Rendino's-Closed

Rendino's
1261 S Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909-860-4000

Rendino's Pizza is in the Albertson's Shopping Center. The owners of Barro's Brothers Pizza bought Rendino's and are using the same recipe. For long time Diamond Bar residents, this location used to be Rudy's Pizza.

The pizza pictured is a large chicken pizza with a coupon for $8.65. Nice big slices of white meat chicken and plenty of cheese. I wouldn't recommend ordering extra cheese. I don't think may people would be able to tell the difference between the pizza at Rendino's and the Diamond Bar Barro's. The pizza is very good but it wasn't served as hot as I would have liked. But still a better option than the coroporate pizza places. Interesting though they had a health department rating of B.

There are plenty of tables at Rendino's plus a couple big screen TV's. Be care as Saturdays there are a ton of little league teams enjoying a post agme pizza party. Overall a very good neighborhood pizza place.

Gerald Willhite's Spices BBQ-Closed

Gerald Willhite's Spices BBQ
10431 Lemon Ave Ste H
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737
909-948-9854

I've been here three times. Once I got the Combo plate that included ribs, brisket, and hot link. The next time I got the chopped pork sandwich. The third and final time for a lunch portion, pork ribs for $7.58.

I do not like this place at all. On the high side in terms of price and the food isn't good. The ribs lunch at Red Hill BQQ about five miles south is much better and is a dollar less. The Ribs lack any kind of smoke flavor. They are also small and thin as hell. And they were tough, almost burnt. Not a good combination at all. The BBQ sauce is awful.

The brisket has too much fat and the chopped pork sandwich was so dry, I almost choked on the meat. The BBQ sauce must have been an afterthought.

I only went back the second time to get Whilhitte's autograph. He played for the Denver Broncos. He also has photos of that horse face, crybaby QB, which of course get on my bad side. I went back the third and last time because a friend wanted to try BBQ places in the area so we went to RedHill and Spices. Also I was able to take pictures of the sorry excuse for ribs.

I would not go back again. To be honest, with how bad the food is, I'm surprised the store is still open.

Redhill BBQ-Closed

Redhill BBQ
8111 Foothill Blvd Ste B
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730-3108
909-920-0558

The first time I ever had the BBQ at Redhill, I thought their BBQ sauce was the worst ever. Redhill was part of a BBQ tasteoff with Woody's and Wilhitte's. We ordered the pork ribs, beef ribs and sliced beef from each location. The ribs were good. Great smoked flavor and full of meat. The sliced beef is brisket and is ok.

After the first time, I decided to try again. This time for some reason the BBQ sauce was much better. The sauce had a lot of flavor and a good kick. So I've been back many times and the sauce is always the same. Not sure what happened the first time. But the meat is always good with a good smoked flavor.

Pictured is the pork rib plate for $6.45 which is a lunch portion.

You can see the BBQ pits and the mesquite wood they use. Many times those pitts are giving off that wonderful BBQ smell as you drive up to Redhill.

This place is my favorite of the three in the general area. Mostly take out but there are a few tables.

Zito's Pizza-Anaheim-Closed

Zito’s Pizza
726 State College Blvd.
Anaheim CA 92806
714-999-1660

Zito's has five location in the Orange Curtain area. The Anaheim location is on State College Blvd, just south of Lincoln. I really like their pizza. Pictured is the meat lovers pizza, mini size (8inches) for $7.49. The pizza is topped with ham, bacon, mild Italian saugage, and pepperoni. The picture shows the saugage, ham and pepperoni pretty well but not the bacon. But there is bacon on there.

Zito's puts a lot of sauce on their pizza, which I really like. They also don't cheat you out of the toppings. There was enough meat on the pizza to make any meat lover happy. Prices are good and I would gladly pay an extra couple bucks to get a good quality pizza than a personal sized pizza from one of the corporate pizza places. Even largest size of the specialty pizzas are under $19.

Service is good and quick. A great place to stop in before going to a LA Angels or Anaheim Ducks game. I would gladly to go any of their other locations. Very good pizza.

Joey’s Bar B-Q-Closed

Joey’s
117 W.2nd St.
Pomona.CA.91769
909-865-0699

Joey's menu says Mesquite Charcoal and Hickory wood cooking, good thing they say cooking instead of BBQing. Joey's cooks their meat over high heat. They do not smoke their meats. But that being said, it is a very good BBQ place and one of the few options in the area, unless people want to drive up to Woody's or Red Hill BBQ. Joey's has three locations but I think the Pomona location, at the corner of 2nd St. and Garey, has the better surroundings. After eating you can walk around antique row and look at all the older brick buildings, wonderful architecture.

The porks ala carte is $6.50 and they are nice enough to give you a large piece of garlic toast. The ribs are huge, well worth the $6.50 price. There is a ton of meat on the ribs and they are nice and tender. Again the ribs are not smoked so they lack the smoke ring. But the ribs are very good but at times can have a little too much fat. A lunch portion of BBQ ribs is $10.75 and includes two sides. I usually order the corn cobbette and fries. Nothing special about either, so ordering the ribs ala carte maybe the better way to go. The BBQ sauce is a thick tomato base and too sweet for my tastes.

Good service and the meals are served quickly.

The Chino location has a singing Cowboy every Saturday. The Upland location is a little hard to find as they sign is kinda of hidden. But I haven't been to either of location.

El Gallo Giro-Santa Ana

El Gallo Giro
1442 S. Bristol
Santa Ana
714-549-2011

I don't go to many Mexican restaurants. But when I want Mexican, I almost always go to El Gallo Giro in Santa Ana. They have good quality food at good prices. But the service can be and is slow most of the time.

I ordered a carnitas burrito and asada torta for $10.11.

The burrito has rice, beans, cilnatro, and of course the carnitas. The day I went and took the picture, the amount of meat wasn't as much as the couple times before. The meat was pouring out before tonight the meat was about a quarter of what they usually put on. But the carnitas is awesome, very tender and cooked to perfection. They put a little too much cilantro for my tastes.

The asada torta was very good, with fresh avocado, cheese, tomato, lettuce, beans and mayo. The fresh avocado really enhances this torta. It was great. The meat is usually good but again tonight the asada was tough and overcooked or it was in the warmer for too long.

At the Santa Ana location, there is one line for to order the torta and another line to order tacos, burritos etc. That can be confusing and most of the workers there speak little English, which can add further to the confusion. But most people there are friendly enough to help you. The great thing about the Santa Ana location is they are open 24 hours!!!

I do like going to El Gallo Giro but it wasn't up to it's usual standards tonight. I would go back but I want to go to their new location in Long Beach, on Long Beach Blvd and PCH.

TK Burger-Huntington Beach

TK Burger
110 Pacific Coast Highway
Huntington Beach
714-960-3238

TK Burger is one of the best burger places I've been to. The burger is great and the location, right across PCH from the beach, near Huntington Pier is awesome.

I ordered the Bargain Special, cheeseburger and fries for $4.49. The bun on the burger is a spongy, very soft bread. It kinda reminds me of the buns at In n Out. The meat is grilled to perfection. TK Burger adds 1000 Island dressing, which is more mild than other 1000 Island dressings, not as tangy as most. Tomatoes and lettuce. I asked for no onions and no pickles. All those great flavors combine to make the best burger in Orange County. Nothing comes close, especially for the price.

The fries were good but a little salty.

The service is good. But it's the typical high school kid working the register. Her boyfriend was there and she spent more time looking at him than taking orders. But the burgers come up quickly and on a hot summer day I know the view is awesome to see.

TK Burger has two other locations in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa.

Bronx Pizza- San Diego

Bronx Pizza
111 Washington St
San Diego
619-291-3341

Bronx Pizza in San Diego is the best NY style pizza place around. I haven't found anything in the LA area that comes close to it.

They a great special, two slices of pizza and soda for $6.

The first slice of pizza pictured has pepperoni and sausage. A great crust topped with nice pepperoni and flavorful sausage.

The second slice of pizza is called the White Stone Pepperoni with mozzarella, parmesan, pepperoni and ricotta. Awesome stuff. A nice thin crust and great toppings. I thought the cheese may be a little over the top but it really added to the taste of the pizza.

Bronx pizza is a no frills place. Pizza by the slice or the whole pie. They do not have chicken or pineapple on the menu. The service is good but be careful, it is packed almost from the time they open until they close. Once you order, you will enjoy the pizza in a very short time but it may take awhile to place your order. The day I went only one person was ahead of me. But within five minutes there were eight people in line.

Also the day I went the guy gave me an extra slice of the White Stone Pepperoni pizza because the crust came off the other slice. I really didn't notice a difference but I did enjoy the third slice of pizza.

Bronx Pizza is a great place. Good service and great NY style pizza.

The Donut Hole

The Donut Hole
15300 Amar Rd
La Puente, CA 91744
(626) 968-2912

When I heard that the Tail of the Pup closed down, I wanted to go to other places with that same kind of architecture. So an search on Yahoo turned up The Donut Hole. I don't eat donuts all that often. But when I do, I usually get chocolate covered donuts, either plain or with nuts or coconut. I'm not a fan of Krispy Kreme donuts, just way too sweet for my tastes.

Pictured is the a glazed donut topped with chocolate both in a classic donut shape and the other a more eclair shaped. The other is a plain cake covered with chocolate and coconut. The big donut is a apple fritter.

All the donuts were good. Nothing special but good quality donuts.

Nathan's-Closed

Nathan's
9216 W Pico Blvd
LA
310-273-0303

Nathan's is the legendary hot dog stand in New York City. I heard they opened up two locations in LA. One near the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood and Highland and this location on Pico in LA. The Hollywood and Highland location with in the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant but closed down in early 2005.

So I decide to give the Nathan's on Pico a try. This is back in December of 2005 and I didn't realize that the best hot dog in LA was just a few blocks east at Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory!! But I tried Nathan's and not good at all. The hot dog was lukewarm at best, even though I saw them grill it. The toppings, onions, relish, and mustard are fresh. But the hot dog it's wasn't great. It lacked any kind of flavor and snap. I would have been better off going to a supermarket and buying the Nathan's brand hot dogs and making it myself.

The service was terrible. Some punk kid, son of the owner who thinks he's god because his daddy owns a store.

Nathan's has a big menu that includes ribs, fried chicken, sandwiches, and burgers. Instead of having such a big variety on the menu, they should worry about doing a couple things right. Since it is called Nathan's they should make the hot dogs live up to the Nathan's name. This Nathan's doesn't even come close.

Pollo Campero-LA

Pollo Campero
1605 W Olympic Blvd.
LA
213-251-8594

This is the first Pollo Campero to open in LA and maybe the US. Located at the corner of Olympic and Union this Pollo Campero had huge lines when it first opened This is just like the Long Beach and Glendale locations, serving the damn good fried chicken. The chicken is so moist and tender. The skin is a little salty for my tastes but I still love this chicken.

I didn't notice any difference in quality between the three locations. But this location always has long lines!!! I must have waited in line for about 20 minutes. Also parking can be a little tough to find, though there is a parking garage in the back of Pollo Campero and they will validate your parking.

This location also didn't have the sampler with fries and a breast. They did have the breast and a drink for $3 which is still a great deal.

R & W Bar B Que-Closed

R & W Bar B Que
522 W Willow St,
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 426-2129

R & W is about a mile east of the 710 Freeway on Willow. Pictured is the Pork Rib with cole slow and rice and gravy for $8.95. The ribs are smoked but aren't smoke enough. This is more like a Santa Maria BBQ, when they grill the meat over hickory wood. So it cooks faster and has some smoke flavor but lack that good overall smoke flavor. But the ribs are tender, maybe just a little too tender. As you can see they give you a good portion and the ribs are very meaty. The BBQ suace is just run of the mill.

The cole slaw is nothing to write home about. The rice and gravy is bland.

Overall I think R & W is good but LBQ is much better. One thing service while friendly is very slow. It took 25 minutes to get my order ready and I was the only person when I ordered.

Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory

Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory
8930 W. Pico
LA
310-858-8590

The search for the best hot dog is over. The best hot dog in LA is at Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory. The regular all beef hot dog is so flavorful with the perfect blend of spices nothing in LA comes close. The hot dog doesn't have any natural casing but that doesn't take anything away from the taste. The hot dog is the third picture down and costs $2.50. I had deli mustard and raw onions on there and it was great. The bun isn't toasted or anything but the hot dog is so good it doesn't matter. They offer a jumbo dog for $4.50 which I will try again very soon.

I also ordered a polish sausage sandwich with a plain bun instead of an onion roll, that is stated on the menu, for $4.50. The polish sausage is not spicy but has a very good flavor. The menu says a garlicy flavor but I didn't taste any garlic. I didn't care for the sauerkraut they put on there. But otherwise a good polish sandwich. But I'm more impressed with the hot dog.

When ordering the two guys taking your orders are very nice and helpful. But for whatever reason my hot dog and polish sausage took forever. I sat down at a table and waited for about five minutes. I went up after seeing somebody behind me get his burger. The other guy, who didn't take my order, said it would be another five minutes.

Now the hot dog was very good and hot. So I'm not really complaining. But it did seem a little too long to wait for a hot dog and sausage. The cooks forgot to put the mustard and onions on my hot dog but quickly got the order correct.

If that fat idiot from the Hot Dog Spot reviewed this place he would make stupid, racist comments about the large amount of Jewish people eating there. But I don't care who is eating where I'm eating. Unless it's a good looking women and I saw four very beautiful women at Jeff's Gourmet when I was there.

I would certainly go back for the hot dog and may try a burger or a pastrami or corned beef sandiwch. A nice discovery!!!

The Swinging Door BBQ-Closed

The Swinging Door BBQ
11018 Van Owen
North Hollywood
818-763-8996

The Swinging Door is a new BBQ place that has many of the idiots at Chowhounds debating about what real BBQ is. Well Swinging Door is real BBQ. They smoke the meat right in front of the restaurant. You can smell smoke a mile away. I guess The Swinging Door was having issues with running out of meat, especially beef ribs when they first opened. Well beef ribs are not on the menu anymore. But I'm sure the idiots on Chowhounds will find something else to cry about.

I ordered the Basket of Ribs with one side for $9.50. The ribs are listed as ala carte but the Swinging Door is nice enough to give you a free side order, I ordered Mac and cheese.

I loved the ribs. They were nice and tender. Had a great smoke flavor, look at the smoke ring in the picture of the ribs. They are great. The BBQ sauce is a light, sweet tomato based sauce that was OK. But the ribs are the best ribs I've had at a BBQ in the Valley. The mac and cheese isn't anything special but when the ribs are great, who cares?

The service is great. Friendly and helpful. They even allowed me to sample their links, brisket, and chicken breast while I was waiting. I saw them slicing the tri tip and it looked sooo good, next time I am order the two meat combo and get the ribs and tri tip. The link was good, mild and not too spicy. The brisket was nice and tender and the couple slices I had there was no fat. The chicken was a little overcooked but I liked the flavor and would order it again.

I think I found my favorite BBQ place in the Valley. Great service and great food is a combo that can't be beat.

Ribs USA

Ribs USA
2711 W Olive Ave.
Burbank
818-841-8872

Rated as one of the Top Nine BBQ places by9 On the Town, Ribs USA is in the shadow of many TV studios in the Burbank area. Many actors and actresses have autographed photos on the wall for Ribs USA. I can't see how Ribs USA was rated in the Top 9. They serve babyback and beefs ribs. As you know, I got the full slab o babyback ribs for $20. Good thing I was going to split the slab with a friend because the ribs were not any good.

The ribs from Ribs USA are not smoked. If you been to Tony Roma's, you know the kind of ribs at Ribs USA. The ribs are slow roasted in an oven and they lack flavor and they are not meaty.

The BBQ sauce is a very sweet, tomato based sauce that adds nothing to ribs.

I understand everybody has different taste but I don't understand how Ribs USA is ranked in the Top 9 of BBQ places in LA. I could go to any Tony Roma's and get as good or better ribs.

Update July 19, 2009.





I went back to Ribs USA and they now serve spare ribs, $16.95. I also got a dozen hot wings, $7.99.

The wings were OK, nothing great. The wings were a bit small, didn't have that much meat and there wasn't that much sauce covering the wings. They were crispy but I have had better wings.

Now for the spare ribs. The St. Louis style ribs were oven cooked, didn't have a bark, and since they are spare ribs were tough and had a lot of fat. Yes, they were huge. Yes, they had a lot of meat. But when spare ribs are done right, in the hands of a real pit master, cooked in a real wood smoker, low and slow, the fat is greatly reduced, and the ribs become so tender.

Unlike last time, I eat at Ribs USA. The service was OK. The server was nice but nothing special. You have to get your own drinks and they have free peanuts and you throw the shells on the ground.

I don't need to go back to Ribs USA again.

Mom's Bar-B-Que

Mom's Bar-B-Que
1050 W Imperial Hwy.
LA
323-756-8405

Mom's Bar-B-Que is a small little shack on Imperial Hwy, just west of Vermont. I will make a stop at Mom's when taking the 105 freeway. I love this place. Mom's is take out only. At the corner of Vermont and Imperial Hwy there is a Louisiana Fried Chicken that you maybe able to sit down and eat. The BBQ travels well since I only eat the BBQ about 45 minutes after I ordered.

I ordered the lunch order of pork ribs for $8.50. The ribs are smoked over hickory wood. As you're driving on Imperial Hwy, you can smell and see the smoke coming out from Mom's. The lunch order has four ribs and one side. Dinner orders have five ribs and two sides. The sides aren't anything special and I usually ask for double bread and they will give it to me for no extra charge. The ribs are great. Nice smoked flavor, tender but not falling off the bone tender. There is very little fat on these ribs. This place is the Rib Nest minus the attitude.

I'm not a big fan of the BBQ sauce, too sweet, even the medium, for my tastes. But the ribs are so good you don't need BBQ sauce.

I do not believe this Mom's has anything to do with the Mom's in Van Nuys. I have never had a bad meal at mom's. They get it right every time.

Phillips BBQ #2 -Inglewood

Phillips Bar B Que #2
1517 Centinela Ave
Inglewood
310-412-7135

I finally went to all three Phillips Bar B Que locations. There is no difference between any of them. They are all great and some of the best BBQ in the LA area. All Phillips are take out only. Phillips #2 is on Centinela just east of La Tejeria.

I ordered the pork ribs for $11.50 which includes a 25 cent charge for sauce on the side. I understand why they charge for sauce on the side and I don't care because Phillips is great BBQ. The ribs are excellant. They have a great smoked flavor and are tender. I ordered the mix BBQ sauce. Well it's very spicy for my tastes. It's hotter than most hot versions of salsa. It's very spicy. I will stick to the mild sauce which is tends to be on the sweet side.


But Phillips BBQ is so good you don't need BBQ sauce. The meat is so good and right under your nose is a wonderful smoke flavor.

The two sides were mac salad and cole slaw. I didn't care for the cole slaw but the mac salad was very creamy and fresh.

The Phillips BBQ. on Crenshaw and Adams is the newest location. The original Phillips is in Leimert Park. I don't notice any differences between the three locations. One of the best BBQ in the LA area.