Samosa House East

Samosa House East
10700 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6350

I made plans with some friends, I haven't seen in a long time, for dinner.  While we were deciding where to go, I suggested Samosa House and Bharat Bazaar I was shocked when my friend asked, "Which one?"  I had no idea Samosa House East opened!  I understand Samosa House East has been open for about three years.

There is a steam table, a few tables inside and more tables outside.  It's a bright airy space at a very busy corner in Culver City.

Combination plate, $9.72, includes rice, soup or raita, and choice of three entrees from the steam table.  I think the portion size is OK, for the combo plate.

Sambhar- Lentils and vegetable soup-pictured next to the rice.  I got this instead of the raita.  I loved this soup.  I would order this anytime.  Very well seasoned, not too spicy and balanced.  The lentils were cooked perfectly! 

Jackfruit Curry-on the left-this was different.  I looks like pork but is jack fruit.  Had some flavor but I wasn't too impressed with it.

Dal-lentils with some carrots.  Somosa House does lentils very well.  The lentils were well cooked and flavorful.  Pretty spicy, more so than the soup.  But a very good dish.

Chana Masala-garbonzo beans- Very well cooked and seasoned.  I enjoyed the flavor and soft texture of this dish.

Service is good.  The guy who helped me was friendly and helpful.

I liked Samosa House East and would come back for the entrees if I was in the area. Maybe the next time I go, I'll order the combo plate at Samosa House and Bharat Bazaar and some somosa here!

Samosa House and Bharat Bazaar

Samosa House and Bharat Bazaar
11510 W Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90066
(310) 398-6766

After eating at Samosa House East I decided to go to the original Samosa House.  Samosa House was featured on a Food Network show.  They were raving about the great samosa and I wanted to give them a try.

This is the original Samosa House, which is an Indian market that serves food.  They expanded and took over the next door unit, so they is much more seating than what was featured on the show.  The food is on a steam table at the back of the market. 

Somosa-$1.50 each.  The somosa are bigger than most somosa I've had.  I love the flacky outside, that is so light and crisp.  The inside was filled with potato and peas with a kick.  The spices they put in are pretty spicy.

Service is OK.  The young lady who took my order seemed more concerned about closing than helping me.  But, another lady, who I believe is the owner, was very nice and helpful.

I noticed the steam table had more selections here than Samosa House East, but I assume the quality of the food is the same.  I have heard that you get more food here, but I didn't see anybody having a combination plate when I went.

I liked the somosa, but I wouldn't say it was the best I've ever had.  I would come back for the somosa if I'm in the area, but wouldn't make a special trip.  Maybe next time, I'll order a somosa at Somosa House East and order the combo plate here.

Sorrento Italian Market

Sorrento Italian Market
5518 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City
310-391-7654

I have eaten at four; Vince's Market, Lanza Brothers Market, Tangs, and Sandwich Island, of five sandwich shops that were profiled in the LA Weekly. I know they listed six places, but I will never go to that overpriced soda shop ever again.

 Sorrento Italian Market, like the name implies, is an Italian market, that serves sandwiches.  This is strictly take out only.  But, they had a good selection of Italian staples and their deli counter was well stocked with quality meats.

Large combination sandwich, $3.95; salami, , capicola, mortadella, provolone  on Italian roll with red sauce, lettuce, and spicy mustard.  WOW, was this sandwich good and well worth the price!  The Italian roll is pillow soft, with a nice texture and chewiness.  The meats are good quality and the red sauce and spicy mustard adds the perfect kick.  While the LA Weekly story says they don't have lettuce, there was lettuce on my sandwich.  Either way, what a find and a steal!!

Service is very good.  The people working the deli greeted me once I walked up to the counter.  They were nice enough to show me the difference between the small and large roll.  Many stores won't bother.  While they were making the sandwich, which was done quickly, they told me to go to the other side to pay.  Since it was first time there, I didn't know the procedure and they were nice about telling their SOP- standard operating procedure.

Of the five sandwiches from the LA Weekly's list, which one is my favorite?  I would say Lanza, but Sorrento comes a close second.

I would go back to Sorrento any time.  A great sandwich, great service and a steal of a price. 

  

Abbots's Pizza Company-Closed

Abbots's Pizza Company
4410 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City
310-398-9000

Bagel crust pizza, that's what Abbots's Pizza Company is known for. The bagel crust sounded interesting enough and I put Abbot's on my list of pizza places to try. Abbot's has three location with the original being in Venice and they have been around since 1995. I was in Culver City, which I think is their newest location, and I dropped in.



I got a large New York pie with chicken sausage and portobello mushroom, $21.15. A large is $15.95 and each topping is $1.75.

The toppings themselves were very good. The chicken sausage was flavorful, had a good blend of spices and a good quality chicken. The portobello mushrooms were fresh and flavorful, with a very good earthy flavorful. But, as you maybe able to see, the toppings weren't distributed well. Some slices had a ton of mushrooms but little chicken sausage, while other had a lot of chicken sausage and very little mushrooms. I didn't order a half chicken sausage and half portobello mushrooms pizza, but a two topping pizza with chicken sausage and portobello mushrooms.

But, the crust wasn't good at all. Some parts of the crust was too thick and chewy while other parts became soggy and couldn't handle the toppings. If your claim to fame is a bagel crust pizza and I'm not impressed with it, I'm not coming back.

Service was friendly but too damn slow. I placed my order and the girl told it would be about 10 minutes. I figured no problem, I was expecting a wait. But, the pizza took about 30 minutes to bake!! WTF took so damn long?

While the toppings were very good, overall I wasn't impressed with Abbot's Pizza Company. If I'm on the Westside, which is rare since it's filled with a bunch of pretentious jerk people, I won't return to Abbots's Pizza Company!