Basil Parmesan Scones and Lomita, California

A recipe for Basil Parmesan Scones and an overview of some of our favorite places in Lomita, California! 

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Lomita, California

Lomita (derived from the Spanish for “little hills”) covers a small area (1.87 square miles) south of Los Angeles in the South Bay and is bordered by Torrance, Harbor City, and Palos Verdes. It was incorporated as a city on June 30th, 1964. You can learn more about its history at the City of Lomita website. As a note, this post includes a mix of places we visited before March and takeout/delivery since we have started staying at home.

Lomita Railroad Museum

While I mostly focus on the food in this post, we did stop by the Lomita Railroad Museum last fall. Tucked away in a residential neighborhood at 2137 W 250th Street, the Lomita Railroad Museum is dedicated to the era of the steam engine and was the first of its kind west of Denver. At the time of this writing (September 2020), it is currently closed for safety, but normal hours are 10 am to 5 pm Thursday-Sunday. Admission is free for 2 and under, $2 for ages 3-12, and $4 for adults. Annual membership and volunteer opportunities are available.

Modeled after Boston & Maine’s Greenwood Station in Massachusetts, the museum was founded by Irene Lewis and opened to the public on June 23, 1967 in honor of her late husband, Martin Lewis. Notable items on display include a 1902 Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive and Southern Pacific Tender; 1910 Union Pacific Caboose; 1949 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Caboose (restored in 2016); 1881 Velocipede; 1913 Union Pacific Wooden Box Car; and 1923 Union Oil Tanker. The 35 ft. tall water tower was completed in 2001. 

The museum is on the smaller side, but is still packed with plenty of interactive exhibits and a play area to hold the attention of younger visitors (especially if they love trains). We spent about an hour exploring the area. 

Lomita Farmers Market

The first Lomita Farmers Market took place recently on July 5th, 2020. It is located by City Hall at 24300 Narbonne Ave and current hours are 10 am-2 pm. The market is modified at the moment due to public health requirements, but still has a handful of fruit and vegetable vendors along with snacks, specialty products, and packaged food to take home. 

Pâtisserie Chantilly

Before moving to Los Angeles, I flew out a month ahead of time to search for our new home. While driving around the neighborhood waiting for my next appointment, I came across Pâtisserie Chantilly. It definitely helped increase my excitement about our upcoming move and continues to be a highlight.

Found within a small strip mall at 2383 Lomita Blvd, Pâtisserie Chantilly features high-quality, handcrafted Japanese-French pastries along with coffee and other treats. Photographed above is the Mont Fraise (strawberry mousse tart with milk jelly, strawberries, and cream) and Tarte Chocolat. Other favorites include the La Princesse (cheesecake filled with raspberry gelée and cream) and Choux aux Sésames (pâte à choux with black sesame cream and mesquite honey).

Eboshi Ramen Bar

Eboshi Ramen Bar is located in the same shopping center as Pâtisserie Chantilly. They make a wonderful variety of Ramen and other traditional Japanese dishes. My personal go-to is their Wonton Shoyu Ramen. The Chanpon is also an incredible pick with Shio Ramen as the base of a huge bowl packed with assorted vegetables, shrimp, squid, and pork. As a note, they are closed on Mondays.

Island Hut

Island Hut was the first place we stopped for take-out the day we moved into our new house. This family-owned restaurant opened in 2011 and features homestyle Hawaiian cuisine. They are also in the same shopping center as Pâtisserie Chantilly and Eboshi Ramen Bar (so much good food in such a small area). In the photos above are their Chicken Katsu Curry Plate, Poke Bowl, Hot Dogs, Egg Rolls, Wonton Saimin Noodles, and Loco Moco Special.

Kotosh

Kotosh is across the street at the southwest corner of Lomita Blvd and Pennsylvania Ave. Named after an ancient temple in Peru discovered by Japanese archeologists, Kotosh focuses on an incredible assortment of Peruvian-Japanese favorites. Since the shutdown, they have been a consistent go-to for takeout (photo below) and the kids especially love the abundance of noodles. A few of our personal favorites include Tallarín Saltado, The Krunch Roll, Lomo Saltado, Arroz Chaufa, and Tallarín Verde with Chicken Katsu. Kotosh also has a second location in Manhattan Beach. 

The Trim Tart

The Trim Tart opened one year ago (2019) and offers a variety of coffee, tea, sweet and savory pastries (as local, seasonal, and organic as possible), and custom cake orders. The shop is located on the northwest corner of Narbonne Ave and Lomita Blvd. Photographed above is their Tres Leches Latte (so good!), Chai Latte, Almond Puff, Basil Parmesan Scone, and Pain au Chocolat. Every pastry we have tried so far has been excellent. 

Sushi Delight

Sushi Delight was actually the very last restaurant we dined in before the shutdown. Situated in a shopping center at 2117 Pacific Coast Highway, they have an assortment of specialty rolls in a laid-back atmosphere and are family-friendly with high chairs and much appreciated trainer chopsticks. Photographed above is the Cali Tempura Roll, Southbay Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Lomita Roll, and Kids Chicken Teriyaki. 

Sampa’s Pizza

Sampa’s Gourmet Pizza is also along Pacific Coast Highway at the corner of PCH and Pennsylvania Ave. This small pizza shop combines Italian, Brazilian, and American flavors with options such as Sao Paulo (tomato sauce, chicken, corn, catupiry, mozzarella, oregano), Calabresa (hot Portuguese sausage, sweet onions, mozzarella, kalamata olives), and Funghi Al Tartufo (ricotta, mushrooms, parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, Italian truffle oil).

Photographed above is their Half/Half Rio de Janeiro (tomato sauce, hearts of palm, provolone, catupiry, mozzarella, and oregano) and Napolitana (tomato sauce, basil, tomatoes, fried garlic, Parmesan, and mozzarella), Pepperoni, Nutella with Strawberries, Churros, Cheese Balls, Brigadeiro, and Beijinho. They also have a second location in Marina Del Rey with coffee as well.

Corridor Flow

Corridor Flow is a fairly new addition to Lomita. This family-owned coffee shop opened to the public in September 2019. They feature cold brew, specialty lattes, tea, and a few food items. I have also recently picked up some of their quarter gallon drinks to enjoy at home. Before March, we loved the spacious indoor seating and play area. 

Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine

We have gotten delivery from Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine a handful of times. I especially love their variety of knife-cut noodles and dumplings. Photographed above is their Sichuan Knife-Cut Wheat Noodle Beef Soup, Wonton in Chili Sauce, Egg Fried Rice, Sautéed Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushroom, Scallion Pancakes, and Fried Sticky Rice Cake with Brown Sugar. 

Bites and Bashes

Bites & Bashes started as a catering and events company in 2015 by mother-daughter duo, Julie and Crystal. They opened the cafe at 25600 Narbonne Avenue in June 2018 with an all day breakfast menu, weekend brunch, drinks and cocktails, and a few Korean-inspired entrees mixed throughout. There are a few spots for street parking and a dedicated parking lot about a block north. Our favorites so far have included the flavored lattes, Philly Cheese Bulgogi, Shakshuka, and petite desserts (especially the s’mores bar in the photo above). 

Suki Time Thai Kitchen

Suki Time Thai Kitchen has become our go-to restaurant for Thai delivery since moving to California. The Thai Iced Tea is always a favorite and photographed above is their BBQ Pork with Tiger Sauce, Chicken Fried Rice, Kua Gai (stir-fried flat rice noodles with egg, chicken, carrots, green onions, and bean sprouts), Summer Roll, Fried Dumplings (with ground chicken and mixed vegetables), and Thai Ice Coffee. They also have a wonderful assortment of curries and noodles. 

Looking for more places to visit in Southern California?

Check out my posts on Rocky Road Cookies and Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits, Miso Carbonara Udon and Los Angeles: Little Tokyo, and Pandekager (Danish Pancakes) and Solvang, California. 

Basil Parmesan Scones

I usually lean towards more sweet scones, but absolutely loved the combination of basil and parmesan when I first tried these Basil Parmesan Scones at The Trim Tart. They come together fairly easily too!

Flour, baking powder, and salt are mixed together before cutting in the butter to create a crumbly mixture. Fresh basil and shredded Parmesan are folded in, followed by beaten egg and cream to form a light dough. The dough is pressed into a thick disc, cut into wedges, then topped with an egg wash and more shredded Parmesan before baking until golden and flaky. They are especially delicious served warm from the oven with salted butter. 

To help create the buttery flaky texture, I used a dough blender to cut in the diced butter. You can also use two forks or the tips of your fingers. Just try to work as quickly as possible to keep the butter from melting. I added just enough cream to bring the dough together, but try to avoid adding too much. Overworking the dough will cause the scones to toughen a bit.

I cut the Basil Parmesan Scones into large wedges, but the dough can also be divided in half and cut into smaller wedges or even circles/squares.

They can be frozen after cutting, but before baking for future use. Arrange in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. When solid, transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to a couple of months. Bake straight from the freezer. Just add a couple of minutes to the baking time.

Basil Parmesan Scones Recipe

Adapted from Butter & Air