Can’t wait to see the pics!
Your assortment of transport? 
Chauncey our driver says we haven’t put enough miles on the Phantom so far this year, hence…
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Tell Chauncey he still owes me a ten-spot from pitching pennies.
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Quick weekend trip, it was a very filling 1.5 days:
Shamshiri grill - Gormeh sabzi with lamb neck
Saffron and Rose - jasmine, orange blossom, white rose ice cream
Yakinku Yazawa - Yazawa yaki, kalbi, harami, tongue, oxtail soup, Yazawa special rice
Gjusta - croque madame, bialy egg sandwich, smoked lox, smoked kanpachi, herbed gravlax, oil-cured sardines, sourdough toast
Blue Star Donuts - orange olive oil cake, bourbon old fashioned, “the OG,” apple fritter
Connie and Ted’s - topneck clams, oysters, kumamotos, hot lobster roll, cold lobster roll, Hook burger, many brunch cocktails
Sotto - blistered little gems, fried ricotta squash blossoms, grilled langoustines, Diavolina pizza, 44oz pork tomahawk with Sicilian winter citrus salad
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Nice little trip! What were your favorite dishes?
Had brunch at the newish Restoration Kitchen & Wine in Torrance (not to be confused with Restauration in Long Beach). The 3 dishes we had were not mind-blowing, but were very good I thought. I think a neighborhood spot like this was much needed amidst all the chains we have over here. I’m looking forward to going back and trying their dinner menu soon.
Brioche French toast with house made grapefruit jam and maple whipped cream:
Skirt steak & eggs with chimichurri and fries:
Mushroom toast (Lodge Bread sourdough, maitake mushrooms, scrambled eggs, frisée):
Restoration Kitchen & Wine
1437 Marcelina Ave
Torrance, CA 90501
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The “Yazawa Yaki” is always awesome, and the guests loved it. Connie and Ted’s lobster rolls and oysters were excellent, but we have had those so many times it’s not as much of a surprise.
Also Gjusta’s oil-cured sardines on sourdough are fantastic, and Blue Star’s orange olive oil cake donut had just enough citrus.
Sotto’s pork tomahawk was great - I’d love to have it in the summer, when I could imagine they’d have a salad like peach, fennel, and mint. Everything was super savory and the meal we ordered was a touch heavy, but it was delicious. Desserts were only ok though.
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Nice! I went to Connie and Ted’s this weekend, as well. It was my first time there. I stopped by on a whim and had to leave pretty quickly, so all I tried were the fried clams with bellies. They were tasty, but on some level, they just tasted like little fried crunchy things. The tartar sauce was good, though.
The fried bellies are tasty indeed.
Personally, I think the raw bar and lobster rolls are their relative strongest items they have. The oysters are the cleanest around and the lobster rolls have perfect textures and proportions. My party always loves the Hook burger and grilled daily catch, too. This is the first time I skipped their sorbets - which are uniformly excellent, but the flavors didn’t appeal to me this time. I think Connie and Ted’s is perfect for a few oysters and clams, a lobster roll, and sorbets. Of course a few drinks - the Grapefruit is my favorite; they are never light-handed on the tequila, but it’s more refreshing zero-proof. It’s also discounted at brunch time 10:00am-2:00pm on weekends.
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Hi @BradFord,
Very nice! 
definitely agree on Connie & Ted’s strengths. Their Fish and Chips are also excellent.
The next time at Gjusta give their Cold Smoked Kanpachi a try. So good! And their legendary Carrot Cake.
I did have the cold smoked kanpachi! It was good but sliced ultra thin, which was impressive, but I think a more substantial cut would’ve been nice, too. We waited at Gjusta such a long time on Saturday morning that I totally forgot about the carrot cake - I was too busy focused on the long wait (in part due to the fish cutting which was unusually slow).
I’ll have to get the carrot cake next time. Plans for the next weekend trip in a few weeks - Gjusta, Republique, Cassia, Chi Spacca, Shiki, and I gotta make sure to get those Broad tickets.
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Genuinely surprised you went to Sotto.
I’m curious why in some ways, as you were talking about how SF has better Cal-Ital than LA I thought? I would’ve expected you to avoid the Cal-Ital places on trips to LA.
What made you decide to hit up Sotto?
It was central to everyone and we wanted Italian. We went to Osteria Mozza and Angelina Osteria last time. We didn’t have a great experience with Brentwood Italian before. So this time, we were debating between Sotto and Chi Spacca. This time we tried Sotto, we liked it, and next time we’ll try Chi Spacca.
A week late. Had an unexpected trip to L.A. Last weekend. Dinner at Sakura in West L.A. (Yelp says “Del Rey”). The size of their nigiri makes it nearly impossible to eat in one bite. Sushi rice was loose and fell apart, but I think the seared tuna and albacore nigiri pieces I ordered were sauced. Also had salmon roe and an ume shiso hand roll.
Later in the weekend went to Humble Potato in Westchester. Nibbled on a few French fries (nice and crisp exterior and pillowy interior) and had their maaketo salad with tempeh instead of chicken. The salad is not something I’d order again. I prefer their burgers and sandwiches.
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Sakura is in the Del Rey neighborhood (West LA is much further north and mostly east of Bundy). This area is often confused as Mar Vista and Culver City as well. Long story but no big.
Sakura is fine for a neighborhood spot - it’s super busy most of the time - but not a destination kind of place. They’re the classic generalist Japanese resto but take the food a little more seriously. I’d guess the majority of the patrons are pretty casual about their food. Not that the food is bad - it’s probably lower second or upper third tier on the Japanese cuisine ladder in LA - but they serve a lot of non-traditionalists (non-Nihonjin, Nisei and younger) as well as Nihonjin who really like the casualness of the meal. I know artisans from Japan who really like this place. The size of the nigiri is indicative of the expectations and appetites of the average eater there. .
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My brother is a Sakura fan, and I understand why with portions and freshness. When I lived in the area, we used to frequent Sushi Mashiko in Culver City fairly regularly. I remember liking their offerings and the casual, intimate environment. Edited to say: Mashiko is not a destination restaurant, but (was) another solid neighborhood option. I’ll have to re-visit next time I’m in the area.
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Demitasse couldn’t renew their lease, so this week will be their last in the current Little Tokyo location. It was nice decade-long run.
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Bummer that’s a nice location. Hopefully they find a good tennant for that spot