Happy Surprises Are Always Nice
Posted on January 23, 2009
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I wasn’t expecting much when I decided that I’d better pay a visit to the lone race track in Southern California that I had yet to visit, so when I got to Los Alamitos Race Course and its signature Vessels Restaurant, I was curious but not enthusiastic.
Wow, was I wrong. The scene was actually fairly spectacular looking out over the SoCal basin with the course in front of us (my wife, pictured, accompanied me), but the menu seemed way overpriced. I really wanted to try the Sand Dabs, one of my favorite dishes, but my wife craved fish though not her usual Salmon, so we ended up ordering the Sand Dabs for her and the Carne Asade for me. The prices on these were fairly reasonable, so I figured the place was worth a gamble.
For starters, I ordered an Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Blue Cheese Dressing. Now, this type of salad is usually just, well, usual fare, but somehow–what with a superb and lighter blue cheese dressing plus walnuts and grape tomatoes–the salad was superb. Our waitress confessed that she eats it just about everytime she works.
I quickly looked up information on the chef on the menu, but the bio was brief: Sam Gonzalez grew up in Huisquilco, Jalisco, Mexico, and learned the secret of spices and seasonings from his mother, aunts and grandmother. He learned well, and someone should snatch him away to bigger and better environs.
As for the Carne Asada and Sand Dabs, they too were extremely tasty–nothing extraordinary, but very well done.
A lucky find, and a pleasant, tasty evening of dining and horse wagering (I lost).
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