Fresh Catch Fish Market and Grill in Hillcrest

by Stacey Kuhns

(Definitely not the fish market described in their name) 

 

While in the Hillcrest area, my boyfriend and I were looking for a place to eat. My daughter recommended Fresh Catch, which has been opened less than one year. Now my daughter does not eat fish, but she had heard good things about the restaurant so we tried it.

Fresh Catch is located at 3650 5th Avenue, #103, San Diego, CA, 92013. They are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 7 days per week. This restaurant used to be an Italian restaurant. It is owned by the same person but he decided to go in a different direction . . . . . fish. The prices are pretty standard as far as fish restaurants go. Always a little more expensive than other types of food.

When you walk into this restaurant, it is pleasant inside. The staff is friendly. Our waitress, Ashley, was very good and attentive. There is a small fish counter with a fair variety of fish, but is almost set up as a display more than a place you would go to purchase fish. Some of the fish had visible prices and some did not, so there was inconsistency in the display which I did not care for. The fish prices there were expensive and ahi was over $21 a pound! (If you want a real fish market, I would suggest something more along the lines of Point Loma Seafoods.

We decided to start with cups of New England clam chowder, which was good. They also offer a Fisherman's Stew and Ashley brought us a small cup of it to try. My boyfriend liked it but I did not care for it. (You can also get either of these selections in a hot buttered bread bowl).

We also started with the appetizer plate of shashimi. Now, I love shashimi and this was no exception. The fish was delicious, but...I could tell this was a plate that had been in the refrigerator all day.

I asked Ashley if it was made fresh and she said it was made fresh that morning. The reason I knew it had been already on the plate and in the fridge was there was a green "salad" of sorts on top of the middle of the fish. (The fish were fanned out in a circle and the salad was in the middle). Where the salad had sat on the fish all morning, the fish were stained green. Definitely did not like that and wondered why they do not just make it fresh to order. I later noticed one of the same shashimi plates in the display case, with the salad on it and covered with saran. 

I found the menu lacking in descriptions. I like to know exactly what I am ordering. We then tried the fried calamari and while it was good, we agreed it was definitely not the best we had eaten. 

For our last dish, we ordered the Shrimp Mac n Cheese. Someone else took our order and when he brought it out, it was the Crab Mac n Cheese. My boyfriend and I had taken one bite each of this and the waiter came out, took it away then eventually brought out the shrimp mac n cheese. I found the crab mac to be extremely fishy tasting. The shrimp mac was very good. The crab mac was kind of runny but the shrimp mac was cheesier.

The Fresh Catch also offers clams, mussels, seafood plates, and salads. Their sandwiches sounded good. They offer a lobster roll, spicy fried snapper, fried oyster sandwich and a yellow tail BLT.

Overall, we found the restaurant just okay. I would not return for a second visit. I would probably just head over to Point Loma Seafoods.

Two Long Beach Eateries You Don't Want to Miss

(Nomad Asian Bistro and Catalano's Pizza)

 

Nomad Asian Bistro

My parents wanted to take me to their new favorite restaurant, Nomad Asian Bistro, located at 6563 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA, 90803.

This is a Halal Chinese restaurant that is open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 11a.m. to 9:30 p.m. They serve Asian cuisine you would find in any Chinese restaurant along with Hui specialties.

The Hui are a Chinese ethnic tribe who originate from regions along the historic Silk Road. This results in a unique blend of traditional Chinese food with Mediterranean influences introduced by Persian and Middle Eastern travelers along the trading route.

My parents have brought all their friends here and told me they could eat at Nomad at least five days a week. The restaurant is located in an outside mall that also has a movie theater. The outside of the restaurant is very pleasant, with beautiful fencing and succulents growing around the patio. There is plenty of outdoor seating.

The inside of the restaurant is not nearly as welcoming as the outside, but the service and food make up for that tenfold.

Pictured above is my parent's favorite waitress at Nomad, Mary. She knows just what they want and treats them like honored guests. She will have the kitchen make the dishes however you specify and you can also specify heat levels in the dishes. We started with their unique sesame flatbread. It was wonderful, warm and chewy and covered in sesame seeds. There are eight large pieces for one order! The three ingredient soup bowl was more than plenty for the three of us and Mary served it expertly using chopsticks.

I ordered a chow mein with homemade soft noodles (they did not call this dish a low mein, even though it had soft noodles in it.) They make all their noodles from scratch. The meal was huge and had lots of veggies and noodles. If I ordered it again, I would ask for more spice as I like my food spicy. We all ate the chow mein and there was plenty left over for another meal.

The menu is extensive and there is so much to try. It is a place you want to return to again and again.

Catalano's Pizza

One of the days in Long Beach, my friend, my parents and I were craving pizza. We did not want just any pizza, but wanted something special. My mom remembered a place near them, Catalano's Pizza, located at 1178 E. Carson Street, Long Beach, CA, 90807.

Don't let the shopping center fool you or make you turn away because you will miss some of the best pizza on the planet! They are open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. They offer delivery in a limited area with a $15 minimum.

This is a very small place, but I recommend you pick an off-time and eat in.

The owner, Christine, was so welcoming and friendly. The restaurant has been opened since 1993 and Christine took it over in 2011. She works with her two sons and some amazing employees.

Their dough is made daily from scratch with the finest flour (and their pizza crust is a marvel.) Their cheese is top quality whole milk mozzarella and they do not skimp on any ingredients. They prepare their Italian sausage fresh and chop it by hand. Their marinara is to die for (I asked for a taste of it since it was not on the pizza I ordered. Christine happily obliged then came by the table to see what we thought of it. We all loved it.) I wanted to take a bucket of it home!

Each pizza is hand rolled and tossed to order. Christine believes in using the best quality and freshest ingredients and she chops every ingredient by hand. I decided to take a chance on a pizza invented by her son. The girl working the register assured me it was amazing. My pizza came out first and everyone tried a piece. I think they were sorry they did not also order it. It sounds crazy but was the best pizza I have ever had.

It was called the Pastrami Pizza. The pizza has mustard, pickles, mozzarella and the finest pastrami. Christine said it took many tries before they found the perfect pastrami for this pizza and it definitely tastes like the work they put into it. The crust was not too thin and not too thick, just right (although you can order the crust the way you like it; thin or regular).

The pizzas come in 8", 12", 15", 18", and 24". The love and care and quality ingredients that go into these pizzas make the bit extra you pay for them well worth it. This is definitely NOT Domino's, Pizza Hut, or any of the other tasteless pizzas you can get for a cheap price. This is quality unleashed!

My friend and my parents got the Meta Lover's Pizza. I tried a piece and it was also amazing.

There are plenty of toppings in every bite. Catalano's also has seven different kinds of salads, spaghetti, lasagna (with or without meat), hot and cold sandwiches and several desserts, including cannoli’s. They also do catering. You can make your own pizza or choose between 10 specialty pizzas.

One of the pizzas offered is wonderful if you want to try four different kinds. It is the Sampler Pizza and is 1/4 Cheese, 1/4 Pepperoni, 1/4 Sausage, and 1/4 Canadian Bacon and Pineapple.

Cute sign in the bathroom:

The pizza boxes were even high quality and had Catalano's menu and information taped to the top of each box.

Christine came over to our table and told us the history of Catalano's and her philosophy on making delicious food with the best quality ingredients. She works long days and pours her heart and soul into Catalano's and man oh man, can we tell. A MUST if you are in Long Beach.

A Day in West Los Angeles (Places to go and a place to avoid)

by Stacey Kuhns

 

Laemmle Royal Theater - Cafe 50's - Emil's Swiss Bakery

On Saturday, February 13, 2016, my parents, my friend, and I headed to West Los Angeles. Our plan was to see two independent films at a small theater, find a cool place to have lunch, and possibly dessert.

We headed to the Laemmle Royal Theater  located at 11523 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90025. The Laemmle Theaters were established in 1938. They are the premiere art house theater chain in Los Angeles. They are a family owned business spanning three generations.

There are seven locations: Claremont, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, West L.A., Encino, and North Hollywood. I recommend leaving early if you are going to the Royal as the freeway is always a nightmare and parking is less than plentiful. Most is metered parking so bring lots of quarters.

The Royal is a small theater. There are three theaters inside. You enter from the street into a small "waiting room" type area. You turn to the right and there is a counter to purchase tickets.

You then walk up the stairs or ramp to the concession stand. The walls are lined with pictures of the Laemmle family and history. The concessions seem to have larger candy bags than the standard everyday theaters, including a box of dark Godiva chocolates.

The concession prices were considerably cheaper than the Regals, United Artists, Edwards, and all the big theaters. If you are a senior citizen, you can get a box full of popcorn and a drink for $5! They also do not check bags (just saying.)

The staff are very friendly and eager to help. The clientele seemed to be mostly older folks. Each theater is small, maybe six rows of seats and some extra handicapped areas.

There are no stairs as everything is one level, but slanted down so no one blocks your view when they sit in front of you. The theater was recently redone. The seats were the most comfortable movie seats I had ever sat in. Thickly padded and almost better than Cineopolis luxury seats. Only complaint we all had was the lack of leg room.

We saw an early afternoon showing of "Rams." This movie was a winner at Cannes and also won Best Narrative at the Hamptons International Film Festival. It is about two brothers who live in a valley in Iceland and tend to their sheep and rams. They have not spoken to each other in 40 years. They have a dog that takes messages back and forth between them. The story is what happens when a lethal disease infects one of the brother's sheep; how the brothers and the town handle the crisis.

The theater gave out little postcards that told about the movie (below picture).

I found the movie plot interesting but felt the movie was long and drawn out. My friend fell asleep. My parents loved the movie. So, it is just a matter of opinion, as all these things are.

After the first movie, we walked down the street to eat lunch at Cafe 50's, located at 11623 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. They are open 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. daily. This was a fun place to go.

When you walk in, there is a soda counter on the right where you can sit and eat. Everything looks like you stepped back into the 50's. There is another room with additional booths. Each booth has a jukebox that takes quarters. We listened to some Fats Domino.

The menu is extensive and includes all that you would expect and a large variety of shakes. There are decorations and movie posters covering every wall and ceiling, which makes the time pass quickly as you are so absorbed in reading everything.

There is even a public phone booth. In the back is a set of lockers that have games piled on top of them.

I was amazed by some of the things I was reading:

The food was good. I had a turkey sandwich. The others in my group had burgers, a chocolate shake, corned beef sandwich, fries and onion rings. The fries and onion rings were awesome. Everyone loved their meal and we all enjoyed the ambiance of the place. We like fun!

There are old fashioned candy and cigarette machines around the area. They do not work but you can purchase candy, such as bubble gum cigarettes (who doesn't remember those?!)

(I apologize about the fuzziness in the following pictures. They were taken with a phone instead of my camera.)

There is also a public phone booth near the front counter. I know some kids who would not know what that is. All in all a worthwhile stop if you are in West L.A.

After lunch, we had some time to kill before the second movie at Laemmle. We decided to stop into a bakery I saw on the way to Cafe 50's. Emil's Swiss Bakery is located at 11551 Santa Monica Blvd #3 in West L.A. They are closed Mondays. Tues through Saturday, they are opened 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (I did not take an outside photo as it was a strip mall looking place with no distinguishing features outside.

There is plenty of places to sit and enjoy coffee, tea, Italian flavored sodas, or other beverages. The pastries looked gorgeous.

Emil's does catering, bakes fresh breads daily, serves lunch, dinner, and other assorted items. They also have a few shelves of items such as jams, beets, pickles, and coffees for sale. We decided to try the large brownie, chocolate chip scone and Florentine cookies. My parents each had a cup of decaf coffee. They said it was the best decaf they had ever had anywhere. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the coffee and it is not listed on their website. They did have it for sale in a greenish can, but it was over $11 for 8 ounces!

The cookies were delish. The brownie was so dry you had to chisel it with your fork and crumbs were flying everywhere. I thought it tasted like sawdust and could not get past the dry consistency. The scone was the same. Huge disappointment for sure. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

So, we returned to the Laemmle for our final movie of the day, "Son of Saul." This is a 2015 Hungarian film about two days in the life of Saul Auslander, a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando (work camp units made up of German Nazi death camp prisoners).

This film won Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

The story is told through the eyes of Saul. One of his jobs in Auschwitz is to clear the gas chamber of bodies and to sort through the clothing of the prisoners. He also spends some time shoveling the ashes of the prisoners burned in the crematorium ovens. There is not a lot of visible violence or scenes. It is all perceived through knowledge of what is taking place as the background is blurred quite often in the movie.

I found the movie to be emotional for me for personal reasons, but I thought it was very good and suspenseful. My friend also liked it. My parents did not like it at all and felt the story was implausible and the actors looked too "Hollywood" so again, a matter of opinion.

For anyone who likes movies that are not mainstream and who wants to support independent movies, I urge you to find a local art theater and see some of these jewels.