From LA to HI: A Month of Worthy Eats

Since the last time I wrote, I’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants in Los Angeles, Oahu and the Big Island of Hawaii. I’ll just run down some of the highlights:

Fat Face Fenners (Hermosa Beach): I’m as shocked as you are that this Boston bar is on my list, but I had their spinach and artichoke dip last night and it is killer! It’s chunky, cheesey (I love feta) and massive — don’t even think about hogging this all to yourself. It’s only $8 and served in a toasted sourdough bread bowl. Their fried calamari ain’t so bad either. Love the horseradish in the dipping sauce it comes with.

Buns in the Sun (Kailua-Kona, Big Island): Known for their sandwiches and pastries, but for breakfast, I ordered their yogurt bowl. Low fat vanilla yogurt, served in half a papaya and topped with homemade granola. Fresh, healthy, light and delicious!

Kaka’ako Kitchen (Honolulu, Oahu): Don’t even ask me to pronounce this one. Affordable, fresh, Hawaiian gourmet food that’s a great lunch spot. I ate their seared ahi tuna sandwich served a taro bun (it’s purple!). As expected from the islands, the ahi was amazingly fresh but it was drenched in a soy-citrus sauce that made the bread really soggy. Don’t like that but you know a place is good when it’s all locals eating there. Whatever you order, have it to go and take it to nearby Ala Moana Park for a picnic. Go to Magic Island for a spectacular, tranquil view.

Petros (Manhattan Beach): Expensive Greek food but worth every fricken penny. Delicious dips served with pita bread include their Kafteri (four Greek cheeses blended with hot peppers — great if you dont’ mind strong cheeses), Melitzanosalata (roasted eggplant, garlic, lemon and walnuts) and Fava (puree of yellow split pea with EVO*, lemon, tomato and onion). Beware: they charge $1 for extra pita. I ordered a daily special that was rolls of cabbage stuffed with seasoned ground beef and rice, with two or three small slices of cheese on top (feta, I think). At first I thought it lacked flavor but the key was to eat it with the cheese. Yummy! Busy at night on the weekends so make a reservation.

Boa Steakhouse (West Hollywood and Santa Monica): For lunch, I had a kobe beef burger that was divine. They also have a smores dessert that comes in three parts that you mix together for chocolatey fun: a chocolate brownie topped with caramel ice cream, a toasted mound of marshmallow and a weird gourmet version of a graham cracker. They’re better off just serving it with store-bought graham crackers.