Provision Company - Holden Beach, NC

This is the crab-cake & boiled shrimp, with a side of conch fritters and slaw at the Provision Company, in Holden Beach, NC.

It's rare that I eat out when I'm there, as we're usually cooking a LOT of food at the rental house, but on this trip we w nt here for lunch. 

This place is excellent, and like so many other southern coastal seafood joints is tucked away under the bridge, and nearly impossible to find on a casual inspection.   (Rule of thumb - NEVER eat at the place at the mainland side of the base of the bridge on these coastal islands, but instead look for a smaller place tucked away under the bridge.) 

The Provision Company is well worth the search though.   The food is great, and it has a great open deck where you can watch the fishing boats landing your lunch.  

The Provision Company 

1343 Cedar Landing Rd SW
Holden Beach, NC 28462
(910) 842-7205

Heaven on Seven Chicago

Visiting Chicago this weekend, some friends took me to Heaven on Seven.  Great gumbo,  but the shrimp and cheese grits weren't particularly to my liking.  The grits seemed like instant, a tad flavorless, made with plain water rather than the more interesting stock.  The shrimp were lightly floured and fried, which I found a bit odd. 

(This may be a NOLA thing, but not the low-country type deal I was expecting.) 

- Will

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada Restaurant

This place just opened down the street from me.  They have an incredibly simple menu -  Fish Taco ($1.50), Shrimp Taco ($2.00) and Beverages. ($1.00)  This place is proof of the old truism about doing one thing and doing it well.  (Well, two things.) 

The fish and shrimp are perfect, delicate and soft inside, lightly floured and fried to order in immaculately clean oil.  They taste like an ocean breeze.  

The tacos come simply as fish or shrimp in the grilled tortilla; you spiff them up yourselves at a salsa / guac / relish bar.  The hot guacamole is great, as is the mango salsa.   Make sure you try the radish relish - it's very cool, and a beautiful color atop the tacos. 

Somewhat confusingly, the "Best Fish Taco in Ensenada" is in Los Angeles. 

- Will

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada - 1650 N. Hillhurst, Los Angeles, CA.

PS: They have a "Latinos for Obama" placard in the window, so not only is the food great, but their heart is in the right place too.  

Little Dom's, Los Feliz

This is the roasted peppers and goat cheese at Little Dom's in Los Feliz. Little Dom's recently opened on Hillhurst where much loved Belle Epoche used to be.

Everything I have had there has been excellent. It can be a bit spendy, but you can also do pizza an salad and get out around $20.

The food is well prepared, mostly Northern Italian specialties. This is well worth a visit. Try anything with sausage, or anything with papardelle. The house made pastas are all excellent as are the arrancini (rice balls). The crab salad with shaved fennel is one of the most delicious uses of crabmeat I've ever encountered, and is a vast pile of crab.

Reservations are highly recommended, as it gets very busy.

Little Dom's (323) 661-0055

2128 Hillhurst Ave,

Los Angeles, CA 90027

- Will

Trattoria Volare in North Beach, San Francisco

Ahhh, is there anything on earth better than the Spaghetti Carbonara at Trattoria Volare in North Beach, San Francisco?

I think not!

- Will

Trattoria Volare
561 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133-2801

Phone: (415) 362-2774