Tag: torrance

Hello Raising Cane’s Torrance!

Hello Raising Cane’s Torrance!

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Raise your hands up South Bay if you want some good chicken fingers! We now have a Raising Cane’s in Torrance!

Just this past week Raising Cane’s opened up on Hawthorne Blvd; at the prior location of Pier 1 Imports. The Torrance location is the first Raising Cane’s ever in the South Bay. A second location is planned in Gardena, California for later this year.

It’s true March Madness as South Bay residents happily and safely social distance to check out the famed Louisiana based chicken tenders. Cars have been lining up on Hawthorne Blvd and online orders are buzzing.

I recently got to check it out (There was no March Madness for me as I was in and out 😉. You can check out my Yelp review to find out how).

My winner winner chicken dinner consisted of the Caniac Combo. This has six chicken fingers, crinkle cut fries, two Cane’s sauce and Texas toast. Needless to say I was a maniac for the Caniac. This was one tasty combo. The chicken tenders were perfectly crunchy. They use premium Canola oil giving a nice flavor to the chicken. Similarly the crinkle cut fries were cooked to order in the quality Canola oil and were served piping hot. The other side with this combo is the coleslaw. Fresh cabbage and carrots were used to make the creamy delightful side. Last but not least this combo had some of the best Texas toast I’ve ever had. The Texas toast had a nice crisp edge. It also had a good buttery taste.

Aside from The Caniac Combo; there are four other combos via The Box Combo, The 3 Finger Combo, The Kids Combo and The Sandwich Combo. There’s something for every chicken lover.

Overall I enjoyed the new Raising Cane’s in Torrance. I am definitely raising my hands 🙌🏻 up in happiness. 😁.

For more smiles; please see my Yelp Review on Raising Cane’s Torrance.

Hello The Standing Room Torrance

Hello The Standing Room Torrance

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There’s a bright big pink pig light that’s shining on a wooden wall. The pig stamped with “TSR” looks familiar. Soon enough I remember what “TSR” stands for and I recall some of best burgers I’ve ever had.

Back in 2013; I wrote a blog post about a small Redondo Beach burger spot inside a liquor store that was “omg” amazing. A year later I wrote another blog post about the new full fledge burger restaurant in Hermosa Beach that was opened up by the same owners. Now it’s 7 years later and I’m back to writing about the latest food venture of “TSR” or The Standing Room.

From the liquor store in Redondo Beach to the restaurant in Hermosa Beach; The Standing Room now has a new spot in Torrance, California.

The Torrance location is a welcome addition to the South Bay. It just opened up this past February. The Hermosa Beach sadly was a victim of restaurant closures due to the pandemic back in 2020 and thus this opening in Torrance is a sign of better things to come!

Similar to their other restaurants: this Torrance location offers some tasty treats! They’ve got salads, sammies, burgers and entree plates.

For my first visit to the Torrance location I decided to get a burger as that is the food that The Standing Room is most famous for.

I got The Napoleon; The Standing Room’s biggest burger! I once got this before in Redondo Beach and it’s even bigger and better now in Torrance!

On top of a ton of truffle Parmesan fries is a large thick burger smothered with tomato jam, Korean aioli and topped off with a pile of braised short rib, bacon, spring mixed caramelized onion, fried egg and three types of cheese (American Cheddar and Smoked Gouda).

The burgers at The Standing Room are my favorite but I’m also a fan of their sammies! They even have one that is perfect for vegetarians.

Vegetarians can get the Fu Fu Sammie! It has fried tofu, spring mix, onion, tomato, spicy vinaigrette and gouchu!

⁣⁣I really like this sammie! The fried tofu is good in flavor. The sauces on this sandwich supplement the tofu really well and gives the sandwich an overall sweet and spicy flavor. I also love how the bread has crisp edges.

If I said “OMG” 7 years ago; I’m saying “Ooooooooh yeah” now! This burger is a fabulous as I remember. It is packed with mouth watering ingredients and flavors. It’s gigantic not only in size but in taste too!

I am extremely happy to see The Standing Room in Torrance. It may have been seven years from my first visit at the liquor store but nothing has changed; their burgers still leave me in awe.

For more smiles; please see my Yelp Reviewon The Standing Room Torrance

Hello The San Franciscan!

Hello The San Franciscan!

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Growing up in the South Bay; I had always seen this South Bay staple; The San Franciscan. Located in Torrance’s busy Sepulveda blvd is this restaurant. They’ve been there since 1963! From the street there are no windows and it always made me intrigued to see what this place was all about. Back in 2018; The San Franciscan even won The Daily Breeze’s “Hidden Gem of Torrance” award. They have also been voted in the South Bay as having the “Best Steak” for the past 20 years.

Just recently my boyfriend celebrated his birthday. Being both current Torrance locals; I thought it would be nice to support a Torrance restaurant and I chose to get takeout from here for his birthday dinner.

My boyfriend is a big salad fan and was happy to see The San Franscian have three different salads to choose from. They had a Chef’s Salad, a Shrimp Louie and a Charbroiled Chicken Salad. I chose The Chef’s Salad for us. It was one huge salad. It was a big spread of crisp greens that was topped julienne of turkey breast, ham, cheese, tomato and egg. The cheese itself consisted of cheddar and swiss! It was quite impressive as well as quite tasty. Needless to say my boyfriend who is a salad lover was quite happy.

For the appetizer; I got us the Eggplant Parmesan. If my boyfriend is a big salad fan; I am a big eggplant fan. Similar to the salad; they gave us quite a healthy portion for the Eggplant Parmesan. It consisted of several eggplant pieces smothered in delightful marinara sauce and topped with oozing layers of cheese. Though The San Franciscan is a popular steak house; they certainly could give Italian restaurants a run for their money.

Speak of steak; I definitely had to get us some prime rib here. Prime Rib is the meat that this steakhouse is famous for. Their prime rib is properly aged and slow roasted to seal in the natural juices. It is even hand carved to order. They’ve got three different cuts. They have a House Special (half pound), a Franciscan cut (three quarter pound) and the Diamond Jim (nineteen ounces). Each prime rib entree comes with warm sourdough bread, choice of soup or salad, and choice of baked potato, steak fries, fresh vegetables, or rice pilaf. I got us the Franciscan cut along with soup and rice pilaf. The soup changes daily and we ended up with Split Pea.

Overall the main entree was a winner. Our medium well prime rib was perfectly tender and juicy. The au jus was on point and perfect for the prime rib. I also quite enjoyed the rice pilaf. It was very flavorful and went well with the meat. The side soup and sourdough bread were also perfect pairs for one another. I loved that the thick broth of the split pea. It was great to dip the sourdough bread in. We were quite happy campers with this meal.

The San Franciscan is no longer a mystery to me. I am happy and pleased that I finally got to try this Torrance icon and will definitely be back. The food for here made for an awesome birthday dinner for my boyfriend!

For more smiles; please see my Yelp Review on The San Franciscan.

Hello Von’s Chicken Torrance!

Hello Von’s Chicken Torrance!

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Last December I found the most amazing place offering Korean fried chicken via Von’s Chicken Torrance. Von’s Chicken is located in Torrance Crossroads; a busy strip mall that also houses Home Depot and Von’s Supermarket (and no; there is no relation to the supermarket 😜).

The Korean fried chicken spot offers more than fried chicken though because you also have the option of getting oven chicken.

Their oven chicken was actually the very first thing I tried here and I instantly fell in love. For oven chicken; they offer eight different flavors. They have Roast Oven Chicken, Vons Special Sauce Chicken, Garlic Chicken, Padak Chicken, Red Burn Chicken, Soy Sauce and Black Vinegar Chicken and Boneless “SSAM” chicken.

I chose to get the Roast Oven Chicken

The Roast Oven Chicken comes with two side sauces; a honey mustard sauce and a sweet and sour sauce. Both sauces compliment the chicken very well. It gives either a little spice (if you use the honey mustard) or a little sweet (if you use the sweet and sour). The chicken itself was so tender and moist. The chicken with the sauce is very tasty and a true winner.

I was so impressed with the oven chicken; that a few weeks later I was back to try their fried chicken.

For their fried chicken; they’ve got six different flavors. One can choose from Crunch Fried Chicken, Crispy Fried Chicken, Crispy Soy Chicken, Crispy Padak Chicken, Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Cristy “Yang-Nyun” Chicken.

I chose to get the Honey Butter Chicken.

For the Honey Butter Chicken; one can get it with honey butter or cheddar. I ended up getting it with both the honey butter and cheddar and it was so delicious. One could definitely taste the honey at first bite. The chicken skin itself was so crisp! The cheddar gave it a nice additional texture too.

It wasn’t too long after that I was back again. (Hmm Yelp duchess right here ☺️). This time it was to try their Boneless “SSAM” Chicken.

Boneless “SSAM” Chicken is the Korean version of lettuce wraps. Instead of lettuce; they have radish slices to use as the wrap.

I absolutely loved this dish! I really liked the mix of flavors once the chicken and veggies were put in the radish slices. Similar to the oven chicken; this came with the honey mustard and sweet and sour sauce. These sauces really enhanced the flavors. It was a nice healthy and yummy dish.

Three times a charm and my three visits here have left me feeling so satisfied and happy! I can’t wait to be back again and hope you too will be able to check this tasty place in Torrance!

For more smiles; please see my Yelp Review on Von’s Chicken Torrance.

Hello Randy’s Donuts Torrance!

Hello Randy’s Donuts Torrance!

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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

Hello Felice Italian Catering!

Hello Felice Italian Catering!

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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.

Hello Sartori Thai!

Hello Sartori Thai!

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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.

Hello The Depot Torrance Birthday Celebration!

Hello The Depot Torrance Birthday Celebration!

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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.

Hello Caps and Corks: LA Street Foods!

Hello Caps and Corks: LA Street Foods!

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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.

Hello Mo-Mo Paradise Takeout!

Hello Mo-Mo Paradise Takeout!

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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.