We have been looking for an ideal steakhouse here in the South Bay, and have come up short. Some were way too noisy, too high falutin with pretentious staff (we know what medium rare is!), same tasting sides, and most importantly steaks that were overpriced for what you get. So what a wonderful surprise to discover The Steak Library on PCH in Lomita. Tucked away in a small strip mall in Lomita, we were at first apprehensive since it was located far from the high end places in Manhattan and Redondo Beach. The good part is parking was a breeze. Upon opening the door, we entered a surprisingly cozy and intimate environment. Makoto, the manager warmly greeted us. To the right were high end refrigerators proudly displaying their various selections of Kobe beef, and dry aged meats including some formidable tomahawk ribeyes. He walked us to a quiet table for two, across from a beautiful bar area. The mirror allowed us to see the creative cocktails being made. They have a very nice wine selection, but do not have a hard liquor license yet. Instead they have imaginatively created favorite cocktails such as an Old Man (Old Fashioned) which uses shochu which is smoked, and nicely flavored. The bartender Daiki came by to ask how we liked it. Complimentary garlic bread was served with a crispy and light French bread. We reluctantly passed on appetizers which featured bone marrow, steak tartare, oxtail soup and tantalizing seafood towers which were very reasonably priced so one could splurge. A Caesar salad was beautiful and proudly prepared table side by Makoto which was made with nice full Romaine leaves. The choices of steaks ranging from 3 types of Kobe and two types of dry aged steaks including a 40 oz Portehouse were incredible. We decided to split a nice 30 oz dry aged bone in ribeye ~ medium rare which arrived very hot and perfectly simply prepared at our request although they have a myriad of tasty sauces such as truffle butter. Their Chef Rio came out to see how we enjoyed our steak. This is a very nice touch. To accompany this great steak, we ordered a delicious medley of wild mushrooms, as well as grilled aspargus which were a little soggy, and nicely mashed potatoes in a terrine which nicely went with our ribeye. A highlight was their creamed spinach which was perfectly balanced and one of the best we've had anywhere. This is one of our standards. The Russian River J Vineyards Pinot Noir was a perfect wine for this dinner. Makoto politely and unobtrusively stopped by throughout the dinner to assess our satisfaction. Unfortunately we were too full to try some of their tempting desserts. All in all, we have found our style of steak house, and so look forward to returning with bigger appetites to work our way through their fabulous menu. read more

High quality dry age selection with dryer cabinets on site. Best New York cut I've had in a while. Wine selection good & reasonably priced

Perfect intimacy lunch for my mom's birthday. Great Food and Service. Highly recommended and will come back. read more

The Steak Library - Chocolate Cake - Steakhouses Near Me - Lomita, California

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A surprisingly elegant and prestigious new restaurant in Lomita. My wife found this place thru Yelp and we both have not heard of it, though we frequent the other businesses nearby! So, we were surprised by the location, in Lomita. We live around 2 miles away in Torrance. We were hesitant to walk thru their door since the banner atop the entrance for the name of the restaurant states: "Coming Soon..." The ambiance as we were escorted to our table is quite romantic, including the saxophone music, the dark walls, 2 roses in a small vase on the table, the Maitre'd in a suit & tie, and the other Servers were in vests & long sleeve shirts. The menu is fabulous for an eccentric surf & turf diners like us! The choices were clear: their version of the seafood tower, Seafood Stairway Celebrity, and the wagyu portion of the Hida. We also had the Cesar salad (unremarkable, though the dressing was splendid) and asparagus (nicely cooked - soft & just slightly crunchy, including the ones with bigger stalks) with our sumptuous meal! The Seafood Stairway was a special treat, compared to other towers we've experienced in other premier seafood restaurants. The prawns, & crab meat stood out along with the Uni we were granted gratis since they ran out of dry ice. You'll have to look at their video of this stairway on their website, it's dramatic with "the smoke effect"! Our video below was manually rotated and with noise & music all around. The lobster tail was dense, meaty & tasty, one oyster was clean, briny, & slightly sweet but another tasted more fishy than briny. BTW, there are 2 oysters and 2 prawns at each side of the Celebrity Stairway... make sure you squeeze lemon on each oyster to enhance the taste & help keep you from getting sick. The Hida was a perfect size (please refer to their online menu) to taste & sample a Certified A5 grade ribeye and greatly complemented our love for the surf & turf combination on our palates. Though my wife had white wine that was not oaky, lightly sweet, and with moderate alcohol content, we had water with lemon to wash our taste buds and not mask the true tastes of the food we had partaken in. The service was very good, as demonstrated by a waiter exchanging a knife my wife dropped on her seating area and another replaced my napkin that fell off my lap while moving to my wife's seating area for a picture... taken my the Maitre'd. Yes, this is an expensive restaurant but worth the price and dining experience with their amazing steak & seafood offerings... Come celebrate their "opening" with their new sign and partake in a prestigious dining experience, in Lomita! The only suggestion I can make is to have a description of how & what the menu items are cooked with... Anyways, "Steak Library"? ...Even their name is curiously "nerdy & carnivorous"!=o) read more

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Wow food was great and the customer service was outstanding !! True Japanese customer service . . Would definitely come back again! We ordered the Tomahawk, Nee York, and Filet . Steak was so soft and flavorful . We also ordered Lobster Mac n cheese, Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, garlic fried rice, and sautéed mushroom. Complimented the steaks perfectly! Dessert was delicious !! But honestly I was really impressed with the customer service. It just makes the experience so much better! read more

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I found this place on yelp and was interested on their many cuts of Wagyu beef. It's rare to see such a variety in one restaurant so I felt that this place must know their steaks really well. We started with cotton candy wagyu skewers which were actually really nice! Once you fit it all in your mouth, the texture of the crystallized sugar creates this nice crust on the wagyu and it paired together well. The seafood stairway was so cool with their dry ice creating this foggy effect on the platter. I loved how big and meaty the oysters were. Plus the salmon tasted almost cured/aged. The tuna had this fresh and clean flavor that so good. For the porterhouse, this was really the showstopper. At 40 oz, this hunk of meat was glorious. At first cut, my knife went through the meat clean and easy. One of the best aspects of this steak was the crust. Most crusts, while crunchy, can also have a gradience of overly cooked meat which I don't like. But this was perfectly cooked with a perfect medium rare. I can describe this bite almost similarly to a bite of really well made sourdough bread where the crust is extremely crispy, but the inside is perfectly soft and moist. The bounce of the meat was just right and it looks beautiful as well. We also had the lobster mac & cheese which was good but it's hard to impress when next to two main dishes. At the end, we finished with a Banana foster and an orange sorbet. The banana foster was still warm and the crisp of the brulee was so nice against the creaminess of the ice cream. The sorbet tasted very fresh, like they had mixed in some of the actual orange inside. I feel most dessert places are too sweet or are too artificial tasting, but this sorbet was a really delicious dessert to end the night. Great service and very nice ambiance. The style is kind of art deco and creates a fancy environment. read more

The Steak Library - Porterhouse - Steakhouses Near Me - Lomita, California

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I went here tonight on NYE this is becoming my tradition. The staff was were great my waiter RIO was. Super friendly and helpful. I ordered the pickled octopus, ribeye steak bone in, and a plum drink. All delicious, but what made tonight extra special was Rio. If you never been to this Gem you should go immediately you will not be disappointed. read more

Decided to celebrate our anniversary at The Steak Library and it did not disappoint. They gave us a table covered in rose petals and made sure there was an extra chair at the table for bags and jackets. Our waiter answered all our questions and we had the most delicious meal! Very fancy compared to what we are used to but it's nice to have a place like this locally! read more

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Intimate, delicious, and feels special. This hidden gem was perfect for a special adult night out without being pretentious. The staff were attention, helpful, and had the perfect balance of anticipating our needs without hovering. And, it was the best porterhouse I've ever had in my life. read more

High-End Japanese Steakhouse in Lomita. We went on Grand Opening Day. They offer a great variety of steak and seasoning with sauces you can choose from. They have decent appetizers with seafood options. The Kansas City was great and perfectly seasoned. Malbec is nice pairing for the steak with a great price. There is also a nice bar seating available for wine & cocktails. I would love to sit at the bar for drinks next time. Manger Makoto-san was amazing and made nice recommendations. Bartender and server were nice. Reservations available via OpenTable. read more

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If you know Tamaen then you know this place was about to be the real deal. I'm gonna start off with this place is fancier than you thought, so dress a little nice! Upon walking in we were greated by a refrigerator with hanging meat dry aging. Thats how you know you're about to get a case of the meat sweats for dinner. I ordered the dry aged porterhouse my wife the filet. Side of mushrooms and shrimp to start. Everything was incredible. Great flavors, perfects cooks on both steaks. The shrooms were a hit on the side and the shrimp was delicious! The sauces you can order with the steak ( thankfully they come on the side ) are a nice treat that really distinguishes this place from other steak houses. The wait staff was attenative and friendly and Makato the gm was a pleasure. I also got to try their old fasioned while there too. Great smokey flavors and a well crafted drink. 5/5 fat boy recommend. Pro tip, try next doors japanese wagyu spread as well! read more

The Steak Library - Steakhouses Near Me - Lomita, California

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This restaurant is amazing and very accommodating. Made a reservation for birthday dinner with larger group for a Sunday evening. I screwed up the date initially but they were understanding and able to switch it with no issues. Service was superior and Ben was outstanding. He made welcome suggestions and was always available. For food we did tartare, oysters, bone marrow, shishito peppers, Caesar salad, and octopus. All of them were delicious and unique flavors so you didn't not get overwhelmed. Favorites were the oysters and garlic bone marrow. We did a range of steaks and they were perfectly cooked and seasoned very well. We did try all the sauces/butters. I enjoyed a ribeye and favorite sauces were ponzu and wasabi butter. But it was neat seeing how each paired differently with the steak. My least favorite was the chimichurri. For sides we rocked lobster Mac, mushrooms, garlic rice, and creamed spinach. Again all were very flavorful, my favorite was the mushrooms. Sides were paired to individual tastes as Mac and spinach both won some hearts. Fried rice was nothing special, but I enjoyed soaking meat juices and the flavored butters which elevated it. Ben made great suggestions on wine pairing and enhanced the meal. Dessert bday boy had a cheesecake. We also ordered sweet potato, affogato, and molten cake. All were fully consumed and enjoyed. Sweet potato was the most unique and like a sweet potato funnel cake. I think it would have worked with more brown sugar or honey but I am particular to sweet. The cheesecake was fluffy and tasty. Lava cake had a nice chocolate ooze, lol. Affogato I didn't try but heard it was good. If you are in the south bay this is my new favorite steakhouse and definitely worth a trip. read more

This place is expensive but worth it; it's the best steak I've ever had; perfect for a special occasion or if you really want to impress someone. Although everything was good, the highlights for me were the Lobster Bisque, the Filet Mignon with truffle butter, the mushrooms, and the olive-fed Wagyu. Incredible meal! The wait staff was very friendly. The ambiance is nice. The restaurant is small, tasteful and fancy. You'd never know it was in a nondescript Lomita strip mall once inside. I indicated it was my birthday in the reservation so they covered the table with rose petals and served a complimentary chocolate cake at the end that was quite good. read more

Found this place on Yelp by searching "hot and new" restaurants. Place opened in late November 2023, is in a strip mall, no signage, almost has a speakeasy feel. I believe restaurant next door is the same owner, and it is an established Japanese bbq joint. Ambiance inside is nice. Attentive staff and soft jazz playing in the background. We started with a bottle of their cheapest cab, $60, which was pretty decent, and their shishito peppers. The peppers were a little salty, but otherwise not bad. Everything after the peppers were great. There were two of us, and we were given two side plates and split everything. The green salad was light and refreshing. The Cesar salad looked pretty good, and they prepare it tableside, but we did not have it. We asked them to bring the jumbo shrimp, asparagus, and 12 oz filet mignon all together. If we had to redo that, probably would have asked for the jumbo shrimp first, to take our time enjoying everything a little more. The filet came to the table sizzling, was perfectly cooked medium rare. We opted for the wasabi soy sauce as a side sauce. I also requested some raw horseradish, which they also provided. The filet, shrimp, and asparagus all tasted great. We ended with the cheesecake which was very tasty. All in all, great meal, will definitely be back. read more

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A small gem in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful restaurant, great music , great service, fantastic food. I was very pleased.

Ok. Let me start this review with a few notes. Ignore the lack of a sign-out front (see attached) and the Soy source; more on that in a moment. (Also attached). I'd also ask that you forgive the novice staff, the limited wine list, and the Keurig machine on the bar. Per the staff, the restaurant opened 2 or 3 months ago on November 29th. Huh? We were there on NYE. Once you get past all the above, we had a HOLY F**K meal at the Steak Library in Lomitas. The food was unbelievably good. UNBELIEVABLE. We started with the Caesar salad. It was a straightforward salad, but the dressing was made with love. Incredible flavor. Then, the macaroni and cheese with lobster chunks. Unlike anything I've had in my life. Aside from perfectly cooked lobster, the cheese sauce was ridiculously flavorful. Our best guess was that the Chef used smoked paprika to get that flavor. UNBELIEVABLE. Next up. Asparagus with Soy source, aka soy sauce. Light, perfectly cooked with a slight Asian spin. Incredible. Then, the bone in the ribeye. HOLY F**K. "The best ribeye I've bet had in my life" was my girlfriend's quote. And let me tell you this: she's no Sizzler kind of girl. She has had some high-end steaks in her life. I don't know why you'd ever go to Lomitas, but should you ever get there. The Steak Library is incredible and worth the trip off the beaten path. read more

The Steak Library - Signage - Steakhouses Near Me - Lomita, California

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We ordered three steaks, and my husband said his steak was too salty. I tasted it and found he was right, the steak was too too salty. We were not satisfied with the meal, at this price, the food quality is supposed to be good and stable. read more

Food is amazing. High quality Japanese steaks. The staff is very friendly and they make creative drinks. Definitely will visit again.

Found this place on yelp and decided to have date night here last week Saturday. We called at 8:30pm to make reservations or see how busy it was and they were able to accommodate us at 9 which was awesome! Upon arrival we were greeted by a lady who was assisting a table but still took time to welcome us in which was nice. They had a fridge/freezer on the right side where you can see the different steaks they offered. The place was quiet, not very busy which was nice and we were seated within 2 minutes. Their steak selection is a bit pricey, BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY!! I ordered the prime rib with butter, a side of shrimp Mac n cheese, and their mashed potatoes. The steak came out so fast, cooked to perfection, and was full of flavor!! The shrimp Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes were ok, not my favorite and def had better, but it also wasn't the worst. That being said i came for the steak and that is the reason for my 5 star bc it was awesome!! My bf had the oxtail soup which he said was really good. Overall we had a delightful experience and will def be coming back to visit soon! read more

The Steak Library - Prime rib steak med well and so yummy - Steakhouses Near Me - Lomita, California

Craving a mouthwatering steak dinner? Look no further! I recently had an incredible dining experience at I can't recommend it enough, pleasure to meet GM Makoto/ awesome person... From the moment I stepped in, the ambiance was warm and inviting, setting the perfect tone for a memorable evening. The attentive staff made me feel right at home, ensuring that every detail was taken care of. Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply looking for a fantastic steak dinner,is the place to be. The combination of great food, friendly service, and cozy atmosphere makes it an unforgettable dining experience. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! Btw, when we walked out from the restaurant/ first time ever a GM Makoto had walked out just to say thank you for coming and I told him I will be returning back at 9:45pm since they at 10pm/ ahhahahsmile evryone.... Overall great team read more

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Service is personalized and spot on, the food is fabulous! We celebrated my son's 18th birthday there. They were open to us bringing our own cake, they also brought out a slice of cake for my son with a candle on it. The menu has a great selection of meats, the bone marrow was a huge hit, we ordered the sweet and savory, the marrow was silky and buttery. The steaks were cooked the way we asked, it was properly seasoned and tender! The sides are limited. They are a mix or a Japanese steakhouse and an American steakhouse. They are unassuming which we like, definitely worth every penny read more

Everything was so good with the restaurant! The food made me feel like I was in heaven, the service was so kind with all the nice atuff they did for us, and the ambience was so calming and soothing. 5 stars all around! Service was amazing! They were so kind. Everything was delicious! Id give it ten stars if i could. read more

We wanted to eat a good steak. So I got on yelp and saw this place and thought we'd try it out. We arrived without a reservation and were seated. The dining room's ambiance is nice and the music is fitting. Here is what we ordered and our rating: 1)Cesar Salad (1/2 order) 2 stars - The half order was a couple of leaves and dressing. It was good. I was just surprised at the portion. 2) Seafood Chowder 5 stars - There was a hefty amount of seafood and the chowder was creamy and thick. 3) Rib Eye (They didn't have the bone in, which is the reason why we came.) 4 stars - the steak was very good, but we came for the bone in 4) 8 oz Filet Mignon 4 stars - flavorful and served hot (maybe too hot) 5) Lobster Mac N Cheese 0 stars - This was a huge let down. There is good amount of lobster but there is a strange after taste that doesn't make me want more. And it's $34. 6) Mango Sorbet 5 stars - The dessert took a while to get to our table after we ordered. I'm wondering why. It literally tastes like mango. It's like they took the mango and "sorbet'd" it right in the skin of a mango fruit. It is very good. The service is professional. What would've been nice is for both of our steaks and mac and cheese to come out at one time. We wanted to enjoy our whole meal without wondering when the next steak or side dish was coming. Will we try this place again? Possibly. Not sure. read more

Highly recommend you plan ahead by making a reservation and it is definitely worth the anticipation. Service, atmosphere & food are all top notch! We enjoyed all the food but the bone marrow & steaks are definitely why you should come. It was a very quiet night so hopefully it gets busier soon. read more

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The atmosphere is so warm and welcoming with such wonderful service. This evening was a spur of the moment for both my husband and myself, honestly worked out perfect since his birthday is on Monday. The food was so delicious, steaks were so tender, the truffle mash potatoes were amazing and asparagus, I just cannot even describe.. we can not wait to return. Sitting at the bar just felt we had our own personal Bartender "Hat's off Too" Makoto Termoto... read more

For starters the place looked amazing! Elegant and inviting, the perfect ambiance. Next the service was out of this world, the staff was accommodating and friendly. Lastly the Food was so good! The steak was tender and flavorful. We missed the dry age tomahawk, but that just gives us a reason to come back! We tried the dry aged strip, dry aged Porterhouse, bone marrow, cotton candy A5 Wagyu, and the ceviche. Everything tasted so good! I highly recommend coming here for great food. We will definitely be back! read more

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Never again! We went here for a pre-father's day dinner date. For just the two of us, the meal was $400. Given that cost, I would've expected far far far better food quality than what we received. Asparagus- over cooked and way over salted. I could not cleanly cut through the asparagus without it pulling apart into shreds. It was mushy and wilted and the soy based glaze was too salty and poorly balanced. "Smooth" mashed potatoes - in fact were lumpy, dry and incredibly under salted. We had to add truffle butter to make them smoother and in any way flavorful. Bone Marrow - while we liked the concept of two different variations - a salty half and a sweet smoky half, the garlic salt on the former was way way way overdone! It tasted more like a garlic salt lick than a luscious rich marrow accentuated with those flavors. There wasn't enough bread to compensate for how salty it was. Cesar Salad - the unique take on this classic was interesting. It was well flavored but more like a mustard vinaigrette as opposed to a rich anchovy lemon flavor. It was enjoyable but definitely not a Cesar. Dry Aged Porterhouse - this was supposed to be the star of the show and it was actually flavored, not overly or under salted but just enough. Albeit we ordered medium and it was closer to rare than medium. Unfortunately, I desperately wanted to like this meal, especially given the cost, however I would rather visit a chain like Fleming's than ever return here. The one star is for service. The serving staff were very kind, enthusiastic and clearly wanting to provide a "fine" dining experience in a lovely, well designed space. Regrettably, that is probably the only part of the experience that was truly enjoyable. read more

Amazing food quality and friendly service. I was a bit disappointed when the steak my son wanted was sold out, then the dessert we wanted (one out of 3 options) was out, and finally the espresso machine was broken. However, this is still a great place and willing to give it more visits. read more

We have been wanting to go to Steak Library for a while now and finally made it We started with the cotton candy Wagyu and salad which very good! The salad is big enough to share. Then we went to the Olive fed Wagyu which was probably the best Wagyu I have ever tasted! It was amazing!! My wife and I shared a porterhouse with garlic fries rice and it was delicious! The staff was amazing and spoiled us! The inside was really cute and had a elegant feel to it They have a big wine selection Beer and sake were available but unfortunately no hard liquor yet since The city of Lomita makes you work for a license read more

This is possibly the best steak you will ever eat and you will pay for it. They struggle a bit on the service (I dinged them one star for it) when it gets busy but you will forget about that on your first bite. The ambience is intimate and you really feel like you are in on a secret no one else is in on and you hope it stays that way. read more

This place has the best quality and variety of beef in the area. Every type of Japanese Wagyu, and dry age steaks, (that you see in the meat locker upon entry.) That said, this place is pricey. It should be 5 star based on the High quality of the ingredients. However, they have a ways to go to the fifth star. The service is very friendly, but amateurish. They brought our Caesar salads before our sashimi and wagyu appetizers. The same thing happened at other tables, so maybe that's a Japanese thing. The wine list is limited, but cab heavy. We brought a special Bordeaux from our seller. Surprisingly, they served all of the red wines in Pinot noir Shaped glasses. If you haven't done a comparative tasting, you'd be shocked how much difference this makes. Our vegetable sides came out about five minutes before our gorgeous shared aged porterhouse steak. The spinach was obviously plated on an ice cold plate, so by the time we started eating it with the meat, It was half cold. One comment on the kitchen. We ordered a very creative wagyu appetizer with cotton candy based on the server's recommendation. It was amazing, but it was such a big bite you couldn't put it in your mouth properly. It was much better cut into two or three smaller pieces, but that did compromise the cotton candy. We both thought it would be better to be 4 or 6 smaller meat pops. Due to the quality of the ingredients, we will come back. We may go heavy on the appetizers, so we can spring for some of the wagyu which is up to $200 for 3 ounces. Still a pretty amazing place for Lomita. read more

Super-expensive but well intentioned Japanese-inspired steak house. Not sure Lomita will long support A5 quality Japanese beef at $210 per 3 ounce portion but the food is excellent. read more

What a hidden gem in Lomita! You would never guess that a place like this is in this strip mall near Harbor City. Food was excellent. The steaks were delicious, especially the wagyu. I know it's pricey for the amount you get but the flavor is unparalleled. However, I have to highlight two things that really stood out to me. One, the lobster Mac and cheese was really good. Yes, it's $34. But, yes it's worth it. I've had plenty of lobster Mac and rarely has it ever lived up to either lobster or Mac and cheese. Same with crab cakes. Disappoints so often that I don't usually order them anymore because I'm emotionally scarred. But not here. Here it's rich and creamy and loaded with lobster pieces and lobster flavor. The pasta was also perfectly al dente. Two, the seafood tower was so satisfying as a whole that I think I would go back just for that. It's that good! All the items were so delicious. The crab, salmon, tuna, oysters, shrimp, all amazing. Even their cocktail sauce which was a little on the sweeter side was really good. Kudos for such a great dish and also a fun presentation with the smoke. The only thing I would say that could improve is the wait staff are still learning. They were friendly and trying hard but obviously not very experienced. The main person also was tied up making drinks for a large portion of the time. I'm sure they will figure this all out eventually but when we left and the room was full, I did see several frustrated diners and service was noticeably slower. The ambience was definitely classy and giving upscale vibes without feeling stuffy and stodgy. Cant wait to come back. read more

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