Spaghetti Eddie's

Spaghetti Eddie's Italian Restaurant
946 S Grand Ave
Glendora
626-963-0267

I was craving for some spaghetti and decided to try Spaghetti Eddie's. I have driven by Spaghetti Eddie's, so many times but since Italian food is not a favorite of mine, I never stopped in. But I finally went last night.






I got the chicken parmigiana, $15.99 with salad. The salad was just load with mozzarella cheese, which I like on a pizza, but not in a salad. The salad was fresh but I couldn't get past the large amount of cheese.

The chicken parmigiana was rubbery, overcooked, tough, chewy, and just not good at all. It was a good sized portion but come on, don't overcook the damn thing.

The marinara sauce was pretty good. A mild flavor, none of this spicy or tangy marinara sauce I've had before. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly, al dente.

Service was good. Our server was nice and friendly. We got refills without asking and didn't lack for anything.

I went to Spaghetti Eddie's because my friend had a coupon. I would not have been happy paying full price for the chicken parmigiana. I would not order the chicken parmigiana again but I would be willing to go back and try the spaghetti, since I liked the marinara sauce.

Yang Chow

Yang Chow
819 N Broadway
Los Angeles
213-625-0811

Yang Chow is an American style Chinese restaurant. It's the mom and pop version of PF Chang's. Now, if you judge Yang Chow and PF Chang's for what they are; Americanized Chinese food, they do a very good job. And that's how they should be judged and reviewed. I don't understand why people try to make them something they are not. Judge them for what they are!!

I went with about 10 other people and we had some good food.



Slippery shrimp;$14.25. This is their specialty. The slippery shrimp is basically a lemon shrimp. The shrimp was coated in a crunchy batter and then topped wiht a lemon sauce. I liked this dish but it was bordering on being a bit to sweet. I liked the portion size and the freshness of the shrimp.



Sauteed string beans, $9.75. This was very well cooked with some garlic. The string beans were crunchy, they could have cooked for a few more minutes and come out softer. But overall I liked this dish.



Hot and spicy beef shreds, $10.75. This had well cooked, carrots and celery and long pieces of sliced beef. The beef was pretty tender and flavorful.



Tofu with black bean $9.75, with celery and black bean. The tofu was pan fried then topped with the sauce. I liked the outside texture of the fried tofu. Good flavor throughout this dish.



Sauteed sliced chicken breast, $10.75. Yang Chow must use a ton of carrots and celery because almost every dish we order had both. The chicken was fairly tender, a good sized portion, and a nice mild sauce.



Lamb with scallion, $11.75. I tried a little of this dish. I don't usually eat lamb but this was pretty good. Nice flavorful tender pieces of lamb,



Spicy Hunan beef, $11.75. Other than beef and broccoli, Hunan beef is the ultimate Americanized Chinese dish. This had a nice sauce and tender pieces of beef.

Service was good. The owner is a very nice and friendly man, who is trying to be a comic. You'll love his jokes!!

I enjoyed my meal at Yang Chow. I would have no problems going back there. But I do think prices are a bit high, maybe higher than PF Chang's, though the portions are good sized.

Again judge Yang Chow and PF Chang's for what they are, Americanized Chinese food. Don't expect authentic Chinese food at these places.

Tortas Mexico-Closed

Tortas Mexico 6231 Foothill Blvd Tujunga 818-249-5163 As with Sunland, Tujunga is not a "city" but a community that is part of the city of Los Angeles. I read some good things about Tortas Mexico and decided to give them a try. Huge mistake. This is the two mini taco combination, $5.80, with fish and carne asada tacos, with rice and beans. When I ordered the fish taco, I was expecting the Baja style fish taco, deep fried. But this was grilled talapia. It was ok but not was I was expecting. The carne asada taco was so salty, I couldn't get over the saltiness of the taco. The actual meat was pretty tender but the only flavor I got was the salt. There was a good amount of carne asada but the regular price is $1.45, which is higher than many other taco places that have better tacos. I normally don't eat the beans but I really liked the beans here. Full of flavor, tender, very moist, not dry at all. Service was good, but bad. The good, the lady who took my order was nice and friendly. But what wasn't good, was the their pricing. Taped to the counter is their lunch special which includes the two tacos for $5 but 60 cents extra for fish or shrimp. My total came to $5.80 before tax. So the actual break down is $5.50 for the two taco special and 30 cents for the fish. I really wish restaurants would honor their posted prices!! My food trip to Corsica in Sunland and Tujunga were a complete waste of time. I feel bad for the people who live in these two commmunities, who have to drive a good distance for good food.

Corsica Italian Delicatessen

Corsica Italian Delicatessen
8111 Foothill Blvd
Sunland
818-352-7213

The San Fernando Valley is an interesting place. Many people, outside of California, think "cities" like Northridge, Van Nuys, and Sunland are actual cities. But they are really "communities" Those communities are part of the city of Los Angeles.

But each of these communities, each have their own unique flavor and but one thing they have in common is that, they are a bunch of NIMBY's.

So, while I understand Sunland isn't a "city" it is a community that I haven't reviewed a restaurant. So I was going to be in the area for lunch and looked for some sandwich places. I found Corsica Italian Delicatessen and wanted to give them a try.



The first thing I noticed about Corsica, is it's huge menu. They have so many sandwich choices. I finally decided to get a Clark's Special, $8.99; cappocolla, pastrami, and swiss cheese, with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes on french roll. The sandwich usually comes with hot pepper cheese but I don't like hot pepper cheese.

There was about a quarter pound of meats on the sandwich. But both the cappocolla and pastrami weren't anything special. They were standard lunch meat from any supermarket deli section. They were ok, but nothing outstanding and not worth the high price.

But the french roll was soft, with a very chewy texture, almost like a Philly cheesesteak roll. Maybe the best part of the sandwich.

Service was very good. The lady who took my order was very nice, if a bit talkative. She told me about the area and the fact that Corsica has been around for about 40 years.

I wasn't impressed with Corsica and I wouldn't go back for their sandwiches. High prices for ok quality meats, isn't worth it.

China Bowl- Walnut-Closed

China Bowl 1223 Grand Ave. Walnut 909-595-1472 I know I have reviewed a ton of Chinese, fast food restaurants. They do serve a purpose and some can be good. But most are terrible. China Bowl in Walnut falls into the terrible category. I got the teriyaki chicken and beef with onions $5.48, with all chow mein. The chow mein was a greasy mess, mostly noodles with very little vegetables. The beef with onions was pretty good, nice flavor, moist, tender. But the teriyaki chicken, was bland, flavorless and unappealing. But the one thing I did notice was the small portions. The lady behind the steam table, put two pieces of broccoli underneath the teriyaki chicken, giving it the appearance of a larger portion. But the entire container was smaller than even Panda Express. Service was OK. I would not go back to China Bowl again.

J & J's BBQ & FISH

J & J's BBQ & FISH
751 N Indian Hill Blvd
Pomona
909-865-6700

I read yesterday, that J & J's BBQ & FISH had been opened for a little over a year, I was very surprised. What took me so long to know about a BBQ restaurant! At first I thought it was the JJ's Fish and BBQ in Ontario, reopening. But they are different names, J & J's compared JJ's.

The owners of J & J's are related to the owners of Bodacious BBQ and Walker's BBQ. J & J's is located in the same center as Pittsburgh Broasted Chicken, which sadly is now closed and has been replaced by a taco stand. J & J's is a good sized restaurant with about 8-10 tables and they are related to Walker's BBQ.





I wasn't that hungry and decided to get the spare ribs lunch, $7.99, with double hush puppies. They have a large selection of sides on the menu, but some sides are not available all the time. I got about five St. Louis style spare ribs in my order and the guy, who I believe is the owner, gave me a rib to try, while I was waiting.

The ribs were a bit small and had very little meat on them. Yes, I know St. Louis style ribs, mean the tips are cut off, but there should be more meat on these ribs. The ribs were also a bit dry. They had been sitting in a warmer for too long. A pit master told me, when you have a BBQ restaurant, you are going to get ribs that need to be thrown away because they dry out and/or have been sitting in warmers for too long. The ribs had a nice smoke flavor, they use hickory and oak, but I just couldn't get over the dryness of the ribs.

Service is good. But when I first arrived, the guy just went about straightening up. He didn't acknowledge me or anything. But once I was ready to order, he was nice.

I'm not sure if I would go back to J & J's.

Valentino's Pizzeria-Closed

Valentino's Pizzeria
644 E Arrow Hwy
Pomona
909-625-3187

In the same shopping center as Dino's Chicken, I found Valentino's Pizzeria, a no frills pizza place. When I think of Pomona, pizza isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But I heard some great things about Valentino's and decided to give them a try.



Valentino's has a special, extra large pizza; I got 3/4 sausage and 1/4 pepperoni, for $10.99. The first thing I noticed was the weight of the pizza. It was heavy, always a good sign. When I opened the box, I saw huge pieces of sausage, another good sign.

The took a bite, and the crust was a bit tough and chewy. The sauce had a nice little kick, they put a lot of oregano in their sauce. The sausage was awesome, lots of fennel seeds, lots of spices and flavor. The pepperoni was pretty good with decent spice.

Service was very good. Very friendly people.

I thought Valentino's was pretty good but not the greatest pizza I've had in the area. Though, I would have no problems going back if I was in the area.

Annia's Kitchen

Annia's Kitchen
4233 Santa Anita Ave
# 18
El Monte
626-401-2422

In continuing my theme of trying restaurants in new cities, I went El Monte, after reading about their Friday special, ribs. I never these ribs were not going to be real BBQ, but I figured what the hell.

Annia's Kitchen is located at the El Monte Airport. I was a bit surprised but Annia's was busy when I got there. So must be a popular place.




I got the spare ribs special, that is only served on Friday, $9.49; with fries, clam chowder, and a drink. A very good deal for the amount of food you get.

First, let me tell you about the clam chowder, maybe one of the best clam chowder I have ever had. Nice, rich hearty flavor, with a good amount of clams. The potatoes were cut really small, so there wasn't any filler. I would go back to Annia's, just for the clam chowder.

But I came here for the ribs and I was disappointed. The ribs were dry, chewy and tough. They overcooked the ribs. The sauce was a tomatoey sauce, that was a bit bland and did not hide the dryness of the ribs.

The fries, you can also get mashed or baked potato, was very good. Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Wish the ribs were as good.

Service was good. Nice friendly people.

Annia's Kitchen, has baby back ribs on Wednesday, so I'm thinking of going back to try the baby backs. But I know I will go back for the clam chowder!!

Junior's Restaurant/Deli-Closed

Junior's Restaurant/Deli
2379 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles
310-475-5771

I heard about Junior's Restaurant/Deli a few months back and decided to give them a try. My favorite deli in LA, is Canter's, so Junior's had a lot to live up to.




I ordered the David Deli Platter, $13.95, corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, and rye bread on a platter, because I didn't see a corned beef and pastrami combo sandwich. But I figured they were using the same corned beef and pastrami, as they do on their sandwich, so I couldn't lose. I did like both the corned beef and pastrami. Both were tender, flavorful and didn't have much fat!! Junior's trims the fat, where other deli's serve you a fat filled sandwich.

The rye bread was a bit bland, I want to taste the fennel seed. The swiss cheese was very good, light, nutty flavor.

Service was great. I sat at the counter and the server was annoying and wonderful. I didn't lack for anything and she refilled my drink without asking. She was great. She could dish it out and take it. She was getting on me when I asked for a box, saying I should clean my plate. So I got on her, when put my leftovers in the box, and she took the plate; I told her I wasn't done yet. Then I smiled. She smiled. She asked how everything. I said the food was great but, just as I was going to say, service needs improvement, she said service was annoying!!! It was great. The server's name is Anne and she is just awesome.

I would go back to Junior's anytime. I love this place. Has it replaced Canter's, as my favorite? Let's just say, Junior's is 1B.

Father's Office- Los Angeles

Father's Office
3229 Helms Ave
Los Angeles
310-736-2224

I went to the Father's Office in Santa Monica about four years ago. I heard Father's Office opened another location at the old Helm's Bakery, where LA and Culver City meet. So I decided to give them a try.

Father's Office is in the city of LA, but if you cross Washington, which is about 25 yards behind Father's Office, you would be in Culver City, hell the sidewalk has Welcome to Culver City. But the correct address is LA.




I got the Father's Office burger, $12.50, with caramelized onions, bacon, gruyere, maytag blue, and arugula. There are no deletions or substitution. The burger was good but I asked for it medium rare and it was a bit undercooked, more towards rare. I also thought there was too much maytag blue, which just overpowered the burger.

Service here, is order everything at the bar and runners will bring your food to your table. Service was fine but one of the runners said "No taking pictures of the food." Of course, I continued to take pictures of food. I don't know what the hell they are worried about, if you're proud of your food and stand by it, you should be happy people are taking pictures. I also noticed three pages of pictures of the food at FO, on another review site. Hmmmmmmmmmmm

This FO location isn't as pretentious as the Santa Monica location but the no picture policy is stupid and I will not return to FO again.

FO started this gourmet burger craze in LA. They do a good job, I didn't notice any difference between the LA and the Santa Monica location. But they are full of themselves. There are other restaurants who joined battle gourmet burger and they are proud to have pictures taken of their food. No reason for me to go back to either location of FO.