We solved a WPP by doing the whitest thing possible. My brother was paying and he decided that we we were going to The Strand House. I was really, really surprised at how good the food was, after all it was a Sunday night and this is primarily a restaurant with a view. Both the waitstaff and kitchen were spot on.

Started off with the seafood platter. Every was fresh, and it was the perfect size for an appetizer for four. Next we ordered a few things to share. The filet, the octopus salad, and the charcuterie platter. Every thing was delicious, but the standout was the filet, which actually tasted like really good beef. I'm not sure who their meat purveyor is, but it was really delicious.

Dessert was molten chocolate cake for my 15 yo daughter, and the vanilla bean, caramel, and cranberry glazed donuts. Both were winners.

According my wife and the people at rehab, I can no longer drink, but the wine list looked interesting (Plumjack, etc...) but expensive.

We left our table at 8:00 and the restaurant was completely filled, with people waiting downstairs for tables to open up. I was really pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for all the ideas. Let's put it this way. Number Nine in Hermosa and Thai Dishes in MB are just fine. Yamadaya in Torrance really pushed the envelope and she won't step foot into 99 Ranch again. Other than that, the rules are unwritten...

That won't freak my wife with OCD out. We can't go to any "authentic" Asian places, sadly... Preferably near Hermosa and Manhattan. The generously suggested Vietnamese places in Gardena and Inglewood were all nixed. What's am I to do?

ANY type of food will do.

Thanks in advance...

Just askin...

We didn't after all that. Thai Dishes in MB...

Need help tonight help now if you can now, please.

I'm looking to take a a great friend out for a fantastic dinner. They did me wonderful favor and I want to treat them to an unforgettable vegan dinner.

We need to take a visitor to Chinatown for soup dumplings. Not SGV. Where should we go?

I should be good, rather than exotic. THREE 14 year olds.

Thank you so much. We are in Hermosa and Mom is out of town, so we can do something outside of american.

I just picked up my Ralphs point cut. Meat, carrots , cabbage, a big onion and and some horseradish for $16!

Ate there a couple of Sundays ago. This isn't a review but rather a report. 5 of us ate, and everything but the lamb sliders were impressive. The lamb was dry and mealy -- I would add a touch of pork fat to add moisture and mellow the flavor. The menu is well thought out.

I know Sunday is not a good restaurant night, but the service was spotty. I would imagine that the "A Team" is better.

I'd love to hear about what others have experienced.

I just figure that at under $1.50 a pound, I can buy a second one to make up for any excess fat.

Vons point cut looks weird. I bought two at Vons and will do the same at Ralphs. Given the cut, complaining about the fat seems to be missing the point,

Uggg. There is nothing interesting here. At least the El Segundo Whole Foods and the Bristol Farms on Rosecrans dry age beef...

Yeah - a commercial tax ID. My CT tax ID for my catering company works for CA purposes. The membership is free.

Restaurant Depot.

That's great. Making porchetta. Thanks to all.

Hi -- we're new to the south bay and looking for butcher shops and asian markets where I can buy pork belly. I haven't stopped in to Restaurant Depot either, but I know that our one in CT didn't carry it. Any ideas?

Quite seriously, bland American beers work well. Refreshing,slightly alcoholic, and nothing lost with the numbing from the peppercorns...

It's in a tough location, in that it is on Main St., but a block above where foot traffic basically stops. Their volume can't be much, thus the limited selection.

I usually stop at Murray's in GCT for cheese, rather than showing up at Mirabelle and not finding what I want.

By the way, the business has be on the market for the past 8 months or so at the low, low asking price of $65k. I think this tells you a lot about the volume and margins at the shop.

Stopped there today. Same promise of fully stocked shelves next week. Looks like it is going to be a great place. Very friendly staff.

Regarding parking, they have not yet gotten approval from the parking authority to validate the tickets. However, if you spend 15 minutes or less in the lot, it is free. Validation should be coming however.

15 minutes was enough to get a variety of frozen items, fresh noodles, walk through the market and find the SELECTION of sweet rice...

Has anyone baked with Cabot 83%. I can get it at my local Restaurant Depot, and it's cheaper than Plugra at Trader Joe's.

I was following a recipe in Saveur for pumpkin ravioli. Somehow the combination of squash, parmigiano, amaretti, and I think some cinnamon tasted suspiciously like vomit. I proclamed in disgust, "This tastes like shit!!!" My four year old daughter, of course, then asked me, "What tastes like shit, Daddy?" My in-laws were in the next room...

Not quite as good as Schwabl's, but still good is Charlie the Butcher, across the street from the airport. 1065 Wehrle Drive