Fish Bonz, Torrance, CA

Fish Bonz
2599 Airport Drive
Torrance, CA 90505
310-325-BONZ (2669)
www.fishbonzgrill.com
Located in Rolling Hills Plaza in the odd round intersection.
Plenty of free parking, however parking is crowded on Friday nights and weekends due to the movie theaters.

Visited: January 2011, Dinner, Dine-in

Fish Bonz calls itself a casual seafood grill, and I'd say it lives up to that moniker. We tried a couple things on the menu, and were quite satisfied with the quality of seafood and the portion size.

We had the Grilled Mahi Mahi ($8.99), and chose to have it plain with Teri sauce on the side. Normally, you have your choice of Garlic Butter or Cajun style. It comes with choice of rice, fries, or brown rice (50 cents extra), and I chose the brown rice. And it comes with their housemade cole slaw which was very tasty. It's a light Asian-inspired vinaigrette and also has toasted slivered almonds. The fish was cooked extremely well, and the portion was very generous. The rice was also cooked very nicely. In all, I would definitely order it again.

We also had the Shrimp & Scallops ($8.99) fryer combo which comes on a huge bed of lightly seasoned fries. The shrimp were quite meaty, and the breading a little salty, but overall tasty. There were a lot of scallops. These were a little plain, and definitely needed sauce. They have a condiment bar where you scoop your own portins of cocktail and tartar sauces, and a variety of salsas.

Being January, it was a chilly evening, but we chose to sit outside in the heated (and enclosed) patio. It was very pleasant, and would be quite lovely on a summer night to dine and people watch.

In addition to items from the Grill, they have the tacos, other fried items, teri bowls, entree salads, and clam clam chowder. For an 'upgrade,' they also have grilled zucchini and sweet potato fries - will have to try both of those next time.

They have something on the menu called Swai White Ruffy - we didn't know what this was, and was told that it was a type of catfish.

If you are with anyone who does not eat seafood, the choices are limited to grilled chicken, chicken taco, chicken teri bowl, or the Green Salad with chicken.

All in all, we enjoyed our dinner, and will go back and try more items.

Hukilau Cafe, Laie, Oahu, HI

Hukilau Cafe
55-662 Wahinipe'e St
La'ie, O'ahu, HI 96762
808-293-8616
Located north of the Polynesian Cultural Center, to the west of Route 83 Kamehameha Hwy.
There is a small sign when going northbound that shows you where to turn.
Street parking.
Cash only. Breakfast and lunch only.

Visited: August 2010, Lunch, Dine-in

We were looking forward to a great plate lunch, and we were not disappointed! Be sure to go early to beat the lunch crowd, and to ensure finding parking in this residential neighborhood.

We ordered our favorites, starting with the Loco Moco - ground beef patties covered with very tasty scrambled eggs over lots of rice, then smothered in a rich brown gravy. This was a very good loco moco, which means that the gravy was good - the gravy is always the kicker.

Then we had the Hukilau Combo - teri beef, fried mahi mahi and tempura shrimp, of course served with two scoops of rice and usually a scoop of macaroni salad. But not being fan of mac, I ordered all rice. First note was that it wasn't tempura shrimp but rather panko coated fried shrimp. No matter - they were fresh (crisp and hot) and tasty. The mahi mahi was also panko crusted, and served hot and crisp. Side sauces included were cocktail and tartar, but they didn't really need them. I was a little concerned that there wasn't a side of teri sauce to go with the beef, but amazingly, it didn't need it. The many slices of thin teri beef were very flavorful - they must have a great marinade, that there was no need for any additional sauce. This is a good entree to try several things, and large enough to share.



Which is why we also ordered the Beef Stew Bowl instead of the plate lunch. The stew had that great Hawaiian stew look - a hint of red from the tomato, however it wasn't strong in the tomato flavor. But the stew didn't need it. The gravy was thick and rich, and the meat was plentiful and tender as were the carrots and potatoes. It comes served over rice.



We also ordered a side of fries (they just looked so good, and were tasty) and one soda. They have self service water near the counter. I don't have all of the individual prices, but our total (before tip) was $28 - a great great deal considering not only how much food we got, but how great it tasted. And everyone was super friendly and very welcoming.

Most folks visit and write about the giant Hukilau Burger which is a hamburger patty topped with teri beef, fried egg, grilled onions, cheese, and lettuce and tomato. We did see someone order it at the next table over, and it looked ridiculous. Perhaps another time.

The Admiral Risty, Palos Verdes Estates, CA

The Admiral Risty
31250 Palos Verdes Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90275
310-377-0050
http://www.admiral-risty.com/
Located at PV Drive West and Hawthorne in Golden Cove Plaza. Plenty of parking.
Higher end. Reservations recommended. Can be dark inside when the sun goes down.

Visited: July 2009, Dinner, Dine-in


Admiral Risty's is definitely a special occasion dining experience. It's an old school establishment that has been there forever. It has an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean, and reservations are particularly recommended if you want a window-side view. However, I think most diners in the restaurant can enjoy the view from wherever they are.

Menu items may seem pricey, but you certainly get a lot of food. All dinners come with soup or salad (mixed greens, caesar, or spinach mushroom salad), fresh steamed veggies, and your choice of starch, plus warm bread. I'm such a sucker for warm sourdough!

It's a seafood restaurant, so you can imagine there are a lot of seafood options. The Cioppino ($36.00) was to die for. It arrives in this HUGE covered crock, comes with all of those sides listed above, PLUS a plate a linguine. We bypassed the pasta and took that home, and also skipped the offered starch since we had the pasta, but did enjoy some clam chowder to start and the steamed asparagus. The broth was incredible and the seafood was oh so tasty. Several types of fish, scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels and lobster all melded so well with the frangrant rich tomatoey broth. All I needed was that sourdough, and it was heavenly. This portion could easily, easily have been split by 2 people.

We also had the Deep Fried Combination of Shrimp, Scallops and Fresh Fish ($28.00). Again, the seafood was so fresh and very well fried. If you like seafood combos, you'll love this. Started with the spinach mushroom salad, and had the baked potato and asparagus.

And of course, every seafood restaurant has to offer is meat dish. We had the Filet Mignon ($36.00) started with mixed green salad, and then had the wedge fries and asparagus. For a seafood joint, the steak was just as quality. All of these are very full plates of food.

We also had dessert. A bowl of Fresh Strawberries with Vanilla Ice Cream - a perfect combination. And their German Chocolate Cake ($7.00) with a glass of cold milk. We really didn't have room for dessert, but again, it's a special occasion restaurant, and we were there to celebrate. The desserts were luxurious and topped off a great evening.

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.

Maggie's Pub, Santa Fe Springs, CA

Maggie's Pub
11900 Telegraph Road, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
562-944-5399
http://www.maggiespub.com/
Open Monday-Friday (i.e., closed weekends)
Plenty of free parking in the lot.

Visited: Thursday, March 05, 2009, Lunch, Dine in


As soon as you walk in, you know that Maggie's is a British Pub. The smell of malt vinegar hangs in the air. But you soon get acclimated, and once you open the menu, you start to chuckle. I've been there several times in the last 6 months, so below is a description of several menu items eaten there since last fall.


Sherlock Holmes ($9.95): a very large piece of fish and a large serving of chips (er, fries). Everything is fresh and the fish is quite filling. Comes with cole slaw, tartar sauce and lemons.

Winston Churchill ($9.95): the same tasty batter fried cod with a fritters. What are fritters? Ah yes, I had the same question. Think of a very large potato that is cut into long thin slices, then coated in batter and fried. These really do make the chips seem ordinary.

John F Kennedy ($12.95): the fried seafood combo. JFK comes with fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, fritters and cole slaw. This is quite the value at $12.95 - two people could easily share this entree.

Sweeney Todd ($9.95): aka Shepard's Pie. Okay, so the beef and gravy mixture is pretty tasty and covered with mashed potatoes (and a bit off cheese, odd). It comes in a little dish, but the veggies are on the side. I like to have the beef, gravy and veggies all together. Tasty, but a bit too dissambled for my preference.

Benny Hill ($9.95): Bangers & Mash. Two very tasty traditional bland bangers, lots of cooked onions, and the mashed potatoes with a very nice brown gravy. Very filling (as are all of the plates here, actually).

The Lodger ($9.95): Open Faced Roast Beef. The meat, the mashed potatoes, gravy and white bread just melt. A nice meal on a cold wintery day.

Dutchy ($7.95): Banger Sandwich. This also comes with two very tasty traditional bland bangers (quite a lot of meat) on a large French roll. It's rather too big to eat as a sandwich. It also comes with mustard, onions, and strangely, Cheddar cheese. The cheese just kinda melts and becomes creamy with the onions.

Abe Lincoln ($7.95): Patty Melt on Rye. So did Abe like patty melts? Anyhow, this is a great sandwich. Very nicely grilled, plenty of onions, 1000 island, and cheddar.

Note - fries or fritters with the sandwiches are $1.25 extra. Aka the Stanley & Livingstone combo option.

They also offer what they call Afternoon Tea-time Favorites. They mean it when they that they're only available tween 3pm and 6pm. I've never been able to order these at lunchtime or dinnertime. They're also not what I consider traditional afternoon tea fare, but tasty, nonetheless.

I've had the Garden Vegetable Combo ($8.95). It's a fried assortment of mushrooms, zucchini and cauliflower. It's a huge appetizer, and pretty tasty.

And the Spinach 'n Artichoke Dip ($7.95) is quite good. Again, a large portion of dip served with tortilla chips.

They have a full bar, including traditional British beverages.

Maggie's is quick at lunch, and they do quite a brisk business. This is their main clientele, as you can see, they're closed weekends.
--T