Hidden Pleasures

[russ parsons]

I'm proposing this as a sort of continuation from a question on my Q&A: Great places that might be off the beaten track. I spent this weekend in one of my favorite parts of California, around Arcata and came back with some new and old favorites:

Big Blue Cafe: On the square in Arcata, great breakfasts. Try the french toast with fresh blueberries.

Larrupin: The big deal restaurant in the area, really comfortable room, pretty good food and a small, well-chosen, well-priced wine list. Cash only.

Seascape Cafe: At the bottom of the hill in Trinidad, right next to the pier. Great breakfasts (try the sourdough pancakes). Wild blackberry pie in season. They also advertise local fish, but I haven't had dinner here, so can't attest (though I did see somebody hauling in a 45-pound king salmon from the end of the pier once!).

Ramon's Bakery: A small chain. Very, very nice baked goods and good coffee. Amazing quality for the area (read: I wish we had something that good in Long Beach).

[Chris Cognac]

Since you brought up Trinidad....I will go with Jamaica....3 Dives on the cliffs in Negril...total shack, but for 20 bucks you get 3....count them 3 lobsters split and grilled served with garlic butter rice and beans....Man I could go for that now...I went there with the Food Writer for the Jamaica Gleaner, Rosemary Parkinson....what a trip!

Closer to home, Gardena bowling alley coffe shop....best hawaiian and portaguese sausage!

[russ parsons]

uh, maybe I'd better make it clear that I meant the Trinidad in Northern California. Different place.

[Jason Perlow]

The ITS-IT factory in San Fran. For me, its really far away. Damn those bastards for not selling them in NY.

[jschyun]

Ramon's Bakery: A small chain. Very, very nice baked goods and good coffee. Amazing quality for the area (read: I wish we had something that good in Long Beach).

Well, lucky for you, you have Polly's for coffee.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Ichiban on University in San Diego. Hole-in-thewall Japanese joint. Worth the wait.

Shin-Sen-Gumi on Western in Gardena. Hole-in-the-wall Japanese Yakitori. I used to eat there for lunch every week and miss the Tanaka Rice.

Marukai market (a bit further up on Western in Gardena). Oriental Market to-die-for.

Yo on Texas & Travis in Fairfield. The most inexpensive and imaginitive Maki and Temaki I've found in California. And cheap.

Bouchon Bakery in Yountville. Pastries so beautiful and tasty they bring tears to your eyes.

Slavko's Fried Chicken on Grand (?) in San Pedro. Must-have with the potatoes.

Fish House Vera Cruz in San Marcos. Something about the sauce they use on their fish...

Crab Cooker in Newport Beach. Something about the paper plates - I've been eating there for over thirty years.

Open Sesame in Belmont Shore, Long Beach. Cheapest, freshest Middle Eastern cuisine - with no corkage.

Just a beginning for me...

[russ parsons]

Great list Carolyn, and so many of them in my neighborhood. I'd also add Otafuku soba on Western in Gardena, the guy is the Thomas Keller of soba noodles. And Fukuno in the same neighborhood, great kappo cooking. And Mitsuwa market on Western south of the 405, which is kind of Bristol Farms to Marukai's Trader Joe's.

Out of Southern California, you've gotta try Echo in Fresno. I've been raving about this place for years, but who goes to Fresno? It really is fabulous, Chez Panisse-style farm-oriented food, except it's in the middle of the farm belt rather than in Berkely.

[grandcru]

Well, lucky for you, you have Polly's for coffee.

Go Polly's! Go Polly's! It's easy to go overboard in Starbucks-bashing, but I'll just continue to let my wallet do the talking for me. I LOVE the roasting dates on the bins. Makes my shopping muy facil.

I'll also add another OOTWHITW: Casa Maya in Mentone, on the outskirts of Redlands. Great seafood dishes, cochinita pibil, and they get the pickled pink onion relish JUST right.

Edited October 21, 2003 by grandcru (log)

[grandcru]

Crab Cooker in Newport Beach. Something about the paper plates - I've been eating there for over thirty years.

I had my purportedly first traumatic dining experience here many moons ago. I picked up an uncapped bottle of Tabasco and inserted it into my ever-curious mouth.

Now, I love the stuff. The seed was planted deeply.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Great list Carolyn, and so many of them in my neighborhood. I'd also add Otafuku soba on Western in Gardena, the guy is the Thomas Keller of soba noodles. And Fukuno in the same neighborhood, great kappo cooking. And Mitsuwa market on Western south of the 405, which is kind of Bristol Farms to Marukai's Trader Joe's.

Thanks for the compliment -- I used to work at a dot-com that bordered Torrance/Gardena and went out to lunch every single day in that neighborhood. I miss them all, but Shin-Sen-Gumi was a definite once-a-week place. I remember Otafuku now and frequented it moreso in the winter when I was cold and needed comfort food.

Sen Nari Sushi on the corner of Western and 182nd was also a favorite.

It is funny about Mitsuwa and Marukai. I'd go to Mitsuwa for its food court, mochi and other bakeries, and toys; Marukai for ceramics, general food ingredients, and antiques (upstairs!).

Gads I miss that place...

Edited October 21, 2003 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[JFLinLA]

I had my purportedly first traumatic dining experience here many moons ago.  I picked up an uncapped bottle of Tabasco and inserted it into my ever-curious mouth.

Now, I love the stuff.  The seed was planted deeply.

Gawd, I remember my daughter, then probably 3 years old, popping a slice of fresh horseradish in her mouth before I could warn her. She still eats almost anything.

[Chris Cognac]

Great list Carolyn, and so many of them in my neighborhood. I'd also add Otafuku soba on Western in Gardena, the guy is the Thomas Keller of soba noodles. And Fukuno in the same neighborhood, great kappo cooking. And Mitsuwa market on Western south of the 405, which is kind of Bristol Farms to Marukai's Trader Joe's.

Thanks for the compliment -- I used to work at a dot-com that bordered Torrance/Gardena and went out to lunch every single day in that neighborhood. I miss them all, but Shin-Sen-Gumi was a definite once-a-week place. I remember Otafuku now and frequented it moreso in the winter when I was cold and needed comfort food.

Sen Nari Sushi on the corner of Western and 182nd was also a favorite.

It is funny about Mitsuwa and Marukai. I'd go to Mitsuwa for its food court, mochi and other bakeries, and toys; Marukai for ceramics, general food ingredients, and antiques (upstairs!).

Gads I miss that place...

I live no more than 2 miles from any of those places...in fact my neighbors own shen sen gumi! Gardena has a great amount of small intimate Japanese places

[marie-louise]

Just a start-

Hurricane Kate's in Eureka. A fun place, filled with locals, food is fushion food that tastes good and makes sense, if you know what I mean.

The soft tacos at Lolita's on the Lakeville Highway in Petaluma.

From my recent trip way up north:

Trinity Cafe, on Mt. Shasta Blvd. north of downtown in the town of Mt. Shasta. The new chef was formerly the sous chef at Piatti and another place I didn't catch. Impeccably fresh seasonal ingredients, perfectly prepared. The restaurant is in a cute little converted house, and the staff is both professional and friendly. This place would be successful in the Bay Area.

Sengthong, on the main street of Dunsmuir (same side of the street, down the hill from the movie theatre.) This place used to be way off the beaten track in the Trinity Alps, but moved over by I-5 a while back. Worth a stop for anyone heading up to Ashland (they are open for lunch, too.) Her food was once written up in Bon Appetit-she is Vietnamese, but also lived in Laos and Thailand. Her food is an interesting mix of the three cuisines.

There's a nice sushi place in Orinda but I can't remember the name. It's in a little mall/ alley around the corner from the movie.

[tejon]

Lucy's, a tiny little box of a place on the corner of Washington and Sepulveda in Santa Monica - carnitas to die for. Recently changed owners and names, but the food and the staff are the same.

Taste of India, at Magnolia and Warner in Huntington Beach - cheap, incredibly good Indian food. Sag aloo and chicken tikka masala are incredible.

Peacock Garden on Golden Springs Blvd. in Diamond Bar - wonderful, complex Indian cuisine, with a surprisingly cheap buffet lunch.

[Chris Cognac]

Lucy's, a tiny little box of a place on the corner of Washington and Sepulveda in Santa Monica - carnitas to die for. Recently changed owners and names, but the food and the staff are the same.

Taste of India, at Magnolia and Warner in Huntington Beach - cheap, incredibly good Indian food. Sag aloo and chicken tikka masala are incredible.

Peacock Garden on Golden Springs Blvd. in Diamond Bar - wonderful, complex Indian cuisine, with a surprisingly cheap buffet lunch.

I will vouch for lucy's...its been a favorite cop spot for years!

[FoodZealot]

-Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ in Stockton, CA. I know, I know, but I went to college there. It's still the benchmark for Mongolian BBQ as far as I'm concerned, and I've not found an equal in LA yet-

• 1) All you can eat - more for the fact of making different combinations than for gluttony (not putting down gluttony, either)
  2) mix your own sauce, rather than letting somebody else do it
  3) they have lamb
  4) the cooks use the two giant chopsticks and use a big flourish in removing it from the grill.
  

-Sak's Teriyaki in Westwood - Not exactly off the beaten path, but no way you'd ever find it unless told about it. Two of my favorite things - cheap and good.

-Log Cabin Inn in Big Bear

-the carniceria near Slauson & Atlantic in Commerce. Haven't been there in a while, but it used to be pretty reliable. There was another good taqueria called __?__ El Indio a few blocks up on Atlantic that was also good.

-Torung at Wilton and Sunset. Cheap and cheap. BYOB. Many band meetings held here.

More as I think of them...

~Tad

Edited October 28, 2003 by FoodZealot (log)

[Maison Rustique]

Noriega Hotel in Bakersfield. Fabulous all you can eat Basque food served family style at long communal tables. It's worth the drive!!

[jschyun]

The Date Shack off PCH in Orange County.

[Cusina]

Crab Cooker in Newport Beach. Something about the paper plates - I've been eating there for over thirty years.

I had my purportedly first traumatic dining experience here many moons ago. I picked up an uncapped bottle of Tabasco and inserted it into my ever-curious mouth.

Now, I love the stuff. The seed was planted deeply.

I'm so glad to hear you aren't permanently scarred!

My son did the same darn thing at about 18 months old. I felt SO bad for him at the time. Those cute little bottles don't look like they would be painful.

[Mayhaw Man]

Kantaro Sushi-1541 W Carson-Torrance

I found this place several years ago when I was staying at the Hilton in Long Beach. I was waiting out front for a cab, and I overheard a group of Japanese business guys discussing where they were going with their dining companions. I asked them about it and was immediately invited to come with them. I am very glad that I did. I have been back many times to this little "hole in the strip mall" in Torrance.

The food is wonderful, the clientelle is primarily Japanese (from Japan). I have seen lots of JAL crews in there and steady stream of "salarymen" scarfing monkfish and squid, gorgeous tuna, and washing it down with copious amounts of Sake (suprisingly, many of these guys like a number of the California brands).

As a bonus, there are always videos of those very interesting Japanese game shows on. I wish that there was a Japanese game show channel, they are hysterical.

As I have stated before, I believe the following "The quality of an oriental restaurant and and the quality of the strip mall it is located in is almost always inversely proportional". That is to say that some of the best places I have ever eaten Japanese or Chinese or Thai food have involved places tucked in between oriental markets, laundromats (Kantaro is next to one), and check cashing places, and porn shops. I think the reason for this is that these places are mostly family run and the proprietors are depending on the quality of their food and word of mouth to carry them, not location or advertising or great reviews in The Times.

[grandcru]

As I have stated before, I believe the following "The quality of an oriental restaurant and and the quality of the strip mall it is located in is almost always inversely proportional". That is to say that some of the best places I have ever eaten Japanese or Chinese or Thai food have involved places tucked in between oriental markets, laundromats (Kantaro is next to one), and check cashing places, and porn shops. I think the reason for this is that these places are mostly family run and the proprietors are depending on the quality of their food and word of mouth to carry them, not location or advertising or great reviews in The Times.

Truer words rarely spoken. Besides, it enhances the thrill of the hunt for many of us. "I can't believe food THIS good is in a place like this!" We're then torn over whether or not to go tell it on the mountain, lest the quality and vibe be disturbed. I die a little, though, when a great HITW dies from underexposure.

[marie-louise]

I thought of another one: Hog Island Oyster Company near Point Reyes. You can shuck them right there on the spot at a picnic table overlooking the water.

[Nancy Berry]

There's a really good old-fashioned steakhouse in Redwood Valley (between Ukiah and Willits) called The Broiler Steak House. The rib-eye I had there was the best I've had in years. It was perfectly broiled medium rare over an oak-fired pit. It's not a really formal restaurant -- kind of a retro place where there are lots of families celebrating.

Here's a link to the Menu.

[tejon]

Kantaro Sushi-1541 W Carson-Torrance

I found this place several years ago when I was staying at the Hilton in Long Beach. I was waiting out front for a cab, and I overheard a group of Japanese business guys discussing where they were going with their dining companions. I asked them about it and was immediately invited to come with them. I am very glad that I did. I have been back many times to this little "hole in the strip mall" in Torrance.

The food is wonderful, the clientelle is primarily Japanese (from Japan). I have seen lots of JAL crews in there and steady stream of "salarymen" scarfing monkfish and squid, gorgeous tuna, and washing it down with copious amounts of Sake (suprisingly, many of these guys like a number of the California brands).

This is an excellent restaurant! It doesn't look like it could possibly could be much, but the food is wonderful. Do they still do karaoke? That was always most entertaining, especially when the Japanese businessmen turned to singing Abba

[Carolyn Tillie]

I thought of another one: Hog Island Oyster Company near Point Reyes. You can shuck them right there on the spot at a picnic table overlooking the water.

They cater too! Gundlach Bundschu used them for their Harvest Party and it was a hoot - my only complaint was that their Mignonette sauce had cilantro in it. Major Uck for me. Fortunately, I'm happy enough with plain oysters.