Dinner in the South Bay

CH: Dan's boss/company owner gave him a very nice thank you gift for his work anniversary today....a nice dinner for us on him. :)

So he told us we could spend about $60.....and I'm trying to think of how best to spend this dinner treat tonight......

I really want to go somewhere we've never been, but I don't want it to suck....and I want to stay within the $60 for 2 entrees as well...and I'd like to go somewhere in the South Bay, either Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Redondo Beach........

Any suggestions? Anyone?

JH: I highly recommend Chakra in Manhattan Beach. Check out the Yelp review. It's pricey, but amazing. I think our bill was near $100 for the two of us, but we also ordered cocktails and appetizers. Definitely not a kid-friend atmosphere, but very hot for a couple's night out!

CH: I think we're going to bring Caydan along to dinner....no babysitter...so we probably need somewhere kid-friendly...maybe not kid-welcoming, but at least friendly. :) :)

I checked out the Yelp site though and it looks really neat!! We'll have to try it sometime when we actually get a night to ourselves. :) :)

JH: Also try Salt Creek Grille in El Segundo. You can take Caydan there.

CH: I've been to Salt Creek Grille a few times for work functions as it's right down the street....I wasn't super impressed, mainly because I like options and their menu is 1 page...and very spaced out...so not even a big 1 page...but their kobe sliders are pretty good. :)

We ended up going to this restaurant called Piknic in Playa Vista. I was looking through our entertainment book (awesome book) and browsing through the restaurant coupons and saw this one. So I thought this was a perfect opportunity to get Dan over there so he could see what the city looked like.

The restaurant was super nice, very classy, but not stuffy. There was one other family with kids there plus us with Caydan. A very inviting fireplace outside on the patio, and the whole city itself is just beautiful, so I was just happy to be walking around there.

The food was pretty good. Dan got a New York strip steak which was actually DELICIOUS (for $30 it better be!) - even I really liked it and I'm not a big steak person.

I got this baked penne with all kinds of cheese including ricotta on top....the bites with the cheese was DELICIOUS...the rest was a little bland...but there was enough cheese to go around for sure.

Caydan got the kid's chicken strips, and I think those were my favorite part of the meal. Again, expensive chicken strips, so I expected good chicken....and I was not disappointed. Caydan liked my noodles better than his chicken so we basically swapped....and his chicken was sooooooo good. Great quality meat.

And they had a great bread starter with garlic butter and this red sauce...kind of like spice filled marinara...delicious.

And then dessert of course, we got a "dark chocolate box" or something like that...dark chocolate forming a "box" with cake and mousse in the inside...very rich, but very delish!

Great meal. :) :) I soooooo want to move to Playa Vista :)

http://www.piknic.us/

JH: Piknic sounds awesome! We'll have to try it soon! Joe and I had an ethic culinary weekend, having Fu Yuan Lo and El Pollo Inka. Both were so yummy!

CH: Dan and I went to El Pollo Inka recently, and we were very unimpressed. We tried the pollo saltado (or something like that) because we had some recently at another Peruvian restaurant in Long Beach and it was soooooo yummy - but El Pollo Inka's was so bland and not good at all. Very disappointing....so we probably won't go back.

But now we're on a hunt for the yummiest pollo saltado in the South Bay. I'll let you know when we find it. :)

Daily Breeze...

CH: Did you know that the Daily Breeze is moving it's location? Did you ever go on the field trip in elementary school or something like that where you toured the factory? I vaguely remember it....I think they're going to tear it down and build more medical offices or something b/c it's part of Little Company of Mary/Providence.....and DB is moving down to Torrance and Hawthorne...I think the same building where DaVita used to be located.

So sad to see childhood memories going away :(

JH: Yeah, it's such a bummer :( It breaks my heart a little, knowing that NOEL will no longer be hung out front around the holidays. Another childhood memory crushed. It's interesting though because they've been filming that Disney show on the same corner and spilling into the parking lot. They began filming after the building was sold, so I'm assuming LCM won't be using it any time soon.

CH: What Disney show?? Why are they filming on the corner? I'm trying to picture a Disney show depicted on a street corner...I'm not seeing it.

Also - have you been over to Playa Vista before?? I'm in LOVE with this area and if Dan and I can ever get past not having a yard, or paying a gazillion dollars to have one, then I soooo want to move here.....it's beautiful and so neat looking!

If they ever build the area across the street from the cemetary where Avery is, I think it's going to be really similar....but who knows if they'll ever approve it so that they can start building...

JH: The Disney show is called Zeke and Luther. They built a set on the corner. From the front (Torrance Blvd.) it looks like a house and from the side (the street that runs along West High) it looks like a set. It's in the same parking lot at the old Daily Breeze building. I'm surprised you didn't know about it because a lot of the West High kids tried getting walk-on parts. I thought Michelle or Liz might have said something.

I don't know much about Playa Vista. Yards are overrated though ... so long as the house is huge ;) I'm still obsessed with my official dream home in Palos Verdes. 6 bed, 6 bath, ocean view awesomeness with a movie theatre!

CH: I will take ANY house in P.V. just for the record.....except for the falling into the ocean part...that doesn't sound so cool for my multi-million dollar home....

And I'm shocked I haven't noticed the Zeke and Luther set either...I'm usually very acutely aware of stuff like that...but I guess I haven't really driven that way in awhile either....

You must go to Playa Vista sometime to check it out...they have the cutest "square" that a set of the buildings surround with a big grassy area and a fountain....and I remember reading that they have like community things - parades, etc. And then they have a dog park and walking trails...right behind it is LSU...it's really neat. I want Dan to go over there with me to walk in the model homes. :) :)

JH: Haha, Playa Vista is P.V. as well! I guess we'll actually have to start spelling out the entire name now.

CH: Haha I didn't even realize it...duh. Well they're both pretty awesome....but Playa Vista isn't falling into the ocean at least. :)

JH: Good point.

CH: I found this article in the Daily Breeze about Zeke and Luther if anyone's curious: http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_11340138

Contributors: Crystal Henning and Jennifer Harbourn; http://beachykeencity.blogspot.com/