I recently had the opportunity to check out the new pizza place in my neighborhood and to say I was impressed is really an understatement! I have to admit that Pizza would not normally be my first choice. Italian food in general has not been one of my top three choices. Piccini claims to be more than pizza and I completely believe their claim. Piccini is family-owned & operated by Vince Giuliano & family. Here’s a fun fact! Did you know that in Italian, PICCINI means “little ones”? The owners named their takeout spot after their two boys, Luca and Nico. Now, how sweet is that?!

Now, back to the review! I did order a pizza and chose a BBQ Chicken Pizza. It was delicious and I will definitely be buying it again!

This really was one of the best pizzas I have ever had! I can honestly say that I would love to have this pizza again! I shared this one with family and there weren’t any leftovers! I will be trying other pizzas now that I have found a pizza place I do really like! But, as I said..this is much more than your average pizza place! I also tried one of their starters/appetizers, one of their sandwiches, and a dessert!

I am a big fan of Artichokes but have to admit I don’t eat them as often as I would like. But, I would eat these Fried Artichokes every week! They taste sooo good! They aren’t over-fried and they taste really fresh! I may just go to Piccini once a week just for these tasty fried artichokes!

I love sandwiches! So, obviously, I had to try one from Piccini! The Meatball Sandwich literally was my ultimate favorite! I couldn’t eat the whole sandwich in one sitting and saved half for the next day. Can you believe it was still delicious the next day? This really is the best Meatball Sandwich that I have ever had!

Usually, I will not get dessert at a Pizza type of place! I have just never been that impressed, to be honest! But, oh my! You have to get dessert at Piccini! The Salted Caramel Tiramisu is delightful! I just loved it and I could see myself going to Piccini just for this tasty dessert!

So, what are you waiting for? Piccini is definitely the place to buy Pizza and so much more!

I recently had the opportunity to review a place I had never been to before and I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing the food was! (The customer service was also wonderful and I have to give kudos to the General Manager, Dean!) Have you been to Urban Plates, yet? I had heard of it but had never been so I was very happy to check out the location in Torrance. They have a great variety of choices to choose from. It was actually tough to make a choice. But, I tried the Grilled Sustainable Salmon plate with Cauliflower & Vegetable Rice and the Roasted Brussels Sprouts. They are both delicious!

My friend who went with me even tried the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with turkey bacon and she does not like Brussels Sprouts but she liked them! If you aren’t into seafood, no worries because they have so many other choices. One of the steak plates was a hit with my friend.

The mission of Urban Plates is to have a profoundly positive impact on the way the world eats by making craveable, wholesome, and clean food accessible to all. I think that is a pretty good mission! But, back to the food…we also tried the Moroccan Chicken Braise which is only $10 and it was soooo good, especially with Mashed Potatoes. Urban Plates has $10 everyday meals which really is a great bargain.

Another great thing is that they do have Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan choices. And, you have to save room for dessert because they have the best desserts! My favorite is the Hummingbird Cake! So, if you are looking for a great place to meet up with a friend or even buy take-out for the family, I suggest Urban Plates. I had a great time there and even went back later in the week. Don’t forget that right now Urban Plates is giving away free Plate Pass subscriptions in honor of their 10 year anniversary. (See the details in my other post!) It’s a great deal and is free for the first month. Hurry though! The offer ends on October 31st, 2021.

Self Disclosure: I had the opportunity to review Urban Plates to facilitate this post. Photo Credit: SoCal City Kids.

The new year brings a new addition to the menu at Rubio’s Coastal Grill. Beginning January 6, the home of The Original Fish Taco^® will offer Impossible^™ seasoned meat, made from plants. Rubio’s guests seeking to eat less meat as part of their new year’s resolutions can enjoy it in a new Impossible^™ Taco Salad, or as a protein substitute on all chicken and steak entrées. Impossible meat is more sustainable, using a small fraction of land, water and energy, when compared to 80/20 ground beef.

 “We are using a signature blend of Mexican spices unique to Rubio’s in our Impossible Foods menu items,” said Rubio’s Co-Founder Ralph Rubio. “It pairs perfectly with our coastal-inspired flavors and expands our protein options that guests can feel great about eating.”

The Impossible seasoned meat has all the protein of 80/20 ground beef, does not contain animal hormones or antibiotics, is kosher, halal and gluten-free certified. Rubio’s is featuring the innovative Impossible meat in a new taco salad and two signature dishes:

·                Impossible^™ Taco Salad: Impossible seasoned ground meat made from plants, romaine lettuce, black beans, roasted corn, salsa fresca, tortilla strips, sliced Haas avocado and signature pickled jalapeno ranch dressing.

·                Impossible^™ Burrito Especial: Impossibleseasoned ground meat made from plants, handmade guacamole, chipotle white sauce, roasted chipotle salsa, citrus rice, black beans and salsa fresca in a warm flour tortilla. Served with tortilla chips.

·                Impossible^™ California Bowl: Impossible seasoned ground meat made from plants, citrus rice, handmade guacamole, black beans, crisp romaine lettuce, salsa fresca, chipotle white sauce with your choice of salsa verde or roasted chipotle salsa.

About Rubio’s^® Restaurants:

Rubio’s first opened in 1983, in the San Diego neighborhood of Mission Bay. Today, Rubio’s uses responsibly sourced seafood and continues to expand its menu with innovative recipes ranging from seafood tacos and burritos to California Bowls and crisp, fresh salads. In addition, Rubio’s offers all-natural chicken, raised without antibiotics, and all-natural USDA Choice steak, “no fried” pinto beans, handmade guacamole, a variety of proprietary salsas, and craft beer beverage options. The award-winning restaurant regularly receives accolades for its famous Original Fish Taco^®. It was also recently ranked as one of Fast Casual’s “Top 50 Movers and Shakers” as well as one of the top five most loved fast casual chains ranked by Foodable Labs and Digital CoCo. Rubio’s is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., and currently operates restaurants in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Self Disclosure: I received some form of compensation to post. Photo credit: Rubio’s.