Southern Wok-Closed

Southern Wok
1110 S Long Beach Blvd.
Compton
310-604-3868

I was driving along Long Beach Blvd, in Compton and noticed a sign that said Chinese and Cajun food. So I decided to give their Cajun food a try. This is your normal steam tray Chinese food restaurant. Their Cajun menu consists of fried chicken, fried fish and shrimp and boiled shrimp.




I decided I want fried chicken, so I got a breast piece, $1.49. This piece of chicken was cooked to order and the skin was very crispy. The seasoning was almost to the point of being too salty but, I liked the seasoning. The chicken was moist but not all that tender and a bit rubbery. The chicken was average.

Service was very good. The guy taking my order was nice and helpful.

The Chinese food looked pretty good, so next time I'm in the area, I will give the Chinese food a try or I may get the fried shrimp and fish. I doubt I would order the fried chicken again.

Fratello's Pizza & Pasta

Fratello's Pizza & Pasta
1667 N. Mountain Ave.
Upland
909-981-0200

David Allen is one of my sources for new restaurants. He will review restaurants in the western Inland Empire area. I have found many good restaurants through him. So, when I read his review about Fratello's Pizza & Pasta, it quickly got on my list of restaurants to try. While it took me awhile to go there, I finally made it, on a rainy day.

Fratello's Pizza & Pasta is located in a very dark strip mall, off Mountain Ave. I saw they had a special through Yelp, a large pizza for the price of a small, $9.99. So I called and placed an order. The guy gave me great directions and what to look for, and I was able to find the restaurant.



Large, 16in, pizza with half sausage and half pepperoni, $9.99 with Yelp special, that was posted on Dec. 17, 2010.

This is a medium crust pizza. The crust was well baked, chewy, good texture and held up well to the toppings.

The toppings were pretty good. I loved the amount of cheese on the pizza. Good quality cheese that was well melted. The pepperoni was better than the sausage. The pepperoni, which averaged about 3-5 pieces per slice, had a nice spice and flavor. The sausage was a bit bland, lacked fennel seeds and any flavor.

Service was good. The lady who took my order greeted me and was nice and friendly. But, the Yelp special does not mention anything about printing out a copy of the special. When I called to place my order, the guy wanted me to print out the Yelp page. Now, it wasn't really an issue, I have a printer. But, they should put that on the Yelp page. If I had not called in my order, and I just mentioned the Yelp ad, there may have been issues.

Overall, I like the pizza at Fratello's, I liked the pepperoni better than the sausage. But, overall this is a very good pizza place.

Peter's Gourmade Grill-Closed

Peter's Gourmade Grill
16851 McFadden Ave
Tustin
714-599-3866

Update Dec 26, 2010: The owner of Peter's Gourmade Grill threatened to get my Yelp account taken away. Why? They got my Yelp review taken away, when I gave Peter's Gourmade one star because they never answered their phone. Now, stupid Yelp, gave the reason, I didn't have first hand experience with the business. Well, trying to call, during listed open hours, and not getting an answer is first hand experience. If you call a restaurant or any business and they do not answer the phone, what are you thinking? They are closed, right?

As I mentioned in my review, the day I went, the lady was talking to a friend, who was sitting at the bar. Why they can't answer their phone is beyond me. What is worse is all the excuses she gave me, we're busy.

The fact that any business owner can get reviews changed or removed from Yelp, proves Yelp reviews are not fair and unbiased.

I will not go to Peter's Gourmade again. Bad service isn't something I want to return to. They need to learn about simple customer service, answering the phone.

Update: Since writing this review, the owner contacted me. We talked about them not answering the phone during business hours. She assured me, they are open during their listed hours, even though they do not answer the phone. Their hours are 11am-3pm and 6pm-10pm. That means they are closed from 3pm to 6pm. They also have a website: Peter's Gourmade.

I find it refreshing that an owner wants to do things right and cares about customer service. I've always said, it's not so much making a mistake, it's how you handle the mistake. Since I love the burgers, I will be back soon.

When I first heard about Peter's Gourmade Grill in the Orange County Register, and I was looking forward to trying it. A gourmet burger place, in a gas station, sounded like a great hidden gem.

The owner is a classically trained chef, who worked at some top restaurants and then opened up his own restaurant.

There are about five chairs for people to eat, but this is mainly a take out location.



I got the swiss mushroom, bacon burger, $4.75, angus burger with swiss cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, and onions.

WOW, this burger was great. I loved it. But, the first bite was a bit bland. But the next bite, a huge burst of flavor. The swiss cheese, the tender mushrooms, the bacon, the angus beef just worked so well together. The bun helped up well to the burgers and all the toppings. Some parts of the bacon was undercooked, but otherwise, this was a great burger.

Service, was very good while ordering. The lady, greeted me when I walked up and was nice and friendly.

My issue with Peter's Gourmade is that they never answer their phone. I always call before trying a new place, to make sure they are still in business and/or opened. I've learned because there were some restaurants on my list, that by the time I wanted to go there, the restaurant was out of business.

But, I tried to call Peter's Gourmade, three times last week, during the hours listed on Yelp, and on their answering machine; but all three times, nobody answered the phone. Tustin is a bit far for me to drive for nothing. But, today I figured, I would go and if they were not opened and there was no sign saying why they were closed, I would take pictures and then give a bad review. Luckily, they were open.

But, while I was waiting for my burger, the girl was talking to one of her friends, who was sitting at the counter. If she has time to talk to a friend, she needs to find time to answer the phone. I went around noon, and it was a bit busy but I can't imagine it was that busy the three days I called last week, that they couldn't answer the phone.

I did find out, the phone number listed is a cell number and you can text in your order. That's fine, since I've already been there, but if it's your first time it's hard to know what you want, since there is no online menu. I was informed by the owner, that Peter's Gourmade, does have a website: Peter's Gourmade.

I'm a big fan of Peter's Gourmade and I love their burgers. I believe it's the best burger in Orange County. I will be back, but if they are closed, at a time when they are suppose to be open and there is no sign, you can be sure I'll let readers of The New Diner know about it.

Liliana's Tamales

Liliana's Tamales
3448 E 1st St
Los Angeles
323-780-0839

Further east on the Gold Line, at Indiana Station, is Liliana's Tamales. Liliana's Tamales was my second stop along the torta portion of the Sushi-Torta express. La Placita Del D.F.

Since it is the holidays, I wanted some tamales. I heard Liliana's Tamales, made some great tamales and I wanted to try it.




Tamale chili rojo con carne: $1.50. I like tamales, but it's not the first thing I order when I go to Mexican restaurants. This chili rojo con carne, was different than most tamales I've had. The masa was a bit different-the texture was off, and blended into the corn husks. The was a decent amount of beef but the masa really overwhelmed the beef.

Service is nice and friendly.

I wouldn't go back to Liliana's Tamales. I was expecting to be blown away but I was disappointed.

Despite going to two less than stellar restaurants along the Sushi-torta express, I will continue my search for good restaurants along this train line. But there is always La Serenata, which is across from Mariachi Plaza station and King Taco in East LA, which is across the street from the Maravilla Station.

La Placita Del D.F.-Closed

La Placita Del D.F. 1859 E 1st St Los Angeles 323-780-8232 There are many great restaurants near the Metrorail subway system in LA. The Gold Line extension, that goes east to Atlantic Blvd, has been nicknamed Sushi-Torta Express, because it goes to Little Tokyo and East LA. I decided to see for myself what the, torta portion of the Sushi-Torta Express has to offer. So I took the Gold Line to the Mariachi Plaza station and went to La Placita Del D.F., which is about a two block walk from the station. I noticed a torta on the menu and go the torta Milanesa-breaded steak, $4.25, with mayo, cheese, and breaded steak. I loved the bread, lightly toasted, with a nice crust and nice chewy texture and held up well to all the steak. But I didn't like how fatty the steak was, just too much fat and gristle. The pieces of actual steak was a bit tough and chewy. This was really a greasy mess. Service was pretty good, but if you don't speak Spanish, it's all point at pictures. I wouldn't go back to La Placita Del D.F., at least not for the torta. My next stop along the sushi-torta express Gold Line is Liliana's Tamales.

Willie's Grill & Deli

Willie's Grill & Deli
929 S Victory Blvd
Burbank
818-842-1377

Willie's Grill & Deli, is located inside a liquor store. It's the first thing you see, when you walk in. Willie's has a large selection of sandwiches, burgers, and fish and chips. There are two tables to eat there, but this is mainly a take out place.




Fish and chips and shrimp combo, $9.49. The fish is cod and while the cod was very good, the batter was soggy and a bit greasy. It's clear the fish had been sitting under heat lamps for awhile. This could have been very good, if this was freshly made. The tarter sauce was very good with a nice tangy flavor.

But the jumbo shrimp makes up for it. The shrimp was huge!! They use the same batter on the shrimp, as the fish and chips. But, the shrimp wasn't soggy or greasy. The shrimp itself was nice and fresh, nice texture.

The fries are steak fries and came nice and crispy.

This was well worth the price, even though the fish was a bit soggy.

Service leaves a lot to be desired. I wasn't greeted. Hello, learn customer service. But the cook was pretty nice, answering my questions and giving me an extra cup of tarter sauce.

But the cashier, was your typical liquor store cashier, not friendly, just give him the money and get out.

I would go back to Willie's but I would insist on getting a freshly fried fish. The fish was good enough to give another chance.

Rose City Pizza

Rose City Pizza
3588 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead
626-280-8885

I was very surprised when I heard about Rose City Pizza in Rosemead. But, I figured I would try it and see how it measures up.

Rose City is a NY style pizza place. Now, most places will say they are NY style but they really have no idea what NY style pizza, really is. Rose City does a very good job of NY style pizza.



While they did sell slices, I wanted to get a fresh made pie. So, I got a medium, one topping- half sausage and half cheese, which is currently on special for $9.99. The special runs Mon-Thrs- from 3pm-9pm.

I was surprised at how good this pizza was. First, they carefully weighed all the ingredients-lots of cheese, good amount of sausage, which is mild in flavor, and a good sauce. The crust was a bit thicker than most NY style pizza, but very solid and just a bit crispy, which I like.

Service started off bad but was good, overall. When I walked in, I wasn't greeted. Why is it so hard for restaurants, who are in customer service, to greet people? But they were friendly and helpful. I made a mistake in ordering; I asked for half pepperoni, instead of half sausage. I made the change before I even paid. But, the guy misunderstood what I asked for and he put half pepperoni and sausage and half pepperoni. I saw the pizza right before it was going in the oven and asked, I wanted half cheese and half sausage. He was nice and got rid of the pepperoni. He was very nice about it.

I really enjoyed Rose City pizza. The crust, the cheese and the toppings all work very well together. This is a hidden gem!!

Original McDonalds

This is the original sign. One of two original items left from the first McDonalds.



This is the original storage and office space of the first McDonald's. The second original item left from the first McDonalds.



The city of San Bernardino, also recognizes it's place in history.



When the McDonalds brothers sold the franchise to the jerk, Ray Kroc, they gave up the rights to the "Golden Arches." The deal with the jerk, did NOT include the original location. Thus the jerk, was really upset that he was too stupid to have the original location included. So the McDonald brothers had to put a big M, on the store.

Original McDonald's
1398 North E St
San Bernardino
909-885-6324

When I was looking at the map to find I went to Bobby Ray's BBQ, I noticed that Bobby Ray's was very close to the location of the first McDonalds. I knew the actual McDonalds building, which was an octagon shape, had been torn down years ago, but there is a McDonalds museum on the site. So I decided to drop in.

The McDonalds Corporation doesn't even recognize, this location as the first McDonalds. But true historians know this is where the McDonalds brothers started the chain, and Ray Kroc turned into a greedy corporation. What that jerk corporation considers "the first" McDonalds, is the first that was franchised and the ninth McDonalds ever built. It is in some dump city near Chicago.

The oldest McDonalds that is still in operation is the McDonald's in Downey, which is the fourth McDonald's ever built.

The museum is a blast. So much history. But something they are missing is the styrofoam containers for the Big Mac, Filet O Fish, and the Mc DLT!!! If anybody has those styrofoam containers, please contact the museum.

A brief history of this site, after the brothers sold the restaurant. Bakers-another start up burger restaurant, bought the site. The building was torn down, and a new building was built for a music company. The music company sold it to a performing arts company. The performing arts company, sold it to the owners of Juan Pollo, a fast food chicken restaurant. The owner of Juan Pollo, knows history and wanted to honor the site of the first McDonald's. So he created the museum.



This is a the actual piece of flooring at the original McDonalds.



This multi mixer is what got the jerk Ray Kroc, interested in how the McDonalds brother's business.

Bobby Ray's Bar-B-Que-Closed

Bobby Ray's Bar-B-Que
1657 W Base Line St
San Bernardino
909-885-9177

I was all prepared to do a review of Bobby Ray's BBQ, last year. But, I called and asked when they would be close, that night. It was about 4pm and he told me they were going to close at 7pm. I was in downtown LA, and figured I would make the drive out to San Bernardino. I arrived at 6pm, even on a Saturday the traffic was bad, and they had already closed, but there were 4-5 people, all black, eating inside. I asked, nicely if he could make one more order to go, but he said no. I was pissed. I thought the owner, who is black, was racist and lied to me. I swore, that I would never go there again.

But I was going to be in the area and decided, what the hell. Try it, if I don't like it, I can write a review about the bad BBQ and terrible service.



I got the half pound of pork spare ribs, $9. The ribs are smoked with fruit woods, I got tastes of apples and cherry wood. The ribs were very dry and chewy, and some ribs were very fatty. There was a lot of meat on the ribs, the smoke flavor was nice and subtle, and there a lot of ribs in the order. He wasn't measure the ribs on a scale, he was just putting ribs into the container. But, overall I wasn't really impressed with these ribs at all. These ribs tastes as though they were in the warmer for too long.

The BBQ sauce tasted like Chris & Pitts BBQ sauce, which I don't like, because of it's too sweet flavor.

Now, I don't hold grudges and kept an open mind. The man, who I believe is the owner helped me today. I walked in and he was outside, talking on his cell phone. He came in, talked a little longer, then got off the phone and helped me. This was about two minutes at most. Not a long wait. To my surprise, he was very nice. He addressed me as sir, nice touch, even though I am younger than him. He could teach others about costumer service.

I'm glad I got good service, but I wasn't happy that I was lied to the first time. When a restaurant says they are going to open until a certain time, they better stay open. And really, it would have been very easy to serve me, but for whatever reason, he decided not to.

Anyways, the BBQ is below average and there is no need for me to return.

Tacos Baja-Closed

Tacos Baja
853 E Rte 66
Glendora
626-914-6160

If this address sounds familiar, it should; this used to be the location for Bam Bam BBQ, a terrible BBQ place that closed down. Lucky a very good fish tacos restaurant, Tacos Baja, has replaced it. I already reviewed the Tacos Baja in East LA, and loved their fish tacos. When I found out Tacos Baja opened a location Glendora and has a 99 cent fish taco night, on Wednesday, I couldn't wait to go.




Fish tacos, 99 cents on Wednesday, regular price; $1.59. The fish used is basa fish, sometimes called white roughy. It's a light, mild flavor fish. The batter is nice and light and crispy. The white sauce, pico de gallo, cabbage, and hot sauce was all fresh and worked well together. The corn tortilla was heated, I can't believe some places do not heat their tortillas, and held everything together.

Service is below average. The lady was just going through motions. No idea the meaning of customer service; no greeting the customers, not being polite or friendly.

I didn't notice any different between the tacos here in Glendora or East LA. The service is much better in East LA. But I would go back to Glendora, since it is closer to me. But, I hope I get much better service.