Walnut Tree

Walnut Tree
382-A Lemon Ave.
Walnut
909-595-6026

Walnut Tree is a small Chinese restaurant that is owned by a Vietnamese family. I've actually never eaten anything other than the chicken salad. The chicken salad has chicken breast, lettuce, crispy noddles and their special dressing, which is really Miracle Whip.

Now I know that putting Miracle Whip on a salad doesn't sound good to some people but it actually works really well for the Walnut Tree's chicken salad. The tangyness of the dressing adds great flavor to the salad. The chicken breast is made with seasame seeds and has a light taste. They don't cover it up with heavy oils or sauces. The iceberg lettuce is fresh. They give you crispy noodles and wontons that add a crunch to the salad.

Service is very good. You are greeted and they don't rush you to order. They do fill your order quickly and they are nice people.

There was a couple eating dinner and the food they ordered look great. They prices on the menu are very good. Only one item over $10 and most items between $8-$9. I would like to go back and try some of their Chinese food soon.

Golden Wok & Louisiana Fried Chicken

Golden Wok & Louisiana Fried Chicken
1725 Garey Ave.
Pomona
909-620-5057

While checking for more Louisiana Fried Chicken locations, I found out that a second Pomona location has opened. Just like the other location, it's in the same store as a Chinese food. This location also serves donuts, 24/7. I was surprised that it wasn't that crowded during lunch time. There are many businesses close to the area.

I ordered the one item combo with BBQ pork. The fried rice was dry, very little soy sauce was used, and lacked any flavor. Small amounts of carrots and peas didn't add much to the rice. The chow mein looked pretty greasy but it was pretty good. Good flavor but a little overcook and/or sitting on the steam table for too long. The BBQ pork was the worst BBQ pork I've ever had. Overcooked and very tough on the outside and lots of fat on the inside. I wasn't happy with my choice.

But I was happy with my choice of the fried chicken breast. The combo and fried chicken were $6.52. The chicken was fresh and juicy. Not sitting under heat lamps. The outside is crunchy and very spicy, lots of flavor. Inside is moist and juicy.

Service was very good. I was greeted quickly and in a friendly way. When I ordered the Chinese food, she even asked if I wanted to sample one of the items. When I was paying she asked if I wanted a cup of water with my meal. Very nice and fast. I went the day before and they actually cooked my fried chicken to order!!! I ordered two breasts and they only had one. They gave me two freshly cooked pieces of fried chicken. They don't cheat or take the easy way out. Very impressive.

I would not go back for the Chinese food. But I would go back for the fried chicken. It was awesome. I think the fried chicken is much better than the other Louisina Fried Chicken, in Pomona but the Chinese food was much better at China Bowl Express.

I've gotten some emails from people who say the Chinese restaurants I review aren't really true Chinese restaurants. Well I never claimed they were. I know most are Chinese fast food and aren't anywhere close to be authentic. But who cares? Most, serve good food at good prices. Plus I always don't have the time to go to a sit down Chinese restaurant.

Wok

Wok
1247 Diamond Bar Blvd.
Diamond Bar
909-860-2614

Wok is another fast food Chinese place with a steam table filled with Chinese food. As with all fast food places, it all depends on your timing. If you go during a busy time, the food should be fresh. But if you go when it's slow, the food will be overcooked and just bad.

I ordered the teriyaki chicken and Chinese BBQ pork, with fried rice and chow mein for $4.97. The fried rice has some peas and carrots but not much else. It was basically rice and soy sauce. The chow mein had small bits of cabbage and onions. The chow mein was kinda of bland and flavorless.

The teriyaki chicken was pretty tender and the sauce was nice and added a nice flavor. It wasn't salty or anything. The teriyaki was the best thing I ordered.

The Chinese BBQ pork was mostly fat. I would say half of the pork was fat and half was meat. Not a good combo. The pork, what little there was of it, was tender and tasty.

I didn't think Wok's portions were as big as Mr. Wok, which is also in Diamond Bar. I would pay the extra 40 cents to get more food.

I would not go back to Wok. The portions aren't that big and the food is only average. While the prices are lower than other places, they make up for it with their smaller portions.

International Deli

International Deli
2020 Brea Canyon
Diamond Bar
909-861-3354

Deli, sandwich.

International Deli has been in Diamond Bar for over 15 years. It's caters to the Diamond Bar High School and the businesses in the area. The sandwiches aren't anything great but good enough.

Pictured is the large corned beef with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes, on an roll for $5.94. I watched them make the sandwich and they put the cuts of corned beef into the microwave for about two minutes. Then they put the roll into a steamer-like machine for about 15 seconds. That makes the roll very soggy and chewy. The corned beef is like the corned beef you get from a supermarket deli. Nothing great but it does that job. They put a lot more mayo than I like, so next time I'll remember to ask for easy mayo. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh and tasty.

Service is good but you get the idea, you're part of an assembly line. Place order. Pay for order. Go down to the end of counter to pick up your order. But the owner/cashier is friendly and you get your sandwich in a short amount of time.

I think International Deli is average. Nothing outstanding about it but then again nothing bad about it. Though prices are on the higher side. I think International Deli is better than Charlie's but that's not saying much.

Costco-Chino Hills

I'm sure almost everybody has eaten something from Costco. Many Costcos have an outdoor food area. I know two locations that have an indoor food area and I'm guessing those two stores aren't doing as much business as the other outdoor stores.

I ordered the hot dog and soda combo and a slice of combo pizza for $3.76. Yes, Costco still has 1/4lb all beef kosher hot dogs and a soda for $1.50. You can't beat that deal anywhere. The hot dogs are steamed and then placed on a bun that hasn't been toasted. But for the price it's great. All Costcos have mustard, deli mustard, onions and relish. They also have ketchup but only weirdos put ketchup on a hot dog. Some Costcos will have sauerkraut. But the skinless hot dogs have a good blend of spices and flavor. I put mustard and onions on them. I believe the onions are rehydrated and not freshly chopped onions but they do the job.

The slices of piece just depends on how long they have been under the heat lamps. The slice of combo pizza, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions, and olives, had been under the heat lamp for too long. The onions and green peppers were wilted and not good at all. The cheese and meats were still hot but was starting to become overcooked. If you ever order a whole pizza, if you don't eat it right away, it loses a lot of taste and flavor. One of the few pizzas that do NOT taste good the next day.

Service will vary depending on who is working. My service was pretty good but I've been here when service was very slow.

I go back to Costco every now and then. It's inexpensive and the food is pretty good. It's not gourmet but then again I'm not expecting it to be.

Seafood Village Dim Sum

Seafood Village Dim Sum
1463 Nogales St.
Rowland Heights
626-913-2338

Seafood Village is a sit down restaurant. I will review them soon. But next door they have a Food To Go location where dim sum, BBQ pork, duck, and Chinese dishes are served.

Dim sum during the week is $1.68. On weekends they raise the price to $1.88. I ordered the su mai and steamed BBQ pork buns. You get four pieces of su mai and they are nice and tender pork. It's matches any other su mai you can get from any sit down restaurants. And the price is right.

I wasn't as impressed withe steamed BBQ pork buns. IT's almost like a sloppy joe. There isn't much BBQ pork and the little amount there is is chopped up and pretty flavorless. I've had much better BBQ pork buns.

The BBQ pork and duck are pretty expensive, almost $6 a pound.

Service is OK. They speak little English so be prepared to point or you'll go hungry.

I would go back for the su mai but I wouldn't order the steam BBQ pork bun. But the prices and quality of su mai make this one of the best values aroun

Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe

Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe
667 Brea Canyon
Diamond Bar
909-594-3679

I used to have Charlie's sandwiches once a month at work. While the sandwiches weren't anything great it was easy since they delivered to work. So I decide to give them another try. To my surprised they have moved and changed ownership. The new location is in an industrial location and during lunch they do a good business.

I ordered the small corned beef on squaw bread. Sandwiches come with mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles. Cheese is 20 cents extra. The small sized sandwiches you have a choice of bread but the large sized sandwiches only come on an Italian roll, which is very tough and chewy. I would stick to the small sandwiches.

The corned beef was nothing special. It wasn't Boar's Head or a quality corned beef. It was just regular corned beef from your supermarket deli, that was heated up in the microwave or toaster oven. But it was good enough. The bread was slightly toasted and warm. The lettuce was fresh but kind of bitter. The tomatoes were also fresh but they were cut pretty thin and they weren't exactly stacked high.

Service is pretty good. You're greetly quickly in a friendly way. The order was taken but I thought the wait was a little longer than normal. But part of that maybe them filling phone orders. The location is clean, most people clean off their tables but during my 30 minutes or so at Charlie's, I didn't see any employees clear or wipe off the tables.

I think Charlie's has actually improved under new ownership but there are plenty of other sandwich shops in the area that have a much better sandwich. So Charlie's wouldn't be my first choice for a sandwich but I would go back there.

Danny K's Billiards & Sports

Danny K's Billiards & Sports
1096 N Main St.
Orange
714-771-9706

Danny K's is a sports bar near the Honda Center and Anaheim Stadium. During Monday Night Football Danny K's has free hot dogs and happy hour drink specials. $3.50 imported draft beer pints. $5.25 24oz mugs. $2 off 12 in pizza and $1 off selected appetizers.

The hot dogs are pretty damn good. They don't cheap people either. If the buns or hot dogs are running low, another tray is coming up. The hot dogs stop right about half time of the time, so between 7-7:30pm, depending on the game. Chips, salsa and chili are also included.

The hot dog buns are huge, they are almost like rolls. They are soft, but if you get the buns that's been sitting at the bottom of the tray, it will be hard, and chewy. The hot dogs themselves are skinless and made from a combination of pork, beef and chicken. They have a good mix of spices. The hot dogs are long and thin, they remind me of Hebrew National hot dogs. They have mustard, relish, tomatoes, red onions and ketchup to add.

For the price and quality, you can't beat Danny K's for their hot dogs. They have the typical sports bar food. What what I could see they are served in huge portions and most items are less than $10.

Service is below average. It took awhile before a server came by. I'll grant her there was a decent amount of people and the place is huge, but I shouldn't have to wait around 5-7 minutes before getting an order. The waitress was also pretty rude and for somebody working at a sports bar had not clue about sports. I asked for the baseball game to be put on TV. She actually asked "Which game?" HELLO there is only ONE GAME on at this time. Keep up with the sports. She also took a break and smoked like a chimmney. So when she came back to ask me if I wanted another beer, she smelled like an ash tray. I wish people would at least spray some perfume, even cheap perfume after smoking. Hell better yet, stop smoking.

Danny K's must be a hang out for fans of that steroid, criminal, college football program, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I would be ashamed to have a wall with Husker Red all over. Especially that scumbag, Lawerance Phillips, who should be locked up and they should throw away the key. But Danny K's has a huge wall filled with Husker football items.

There are four huge projection screens, along with many smaller, 27 in. TV's in the back area. The front area has one projection screen.

I would go back to Danny K's. I don't have high expectations for service at sports bars and Danny K's met them. The hot dogs are great and the happy hour prices for beer are great too. I also thought the appetizers, burgers and pizza looked good and I may go back to see the Cornhuskers get their butts kicked.

JoJo's Pizza Kitchen-Closed

JoJo's Pizza Kitchen
3560 Temple
Pomona
909-444-9113

JoJo's location in Pomona is listed on their website and menu as being independently owned and operated. I enjoy the pizza but I was surprised from the lack of people there at lunch. With Cal Poly Pomona so close, I figured it would be very crowded for lunch. But while there was a steady crowd it was nothing overwhelming.

I ordered the lunch special, two, one topping slices of pizza and a soda for $6.48. The pizza is a thin crust, NY style pizza. It wasn't crispy or charred, like many NY style pizzas, but it was hot and fresh. They were also huge, I would say about a quarter of a large pizza. I thought the amount of cheese and pepperoni was very good, they don't cheat you out of anything. The pizza is a little on the greasy side, so that could be good or bad depending on your point of view.

Service is very good. You're greeted quickly and the person at the cashier, who looks like he is the manager or owner, was friendly and helpful. There seems to be regular lunch crowd because he was joking around with many people. The pizza came up quickly and like I said was hot and fresh.

I would go back to JoJo's. The pizza is very good and for whole pizzas, after the third topping, all other toppings are free.

Update June 7, 2008.



I went back to JoJo's and ordered a large half pepperoni and half sausage pizza for $19.76. The pizza was great, though the crust was a bit undercooked. There was a ton of cheese and both pepperoni and sausage though it needed a little more sauce.

Service was OK. The guy who took my phone order spoke with a heavy accent. It took a little longer than it should, but in the end the pizza was great.

Molcasalsa

Molcasalsa
580 Beach Blvd.
La Habra
562-691-0035

You want fast, quick Mexican food at inexpensive prices? Go to Molcasalsa. They have good Mexican food at great prices. Nothing on the menu is over $5.50 and that's for a combo with beans and rice. Tacos for $2. Burritos for $3 and they are huge.

I had the Flying Saucer tostada and an al pastor tortas for $6.57. The flying saucer tostada has beans, shredded beef, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese all on a nice crispy tostada. As you can see this tostada is huge. I couldn't finish it. There was a ton of shredded beef and all the other ingredients were fresh and tasty. This is one of the better tostadas I've had. Much better and less expensive than the tostada from
Casa Gamino.

The torta wasn't as good. The Al Pastor was tender and tasty and the bread was good but it was very dry. They had a small amount of guacamole and a little lettuce. I would like some mayo and/or salsa. I would either order a taco or burrito instead of a torta. But overall Molcasalsa is a very good place for inexpensive Mexican food.

Service was very good and friendly. She was helpful and didn't cop any attitude when I asked what's on the flying saucer tostada. My order was quickly served. And the great thing about them? The drive thru is opened 24 hours!!!!

If I was in the area I would go back again. I wouldn't make a special trip, the food isn't so outstanding that I need to drive out of my way for it, but if I'm in the area, I would gladly go back.

My Expectations

Here are my expectations from hosts/hostess and servers.

1. When I walk in, I should be greeted quickly, in a nice friendly manner. For a host/hostess not to say anything to me is wrong. A simple Hi. How many people? Or Hi, What would you like to order? is fine. I've worked in retail before and you are trained to greet each customer. The customer shouldn't have to greet you.

2. Once I'm seated, my drink order should be taken within a couple minutes. I won't wait around for a server to come. If you're going to be my server and you're busy, all you have to do is say "I'll be right with you." At the very least acknowledge I'm there!!!! I've been to restaurants and a server passed by me 4-5 times and actually told me "Sorry I didn't see you there." Then that server must be blind.

3. Servers aren't blind. If you see my water glass or drink glass empty, ask me if I want more to drink. Also advise me if the restaurant doesn't offer free refills.

4. This is a pretty big pet peeve. When a server picks up the money, don't ask me if I need change. That's rude and arrogant. I'll normally say something like "We're good. Or It's all your's." OK, I sometimes forget to say that and I'll usually put an extra buck or two for wasting the server's time. If I don't say that, just bring back my change. If you as a server are too damn lazy to make an extra trip, maybe you should get another job.

5. If you had a bad day or even a bad customer before me, don't take it out on me. I didn't do anything to you. But you're hurting your chances of a good tip if you take out your anger or frustations on me.

6. If you're going to ask 'How is everything?" don't ask it 2 minutes after you served the meal. Give me a few (at least 5, no more than 10) minutes before asking how things are. Believe me if something is wrong I will tell you. Also come back to the table at least once before asking if we are finished eating. Drinks maybe running low, I may want to place a take out order, whatever.

7. If something is wrong with my order, don't argue with me. Just take it back and being me the correct order.

8. I'll admit I'm picky about things. I like dressing for salad on the side. I like BBQ sauce on the side. But those aren't that big of a deal and doesn't require that more more effort. Don't cop an attitude if I ask for those things.

9. I also don't like to feel rushed, whether to order or to finish eating. I know if places are busy and I'm taking up space at the restaurant. I also know when the restaurant is about to close. Don't rush me.

10. I know people who work as mystery shoppers. I know what the companies are looking for. I know how companies train their servers and what their expecations of servers are. Yes, I don't go to many chain restaurants but the type of restaurants I go to can learn a lot about customer service. The privately owned restaurants I go to, need the good customer service. Food can take you only so far.

11. I don't care about your life or your problems. So don't cry or talk about your life or problems unless I ask. Believe me I won't ask.

12. If I ask for something that should be at my table already, silverware, napkins etc, don't cop an attitude or make an excuse. Just get the damn thing. I don't want to hear excuses and I don't want a damn attitude. If the other server or busboy didn't do the job, don't complain and cry to me. Take it up with the person who messed up, away from my table.

The best service I've had is at Michaelangelo's Pizza. Great friendly service.

Ameci-Closed

Ameci
1345 Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar
909-396-6800

Ameci is a local pizza and pasta place. They have been in Diamond Bar for over ten years and it looks to me as though they have changed ownership recently. They used to send coupons, 2 for 1, half off pizza, etc but now they only have daily specials.

I ordered the chicken parmigiana sandwich for $5.40. The chicken is nothing but a breaded chicken patty, much like the Tyson chicken you get from the supermarket. The chicken is most white meat, so I'll give them some credit. The marinara sauce is good and has some spice to it. The roll is toasted and has a nice chewy center. But overall I wasn't impressed with the sandwich. I mean I could go to the market and buy some Tyson chicken patties and either buy a jar of Rago or get some marinara from an Italian place and make my own sandwiches.

Service was pretty good. I was greeted quickly but I asked what else comes on the sandwich and he had to ask somebody. After he took my order and I paid him, he didn't tell me how long it would take for my order. I had to ask. But he was friendly.

There are many other sandwich places in the area to go to. I wouldn't go back to Ameci. Food isn't bad but it's nothing special either.

China Star Express

China Star Express
1785 Palo Verde Ave.
Long Beach
562-493-5962

China Star Express is your typical Chinese fast food place, with the steam table filled with food. I ordered the two item combo for $4.87 with teriyaki chicken and BBQ pork.

The rice is standard, some peas, carrots, and cabbage mixed with soy sauce. The chow mein had cabbage and soy sauce. Nothing great but good.

The teriyaki chicken was pretty good. Tender, mostly dark meat chicken. It wasn't as hot as I would like it but not chewy nor did it taste like it was sitting on the steam table forever. The teriyaki sauce was good, not too salty and added a nice flavor to the chicken.

The BBQ pork was tender with very little fat. Some places half the pork is fat but here the pork was very lean.

China Star Express caters to a Long Beach St. crowd, since it's so close to campus. But don't expect to see any good looking woman as there are no good looking woman who go to Long Beach St. Forget about finding parking during lunch time there. It's a very small parking lot, with a 7-11 next door. One thing I see people doing is ordering food at China Star and then going to 7-11 for a Big Gulp.

China Star Express is nothing great but it's a good place to pick up a quick meal. I think they have among the less expensive Chinese take out places around. If I'm in the area I normally do stop here if I want Chinese food.

Uncle Al's-Closed

Uncle Al's Seafood
400 First St.
Long Beach
562-436-2553

I first went to Uncle Al's about five years ago. I thought at the time the food was good, the tartar sauce was one of the best, but a little on the high side. I figured since I was back in the area, I would give Uncle Al's another try.

I ordered the lunch combo plate, 4 jumbo shrimp and 2 pieces of fish, I asked for red snapper, with green beans for about $8.61. The batter used for the fish and shrimp is cornmeal, which gives it a thicker texture and crunch. The fish was crunchy but there was no flavor to the fish and I like red snapper. You needed to add the tartar sauce to have any flavor.

The shrimp was also crunchy and fairly good sized. They were cooked just right and much better than the fish. The tartar sauce is regular tartar sauce mixed with, I believe ketchup giving it a sweeter taste than regular tartar sauce.

Service was OK. While I got there around 5pm, there is no mention of when lunch is served. Some places will serve lunch portions all day long. The server was kind enough to give me the lunch portion but they should write in their menu what time lunch is served. The server was matter of fact and short. She wasn't friendly, didn't smile at all and spent most of the time behind the counter, eating!!!!

I would not go back to Uncle Al's. The food is good but nothing great. And the prices, for dinner are high and not worth it at all. If I had paid the dinner price for the shrimp and fish, I would have felt it was a rip off.

But, I was taken by the autographed picture of Mr. John Mackey, Hall of Fame TE for the BALTIMORE COLTS!!!



Mr. Mackey should have been the first TE to go into the HOF. But due to politics, Mr. Mackey helped the players form their union, he was the second TE selected, after Mike Ditka. When Mr. Mackey was inducted into the HOF, he said "I played for the BALTIMORE COLTS." and refused to accept his HOF ring in that village. Instead, Mr. Mackey received his HOF ring, where he played, in BALTIMORE, for the BALTIMORE COLTS!! Currently Mr. Mackey is suffering from demenia, which is much like Alzheimer's, so keep him in your prayers.

LBJ's-Closed

LBJ's
6617 Cherry Ave.
Long Beach
562-422-3606

LBJ's is really a soul food place and not a BBQ place. But I wanted to give it another try. The first time a buddy and I did a taste test between LBJ's and Smokey's BBQ. The ribs from LBJ's were some kind of smothered ribs, not the BBQ ribs you see in the pictures. So either my buddy ordered the wrong item or LBJ's gave him the wrong order.

Anyways pictured is the mini pork ribs dinner for $7.57. The mini dinners include rice and gravy and one side. Regular dinners are about $4-$5 more and include two sides and more ribs. The ribs are not smoked. They may even be boiled first and then cooked in the oven. The ribs are too tender, falling off the bone, which I don't like. They had no smoked flavor at all. They were meaty and a good size.

I loved the rice and gravy. A rich gravy that was well seasoned and had tons of flavor. The mac and cheese was some of the best mac and cheese I've ever had. Very soft mac and creamy cheese, they don't cheat you on the cheese, there was a ton of cheese. The cornbread was nice and crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.

While the ribs weren't to my liking, LBJ's is much better than Ruth's Place.

I would not go back to LBJ's for the ribs. But I would try some of their other items like smothered chicken, fried chicken, and smothered steak.

Service was good but the person taking orders has a thick Spanish accent that makes it hard to understand her at times.

Super Mex

Super Mex
6830 Katella
Cypress
714-903-1678

While I was taking a different route to Long Beach, going west on Katella, so I didn't have to fight the traffic on the 22 freeway, I found Super Mex just west of Knott. What's interesting is that there are two Super Mexs in the same shopping center. There is a take out only and a sit down, dine in Super Mex. The pictures are from the dine in Super Mex. Super Mex has been around since 1954, starting in Long Beach and expanding into the Orange Curtain.

Super Mex has the most interesting chips and salsa. The salsa is fine, not too spicy and fresh. But the chips are whole corn tortillas and you have to break them into bite sized pieces. They were good but they had spent too much time under a heat lamp.

I ordered an asada tostada. The tostada came on two corn tortilla chips, a small amount of beans, lettuce, jack and cheddar cheese and guacamole. The asada was a little different than most asada that I've had. It had more of a chili flavor. Most asada are grilled with citrus marniade. It was tender and tasty but not my type. Give me the regular asada. The other ingredients were very fresh and tasty. Not the best tostada I've ever had, I actually would prefer a nice tostada shell, not just corn tortilla chips.

Service was pretty good. I was greeted quickly and my order was taken quickly. My only complaint was that the server didn't refill my water quickly enough.

I would go back to Super Mex but would order the chicken or carnitas. Not a big fan of their asada.

Fresca's-Closed

Frescas
2085 Katella Ave
Anaheim
714-935-0666

Frescas in Anaheim is across the street from Anaheim Stadium. I went here one day before an Angel game and thought it was decent food, nothing special but better and cheaper than any Mexican food they serve at Angel games. Which isn't saying much.

So I decide to go back and review a couple of their tacos. Every Tuesday after 4pm they have a crispy chicken taco for $1. I also get a fish taco for $2.14. The fish taco was ok. I like my fish tacos to be crispy. While the fish was pretty big but wasn't crispy at all. The cabbage was very fresh and the white sauce was pretty mild.

The crispy chicken taco were nothing to write home about. They were fairly crispy but they had no flavor, even with the lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top. There wasn't that much chicken in there either.

Frescas is an OK place to go before an Angel game but I wouldn't make a special trip. Frescas reminds me a lot of the places at mall food courts, where you get decent food. Though Frescas does have better prices than places at mall food courts.

Hof's Hut-Orange-Closed

Hof's Hut
4050 Chapman Ave
Orange
714-634-8606

There used to be a lot more Hof's locations but I know 2-3 locations that have closed down within the past 2-3 years. Hof's Hut is a nice casual restaurant that used to serve good food at good prices.

I went to the Hof's Hut in Orange and ordered the crab and shrimp melt. It's shrimp and imitation crab served open faced with bacon, tomato, avocado and melted jack and cheddar cheese. The menu says sourdough bread but the bread wasn't sourdough. The amount of imitation crab and shrimp was lacking. The picture may make the melt look big but there wasn't a lot of shrimp or imitation crab. The bacon was crisp, but the avocado was mushy and not fresh at all. The fruit was very fresh but when the melt was served, cold fruit was put on the hot melt. Something isn't right. The melt is listed at $8.79 on the menu.

Service was good. The hostess greeted me at second I walked in. I sat at the counter and the waitress came within 2-3 minutes of me sitting down. The waitress was nice enough but within two minutes of her giving me my order, she asked how everything was. At least give me some more time before asking. I barely got one bite in before she asked. She also didn't see I needed a refill of water.

I used to like going to Hof's but I was a little disappointed on this trip back. Maybe the fact that a couple locations have closed is a sign the quality of the food is slipping. I don't think I would go back to Hof's.

Lee's Sandwiches

Lee's Sandwiches
1028 Harbor Blvd
Fullerton
714-525-2989

Lee's Sandwiches serves Asian and European sandwiches, mostly on 10 in, baguettes. Lee's, which is headquartered in the Bay Area, has opened many stores in Asian areas of LA.

The Asian sandwiches include daikan, carrots, onions, jalapero, cilantro, house mayo, salt & pepper, and soy sauce. I ordered the grilled chicken and grilled pork sandwich for about $5. Yes, $5 for two 10 in sandwiches!!

The baguettes are nice and toasted crust with a soft chewy inside. The chicken was dark meat chicken and pretty tender. I thought the amount of chicken was very small. The other ingredients were fresh. But the jalaperos for me didn't work with the sandwich. I don't need or want a kick.

The grilled pork sandwich was filled with lots of pork, much more than the chicken. The pork was tender and tasty. Again the other ingredients were very fresh.

Service is good. Nice friendly young lady took my order. The people at the pick up line were great. I asked for a cup of ice and within a few seconds the cup of ice was there with no attitude. I ate half of each sandwich and asked them to wrap the leftovers. They quickly wrapped the remaining sandwich and was very nice.

I would go back to Lee's but I think I may try their European sandwiches, ham or roast beef. I love the baguette. If I order another Asian sandwich I would ask for no jalapero and cilantro. Service at the Fullerton location was very good.