Even though restaurant dining rooms are now officially open across Los Angeles, I’m not quite ready for crowds, enclosed spaces, shared restrooms, and full service just yet. So instead, I’m picking up takeout and eating it from the comfort of my trunk.

Sometimes I dine alone, but on most occasions I have family or a socially distancing friend in tow. While this mode of socializing is admittedly strange, so far it’s been a manageable way to keep safe while supporting local restaurants. Here’s where I’ve been eating lately…

Pasadena Fish Market is home to expertly fried seafood and the finest Caribbean cooking in the neighborhood. After calling in our orders, June and I met up with Cecilia for a trunk-side picnic.

June and I ordered a trio of fried seafood (oysters, catfish, and shrimp) with mac salad and hush puppies on the side, a Jamaican goat stew served with rice and peas and plantains, a Jamaican beef patty, and an order of french fries. Cecilia shared a sanddab for good measure. Everything was incredibly well prepared, from the battered seafood to the aromatic goat curry. Don’t sleep on this fish market in disguise.