Johnny's Pastrami-Closed

Johnny's Pastrami
4331 W Adams Blvd
Los Angeles
323-734-6003

Not far from Phillips BBQ on Crenshaw is Johnny's Pastrami, that came with high praise from people in line at Phillips. So I decided to give Johnny's Pastrami a try. Please note, this is not the same as Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City, they have different spelling.



Pastrami, $7.45. The pastrami sliced thin, piled high on a bun that is dipped; much like The Hat. But unlike The Hat, the pastrami was dried out,even though it was soaking in it's natural juices, tough, chewy, with lots and lots of fat, and just plain bad. It tasted like it's been sitting around for the entire week. Not good at all.



I noticed they had a hot dog, $2.45, on the menu and decided to try it. The hot dog is made by Hoffy, which I think is a second rate hot dog, because of the poor quality of meats and seasonings used. Anyways, I asked for the hot dog with raw onions and mustard. The hot dog is grilled but was so overcooked, the outside was tough and chewy. The inside wasn't any better since it's a second rate Hoffy hot dog. The bun was straight out of the package, not toasted and pretty poor quality. The onions and mustard were fine.

Service is terrible. First, I walk up the window, the lady sees me but never acknowledges me for about five minutes. I know she is busy, but it doesn't take much to say Hi, I'll be right with you. Taking my order was fine but I can't stand not being acknowledged when I walk up there. Then my total came out to $11.70 for a pastrami, $7.45, and hot dog, hot dog, $2.45. Even with sales tax, that total would be $10.88. So I was overcharged about a $1. Now people may ask, why didn't I question them about the price, right then. I should have but that is still no excuse for them to overcharge people. TERRIBLE service.

I would never go back to this rip off place again. Of the two other pastrami places, I have reviewed, this is the worst, by far. I much prefer Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City and The Hat. Terrible service, terrible food. Why bother?

Cassell's Hamburgers-Moved

Cassell's Hamburgers
3266 W 6th St
Los Angeles
213-480-8668

I first heard of Cassell's Hamburgers after reading this, LA Times Story. The writer seemed confused because from the pictures Cassell's isn't a gourmet burger, it is a diner style burger, much like Apple Pan or Russell's. I consider gourmet burgers to have all these fancy toppings, like, truffles or gruyere, not regular American cheese, or iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, or onions.

Anyways I decided to try Cassell's and judge for myself. As I walked in, I knew right away this wasn't going to be a gourmet burger. This is your standard diner-style restaurant. Nothing fancy or gourmet about it. The burgers are cooked on a special double broiler, with the heat coming from the top.




I ordered the #23, a 1/3lb American cheeseburger, $6.95. With each order, you get their "buffet" which is really their condiment table. There are many choices on the table, including a relish that was very close to Bob's Big Boy; your standard mustard, mayo, and very fresh veggies. I got the relish, lettuce and tomato. The burger is big but not thick. They are cooked well done, which is fine, but the burger was dry. There was no flavor to the meat at all. There wasn't anything special about this burger, certainly did not live up the hype of that LA Times story. The toasted bun was a nice touch, the relish is almost exactly the same as the relish on the Big Boy double decker burger, and the veggies were chilled and very fresh. But I couldn't get over the dryness of the meat.

Service is good. The cooks greet you right away and you place your order with them. They are nice and helpful, if this is your first time. The cashier, who I believe is the owner, is also nice and helpful.

I wouldn't go back to Cassell's. The burger is ok, but certainly not outstanding. Also my first reaction; Cassell's is not gourmet burger, proved true.

Eastside Market Italian Deli

Eastside Market Italian Deli
1013 Alpine St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-250-2464

The first time I heard about Eastside Market, was when they catered a Christmas dinner. I was pretty impressed with their chicken and lemon capers and their pasta dishes. Later, when I read more about Eastside Market, I found they had; been in business since 1929 and had some good sandwiches. So I decided to give them a try.

The first thing you'll notice about Eastside Market, during a weekday lunch time, is the amount of cops and city of LA, employees. I've never seen so many badges!! If you got a complaint with the city of LA, go to Eastside Market and you may find the person who can help you.




#9, cold cut combo with cheese, $7.10. Turkey, salami, mortadella, capicollo, and ham with provolone cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato, on Italian roll. I loved this sandwich. Being an Italian deli, I was a bit surprised they didn't put Italian dressing and olive oil on sandwiches. But I hate that stuff on a sandwich, so it didn't matter. But overall a very good quality cold cuts, fresh veggies, on a nice firm Italian roll. The amount of meat and the quality of the meat, makes this sandwich a steal.




#7, roast beef, pastrami, and cheese, topped with a red peppers sauce, $7.10. This is their most popular sandwich. The sandwich is more like a french dip, because this is a messy sandwich. The roast beef and pastrami are soaking in natural juices, then stacked onto the roll with the pepper sauce. But this isn't too soggy because the Italian roll is firm and absorbs the juices and pepper sauce very well. There is a ton of roast beef and pastrami stacked on this sandwich. The roast beef is a bit chewy, but I like it. The pastrami has a very nice texture and flavor. This was a huge sandwich and well worth the price.

Service. Don't be scared off by the lines, they move quickly because 4-5 people are making sandwiches for you. The guy who served me was pretty quick. But he had major attitude when he had to repeat my order. I mean it's crowded as hell, the place is noisy and he is barely talking above a whisper. Yeah, I'm suppose to be able to hear you over that. Another guy is the cashier and he was nice and helpful.
There is only street parking but no meters, a benefits of Eastside Deli being a city worker's favorite?

I would go back to Eastside Deli any time. I loved the sandwiches and the price, is a steal. Eastside is so much better than the last Italian deli I went to, Angelo's Italian Deli.

The BBQ Shack and Grill-Closed

The BBQ Shack and Grill
228 N Gaffey St
San Pedro
310-702-1376

My holy grail for BBQ pork spare ribs is; Phillips BBQ. But I have found a BBQ restaurant that comes damn close to Phillips. I met the owner of The BBQ Shack and Grill at the Que N for Kids/ OC BBQ Festival, where he placed 1st in chicken-at BBQ competitions chicken thighs are judged and 15th overall. That was his first competition and finishing 16th out of 57 competitors is damn good.

I called up a friend, who is from Kansas City and loves BBQ, and we made the drive to The BBQ Shack and Grill.




Spare rib plate, $5.99, with mac and cheese. Three beautifully smoked spare ribs came in this great deal. The bark is a bit sweeter than I like but it good. But the ribs are great!! So tender; for you novice rib eaters, falling off the body is too well done. These ribs pulled away from the bone easily but had a bit of a pulled, the sign of a perfectly smoked ribs. There was very little fat, and lots of meat on the bones. Just a wonderful, example of BBQ spare ribs.

The mild BBQ sauce had chili flakes inside, so it is a bit more spicy than other mild BBQ sauces. But it added a nice flavor to the ribs.

Mac and cheese, sorry I forgot to take a picture, was very creamy but a bit bland.

Service was great. The owner is very friendly and helpful.

The ribs were so damn good. They only accept cash, no plastic. But I would go back to The BBQ Shack and Grill anytime!!

D'Amore's Pizza

D'Amore's Pizza
8369 W 3rd St
Ste D
Los Angeles
323-951-0070

I have heard many good things about D'Amore's Pizza. But while doing a search for their locations, I found a few places with the name D'Amore's but they aren't connected with D'Amore's. There are only seven D'Amore's locations and they can be found on D'Amore's website. I went to the 3rd St. location, that is near The Smoking Joint, another restaurant that I have reviewed. I compare all New York style pizza places to Village Pizzeria, so D'Amore's has a lot to live up to.



I ordered the medium sausage pizza with two slices just cheese, $14.95. They got the order correct!! The crust is the key for New York style pizza. If it isn't good, the pizza won't be good. D'Amore's crust was OK, not as good as Village Pizzeria. But the amount and quality of cheese was great. There was also a ton of sausage; pretty mild, not spicy but flavorful.

I liked the pizza but didn't love the pizza.

Service was very good. Nice people and the pizza got out quickly.

D'Amore's didn't live up to the hype but still a very solid NY style pizza.

Patsy D'Amore's Pizza

Patsy D'Amore's Pizza
6333 W 3rd St
Ste 448
Los Angeles
323-938-4938

Pasty D'Amore's Pizza is located in the LA Farmer's Market. I have reviewed four other restaurants/stands at the Farmer's Market; Gumbo Pot, Bryan's Pit BBQ, Magee's Kitchen, and Deano's Pizza. I read that Pasty D'Amore's is one of the oldest pizza store in LA. So I decided to give them a try.



Slice of pepperoni, $3.50. For what is suppose to be a New York style pizza, this slice was pretty small, cut from a medium size pizza, not a jumbo or large sized pizza. But overall it was a very solid pizza, not Village Pizzeria, but then again not many pizzerias can match Village Pizzeria. The crust was just starting to get the nice charred taste. The cheese was plentiful and tasty. The pepperoni was standard, nothing special.



I liked the cheese slice but I thought there could have put more cheese in the slice. There were a few bare spots with sauce and very little cheese. The sauce was mild, nothing overpowering, which I like.

Service is pretty good, if a bit slow. The lady who took my order was nice and friendly. But it took a while to get my slices. I know they have to heat it but the slices were hot, when I got them. But it took longer than usual to get the slices. Not sure why; maybe new employees?

If I was at the Farmer's Market and wanted pizza, I would go to Patsy but I wouldn't make a special trip.

Magee's Kitchen

Magee's Kitchen
6333 W. 3rd St
Stall #624
Los Angeles
323-938-4127

One of the first times, I ever went to the LA Farmer's Market, I went to Magee's Kitchen and had a corned beef sandwich. Since that first time I went to the Farmer's Market, I have been to four other restaurants/stands at the Farmer's Market; Patsy D'Amore's, Gumbo Pot, Deano's Pizza, Bryan's Pit BBQ.

I figured since I was in the area, I should give Magee's another try.




I got the corned beef sanwich, $8.75, with mustard, on rye bread. You can get horseradish on the sandwich, I asked for it on the side. I know corned beef is from the very fatty, brisket cut, and fat adds flavor to meats. But this corned beef was way too fatty, use the fat to flavor the meat but cut the fat off when serving the corned beef.

Anyways the corned beef, was pretty moist, tender and flavorful. But just to much fat. I cut out most of the fat, and I bet I cut about 10% of the weight of the sandwich. The rye bread was pretty standard, nothing special.

Service was pretty good. The girl taking my order was nice and friendly. She tried to suggest adding sides to the sandwich, but I declined. I didn't mind how she asked, in a nice friendly way, I wish other servers would be as nice, not pushy.

I wouldn't go back to Magee's Kitchen. It wasn't anything outstanding. You're better off, going to Canter's Deli, a few block up the street.

Brownstone Pizzeria-Closed

Brownstone Pizzeria
2108 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles
323-257-4992

When people talk about pizza in Eagle Rock, they always mention Casa Bianca, which is too inconsistent for me. I heard about Brownstone Pizza, a few blocks west of Casa Bianca and wanted to give them a try. So I called up a few friends and we met at Brownstone-a NY style pizzeria, that sells whole pies and slices, that are huge!!



We ordered a medium pizza, $14.99, with one side:pepperoni, sausage, red onions and mushrooms and the other side- pepperoni, sausage, red onions and olives. I hate olives so I only had the mushroom side.

The crust was a bit soggy and not the usual NY style thin crust pizza. The sauce was pretty good, not too sweet, not too spicy. I liked the amount and quality of toppings on the pizza. The sausage had a nice spice to it, the pepperoni was good quality and the mushrooms were great, not the canned mushrooms from Casa Bianca.



I tried a slice of the other pizza we ordered, a White pizza, with ricotta, romano, garlic herbs, and olive oil with red sauce. The same crust. But the combination of cheeses was great! I really liked this pizza and I would love this pizza if they was some pepperoni and/or sausage!

I saw slices and they are cut from their large, 20" pies!!

Service was OK. The young woman taking the order was nice and friendly. But the guy brought our pizzas to our table was new and wasn't well trained. He didn't give us any plates for our pizza. We had to walk to the counter and ask for plates. He was nice and tried but he needs to be trained better.

I would go back to Brownstone Pizzeria. I think it is better than Casa Bianca and they take credit cards, something Case Bianca does not.

Cowboy's Steakhouse-Closed

Cowboy's Steakhouse
227 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel
626-282-1348

The first Taiwanese steakhouse, I reviewed was Four Seasons Steak House, in Rowland Heights. I really like Four Seasons and will compare all Taiwanese steakhouses, to Four Seasons.

After going to Mei Long Village, I walked around for awhile and noticed Cowboy's Steakhouse. I wanted to give them a try and see how they compared.

So I decided to give Cowboy's a try, on June, 5, 2010. People need to remember June 5, 1989. That was the day an ordinary man, made an extraordinary show of courage. Tank Man.



I ordered the New York steakhouse, $12.45, medium rare, that comes with soup, salad, garlic bread, rice, and mushroom sauce.



Soup is a standard soup, made with corn starch, some corn, and a very bland broth. It was served warm, not hot.



Salad with a 1000 island dressing and iceberg lettuce. Fresh, crisp and served chilled.



Garlic bread/toast. Actually, not too bad. I did like this, nice garlic flavor. But it would have been better if served hot.





I ordered my steak medium rare. The server said our medium rare is bloody. I said that would be fine. When the steak came to my table it looked great on the outside, with a nice crust. But when I cut into the steak, I saw red, red, and more red. This is not medium rare, this is rare. But, since I agreed to their version of medium rare, I can't really complain.

This steak was very bland, they must not have put any salt on this steak. It lacked flavor, with lots of gristle and fat. This is a very low quality steak. It was so bland and flavorless, I had to add A-1 steaksauce and I never add steaksauce to a good steak.

Service is good. Nice, friendly servers who get the food out quickly.

I would not go back to Cowboy's again. The quality of the steaks are not that high and the steak just lacks seasoning and flavor.

Brits Fish & Chips-Closed

Brits Fish & Chips
1770 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena
626-720-3778

My favorite fish and chips restaurant in the LA area is, England Fish and Chips, nobody comes close to the great prices, great pieces of fried cod, and service.

I heard about Brits a few months back but I didn't really make an effort in trying Britt's. Why? I saw Brits menu and price for fish and chips and the last time I paid that much, I had terrible fish and chips at Henry's Hat, not to mention bad service.

Anyways, I was back in the Pasadena area and decided what the hell, and tried Brits.




The fish and chips, $10.95, comes with peas and a side salad. I didn't take a picture of the salad. It was your regular salad from a bag; iceberg lettuce, carrots, etc. The salad was fresh.

The fish was actually pretty good. I had heard they use haddock, a lower quality fish than cod. But the menu said cod, I asked the bartender if it was cod, and got a yes. When I broke the piece in two, I could tell it was cod. So Britts gets some points there.

The batter was a lighter batter than I'm used. It wasn't super crunchy, more crispy. It was also a bit saltier than I like it.

But the cod itself was pretty good. Nice and firm fish, I'm guessing they use fresh, not frozen cod. A good example of what fish and chips should be.

The fries are steak fries that are nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Pretty good. But when I order fish and chips, I don't care about the fries.

An extra piece of fish is $4.95. I think I would pass on an extra piece at that price. The fish is good but nothing will beat the price and value of the fish at England Fish and Chips.

But with that said, the $10.95 price at Brits is not only a good value but the fish is good too.

Service was good. There are two parts to Brits, the bar area and a dining area. I walked into the dining area but I wanted my order to go. The bartender greeted me, when he saw me. He could have asked if I needed a menu but no biggie since I already knew what I wanted. I walked over to the bar and placed my order.

I would go back to Brits for the fish and chips.

Numero Uno Pizza Pasta & More-Closed

Numero Uno Pizza Pasta & More
3562 E Foothill Blvd
Pasadena
626-577-1723

Update June 3, 2010. Thanks to a reader JH's comment, I got Numero Uno confused with Pizzeria Uno. Pizzeria Uno is a Chicago legend. Many claim Pizzeria Uno has the best deep dish pizza. Numero Uno Pizza is a different company.

Across Foothill Blvd, from Panera Bakery, is Numero Uno Pizza. I know it's a chain but I wanted to try it. When I reviewed Panera Bakery, I also didn't realize it was also a chain. I really do hate feeding the chains. But I wanted to try Numero Uno for a long time.

I printed out a coupon for a large one topping, pepperoni, "deep dish" pizza and chicken wings, $16.41. The coupon is good for delivery or take out, only.



Eight spicy wings came in an order. The wings were baked, they are not deep fried. Pretty spicy but nothing overwhelming. But there was a lot of batter on the wings but very little meat on the bones. The meat was pretty moist and tender. But I didn't like the texture of the skins. They need to be deep fried.



I always thought Numero Uno pizza was a Chicago style deep dish pizza place but this isn't anything close to real deep dish pizza. This pizza is really a pizza cooked in a pan and passed off as deep dish. There wasn't much sauce on the pizza, making it dry because of the crust. Now I did like the crust, which had a sweet flavor and a nice crisp texture. But it was so dry. There was a good amount of pepperoni and just tons of cheese. It just needed more sauce.

For what it is, a pan pizza, it's not that bad. But I wouldn't go back to Numero Uno.

Service was very good. Nice friendly people. The first person who saw me standing at the counter, greeted me and said "I'll be right with you." About a minute later somebody else helped me and he was nice.

While the pizza or the wings aren't for me, I came away with a positive feeling about this Numero Uno. A simple greeting, something that doesn't happen, can got a long way. Just say "Hi" to a customer, it does wonders!!