I am a Hawaiian food junkie. If there's a Hawaiian restaurant nearby, I will be there, even if it's just a local Aloha Cafe or L&L BBQ. And at the top of the list of items I order: Kahlua pork and loco moco. Very few restaurants can make a good Kahlua pork, and fewer places can make a good loco moco (I've only had two good loco moco's that weren't homemade).

So imagine how happy I was to discover that Gardena is a home to quite a large Japanese-American population that likes Hawaiian restaurants! In addition to the standard L&L BBQ restaurants, I'm happy to have been introduced to Cherrystones and Gardena Bowl.

Cherrystones is a small restaurant in the middle of an industrial district that cooks AMAZING Kahlua pork. Not only is every single bite of the pork tender and soft (without necessarily being fatty), the flavor actually complements the cabbage. I very rarely eat the cabbage, since it always drowns the taste of the pork. In this case, though, the cabbage was cooked al dente, which left it very flavorful for a cabbage. The side salads were even good, but of course I never even touch that until I finish with the pork. So far, probably the best Kahlua pork I've ever had outside of Hawaii itself (at the luau, straight from the underground oven).

The Gardena Bowl is a bowling alley. A bowling alley with a small restaurant not unlike your resident greasy spoon. If there was such thing as a Japanese greasy spoon, this would be it, only the dishes were authentically Japanese and still relatively healthy as the item allows. I, of course, didn't opt for health, satisfying my craving for a loco moco. I figured, if this place is the way it looks, it should make a damn good loco moco. And boy, did it! This loco moco topped a plate of rice with grilled onions, a still-tender and moist ground beef patty, an egg made-to-order (mine was sunny side up), and GRAVY all over the whole thing. Since they were generous on the gravy and tender with the meat, it seemed to make all the difference in the world. This is one of the very few loco moco's I can enjoy without having to cook myself, and I'm so glad it's only a block away from Cherrystones and a couple blocks from where I work! Added perks: apparently Anthony Bourdain visited this episode in a Gardena/Hawthorne episode! Immediate props!

Cherrystones
15501 South Vermont Avenue, Gardena, CA 90247-4100 - (310) 329-8200
http://www.cherrystones.org/

Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop
15707 South Vermont, Gardena, CA 90247 - (310) 324-1244
http://www.gardenabowl.com/

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After blogging about Comme Ca, I confess it's kind of hard to think highly of STK Steakhouse. It's not that STK was bad, per se. It was okay for a steakhouse. But for a high end steak restaurant in Los Angeles, competing with the likes of Mastro's, Lawry's, or even Ruth's Chris, I expected better.

I give the place points for atmosphere. The place was trendy, the ambiance was nice, and the place actually was relatively quiet. Because EM and I had a 7 p.m. reservation, they even spaced us apart sufficiently for a great quiet space conducive to conversation. By 8 p.m. the place was filling up and by 9 p.m. the place was jam packed, but even then, it didn't get very loud. The restrooms were up a spiral staircase and the bar was a lounge one step lower and off to one side of the restaurant. Ambiance: beautiful.

It did not, however, make up for the food. The appetizer was amazing. We ordered a foie gras with french toast, and it was a taste explosion. The foie gras provided the salty counterbalance to the sweet green apple and the earthy french toast (which was indeed prepared as a traditional french toast with egg and powdered sugar). Texture was kind of bland, but the flavors (and the fact that it was foie gras) made up for it.

The entrees were mediocre, to say the least. EM ordered a bone-in ribeye and I ordered a filet mignon. We both ordered it rare (that's how we do), and his came out deep red and mine came out pink. I do fault this slightly on the fact that his was three times the size of mine, but they really should have timed it better. When mine came to the table, it looked a very grey-brown color, and if my meat isn't outright mooing, I don't find it enjoyable.

The sides were better, with larger than life steak cut ("log cabin cut, if you will) truffle fries and parmesan cheese grated on top, and green beans. The green beans were actually my favorite, since they were seasoned so very well. There was a richness of a red wine sauce with a pepper touch. The fries were pretty good too, very crispy on the outside (from being heavily deep-fried) and tender on the inside. The texture was pretty good, as was the hint of truffle oil.

All in all, I'd say go for the appetizers and the ambiance, but don't rely on the place for a great steak.

STK - LA
755 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90069 - (310) 659-3535
www.stkhouse.com

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Oxtail jam. What exactly is a jam made out of oxtail? Don't ask. Just eat. Enjoy. SAVOR.

I confess, I'm a new convert to bone marrow. All those years growing up, my mom always made pho with an oxtail base, and I never thought to indulge in the bone marrow for the richest flavor. Today, as a glutton for rich flavors, I find myself craving these fatty morsels of love, longing for a chance to scoop those tiny spoons in deeper for the kill. FTW!

It turns out that Comme Ca (French for "Like That") does it so well that it deserves the name--"It's like THAT, bitch" (*SMACKDOWN*). And everyone runs scared.

Because what you get on a plate is TWO--not one, but TWO--slices of bone with the marrow so properly executed that you can't help but want more. Along the edge and a little inside is a sprinkling of sea salt, which accentuates the meat flavor of the marrow. You are supposed to indulge with the oxtail jam, which really just seemed to be oxtail meat--very tender--sauteed in almost a wine reduction sauce. It was full and thick in texture, rich and salty in flavor. This was contrasted with the very thinly sliced and toasted slices of bread that added the crispiness to your mouthful. The result? A very filling and fulfilling flavor and texture combination that leaves you wanting more (but you're too full to have more!).

The price point is also awesome, at $14, and it makes for a nice stop-over for a first date at a bar. Full in flavor, light as a meal (listed as just an appetizer), and utterly gratifying. Highly recommended!

Comme Ca
8479 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069 - (323) 782-1104
http://www.commecarestaurant.com/

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In this little hole in the wall restaurant just outside of the Larchmont district, there is a magical Peruvian restaurant that will knock your socks off. The best damn ceviche you will ever have, the best battered fish you will ever have, and the best beef saltado you will ever even dream of. This is Mario's Restaurant.

The wait will be crazy and the parking will be ridiculous, but once you get in and manage to get yourself seated in the very humbly inexpensive tables and chairs, you'll find yourself surrounded by a surprisingly quiet restaurant--because everyone is eating.

The ceviche is sliced larger than usual, with pieces of squid and octopus, but like Wilson in Culver City (which is now closed! :( ), it is cooked amazingly tenderly. The result is a ceviche which is not only perfectly tart, but also perfectly tender AND al dente, if you will.

The battered fish is salty and slightly spicy, but the perfect consistency of a high-end fish and chips, without the high-end price tag or the low end breadiness. A treat for future Lenten seasons!

The saltado was my favorite. The fries appeared to be sauteed with the meats for the perfect amount of time, to make them flavorful without losing the crispiness. The seasoning of the meat was the real winner, though, with a rich flavor that only years of history could inspire. Apparently the owners are Chinese, but they are transplants from Peru itself! Way to bring the homeland food to LA--this place is quite a treat at a great price point with the authenticity to boot.

Mario's Peruvian & Seafood Restaurant
5786 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 - (323) 466-4181

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I was a huge fan of Water Grill. As one of the most well-known seafood restaurants in LA, it enjoyed a reputation as a fresh, high-end seafood restaurant where you could order a seafood platter that was bigger than your entire upper torso. (Okay, I exaggerate. But not by much.)

And the evening did start off well. We were delighted to enjoy some complimentary spicy tuna wrapped in cucumber on a spoon, a palette prep for what was to come. And check this out:

I had the MSC Certified Chilean Sea Bass (Soy-ginger baked with red chili jam, long beans and Japanese eggplant). This was drowned in Asian flavors, a taste explosion in your mouth. The flavors were clearly inspired by the Southeast Asian spices and flavors, and the fish was tender and well-cooked, as a Chilean sea bass always is to be.

DD had the Alaskan Black Cod (Sautéed and basted with lavender, Meyer lemon, and Madagascar vanilla bean oil). This was also very flavorful, a lot of salty and almost a gritty texture to the surface, as it it had a dry rub. The flavor was tart, almost as if to boast the citrus flavors, and all it seemed to need was a yuzu to calm down the citrus without taming it. The grapes and almonds were a very nice touch though. It tasted good until the middle of the evening, when I heard D say, "I think my food is moving."

"What?"

"There's something moving in my fish."

I checked myself, wondering if it was just a neurological reaction, like when you rub salt on a newly executed fish. No, to my dismay and disgust, there appeared to be a red worm wriggling and writhing along the surface of the fish. We called a waitress over, and she took it away, only to come back with a menu, citing that “It was a blood vein, moving along with the sauce.” Let me tell you, it was no vein. It was clearly red and moving on its own accord.

And you know they were hiding something because after they brought out a new dish, several people came by to check on our food, and they comped both the black cod and the new (expedited) dish. I think it would have been more worthy if they had admitted it and then comped us the dishes, but I suppose they thought we would buy into their Water(Grill)Gate scandal and eat and be merry. Needless to say, I didn’t finish my Chilean sea bass.

Out of principle, I’d still recommend the Water Grill if only because the rest of the seafood was amazing (and we had a coupon for a dozen free oysters). Just don’t order the white fish unless you want to nibble and carefully inspect as you go.

Water Grill
544 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90017 - (213) 891-0900
www.watergrill.com

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