Monsieur Marcel

Good luck topping this!

Monsieur Marcel
6333 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA

A small part of me wishes I never found this place.  Why?  On one hand, they have THE BEST soup I've ever tasted.  On the other hand, it's 372 miles from my front door.  Cue the violins.

A myriad of dining options awaits you at the famous Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax.  In fact, I circled the market twice before choosing Monsieur Marcel.  Small plates of cheese and cured meats seemed a fitting snack since my evening plans involved copious amounts of Mexican seafood.  Of course, the intention to enjoy a light snack all went to hell when I saw French Onion Soup on the menu.

For me, this particular soup begs to be ordered and judged against every other version I've sampled.  Prior to this visit, my all-time favorite came from La Bonne Soup Cafe in Sacramento; however, when the first spoonful reached my lips, I wanted to weep a tear for La Bonne.  Theirs had been outdone.

A rich, complex broth chock full of sweet onion slices was concealed by a single floating crouton underneath a blanket of oozing cheese, the outside of which had bits charred ever so slightly to enhance its salty, nutty flavor.  Sheer heaven.  I chose not to taint my palate with any sort of flavored beverage or even the bread loaf I had been attacking prior to the arrival of this delicious crock of nirvana.

Hours later, I annihilated a grilled lobster and its accoutrements.  But, I will always remember the most perfect bowl of soup, and will rarely visit L.A. without a visit to Monsieur Marcel.  Believe it.

Hotlix

Insects never looked so appealing!

Hotlix
179 Pomeroy Street
Pismo Beach, CA

It's official: I'll try almost anything if it's covered in chocolate.

Hotlix is where laughter turns into curiosity and eventually a purchase of something you have never considered to be "food".  At ease, entomophobiacs, the creatures here can no longer squirm, leap, crawl or scare the bejesus out of you.  The lifeless corpses (yum!) are immortalized in lollipops, enrobed in chocolate, or dusted with herbs and spices.

The chocolate covered crickets were the easiest choice for me since they were a little less recognizable as former living creatures than the cheddar cheese-dusted "Larvets".  They tasted just like everyone said they would: like Kit-Kats.

Other treats include chocolate ant wafers and scorpion brittle.  Dinner, anyone?

Shaw's Steakhouse & Tavern

Three!  Three!  Three meals in one!

Shaw's Steakhouse & Tavern
714 S. Broadway
Santa Maria, CA

When in Santa Maria, eat Santa Maria BBQ.  Duh...

Shaw's was highly praised all over the web, so I gave it a try.

I dig dimly-lit steakhouses, so this certainly fit the bill.  As I followed the server to the table, I passed a large window allowing diners to watch the inner workings of the kitchen; more specifically, a gargantuan grill used to prepare their delectable BBQ meats.

After a nearly six-hour road trip, I was dying for a bite.  With a weekend of food ahead of me, I wanted something simple - maybe a small salad with some BBQ and healthy veggies on the side.

Fail.  Epic fail.

My server asked if I preferred salad or Beer Bacon Cheese Soup.  Um, were there really two answers to that question?  That was followed up with a listing of the daily specials, from which I chose the Tri-Tip & Linguica Combo.  My salivary glands started working overtime.

A cup of cheesy, porky goodness arrived, topped with more grated cheddar.  Freshly ground pepper added a kick to the rich, earthy broth, and after the bowl was licked clean I had no idea how I'd have room for my entree.

And what an entree it was!

A platter large enough to feed 2-3 people was placed in front of a blushing me.  It looked like a freaking masterpiece - and tasted like it, too.  The spicy linguica and tender tri-tip were grilled to perfection and accompanied by a dipping sauce that baffles me to this day.  It was rich, sweet...and those are the only adjectives I can use because I've no clue what other ingredients were involved.  All of this was served with a fully-loaded baked potato as well as garlic bread.

I barely made a dent in the platter, and thanked my lucky stars my hotel room had a kitchenette.  I ate the leftovers for two days straight.  Three fantastic meals for twenty bucks?  Steal.