Rethinking Take Out for a Celebration

Table Setting, Beachy Romantic Theme

Rethinking Take Out for a Celebration - Manhattan Beach 

Izakaya

The husband and I celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary last night.  Well, we technically got our celebration on last weekend at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California, but last night was our actual anniversary.

Exhausted from the "celebrating" we did over the weekend, and haggard from chasing my 22 month old around and trying to work all at once, I decide that instead of cooking a nice meal for the husband, I would try and do upscale (but light) take out (light because we wayyy over indulged at Terranea).

Normally take out in Manhattan Beach feels like a dilemma because we grew accustomed to NYC and that ANYTHING could be delivered to your doorstep. 

So here, I always come up with the same old standbys, Baja Fresh, Islands, Pizza, ???  SO I called our FAVORITE local Sushi spot here in Manhattan Beach, Izakaya and asked them if I could do a freshly prepared order for TAKE OUT.  I know, sushi for take out can sound a bit randy at first, but it was NEARLY perfect.

The only flaw was that I picked it up too early so it had to sit while husband put baby to bed.  There were a couple of hot items, they were still good, but would have been better if they didn't have to sit 20 minutes.

OTHER THAN THAT, With a little effort on the preparation front, the food was fabulous and the vibe just right.  Plus, I could get as many pours of the Veuve as I wanted without paying extra :)

SO - here are some photos and my favorites from IZAKAYA!

Top Left clockwise: Yellow Tail Sashimi with Jalepeno; Yellow Sashimi, Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, Spicy Tuna Rolls

Again, Yellow Tail Sashimi with Jalapeno

Baked Crab Hand Roll

Requires no explanation.

Also had Creamy Rock Shrimp Tempura - but the photo wasn't good, take my word for it, it's DELISH!

Next time you want to impress your significant other or have people over, pick it up, make it pretty, and voila, you will impress!

For my local friends, highly recommend the dishes above!  

KEEP ON EATING AND DRINKING and Know I'm with you in spirit at all times :) 

TEAM WILSON

Ode to Calamari: The Three Best Calamari dishes from Manhattan Beach to Manhattan NYC

Ode to Calamari: The Three Best Calamari dishes from Manhattan Beach to Manhattan NYC

For starters, I am obsessed with calamari. Let's just get that out in the open. This photo would have showed you the absolutely fantastic fried calamari with a Thai chili sauce from Blue Water Grill in NYC, but unfortunately, I ate it so fast I forgot to photograph it. So what you are seeing here is the aftermath of a wild animal (me) having completely annihilated this dish.

Let's back up. I'm going to tell you the three best calamari dishes I have had in the past year at three restaurants - 1 in Manhattan Beach (where we used to live) and 2 here in NYC. All 3 are completely different in flavor profile and preparation.

But the photo above and the night in question deserves a little back story. My friend Tara was in town from LA. We had a great day seeing Wicked (we both cried, is that supposed to happen?) followed by drinks on the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel (the view of the taxis above). Then off to dinner at Blue Water Grill in NYC (Union Square). The only downer of the night was that some drunk losers at the bar at Blue Water threw a bar stool and caused some mayhem, but once the staff recovered, the night was good, the food was great.

I feel extremely confident that if you love calamari, you will fall in love with these three dishes.

The Best Calamari in Manhattan Beach and (possibly?) all of Los Angeles:

1. Petro's Restaurant in the Metlox. Petro's is an authentic Greek restaurant with amazing calamari. What makes it so good?
*The calamari is super fresh, you can just tell (not chewy at all!!!)
*The calamari is so lightly fried that doesn't even feel fried or heavy.
*They drizzle a light Greek creme sauce over the top that is just to die for. They also fry some almonds and lemon slices. The whole thing is just amazing.
www.petrosrestaurant.com

The Best Calamari in New York (Manhattan) (So Far anyway! Much more to try!)

2. Mermaid Inn (Upper West Side location). The Calamari here is sauteed - not fried. It also has completely unexpected flavor profiles and textures.
*They include some frisee salad, goat cheese crumbles, sauteed mushrooms and a really nice light sauce with a little salt and fresh ground pepper that provided a pretty good kick. This is the most unusual calamari I've had, and it was the best thing on the menu from my point of view. http://www.themermaidnyc.com/

3. Blue Water Grill (as described above in Union Square)
The Thai chili fried calamari here is absolutely divine. They include some shredded carrots for an extra little crunch. This calamari is fried but the texture does not feel heavy or overly battered. Just a super crunch packed with flavor and a really tangy sauce that ends with a kick from the chili.
*It is a little embarrassing that I ate like 3/4 of it before my friend could get at it, but in my defense we hadn't eaten for 8 hours since before seeing the matinee of Wicked :) (If I stabbed her with my fork trying to scarf this dish down, I apologize publicly!)
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/blue_water_grill_new_york/index.php

There you have it. Your turn! I/We want to hear the BEST Calamari you have ever had so we can go try it!!!