- 2004 -

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  12/31/04
  SPECIAL REPORT:
  Palate pleasers: Best places to chow down in the South Bay
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
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  12/24/04
  SPECIAL REPORT:
  Fresh ingredients make a difference in mixing festive drinks...
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
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  12/10/04
  UPPER HOUSE/Asian Bistro/ Asian Cuisine: / South Bay, CA
  UPPER HOUSE is a really cool-looking place with a clean design, using lots of brushed metal. It's very open and inviting, with a small boba tea bar area just inside the front door. It's a great place to go if you know you want some Asian food but just can't figure out if its Pho or Pad Thai that you're craving. There's a good selection of food from Japan, Vietnam and Thailand..
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
  
  
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  12/10/04
  TnT's ALOHA CAFE / Hawaiian Cuisine: / Torrance, CA
  TnT is one of my favorite places in the South Bay and I eat there a lot, which is saying something because I have to try new places all the time, making it hard to come back to my favorites. TnT keeps it good by keeping it simple -- no fancy, froufrou dishes that nobody has ever heard of. TnT is about flavor and keeping that aloha tradition alive by making food for homesick Hawaiians or even Houles like me
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
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  11/26/04
  ENCHILADA HOUSE / Mexican Cuisine: / San Pedro, CA
  Enchilada House is a tiny -- and I mean tiny -- place with a walk-up window in front and exactly one table. It has been open for 40 years. What it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for inside the kitchen. There is a giant menu posted on a wall outside the little window. I was amazed at the variety of items, and more amazed at how low the prices were. The $25 I had on me was more than enough to...
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
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  11/12/04
  BOB's OHANA / HAWAIIAN STYLE Restaurant: / Hawaiian Cuisine / Gardena, CA
  To discover a real treasure, visit Bob's Ohana Hawaiian Style Restaurant on Vermont Avenue. Located in a little strip mall and without a particularly eye-catching exterior, it's easy to miss. But inside, Bob's is like taking a trip to the Islands, with shelves of Hawaiian products to ease the tummy of a homesick islander.Bob's has a huge menu of really "ono" Hawaiian-style food. In fact, it has the most extensive menu of any of the Hawaiian places I have visited...
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
  
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  10/22/04
  GIANT TEXAS BURGER: / American Cuisine/ Torrance, CA
  Giant Texas Burger is a neat little place with inside and outside tables. I was there to put the burgers to the test, - you should have seen the looks of the other customers when the burgers came to our table- - -
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
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  10/15/04
  SPECIAL REPORT:
  Free-wheeling: A low-roller's guide to Sin City
  The Vegas of today is not the Las Vegas your parents knew.- Giant pyramids, volcanoes, pirate ships and versions of Camelot have replaced the allure of simple neon signs of the past that touted good rates and bargain buffets. On The Strip, it's almost impossible for a couple or a family on a modest budget to see a decent show in Las Vegas and still have money to spend on food, lodging and other critical expenses. So the question needs to be answered: Can two people spend two days and two nights in Las Vegas and not spend a ton of money?
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
  
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  10/01/04
  SPECIAL REPORT:
  FUND RAISER AT EBIZO'S JAPANESE RESTAURANT
  Manhattan Beach, CA: On Sunday, Daily Breeze readers, members of the E-gullet Society for Culinary Arts and Letters, and a few lucky folks who just walked by and saw it, were treated to the culinary skills of Chef Kenta Nakano at Ebizo's Skewer in Manhattan Beach. Featuring tasty Japanese tapas and sake tasting, this recent benefit for local police and fire memorial fund was a culinary and financial success.—
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
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  09/17/04
  LICHA'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT: / Mexican Cuisine/ Hawthorne, CA
  I am going to tell you now about an "embassy of amazing flavor" that I found in Hawthorne. You need to go and get in the car right now, have someone finish reading this on the way, because this place has only 5 tables and once word gets out, its going to get crowded. Licha’s is a tiny, tiny place offering authentic Mexican cuisine. I mean authentic when I way it, its not going to be like El Torito, El Gringo or any other place that starts with "El" and is located in a beach city. This is food you would get if you walked into a small place in Mexico City or...
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
  
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  08/27/04
  PASSION GRILL / Tropical / Hawaiian Cuisine / Gardena, CA
  Did you ever get stuck in a rut? Mexican food, burgers, Chinese food and sandwiches over and over again until you just burn out on them? Have you ever prayed for some divine intervention, like the clouds parting in the sky and a ray of sunshine lighting up some little restaurant you have never see before. Your prayers may be answered: The food at Passion Grill is tropically inspired with the use of fresh fruits and sweet glazes, mixed with quality meats and seafood. The owner says his food is inspired by flavors of the Philippines, but leaning toward Hawaii with a little bit of Jamaica thrown in
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place
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  08/06/04
  THREE BROTHERS / Hawaiian Cuisine / Harbor City, CA
  The other day I was in Harbor City when an inner-voice told me, "Hey Bruddah, you want a plate lunch, some Teriyaki, sticky rice." Heck, I couldn't ignore the big Hawaiian voice in my head, so I drove over to a place I used to go to when I was a student at Torrance High School that has some of the best teriyaki around. - Three Brothers is a....
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.
  
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  07/23/04
  BIG NICK's Pizza / Italian Cuisine / San Pedro, CA
  During my culinary investigations I eat at a lot of places -- the ones I like (and there are plenty I don't like), I write about in this column. I can say this for Big Nick's: it is the absolute best place I have found this year. The quality food and loving care with which it is prepared make it a true South Bay "culinary gem."..
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.
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  07/10/04
  CASA CAMARON / Mexican (seafood) Cuisine / Carson, (LA) CA
  I took a crew of detectives to Carson for lunch, determined to eat all the fish in the sea, or at least all the fish in Casa Camaron. The extensive list of dishes included items I had not seen on a menu since my last trip to Cabo San Lucas. If it swims or crawls on the bottom of the ocean, Casa Camaron makes a taco or burrito out of it..
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.
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  06/25/04
  SPECIAL REPORT: Calorie Commando Accepts Culinary Detective's Challenge -
  Have you ever been watching a cooking show and wondered: "Does the stuff those chefs make really taste that good"? That occurred to me while I was watching the Food Network's "Calorie Commando," a show in which Chef Juan-Carlos Cruz takes much-loved recipes -- such as those for chocolate chip cookies, fettuccine Alfredo, fried pork chops and other fattening comfort foods -- and makes them healthy....
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
  
  
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  06/25/04
  MI AMA / Colombian Cuisine / Lawndale, CA
  When a food-hunt reveals a little-known ethnic place, there's usually an opportunity to bask in your own glory because you "found" a place that none off your friends knew about. Mi Ama is a tiny place in the corner of a strip mall and is very difficult, almost impossible, to find (look for the red awning). The restaurant serves great steaks, seafood and Colombian dishes..
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.
  
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  06/04/04
  INCREDIBLE CAFE (the) : Redondo Beach, CA
  One thing I have always told people is that whenever you go into a new town or strange place and want to know where the best places are to eat, just ask a police officer. There is a whole "police culinary information network" where we can ask other cops where the best grub is in any given city.
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT
  
  
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  05/21/04
  The Pita Pit: Redondo Beach, CA
  I'm a big eater -- no surprise to regular readers of this column. I like things big, meaty, gooey and tasty. - But sometimes I like things a little "lighter."..
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT
  
  
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  05/07/04
  SPEAKEASY Chicago Style Pizza: El Segundo, CA
  I recently found a new pizza house to endorse and I must credit E! reader Mike Fuerst of Hawthorne. Not only does it get the seal of approval, I proclaim it home to one of the absolute best pizzas I have ever tasted. The place I speak of is not easy to €nd, but was an easy choice for my new favorite lunch spot.
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT
  
  
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  04/21/04
  SPECIAL REPORT: CELEBRITY CHEFS BATTLE CULINARY MASTERS ON TV'S "IRON CHEF":
  Where is the place where a great culinary warrior can be humbled and a virtual unknown can become a culinary superstar in a mere 60 minutes? Why, Kitchen Stadium of course...
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
  
  
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  04/18/04
  SPECIAL REPORT: VEGAS MEAL DEALS: - Still a Good Bet Off The Strip:
  Remember the good old days of Las Vegas, when it was the land of the bargain buffet, the $2 prime rib and the $5 steak dinner?. Well, there are still plenty of great places to eat for cheap in Las Vegas, you just have to look a little harder and venture off The Strip to places like—
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT
  
  
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  04/16/04
  D.U.T.C. Grill: Gardena, CA
  Some places are not only good for the stomach but good for the soul as well. The profits from the grill benefit programs for women and children. D.U.T.C. is giving back to the community not only with good food, but by helping people get back on their feet.- -
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT
  
  

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  03/27/04
  YAKINIKU HOUSENKA: Gardena, CA
  A neat little place that serves lean quality meats and other Japanese dishes at a decent price. It’s a fun place to go as a group so you can all order different meats and sample everything. The grill in the middle makes the experience fun, yet simple and is a nice break from- -
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE PECIAL REPORT
  

• 
  03/05/04
  Alejo's Presto Trattoria: Marina Del Rey, CA
  Alejo’s, located off of Lincoln Boulevard, has about 10 small tables and a neat semi-open kitchen. I could see the chef cleaning mounds of fresh shrimp and another cook sauteing pasta and sauce with flames reaching toward the ceiling. I knew I was in for a treat as we sat down at our table,
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT
  
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  02/13/04
  SPECIAL REPORT: "Low-Carb, Fast Food Gets Taste Test"
  Lots of fast-food places are catching, or trying to catch, the “low-carb” wave and have come up with some nifty options for people trying to limit their carbohydrate intake. I took it upon myself to make the sacrifice and try them all for you. Here is the scoop on low-carbohydrate fast-food offerings.
  — Read More in the CULINARY SPECIAL REPORT

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  01/30/04
  Lighthouse Deli & Cafe: San Pedro, CA
  San Pedro has plenty of places to eat, small places that serve the diverse population that works and lives in San Pedro. I have a hard time driving down Gaffey Street or Pacific Avenue without swiveling my head from side to side as I spot some great looking hole in the wall, such as...
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.

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  01/16/04
  Le Chef / Harbor City, CA
  You’ll soon be thinking “gourmet” when you think of Harbor City: This is the first time I can actually say the chef of a place I reviewed is a graduate of a culinary school. Bertrand Schafer attended school in the Loire Valley outside Paris for two years to gain his skills in the kitchen. He went on to apprentice at three top restaurants in Paris, then...
  — Read More in the CULINARY CUISINE REPORT - including a YAHOO Map to the place.
  

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  Click on the ALL TIME FAVES link for a more complete listing of my favorite eateries...