The Best Things We Ate at Southern California Restaurants in October - Daily News

Southern California News Group reporters and editors have been busy visiting restaurants this month, and our findings don’t disappoint. From classic dinner dishes to baked goodies, barbecue dishes and refined fusion dishes from new LA hotspots, these October meals were finger-licking good.

Here are some of the standout meals, desserts, and snacks our team tried this month.

If you are looking for more kitchen options to check out, check out the best things we ate in Southern California September.

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Stinko Burger from Twoheys Restaurant. (Fieldingbuck, SCNG)

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Stinko Burger, Ice Cream Sundae and Arnold Palmer – Twoheys Restaurant

Twoheys restaurant has been a household name in the San Gabriel Valley since 1943. It is known for the Stinko, $12.95, a simple burger named for its slice of raw onion, and for its ice cream sundaes, $9.95-$11.95, with a choice of bittersweet or milk chocolate. The Arnold Palmers are also impressive. It has been moved, but is now located at 424 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena.

– Fielding Buck, restaurant reporter

Cakes from Cream. (Emily St. Martin, SCNG)

Croissant with ham and gruyère – Crème Bakery

Crème Bakery in Claremont Village (off Harvard Ave., not the main drag, which is Yale Ave.) has a line that extends to the street every weekend. I had to find out what all the fuss was about, and I finally did. The pastries, quiches, freshly baked bread and pies are visually striking. The buttery, freshly baked smell coming from the doors may unsettle you. And the croissant with ham and gruyère, my goodness! The puff pastry is so buttery, the cheese is creamy and rich and the ham is the perfect savory touch. When it comes to pastries, I often lean more toward savory than sweet, and this croissant is not only the best I’ve had in October, but possibly my life.

– Emily St. Martin, digital features editor

Mac & Cheese, Fried Okra and Fried Shrimp from Gram's Bar-B-Que. (Carolyn Burt, SCNG) — Mac & Cheese, Fried Okra and Fried Shrimp from Gram’s Bar-B-Que. (Carolyn Burt, SCNG)

Mac & Cheese – Gram’s Bar-B-Que

After touring the catacombs at Riverside’s historic Mission Inn, my friends and I were looking for a nearby place to have a meal. We went to Gram’s Bar-B-Que, which serves Southern-style barbecue and Cajun specialties. Their dinner options come with two sides and cornbread, so I went with fried shrimp, fried okra, and mac & cheese. The seasoning on the fried shrimp was tasty and unique, but the star of the show was the mac & cheese. The flavor upgrade of this iconic dish makes me want to come back for more.

– Carolyn Burt, audience engagement producer

Universal CityWalk rolls out a virtual pastel pink carpet to welcome the Hello Kitty® and Friends Café, serving a delicious selection of sweet treats and specialty drinks, and the Sanrio® Smile Shop, offering a variety of collectible items featuring Hello Kitty®, Cinnamoroll™ , Keroppi™, Kuromi™, My Melody™, Badtz-maru™ and Chococat™. (Courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood) — Universal CityWalk rolls out a virtual pastel pink carpet to welcome the Hello Kitty® and Friends Café, serving a delicious selection of sweet treats and specialty drinks, and the Sanrio® Smile Shop, offering a variety of collectible items featuring Hello Kitty®, Cinnamoroll , Keroppi, Kuromi, My Melody, Badtz-maru and Chococat. (Courtesy of Universal Studios Hollywood)

Berry and Cream Churro – Hello Kitty and Friends Café

To celebrate Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, the newly opened Hello Kitty and Friends Café at Universal CityWalk Hollywood has a few new limited-time menu items; a strawberry sugar cookie sandwich, a confetti anniversary cake and a sparkling strawberry soda with coconut cream foam. After trying these tasty treats, another menu item caught my eye: the berry and cream churro. To make things dramatic, I stood up in the newsroom and gave an impassioned speech to my colleagues about how good this churro is. It’s a classic churro filled with berry jam and cream cheese frosting, topped with pink frosting and a chocolate version of Hello Kitty’s iconic bow. It’s like a toaster strudel in churro form. As far as churro rankings go, this jumped to the top of my list.

– Carolyn Burt, audience engagement producer

Milanese from Churros Calientes. (Charlie Vargas, SCNG)

Milanese – Churros Calientes

Sandwiches are no excuse to be boring, and this Milanese is anything but. It is made with breaded chicken breast, spinach, tomatoes, avocado mayonnaise and mixed green salad. I don’t normally get full after the first half of a sandwich, but this one was full, so pace yourself.

– Charlie Vargas, Features Reporter

Churros con Chocolate from Churros Calientes (Charlie Vargas, SCNG)

Churros con Chocolate – Churros Calientes

I was skeptical when I saw that the churros here were thinner than the ones at a churro cart we’ve become so accustomed to, but I was quickly convinced that these thinner treats were superior. The Spanish waiter recommended eating them as they do in Spain: dip the churros in the chocolate, take a bite and then enjoy the rich hot chocolate with the churro. Give me more of these churros, please.

– Charlie Vargas, Features Reporter

Cookies from Wax-On Hi-Fi (Charlie Vargas, SCNG) — Cookies from Wax-On Hi-Fi. (Charlie Vargas, SCNG)

Cookies – Wax-On HiFi

These are hands down the best cookies I have ever had. When I spoke to chef and owner TJ Johnson of Wax-On HiFishe told me this was a customer favorite, and I could easily taste why. It’s a family recipe made with a honey miso sauce, which gives the cookies a moist center and adds a sweet flavor, while keeping the outside golden brown and crispy. I ordered the two-piece, but do yourself a favor and go for the five-piece; you won’t regret it.

– Charlie Vargas, Features Reporter

SEE MORE: Wax-on Hi-Fi mixes beats and flavors in downtown Los Angeles

Curry with rice and fried chicken from Wax-On Hi-Fi. (Charlie Vargas, SCNG)

Curry with rice and fried chicken – Wax-On Hi-Fi

I’m not a fan of curry, but this Japanese-inspired curry mixed with Southern spices on the fried chicken made me reconsider my own taste buds. The curry paired perfectly with the white rice and fried chicken, making it feel like a natural flavor combination. The chicken remained juicy the entire time, and the more time passed while the food was immersed in the curry, the better each bite became.

– Charlie Vargas, Features Reporter

Worker Wednesday board from The Park's Finest. (Dorothy Elder, SCNG) — Worker Wednesday board from The Park’s Finest. (Courtesy of the best in the park)

Worker Wednesday sign – The best in the park

In LA – and especially in Echo Park – it can be difficult to find a restaurant that combines top-notch food with reasonable pricing. The Park’s Finest does just that: delivering Filipino barbecue, quality service, and wait times so good you’ll wonder why you didn’t come across this before. I went in on Wednesday night and was thrilled to find the Worker Wednesday special: a plate of coconut beef (my favorite), hot link medley, pulled pork, candy-coated chicken, vegetarian medley, cornbread bibingka (my second favorite), and rice. Great for indecisive eaters like me who want to try a little bit of everything.

– Dorothy Elder, audience engagement producer

Patty Melt of High Horse Saloon. (Brock Keeling, SCNG)

Patty Melt – High Horse Saloon

When I scan a menu and see a patty melting, I almost always order it. In the pre-smashburger days, the few times I could find American cheese on a burger outside of a fast food restaurant was a patty melt. The one at High Horse Salon in Fullerton, with a beef patty (cooked medium, please), American cheese, grilled onion on toasted sourdough, is one of the best I’ve enjoyed in OC lately.