"I Think of It as 'Research' For Readers"

I justify my lamentable sneak attack on a meal out by the above rationalization …

Friday's Haircuts - El Gringo, 422 Main St., El Segundo  elgringo.com   We both liked it here - Richie for the enormous machaca burrito  ($14) and my beef taco ($4)and cheese enchilada ($4)  were sizeable enough, but happily were  not as big as the 5 lb. doorstop his burrito looked to be.  The small guacamole ($5) had the chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, and a heap of cilantro along the sides of the avocado mix and you composed your own based on what you like.  
Lunch was $36.14  which included a Pacifico ($6) for Richie; water for me.  

Tuesday (yesterday's) 10:30 a.m. with "Tom" a physical therapist who will be treating leftover limping from the total hip replacement four years ago using in-pool exercises.    The first is this Friday.  I look forward to it.  Amusingly enough considering my lamentable habit of making sure I get good behavior food rewards out of almost any excursion … the map of how to get there details all of the fast food and sit-down restaurants in what looks like a wide-ranging area!  How did they know?

But, I get ahead of myself.  Yesterday post-appointment, we  went to Elephant Bar in the cluster of restaurants at Hawthorne and Torrance Boulevards.   It used to be good.  

I'd forgotten how languid the service is and since it was 11:45 a.m., surrounded by offices and medical outposts and, farther afield, Little Co. of Mary Hospital (immense) I was surprised to see the place so sparsely peopled and the same slow service.  

Richie ordered a regular Stella d'Artois beer ($7) and the Irish Pot Roast ($16.95.)  I asked what made it "Irish"? and he said succinctly "Guinness."  Generous portion and the carrots were most assured "al dente" big time.   Richie mentioned it to our server.  She volunteered to replace them, but he declined.  

My Bloody Mary ($8) came garnished with a bamboo skewer through a (had to be) foot-long stalk of celery, a mozzarella-wrapped strip of cooked bacon and a pimento-stuffed olive.    
I ordered French fries to go with our drinks.  ($2.95).  They were the little pieces that are left when the potato is cut for length.  They were cool.  They were left behind when we left.  


The coconut skewered shrimp  ($12.95)  I ordered were tasty, but they came with a wild mixture of green leaves, sliced red cabbage and no dressing.  I asked her about this and she said, "Oh, no, that doesn't come with dressing, but I'd be happy to get you a serving of salad dressing..." and rattled off about five.  The only one I heard that lingered was the first one she named - ranch - so I asked for that.  When it came, Richie used it as a dip for the French fries and I just dipped fork tines in it and ate a few bites of who knows what? greens.   Won't be dropping in there anytime soon even if this PT pool would be the next building over. Especially not to spend $47.85 for lunch

Today no appointments, but "D" wants to try a place he read about in a local paper  today at noon - Angel City Grill, Aviation, Redondo Beach.  Keep Eating!