Houston's-Irvine

Houston's
2991 Michelson Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
949-833-0977

Houston's. Yes Houston's is part of chain. Yes, it's overpriced. Yes, the food is good. But it's just not worth the time and money to dine at Houston's.

I ordered the pork ribs, for $27. These were the small ends of the spare ribs. Ask the server what kind of ribs, she will say baby back STYLE and pork ribs. The ribs are not smoked but slowed cooked in an oven and finished on a grill. There is no smoke flavor to the ribs. But these ribs are good. Meaty, not a lot of fat, since it's the small ends, and the BBQ sauce doesn't overpower the taste of the meat. You get your choice of two sides, I picked the cole slaw and mashed potato. Both were average, nothing special about them.

Service was good. Our server was helpful and we didn't lack for many things. Everytime I ran out of my drink, she quickly came by and refilled the drink. But the hostess here suck. I made 8:30pm reservations. When we arrived, the hostess said you will be seated in about 5 to 10 minutes. No problem I figure. So we wait and wait and wait some more. I see three parties of two people get seated before us. Now why the hell did I make reservations? Aren't reservations suppose to get seated before people who are just walk into the restaurant? Finally we went up and the hostess gave some BS excuse that people were staying longer. What a bunch of crap. She was kind enough to offer a free appetizer. But that doesn't make up for our wait.

I would not go back to Houston's again. Even if we got seated quickly, the food just isn't worth the price. $27 for a rack of ribs? I can go to Phillip's and get two rib dinners, 2 sodas, and 2 red velvet cakes for less than that. Ok, ok mayb $5 more. But the point is Houston's is overpriced and there is no reason to go back.

Stroll and Savor - Belmont Shore

Stroll and Savor - Belmont Shore is a great way for people to try all the great restaurants on 2nd St. Belmont Shore is a section of Long Beach. You buy a book of 12 tickets for $10. Each restaurant sets it's "ticket" price. Some are two tickets, others can be tickets. Most places will take cash. But the tickets are a much better deal.




Yen Sushi
4905 2nd St.
LB
562-434-5757

I got the Philadelphia roll and shrimp tempura at Yen Sushi. The Philadelphia roll, cream cheese, asparagus and avocado inside, salmon on the outside was outstanding. Very sushi and oo so good. And I didn't even put any soy sauce.

The shrimp tempura was very crispy and tasty. The shrimp was a good size.

I want to go back here for sushi. I was impressed with the quality of their sushi.




NY's Upper Crust Pizza
5291 E. 2nd St
Long Beach
562-987-4700

NY's Upper Crust Pizza served their pepperoni thin crust pizza. Now understand that my favorite NY style pizza place is Village Pizza in Larchmont Village. So I compare everything to them. Well NY Upper Crust doesn't compare. The pizza is OK but nothing special. I felt like I was eating a pizza from Costco.

I will not go back to NY Upper Crust Pizza. Why should I, if I can get better pizza at my local Costco.




Magic Lamp
5020 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-987-3080

A Middle Eastern Restaurant that surprisingly has a lot of competition on 2nd St. Open Sesame and another middle eastern restaurant are within walking distance of Magic Lamp.

They served a combo plate with beef shawarma, salad, hummus, rice, and falafel. I found the beef to be very dry and lacking any flavor or spices. The salad was fresh but nothing outstanding. The hummus was nice and fresh. I think the best part of this combo. The rice was pretty standard, nothing special. The falafel was overcooked and not flavorful at all.

The girl who was serving was a bitch. She was rude and pretty arrogant. I also noticed she gave the woman in front of me much more food than I got. Not sure why. I wasn't rude or anything to her. Maybe she's just a bitter bitch.

I would not go back to Magic Lamp.





Caffe La Strada
4716 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-433-8100

This place was amazing. The pizza was very good. Lots of gooey melted cheese and good pepperoni. But the shrimp scampi!!! WOW So tasty and flavorful. The fresh shrimp were a good size and the scampi was maybe the best scampi, I've ever had.

I will go back here but I saw their menu and it's a bit on the pricey side. But if they give you five or more shrimp in their shrimp scampi, it's well worth the price.

I enjoyed my Stroll and Savor- Belmont Shore. This is a yearly event during the summer months. Most of the restaurants on 2nd St. do offer a taste of their food. A great way to spend a summer night.

21 Choices Frozen Yogurt

21 Choices Frozen Yogurt
85 W. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena
626-304-9521

After lunch at Mi Piace, what better way to top this than frozen yogurt, especially on a hot day. So a few blocks west of Mi Piace, is 21 Choices Frozen Yogurt. There was a long line here too. I came here back in January and there was still a long line!!!

21 Choices has six flavors of the yogurt each day. You combine them with any toppings you want. Everything from candy to cereal to fruit.

We had a medium, strawberry honey melon yogurt which is organic strawberries, watermelon, & honeydew, mixed with gram crackers, $5.20. The yogurt was a bit tart but was very smooth and refreshing. It mixed well with the graham cracker.

Service was average. The kid was nice enough but he was slow as hell. Maybe he's new or was overwhelmed by the crowd. But it took forever for him to get our yogurt ready.

I enjoy the concept of 21 Choices but I think it's a bit pricey. $4.25 for a medium cup and $1 for each topping? I think a triple cone at Thrifty's ice cream is a much better deal. But dispite that I would go back here. The yogurt is well made and tasty. It's very refreshing on a hot day.

Mi Piace

Mi Piace
25 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena
626-795-3131

Located in Old Towne Pasadena Mi Piace is a very popular restaurant. Everytime I go there is a line for tables. I think people are more attracted at the location than the food. Not to say the food is bad but it's just nothing outstanding. But most importantly I don't think the food is worth the prices they charge.

Caprese is my standard appetizer at Italian restaurants. I like caprese because they are light and refreshing. Most appetizers at Italian restaurants are heavy, fried items. That doesn't work when you're going to have pasta for the entree. This caprese has the best presentation I've seen. They cut the tomato and then put slices of buffalo mozzarella. The tomatoes were fresh and firm. But the mozzarella was a bit soft and wattery. But overall a good solid appetizer. But is this worth, $10.50? Not in my book, no matter how nice it may look.

My entree was the spaghetti con polpette, a fancy name for spaghetti and meatballs. Now I will say the meat sauce was very tasty. It had a nice taste to it, with a little spice. The meatballs were huge, though a bit dry. But that is solved by cutting them up and mixing it with the meat sauce. But one thing I didn't like was the small amount of spaghetti. I mean there is more spaghetti in a can of Chef BoyRdee. I mean come on. Priced at $11.95 another example of how overpriced Mi Piace is.

Service was average. We wait a bit longer than usual for the server to come to our table. But she was nice and kept our drinks full. But there were long stretches of time she was gone and we didn't see her.

The host who seated us, either thought he was a comic or was just an arrogant jerk. It was about 3pm and there were plenty of empty tables. We asked to be seated outside and the host said "I wouldn't mind doing that." Now I was a bit put off by that comment. Again he could have been trying to be funny. But really he came off like an arrogant jerk.

I would not go back to Mi Piace again. The food is good but not outstanding and certainly not worth the prices they charge. If you go to Mi Piace on a Friday or Saturday night, you can expect to wait a very long time for a table. It's that busy thought I don't see why.

D' Antonio's

Dantonio's Ristorante
808 N Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar
909-860-3663

Dantonios has been in Diamond Bar for over 20 years. It started as a family owned Italian restaurant. The family has changed, it recently changed ownership, but Dantonio's is still going strong.

I ordered the calamari, $6.95 and the lunch lasagna, $10.95, to go. While I was waiting there was a very large lunch crowd. While waiting for my food I talked to the new owner and he told me he bought the restauarant about two weeks ago.

The calamari were shaped like onion rings. When I first saw them I thought they were onion rings. But they were in fact calamari. The batter was crispy and just out of the fryer. But the calamari was too chewy and you could tell it was frozen. I wasn't happy with that.

The lasagna had tons ricotta and mozzarella cheese but it was drown in a marinara sauce that was just too sour. The pasta was cooked just right, the cheese was great but the sauce left a lot to be desired.

Service was average. They did seem to take a longer than usual time to get more order ready. I know I ordered a deep fried item but it seemed to take longer. Maybe they were busy with their lunch crowd? But the owner was nice and friendly and answered my questions. Though when he saw me take pictures of the menu, he said I could find the menu on their website. Now I'm not sure how he meant that. Was he upset that I was taking pictures of the menu? Or was he trying to be helpful?

I would not go back to D'Antonio's. The lunch prices are on the pricey side but the dinner prices are overpriced and even if they give you a larger portion, the food isn't that good to justify the higher price. Service is average at best.

Stubrik's Steakhouse

Stubrik's Steakhouse
118 E. Commonwealth Ave
Fullerton
714-871-1290

Stubrik's Steakhouse used to be a very nice steakhouse that served good steaks and provided quality service. I haven't been to Stubriks in over six years and I'm sad to report that they quality of steaks and service has gone down.

I ordered the rib-eye medium rare, $24, which comes with salad, mashed potatoes and gravy and veggies. The salad is a simple green salad with sunflower seeds and onions. Standard stuff, nothing outstanding but fresh.

The steak arrived and was cooked correctly. But it was very tough and not tender. They do say their steaks are USDA Choice so it's not like they are trying to pass off USDA Prime. But the steaks weren't seasoned at all, very bland. I also thought there were a lot of fat and grizzle with the steaks. Not a good piece of meat.

The mashed potates were made from real potatoes and the veggies were crisp and fresh.

Service was below average. It took a long time for our salads to arrive. Not sure what the delay was. It wasn't busy, maybe ten tables. And it's not like it's hard to make a salad. Our server was unfriendly, she never smiled, she just gave us the impression it was a job she hated and clearly wanted to be somewhere else.

I wish my trip back to Stubrik's was better. I am sad to see the quality of food and service slip at Stubrik's. It was once a very good steakhouse for the price. Now it's an over priced steakhouse with bad service. Not a good combination.

Zeke's Smokehouse- Montrose

Zeke's Smokehouse
2209 Honolulu Ave
Montrose
818-957-7045

After experiencing some good and some bad restaurants in the the Bay Area, we returned to the LA area and went to Zeke's Smokehouse in Montrose.

I've read some mixed reviews about Zeke's and I found them to be true. I ordered the 4 bone pork spare rib special, $10.95. The special, which I think is the best deal on the menu, you can get either 2 beef ribs or 4 pork ribs, including baby backs. The meal comes with two sides, I picked mashed potatoes and gravy and cole slaw. The ribs were cut "St. Louis style" meaning they cut off the tips and give you just the bone. The ribs were very good, though a bit chewy. They weren't as meaty as other places but the meat that was there was great. The ribs could have been smoked a little longer but overall a solid good rib.

I tried two of their BBQ sauces, regular and hot. They had a mustard based sauce which I left alone. The regular BBQ sauce was just too sweet. The hot BBQ sauce was terrific. Not too spicy but had a nice kick.

The mashed potatoes were great. They were made with real mashed potatoes, not out of some box. The gravy maybe a mix but the potatoes were great. The cole slaw was too dry, they need to add more mayo. But the cabbage was fresh.

Service was bad. Nobody greeted us when we walked inside. Finally I asked somebody and they said we can sit anywhere we want. We picked a table outside and it took about ten minutes before anybody came to our table. We finally ordered and while the food came quickly, we didn't see the server again for at least ten minutes. I mean don't servers come around and ask how the food is? And not right after placing the meals on the table. I mean we may need more gravy or more drinks. I tipped 10% and I really thought about not tipping anything.

I would only go back to Zeke's for a take out order. There is no way that type of service is acceptable. They need to improve the quality of their service before I think about dining in.

Yank Sing

Yank Sing
One Rincon Center
101 Spear St
SF
415-957-3900

I know SF is an expensive city. But I never expected dim sum to cost so much. Yank Sing has pretty good dim sum but it's very expensive and not worth the price.

The first picture has chicken egg rolls, stuffed crab claw, and phoenix tail shrimp. The eggs rolls were crispy but very greasy. They were some piece of chicken but it was most vegetables. The stuffed crab claw are stuffed with shrimp paste and then deep fried. There is a very small amount of crab at the claw but it hardly noticable. I did not like this dish at all. My favorite dish was the phoenix tail shrimp. A huge piece of shrimp, coated in batter with some green onions then deep fried. The shrimp was crispy and tasty. It was greasy at all.

The second picture is the chicken satay. This was terrible. The chicken was like processed chicken or mystery chicken. They put a small coating of peanut sauce on the chicken and that was salty and overpowering. Not the thing to order.

The third picture has shrimp dumplings, pork siu mye, and Shanghai chicken. The steamed shrimp dumpling, while small were tasty. The pork siu mye was smaller than the siu mye I'm used to. But they were steamed and tasted fine. The Shanghai chicken is basically Yank Sing's version of Kung Pao chicken. It was tasty but nothing special.

Service was good. The dim sum carts came around frequently, almost too frequently. But we weren't left wanting anything, service wise. But our wallets and palates were left wanting. The cost for two people, was $60!!!! $60 for TWO PEOPLE FOR DIM SUM????? Something isn't right here. We had two plates, no sure which, for $9.20 each. I'm guessing the shrimp and maybe the Shanghai chicken? But neither was worth $9.20.

I would not go back to Yank Sing again. Most of the food is good but there are not worth the prices they are charging. There has to be many places in SF Chinatown that serve just as good if not better dim sum, at much better prices.

House of Sushi

House of Sushi
2157 Polk St
SF
415-441-1797

Polk Street in the Russian Hill section of SF is filled with many restaurants and bars. After tapas at Pesce, we went to House of Sushi for our main entree, if you can call sushi an entree. But I was pretty full from tapas so I only had the yellow tail and tuna sushi, both $3.75.

I thought the tuna was one of the best tuna sushi I've had. It was so fresh. The texture was perfect and the color was eye pleasing. I left thinking I should have gotten another order.

The yellowtail was fresh too but there was nothing outstanding or bad about. It was basically average.

Service was outstanding. You're greeted by friendly people and they are there to make your dining experience a pleasant one. Many restaurants could learn from House of Sushi about service.

I would go back to House of Sushi anytime. The sushi is fresh and tasty and the service is outstanding.

Pesce

Pesce
2227 Polk Street
SF
415-928-8025

Pesce is a seafood tapas restaurant. We ordered the Capasante, $13, pan seared day boat scallops and lobster mushroom cream. This was an amazing dish. The lobster mushroom cream sauce was so tasty and wonderful. The scallops were so fresh, I'm pretty sure they were in the water earlier that morning. The

The Granchio, $9, dungeness crab risotto cake and rasted pepper vinaigrette, wasn't as good. First of all there was little to no crab at all, mostly fillers. For a kid from Baltimore that's not a good thing. The vinaigrette was pretty good but I'm not paying $9 for a dipping sauce.

Service was OK. The server was very friendly and helpful, when we saw her. There were long stretches of time when she wasn't anywhere to be found. What she was doing, I have no idea.

I wasn't aware this was a tapas restuarant, I had expectations of bigger portions. But the scallops, were worth the price, even if it was a small plate. I would go back to Pesce but I would not order the crab cake. The oysters on the half shell look fresh and I may give those a try. But I will either sit at the bar or get another server because our server just wasn't around enough.

Mastrelli's Sandwich

Mastrelli's Sandwich
One Ferry Bldg. #47
SF
415-397-3354

Sandwich, Italian deli.

Located in the Embarcadero Center in SF, Mastrelli's Sandwich is a popular sandwich shop. Saturdays there is a Farmer's Market in the Embarcadero and even with all the other vendors, this sandwich shop is packed.

First thing to know about Mastrelli's is that you need to take a number, which are located by the front register. You will not be served without taking a number. If you order a sandwich you pick your bread from the bread box by the front counter.

I ordered a roast beef sandwich, $7.75, with mayo, lettuce and tomato on wheat bread. The meat was fresh and lean. But the sandwich was too dry. There needed to be more mayo or something on the sandwich. Dispite the dryness of the sandwich you can tell they quality of the meats and breads.

Service was good but there is a long line on Saturdays. The guys work hard and quick, much faster than at Claro's.

I would go back to Mastrelli's anytime, I would just ask for more mayo on my sandwich. Grab a sandwich and something to drink and sit down on a bench and see one of the most breath taking views of the Bay Bridge.

Steps of Rome Trottoria

Steps of Rome
362 Columbus Ave
SF
415-986-6480

So I'm in the city of San Fransisco. North Beach is Little Italy with tons of Italian restaurants. The one thing about the city by the bay. Parking sucks and is expensive. They have a great public transportation system. If you can take public transportation or call a cab. It will save you a lot of grief.

Caprese, $6.99, fresh tomatoes topped with mozzarella cheese and olive oil. The tomatoes were fresh and firm. The cheese was also fresh and chewy. It was very good.

My entree was the rigatoni alla norcina, $14.95, tube pasta with Italian sausage and mushrooms in a light cream sauce. This dish was great. The tube pasta was thick and it was cooked just right. The Italian sausage wasn't spicy was had great flavor. The sauce added a nice taste to this dish.

But really this is why I don't like going to Italian restaurants. The rigatoni alla norcina was $14.95 but the portion wasn't big and it's just pasta, some sausage and some sauce and they have the gall to charge $14.95? It's just not worth the price for what you get.

Service was below average. Well, service was good up to a point. As we got to the door, we were greeted by a very nice friendly man. He made everybody feel welcome. We were seated quickly. Our server was friendly at first. Our caprese and dinner were served without incident. Then he asked about dessert. He gave us the dessert menu. We asked to see one of the desserts. He said the desserts are made to order and he didn't have a sample display. He then walked away and igored us for the next 15 mintues. It's as though we weren't there. I'm not sure why he was so offended by that simple request. He could have came back and asked if we wanted dessert. He could have given us a small sample but he just ignored us. Only when I called him over and asked for the bill did he come to our table. Such an arrogant bastard.

I would not go back to Steps of Rome. The food was good but not worth the price. And service was below average. There is nothing wrong asking to see a dessert. I can't believe this place has stayed in business for so long with their arrogant attitude and high prices.

House of Bagels

House of Bagels
1362 Park St.
Alameda
510-522-6580

After a great diner at Hong Kong City, I knew Park St. was the place to go for breakfast the next morning. So I find a bagel place, House of Bagels. Now they have a lot to live up to, since Brooklyn Bagels is awesome.

I ordered the pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, $1.70. The bagel was fresh, I could see their kitchen in the back and it looked as though they make their bagels on side. Always a plus. The bagel was chewy like a bagel should be, the texture was perfect. But I didn't think it gave much of that pumpernickel taste. Not sure why but it was almost as if I was eating a plain bagel. The cream cheese was standard, nothing outstanding about it.

Service was good. The guy was nice and friendly. He took out order and quickly toasted and got us our bagels.

I would go back to House of Bagels but I would not order the pumpernickel bagel. I liked the fact the bagels were fresh made. I just wasn't impressed with the pumpernickel bagel.

Hong Kong City

Hong Kong City Seafood Restaurant
1425 Park St.
Alameda
510-523-4568

Ok, so this isn't in the LA area. I'm up in the Bay Area surrounded by moron Giants fans and Beane Sprouts. But the Bay Area has lots of good food so I figured I would do some reviews. Park St in Alameda is a nice quiet street filled with all kinds of restaurants and shops that reminded me of Montrose.

Found Hong Kong City Seafood Restaurant and decided to give it a try. Shrimp lo mein, $6.95. Filled with shrimp, mushrooms, carrots, and noodles this dish had a heavy sauce/gravy. The sauce was a bit bland, not much flavor. There was a ton of shrimp and it was fresh. The noodles were tender and all the flavors mixed well together. Not a great dish but good.

Shrimp and broccoli, $8.50. Again, lots of fresh shrimp. The broccoli was crisp. I like the light sauce but I wish they had put more sauce. This dish was very good but a bit dry.

Kung pao scallops, $9.50. This was my favorite dish. Ok it's an Americanized dish but it was great. Filled with tons of tender scallops in a heavy sauce this dish was a wonderful mixture of flavors and textures. Watercrest, bell peppers, peanuts, carrots and onions, wow what a great dish.

Lemon chicken $6.95. White meat chicken deep fried then covered in a sweet lemon sauce. Great stuff though a bit on the sweet side. The chicken was fried to perfection and was moist. The lemon sauce was good but they could have used less.

Service was very good. Nice friendly people.

If I was in the Bay Area I would go back to Hong Kong City. A very good restaurant with tasty food, good service and great prices. Too bad I would have to be surrounded by fans of a steroid user and Beane Sprouts.

Grapevine

Grapevine
1204 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-392-3500

It's rare to find a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Restaurant in the Pomona Valley. I only know of one, Grapevine. What is really interesting is that Grapevine is housed in an old house, where many other restaurants have tried and failed. Grapevine has been opened for at least three years, so there fulfilling a need.

I ordered the beef kebab, $16.99. For the first time at a Middle Eastern restaurant, I'm asked how would I like the meat to be cooked. I asked for medium rare. The kebabs comes with rice pilaf, grilled tomato, onions and pita bread. The kebabs arrive and I'm surprised at the small portion. It's smaller than Shirazz and many of the kebab places I've reviewed in Montebello.

The menu says center cut of beef tenderloin, which is basically the filet mignon. So it's suppse to be the most tender. Well the beef was very tough, not tender at all. It also lacked the flavor of the other kebabs. It wasn't as well seasoned. I think they just put some salt and pepper.

Service was below average. The server/host who seated me, was very unfriendly with a huge attitude. It took a bit longer than usual for her to come back and ask if I wanted anything to drink. When she took my order she was robotic, as if she doesn't have any personality.

I would not go back to Grapevine. The prices are higher than other kebab places, the portions are smallers and the service isn't as good. Why waste my money and time going to Grapevine?

Romano's Chicago Pizzeria

Romano's Chicago Pizzeria
5225 Canyon Crest Dr #60
Riverside
951-781-0773

In my quest for Chicago style pizza, I found Romano's in Riverside. My standard for Chicago style pizza is Tony's, I wanted to see how Romano's matched up.

Pictured is the medium, My Other Sister's Favorite stuffed pizza, pepperoni and black olives, for $16.95. The pizza was very tasty but a bit on the dry side, they didn't put as much sauce or cheese as Tony's. There was a decent amount of pepperoni and they just overloaded the black olives. But something was missing. Maybe not enough spices or toppings or sauce. But this just wasn't as good as Tony's. The picture shows a lot of sauce on top but I'm used to sauce being inside the pizza.

Service was good. Our server was attentive and friendly. Since Chicago style pizza takes a 30-40 minutes to cook, she came by to refill drinks during our wait.

Romano's is pretty good but it wasn't worth the drive out to Riverside. If I was in the area, I would go back but I would not make a special trip out there. But I do think the prices are a bit high for what you get. Basically I found the prices of medium prices at Romano's would get you a large at Tony's.

Overland Stage

Overland Stage
1855 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim
714-750-1811

I went to Overland Stage about two or three years ago. They were a great steakhouse, serving good quality steaks. Another highlight was their all you can eat, great salad bar, which was included in all their entrees.

But Sheraton took over and turned Overland Stage into Overland Stage Southwest BBQ and Grill. I figured something must have been up since the crappy, overrated Morton's opened less than 20 yards from Overland. But since I already made the trip to Overland Stage, I decided to stay but only after making sure they still had steaks on their menu.

They have two steaks on the menu. A New York and a grilled, bone-in, rib-eye. I picked the rib-eye, $27.95, cooked medium rare. The rib-eye was served on top of real mashed potatoes. The rib-eye was tender and flavorful. It didn't melt in my mouth but it was still a very solid steak, cooked to perfection. The mashed potatoes were great, even without gravy. I asked for the wild mushroom ragout in a red wine sauce, on the side. The ragout was just like a thick gravy with lots of mushrooms. It was a bit on the salty side but it added alot to the mashed potatoes.

Service was very good. The server was friendly, attentive and helpful. He's been working at Overland for a few years and was surprised at the change. I wasn't shocked when he told me that many people ask what happened to the salad bar and steaks.

While I did enjoy my steak, I wouldn't go back to Overland Stage. I guess I'm not used to change. I wish Overland would go back to their original format but I know that won't happen, with the overrated, crappy Morton's next door.

Hamburger Hamlet- Pasadena

Hamburger Hamlet
241 S Lake Ave
Pasadena
626-449-5820

Hamburger Hamlet. That name brings back a lot of good memories. As a kid Hamburger Hamlet was a treat for doing good in school or special occasions like birthdays. There used to be a ton of Hamburger Hamlets but slowly most of them closed down. According to their website, there is only eight Hamburger Hamlet left, five in the LA area.

While Hamburger Hamlet has a lot of other choices, sandwiches, salads, seafood amd chicken, I always get a burger. Today I decided to get the Gourmet Baby Burger Sampler, $10.95. The sampler includes mini versions of their All American, Hickory Cheddar, Caliente, and Steakhouse Blue burgers. Burgers are cooked medium.

The first picture is the steakhouse blue burger, Pepper crusted patty with ripe tomato, Bermuda onion, iceberg lettuce, Wisconsin blue cheese, horseradish sauce and a touch of A1. This was a great burger. All the flavors come together so well. I normally don't like onions on my burger but they grilled their onions perfectly and I loved them. For a mini burger it was bigger than McDonald's burgers. I would order this burger anytime.

The second burger was the Caliente burger, pepper jack cheese, ripe tomato, caramelized onion, iceberg lettuce and roasted Serrano chili and cilantro pesto . Not my favorite but still a good burger. It was just too spicy for me.

The third burger was the All American Classic, American Cheese, ripe tomato, Bermuda onion, iceberg lettuce, dill pickle, and thousand island dressing. Your classic burger. Nothing special about it but solid, good burger.

The last burger was the hickory cheddar burger, crisp onion rings, bbq sauce, crisp bacon, Cheddar cheese, ripe tomato, Bermuda onion and iceberg lettuce. This was my second favorite burger coming really close to the steakhouse blue burger. The bbq sauce had a mild flavor, the onion rings were crispy and all the other flavors came together well.

Service was good. The host was helpful, he answered my questions about some menu items and allowed me to site at the outdoor patio. I got there early and asked to sit on the outdoor patio that faced Lake Ave. I was the only one there and there was one other table in the indoor section. But the server came around often and made sure I had everything I needed. The food arrived quickly.

I enjoyed my trip to Hamburger Hamlet. I would go back anytime.

The Pantry

Original Pantry Cafe
877 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-972-9279

Owned by former LA Mayor, DICK Riordan owns The Original Pantry. I guess DICK, owning The Pantry had NOTHING to do with Staples Center being built two blocks south? If you're stupid enough to believe that, I have some land for sale.

Anyways, opened in 1924 The Pantry offers meat and potatoes food. There is always a long wait, especially before or after a Lacker game. The menus are on the walls and blackboard.

I didn't want breakfast, though many of the breakfast items other people were eating looked great. I picked the BBQ spare ribs, $10.95. The ribs came with mashed potatoes and corn. The ribs were just covered in BBQ sauce. The ribs were not smoked but cooked in an oven. They were overcooked. I hate it when ribs are falling off the bone. They aren't suppose to be cooked like that. The boneless ribs had a lot of fat on them.

The mashed potatoes seemed to be made from a box and the corn was from the freezer.

Service was pretty good. We waited about 30 minutes for a table. But that's normal. After we placed our order the food arrived very quickly. Our server didn't refill our drinks, water and ice tea, and he didn't ask if we needed anything else after we got our food.

I would not go back to The Pantry. The food I had wasn't great and even though the breakfast looked great, I can go to other places that has just as good, if not better food for breakfast. But it's a place everybody should go to at least once. It's a historic place and even though DICK Riordan now owns The Pantry, you still have to go at least once. Again the lines can be long before and after a Lacker game. But they are also opened 24 hours.

Uncle Darrow's

Uncle Darrow's
2560 S. Lincoln Blvd.
Marina del Rey
310-306-4862

Cajun cooking. I haven't hadCanjun food much, I think the only time I've had Canjun food is at the Gumbo Pot. I've heard good things about Uncle Darrow's, so I figured why not try it.

I ordered the shrimp supper, $13.15. The supper comes with one side, I picked red beans and rice, salad, and garlic bread. The shrimp is butterflied and their fried in a light cornmeal coating. I liked the shrimp since it wasn't a thick cornmeal coating. Cornmeal can be very tough. But this was perfect. Light, yet still crunchy, and the shrimp was sweet.

The red beans and rice were perfect. The beans were cooked just right and had a lot of flavor.

The salad was fresh and tasty. They give you a thousand island dressing, along with a spicy ranch dressing, this is green in color. I passed on the spicy ranch dressing.

Since I've never been to New Orleans, I've never had beignets. They are kinda of like churros but with powdered sugar instead of cinammon. My first taste of beignets were good. They were cooked to order and came to us, pipping hot. I liked the texture of the beignets. They were tasty and not too sweet. They added the right amount of powered sugar.

Service is great. I called before and the guy who answered must have been in the Army, he said Yes sir, so much. He was very polite and helpful on the phone. You place your order at the counter and they bring it to your table. The guy taking our order, not sure if it was the same guy who answered the phone, was nice, polite, and friendly. There was a slight delay in getting the beignets, I had to remind him of our order. But he we got our beignets quickly.

I would go back to Uncle Darrow's but after looking at the menu, the entrees are not the way to go. It's better to order from their side orders section. Shrimp is $6.25, red beans and rice is $3.25. That's $9.50 and the salad and garlic bread aren't worth the extra $4.

National Sports Grill- Orange

National Sports Bar
450 North State College Blvd.
Orange
714-935-0300

National Sports Grill has three location, Buena Park, Torrance, and Orange. The Orange location is within walking distance of Anaheim Stadium. So before an Angels game it can get very busy. I made the mistake of going right when CRYBABY Nation, I mean Red Sox nation, was lowering the standards of the neighborhood. Red Sox nation's logo should be a crying baby with white sheets and hood because they are the most racist and the biggest crybaby fans in all of sports. Those scumbag bastards cry over anything and everything. It was the Curse of the Bambino. It was Bucky Dent. It was Bill Buckner. No LOSERS. It was a sorry, team, filled with sorry players, owned by a bastard, racist, jerk owner. Oh get rid of that rat infest, dump of a stadium you play in. What a bunch of losers. Not even Cub fans cry that much. Maybe because Cubs fans are drunk most of the time?

Anyways I ordered the Fall Classic Cheeseburger, $7.75, which comes with shoestring fries. More on that later. Anyways the burger is good but nothing outstanding. Maybe a little better than the burger served at a greasy spoon. The burger was big about 1/4 pound and came with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese and National Sauce, which is mayo and ketchup combined. The beef was cooked just above rare, I would prefer it to be medium or medium rare at least.

Service was good. Even though all the crybabies were around, the server was quick and attentive. But I have some issues with how they ask about fries. The server asked if I wanted seasoned, waffle, or steak fries. She didn't bother to say that all those are extra. I picked waffle fries and they were $1 extra, ok 99 cents extra. It wasn't really her fault but restaurants that do this type of thing are scumbags. The other thing that pisses me off is restaurants that do not tell you that soft drink refills are not free. It is their responsibility to tell you, especially when a server asks a child if they want free refills.

Nationals is a good place to hang out before and after an Angel game. The food is decent but nothing special. But then again it is a sports bar. If you expect gourmet meals at a sports bar, you will always be disappointed.

The Old Spaghetti Factory

The Old Spaghetti Factory
110 E Santa Fe
Fullerton
714-526-6801

The Old Spaghetti Factory is set in the old train Fullerton train station. It serves good Italian-American dishes.

I ordered the baked lasagna, $10.95. They gave me a huge piece of lasagna.The lasagna has both beef and pork and came covered with tomato sauce. But I'm not used to lasagna being covered with tomato sauce. I'm used to lasagna being served "dry" But the lasagna was very tasty with nice Italian spices and cheese.

Service was very good considering it we had about 20 people in our party. We were celebrating the 16th birthday of a kid, I call my godson. Parking is terrible at this location. This area is a hub for the OC bus. Yes, I know it's shocking that some people in the OC use public transportation. It's also a Metrolink and an Amtrak train stop. There is plenty of parking, you may just have to walk a long way to find parking. Parking is free.

Brooklyn Bagel Bakery

Brooklyn Bagel Bakery
2217 Beverly Blvd
LA
213-413-4114

While searching for a bagel place this morning, I found Brooklyn Bagels. I was expecting either a donuts place that sold some bagels or a run down older bagel shop. But it's really a wholesale/retail bagel store. The walls of filled with team pictures of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The sign says est. 1953. I wonder if they moved out to LA first before that scumbag bastard Walter O' Malley stole the Brooklyn Dodgers from their rightful home.

Anyways, all bagels are $1, with cream cheese add another quarter. I had a cheese bagel and a pumpernickel bagel. The cheese bagel was great. They didn't overload it with cheese. It was fresh, chewy, and great. Better than any bagel at Noah's.

I loved the pumpernickel bagel. It was smelled like great pumpernickel. It tasted like great pumpernickel. It was one of the best bagels I've ever had.

Service is good. The lady behind the counter took and filled our order quickly. This is a take out place only. They do not toast your bagels either. You have to wait to enjoy this great bagel place.

I would go back to to Brooklyn Bagel anytime.

Tacos Baja

Tacos Baja
5385 Whitter Blvd
LA, CA
90022

When LA magazines rates your fish tacos as the best fish tacos in LA, you have a lot to live up to. So I decided to see if Tacos Baja lived up to the hype. Well let me tell you it does.

This is one of the best fish tacos I've ever had. The only better fish taco I've had, was at Wahoos. Ok, I was only kidding. The only better fish taco was in Ensenada.

The fish tacos are a steal at $1.45. What a great deal. The fish are deep fried to just a golden crispness. So crunchy and the fish is flakely and out of this world. There is so much fish, cabbage, tomato, and white sauce, you should be arrested for stealing.

Service was very good. The lady who took our order spoke perfect English. She as friendly and answered all our questions.

I would go back to Tacos Baja anytime.

The Buffet at Bellagio

The Buffet at Bellagio
3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702-693-7111

When in Vegas, you have to go to a buffet. The Buffet at Bellagio is one the best buffets in Vegas. I went for Saturday brunch, $23,95. It's not cheap but it's well worth the price.

I wanted to go right for the big ticket item. Prime rib and jumbo shrimp cocktail. The prime is nice and flavorful. Depending on when you go, you can get your prime rib cooked the way you like it. It was tender, moist, and flavorful. Not the best prime rib but still good. The shrimp cocktail is fresh and tasty.

Since it was breakfast, I tried their bacon, sausage and eggs benedict. The bacon was too crispy for me. The minute you put your fork, it broke into pieces. The sausage had a mild taste to it. Nothing special but still good. The eggs benedict was actually pretty damn good. They are not cooked to order, just placed on the steam trays. But the hollandaise sauce was buttery and flavorful. I was damn impressed. The ham was a bit tough but not too bad. I don't like poached eggs, didn't eat them.

Turkey breast and chicken wellington are the next picture. The turkey was moist and juicy. It was a bit bland but nothing the very good turkey gravy helped overcome. The chicken wellington was unique. Of course I've had beef wellington before but this puff pastry filled with chicken was very tasty, though the chicken was a bit dry.

The omelette station is awesome. You pick what you want and they cooked it up right there. I had shrimp, ham, tomato and onions. The omelette were a bit overcooked but I still enjoyed them.

Service is very good. Our waitress cleared our dishes quickly. We never lacked for drinks. The line to get into the buffet moved quickly. There is a high turnover of food, except for the bacon, so food is usually fresh.

I would go back to The Buffet anytime. The quality of food is well worth the price.

Smith & Wollensky-Las Vegas

Smith & Wollensky
3767 South Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas
702-862-4100

WOW what a steakhouse. After Taylor's not living up to it's hype, I was in Las Vegas over the weekend and went to Smith and Wollensky. Again, WOW what a steakhouse. Right on the strip, near the Monte Carlo, Smith and Wollensky is one of the best steakhouses I've been to.

Their bread is so unique, I had to take a picture. It's a little salty on top, they have rosemary and sea salt on the crust. But the best is very good with a nice texture.

The shrimp cocktail comes with three jumbo shrimp, for $16.50. The shrimp were huge and fresh and chilled. It comes with classic cocktail sauce and a mayo based, ginger sauce, which was very good.

Meals come al carte, so we ordered two sides. The thing about their sides is that they are big enough for two and maybe three people. Steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes, $11,50 each. The broccoli was cooked just right. Crispy and crunchy. I hate mushy veggies. But they just cut the stems and steamed them. I wish they would have taken the time to cut the broccoli into smaller pieces. The mashed potatoe was good but it wasn't anything special. But I did not like they fact it was loaded with pepper. I think restaurants should lightly season items, then allow the customer to add the amount of pepper they want.

But really, I don't go to a steakhouse for the sides. It's about the steak and WOW, what a steak. I ordered the medium rare, 10 oz, filet mignon, $38.75. They give you a couple options for your steak to be cooked, but I prefer it simply grilled. When it arrived, I couldn't wait to dig in. After taking pictures, which was tough due to low lighting, I took a bite. It was so flavorful, tender, juicy, and delicious. What a great steak. It was cooked to perfection, medium rare. Just the way I like it. When you have a good cut of beef, you don't need anything else.

Service was very good. Our servers were attentive and we didn't lack for anything. But one thing that bothered me. I know what medium rare is. But after telling our server I wanted my steak medium rare, he said fully red, warm center. I realized it's policy after hearing another server say the samething at another table, but I think most people who go to an up scale steakhouse know what is medium rare. Oh well.

One thing, there is an entrance to Smith and Wollensky on Las Vegas Blvd but you actually enter on the north side of the building. I had 7:30pm reservations and we were seated promptly. Always a plus in my book.

I would go back to Smith and Wollensky anytime. What a steakhouse!!! What a steak!!!

Smooth's Sports Grille

Smooth's Sports Grille
144 Pine Ave
Long Beach
562-437-7700

Smooth's Sports Grille is now the only choice for a sports bar in Long Beach. It serves good quality food, at slightly higher than other sports bars prices but it's worth it. Legend's used to be their competition but Legend's was damaged by fire about two years ago and they still haven't rebuilt.

I normally don't order french fries but I saw their presentation and I wanted to order some fries. The seasoned fries, with rosemary and salt are served in a cone shaped cup. Great presentation. They come out very crispy and tasty. One of the best fries you will have. At $4.95 they are a steal.

Buffalo wings, 13 piece order for $12.95. They were all drummettes, which is always a plus. They were very mild, not spicy but very meaty. I'm sure you could ask for hotter wings but I was very happy with the size and taste of their chicken wings.

Quattro Pizza, $12.95 with sausage, ham, artichoke and mushrooms. We asked for sausage and ham on one side and artichoke on the other half. It came out perfect. Nice to see that the server and the kitchen can and do communicate. The pizza was tasty but the crust was too thin for my tastes. Almost like a cracker. But the toppings were good and there were a ton of them. Which is always a good thing.

Server was pretty good. We sat outside, so we could people watch. Good thing no scumbag smokers were sitting near us. Our server came by often to check on us even though we were the only people sitting outside. We didn't lack for anything.

I would go back to Smooth's again. The prices maybe a bit high compared to other sports bars, but the quality of food is well worth the price.

Update 8-14-08





I went to Smooths for their happy hour. They offer all appetizers except crab cakes for $5. So I ordered the Ahi Tuna, Smooths wings, and chicken fingers.

The ahi tuna wasn't fresh at all. It was very chewy and not good. They had a paprika seasoning on the outside but it didn't help the flavor. They need to use fresher ahi tuna.

The wings about half the regular order. Same great taste as before. A good buffalo wing but not that spicy.

The chicken fingers were crunchy but they were so thin, you had to look closely to find the white meat chicken. Ok it was only $5 but I wouldn't pay full price for this, even if you got double the amount of fingers.

Service was good but all the scumbag smokers were out tonight.