In N Out Burger

I think everybody who lives in Southern California has been to and has enjoyed SOMETHING at In N Out Burger. I always get a double-double, protein style, with no onions. This is heaven on earth!!! Everything at In N Out is fresh. Fresh, never frozen beef, very fresh lettuce, tomatoe, and special dressing. Raw or grilled onions on request. So with everything fresh, there is no way to get a bad burger at In N Out.

The protein style burger takes a little to get used to. Instead of the bun, nice fresh pieces of lettuce cover the meat patties and cheese. It can get a little messy so bring tons of napkins. But it's so fresh and tasty you don't even feel guilty!!!

A couple interesting things about In N Out. The protein style is on their "secret" menu. It's not really a secret but you can have burgers many ways not listed on the regular menu.

Other secret menu items include:

3 x 3, which is three pieces of meat and three pieces of cheese. They will do a 4 x 4, 5 x5 etc.

Animal Style where the bun is grilled with mustard, sauteed onions instead of raw, pickles, extra "special sauce" Wish Burger, no meat.

Flying Dutchman-two meat patties and two slices of cheese, nothing else.

Well done fries, Animal style fries which is fries topped with sauteed onions, pickles, and extra "special sauce".

Neopolitan Shake-Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry shake combined.

The Bible verses on the bottom of wrappers and cups are also an interesting thing.

Next time you go to In N Out check out the Bible verses.

I love In N Out burger and I will go there many times a year.

Wing Nuts

Wing Nuts
3030 Harbor Blvd
Costa Mesa
714-434-7700

Wings Nuts claims to liberate taste buds one wing at a time. Pictured is the Signature Wing Trios, Soutwest style with Tequlia Lime, Chipotle BBQ and Chile Garlic flavors, 4 wings of each flavor. The Trios come with regular or blue cheese coleslaw and propeller chips for $10.55.

The Tequila Lime has a nice tangy flavor. The Chile Garlic was my favorite. It had a nice kick at the end. The Chipolte BBQ is OK but not more spicy than mild. The wings are huge, much bigger than Wing Stop.

Wings come in 30 different flavors and come in 12, 20, 50, and 100 pieces. But when you order the 12 piece you only get ONE flavor, which is a stupid idea. The trios are a good idea.

Service was TERRIBLE. I placed a to go order. The hostess was very nice. She greeted me quickly, handed me a menu, and told me to place my order at the bar. The bartender was a female dog. RUDE, had a big ATTITUDE and just very unfriendly. When my order was ready she said "Here you go." No Thank you. No enjoy. She also forgot NAPKINS. Though I did get two wet naps.

The wings are good at Wing Nuts and maybe service would be better if I sat down and ate or if somebody else besides that female dog bartender was helping.

Wings Nut will open in Ontario sometime this summer. I may try it if I'm in the area. But I'm not happy with the idea you can only have one flavor when ordering 12 wings.

Marri’s

Marri’s
1194 Katella Ave
Anaheim CA
714-533-1631

Marri's is a pretty good pizza and Italian restaurant. It's a great place for the family and better than anything you can get at Mickey's house or Anaheim Stadium. I ordered a medium meat lovers delight pizza for $16.11. The meat lovers pizza has pepperoni, sausage, salami and ground beef.

The pizza could have used more pizza sauce. It was kind of dry. The crust was slightly undercooked. They put a very generous portion of cheese. The best topping to me was the pepperoni and sausage, which were on the spicy side. The salami was OK, though they could have put more salami and the ground beef was salty.

Overall I liked the pizza at Marri's. Service was good.

Anaheim Stadium-Outdoor BBQ Stand - Section 242-Closed

Anaheim Stadium
Outdoor BBQ Stand - Section 242
Terace Level

I thought I'd give a review of one of the food stands at Anaheim Stadium. I still call it Anaheim Stadium. If you don't like it, tough.

The Outdoor BBQ Stand is behind in the left field pavilion, Section 242 on the terrace level. They offer a simple menu. A huge hot dog for $7.50. Corn on the cobb for $3.00 and an All Star combo for $9.50.

So I ordered the combo with the hot dog, corn on the cobb, and a bag of chips. The hot dog was not HOT. Bad sign. They need to cook the hot dog much longer and keep them in a warmer. I got the hot dog right before the game so there is no reason for the hot dog to be cold.

The hot dog was huge and I had to split it with my buddy. The hot dog actually tasted pretty good. No snap as it's not wrapped in any natural casing. But a nice mixture of spices. The bun was really a fresh roll which was very tough and chewy. They barely toasted the bun and didn't help. The stands only have yellow mustard, ketchup, onions and relish. The toppings are OK but the onions are packaged and they add water to rehydrate the onions so they are not fresh.

The corn on the cob wasn't hot, notice a pattern here? But it was pretty sweet and tender.

If you don't feel like eating at your seat, you can eat at the many picnic tables that are near the Outdoor BBQ Stand.

If the hot dog was actually hot, this would be a great deal. But I wouldn't take another chance at getting a cold hot dog. The food at the regular consession stands are OK. Nothing great. I normally eat somewhere else before the game.

El Gallo Giro- East LA

El Gallo Giro
5686 Whittier Blvd
East LA
323-726-1246

As you know from my review of the El Gallo Giro in Santa Ana, you know I love this place. So while driving in East LA, I notice another El Gallo Giro. I just couldn't resist and I stopped in for another torta, this time the Torta Cubana for $6.30.

The Torta Cubana comes with four meats, pork leg, bread beef, head cheese and ham and topped with acocado, tomato, lettuce, beans and mayo. WOW what a treat. The torta was great. I loved the spicy pork leg and the breaded beef. Both were very tender and had lots of flavor. The toasted torta bread was so soft. A great sandwich and well worth the money.

I didn't notice any difference between the East LA location and the Santa Ana location, except the East LA location has signs for where to order tortas and where to order tacos and burritos.

I would go back to any El Gallo Giro. I love this place!!!

JJ's Fish and BBQ-Closed

JJ's Fish and BBQ
814 Mountain
Ontario
909-460-7727

The "909" doesn't have many good BBQ places. JJ's would be about the middle of the pack. JJ's isn't bad but it's not great either. There are two tables at JJ's but this is a take out. If you can't wait to eat the BBQ, take the food into Jack in the Box, which is in the same parking lot, buy a soda and dig in.

I ordered the rib lunch, with rice, for $7.75. I saw a smoker in the back and I was informed that mesquite is used to smoke the meat. Well there isn't the classic smoke ring and there wasn't any smoke flavor. The ribs are rubbed with lots and lots of paprika. But the ribs are on the tough and small size. Also I think he uses a microwave oven to reheat the ribs. I liked the tomato based sauce. Very good combination of spices, again lots of paprika.

JJ's is OK but I don't see the need to go back. Service is good.

The Wok Experience

The Wok Experience
194 Yorba Linda
Placentia
714-223-7388

The Wok Experience is a fast food type Chinese restaurant. I ordered the one item combo with teriyaki chicken for $4.08. The chow mein has huge pieces of celery and onions but is pretty bland, not flavor of any kind. The fried rice has some peas and pieces of eggs but otherwise is just rice with some soy sauce.

The teriyaki chicken is also pretty flavorless. I had to put some soy sauce just to get some taste.

The Wok Experience is an OK. They give you a good amount of food but the food isn't that good. I wouldn't go back since there are many other Chinese places that are much better.

Philly’s Best-Placentia

Philly’s Best
198 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Placentia CA
714-996-3278

Philly's Best has many locations in Orange County and have started to expand to LA County. At all locations the cheesesteaks and hoagies are very good.

Pictured is an American hoagie with ham, salami, bologna and cheese for $5.92. They put mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions and peppers. The onions and peppers, which I decide to try for the first time, really ruin the taste of the hoagie. The peppers have a nasty bitter taste. I took the onions and peppers off after the first bite. The other ingredients were fresh and the hoagie was good. But I think I think the prices are still on the high side and Philly's Best isn't a good value.

Service is OK. The lady who took my order was fine. But it took forever to get my order. The guy who ordered a cheesesteak after me got his order before I did. They didn't have to cook my order so I don't know what took so long!!!

Of the three Philly's Best locations I've been to, San Dimas and Walnut are the others, Placentia is the slowest location in terms of service and I believe they give you less meat on the sandwiches.

There is no reason for me to return to this Philly's Best location.

The Hat-Glendora

The Hat
611 W Route 66
Glendora, CA
626-857-0017

The Hat opened in Alhambra in 1951. Think about that for a minute. The Hat opened before the bastard O'Malley stole the Brooklyn Dodgers and before Mickey and Minnue had a home. The Hat serves pastrami piled high on a french bread. There is no such thing as small at The Hat. Everything is supersized.

I went to the Glendora location on Route 66 and ordered the pastrami burger for $7.03. The pastrami burger is a cheeseburger topped with pastrami, with thousand island dressing, lettuce, tomatoe, and onions and pickles. The thousand island dressing has a mild flavor, it's not the stronger dressing like the dressing on In n Out burgers. The burger is a thin patty, cooked well done. The pastrami can be dry since it sits in steam trays for a long time. It can also be salty at times. The lettuce and tomatoe are fresh. The bun was nicely toasted.

The pastrami burger is huge and well worth the price. The quality of the burger depends on how long the pastrami has been sitting around. If you during the lunch or dinner rush, it should be very good. If you go at slower times, the pastrami will come out salty and dry. I like The Hat and go there every few months.

I especially like The Hat because they have brown gravy for their fries!!!! The pastrami dip is another favorite. The dip is the same price as the pastrami burger. The dip is a pastrami stacked high on a french roll with pickles.

Prayer Assembly Church BBQ-Closed

Prayer Assembly Church BBQ
442 E El Segundo Blvd
LA, CA 90061
310-523-2481
Friday and Saturday ONLY until 9pm.

Yes I know it may seem different for a church to serve BBQ but Prayer Assembly Church serves up BBQ every Fri and Saturday. Whether it's good BBQ is debatable.

Driving on El Segundo Blvd, just west of Alavon, you will see a very long line and smoke coming from the BBQ. I ordered the pork ribs dinner for $9.99 with beans and potato salad. The ribs can be on the dry side but have a good smoke flavor. A couple of the ribs I had were very tough on the outside, as though they were on the smoker a little too long. As you can see they give you a ton of ribs. The sauce is on the sweet side and adds little to the taste of the meat. The beans are good and the potato salad is one of the better potatoe salads around.

Besides the tough and dry ribs, the line can be very long and slow. I must have waited 45 minutes in line before I placed an order. There are so many better BBQ places close by that I wouldn't return.

Bad 2 Da Bone BBQ-Closed

Bad 2 Da Bone BBQ
4566 Century
Inglewood
310-671-6600

What could be better than a late night BBQ or a good BBQ meal before flying out of LAX? Well Bad 2 Da Bone offers very good BBQ, close to LAX and they open until midnight.

I ordered the lunch portion of ribs for $6.25. The ribs are St. Louis style with a very nice and spicy outer crust. I love the blend of spices they use. The ribs are very well smoked and tender. The BBQ sauce is spicy about medium, but I don't like the sauce too much. But the ribs from Bad 2 Da Bone are soo good you don't need any sauce!!!

Dinner portions offer two sides and a dessert!!! Try the sweet potato pie or the lemon pound cake.

Service is very good. This is a take out place only. So I will go a couple blocks west on Century to a fast food burger place and order a soda there and eat this great BBQ there.

Brea's Best

Brea's Best
707 Brea Blvd
Brea
714-990-2615

Maybe it was the baconcheeseburger from Tom's yesterday but I wanted another bacon burger so I went to Brea's Best for lunch today. Brea's Best has been around for as long as I can remember. It's a small burger place on Brea Blvd and is always packed during the lunch rush. The bacon cheeseburger combo with fries and drink is $6.35.

I think the baconcheeseburger at Brea's Best is better. The burger comes with thousand island dressing lettuce, and tomato. The meat is very well tasty and thicker than the burger at Tom's. The lettuce and tomato were fresh and the bun was nicely toasted. The bacon was crispy and had a smokey flavor.

Brea's Best has an ostrich burger, which I will never order. Brea's Best is your neighborbood burger place. Good food at good prices. The only thing I don't like about Brea's Best is the dining room is very small. When I'm in the area I do stop in for a burger.

Tom's Place-Closed

Tom's Place
221 W Orangethrope
Placentia
714-528-1977

Tom's Place is just east of the Orangethorpe exit off the 57 freeway. The large dining area is very clean and well spread out.

I ordered the bacon cheeseburger $4.19, I asked what comes on the burger and the lady at the counter told me, lettuce, tomatoe, pickles, mayo and thousand island dressing. So as I normally do, I got no pickles.

First bite into the burger and the bacon was crisp, the lettuce was fresh, the meat was nice and flavorful but the taste of onions were all around!!! Well she forgot to tell me that onions come on the burger. Not a big deal but I figure they should know everything that comes on the burger. The burger isn't going to set the world on the fire but it's a good burger at a good price. I think comparing Tom's Place to Fuddruckers is like comparing apples to oranges. Tom's is a burger joint where Fuddruckers is more of a restaurant burger.

Service is OK. They took a little long to get my burger and there were only five people in the restaurant at the time. If I was in the area, I would go there again. I think the burgers are better than Angleno's but that's nothing to brag about. I think this is a good place to drop by before an Angels game.

Bam Bam Bar B Que-Closed

Bam Bam Bar B Que
853 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-914-4754

I found Bam Bam while driving on Route 66. I wish the BBQ here was better because I would come back. I ordered a lunch special, one beef rib, one pork rib, one hot link, corn on the cob, and coleslaw for $6.99.

All the meats are stored in steam trays. They take the meat, then dip the meat into a sweet BBQ sauce. The meats are not smoke but cooked in an oven. I think they are overcooked because the meat is just too soft and mushy. Sure it's falling off the bone but I hate that.The pork rib did have a lot of meat but the meat was flavorless. The sauce didn't add much as it was too sweet and very thick.

The beef rib, suprisingly had a lot of meat on it. But again the meat was flavorless. I did like the hot link, more on the mild side than hot, but I think it would make a great hot link sandwich.

The corn on the cob was drown with butter but wasn't sweet and pretty flavorless. Coleslaw was OK but "dry" not much mayo on there.

Nice service by the young lady there but I wouldn't go back to Bam Bam for the ribs.

Fuddruckers-Closed

Fuddruckers 7802 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90621 714-739-8801 Fuddruckers used to be all over when I was in high school. But they slowly closed down. I remember going to Fuddruckers and really liking their burgers. So I decide to go to the Fuddruckers in Buena Park and see if it's as good as I remember. Well sure enough it was great. I ordered the 1/3lb bacon cheddar burger, medium rare for $6.13. The meat was cooked perfectly and had very good flavor. The bacon was crispy and the cheddar added the perfect touch. But what I loved the the very fresh produce section. As you can see they have tons of toppings for your burger, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa, and your standard condiments were set up at the produce stand. I topped my burger with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and mayo. I could put as much or as little as I wanted. I enjoyed going to Fuddruckers and would certainly go back. For you non red meat eaters there are other choices like a turkey burger, chicken and even a veggie burger. Fuddruckers beats Portillo's burgers, even though Fuddruckers burgers are about $2 more, by a mile.

Portillo's

Portillo's
8390 La Palma Ave
Buena Park
714-220-6400

I decided to go back to Portillo's. to try their burgers. I order a cheeseburger with no onions or pickles for $3.65. Again I waited what seemed like a long time for the burger. The burgers are 1/3 lbs and come with lettuce, mayo, and tomatoes.

The bun wasn't nicely toasted. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh. But it went downhill from there. Parts of the meat were burnt and very dry throughout. The meat makes the hamburger and Portillo's meat has no flavor.

I have no desire to go back to Portillo's. A very overrated place. The hot dogs aren't good and their burgers are worse.