Two Guns Kitchen

After a move to an interim place (AirBnB), then finally moving into a new apartment, I have not had any energy nor desire to cook, so it's been a good reason to revisit some old favorites for meals as I rest and restore my cooking desire.

Two Guns in El Segundo is known for their coffee, but I also enjoy their breakfasts and lunches. I stayed at an Air BnB in El Segundo so it was a 5 minute drive to downtown and places I loved when I lived there. 

My go to is the salmon toast with avocado, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, dil, and micro greens.

The spicy fried chicken salad was not only refreshing, but actually spicy!

The spicy chicken sandwich uses the same spice level, but on a bun with coleslaw, the intensity of the spice is lessened, so if you want a milder taste, go for the sandwich.

Their pastries are wonderful if you want a bite of heaven to begin your day, get a pain au chocolat with flakey buttery layers and great dark chocolate.

A sweet breakfast treat is their French toast with fruit which I could not finish...but I enjoyed trying!

For a truly hearty breakfast/brunch get their full breakfast plate of maple sausage, eggs any way you wish, potatoes, grilled tomato, toasted bread, and the great gravy. You will want to take a nap, but hopefully you will enjoy a delicious dream:)

Fishing with Dynamite Patio

The creation of outdoor patios for restaurants where they had none or a very limited outdoor seating has been one of the few silver lining of the past year and a half of pandemic living. The cramped indoor space at Fishing with Dynamite is now augmented by a sizable outdoor patio in the street, complete with heat lamps and plants. It's such a popular spot for outdoor eating that I highly recommend reservations if you wish to eat al fresco.

Even though they had every table booked outdoors, the kind host said if we could eat in 30-40 minutes we could be seated and served, so of course we ordered as soon as we sat down, asked for the check as soon as we were served, and left in plenty of time for them to clear and clean before the reservation :)

Ordering cold dishes like their marvelous 1/2 lb shrimp cocktail for $21 helped speed up the meal, but we slowly savored every bite :)

Their hamachi sashimi with ponzu, crushed avocado and serrano chili for $20 is one of my menu favorites, so I order it nearly every time. It is consistently fresh, well balanced with citrus and soy, and a marvelous warm day appetizer.

I had never tried their seared Maine diver scallops for $36 before, but the celery root purée, savoy spinach, pine nuts, fennel and nasturtium pistou were an addictive combination and completed the meal on a rich comforting blissful note. 

Next time I will plan ahead with a reservation so that wine and oysters can be slowly sipped at sunset with the ocean wafting a cool breeze throughout the patio...