, pesto drizzle and garlic. This pizza definitely made me want to visit Italy even more. I loved each and every topping on this pizza. There’s something really special about savory sausage with cheese and slightly sweet banana pepper. Even the sauce was on point. I loved the mix of pesto along with the classic tomato sauce.
The wings were equally as delicious. I liked both the bbq and garlic Parmesan wings but the garlic Parmesan was my favorite. I loved the crispness of the wings. The garlic flavor was not too overwhelming and it was enhanced by the sprinkles of Parmesan cheese.
Though I won’t be traveling to Naples anytime soon; I am quite happy that I got a taste of Naples without even boarding an airplane. 😉
For more smiles; please see my Yelp review on Felice Italian Catering.
Satori Thai is the latest restaurant to open up in the South Bay! Just this September 24, a new restaurant opened up in Torrance, California. With so many restaurants and small businesses closing; it’s such good news to see a new spot pop up in the local community and I was more than happy to help support this new spot recently.
Sartori Thai offers a variety of many of our favorite Thai dishes! The owners get their supplies right from Thailand and so you are sure to get some great authentic Thai food. Among the yummy dishes on the menu are chicken satay, kra thang thong, papaya salad, chicken lab, curry, pad see ew, and pad thai. I can never pass up a place that has curry and pad thai! Those are my favorite Thai dishes.
Both the curry and pad thai are part of the lunch specials too. The lunch specials are a great deal because it comes with a side salad and egg roll.
I chose to get they yellow curry with chicken and the pad thai lunch special. Both dishes are my go-to Thai dishes whenever I try a new Thai place and I was curious to see how it would be here.
Sartori Thai’s yellow curry is a traditional Thai curry cooked with coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, onions, and topped with fried onions. Traditional Thai curry is my favorite type of curry. Sartori Thai definitely nailed it with the curry broth. It had just the right hint of coconut and was perfect over white rice.
Their pad thai was traditional rice noodles with stir-fried chicken and shrimp egg, diced black tofu, bean sprouts, and Chinese chives. It was mixed in Sartori’s own house-made sweet and sour pad thai sauce. It came with crushed peanuts, carrots, and sliced lime for extra flavoring. Their pad thai was also on point. It was delicious and not too sweet. I can easily see this being their staple dish and one that will quickly become popular!
Sartori Thai is located in Old Torrance right on Sartori Ave. If you are in the area; do support the newest South Bay restaurant to open up in town.
For more smiles; please see my Yelp review on Sartori Thai.
This year with the pandemic; I wasn’t quite sure how my birthday would be. I however got the most wonderful surprise dinner from my boyfriend when he ordered from The Depot Torrance.
The Depot has been in Torrance for 29 years! First opening up in 1991; it has been a favorite of many South Bayers for celebration special occasions. Being a South Bay native; I had never tried this place and thus was excited to be able to try it for my birthday.
We started off the birthday dinner with their famous bread basket.
The Depot’s bread basket comes with cheese rolls, regular rolls, crispy cracker bread and banana bread. The bread is accompanied with regular butter and garlic pesto butter. My favorites from the bread basket are the cheese rolls and the banana bread. The cheese rolls go really well with the garlic pesto butter! It’s so flavorful.
I loved how the bread is not too heavy and it still gave room for some appetizers that my boyfriend had also prepared. (A special mention to my boyfriend Jay who also prepared the most delicious stuffed mushrooms and eggplants!)
For our main course; we had filet mignon and lamb chops alongside yam mashers, sautéed mushrooms, zucchini and herbed asparagus.
The filet mignon and lamb chops are some of the best that I’ve ever had. The cuts were so tender! They were cooked just right. The meats also went really well with the yam mashers and veggies. I absolutely loved the yam mashers. They were soft and creamy with just the right flavoring of sweet potato. The mixed vegetables were also quite amazing. The asparagus, spinach and zucchini were quite tasty. Every single item on the plate was excellent.
Though we did not physically dine out this year; I can say that my birthday dinner this year was still one of the best birthday dinners I’ve ever had. I can truly see why The Depot is so popular for all these years. Their food is just perfect for special occasions.
For more smiles; please see my Yelp review on The Depot Torrance.
Just this February 2020; I wrote about Caps and Corks a newly opened liquor store in Torrance, California that was offering some amazing food via breakfast burritos and submarine sandwiches. Their food quickly gained a lot of popularity in the South Bay community and beyond. Now there’s another reason for foodies to rejoice as Caps and Corks recently just debuted a new LA Street Foods menu!
It was just Cinco de Mayo this week and the timing could not have been more perfect to try the new tacos that are part of their LA Street Foods Menu. It was a double celebration as it was not only Cinco de Mayo but also Taco Tuesday!
They offer three types of street tacos; carne asada, pollo or al pastor. All the street tacos are on corn tortillas with the customer’s chosen meat along with toppings of cilantro, onion and spicy or mild salsa.
Happy Cinco de Mayo indeed as these tacos were quite tasty! I tried all the meats and thought each one had it’s own unique flavor. I would have to say though my favorite was the Al Pastor as I thought the seasoning really stuck out. The pork was also perfectly tender. I will definitely be back for these tacos regardless of whether it is (taco) Tuesday or not.
Another reason for me to come back to Caps and Corks is to try the rest of their new LA Street Foods menu. In addition to tacos they have burritos; quesadillas and hot diggity dogs! Yes! You read it right they’re offering a variety of different hot dogs offered the same way as what you’d find at your local LA street vendor back in the day (pre-quarantine!) and yes this includes bacon wrapped hot dogs!
The new additions to Caps and Corks menu are definitely a fiesta for the tummy and can’t wait to try the other offerings.
Today is Easter; a day of prayer, renewal and hope. As we continue to pray for an end to this pandemic; we also continue to move forward as a community. One way to help bring hope to the many restaurants impacted in our communities is via ordering takeout or delivery.
In my next series of blog posts; I wanted to share some of my favorite restaurants that are offering great takeout deals.
One of the top restaurants on my go-to for takeout is Mo-Mo Paradise in Torrance. I first discover Mo-Mo Paradise back in 2017. The restaurant specializing in Japanese hot pot became a favorite of mine. I was not alone in loving this restaurant as there was always a crowd and a wait every single day.
With the pandemic; Mo-Mo Paradise like many other restaurants had to find innovative ways to offer food to their many customers. For the first time ever they launched a new delivery and take-out option.
First to debut on their new delivery and take-out menu were their bowls. For $9.95 customers have the choice of the Beef Shabu Curry Bowl, Beef Sukiyaki Bowl, Pork Tonkotsu Bowl, and Kimchi Pork Bowl. .
Their Beef Shabu Curry bowl is one of my favorites because it consists of their very popular savory curry that is normally part of their AYCE side buffet. For the to-go option they pile on rich curry over layers of thin sliced braised beef, caramelized onions and carrots. It is definitely fulfilling and very tasty!
I also like their Beef Sukiyaki bowl. It is a different take of their Beef Sukiyaki hot pot. Instead of a broth they have a rice bowl topped with thinly sliced beef, gobo, onions, carrots, king oyster mushrooms, napa cabbage, kale, mushroom, tofu ginger, green onions and a egg.
If one is craving for something more similar to their traditional Shabu Shabu menu; Mo-Mo Paradise has that too! They recently added to their delivery and takeout menu; Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki sets.
This Easter Sunday I ordered a shabu shabu set and it made for the perfect Easter feast. Right at the comfort of our home; we were able to cook and enjoy the yummy Japanese hot pot.
Each set is $45 and comes with choice of broth (tonkotsu, kimchi, sukiyaki or shabu shabu), choice of two meats (beef chuck eye roll, short plate or kurubota pork shoulder) choice of two sides (rice, udon or ramen), vegetables, sauces and condiments. One can also add a la carte such as pork meatballs.
Right now Mo-Mo Paradise even has a great deal of giving 10% off your order.
Needless to say all of our lives have turned upside down during this crisis. One of the things that remain constant however is love of family and support of community. Through different takeouts such as what Mo-Mo Paradise has to offer; I am still able to enjoy some of my favorites at home with family and at the same time be able support local eateries.
#SupportLocalBusiness #SaveRestaurants
For more smiles, please see my Yelp Review on Mo-Mo Paradise Torrance.
Seven million hard working restaurant workers across the country can’t make income at home or have the potential of losing their jobs forever. These are the folks who’ve taken care of all of us numerous times. They’ve helped us celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and many celebrations. They were there when we bonded with family and when we had date nights. Now is our chance to help them out in a small way via ordering takeout or delivery ❤️.
Below is a list of restaurants offering takeout or delivery in my hometown of Torrance, California but in several cities around the US there are hundreds of restaurants that need your support.
21 Square (Torrance Marriot) – (310)-543-6034 85C Bakery – (310)-320-8585 Aliotta’s Via Firenze – (310) 371-9555 Andre’s at the Double Tree – (310) 540-0500 Angara Indian Restaurant – (310) 320-9090 Bagel Factory – (310) 540-2077 Benihana – (310) 316-7777 Bettolino Kitchen – (310) 375-0500 BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse – (310) 802-6440 Black Bear Diner – (310) 974-9002 Blaze Pizza (Rolling Hills Plaza) – (310) 997-2771 Blue Salt Fish Grill – (310) 424-383-1789 Bombay Tandoori – (310) 303-3185 Brazilian Plate House – (310) 370-9077 Buffalo Wild Wings – (310) 542-3400 Burger City Grill – (310) 819-8486 By Brazil – (310)-782-2828 Caps & Corks Liquor & Deli – (424) 257-8619 Carl’s Jr. – various locations Chicken Dijon – (310) 540-1499 Chicken Maison (PCH) – (310) 465-1050 Chicken Maison (Crenshaw) – (310) 257-4959 Chick-Fil-A – various locations Chipotle – various locations Cho Dang Tofu – (310) 373-7055 Clutch & Coffee – (424) 532-5444 Cocohodo – (310) 530-3875 Coco’s Bakery Restaurant – (310) 371-4086 Cosmic Brewery – (424) 259-2337 Crest Bar & Grill – (310) 320-9347 Curryfornia – (310) 756-6409 Da Maat – (310) 534-5533 Del Taco – various locations Denny’s – various locations Din Tai Fung (curbside/delivery only) – (310) 214-1175 Einstein Bros Bagels- (310) 698-1117 El Burrito Jr. (Hawthorne Blvd) – (310) 944-9200 El Burrito Jr. (PCH in Walteria) – (310) 373-5405 El Pollo Inka – (310) 373-0062 El Pollo Loco – various locations El Torito – (310) 378-0331 FishBonz Grill – (310) 325-2669 Foster’s Freeze – (310) 328-1375 Ginza Sushi – (310) 325-7979 Giuliano’s Deli – (310) 540-2500 Hof’s Hut – (310) 325-0470 Honda Japanese Restaurant – (310) 373-8272 Honey Dress Fried Chicken – (310) 373-3733 HopSaint Brewing Company – (310) 214-4677 Hugo’s Deli – (424) 247-7057 India Sweets & Grocery – (310) 378-9686 Jersey Mike’s – various locations Joey’s Smokin Barbecue – (310) 257-1324 Kagura – (310) 787-0227 Kappo Irifune – (310) 782-7330 Khun 9 Thai Kitchen – (310) 328-4888 King Mediterrano – (310) 370-9438 King’s Hawaiian – (310) 530-0050 Ko Ryu Ramen – (310) 371-6638 La Bella Napoli – (310) 517-9952 Lamppost Pizza – (310) 325-4864 Lazy Dog – (310) 921-6080 LBJs Tacos – (310) 961-5296 Local Kitchen – (424) 337-1321 Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que – (310) 370-7427 Lucio’s Mexican Restaurant – (310) 328-9810 Madre – (310) 974-8005 Mashawi Grill – (310) 325-3545 McDonald’s – various locations Mexican Riviera Restaurant – (310) 373-6600 Mezontle Mexican Grill – (310) 543-2737 Mimi’s Café – (310) 326-4477 Misto Caffe & Bakery – (310) 375-3608 New York Deli – (310) 891-1229 Norms (Hawthorne Blvd) – (310) 370-4469 Norms (PCH) – (310) 530-5516 Old Torrance Coffee & Tea – (424) 558-8050 Outback Steakhouse – (310) 750-0459 Panda Express – various locations Panera Bread – (310) 517-0324 PF Chang’s – (310) 793-0590 Pho Hana – (310) 373-7560 Pinwheel Café Bakery – (310) 325-5055 Primo Italia – (310) 378-4288 Rascal’s – (310) 542-0022 Red Lobster – (310) 316-3133 Red Rock – (424) 329-3363 Rubio’s Coastal Grill – (310) 891-1811 Rudy’s – (310) 533-0752 Scholb Premium Ales – (424) 777-2964 Shrimp By You – (424) 347-7188 Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee – (424) 263-5091 Smog City Brewing – (310) 320-7664 Smog City West – (310) 791-1015 Snax Home of the Original Superburger – (310) 316-6631 Stacked – (619) 225-7900 Steve’s Burgers (Crenshaw) – (310) 618-8979 Steve’s CharBurger (Anza) – (310) 371-8729 Stonefire Grill – (424) 203-8800 Strand Brewing Co. – (310) 517-0900 Sub Society Incredible Sandwiches – (424) 263-5811 Subway – various locations Taco Bell – various locations Tender Greens – (424) 488-0639 The Dude’s Brewing Co. – (424) 271-2915 The Habit Burger Grill – (310) 406-3063 TNT Aloha Café – (310) 375-4553 Tom’s Tacos – (310) 371-0625 Top Tenders & Wings – (424) 257-8126 Torrance Bakery & Sandwich Shop – (310) 320-2722 Torrance Tavern – (310) 375-9158 Tortilla Cantina – (310) 533-9606 Truxton’s – (310) 373-8790 Ubon Thai Kitchen – (310) 326-1092 Urban Plates – (424) 999-2141 Veggie Grill – (310) 325-6689 Wadatsumi Torrance – (310) 782-7356 Wendy’s – various locations Y Not Burger – (310) 375-4202 Yorkshire Square Brewery – (424) 376-5115
*Availability subject to change
Below are some photos of some yummy dishes from some of the above places.
Dobash Cake from King’s Hawaiian
Rise and Shine Burrito from Caps N Cork
Grass Fed Steak From Urban Plates
LYB Tater Tots from 21 Square
During this difficult time; may we all be a little more compassionate to those in need.
The origins of Eat Fantastic Cafe have a bit of a Greek touch. In 1979 a man passionate about food left Greece to pursue his dream of sharing fantastic food. He started the very first Fantastic Cafe. Years later his son who had the initials of “E.A.T” brought the first Fantastic Cafe to Los Angeles, California and Eat Fantastic Cafe was born! Now 41 years later; Eat Fantastic has a new location in Torrance, California offering what they’re well known for…fantastic food!
The very first food item that the cafe offered in 1979 were burgers. Shortly after they started introducing more other fantastic foods and some of what I would say are my favorite indulgence foods.
It was in 1981; that they introduced their first breakfast burrito. Breakfast burritos are definitely one of my favorite ways to start off. I just had to check out Eat Fantastic’s version.
I chose to get their Original Burrito that has eggs, choice of meat, hash browns, shredded cheese and salsa. My choice of meat was sausage but other options are bacon or sausage. You can even get all three meats via their Trio Burrito or if you really want to indulge; you could get their Fantastic Burrito which has the three meats and a grilled cheese tortilla.
Eat Fantastic’s Original Burrito was definitely very fulfilling. It’s pretty large and size and perfect fo sharing. I loved the warm tortilla, the oozing shredded cheese and chunks of sausage mixed in with scrambled eggs and hashbrown. It was definitely fantastic.
If breakfast burritos are my breakfast indulgence; my snack indulgence is zucchini sticks. Eat Fantastic has offered zucchini sticks since 1984.
The Zucchini Sticks is one of two of Eat Fantastic’s hand cut sides. The other being onion rings. They are battered and breaded daily. I chose to get mine with a side of ranch dressing but you can also choose to get it with their Fantastic sauce.
Overall the zucchini sticks were a great treat! They were nice, crisp and piping hot. They really went well with the ranch dipping sauce. It was so addictive and so fantastic!
It is so fantastic that Eat Fantastic has a new location in Torrance. This 2020; they’re also supposed to open in Long Beach and Downey. More fantastic food to come! I can’t wait to eat more (fantastic) food!
For more smiles; please my Yelp review on Eat Fantastic Torrance!
Who knew that the best eateries in town could be found in liquor stores? Back in 2013; I shared my OMG moment and excitement when I found one of the best burgers in the South Bay at a liquor store in Redondo Beach. My blog post then was about the The Standing Room; an amazing little eatery inside a liquor store. Now it’s 2020 and I am once again in awe because of another great spot in ….you guessed it…. a liquor store!
Caps and Corks recently opened up in Torrance, California. It’s not your ordinary liquor store because off to the left side of the store is a lovely surprise with C&C Grill; a grill offering breakfast burritos, sandwiches and burgers.
C&C’s claim to fame is their breakfast burritos which they say are the best in town. After trying their “Rise and Shine” burrito; I would have to agree.
C&C’s “Rise and Shine” burrito is definitely one of the best burritos I have ever had. The “Rise and Shine” burrito is packed with goodness. It has shredded jack and cheddar cheese, eggs, hash browns and salsa. You could even add up to three meats (bacon, ham, sausage) along with avocado and jalapeños. You can also choose to go healthy with subbing egg whites. Vegetarians can also partake in a veggie burrito with onion, bell pepper, tomato, mushroom, shredded jack and cheddar cheese, eggs, hash browns and salsa.
I got it with sausage and it was so hearty! It definitely was perfect for rising and shining.
The good eats doesn’t stop with the breakfast burrito however as they offer several delightful sandwiches as well. Their sandwich categories are: “Hot and Heavy Subs”, “Grilled and Cheesy,” “Cold Hearted Subs, ” “Basic “B*tch Cheeseburger” and “Sweet Nothings.”
The “Hot and Heavy Subs” consists of hot sandwiches with unique names such as “Not So Plain Jane (roast beef)” “Big John Stud (pastrami and turkey),” and “Phat Albert (pastrami).”
I chose to get the “Philthy Philly Cheesesteak.”
The “Philthy Philly” is indeed one messy err philthy sandwich. It’s oozing with juicy cheesesteak and melting provolone. One can also get it with cheese whiz. It is also loaded with mushrooms, onions, sweet peppers and drizzles of mayo. It was meaty and delightful. It’s definitely hot and heavy!
If you prefer cold over hot subs; then the “Cold Hearted Subs” are for you. They’ve got a variety from Turkey to A.L.T (avocado, lettuce, tomato). There’s also The Italian Job with genoa salami, pepperoni and cappy (spicy ham.)
The “Basic B*tch Cheeseburger” is a single or double cheese burger with American cheese, lettuce and tomato. Something tells me this isn’t no ordinary cheeseburger!
The “Grilled and Cheesy” Sandwiches are various grilled cheese sandwiches. You can get a grilled cheese sandwich in traditional grilled cheese way or with meats such as pastrami, bacon or ham. One can even added flaming hot cheetos! Oh my!
Lastly they’ve got “Sweet Nothings” via a PB&J Sandwich and Nutella and Banana Sandwich.
Sometimes the local liquor stores have the best surprises err best burritos/sandwiches in town. 😉
For more smiles; please see my Yelp review on Caps and Corks: C&C Grill!
The first ever multi-concept brewery and food hall in Torrance, California has opened up. The soft opening was held on November 2, 2019 and a ribbon cutting was held on November 13. Today; November 18, 2019; they had an official grand opening party!
The Brews Hall consists of two breweries, a full bar and four food concepts. It’s the brain child of famous South Bay restauranteur restaurateurs Michael and David Zislis and Dave Furano. These three restaurant gurus then partnered with Comedian George Lopez and sports broadcaster Colin Cowherd.
The two breweries inside are Buzzrock Brewing Co; a four-vessel, 20-bbl brewhouse with 17 fermenting vessels and 12 serving vessel custom designed by Michael Zislis and brewmaster Justinian Caire and George Lopez’s Ta Loco Brewing Co; a brewery offering Mexican-style beers.
This place is not just for beer lovers however as foodies will love all the food offerings that they have.
Foodies who love fried chicken will love Chicken T.W.I.LI (The Way I Like It). They’ve got sandwiches, tenders and wings; just the way you like it!
I tried their Fried T.W.I.LI and it instantly hit the top of my list of best sandwiches I’ve ever tried. It consisted of a huge crispy buttermilk fried chicken patty smothered with remoulade, topped with tomatoes and lettuce and sandwiched between two buttery buns. No need to go all the way to the South to have good fried chicken because you can find it right here in the South Bay!
Tacos aren’t just for Tuesdays because George Lopez’s Chingon Kitchen offering tasty tacos and other authentic Mexican cuisine every day at The Brew Hall! The menu is based off of George’s grandmother’s traditional recipes and one can enjoy fresh guacamole, tacos, burritos and even loaded Cabo stuffed potatoes.
I tried the Crispy Tacos with citrus marinated chicken. It was topped with lettuce, cheese, cream and salsa mexicana. It was was crispy, delightful and definitely something to “taco” about.
Take me out to the Ball Game and to The Herd. The Herd by Sports broadcaster Colin Cowherd brings to The Brews Hall some burgers, bets and brews! Here one can catch the latest games and scores in multi-screens that are the backdrop of the counter where folks will place their order.
Bases are loaded with the Bases Load Fries with fries, bacon, cheese, green onions and garlic aioli. It was definitely a home run with these tasty and savory fries!
Last but not least is Rock N’ Fish Grill! This place is seafood lovers paradise with various fresh fish offerings including fish n’ chips and cornmeal battered crispy fish sandwich. They also offer Rock N’ Fish’s famous New England Clam Chowder.
The Brews Hall offers something for everyone. Whether it be a group of friends who want to enjoy happy hour or a family of four who want to bond over burgers and fries; The Brews Hall is the place to be!
For more smiles; please see my Yelp Review on The Brews Hall.
