Quality Seafood

quality seafood
Originally uploaded by Nuttin But Glutton.

On Sunday we had to escape the 100 degree heat in the SFV and we decided to take a drive out to the coast. We were going to go to Cabrillo Beach and go to the aquarium, but parking is $7. No way, this is LA and free parking is one of the benefits of living here. We found ourselves at the Korean Peace Bell. For anybody that hasn't been there, it's a humongous bell in a shelter. It overlooks the San Pedro harbor and north to Palos Verdes. We then drove through Palos Verdes. Haven't seen so many white people just walking around since we went to see Gary in Danville. After that we ended up at the Redondo Beach Pier. On the lower level on the International Boardwalk in the back corner is Quality Seafood. It's a place where you order your crab or lobster and they steam it for you there. Then you go to another area for fish & chips, or chowder, or the Mexican seafood specialty of shrimps and tomatoes and onions and everything all mixed together on the grill and served on a cafeteria tray. Don't expect any atmosphere or table service. It's not that kind of place. You get your food and then try and find a stone/concrete table topped with korean language newspapers.

They have a lobster special during the month of September where for $10 you get a 1 1/3 lb lobster and a ear of corn and butter. We got two of the lobster specials. The lobster was pretty good. They seemed kind of small for 1 1/3 lb and the claw meat wasn't much, but the tails were pretty tasty. The corn wasn't anything to write home about, especially since it was soaking in the lobster water. The butter congealed in the cold air, but it still tasted like butter. We also got a loaf a bread at the store before, so we used that to sop up all the juices.

They also have an oyster and clam bar where you can pick your oysters from about 20+ varieties priced from $.90-$1.75 each and they shuck it and serve it on the half shell with lemon wedges and tapatio packets. I got 8 oysters. 2 Kumamotos, 2 Fanny Bay, 2 Malispina, 2 Malpeque. Other than the kumamotos, I had no idea what I was gettings, I just got what other people looked like they were getting. They all tasted good, but I couldn't tell the difference between them.

We tried to give Allen the lobster, but he doesn't like it (yet) so I had to get some fish and chips for him. He liked it. He polished off most of it, Susie pulled off the fried crust though. Don't worry, it didn't go to waste, fish crust wrapped around lobster and dipped in butter gell is really tasty.

Overall, it was a great experience. I suggest going with at least 3 people. That way one person can save the table and everybody else can get the food. There are multiple areas to get the food and each time you have to wait, so by the time I got the lobster, oysters and the fish the lobsters were cold. Next time I think I'm going to get some steamed clams and crab and pick out my own lobster rather than go for the special.

Quality Seafood
130 International Boardwalk
Redondo Beach, Callifornia 90277
(310)372-6408/374-2382/FAX (310)374-6030

Shabu Shabu

Rant of the day: What is the deal with shabu shabu? It's boiled meat and vegetables. Everybody that likes it says that it's all in the sauce. What's the big deal with the sauce? Couldn't you put the same sauce on the meat if you pan fried, sauteed, grilled, bbq..........? Boiling the meat just gives you watery meat and watery sauce.

Someone, please help me understand.

tourist value lunch: costa rica fixed price buffet @ cafetal de la luz

Here I am, reporting from San Jose, Costa Rica. This Hostel Pangea has free internet for us so I thought why not take advantage of my first day of dining and touring the city than end it with a report to the Esteemed Grub Club.

I think my lunch today was worth noting, because we were quite jetlagged and managed to find a well rounded good value of a buffet lunch in a relatively luxurious ambience. The Cafetal de La Luz is located across the street from the Hostel Pangea at Avenida 11 and Calle 3 Bis in the heart of San Jose. The Cafetal is on the ground floor of a hotel that looks nice enough for business folks and executives. The decor is quite lush and inviting, with the tables extending into a gated, shaded patio. They have a full menu of salads, soups, gourmet sandwhiches, hot entrees of chicken and fish but we opted for the all-you-can-eat fixed price lunch. For $6 american dollars (plus tip & tax...all figured out for you on the receipt) you get all you can eat goodness from appetizer to dessert. It was a "comida tipica" type of set up, with a nice beef consomme (con potatoes), chicharrones (pork fried up salty), chicken in a nice sauce, warm breadsticks, a seafood rice dish, plaintain (that were kind of dry and crustry but still had its unmistakable starchy goodness), a delicious papaya salsa, a negligible cauliflower and vegetable pickled in some sauce, flan and a mix fruit berry compote. The service was well-paced and impeccable. The bathroom, just adjacent to the hotel lobby, was clean and upscale, relative to our hostel bathroom. :) Another dollar each gave us a yummy "Cas" fruit drink that was sweet and tasted faintly like guava juice, with a hint of tartness. Since my travel mate had expected some rice and beans, the waiter was nice enough to bring us a little bowl of quite fragrant black beans for her.

All in all. Not a bad deal, especially if your are staying in the hostels/hotels in the area. Or you can walk four blocks up to the supermercado (supermarket) and buy yourself some rice krispies, cap n crunch, milk and call it a day.