Chicken Curry & Cupcakes

I had President's Day off this past Monday, but unfortunately Scott did not.  He didn't have to go into work until later in the afternoon, so we were able to grab some lunch and spend a little time together.  We went to Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach.  I was so excited to try this place as I have been driving past it for over a year and have always wanted to try it.  We arrived and it was packed!  We waiting for about 20 minutes before we were seated, but it was well worth the wait.  The place had a modern-rustic feel, with the servers dressed in flannel shirts and jeans.  There was a cute outdoor area with a bocce bail court too!  We sat outside and I had the chicken curry sandwich, and Scott had the burger.  Both were phenomenal!

After lunch, we walked next door to SusieCakes for dessert.  Ohhh my beloved SusieCakes.  How do I love thee.  I got my usual red velvet cupcake, and Scott has an obsession with bananas so he tried the banana pudding which was delicious!  The nilla wafers were a nice touch too!

Is it January?

The weather in the South Bay was gorgeous this weekend!  75 degrees, sunny, and not a cloud in sight.  It was crystal clear..we could see all the way from Malibu to Catalina Island..usually it's covered up by smog or haze!  In light of the beautiful weather, Scott and I went for brunch in Manhattan Beach on Saturday at The Local Yolk.

Fellow Wildcats live there!

This was probably my favorite part of the meal.  A homemade, warm biscuit with butter and honeybear honey.

  Mmmmm....biscuit.

The "LA" omelet; green onions, mushrooms, and jack cheese topped with avocado.

Crab and avocado eggs benedict.

A wonderful breakfast to kickstart a wonderful weekend.  I can only hope the weather stays like this!

Fishbar

Fishbar: My new favorite restaurant.  It's a fantastic new seafood restaurant located in Manhattan Beach.  I've already been twice, and I'm hungry for more.  From the cocktails, to the entrees, to the dessert everything is absolutely delicious.  Scott and I have been on the hunt for the perfect dirty martini.  In our humble opinion, Kingfisher (Tucson, AZ) always had the best dirty's, and no one has ever topped that...except, Fishbar.  Perfection.  The wine selection was also great.  I settled for a Sonoma Pinot for just $7 a glass.

On to the food.  You could probably order anything on the menu and not be disappointed.  The first time we came here, I got salmon and Scott and Steve both got the lobster.  BEST salmon I have ever had.  It was seasoned in a blackened seasoning mix, and cooked just to that flakey perfection.

Goofball.

The second time around, we brought our friend Tom.  We started with a 1/2 dozen oysters, but we ate them all before I could snap a photo.

 I got the salmon...again.  I just had to.  I was craving it!

Scott got the linguini with clams and mussels...can't go wrong with this one.

Those are brussel sprouts!  Caramelized and nestled in a balsamic reduction with a capers and bacon.  OMG this was the money dish.  It was one of the specials this night, but I hope they add it to the menu permanently.

Tom ordered the lobster mac & cheese.  I'm kind of a mac & cheese connoisseur, and this dish was divine.  I like that they used penne instead of the typical elbow macaroni.  And the cheese sauce was creamy and just cheesy enough.

Pure, seafood perfection.  Aaaand, I'm done.

Watching Whales

For Scott's birthday, I surprised him with a whale watching trip.  It was long, tiresome, and most of all COLD.  However, we did have some luck searching for wildlife whilst embarked upon the Voyager.

Sea lions perched on the Redondo buoy

Whatcha see there Scottie?

Almost immediately after departing from the harbor, we ran into a giant pod of dolphins.  There were thousands, and I mean THOUSANDS of dolphins jumping in the air as far as the eye could see.

This photo does not do justice, but every white splash in the photo is a dolphin.  Multiple this snapshot by 100, and that's what we saw.  Just amazing.

Despite the fact that is was FREEZING, we still kept smiling.

There was a point in the journey where other passengers starting throwing food into the water to feed the seagulls.  We had quite a seagull following, I was terrified one was going to poop on my head.  This would have been a nightmare situation for my dear friend Kindra who is not of fan of any animal in the bird family.

 

Yep, that's a jellyfish.  Imagine taking a swim in the ocean and coming face to face with one of these?

This is the ONLY whale we encountered.  It's called a Minke whale.  I thought it looked like a giant dolphin.

We had a great time, but I think we both vowed to not repeat this adventure again...unless it's summertime.