DZ Akin's

DZ Akin's
6930 Alvarado Rd
San Diego
619-265-0218

I enjoy going to the classic deli. I love the atmosphere, the food, the rich cultural significance of a deli. I've been to my share of delis in the LA area. So, on my latest trip to San Diego, I wanted to go back to the only deli that I know of and have been to in San Diego; DZ Akin's. A friend, who lives in San Diego, told me that DZ Akin's became popular because a local news reporter loves the place. In fact they even named a sandwich after him, Ted Leitner-corned beef, pastrami, and American cheese on rye.

DZ Akin's is located off the 8 freeway in a small strip mall. You enter at the bakery and deli counter, then walk through the long dining area. It can get very crowded, I've waited 20 minutes for a table before.

I got the pastrami and corned beef on rye, $12.95. While the sandwich was piled high with meat, the meat quality wasn't that good. There were a lot of fat and gristle on the meat. I know corned beef and pastrami are made from the brisket cut, a very fatty and full of connective tissue, cut of meat. But, most delis trim off a lot of the fat. I can say with almost 100% certainty, that DZ Akin's does not make their own meats. The meats are bought from a source. In other words, I can get a pound of pastrami and corned beef for the deli counter and make my own sandwich, for much less.

The rye bread wasn't anything special, I could have gotten better bread at the local market.

Service was good. I wasn't really lacking for anything, the server was nice, friendly, and helpful. I asked about their plantation soup, and she had the ingredients written on her order book. To me that's impressive. Instead of saying, I don't know or I'll have to ask, all she did was look in her book and gave me the answer. A very well trained and friendly staff.

I won't go back to DZ Akin's again. The food is just ok and like I said, I could get better meats and bread for much cheaper at most deli counters.

Soot Bull Jeep

Soot Bull Jeep
3136 W 8th St
Los Angeles
213-387-3865

Having been a couple "all you can eat" Korean BBQ places, like Manna Korean BBQ and Road to Seoul in Koreatown, I wanted to try a non all you can eat, Korean BBQ restaurant. So I went to Soot Bull Jeep.

I've heard about Soot Bull Jeep, because they are one of the few Korean BBQ restaurants that use charcoal instead of gas grills. So, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I decided to have lunch at Soot Bull Jeep.

Everybody tells me the major difference between all you can eat and ordering off the menu, is the quality of meat. The meat at the all you can eat places are a lesser grade of meat compared to the order off the menu places, or they are suppose to be.

I was surprised at how limited Soot Bull Jeep's menu is, they had about 13 meats listed, but that included two different types of beef, squid, and pork, a short rib, chicken, honeycomb, beef tartar, and eel. Where is the pork belly?

BBQ Pork, $18.99. This was marinated with some paprika, soy sauce, and salt and pepper, it had a bit of a kick. (I was rudely informed that they use chili flakes, not paprika. But, a closer look at the meat, I think they use chili powder, not chili flakes. I don't see any flakes on the meat, but I certainly tasted the spiciness.) This was pretty good, but it had it's share of gristle and fat. I mean, $18.99 for a good sized portion, but the meats is about the same quality as all you can eat?

Ok, the charcoal added some flavor but not worth this price.

BBQ marinated sliced spencer steak, $19.99. Spencer steak are suppose to be from the rib eye, which means not that much fat or gristle but plenty of marbling. Well, this wasn't a spencer steak, it wasn't from the rib eye, more along the lines of sirloin and it was a cheap grade of beef, select.

This was marinated in a sweet sauce, maybe some honey or sugar, and tasted very much like bulgogi. But, again this wasn't any better than the meat from the all you can eat places.

Service was pretty good. The server was nice and friendly.

Honestly, I wasn't impressed with Soot Bull Jeep at all. Ok, the charcoal is different, but everything else is about as good as the all you can eat places I've been to. I can't believe I paid about $40, for two meats, when I could have paid half the price, and gotten more meats that were the same quality!!

There is no reason for me to comeback to Soot Bull Jeep, overpriced, average quality meat? Why bother!!

Juicy Burger-Closed

Juicy Burger
6340 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles
323-465-8429

When I went to 25 Degrees, back in May, 2011, I walked east on Hollywood Blvd to see if Skooby's was still open, it is!! Anyways, walked past Juicy Burger, which has long been on my list of places to try, and decided I needed to go there soon. It's November, and while that isn't soon, at least least I made it to Juicy Burger.

I heard Juicy Burger was a gourmet burger restaurant. So I wanted to see how they compared to other gourmet burger places like 25 Degrees, Father's Office, Umami Burger in Hollywood, Umami Burger on La Brea, and 38 Degrees.

Located at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar, Juicy Burger, is much like The Counter, where you check off what you want on your burger. After placing my order, I found a seat, and this was among the dirtiest restaurants I've ever been in. The tables were dirty and in serious need of being wiped off. The floors were dirty and needed to be swept. No wonder everybody was eating at the counter and not the tables!!

Anyways, I ordered the 1/3lb beef burger, cooked medium, with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard ketchup, and 1000 island dressing, on a bun, $5.75. The first thing I noticed was the bun, which is very much like the buns at Umami Burger. A chewy soft texture with a golden brown dome. The burger was cooked to medium, was very juicy, maybe on the side of greasy, but good flavor and well seasoned. I asked for the toppings and the 1000 island dressing was very tangy, which I like. I bet they use Miracle Whip to make their 1000 island dressing. The other toppings were fresh and tasty. While the burger was good, there wasn't anything gourmet about them. It's a good diner style burger at a good price, nothing more and nothing less.

Service is good. The young lady is very nice and helpful. But, as I mentioned before, the place is just a mess. The workers should stop texting and clean the tables.

I had pretty high expectations of Juicy Burger and I came away pretty underwhelmed. I'm not saying the burger isn't good or it's not a good value, they are, it's just not gourmet-which I was led to believe, and there isn't anything really outstanding about it.

Elite Restaurant

Elite Restaurant
700 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park
626-282-9998

When it comes to dim sum, I am a very picky eater. I don't eat chicken feet or many other items served during dim sum. But, to my way of thinking, any dim sum restaurant has to have good pork shui-mai and steamed BBQ pork buns. If they don't, I'm not going back.

If you ask foodies who has the best dim sum, Elite Restaurant will be mentioned frequently. So, I finally decided to give them a try. I got to Elite around lunch time, which was perfect because the wait was about ten minutes long. It may have had to due with the overcast day and a forecast calling for rain. But, either way I was happy for the short wait, because I was warned the wait times can run close to an hour at Elite.

Elite is different than other dim sum restaurants, they do not have the carts!! You know the drill, the carts are wheeled around and you pick what you want. Instead Elite makes you select how many orders of each item you want. Most of the servers, those taking your order, not the people bringing you the food, speak English well, so it's easy to place your order or if you have questions.

Pork shui-mai-$3.38. These pork shui-mai were huge, maybe the biggest shui-mai I've seen. Well worth the price tag. The pork was very well seasoned and tasty. The shrimp was a medium sized shrimp, that actually worked well with the pork. Though, I don't think I like the trend of pork shui-mai having shrimp in it! This came out hot, with plenty of steam coming out. The wonton is a bit thicker than other shui-mai I've had, but this is a very good example of shui-mai.

Crystal shrimp har gow-$3.38. The first piece of this shrimp har gow was a sticky gooey mess. The outside just attached itself to my chopstick and never let go. The first piece I had, torn apart and I had to eat the shrimp and wrapper separately. The second piece I had was fairly good, the shrimp fresh, well steamed, good sized, and the wrapper was light and with a good texture.

Fried shrimp dumpling-$3.38. Frankly this dish was terrible. The outside did have a nice flakey texture, was fried very well. But, the inside was a doughy mess. There shrimp was ok, but all the veggies-cabbage and green onions just didn't work for me.

Steamed BBQ pork bun-$2.38. This had to be among the worst steamed BBQ pork buns I've ever had. The small amounts of BBQ pork was fatty, too sweat and just not good at all. The bun was too chewy and tough for me.

Service is good. The orders come out quickly and the servers are nice. At least when I was there, they didn't rush you. But, that maybe different when the wait times are over 30 minutes.

For a place that comes so highly recommended, I was very underwhelmed!! The pork shui-mai was good, but I wouldn't order anything else, that I ordered today, again!!

Old Town Mexican Cafe

Old Town Mexican Cafe
2489 San Diego Ave
San Diego
619-297-4330

The third and final stop of my, Veterans Day tour of San Diego. Broken Yolk, and Kansas City Barbeque were the first two restaurants that I revisited. Ok, Old Town Mexican Cafe, is a tourist trap. All of Old Town is a tourist trap. But, a good friend, who has lived in San Diego for over 30 years, took me to Old Town Mexican Cafe about five years ago and I enjoyed it.

Old Town Mexican Cafe is known for their handmade tortillas! I made sure to take a picture of the ladies hard at work in the window making the tortillas.

I got a carnitas taco-$3.95 and fish taco-$4.95.

The carnitas taco was huge. The tortilla is thicker than other tortillas but, you can tell they are freshly made. The tortilla was firm and chewy, which I like and held up to all the meat and veggies. They are also made with lard, which just improves the taste, texture and flavor. Ok, so it isn't healthy. The carnitas were dry and kind of bland. I kept thinking they need to add some seasoning to this. It was a good sized portion, making the fairly high price tag, easier to swallow. But, the lack of flavor, quickly makes this an overpriced taco.

The fish taco is made with pollock. The fish was fried perfectly, a light crispy outside, a good amount of fish and not that thick of batter. The white sauce was very cool and refreshing. The cabbage and tomatoes were fresh. Not the best fish taco I've had, and among the highest I've ever paid for a fish taco, but a fairly decent value, considering the size of the fish and freshness of the toppings.

Service was very good. The server is well trained, he knew exactly what kind of fish is used, was friendly, and came to the table about 20 times, making sure everything was ok.

I know San Diego has to have some better Mexican restaurants, than Old Town Mexican Cafe, but if you're caught in the tourist trap, Old Town, it's not a bad place to try. Since I've already been there twice, I don't need to go back. But, I am looking forward to finding the best fish tacos in San Diego!!

Kansas City Barbeque

Kansas City Barbeque
600 W Harbor
San Diego
619-231-9680

The movie "Top Gun" just celebrated it's 25th anniversary. One scene in Top Gun, was filmed at Kansas City Barbeque. It seems as though being in Top Gun is Kansas City Barbeque's only claim to fame.

This was my second stop on my Veterans Day tour of San Diego. I first went to Broken Yolk, and a few hours after Kansas City Barbeque, I went to Old Town Mexican Cafe.

When the San Diego Padres opened their new ballpark, Petco Park, in 2004, I went to a game and while exploring the area, I went to Kansas City Barbeque. It wasn't really that good but I decided to see if they had improved. I found out that two years ago, Kansas City Barbeque, had a fire in the back portion of the building. It took awhile to rebuild, but they have reopened.

Kansas City Barbeque is located in a great area, right next to the Seaport Village trolley stop and some nice views.

Spare ribs lunch plate, with mac and cheese and corn on the cob, $11.95.

The ribs were overcooked. They were too mushy and the slightest touch and the meat fell off the bone. Good BBQ, the meat should have some pull. It should be tender, but not fall off the bone tender. There was a decent, not great smoke flavor.

The BBQ sauce was just dressed up ketchup, so that didn't add any taste or flavor to the ribs.

The mac and cheese, was from a mix. How do I know? The cheese sauce had a gritty texture to it. That means they couldn't even follow the directions of the mix.

The corn on the cob was so bland and flavorless. They need to buy better quality corn or put something else on the corn.

Service was terrible. There were three servers working. But, there wasn't anybody at the hostess stand, so I waited about ten minutes until a somebody finally came and lead me to a table. The table was on the patio, but it was dirty, with grim and dirt all over. They need to change the table clothes and give the chairs a good power wash.

Then I waited and waited for the server to come and take my drink order. About ten minutes later, the server comes. She is friendly but that's the only good thing I can say about her. I'll admit I didn't go inside the building, I sat on the patio, but she just wasn't around. I get my food, but she doesn't refill my drink. I had to wait to get the check and then I had to wait another five or more minutes for her to pick up my check and get me my change.

Kansas City Barbeque is living off being in a movie 25 years ago. The food is below average and the service is terrible!! There is no reason to go back.

Broken Yolk Cafe

Broken Yolk Cafe
1851 Garnet Ave
San Diego
858-270-9655

I headed down to San Diego on Veterans Day to see how a military city honors it's veterans. For those who do not know, San Diego has a huge military presence, mostly Navy, but all branches of our armed forces are in San Diego. College basketball hosted a game on the USS Carl Vinson beaten Michigan St. and North Carolina.

I figured I would go back to three places that I have been to before and do a review of each. The first place I go to is Broken Yolk in Pacific Beach. This is a very popular breakfast spot. Wait times can be 30 minutes or more, and people just keep coming. There are other Broken Yolk locations in the San Diego area, like San Marcos and Eastlake. I decided to make my trip to San Diego a food tour!! I would go to Kansas City Barbeque, and Old Town Mexican Cafe, on my San Diego food tour.

Daily special, two eggs-over hard, two strips of bacon, and two pancakes, $5.99. The eggs were fresh, but a bit overcooked. Eggs over hard, doesn't mean brown flakes on the outer edges. But the yolk was solidified, which is perfect. I hate runny eggs.

The bacon had a good smokey flavor, but wasn't hot, more like luke warm. I realize they aren't going to cook bacon to order, most bacon is cooked and stored in warmers. But, the bacon I got was luke warm. I was kind of chewy, not beef jerky chewy, but somethings along those lines.

The pancakes were light, fluffy and cooked perfectly. I'm usually not a pancake person, but they were part of the special and I ate them.

I sat at the counter and service was ok. The server was friendly but rarely there. They are so busy, she was running back and forth from the pick up window to other tables. But, I didn't get refills on my drink, she never asked how my food was, and just left the left without saying thank you.

Broken Yolk is your classic neighborhood diner. There is nothing great about the food. If you've been to Denny's, Broken Yolk is slightly better.

The Hollywood Way-Closed

The Hollywood Way
1333 N Hollywood Way
Burbank
818-845-4400

I have been to two very mediocre BBQ restaurants in Burbank, Handy Market and Ribs USA. About a year ago, The Hollywood Way, part BBQ, mostly a sports bar opened up. So, I finally got a chance to give The Hollywood Way a try.

I went on a Tuesday night, when it's trivia night. The place wasn't crowded but it was pretty loud with the trivia game host, asking questions. The Hollywood Way is set up as part sports bars-there are a ton of TV's all over and part BBQ restaurant.

The BBQ at The Hollywood Way is smoked over a combination of oak and apple woods, the finished on a grill where they add their sauce. I'm not a fan of any BBQ being finished on a grill. I want that full smoke flavor! I'm also not a fan of baby back ribs. They don't take as much skill or talent to BBQ, as spare ribs.

I got the K.C. RIB TEASER- four of our baby back ribs, smoked, grilled and glazed with our honey BBQ sauce. Served on a bed of onion straws. $9.95. I was going to get half slab with two sides, $17.99, but I wasn't really that hungry and I would have much preferred spare ribs.

The ribs are coated with a tangy/spicy honey BBQ sauce, which is a tomato based sauce with a good helping of chili power. I liked this sauce, though a bit too sweet.

The ribs had some char on them, since they are finished on the grill. There was a good smoke flavor and the classic smoke rib. But, these are baby backs, so they are already tender. But, they were just slightly too done, the meat was a bit too mushy, that falling off the bone BS, that does NOT make good BBQ. The meat should have some give, not fall off the bone. But, overall I did like the ribs much better than the other BBQ restaurants that I have tried in Burbank. Though Burbank is hardly a good BBQ city.

Service was OK. The biggest problem is you don't know if The Hollywood Way is a sports bar or restaurant. There isn't a host station. I walked in and I actually had to ask one of the servers, if I just pick a table or if I needed to be seated. The server I had was nice and friendly, but a bit slow at refilling drinks and just being around. While it was trivia night and fairly busy, it wasn't packed and there were three other servers working. Not sure why I didn't see my server that much.

I wouldn't make a special trip back to The Hollywood Way, but I wouldn't be against going back if I was in the area.

Paoli's Pizzeria

Paoli's Pizzeria
21020 Ventura Blvd
Woodland Hills
818-883-4136

Yes, I am a fan of deep dish Chicago pizza, and I will travel far and wide to find good examples of deep dish Chicago pizza in LA. But, I think the problem is people don't have a proper understanding of what deep dish Chicago pizza is. Many people think a pizza cooked in a pan or has a thicker crust, is deep dish Chicago pizza. Newsflash people; it is NOT. Deep dish Chicago pizza is about layers of chunky sauce, cheese and toppings.

I was told that Paoli's is a deep dish Chicago pizza. When I walked in, another person was picking up his order and opened the pizza box and I knew right then, Paili's is NOT a deep dish Chicago pizza, just a thick crust or pan pizza. Another thing I would soon find out, Paoli's has the been sausage pizza in LA.

I got a large sausage, $15.25. This may look like deep dish pizza but really it is a thick or pan crust. The crust is a bit doughy, not buttery, with no cornmeal on the bottom. But the toppings!! Just awesome. The chunky tomatoes sauce were mild, not tangy or overly sweet, just perfect. And the homemade sausage, wow, just WOW. Whoever supplies Paoli's their meat for their sausage is awesome. The sausage has a nice mild flavor, nothing overpowering but perfectly seasoned.

This was well worth the price.

Large sausage, pesto, white sauce, $20. They have a special name for this pizza, under the Specialty Pizzas, but I forget the name. But, this pizza was interesting. Instead of red sauce, this was an Alfredo sauce, which was ok, nothing great. But the pesto was a perfect mixture of basil, garlic, and olive oil. It wasn't overpowering and worked well with the pizza.

Service was a bit slow and inattentive. After we got seated, it took them awhile to come back and get our drink orders. Then it took forever to get our drinks. Then it took forever for our order to be taken. The place wasn't busy by any means, not sure why it took so long.

If you're expecting deep dish Chicago pizza from Paoli's, you will be disappointed, their pizza is not deep dish Chicago pizza. But, if you like pizza, you will love their sausage pizza. I feel it is the best sausage pizza in LA.