Sansui Tei
2529 Pacific Coast Highway (between Crenshaw & Airport; in Torrance)

Ever since my first trip here by accident, I had made a pilgrimage to this amazing place each trip to Southern California. This small, Torrance-based yakiniku joint is about the best you can get. Affordable, with excellent meats and the most awesome waitresses in the area, it sure beats sitting at a stiff sushi bar with sub-par fish and the wrong ethnics behind the sushi bar…

Sansui Tei is very popular with the local Japanese population, so a lot of the clientele were Japanese families. It was a busy Sunday evening, and I felt guilty for taking up a table for 4 alone. Nevertheless I had a great time. And the waitresses, amazing as they are, managed to get my wine and meats and veggies delivered in lightning speed. For once I wished they worked slower! Sorry, I’m single again, and my eyes wander…

I enjoyed the special mix, which contained tongue, rib and sirloin. You grill it yourself, so it’s simple. I also ordered a mixed vegetable plate, so that grilled with the meat worked out well. It was a fantastic meal, and I even had a second helping of tongue to finish the evening off.

I left the restaurant again mesmerised…the waitresses, the aroma of the grill, the taste of the meat, etc. It was a fantastic time at a fantastic place. It’s a must for everyone who loves barbeque.

Food: A-
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B+

Back Home in Lahaina
916 N. Sepulveda Blvd (between 9th & 10th; in Manhattan Beach)

For someone who is occasionally home-sick for Hawai’i, this is as good as getting back to Honolulu. As there is quite a nice sized Hawai’ian population in Southern California, there ought to be restaurants to cater to them. I found Back Home in Lahaina last year, and drop by for lunch often. It’s not great and not totally genuine, but I miss a good grind.

As usual, I have the kalua plate. The thing I miss about Hawai’i most is kalua and the plate lunch. I hated the weather and the way-too-relaxed attitude, I disliked the beach and sun, and I hated the distance to everything, but this I couldn’t get out of my blood.

However, today – being Memorial Day Sunday – the kalua was awful. Rare, as this place is usually totally dependable. It was stiff, like a combination of too little cooking time (they were shutting down for Monday, so maybe they had too little) and a bad piece of pork. Ugh…

Nevertheless, I miss the flavour and I totally wish there was something in NYC for my kalua cravings… This place has some Hawai’ian décor and flavours, not totally genuine, but it’s as good as it gets before getting on that 5-hour flight west…

Food: C
Atmosphere: C
For Lone Diners: B

Drago
2628 Wilshire Blvd (between 26th and Princeton; in Santa Monica)

It was Memorial Day Saturday and knowing the DUI checkpoints (I miss NYC since you don’t need a car…LA is just built for DUI…), I chose to take a cab despite having a rental car. I chose Drago in Santa Monica as I had a wonderful meal there the previous year when I visited the area.

The restaurant was very busy (totally different from the mid-week experience I had last time) and the atmosphere was one of near chaos – but somewhat controlled. Drago is a typical high-class Italian restaurant tempered by the relaxed atmosphere of Southern California. So it’s not stiff at all. Celestino Drago could open this place in Manhattan and do quite well...

It took awhile, but I enjoyed my bottle of lagrein with the starter of salumi misti (mixed cured meats). Not bad, but the cuts of meat were quite poor – and the "fried bread" tasted old… Not a good start. Plus, my favourite wild boar chops were gone from the menu.

But it all caught up with my expectations when my favourite risotto nero showed up. I love ink, as readers know, but they do a spectacular huge portion here with assorted seafood. I would have loved more squid and cuttlefish, but prawns and scallops were nice indeed with the flavourful risotto.

I bypassed the dessert and enjoyed some grappa before finding a taxi (not that easy in Southern California…) to go back. Mmm, this worked out well. Drago is an excellent place, but it is a little chaotic. Something like that would never stand in Manhattan, but for SoCal, it’s not bad.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B-

Jino's Pars Restaurant
5844 W. Manchester Blvd (between Airport and Belford; in Westchester)

I had just jumped off a long, 6-hour flight from JFK into LAX, and already had enough of California. I personally can’t stand this place, but was stuck to come here for a few days – conveniently on Memorial Day weekend. That airport mess…ugh…

So I needed to reward myself, so I dropped into Pars, a wonderful Persian restaurant I had found on a previous trip. It’s conveniently a few blocks from LAX, so I dropped in for a solid lunch.

With a beer to calm me down, I enjoyed the lamb soltani – excellent. I have always had great grilled meats here, but their specialty is really the koobideh (which is half of the soltani combo alongside the kabob). It is juicy and tender and I literally devoured the two skewers alongside the basmati rice (topped with saffron rice) and the grilled tomato.

Excellent food. I wish I had more opportunity to really explore this place, especially their lamb shank, polo dishes and so forth. But when I'm here twice a year, I can't pass up on this amazing lamb!

Ahh…perhaps Los Angeles has some redeeming qualities – the best Persian food to be found in the country. Pars is a half-Italian and half-Persian place-in-one, but do come here for the awesome Persian cuisine. It is a typical, relaxed place near LAX, so all you need is your appetite. Fast and friendly service, what else can you ask for?

Food: A-
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: A-

Insieme
777 7th Avenue (at 51st, at the Michelangelo Hotel)

I had found this restaurant by accident on the Internet and thought I would try it one evening with a friend. It turns out this small, chic hotel restaurant had opened just a few weeks earlier, and it was a heck of a find. In fact, one of the best I've found in awhile.

The place has a minimalist feel to it, nothing fancy -- that I like. It shows they work on the food and service and not on just superficial things. The service, however, was speedy and attentive. Excellent. The wine list was absolutely fantastic, and the staff spent plenty of time describing the wide selection and offering advice. This place is staffed by people who really enjoy what they do, and what they serve. Perfect.

The menu had two parts -- one more traditional, old world, the other more innovative, new work. I went heretical and chose one part of the meal from each...

Both my friend and I chose the smoky sea risotto, which had a wonderful bonito flavour about it. The two lobs of urchin on top was a little limited, but it worked out well with the strongly-flavoured and perfectly-cooked risotto. This was a great start.

The main course I went traditional with the lesso misto -- the mixed boiled meats. Another simple dish that can be screwed up very easily. But this place did it with care and flavour. Each of the meats tasted wonderful, especially the tongue. I loved it. The assortment of vegetables made it acceptable to those of us who like some complementary stuff from the soil... My friend enjoyed the cacciucco -- the seafood stew. It looked amazing, and I was assured it was.

Dessert was fantastic. My friend chose the "cannoli" and I went with the sorbetto: the "buttermilk rhubarb" I thought tasted more like mango, but was excellent; the espresso was also excellent; the chocolate was just a bit too rich and decadent for me! Wow. And with a nice grappa (this place has an awesome list of post-dinner joys...) and espresso, we left at midnight more than happy. Wow, what a find...

As much as I hate to be in the middle of tourism hell, this is one place I would temper my bad temper for -- and that's saying plenty!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A-
For Lone Diners: A- (*)

Milos
125 West 55th Street (between 6th & 7th)

It was a horribly hot day, but I dropped into the airy restaurant for a well-deserved full lunch. The table was nice, and I liked the open spacing -- and the usage of the building's foundation pylons and so forth. The little above-ground alcoves are also nice. But there are a few pieces of oddly-placed art...

The meal started well. I had a nice Greek white on this horribly hot day, and the grilled octopus was excellent. I was saddened that they no longer have cuttlefish, but this was nice. Service was lightning fast, so that was great.

The main course was one I didn't care for -- but chose it over the other bland choices: swordfish. Sorry to sound arrogant, but I have never had a better swordfish than ones that come either from my own kitchen, or back in Sicily. This was overcooked and uninspiring...I should have known better...oh well...

The service then collapsed...took 15 minutes for the forced-on-me prix fixe dessert to arrive. It was a pretty boring karidopita, and it took ages to get the espresso. That left things pretty negative at the end, which is too bad, as it started out so well. It's a good place, but I think other Greek estiatoria are much better, especially Ammos (but definitely NOT Avra)...

Food: C+
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B-

Landmarc
179 West Broadway (between Leonard & Worth)

My friend suggested this place down in TriBeCa -- an area of town I usually avoid due to the amount of pomposity, frivolity and shallowness that's exhibited there. However, since we would be meeting early, I thought, why not. So I trecked down on the Subway and had a pretty good time at this interesting eatery.

Looking at the menu (my friend too care of the wine, a fine pinot noir), I noticed a few things influenced by the crafty hands of London's Fergus Henderson (and his infamous St John), the doyen of the "nose-to-tail eating" trend. Some find it awful, I love it. The roasted bone marrow on the menu was a great example of this dedication.

Over a good amount of wine and interesting chat, my starter arrived. The warm snail salad was quite excellent, with ample amount of the advertised ingredient. That was a good start. For the main course I chose the boudin noir (blood sausage). It was not grilled well, but it was good nevertheless -- with a side of nicely done potato (something I usually don't enjoy).

There were of course pompous, self-important idiots all around, so we took off early after finishing off the 2nd bottle of wine. It was a good place, and around that part of TriBeCa, it's a good find -- especially for its value and high quality. Excellent place, especially if you are stuck mired in this meshy mess of pomposity...

Food: B
Atmosphere: C+
For Lone Diners: B+ (*)

Il Campanello
136 West 31st Street (between 6th & 7th)

I found this "Italo-Argentinean" place by accident awhile ago, and it has never disappointed. Located near Madison Square Garden, it's an idea place to run to before an event. However, this time, I just had a desire for good grilled food, so I went there with a friend for a late dinner.

The place looks a bit like Craft inside, with the high ceiling and large window panes. The floor is equipped to be turned into a dancefloor to host many of the Latin American dancing events at this place. However, I'm not here to do anything but enjoy the cuisine this fine evening.

The staff was half asleep at one point, as it seems only one waiter was being attentive (and he can't be everywhere at the same time). Took awhile but we got a nice bottle of Argentinean malbec and I started with a nice beef carpaccio.

The main course was my favourite, parrillada argentina -- the mixed grill. This huge assortment contained the wonderful skirt steak cooked to the right medium-rare I wanted, the short ribs with much flavour, the morcilla (blood sausage) I craved, and a few other bits. I'm not a big fan of sweetbreads, but I ate them. My friend took the chicken as it was just too much.

We enjoyed a few grappa (including one on the house) with coffee, and I enjoyed also a mango sorbet -- done very well. I was more than happy as we left the restaurant as it closed. Wonderful place, though some of the staff needs to wake up a bit...

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: C (*)

Georgia Brown's
950 15th Street NW (between I & K, Washington DC)

I remember someone joking to me saying this revered Washington DC home of haute Southern cuisine could mesmirise patrons into thinking this chaotic capital of this country is truly an integrated city. For a brief afternoon lunch over a few drinks and escaping from the sun and the menacing summer-like humidity, my week-long trip back to my former abode on the Potomac gave me a chance to enjoy good Southern food again.

Georgia Brown's is a fantastic place, one of the happiest places you'll ever visit. The crowd is unlike most restaurants fine dining patrons are used to -- let's just be frank. A large number, if not a majority, of patrons, are from the black community. Again, looking at the crowd of wealthy, affluent, successful and fantastically-dressed crowd you would think of the successes of racial integration. Well, for an afternoon maybe...

I used to enjoy this place for the energy and the large and fine foods here. It is a place you will get very, very full. I came in on a hot late afternoon and relaxed to a rather fantastic melon-based cocktail. Mmm...sweet and cold. I ended up having another, especially enjoying the huge slice of watermelon that came with each.

For the meal I had a bit too much. The starter was the Charleston she-crab soup. This is a fantastic version of the classic, with the sherry really coming out. Fantastic. The main course was a huge plate of Carolina gumbo. I am a gumbo lover, since I cultivated that strange vegetable called the okra as a child. Amazing stuff, with very generous amounts of seafood and duck and sausages...mmm.

The atmosphere there is always happy and -- as I usually dine there during lunch -- lots of long, long lunches. There is a great amount of energy there, and the space is well-used. Diners are always happy to enjoy the foods of both their upbringing and exploration, and the staff is quick and efficient. To this day, this is still one of my favourites in DC.

Check it out if you get to DC, and you'll have a wonderful experience with the food and atmosphere. And prepare to take some food home!

Food: B+
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: A-

Mercat
45 Bond Street (between Lafayette and Bowery)

On a Friday me and a friend chose to chance the new Catalan-flavoured Mercat -- sans reservations, so it was risky. We were given 2 spaces at the bar, which worked out very well. Once they get their reservation system worked out, this will be a great place. It was already darn good, and we had a wonderful time.

I felt good from the first moments I saw the menu -- written in Catalan. How authentic, and that made me smile. We had a wondeful bottle of rioja and ordered an assortment of tapas -- ranging from cargols (snails grilled on a skewer) to grilled padrones peppers (nice!), from bacallá (salt cod) fritters to fideuà negra (short noodles in ink).

After that wonderful round, we chose to enjoy some cheese and jamón serrano -- lamenting the fact that we still can't get the amazing jamón iberico in the US (it's illegal?!). I dream of that meal in London's Barrafina... With another bottle of excellent wine, we wound down the evening in style.

I like this place, from the balance of trendy and traditional, to the Catalan flag near the kitchen. If it had iberico it would be nearly perfect. What an awesome addition to the New York dining scene!

Food: A-
Atmosphere: B
For Lone Diners: B (*)

Thalia
828 Eighth Avenue (at 50th Street)

I met with a friend of mine for lunch across town last week. Again, I usually don't wander to the West Side, especially around Times Square, but it's easier for my friend -- so I was happy to tread into tourist hell for a short time.

Thalia is a pretty okay spot, and I can see how it could be extremely busy with tourism traffic. However, we met for a late lunch, so it wasn't very busy. However, the staff was nearly asleep, so that was not great.

It was an extremely hot day, so I cooled down with a glass of pinot grigio and had a pretty okay lunch. I started with the fricasee of seasonal mushrooms. This was disappointing, especially for a mushroom lover. There was barely any mushrooms, it was nearly all polenta. It was good, but it wasn't what I hoped for.

For the main course I had the scallops, which was pretty good. The accompanying items, such as the risotto and kale, was rather nice. I enjoyed this part of the meal.

We were running short of time so we passed on coffee and dessert -- not that I was interested in the latter. It was a pretty fair lunch, and I had a drink of water before heading out into the hot sunny afternoon. Where is my winter?!

Food: B
Atmosphere: B-
For Lone Diners: B- (*)