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TELL
ME ABOUT AN MEMORABLE EATING EXPERIENCE YOU'VE ENJOYED.
- Thanks, CHRIS.
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From: "DAILY BREEZE" NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:
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Saturday,
December 27, 2003
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Culinary Detective: Best little hidden treasures
of 2003
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BY CHRIS COGNAC
Special to Rave!
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Well, 2004 is less than a week away and so ends the first year of
the Culinary Detective.
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This column has been a joy to write and pretty fun to “investigate”
as well. I have found there are a lot of people just like me who
love to check out hidden treasures and hole-in-the-wall places in
the never-ending quest for great food that’s just off the beaten
path.
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During the past year I found, stumbled upon or was guided by E!
readers to a host of great places. After thorough analysis, here
are my favorite spots, as of 2003, around the South Bay:
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Rizzo’s
Pizzeria, 2350 Sepulveda Blvd, Suite G, Torrance,
310-530-9527
Rizzo’s, which has been around for 20 years, has the absolute
best garlic breadsticks on the planet. I have yet to
find anyone who has tried them and didn’t like them.
The pizzas are huge and made from some of the best dough I have
ever tasted. They have an “all
you can eat” special on Mondays that includes pizza,
breadsticks, salad or spaghetti and a drink for $7.90. Chuck and
Annette Rossi run a true “family” place with lots of fund
raising and community involvement, which makes Rizzo’s a true
benefit to the South Bay.
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B&R’s
Old Fashion Burgers, 3512 W Rosecrans Ave., Hawthorne,
310-679-4774
You want to know the best burger
in Southern California? It’s the Royal Burger at
B&R Old Fashion Burgers. Two hand-made
half-pound ground beef patties, chili, bacon or pastrami, lettuce,
onions, and cheese, topped off with a fried egg. The
Royal Burger is a massive piece of heart-stopping tasty goodness,
the Holy Grail of burgers, which I feel truly blessed
to have stumbled upon. Judging from some of the e-mails I have gotten,
many of you have blessed by B&R burgers during the last year
as well.
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Big
Mike’s, 1314 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, 310-798-1499
This place was the winner of my "quest for the best cheesesteak
in the South Bay" contest. Big Mike’s serves up massive
cheesesteaks on really high-quality bread. The beef
is top-notch and the sandwiches are cooked just right,
with the gooey cheese melting into every nook and cranny of the
steak and onions. Mike also makes the best
“chickensteak” in town and does not skimp on
the meat either. I don’t know how the restaurant does it, but
nobody in the area comes close to making sandwiches like Big Mike’s.
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China
One Buffet, (New China Buffet) 2864
W. Imperial Highway, Inglewood, 323-756-2988 When it comes to Chinese
buffets there are few that can top China One Buffet for the combination
of price, quality and overall selection of good food. The restaurant
has General Tso Chicken,
which is very hard to find in the South Bay. The food does not sit
and get stale as at some Chinese buffets; it’s kept fresh so
it’s hot and delicious when you put it on your plate. There’s
also a salad bar, pizza and stuff
for the kids, as well as crab legs for the adults. Great
place, good value. Check it out.
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MY SELECTION FOR BEST SOUTH BAY RESTAURANT, 2003 IS...
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Rajin’
Cajun Cafe, 422 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, 310-376-7878
Stephen Domingue truly takes pride in every aspect of the Rajin’
Cajun. He and his sister Janeen take care of their customers as
if they were guests in their home. When Stephen Domingue asks you
how your food is, he really wants to know if you liked your meal.
He is a true Southern gentleman. The food is awesome, a great
variety of Cajun specialties from recipes taught to Domingue
by his mother in Louisiana. You can get alligator,
hush puppies or a salad in a flower pot. There’s
gumbo and jambalaya
that’s done just right; if you close your eyes you would swear
you were eating on the front porch of a Southern mansion along the
riverfront.
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Chris Cognac, a detective for a South Bay police department, specializes
in reviewing hole-in-the-wall restaurants. If you’d like him
to conduct a culinary investigation at a restaurant you’ve
been hesitant to try, write to him at the Daily Breeze, 5215 Torrance
Blvd., Torrance, CA, 90503 or e-mail him at chris@culinarydetective.com.
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Publish Date:December 26, 2003
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