This week has started out with some swank. If you’ve been reading along, you know that I have visitors from out of town, which is always the perfect excuse to indulge. My guest this week are my friend Tim, who I’ve known since second grade – almost 20 years. We met on the street with our super soakers one summer day. I don’t know why I call he and his brother and sister “friends” – they really are part of my family. I have incredible memories of us spending hours upon hours playing Goldeneye 007 on Nintendo 64 (and before that, Mario Kart on SNES). He is here with his girlfriend Lauren Beasley, affectionately called “Bees”. I haven’t seen either of them since my last trip home to Massachusetts in August 2011, so it’s quite a treat to have them here.
Tim has never been to California before, so I took them right from LAX to the beach. I mean come on, it’s the west coast. On my way there I decided we needed to experience some seaside seafood. While I love the Reel Inn, I’ve heard from many that Gladstone’s on the PCH in Pacific Palisades is quite the establishment for seafood, so we decided to go. Let me tell you, it is no joke. The outdoor seating alone is worth the experience – you’re sitting in front of the waves as they crash over the rocks. Nothing brings a New England boy home like serious clam chowder, and Gladstone delivers. Not quite as chunky as I would like, but deep and bacon-y. Though I didn’t get one, you can get their chowder in a fresh-baked sourdough bread bowl, which is a weakness of mine. I was very tempted by their clam bake buffet – $35 for all you can eat mussels, clams, ciopino, bacon mashed potatoes, caesar salad, sausages, corn – totally ridiculous. As tempting as it was, neither Tim nor I were convinced we could retain any self-respect with an all-you-can-eat buffet. I have to tell you, the starving artist nearly shit himself to see that fish and chips were priced at $24.95. My roommate tells me they are outstanding, but unfortunately the screams of my wallet had to win over. I went with a California Po-Boy, which was cornmeal breaded catfish on a bun with a spicy relish, served with their house-made potato chips. Really outstanding sandwich, though I did kind of miss the traditional lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. Tim and Bees both got a bloody mary (you can get bottomless for $25), ceviche, shrimp tacos, and a crab roll – all fantastic. I was impressed by the crab roll in that it had no mayonnaise – dressed instead with lime, a bit of vinegar, green onion, and various spices. Really good stuff. Though this is defffffinitely a place for splurging after a big pay day, it is certainly worth it if you’re looking to treat yourself to some fantastic oceanside swank.
Gladstone’s
17300 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
www.gladstones.com
Where to next? Stay tuned to find out! 🙂