Archive September 2020 | A Travel Foodie's Journey
Antonio’s Pizzeria & Cabaret

Antonio’s Pizzeria & Cabaret

During our visit to Catalina Island, we were looking for a reasonably priced restaurant with a waterfront view, and we found that in Antonio’s Pizzeria. They had an outdoor patio with tables to the side of the restaurant as well as in front of the marina. We were fortunate to have been seated by the latter providing a stunning view for our meal. The service was slightly slower than anticipated, but the food more than made up for it. One never knows for certain what the quality of the food will be when choosing a restaurant randomly, but we truly lucked out with Antonio’s. All of the dishes we ordered were pretty spectacular.

I requested the fish and chips. The batter and fries were crispy and seasoned perfectly while the fish surprisingly remained moist inside the batter. My husband’s chicken and penne pasta tasted as if it was cooked by an Italian grandmother.

The dish that stole the show, however, was Antonio’s cheese crisp which was a thin, crispy crust pizza brushed with garlic and butter topped with five cheeses, chopped pepperoncini, chopped pepperoni and salami. It was the perfect combination of a crunchy, garlicky, savory bite.


The restaurant is truly a gem. They understand how to put their best foot forward with their authentic Italian recipes. We would happily recommend Antonio’s Pizzeria & Cabaret to anybody visiting the island.


Antonio’s Pizzeria & Cabaret

230 Crescent Avenue

Avalon 90704

http://catalinahotspots.com/antonios_cabaret/

Joe’s Crab Shack

I’m always looking for restaurants to visit and help economically during these challenging times so we headed to Joe’s Crab Shack as its outdoor patio finally reopened. We had 5 p.m. Open Table reservations but waited 30 minutes and later saw on my email that my reservation was cancelled at 5:57 p.m. after we were seated.


On arrival, we noticed that the host and manager weren’t keeping track of who had reservations and who placed their names on the waitlist. One woman who had reservations had been waiting over an hour and had not been called to be seated.
After nudging, we were finally seated at our table of choice. We were initially led to a table that wasn’t next to the marina so we requested to sit at one which had recently been vacated. We watched as the busboy slowly cleaned off the table. It took at least a good 5-8 minutes, demonstrating he had no sense of urgency despite a huge line of people outside waiting.


Once we were seated, there was some confusion as to who was serving us. Initially, we were approached by Stephanie who took our drink order. Then we were approached by Troy who said he was our server.

Seafood gumbo and clam chowder


Once Stephanie was identified as our actual server, we ordered a cup of each of the clam chowder and seafood gumbo. Between the two, the chowder was the clear winner. It was creamy, thick and flavorful. The gumbo had a nice savory flavor, but it was more of a broth and not as rich, complex or dense like the chowder.

Fisherman’s Choice – Grilled redfish


After 19 minutes, my husband’s entree of red fish arrived. I was given a plate which was not my order. I sent it back untouched. I had asked for the shrimp sample which included 6 breaded shrimp, shrimp scampi, grilled shrimp skewers, seasonal vegetables and crispy French fries substituted by me for the rice. I was initially served the shrimp trio which was a plate of crispy, coconut and fried shrimp as well as fries. It was a plate of artery clogging fried food.

Shrimp sampler

When my real order arrived, the crispy fries were missing and some stale, crunchy, undercooked rice was on my plate.

Cold, not crispy fries

When I requested the correct substitution, the runner assigned to our table brought cold, stale fries. Stephanie made it right by bringing piping hot, crispy fries.


For the sake of clarity, our actual server, Stephanie, was super helpful. However, the rest of the service staff needs help and perhaps a tutorial. The hostess stand needs at least 2 other people on busy weekend evenings. They should be trained to understand that reservations should take precedence over walk-ins. The phone should never ring 10-20 times without somebody picking up. There should be sufficient and well-trained busboys and runners who know what orders belong to which tables for the outdoor patio and adjoining tent.


Also, the bartender should be well-versed in the drink lingo and understand that a martini “up” no vermouth with a lemon twist is a martini not a 2 ounce glass of no ice room temperature vodka. We want to be helpful and eat at local restaurants to help them stay in business but the upcharge of the alcohol is nearly criminal (see receipt) and the staff needs to be replaced or be admonished for their failings.


We are very fond of Stephanie and the cooks did a nice job on our dinner, but the host, manager, bartender and singular busboy have all failed to meet the expectations of a $110 meal. I doubt we’ll be returning though the view from the outdoor patio was quite pretty. However, the overall service and value of the restaurant aren’t compelling enough to make the investment in time and money. The receipt didn’t even have our correct server’s name. This restaurant gets an F in my book.

Public School 310

Public School 310

Public School opened in Culver City in 2012 and is one of the popular gastropubs in the city attracting visitors near and far.

For our dinner selection, we had both the recess happy hour and DineLA’s restaurant week dinner menu.


We started off our evening with our favorite beverages, a Moscow mule for Troy and a vodka martini for me.

The first of our dishes to arrive were the savory bacon cheddar tots that we all wish had been served at our elementary school cafeteria.

The crispy naked chicken wings arrived shortly thereafter. They were perfectly cooked, moist and lightly seasoned, served with a side of blue cheese and super spicy buffalo sauce.

Next on deck was the decadent chorizo mac and cheese sprinkled with bits of salt & vinegar potato chips, kale and mornay sauce.

We also also ordered the Brussels sprouts which were served with a bit of kimchi and slivers of bacon intermixed with a citrus gremolata.

For our main entrees, we ordered the Moroccan harissa salmon which was plated with cannelloni beans, zucchini, kale and roasted tomatoes, one of our favorites on the menu.

I ordered the steak frites, which was a grilled flat iron steak, served with charred green onion chimichurri, truffle aioli and Parmesan truffle fries.

For dessert, we were served warm, crispy churros with spiced chocolate sauce drizzled on top and filled in the middle which oozed out with every bite.

Our other dessert was the vanilla cheesecake with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. It was perfect, not too sweet, not too dense, a great way to end a fantastic meal.

A toast to Public School for their delicious food and fantastic service. Until next time!

Public School 310

9411 Culver Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

PS310

Koobide Kabob

Koobide Kabob

Koobide Kabob is a great family-owned Mediterranean restaurant in Culver City. Our favorite takeout order is their family platter which comes with a shirazi salad, basmati rice, two chicken kabobs, one ground beef koobideh, one filet mignon kabob and grilled veggies consisting of tomatoes, peppers and onions.

The salad had a subtle citrus dressing and was sprinkled with some diced tomatoes and cucumbers.

Their rice was light and silky, and it paired beautifully with the three types of meat on the platter. The grilled filet kabob was generous and substantial, the chicken breast kabob had a bit of char and yet was quite juicy, but the star was the seasoned ground beef koobideh which was perfectly cooked and had an earthy, citrusy flavor. We also had a side of hummus which had a very strong but delicious garlic aftertaste. Our perfectly sized desert was their delicious baklava which consisted of a crispy buttery phyllo dough soaked in a combination of sugar, honey and pistachio creating a sweet, moist and chewy bite. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.


The family platter was a great value for the amount of food we received. We would definitely recommend the restaurant and all the dishes we ordered as they were delicious and authentic. We’ll be back!


Koobide Kabob

11800 W. Jefferson Boulevard, Suite A

Culver City, CA 90230

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Grace Gambin

A Travel Foodie

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