Thursday, May 28, 2009

LaZeez Pita Grill, Torrance, CA

LaZeez Pita Grill
4903 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA, 90503
Between Anza and Palos Verdes Blvd
310-542-3100
http://lazeezpitagrill.com/
They have a small but ample parking lot behind the building.
Zabihah halal.
Casual. Order at the counter; food brought to your table. Dining room fills quickly at lunch.

Visited: numerous times for dine-in lunch and take-out dinner.
Most recent visit: May 2010


Not only is LaZeez so very tasty, it is also a great value. You can't beat the quality, and the great prices are a bonus.

My favorite sandwich is the Beef Shawarma ($5.75). It comes wrapped in a nice soft pita with lettuce, tomato, onions, and tahini. You can even get a combo, with fries and a drink, or you can order a side for $1.75 extra. The meat is so tasty, and for dinner take-out, we order the Beef Shawarma By the Pound ($9.99). It comes with pita and tahini on the side. Really excellent.

We've also had the Chicken Shawarma By the Pound ($9.99) that comes with pita and garlic sauce; Beef Kabab By the Pound ($12.99) with pita and cooked tomatoes; or Beef Kafta By the Pound ($10.49) with pita and cooked tomatoes. The Chicken Breast Kabab By the Pound is also very tasty. This is a real value - tasty, fresh, hot, and they're super nice, too. They have other meats that you order 'family style' or 'catering' - we just haven't tried them all yet. In all, the beef shawarma is my favorite.

They also make great Hummos (small $5.49, large $7.49) and Baba Ganoosh (small $5.49, large $7.49). Both are very tasty, but I just love their baba ganoosh. I use that instead of tahini or garlic sauce with the shawarma. YUM! Also, I always order with 'no oil' - that's the extra olive oil they drizzle on top.

Their falafel is okay, a little dry for my preference. It's available as a Falafel Sandwich ($5.25), Falafel Salad (small $7.99, large $8.99), by the piece ($0.65, 3 minimum).

They also have an assortment of sides, and we decided to try the Macaroni & Cheese ($2.75). It's pretty plain and simple. I was hoping for a Mediterranean twist perhaps, but alas, no, plain ol' mild mac n cheese.

They have been having coupons in the local coupon book that comes in the mail. Their prices are so reasonable, you really don't need the coupon, but it's a nice bonus.

Delzano's by the Sea, Redondo Beach, CA

Delzano's by the Sea
179 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Located at the far northern end of the Intl Boardwalk of the Redondo Pier.
310-374-7525
http://www.delzanos.com/
Plenty of pay parking in several nearby lots; validation available.
Higher end. Full bar. Reservations recommended.

Visited: May 2009, Lunch, Dine-in


Well, being a Saturday at a higher end restaurant, it was pretty empty. We sat in at a tall bar table with a very lovely view of the International Boardwalk and watching small boats, ski-dos, etc being loaded onto the launch. There were also some rather ornery looking sea gulls waiting for handouts from returning fishermen.

A lunch menu was available in addition to the full dinner menu. The lunch menu offered more choices of salads and sandwiches. We stuck to the dinner menu, and ordered, what soon became, two favorites.

Frutti Di Mare ($19.95): an incredibly generous portion of pasta with a matching incredibly generous portion of lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams and fish. You have your choice of garlic cream sauce or marinara, and we chose red. The sauce was also a bit chunky, and the entire dish could easily have been shared. There were also a couple little ramekins of freshly shaved parmesan, which seemed so un-Italian - cheese with fish?

By the Sea Cioppino ($19.95): The cioppino comes in a large lidded bowl with a heaping, and I mean heaping, amount of seafood. The bowl was full of crab (partially cracked to make things easier), many kinds of fish, a ton of clams, huge shrimp, and huge scallops. It was all cooked well, very fresh, and the the spicy tomato broth was a perfect match. Again, this dish can easily be shared, and you would both be full.

The meal also came with fresh hot crusty and chewy bread - all the more decadent to soak up the broth.

I also had their special iced tea - a homemade blend of tea infused with citrus and rose. The flavor wasn't super strong, but for someone who usually doesn't like flavored tea, it was quite refreshing.

All in all, the meal was delicious. With tons of leftovers, and the service was great.