EZ Takeout Burger-Closed

EZ Takeout Burger
11712 Central Ave.
Chino, CA 91710

EZ Takeout Burger was started in 1969 by a former In N Out employee. They have about 12 locations. They are different than In N Out because they have a chicken sandwich and they also serve breakfast. But everything else is basically the same. Though I did see frozen fries being taken into the kitchen.

Every Wednesday and Sunday they have have a 99 cent burger special. So I decide to give their burgers a try. I ordered two burgers with no onions. I'm not sure if they have a secret menu but I figured I'd try a regular burger first. Well the burger was very dry and overcooked. The meat was practically burnt. There was very little lettuce on both burgers, though the tomatoe was huge, juicy and fresh.

Service is below average. I must have waited at the window, I didn't go through drive thru, for 5 minutes before somebody took my order. And only because she was in the storage room and came out to the kitchen.

EZ Takeout Burger trys to be like In N Out but nothing comes close to the original. For 99 cents the burger isn't bad. For regular price, I would drive to an In N Out. I don't think I would go back to EZ Burger.

Shakey's Pizza

Shakey's Pizza
5639 Holt Blvd
Montclair
909-988-5431

After reading an article in the Daily Bulletin that said Shakey's Pizza in Montclair, was the oldest chain restaurant in the Pomona Valley I decided to try it. Shakey's always had the lunch buffet deal with all you can eat, pizza, fried chicken, mojo potatoes, pasta bar and salad bar.

I got to the Shakey's at about 11:30am and there were two other people there. The lunch buffet, once called the Bunch a Lunch, was $7.04. Pizza and chicken still weren't out on the steam trays. The pasta, rice, and vegetables looked as though they were on the steam tray forever. I got some salad, the normal iceberg lettuce and tomatoes with ranch dressing. Nothing exciting or special about the salad, hell I didn't even take a picture.

After finishing the salad I went back to the steam table and pizza and chicken were there. They had a pepperoni pizza and a sausage pizza. The pizza has a very thin, crispy crust. Not my kind of crust. But the pizza sauce has a nice tangy taste and is well spiced. There were a good amount of toppings. Nothing special about the pepperoni or sausage.

The fried chicken, a breast piece, had a very nice crunchy skin but it was also very salty. I was drinking tons of water. But the the inside was very moist and tender. None of the salt got into the meat so it was very good. Among the best fried chicken I've had in terms of moistness and tenderness. They need to cut down on the salt on the coating.

I try not to eat potatoes anymore but I had to try the mojos potatoes. The mojo potatoes had the same salty coating as the fried chicken, just not as thick. They were ok but again way too salty.

I know it was early and nobody else came in while I was there, but the pizza and chicken were filled only once. I got another breast piece and when I went back they had the same thigh and wing piece sitting there. After the pepperoni and sausage pizza were gone, they didn't put out another pizza. While I understand only three people were eating, they still need to put more food on the trays.

Service, other than the lack of restocking food, was good. I was quickly greeted, the guy took my order and was nice about it. The owner or manager was also very nice when I asked her about the article and if the article brought them more business.

I would go back but later during the lunch rush. Sure there would be more people but there should also be more food.

Heroes

Heroes
125 W Santa Fe Ave
Fullerton
714-738-4356

Great food, very large portions, great prices, great service in a very casual setting makes Heroes a great neighborhood hangout. They have tons of beers on tap, all served ice cold. Hereos is the type of place where peanut shells are thrown on the floor and you would feel comfortable wearing a tie or jeans and t shirt.

I love their beef stroganoff. But they put the beef over mashed potatoes instead of noodles and I love it. The beef stroganoff used to be a regular menu item but now they are served only on Tuesdays and you must ask for it. You will love it. For $16 including tax and tip you great a huge portion of tender beef and tons of real mashed potatoes, which also includes a dinner salad.

The gravy is very rich and smooth with huge chunks of tender mushrooms all over. The beef is so tender and lean, you can cut it with a fork. The mashed potatoes are so creamy and good, you know they aren't made out of a box.

Service is very good. You will get greeted quickly, seated quickly, served quickly and they do not let your drinks go beyond half filled before asking if you want another drink, whether it's water or beer.

Even though it's in the Orange Curtain, I always enjoy going to Heroes. They also have two other locations in Claremont and La Verne. The La Verne location is now called T Phillips Ale House. I'm not sure if they have the beef stroganoff at the Claremont and La Verne locations but all other foods are just as good as the Fullerton location.

Blue Hen-Closed

Blue Hen
1743 Colorado
Los Angeles
323-982-9900

Blue Hen is a Vietnamese restaurant that serves organic items. I was willing to give it a try, even though Vietnamese isn't a type of food I like.

I ordered the Blue Hen Salad which is organic chicken, cabbage, carrots,peanuts, and herbs with a shallot-garlic dressing I asked for the soy and not the fish sauce dressing for $9 include tax and tip.

The salad arrives and there is a ton of fresh cabbage and carrots. But there is very little chicken. They use a small amount of dressing, which I like, I hate salad that is drowned in dressing. The dressing was light and didn't overpower the cabbage. I didn't get much, if any, garlic taste, which is good since I do not like garlic.

Service was good and they get a very steady crowd on a Monday night. The owners are very friendly and helpful.

But I wouldn't go back to Blue Hen. The salad was mostly cabbage and very little chicken. I know organic chicken maybe expensive but paying $7 for a cabbage salad isn't a good value.

Farmer Boys- Diamond Bar

Farmer Boys
810 Brea Canyon
Diamond Bar
909-444-6800

When this Farmer Boys opened about 5-6 years ago, I went there because I had never heard of Farmer Boys and I wanted to try their food. It was good for a fast food style place, offering more than just burgers. They had fish and chips, complete steak dinners, and full breakfast menu.

So I decide to go back when I received a coupon for a free order of onion rings with a purchase of a burger. So I get there and there is a family of three ahead of me in line. There were three other customers finishing their meal. The family of three take awhile to order, the drive thru cashier then calls me over to take my order. I first ordered a regular cheeseburger and then gave the coupon to the cashier, a manager is walking by and says the coupon is only good with a Farmer's Burger. So I ordered the Farmer's Burger for $4.86, which is a double meat and double cheese with bacon, lettuce, tomato, 1000 Island dressing and they say avocado but it was really guacamole. With the coupon I got a small order of onion rings.

So I take a seat and wait. The food is suppose to be cooked to order and they tell you to expect a wait. Well I'm seated so that I can see the front counter and the kitchen. Nobody comes into the restaurant. My order is put up on the counter by the cooks. The fat, worthless, girl working as a cashier sees it, because she's talking and horsing around with the cooks but leaves it there. She turns around and pretends to be working. About five minutes later she turns around and pretends to notice my order is up. So my order is sitting there for at least five minutes. She brings the tray to my table.

So I take a bite of the burger and it's luke warm. I have a feeling the meat had already been cooked and they just warmed it up. Then because the worthless fat girl allowed it to sit on the counter for at least five minutes, it was luke warm when I finally take a bite.

The burger is also dry, even with the guacamole, which really overpowers everything on the burger, including the meat. The burger didn't taste as good as the first time I went to Farmer Boys. The onion rings were also served lukewarm and weren't that crunchy. It seemed as though the onion rings were standing under a head lamp in the kitchen.

The cashier who took my order was fine. Good service and helpful. But that fat worthless girl, leaving my order up there without doing anything needs to be fired or trained better. I noticed she didn't do anything else but stand there and talk to the cooks while another cashier, cleared the tables and kept the dining area clean.

I would not go back to Farmer Boys. Terrible service, just OK food and the prices are on the high side.

Dr. Hogly Wogly

Dr. Hogly Wogly
8136 Sepulveda Blvd.
Van Nuys
818-782-2480

Dr. Hogly Wogly has been rated as the Top 9 BBQ places in LA by Nine on the Town. Nine on the Town needs to get out more. Dr. Hogly Wogly is not good at all.

Dr. Hogly Wogly bills itself as Tyler, Texas BBQ. Texas BBQ means beef but I hate beef ribs. So I ordered the half a rack of pork ribs al carte for $17 including tip. The menu price is $13.95 for the ribs, so I didn't order any drinks or sides.

The ribs came out just dripping with marinate/sauce. A lot different than what I'm used to. The ribs even with the sauce were very dry and tough. They were not smoked but grilled over hickory wood. So there is very little smoke flavor throughout the ribs. The ribs were a good sized but too many skinny ribs and not enough bigger ribs. If you're a beef eater, brisket or beef ribs, Dr. Hogly Wogly is for you. You won't go hungry and they know how to do beef. Pork should be left to the pit masters from Memphis.

Service was good but you get the feeling they are rushing you out of there. No time to sit and talk. But otherwise they take your order promptly, food is served quickly and they are attentive to your needs.

Dr. Hogly Wogly is very overpriced. For $17 I could get dessert and a drink, in addition to much better BBQ, at Phillips. I would not go back.

Update. Feb 28, 2009



Ok I made it back to Dr. Hogly Wogly. I have become more opened minded about BBQ. I will try other meats besides pork spare ribs. So I made it back to Dr. Hogly Wogly for their sliced beef sandwich, $8.45. The server told me it wasn't their brisket sandwich, it was tougher, more like roast beef.

Well the meat in the beef sandwich is from the brisket cut. I think it is just beef that was overcooked or had been in the warmers too long. I was tough but had decent flavor. The amount of beef was huge, just a ton of thick sliced beef. I did like the sandwich but I didn't think it was anything great.

Service again was good.

I still don't get the hype of Dr. Hogly Wogly. I know I didn't get their signature dish, brisket, but got a close comparison and I didn't feel it was the holy grail. I do not think I will be back anytime soon.

Update Oct 25, 2009





So I'm in the Valley for something and I don't want to fight the traffic going to see U2 at the Rose Bowl. It's 6pm and I'm hungry and haven't eaten since breakfast. About a week ago I went to a BBQ potluck and somebody brought beef ribs from Dr. Hogly Wogly and I have to admit they were great. Tender, meaty and very little fat or gristle. So I decided since I'm in the area I would go back to Dr. Hogly Wogly and try their beef ribs and brisket.

I got the beef ribs and brisket combo, $19.95 with cole slaw and mac salad. The cole slaw has a sweet taste, they must put some sugar in there. The mac salad has a lot of dill in there, tasty but a bit different.

Now for beef!! There were three beef ribs in the combo. They only had the marinate on them, no BBQ sauce and it was very good. Not as good as the ribs from the BBQ potluck but still good. The ribs were meaty, tender, and didn't have much fat. But some of the ribs, mostly on the ends, were burnt or well done. Otherwise these were good beef ribs.

Now for the brisket. I'm not a big brisket fan. I prefer my brisket to be brined and corned and turned into pastrami or corned beef. But the brisket at Dr. Hogly Wogly, is hands down the best brisket in LA. Ok, I haven't had that much brisket, but this was great. Tender, flavorful thick cuts of brisket. So tender a fork, even a plastic fork can cut it.

Service was slow to start. I sat down at my table and it took about five minutes before anybody greeted me or gave me a menu. But everything after that was very good. I wasn't hurting for anything. But at Dr. Hogly Wogly, during dinner time, all the servers wait on the tables. So one time I got two refills on my soda at the same time. You can't beat that!!

I have learned my lesson, don't mess around with other meats, just get the brisket and only the brisket at Dr. Hogly Wogly.

Taqueria De Anda

Taqueria De Anda
602 W Chapman Ave,
Placentia, CA 92870
714-528-2671

Coming back from a friend's house I decide to have a late night snack at Taqueria De Anda. This is a medium sized taco place on Chapman. The menu is basic, tacos, burritos, menudo, and some combos with rice and beans.

The tacos are $1.07 each. So I ordered the carne asada, el pastor, and chicken tacos. The tacos all come with a red sauce and onions.

I tried the el pastor first. I normally ordered carnitas but I'm starting to like el pastor. The el pastor was nice and flavorful on it's own. But the red sauce really overpowers the taste of the meat. But if there is no red sauce it would be a very dry taco. Next time I may ask for the red sauce on the side and put it on to taste.

The same goes for the chicken taco. Too much red sauce, which starts easy and then the heat hits. But the chicken is nice and tender and all those Mexican spices make it damn good.

The carne asada taco was good too but the meat was a little tough. They need to marinate the meat a little more. But it also had nice flavor but was over powered by the red sauce.

I would go back here again. I think it's better than El Gallo Giro.

I'm going to email my fellow blogger at The Great Taco Hunt and see if he will review this.

Giovanni's-Closed

Giovanni's
3920 Harbor Blvd
Fullerton
714-773-4044

I reviewed Giovanni's other location on Williamson earlier. Now, I decided to go to the Giovanni's on the corner of Harbor and Imperial Hwy. This location offers better more friendly service and it easier to get to.

Tuesdays are Spaghetti special nights. All You Can Eat spaghetti, salad and garlic bread for $5.99. I ordered my spaghetti with meatball and Italian sausage so my total was about $8.50.

The salad is just standard iceberg lettuce with tomatoes. Everything was fresh but nothing special.

I liked the spaghetti and meatballs, which is the third picture down. The meat sauce was nice and flavorful with all the good Italian seasonings. The meatballs were big and also nice and flavorful. Many times spaghetti can be very watery but this wasn't a problem.

I also liked the spaghetti and Italian sausage. The sausage, which would make a great Italian sausage grinder, was flavorful with lots of spices.

I think Giovanni's Tuesday's special is a great deal. A great way to spend an inexpensive evening with the family.

Service was very good. The two young ladies working there, were great. They were attentive, friendly, helpful and know the meaning of customer service. I was greeted promptly when I ordered. The food arrived and I wasn't lacking for anything. Both came by the table often to see if I wanted anything else. I only had two servings of spaghetti but they would always ask if I wanted more garlic bread or salad or anything. This is such an improvement from the other Giovanni's location.

I would much rather go back to this Giovanni's. I'm sure the food quality is the same at both locations but the friendly and attentive service at this location puts it miles ahead of the other location where bad service is the norm.

Off Campus Pub-Closed

Off Campus Pub
2736 Nutwood
Fullerton
714-879-8094

Off Campus was once rated by Playboy as one of the nation's top college bar. Too bad Playboy didn't judge their food. Off Campus is right across the street from Cal State Fullerton thus the name. They have a pretty extensive menu with sandwiches, burgers, pizzas and salads.

I had the My Chicken Breast, they give a choose between terikayi, BBQ and Monterey Chicken breast. I had the Monterey chicken breast with gucamole on the side and no ortega chili, with a serving a fresh fruit for $8.57. The sandwich was suppose to come with mayo but there was no mayo, either on the side or on the sandwich. The chicken was do damn dry, even with the gucamole, I had to drink gallons of water. There was no flavor and it was served maybe lukewarm.

I found out the owner of Off Campus also owns Big B BBQ which I reviewed earlier. No wonder the food sucked. Service was both good and below average. The busboy who took me to my table and who took my order was very good. He came around often and kept my water filled. The waitress was below average. I didn't see her for almost ten minutes after I was seated. She came around maybe twice and only refilled my water after asking if I wanted more water. She was nice and all but lacked common server skills or she was too busy talking to her friends.

I would not go back to Off Campus. The food maybe inexpensive but if the food is terrible it doesn't matter.

Sonic-Anaheim

Sonic
1632 Lemon
Anaheim, CA 92801
714-992-4500

Sonic is Americ'a Drive-In. The only Sonic that I know of in the area is in Anaheim just a few blocks north of the 91 Freeway.

I went to Sonic to try their burger and extra long coney dog, which along with a large drink, cost $8.05. I had the burger first and it wasn't hot or even that warm. The burger looked at the grade school cafeteria burger you go as kid. I wasn't happy at all with taste or quality of the burger. The price of a Sonic Burger is $2.89 which is for a single burger. A double-double at In N Out is $2.75. Something is wrong with Sonic's pricing.

The coney dog wasn't that much better. Topped with a very mild chili and tons of cheese it was also served luke warm. The hot dog was pretty bland and flavorless.

When I got there every drive in spot was taken and about half the outdoor tables were taken. Considering everything, service was good. But it was long wait before somebody took my order and when I got my food.

I would not go back to Sonic. Food isn't the best. An In N Out burger is much better and about 10 cents cheaper. I think Sonic tries to bring back memories of the 1950's and The Fonz and Ritchie Cunningham. They should work on improving the food.

Giovanni's-Fullerton

Giovanni's
922 Williamson
Fullerton
714-526-5561

Update- August 29, 2016.  I made a trip back to Giovanni's to try their pizza!

This location of Giovanni's has been in business, on and off in Fullerton, since 1958. I first went to this location in the early 1990's. Doing some research and talking to other people since then Giovanni's has closed down, turned into a BBQ restaurant, then somebody bought the name and reopened Giovanni's. The other Giovanni's location, on Harbor Blvd and Imperial Highway, always has classic car shows during the week.  But, the Harbor location closed sometime in 2012 or 2013.

I have always had sandwiches at this location. The sandwiches were always fresh and well made. So I ordered the 6" sandwich lunch special with a bag of chips and a soda for $6.20. I had the turkey and swiss with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. The bread was lightly toasted, which I like. The turkey and swiss was piled pretty high and was good quality and fresh. The lettuce and tomatoes were also fresh.

I think this sandwich stands out, not only because of the price and value but because of the quality of meats and bread. It is well worth the price.

Service is below average. A typical teenage punk kid who is just there to pick up a paycheck. No work ethic, no customer service skills, nothing. She took my order, then said I can choose my chips at the other end of the counter. She didn't mention I could also pick up my cup for my soda over there. She didn't greet me when I came to the register, she didn't say thank you when I paid, she didn't say anything when she delivered the sandwich to my table. She wasn't pretty a bitch, maybe a prima donna.

If I'm in the area I would go back to Giovanni's but I would hope the service is better. Next week I will review their all you can eat spaghetti night at their location on Harbor Blvd. $5.99 for all you can eat spaghetti is a damn good deal. I know the sign says pasta salad and garlic bread, but it's spaghetti. I will try a meatball and an Italion sausage with the spaghetti.

Memphis BBQ Company-Closed

Memphis Bar.B.Q Company
27412 Portola Pkwy
Lake Forest, CA 92610
949-830-2727

Memphis BBQ Company is the ultimate coporate BBQ restaurant. The type that does caters to the idiots and morons who live in the Orange Curtain.

I ordered the half a rack of baby backs 1/2 wet and 1/2 dry with mac and cheese and cole slaw for my two sides for $12.90. Wet ribs are ribs that are smoked and then topped with BBQ sauce. Dry ribs are also smoked but then are topped with dry seasonings. I can't be 100% sure but these ribs seem more like the small ends than baby backs. I need an expert pit master or butcher to help me. I got three wet ribs which I tried first. The BBQ sauce was pretty bland and had nothing going for it. The ribs were tender but were small and skinny and lacked smoked flavor. I put on some of their mild BBQ sauce and it wasn't any help. Then I had some of their hot BBQ sauce and it really added a good kick. Lots of cayenne pepper in that BBQ sauce.

After drinking some water, I tried some of one of the three dry rib. The dry rib was dry, almost burnt. The dry seasonings were nothing more than paprika and some black pepper. With the dry ribs you had to add some BBQ sauce just to get it down.

The mac and cheese was creamy but the macaroni was stiff, they needed to spend more time in boiling water. The cole slaw was average, run of the mill stuff.

Service was pretty damn good. The guy greeted me promptly and was kind enough to answer a lot of my questions. I got my ribs within five minutes. After I finished eating, I looked around for a trash can but there were no trash cans in the dining area. The cashier who took my order saw me and took my tray and say Thank you for coming. Very good customer service.

I only noticed Memphis BBQ because I was going to the Oakley sunglasses factory. I wouldn't go back to Memphis BBQ for the food, even if I went back to the Oakley factory.

Rutabegorz-Fullerton

Rutabegorz
211 Pomona
Fullerton CA
714-738-9339

Rutabegorz has three locations in the Orange Curtain. It's a place for healthy food without sacrificing taste. They need to work on customer service.

I ordered the Cobb Salad for $10.51. Now the menu price lists the Cobb Salad at $9.25. So there is a 50 cent takeout charge and of course tax. But they don't bother mentioning the take out charge and the ulitmate gall, they have a take out tip jar at the counter. Double dipping at it's finest.

The Cobb Salad includes almost everything under the sun. A mixture of romine lettuce, baby corn, avocado, celery, broccoli, eggs, mushrooms, and zucchini topped with ranch dressing. They include a Mediterrannean dressing but I wanted ranch dressing.

For the most part the salad is very fresh. But the avocado wasn't fresh at all. It was mushy and just didn't taste right. I got the end piece of a romaine lettuce, the part most people cut off and throw away. Not good. The blue cheese was nice and tangy and all the other ingredients were fresh. The salad was huge and well worth the $9.25 price and the 50 cent take out charge.

As for customer service, they are terrible. I must have waited five minutes before somebody took my order. When the jerk finally showed up, he just asked do you know what you want? Well what about a damn menu, jerk? So I get the menu and order the Cobb Salad. When the salad arrives, he just hands the salad to me. There wasn't a, Thank you or anything like that. Just a rude, punk, jerk kid.

I would not go back to any of Rutabegorz's three location, especially the Fullerton location. The food is pretty good. But service just sucks.