0417 warszawa

A group of friends got together to try a Polish restaurant in Santa Monica. It’s a small place called Warszawa, and the food is very tasty. There were eight of us altogether. Neil had come in from Ventura, while Cheryl made the trip from Redlands. The rest of us are spread across the L.A. basin.

The restaurant has about ten tables, so reservations are strongly suggested. There’s a covered patio in the back for private parties, although it was unused the night that we were there. The parking lot is small. There are a lot of signs, but the restaurant isn’t mentioned on any of them. But if you ask the staff, the parking lot is available to restaurant patrons.

The wine list isn’t long, but there are some good selections. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into it, like the menu.

The menu isn’t long, but there are a lot to choose from. There are nine salads, plus a combination of up to six of them. There are five different types of hand-made Pierogis (Polish ravioli) but you can order a combo plate with one of each. Mmmm. They are served dry, like empanadas.

I ordered the salmon-filled dumplings, and they were very delicious. One of the guys ordered the “Bigos”, which is a Polish hunter’s stew. The way he ordered it, though, sounded like he said “beagles”. My bad.

We all left room for dessert. Neil decided to try the “schlicki”, which is a vanilla crepe filled with lemon cheese, served hot with raspberries. One of the women said to Neil, “If you let me have a taste of your schlicki, I’ll order something else.” We told her that even in a Polish restaurant, her comment sounded suggestive.

Several of the desserts were ordered and then passed around. One item was a dark mocha chocolate cream layer torte with light vanilla sauce. The waiter added a word of warning: the menu doesn’t indicate it, but there’s espresso in the torte. Caution was tossed aside and the torte was ordered. Everyone took a bite and commented that the espresso was very light. I had a piece from the bottom. I found out then why everyone said that the espresso was light. It had settled in the bottom. My piece had a strong espresso taste.

0410 mo pho

Jim Y and I did our walking exercise at Liberty Park in Cerritos. Afterwards, we had lunch at “Pho 4 U”, to try some of the other things on the menu.

The menus are easy-to-read and there are plenty of pictures. Too many choices, but I’m sure that I’ll be back. At the time of our visit, the restaurant was having a promotion of a FREE Thai Iced Tea with Boba with every entree. The server mentioned that we missed out on the previous promo. That’s when they had a FREE dessert with every entree. Apparently, timing is everything.

The Pho Tai (#10 - Rare Steak Noodle Soup) was very good and there were plenty of noodles. I would have ordered the Pho Dac Biet (#9 – Special Beef Noodle Soup), but I’m not a fan of tripe. The soups come in two sizes (medium and large), and the large is a meal in itself. The soups also come with a plate of extras, such as bean sprouts, sliced chile peppers, and a sprig of mint. There’s also a small plate for dipping the meat into sauces of your choice. I had just the Hoisin sauce.

The Com Suon Bo Nuong (#32 – BBQ Beef Ribs Rice) is the Vietnamese version of Korean kalbi beef. It’s served with each rib separate, instead of as a strip of three ribs. The meat is tender and full of flavor, and the presentation is very appetizing. Rice is served in a separate bowl, and a plate of kimchi accompanies it for seasoning.

The Bun Tom Thit Nuong Cha Gio (#39 – Charbroiled Shrimp with Egg Roll and choice of Beef, Pork, or Chicken) is served in a bowl on top of noodles and mixed vegetables, and served with fish sauce. Yum!

I was going to get a smoothie to go, but because of the FREE Thai Iced Tea promo, they weren’t making smoothies. Oh well, something to look forward to on a future visit.

I’m glad the door was offset from the ramp. I had to push to get through the door jamb on the way out, and used my foot to stop from going into a planter. If the ramp was in a straight line, I might have rolled into traffic if my foot wasn’t enough.

I’m wondering why the doormat has a Mercedes Benz logo. Something to ask about in the future, if I remember.

0405 HB2U Caroline!

Today is Caroline’s birthday. She’s a good friend, attractive, and isn’t married. She works in Financial Services.

If you’re interested AND you’re not a jerk (which eliminates half of you), I might give her your e-mail address. Of course, you need to be single (there goes the other half).

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Caroline!

0404 easter morning

Steve T picked me up early as he was working the soundboard for all three services at SBCC. There was an early morning continental breakfast to get the day started right. Regulars were “encouraged” to attend the first service, in order to make room for new faces in the two other services.

The service began with a “video” featuring two of the emcees, Dave and Roxy. I’d describe it, but I can’t think of the proper words to use. So click below and watch/listen for yourself.





Pastor Gary started his “Inspirare” series and focused on an interview of someone facing a crisis and relying on God to get through it. “Inspirare” is a root word for “inspire”. Each person relying on God to get through the crisis is a source of “inspiration” for all of us.

Today’s message featured an interview with Barbara Romero, who has been with the church for many years. The video is broken up into three parts. Here are all three parts for you to watch/listen.
















The video took up most of the service. Pastor Gary titled this week’s installment as “Inspirare Invictus” and used verses from seven chapters of the Bible to illustrate his message.

0403 Easter weekend begins!

Easter Weekend at SBCC was a lot of fun! I volunteered to assist on both days, so what I don’t cover here will be in tomorrow’s post.

Steve T picked me up on his way to SBCC. His daughter, Tiana, was in the car and volunteered to help at the carnival. Steve was working the soundboard for the two Saturday services and Tiana was helping kids decorate cookies. I was assigned to help in the bean-bag toss booth.

There were a lot of kids there.

0403 pho 4 u

Jim Y and I did our walking exercise at Liberty Park in Cerritos. Afterwards, we decided to try “Pho 4 U” for lunch, which is next door to the Subway that we frequent.

The food was good and I know that we’ll be back. We were not disappointed.

0403 HB2U Jerome!

Today is Jerome’s birthday! Rome is a good friend and is definitely someone that you do not want to be on the bad side of. Trouble is, though, he’s usually smiling. I’ve known Rome for several years. Liz is his girlfriend.

Wherever you are, Happy Birthday, Jerome!