Rice Bowls at Yellow Fever Disappoint; Go for the Parmesan Furikake Fries

Creative Asian rice bowl-maker Yellow Fever had been getting a lot of attention so I had been curious. It disappointed, however. Why? Zero flavor. Love the concept but it sadly lacks any interesting flavor and no amount of hot sauce could salvage it. I had the "Shanghai," braised pork belly, sauteed onions, carrots, bok choy and shiso leaves.

The "Seoul," which replaces the pork belly with beef, has mushrooms, kale and a fried egg on top, was equally flavor-less. Like I said, the concepts are great. What's not to like about a rice bowl with a bunch of goodies and a fried egg on top? But it needs flavor. Some serious flavor.

We also had the parmesan furikake fries, which were the best thing we had. It's hard to go wrong with fries but they were crispy and hot, and most importantly, had flavor.

Pier 76 Fish Grill in Long Beach: Excellent Vietnamese Catfish, Good Watermelon Lemonade and Sides that Need Work

I confess I wasn't too enthused about the limited choices when I took a peek at Pier 76 Fish Grill's menu. It's a very casual semi-self-service restaurant that specializes in seafood. It has nice outdoor seating but the most uncomfortable chairs. The menu features four types of grilled fish, one jumbo shrimp and one chicken. These entrees come with a side of short grained rice and a choice of various sides like mac-n-cheese and kale and tomato salad (which I got -- it's an extra $1.50 when you forgo the rice for a second side).

While waiting in line to order (you get a number and they bring it to your table), my dining companion and I "grilled" one of the owner/managers who very generously answered our million questions. What is Swai? Vietnamese Catfish. Would the sesame be too strong in the sesame lime Tilapia? No. What is the difference between the three home-made lemonades (fountain drinks), each of which showed a hue of brown, green and red, respectively? They are tamarind lemonade, cucumber lemonade and watermelon lemonade. Are all the fish cooked as fillets? Yes.

The grilled Swai that I got with a side of the mac-n-cheese and kale and tomato salad was superb. It was fresh, tender and grilled to perfection. I felt like I was having freshly caught fish cooked right off the boat. Check out those picture perfect grill marks on that beauty! The arugula almond pesto came on the side instead of smothered on the fish, which I liked, and the pesto itself wasn't as heavy as the regular one made with basil and pine nuts. In fact, the pesto was a gorgeous, bright green color that made it look freshly made and gave it a taste so nutty and wonderful that it made me want to make it at home. I'm usually not huge on pesto so it was a welcome surprise to enjoy it so much.

Now for the not so good. The sides were somewhat disappointing. Loved the selection. Didn't love the execution. The mini pasta shells in the White Cheddar mac-n-cheese was overcooked and the cheese wasn't as flavorful. The kale and tomato salad that came with thinly sliced red onions was refreshing but it was a tad on the overdressed side so quickly wilted.

The fries were average -- probably one of the better sides among the four we tried. The least successful was the broccoli coleslaw that was far too overdressed with vinegar and the very overpowering sesame oil. It's true I'm not a big fan of using sesame oil for non-Asian dishes but sorry to say this one didn't work at all.



The yellowtail fillet that came with roasted garlic butter on the side for dipping was thicker and perhaps for that reason, way dry. It was a must to dunk it generously in the butter to remotely enjoy each morsel of fish. Otherwise, it was pretty bland and devoid of any moist.

I got the watermelon lemonade, which was good but nothing too special. The cucumber one is more of an acquired taste since it's a rather unusual combination. But they were both refreshing. Good for toasty summers.

Service was friendly but they close a bit early -- at 9pm! The outdoor seating area is dog and kid friendly. I may return to try the poke or the fish sandwich (Swai) for lunch but don't think I'll return for dinner. Think I had the best thing on the menu.

Alegria in Long Beach: Inexplicably Empty Despite Solid Entrees

We walked into an empty restaurant when entering Alegria in Long Beach and thought maybe the food was sub par. Well, we were proven wrong because I was impressed by the creativity of the dishes and good execution.

The biggest pleasant surprise was the pescado negro ("black fish") entree -- blackened halibut that's been pan fried atop mashed potatoes mixed in with jalapeno with a side of grilled nopales (cactus) and garlic roasted tomatoes. There was also an avocado puree/sauce on the side that provided an additional layer of great flavor to the entire dish. With all these components, it would have been easy to get lost in the flavor explosion but it all came together and worked very nicely. The cactus was mild and smoky from the grill and that green sauce complemented the fish perfectly. The fish was sprinkled with some arugula and other greens for freshness. I loved this dish.

The appetizers were ok but nothing earth shatteringly awesome. The shrimp and queso fundido mix tamale was good in a heavy, artery-clogging way. Even with this dish, it had some kind of avocado or jalapeno-infused oil drizzled on top, which are the kinds of details I appreciate. It shows that the chef took the time to think about the various dimensions of the dish and where she could take it.

We also had the calamari, which was crispy and warm, just the way I like them. However, the batter wasn't that flavorful and they tasted a tad bland. The sauce didn't do much to ameliorate that. But I do give props for keeping them crispy and warm without overcooking the very easily overcooked squid.

The Caesar salad that came with the entree was nothing special if not a bit overdressed but that seems to be the story of Caesar salad's life.

 

The Nachos weren't anything special either. I got the sense that Mexican food was thrown in the menu to appease Mexican food lovers but it wasn't necessarily the chef's forte. The chef seemed to be stronger on the Cuban or Latin American dishes. I haven't tried the Spanish dishes like Paella but would definitely like to try them. 

Bonus was that it offered some Chilean dishes and I love anything Chilean, pretty much. I just get sad when I see if empty all the time, especially when neighboring restaurants like George's Greek and others inexplicably get crowds. Am I missing something? I think Alegria is far better than others on the same street but alas, maybe it's the decor or some other kind of marketing it needs to do to attract more patrons. It deserves more business.

 

Strand House in Manhattan Beach: Fantastic Food with a View

I've been on so many dinela duds that I didn't have high expectations for the Strand House in Manhattan Beach, a restaurant with a fantastic view that I expected would rely on that alone to get customers. I knew it had undergone a facelift with Neal Fraser of Grace and BLD fame at the helm but what we got was a veritable revelation.

  

The space upon entering is open and airy with an amazing view of the ocean. We had the dinela menu that featured many of the regular menu items. We had the kale salad with pomegranate, candied pumpkin seeds, goat cheese and farro, which was excellent. The kale was crunchy and the goat cheese cut into little cubes with a flavor that wasn't too overpowering. There was, of course, a great mix of textures that included crunchy from the seeds and jewel-popping tanginess from the pomegranate seeds. The salad didn't look too shabby on the plate either. 

The cauliflower soup with seared scallops was light with a touch of hearty scallop chunks that were perfectly browned on the edges and soft while not being overcooked on the inside. Another wow.

The starters were solid but the piece de resistance and star of the day was the branzino (or loup de mer in French) filet roasted just so, sitting atop a bed of cauliflower "couscous" with pine nuts and currants, spiced with something called vadouvan, a variation of masala with French influences. Fresh cilantro and scallions were sprinkled over the fish with a side of salsa verde and served as a mild kick to the delicious fish. This was a very well thought out dish. 

The egg tagliatelle with sunchokes, asparagus, piquillo peppers and baby broccoli was light but packed a flavor punch as the dish let the natural flavors of the veggies do the talking. There was hardly any seasoning except for pepper and shredded Parmesan cheese. The smokiness of the peppers was a great combination with the nuttiness of the asparagus and softness of the sunchokes. It was the perfect accompaniment to the fish dish. 

As if we hadn't been amazed enough up until now, the desserts were just as excellent. The ice cream selection was fascinating and we chose passion fruit and salted caramel. Oh my, the salted caramel. I don't even remember what the passion fruit one tasted like. I'm sure it was serviceable but the salted caramel was worthy of a moment. 

What came next was the porniest of food porn. One sugar-glazed donut and a salted caramel-glazed one. I mean, look at that caramel glaze! I must say, there were good, and then I remembered the ones I had at Grace a few dinela's ago. Those were better but these were pretty darn close. I wolfed them down. They were warm. They were soft. They weren't overly sweet and went so well with the ice cream. 

Sorry, had to give you an even closer shot of the salted caramel donut. I'm officially a fan of the sweet and savory dessert, er, donut.

Check out those views! I assure I wasn't commissioned by the restaurant to write this glowing review. 

I'm definitely sold and will be coming back for more. One thing they could do better is service. Service was spotty and not as attentive as we would have liked. But overall a big thumbs up. I'll be returning for sure. I can't wait to try their dinners. Glad I went with my partner in crime VT to check it out.

The Attic in Long Beach: Cheetos Mac-n-Cheese -- 'Nough Said

Behold this beauty. It's a signature dish at the Attic in Long Beach and it's food porn at its best. Mac-n-Cheese with bacon bits topped with crushed spicy Cheetos. Yes, Cheetos. I thought it'd be gimmicky but upon taking a bite of this super creamy concoction, I couldn't stop scooping spoonfuls into my mouth (while daintily wiping the red crumbs off my face).

It isn't exactly what you might want for breakfast, but it's pretty genius. The chopped fresh green onions added a bit of fresh crunch to the dish, not to mention my favorite color combo of orange and green. I got a reality check about how fatty it was when I had the leftovers and the whole thing just congealed in the fridge. Needless to say, this didn't deter me from devouring the leftovers after a quick spin in the microwave.

In retrospect, the pasta could have been a bit more al dente but heck, I was too busy enjoying the richness to notice.

I also liked the restaurant's list of refreshing drinks, like this one that had a gorgeous, bright orange hue and included carrot and ginger. It was a delightful drink to be had for brunch and I relished it.

Funny how the purported main course of a brunch, namely its version of eggs benedict, is getting second class citizen treatment here thanks to the creative use of Cheetos. The Boxty Benedict included two perfectly poached eggs and corned beef atop nicely toasted English muffin slices with a side of potatoes. I would have liked hash brown-y potatoes better but that's me getting greedy.

The kicker was the Guinness Mustard Hollandaise sauce, which sounded better in concept than in reality. I'm no lush but the mustard was so overpowering that I couldn't taste the Guinness at all. I'm not a huge fan of Hollandaise so it was fine. I got my fatty fix from the Cheetos pasta so I was good.

Service was pleasant and most of all, I loved the ambiance. The restaurant is a converted house, so it felt very homey and outdoor seating seemed nice too. The place was very bright and airy, almost like having breakfast at home -- except we got a sizzling plate of Cheetos sprinkled over elbow macaroni. I swear this isn't an indirect ad for Cheetos and no sponsorship deals were made prior to the writing of this post.