Joe's Crab Shack

Joe's Crab Shack
6550 Marina Dr.
Long Beach, CA
562-594-6551

Joe's Crab Shack is a nice homey restaurant with a few locations in the LA area.

Pictured is the Great Balls of Fire, appetizer for $6.99. They are basically jalapeno balls with some crab and shrimp. It was pretty tasty.

The main course was King Crab legs for $21.99. The crab legs were good sized and served pipping hot. Some restaurants boil their legs in a very salty brine but Joe's isn't salty at all. Just nice tasty King Crab legs.

Service was good. The server was very friendly and nice. He was attentive and hard working. Though he did give me an iced tea instead of an Arnold Palmer. When he came back about 2-3 minutes later he remembered he I ordered an Arnold Palmer and quickly made the correction.

Joe's blows the Crab Cooker out of the water. Why anybody would go to the Crab Cooker if they can go to Joe's is beyond me.

I would go back to Joe's anytime. Good food, good prices and good service.

T Phillips

T Phillips Alehouse
2335 D St
LA Verne, CA
91750-4408

What was once a Hero's, is now T Phillips Alehouse. If you didn't the name change, everything is the same. The same huge portions. The same peanut shells on the floor. The beers on tap. The friendly service.


Pictured is the chicken breast sandwich with fresh fruit for $9.95. The chicken breast comes on an onion bread. The chicken breast is a huge piece of tender meat, topped with jack cheese, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. Everything is fresh and very tasty.

Service is very good. I almost had to tell the servers, I'm done with my water. I must have been asked if I wanted more water at least ten times. They are friendly and helpful.

T Phillips Alehouse is a nice place for a meal or a few beers. The prices are right, the food is good, and the service is excellent.

I would go back to T Phillips Alehouse anytime.

How's

How's Market
3035 E. Huntington Dr
San Marino
626-535-9091

How's is a supermarket in the class of Bristol Farms. They have higher quality meats and seafood. Every Saturday and Sunday they have a BBQ. They are known for their tri tip. You can buy a whole tri tip or a tri tip sandwich.

The tri tip sandwich is about $5.25. The tri tip is grilled over hardwood and then covered with BBQ sauce and stored until you order it. The tri tip is on the tough side and not that flavorful. The BBQ sauce is so bland and adds nothing to the sandwich. I didn't even finish this sandwich.

So I decide to order one of their deli sandwiches for $4.50. So I orderd their turkey and corned beef sandwich on wheat bread. The sandwich was fresh but nothing outstanding.

Now service at both the BBQ and the service deli was TERRIBLE. After I asked how much the tri tip sandwich was, I never heard another word from the young girl behind the register. Not even, your sandwich is ready.

The young girl at the service deli was too busy making plans with her boyfriend and couldn't be bothered by me. She took forever to make the sandwich since she wasn't good at multitasking. Other than telling me the price and asking what kind of bread this social butterfly didn't say anything to me.

I can't believe a place like How's allows these two people to work there. They have no idea about customer service and work ethic. I hope somebody tells the managers at How's to improve the customer service at the BBQ and the service deli at the San Marino location.

I would not go to How's for the BBQ or the deli sandwich. They do have good cuts of meat and when they are on sale they are a great deal. $7lb for USDA prime steak. You can't beat that.

Amy's

Amy's Pastry
2208 Beverly Blvd
Montebello
323-724-0488

I was surprised to find such a good place for pastries, bagels, cookies, and cakes in Montebello. But Amy's Pastry is great.

Pictured is a cherry slushy. Good refreshing stuff.

Next is a cinnamon roll. Take the best cinnamon roll you ever had and this is twice as good. Only problem with day I went was that the oven was broken and it was served cold. I can't imagine how good it would be hot.

The crossiant is flakey, buttery goodness and as you can see from the picture it's a good sized crossiant.

I have had their bagels, cookies, and cakes and they are all awesome. One of the best bakeries anywhere.

Now the only that is bad about Amy's is their service. The people are friendly enough but they are so damn slow. A turtle could serve the pastries faster. Don't be in a rush if you go to Amy's. Also remember to take a number. They won't take any orders unless you have a number. The number ticket machine will be to your right when you walk into Amy's.

If you can handle good, but VERY slow service you will get great pastries.

Kabuki

Kabuki
3539 E Foothill Blvd
Pasadena
626-568-9310

Old Pasadena offers a wide variety of restaurants. I decided to go to Kabuki and try their sushi. I was glad I did, I enjoyed Kabuki and would go back again and again.

Pictured is the scallop butteryaki. Scallops, mushrooms and veggies. Very good stuff. Tender, though small pieces of scallops cooked to perfections. A nice way to start off a meal.

Next came the yellowtail and halibut sushi. Very fresh, very tasty sushi. The shrimp roll was also very fresh and tasty.

Next came the spicy tuna rolls. Very spicy and very fresh. This is a little more spicy than I'm used to but I liked it.

Service is very good. I was very impressed with Kabuki. I was even more impressed to find they are a chain with ten locations in the LA area. This would be a great place to go before or after a game at the Rose Bowl.

Crab Cooker

Crab Cooker
17269 17th St.
Tustin
714-573-1077

Crab Cooker started in Newport Beach and has a location in Tustin. I ordered the large shrimp cocktail for $5.95 and the cracked dungeness crab for $16.20.

The shrimp cocktail was fresh. Nothing special but I couldn't help but think I could have gone to a Von's or Albertson's and for about the same price gotten much more shrimp.

The cracked dungeness crab was served cold. The crab was ok. A little bitter and that's not something you find in dungeness crab. The rice pilov was a little overcooked.

Service here sucks. When I got there, the host gave me the menu and told me to find any table I want. I though the job of a host was to take people to their tables. Then I waited at least ten minutes before I got any type of service. The waitress was OK though it took forever to get refills on water and ice tea.

I wouldn't go back to Crab Cooker again. Way too many other good restaurants with much better service and food.

Diner on Main

Diner On Main
201 Main St
Alhambra
626-281-3488

I normally don't go out for breakfast. I would much rather skip breakfast and get a nice lunch on weekends. But sometimes you have no choice in the matter. But it's not like I'm against ordering breakfast food. I just don't go that often.

Diner on Main is a throwback to a different time and place. You almost feel as though Richie Cunningham and the Fronz are going to walk in for a soda.

I ordered the sausage and two eggs, $7.25. The meal comes your choice of bread, I got the English muffin, and hash browns. I order eggs over medium. I prefer the yolk to be almost solid, closer to over hard, than over easy. These eggs were a little runny for my tastes. I think I need to order eggs over hard from now on.

The sausage was tasty with a lot of spice to them. The hash browns were cooked just right for my tastes. Crispy but not too crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.

Service was good. We sat at the counter and we weren't lacking for anything. But there was a long wait to get a table and some people had been waiting in line for over 30 minutes. Now the food is good but not good enough to wait 30 minutes.

I would go back to Diner on Main. Good food and good service.

Seafood Village

Seafood Village
1463 Nogales
Rowland Heights
626-913-2388

I'm always looking out for a quick lunch. Many Chinese restaurants have a lunch special and you can get good deals if you pick the right restaurant.

Seafood Village offers lunch specials Mon-Fri, 11-5 and until 3pm on weekends. I ordered the sauteed scallops, $6.59, and the kung pao chicken, $4.59. The scallops was great. I was a little worried because the server didn't explain how the scallops were going to be prepared. But what came out was scallops, asparagus, carrots and mushrooms in a wonderful sauce. WOW just a great dish. Consider the diner portion is priced at $12.99, this is a great deal.

The kung pao chicken is just your standard kung pao chicken. It wasn't even spicy. Nothing overwhelming about it. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great.

Service is OK. The main problem is that they do not speak English that well. I wanted to know how they prepared the scallops and they couldn't explain it to me in English. The scallops turned out to be the best dish I had but it could have been a diaster. They were nice but not really patient when I asked all the questions.

I would go back to Seafood Village. Good food and good prices for lunch.

Casa Bianca

Casa Bianca
1650 Colorado
LA
323-256-9617

Expectations. There are some places that I have high expectations for. Casa Bianca is one of them. I have heard so many good things about the pizza at Casa Bianca. Well they didn't come close to being met.

Casa Bianca is in the Eagle Rock area of LA. I was very impressed when I saw the American flag flying in front the restaurant. When I put my name on the list, they said the wait would be about 45 minutes. I understood, it's a Saturday night and they were busy. So we wait and do get seated in that 45 minute time frame. We order a half pepperoni and half cheese pizza. The server told us the pizza is taking longer than usual. We figured no problem. Well the pizza finally arrives and it looks burnt. It was certainly too well done. The pepperoni was also burned and/or too well done. I wasn't impressed at all. We had been waiting for so long and it would have taken another 20-30 minutes for another pizza to arrive.

Other than the wait, the service was good. Our server was friendly and attentive. She can't help how slow the cooks are. But overall service there is below average.

Casa Bianca was a huge disappointment. I would not go back again. Even if there wasn't a wait, the pizza was terrible. A good pizza place wouldn't mess up on pizza, even on a slow night.

Update August 13, 2009.



Ok I said I wouldn't go back to Casa Bianca but I did make it back. Actually after the diaster at Palate, a group went to Casa Bianca and had a large sausage pizza which was sooo damn good compared to the first time I went. I was so impressed, I had to go back again.

So I went back and got half sausage and half pepperoni, $17.40. This wasn't as good as the sausage pizza I got earlier but still much better than the first time I went. First the pizza wasn't burnt, so that is always a plus. The crust was the same thin crust. Lots of toppings and cheese.

The pepperoni slices were just too salty for my taste. Not a good start.

The sausage was much better. They make their own sausage at Casa Bianca. A good quality sausage with fennel seeds inside, well seasoned and tasty. Sausage is the way to go at Casa Bianca.

One thing I did find out, Casa Bianca cuts their pizza in a Star of David shape, not the traditional way.

Service was good. I was greeted right away when I walked in and the young girl, who took my order, was very nice.

Again sausage is the way to go at Casa Bianca. I'm glad that I'm a very opened minded person and gave Casa Bianca another chance. Would I rush back, not really. But I'm not so against going to Casa Bianca again.

Cafe Hildalgo

Cafe Hildalgo
305 N. Harbor Blvd.
Fullerton
714-447-3202

Cafe Hildalgo is a restaurant that servers Latin American food in lily white Orange County. Located in downtown Fullerton, parking can be a problem.

I ordered the grilled fish tacos,$8.95, which is fresh grilled halibut, lettuce and pico de gallo wrapped up in a flour tortilla served with rice, black beans and fresh fruit. One bite into the taco, I knew made a mistake ordering the taco. The fish was so dry and flavorless. Even putting the pico de gallo didn't help. Sure they trick you into thinking you're getting a huge burrito but it's mostly lettuce and a very thin, dry piece of halibut. The veggies and fruits were fresh. I didn't bother with the black beans.

Service was OK. Nothing great but nothing bad either.

I would not go back to Cafe Hildalgo again. While the price of the taco was fair, the tacos were dry and flavorless. Also I think of lot of their other menu items are overpriced.

Reddi Chick

Reddi-Chick
225 26th Street
Santa Monica
310-393-5238

Why do I do this to myself? I always see a sign for BBQ ribs and I have to go in and order some ribs. Why? I know that Phillips has the best ribs around. Why do I even need to try other places? Especially places like Brentwood, where the lily white population thinks good BBQ ribs is Tony Romas.

Reddi-Chick located in the Brentwood Country Mart tries but the ribs aren't good at all. I got the 1/2 side of BBQ pork ribs, $10.12. The ribs were meaty and huge. But they lacked any type of smoke flavor and worse of all, they were greasy, very greasy. They were also chewy and tough.

Reddi-Chick is order at the counter and eat at the tables type of place. Service was good. They were helpful and pleasant.

But there is no reason for me to go back to Reddi-Chick for the ribs. Their chicken though looks very good.

Koo Koo Chinese Food

Koo Koo Chinese Food
1113 N Harbor Blvd
Fullerton
714-738-8778

Koo Koo Chinese Food is another Panda Express Chinese fast food restaurant. There must be a ton of these type of Chinese food places around. I wonder if somebody would devote a blog to these restaurants? And no, I wouldn't create a blog just for these type of restaurants.

Pictured is the two item combo, $5.99, with fried rice and chow mein, Chinese BBQ pork and teriyaki chicken. The fried rice and chow mein were standard, everyday stuff. Nothing outstanding and nothing bad about them. The BBQ pork was too chewy and tough. It seemed as though it had been on the stem table for too long. The teriyaki chicken wasn't too bad. But I didn't think there was as much of the teriyaki chicken as other places.

Service was ok. You certainly get the feeling are you rushed out there. Order, pay, eat and leave.

I wouldn't go back to Koo Koo Chinese Food. The food isn't anything great and a bit on the pricey side.

Taps

Taps Fish House and Brewery
101 E Imperial Hwy
Brea
714-257-0101

Taps is a nice, though pricey, seafood restuarant in downtown Brea. This place gets very crowded on weekends. I would make reservations unless you like waiting for an hour before eating.

Pictured are the calamari fritti, $8.95. I liked this appetizer. The calamari was lightly batter and crispy. But most importantly it was fresh. God I hate chewy, old calamari. I would order this again and it's a fair price for the quality and quanity you get.

The next picture is the warm crab and aritichoke dip. A good amount of crab along with the creamy, cheesy aritichoke dip made this a good and tasty appetizer.

What I didn't like was the Seared Hawaiian Ahi Tuna, $25.95. Seared Hawaiian Ahi Tuna dusted with sansho pepper and served over soba noodles with roasted shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy in a ginger ponzu broth. This is much different than how I like ahi tuna, lightly seasoned and charbroiled. The ahi tuna was overcooked and dry, even with the broth. I felt I was eating cup o noodles with fresh ahi. It may appeal to others but I didn't care for this dish.

Service is good, even when it's busy. Our server was nice and friendly and we didn't lack for anything during our meal.

I wouldn't rush back to Taps. I think the food is just ok and also overpriced. I wish they would cook their fish a different way. None of this elaborate stuff but simple seasoning and charbroiling. KISS it. Keep it simple stupid.

Sugar and Spice

Sugar N Spice
310 Marine Ave.
Newport Beach
949-673-8907

After eating at Ciao, I wanted some ice cream and stopped by Sugar and Spice.

I got a couple scoops of ice cream and topped with nuts, about $3. The ice cream they use is standard stuff. Nothing special.

Service is below average. Spoiled, rich, OC kids who are forced to work and lack any work ethic. I doubt the girl behind the counter said more than ten words to me the entire time.

While walking around Balboa on a hot summer day, having ice cream is a real treat. Sugar and Spice hits the spot but the it's nothing great.

I may go back to try their famous Balboa Ice Cream Bar.

Ciao

Ciao
223 Marine Ave
Balboa Island
949-675-4070

A pretty good Italian restaurant on Balboa Island, Ciao has good food at good prices.

Pictured is shrimp scampi appetizer, $8.95. This was very good, very fresh prawns in a garlic, olive oil, and white wine sauce.

For my entree I got the Pizza Milano, garlic wine butter sauce with mazzarella and grilled shrimp, $11.95. For gourmet pizza this is very good. Not as good a Pit Fire Pizza but still top notch. The crust was thin with a nice texture. There were a good amount of shrimp, which were fresh and flavorful.

Service was very good. The lady who served us treated us as if we were long time friends. She kept asking if we needed anything and how things were. We didn't lack for anything.

I would go back to Ciao anytime. The food and service is very good.

Noah's Bagels

Noah's Bagels
250 N. Larchmont Blvd.
Los Angeles
323-466-2924

Noah's Bagels. Yes a chain. But at times when you're hungry you have little choice. Now I'm not against chains. They offer, for the most part, good food at good prices. But their nothing special about them. A Noah's Bagel in LA is the same at a Noah's Bagel in OC.

But I had the hot corned beef on a plain bagel. The sandwich had mayo, lettuce, and tomato. They corned beef was surprising nice and flavorful. Better than some other sandwich places I've gone to for corned beef. The bagel was nice and chewy, just like a bagel should be.

Service was pretty good and while there was a long line, I wasn't in line for more than 10 minutes.

I would go back to Noah's but it wouldn't be my first choice. Good good and good prices but again nothing special about it.

Kebob Room- Monrovia Farmer's Market

Monrovia Farmer's Market
608 S Mytle Ave.
Monrovia
626-358-7177

There are many farmer market's but I think Monrovia has the best "food court".

As readers of The New Diner know, I love kebobs. So I got the chicken and beef kebob combo, $8, from the Kebob Room stand. The chicken was season with the normal Middle Eastern spicies. But it was pretty dry. The beef was great. My favorite. Tender, flavorful and just great. I would put this beef up against most of the other kebob places I've tried.

Service is pretty good. But the lines can be very long.

I'm not sure if the Kebob Room has it's own restaurant but just having dinner while shopping at the Farmer's Market is a treat. I think the Monrovia Farmer's Market closes down during December and January but the other months it's a great time to buy fresh produce and sample good food.

Update April 26, 2009



I went back to the Monvovia Farmer's Market and Kebob Room. Again I got the beef and chicken kebob, $8. The first thing I noticed about the kebobs was the smaller portions of the chicken and beef. Then the lack of rice. The chicken was still tender but not that flavorful. It was missing some spices, I didn't even realize it was Middle Eastern food. It was like a plain chicken kebob.

The same for the beef kebob. Not as flavorful as before and the same smaller portions.

Not sure what happened to Kebob Room but I wasn't as impressed this time. Smaller portions, less flavor doesn't make a good combination. Maybe it was an off night. But I was looking forward to some kebobs and I didn't get them.

April 24 is a tough day to find good kebob places open. Why? Many kebob places are owned by Armenians and they close their businesses to remember Armenian Genocide but the people of Turkey. Something our idiot President refused to say, even after promising to say that, during his campaign. Another one of his lies!!! It is time for the people of Turkey to admit they are responsible for the Armenian Genocide.

Nagao Sushi

Nagao Sushi
13050 San Vicente Blvd #110
Brentwood
310-451-7733

Since Brentwood is full of yuppie, you know that sushi places will be all over. I found Nagao Sushi.

I ordered the halibut sushi, shrimp sushi and tuna sushi all $4.50 each. Now all of the sushi was fresh and tasty. But something I've learned about reviewing sushi, after awhile they all taste the same. As long as the sushi is fresh it's going to be pretty good.

Service at the sushi bar was good. We didn't lack for anything and our orders came up quickly.

If I was in the area, I would go back to Nagao.

Kings Fish House- Anaheim

King's Fish House
1521 W Katella
Orange
714-771-6655

King's Fish House is a chain but they do seafood right.

Pictured is the charbroiled scallops, $20.95. The scallops were huge and there were a lot of them. They were charbroiled to perfection and very fresh. They weren't chewy at all. WOW what a treat. The corn and veggies as sides were cooked just right and were tasty.

Service was good, even though we sat in the patio. At times I've noticed service in the patio can be slow. But are server came by often and always asked to see if we needed anything.

I would go back to King's anytime. I've been to their Long Beach location too and the quality of food and service is the same, very good.

Scoreboard

Scoreboard Sports Grill
3220 Temple Ave
Pomona
909-468-0444

Sports bars used to be very popular. A fan of other teams could watch his favorite team on a big screen. But with Direct TV sports bars aren't as popular as before.

But it's still fun to go and watch a game with other fans. Scoreboard is home to Traitor fans. There is so much silver and black and tears as the loser Traitors continue losing and losing and losing. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of fans.

Pictured is 2lbs of buffalo wings for $13.95. In the bar during happy hour they are half priced. Not a bad deal. The wings are crispy and big but they give you too many of the wing and not the drummettes, which is the best part!!

I ordered this to go and the service was good. At times, especially on Saturdays, the service sucks in the bar area. You can sit at a table and nobody will come to you for 20 minutes.

I go back to Scoreboard to catch a game and hang out but I don't go on Saturdays anymore. The food is pretty good for what it is, a sports bar. If you're expecting gourmet, you're a moron.

Brent's-Northridge

Brent's-Northridge
19565 Pathenia St
Northridge
818-886-5679

Sandwich, deli.

When it comes to deli's in the LA area, nothing beats Brent's!!! I've only been to the Langers in Northridge and I love this place.

I had the hot pastrami sandwich, $11.25. This had nice, flavorful cuts of pastrami with little fat. The pastrami is sliced thin and stacked high. The rye bread is fresh. This is a very good pastrami sandwich and beats the hell out of Langers.

Service here was OK. The wait for a table can be long, if you go on the weekends. We waited about 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. So because of this, service can be slow at times. We waited a little longer than we should for refills. The server didn't come back and ask how our meals were. They are hard working, it's not like they sit around and do nothing, I just think they get overwhelmed.

I would go back to Brent's anytime. A wonderful deli, with good food, fair prices, and at times good service.

Langers

Langer's
704 S Alvarado St
Los Angeles
213-483-8050

So I finally go to Langer's. This the self proclaims world's best pastrami. Well if you think of the world as between 7th and Alvarado St, that maybe true. But this is not even close to being the best pastrami.

I ordered the pastrami sandwich, $10.25. I bite into the sandwich to see what all the hype is about. I find this to be one of the fattiest pastrami sandwiches around. I know brisket is full of fat but the curing process is suppose to get rid of the fat. Ok they cut the pastrami thicker than most delis. Does that make it better? Who cares how thick or thin they cut the meat, if the meat isn't any good.

Service is good. I wasn't waiting for anything.

Langers is vastly overrated. It's a good sandwich, but it's not the best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. I much prefer Brent's and Canter's. If I'm in the area I would go back.

Most people get curb sided service. There is a parking lot, free with validation, about a block away. There is a security guard patrolling the parking lot. This area is fine. But there are mostly Latinos there and most don't speak English. The ones who do are trying to sell you fake passports, ID's and driver's license. It's not the part of LA that will make the travel brochures but it's nothing people should be overly concerned about.

Update April 12, 2008.





I went back to Langers to give their pastrami another try and for some better pictures for readers of The New Diner.

Again, I wasn't overwhelmed by the pastrami. It is good. But not the greatest pastrami I have ever had. The meat is a bit fatty and salty. Ok, I know pastrami is from the brisket, a cut of beef that is full of fat. I also know they brine the meat with salt water. But it is a bit too salty for me.


Update Oct. 29, 2009.




I went back to Langers today and wanted to try something different. Since it has finally been feeling like fall, I tried the half soup and sandwich, $11.95, with a bowl of matzo ball soup and half a pastrami sandwich.

The matzo ball soup was hot and the broth had a nice chicken flavor. The matzo balls were nice and soft. I was impressed.

The pastrami sandwich was the usual, good but not the greatest. One thing now, I noticed the rye bread has a much harder crust. I hate that. For me bread should not be hard as a rock. Good thing I had the matzo ball soup to dip the sandwich into, that soften up the rock hard rye bread.

Service was bad. Ok, I understand it was the lunch hour. But our server was barely around. He didn't come around to refill drinks. I noticed the rest of the tables got lemon in their water. Our waters did not have any lemons. Our table was missing brown mustard. Not a big deal since I don't put that on my sandwich. But not good either.

The hostess who took our name and called us when our table was ready, was fine. But the hostess who walked us to our table was bad. She walked by our table and didn't say anything but she stopped at the table next to us and asked how was everything. Then she asked another table and asked them, how was everything. What kind of service is that? Terrible.

I'll admit Langers gets through the lunch crowd very quickly but service was bad on this visit.

Venni Mac's M & M Soul Food

Venni Mac's M & M
335 E Albertoni
Carson
310-324-5317

Soul Food. I love soul food. Something about it makes my mouth water. I found Venni Mac's while going to a LA Galaxy kickball game. They used to be right across the street from the Home Depot Center but moved closer to the 91 freeway.

I ordered the smothered chicken dinner, $10.99, with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn as my three sides. They ask if you want your chicken baked or fried. I wanted the fried chicken. So a few minutes later I get a plateful of fried chicken smothered in brown gravy that smells wonderful. Even with the gravy the chicken was crispy. But inside the chicken was dry. The gravy helped the taste but I wished the chicken was more moist.

The corn was nice and buttery, full of flavor and cooked just right, adente. The mac and cheese is among the best mac and cheese around. Perfectly cooked macaroni and nice gooey pieces of cheese. The mashed potatoes seemed to be from a mix. Not impressive.

Service was bad. I go to the hostee stand and they are settling the bill for a large party. That takes forever, even with two peope there. Then when they are finally done, she looks up and helps a lady who walked right to the stand instead of me who was waiting around for at least five minutes. I finally get seated. But I need to wait for somebody to take my order. When I finally get my order, I need more water and napkins but there's nobody around to get them. The server finally comes around and I get my water and napkins.

I would not go back to Venni Mac's M & M again. The food can be hit and miss, the dry chicken and mashed potatoes from a box. But good mac and cheese and corn. Service is bad. So why should I bother going back?

June 28, 2009

I did go back to Venni Mac's M & M Soul Food and the service was still bad and they had a B rating from the health department!!!!! No, thank yous for coming, just plain order, pay, get your food, and get out. Very bad customer service here.

I ordered the baked chicken dinner with collard greens, mac and cheese and butter corn, $12.01. I got the dark meat chicken with was two legs and thighs. The chicken was very tender, falling off the bone with a nice flavor.

As for the the sides. The corn is cooked just right, in a buttery sauce that makes it so good. The collard greens, which I normally don't order were tender and full of flavor but I don't like the bitterness of collard greens. The mac and cheese was just OK. The macaroni was tender but the taste was a bit off, sour. They may have used a sharp cheddar cheese but sharp cheddar cheese doesn't work well in mac and cheese.

As I mentioned service is still bad. Lots of attitude and very unfriendly. I certainly hope they aren't racist and only give blacks good customer service. But the way they treat black customers and the way they treat other customer is very noticable.

The best place for soul food in the area is R & R Soul Food. Don't bother going to Venni Mac's M & M Soul Food unless you like attitude or racism, to go with your food.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz
20 City Blvd West
Orange
714-939-8686

Located in The Block of Orange, Alcatraz has been around since The Block opened. They try to capture the spirit, landmarks, and sites of San Francisco. Too bad they can't capture the good quality food from SF.

I ordered the calamari and rock shrimp appetizer, $10.95 and the San Francisco crab melt,$11.95, on sourdough bread.

I thought the calamari and shrimp was too chewy and not fresh at all. I've never seen calamari served with a wasabi cocktail sauce. Interesting flavor but not as spicy as some cocktail sauces I've had with calamari. I did like the crunchy outside. But who really cares about a crunchy batter if the main part, calamari and shrimp aren't fresh and too chewy. The red stuff on the plate is actually ketchup. Why they would give plain ketchup for calamari is beyond me.

The crab melt was an interesting open faced sandwich. They mixed the crab with mustard, a very unusual taste. The spicyness of the mustard doesn't add to the flavor the crab. The crab is really imitation crab. Not exactly what you would expect and get from a SF area restaurant.

Service was pretty good. The server was nice and friendly. He made sure we had everything we needed.

I would not go back to Alcatraz Brewing Company again. The food is below average and I just don't think worth the price.

Changnoy

Changnoy
2468 Whittier Blvd
Montebello
323-832-9777

I am amazed at the wide variety of ethnic restaurants in the city of Montebello. I've had everything from Chinese, Mexican, Persian, and Italian food in Montebello.

Changnoy is a good Thai-Chinese restaurant. I ordered my usual at Thai restaurants, tom yum goong, which is a spicy shrimp soup, $5.95, and chicken satay, $5.25.

The chicken satay was flavored with Thai spices. There was a nice lime taste to the satay. The chicken was huge. A very good chicken satay and what a great price.

The spicy shrimp soup was between mild and medium spicy. It was flavorful with tons of the green onions. But I thought the shrimp was good sized but a bit overcooked.

Service is below average. They took a long time to take our order. We asked for more water and that took at least five minutes. But they came quickly when we asked for the bill.

I would go back to Changnoy. The prices are good, though the service is bad. I can accept shrimp being overcooked in a soup. Of course I'm hoping it's a one time thing.

Wood Ranch-Anaheim Hills

Wood Ranch-Anaheim Hills
8022 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd
Anaheim, CA
714-974-6660

The snobs on Chowhound rip Wood Ranch. But I love this place. Ok it's not a true BBQ restaurant. The meats are cooked in an oven. But they cook the meats well. They give you good portions are fair prices. The service is good. This is much better than an overpriced place like Houston.

I got the BBQ combo, for tri tip and baby back ribs, $18.95 with mac and cheese and veggies as my two sides. Sorry but the sides were in another container and I didn't take a picture of them.

The tri-tip at Wood Ranch is one of my favorites. Very tender, juicy and flavorful, even without the BBQ sauce. As you can see, they give you a big portion.

Their baby back ribs are nice and meaty. Of course they are cooked in an oven but they do it well. The BBQ sauce is on the sweet side but it adds good flavor to their meats.

Of course this was take out and service was good. I was greeted quickly and they took my order promply. They are very friendly and helpful, making sure I had everything, napkins, forks, etc before they handed me the order.

I would go back to Wood Ranch again. Good sized portions, good food, and good service will always get my return business. The only thing I don't like about Wood Ranch is, at times, there can be a very long wait for a table.

Update: May 15, 2008



I went back and ate at Wood Ranch in Anaheim Hills. The picture shows the two item combo with baby back ribs and tri tip. Very good and even better since it came right out of the kitchen. Wood Ranch always serves quality food.

The server was average but one thing I was very impressed with, was he asked to see my ID when I used my credit car. Not many restaurants ask for ID. They need to.

City Broiler

City Broiler
12959 Peyton Dr.
Chino Hills
909-627-6764

City Broiler just opened up in Chino Hills. Finally what seems like a non chain restaurant opening in Chino Hills.

The menu is filled with about medium priced entrees. I ordered the calamari, $9, and the large scallops, $18, with fresh fruit and steamed veggies. I calamari came in a tortilla shell and was one of the nicest presentations I've seen. I'm not big on presentation but this one caught my attention. Very nice. The calamari was crunchy and very tender. A good price and value. I was impressed.

I was also impressed with the large scallops. They were charbroiled and tasted great. Again, seafood should not smell. There was no smell at all. Just fresh, tender great tasting scallops. The veggies had too much zuccini for my tastes but they were good, tender, and crispy. The fresh fruit was watermelon, honeydrew, and canteloupe. Nothing really special about them.

Service was pretty good. They did a good job training the servers. They were attentive and helpful. We weren't lacking for anything.

I would go back to City Broiler anytime. It's kind of on the pricey side but the portions are big and the food is very good. A nice addition and improvement from the chain restaurants that are all over Chino Hills.

Pitfire Pizza-LA

Pitfire Pizza
108 W 2nd St.
LA
213-808-1200

Too bad California Pizza Kitchen is more well known than Pitfire Pizza. Because for gourmet style pizza, Pitfire Pizza is the place to be.

Located near the LA Times building, in an area that's being redeveloped, Pitfire pizza has great gourmet pizza at good prices.

The pizza are a personal size, about 10 inches. Pictured is the Pitfire sausage, $9.75 and the Big Sur, $9.75. The Pitfire sausage has sweet fennel sausage, tomatoes, red onions bel paese, fontina and mozzarella cheese. All the toppings are fresh, top quality items. They make a wonderful combination on a pizza. The sausage is unlike any I've had on a pizza. Like they said, it's sweet sausage, not the spicy sausage some places use.

My favorite pizza by far at Pitfire is the Big Sur, which has garlic shrimp scampi, four cheese blend, tomatoes, basil and lemon zest. What a wonderful combination. The shrimp scampi is awesome. Sweet tender shrimp scampi, that many Italian restaurants would love to have on their menu. I get this pizza every time I go to Pitfire and it's great every time.

Service is OOOOKKK. Pitfire is the type of place were you order at the counter and they take bring your pizza to your table. I've been to Pitfire about five times and ordering the pizza is fine, getting the pizza is fine, but when asking for box to take leftovers, they are very rude about it. Two times I've gotten a styrofoam box with the three compartments. What gets me is I asked for a box for my PIZZA and I made it a point that I wanted a box for pizza.

I would go back to Pitfire anytime. I want to try their North Hollywood and Westwood locations to compare the pizza and service.