HOTSPOTS OF THE WEEK
INDOOR & PATIO DINING • TAKE-OUT • DELIVERY
BEST OF EUROPE GOURMET DELICATESSEN 661) 943-0257 41971 50th Street West Quartz Hill
Winning AV’s Best Deli, this little gem in the middle of Quartz Hill offers assorted hot & cold sandwiches including pastrami, corned beef, veggie and tuna plus Berliner with liverwurst, bauernschinken—German smoked ham, Le Parisian—ham and brie and oslo—smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers using fresh baked bread and premium ingredients. Four unique signature salads are offered as well—antipasto, capri, chicken Caesar and Greek. We chose the classic Italian sub and the antipasto— beautifully presented, nice, light, colorful and filled with an ample amount of meat and cheese. The dressing had a nice flavor with a slight sweet note at the end and after being tossed together, the result was a big, beautiful and tasty salad enough for two people to share. The assorted meats on the sub were absolutely delicious with the capocollo (spicy ham) standing all on its own, but of course that is one of my most favorite deli meats! The provolone cheese had the most distinct and wonderful flavor. Once the lettuce, tomato, pepperoncini, pickles, deli mustard and mayo were added it made for a most delightful sandwich. Best of Europe at the corner of Avenue M and 50th street west offers catering, Boar’s Head meat and cheese by the pound and a European market. Open Monday thru Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-3pm for take-out and delivery.
EL TOREO 4061 West Ave. L Quartz Hill, 722-9309 44205 10th St. West Lancaster, 948-2240 3025 East Ave. S Palmdale, 266-8496 38801 10th St. West Palmdale, 273-4050
Mastering authentic Mexican recipes for over 40 years must be the reason they have won AV’s Best Mexican Restaurant year after year and again for 2021! We picked up chips & salsa, guacamole, soup, salad, shredded beef taco, chile Colorado and a margarita! I asked for the very mild salsa as I just love the flavor especially when scooped up with a nice freshly made chip. We started with the soup—wonderful, flavorful broth, excellent seasoned meatballs, plenty of tender carrots, onions and celery that melted in your mouth, just beyond belief. The guacamole was fresh, delicious and velvety smooth—excellent not only for the chips but on my taco as well. Interestingly enough, whatever you order, if cheese or lettuce is included, you get a generous amount of both. That being said, my taco and salad were exploding with both cheese and lettuce! I like to use the extra cheese and lettuce to scoop onto my chips. My favorite of the day had to be the chile Colorado— tender chunks of beef in a flavorful, savory red sauce served with warm tortillas, tasty Spanish rice and refried beans. As for the margarita—cold, refreshing and delicious. Open daily 11AM for inside dining at all but 40th & L location.
IN-N-OUT BURGER 2021 W. Ave. I, Lancaster 142 E. Palmdale Blvd., Palmdale
At In-N-Out Burger, quality is everything and everything is made the old-fashioned way—fresh 100% percent beef patties, hand-leafed lettuce, real American cheese, the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes and fresh baked buns. Fresh cut fries sliced in-store, one potato at a time and fried in 100% sunflower oil. To top it all off, their delicious shakes are made from real ice cream. All the ingredients are delivered fresh to each restaurant daily and since they only serve burgers, fries and drinks—making a high-quality hamburger patty is everything and getting everything fresh is a good thing. We used the drive-thru for lunch last week and having a simple, basic menu made ordering quick and easy—two double-double combos and two chocolate shakes. No wonder they have won AV’s Best Hamburger for the past 25 years—undeniably scrumptious flavor! The meat was so fresh and had a wonderful taste especially with all the fixings and I love to add a little extra spread. Of course, the French fries were fried to a perfect golden brown being crisp outside with a very fluffy inside. Last time we had them animal-style with melty cheese, grilled onions and extra spread but we will get them again, next time. Our velvety smooth chocolate shake was refreshing, creamy and delicious. Open daily 10:30AM, dine-in, take out and drive-thru.
RANCHO VISTA GRILL AT RANCHO VISTA GOLF CLUB 3905 Club Rancho Drive Palmdale, (661)272-9082
The golf club isn’t just for golf—there is also a lovely restaurant serving up excellent food and drinks. Everyone is very friendly, but the tables fill up quick, so get there early! I picked up dinner last week— mango chicken salad, ahi sliders and nachos grande (house chili, nacho, cheddar & jack cheese, jalapenos, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, guacamole, salsa & sour cream). I had no clue how much food there was going to be and let me tell you, we were eating it for days! I think the nachos had to weigh about 2 pounds and the taste was unbelievable. The salad was not only huge in size, but also huge in flavor. The perfectly seared ahi sliders had a house made tarter-sauce that was out of this world—we each had one and I brought one to my neighbor to try as well. When picking up the food, I noticed a specialty and build-your-own-pizza menu—definitely for our next visit as well as one of the cheesecakes of the week, they sounded absolutely fabulous as did the fish and chips and the New York steak sandwich. Oh my, looks like quite a few visits coming up in the near future. Open daily 11AM8PM for breakfast, lunch and dinner inside, on the patio or take it to go.
BASKIN ROBBINS (661) 947-6500 39340 10th St. West Palmdale
I have been enjoying eating ice cream at Baskin Robbins, back when it was called 31 flavors and that was pretty much all they had—now they have so many new and exciting flavors and combinations plus creature creations, cakes, pies, polar pizza, DIY kits, bakery treats, Dunkin’ coffee, sherbet, sorbet, non-dairy, sugar free, sundaes, banana splits, shakes, smoothies, floats and the list goes on. There are 4 locations and this particular location has a ToGo’s inside with made-toorder hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups and wraps and we stopped by for just that—lunch and dessert! Asian chicken salad (carrots, cabbage, green onions, cilantro, wonton strips & sesame seeds drizzled with Asian dressing)—cool, crisp and flavorful; the hot pretzelrami (1/4 lb world famous pastrami, melted provolone, mustard, pickles on a pretzel bun)—savory and delicious then ending with the mangonada—traditional Mexican frozen beverage mixed the sweetness of mango with the tang of Tajin and chamoy— sweet, savory and so good and a cup of non-dairy strawberry streusel made with oatmilk, the flavor of the month—decadent with a fruity flair. Rich in flavor with crumbly cinnamon streusel, crunchy granola and a sweet strawberry ribbon— decadent. Baskin Robbins has just won AV’s Best ice cream and I can see why—everything was exceptional and delicious. Open daily 11AM with a few outside tables, take-out & delivery.
LINDSAY’S SWEET TREATS facebook.com/ LindsaysSweetTreats West Lancaster
Macaroon vs macaron, that is the latest phenomena! A macaron (mack-a-rohn) consists of two merengue-based cookies made with almond flour, sandwiching a buttercream filling and a macaroon (mack-a roon), on the other hand, is a mounded cookie made with shredded coconut. Lindsay’s Sweet Treats, winning AV’s Best Dessert is a licensed bakery, specializing in French macarons and gourmet cupcakes. Winning such a title, made me want to see what all the hype was about and I was pleasantly surprised. My box of 12 contained 3 of each flavor—vanilla, brownie, pancake and key lime and let me tell you my first bite was an explosion of flavor! Actually, that is how my taste buds felt after each and every bite of each and every flavor—sweet, nice consistency, pretty, addicting and incredible delicious. The flavors available are endless with so many fun and tasty sounding creations—creme brulee, fruity pebbles, circus animal, cinnamon dolce, caramel frappe, cake pop, lemon loaf, Ferrero rocher, Nutella, churro, razzleberry, German chocolate and cake batter just to name a few and she even makes themed boxes (inspired by TV shows and movies like Harry Potter). The days flavors are posted on facebook, where you comment on how many you would like. The cost is $22, Venmo or Zelle payment and porch pickup. They should be stored airtight in the fridge or freezer and always eaten at room temperature. Lindsay is truly the macaron queen!