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.

Prizzi's-Closed

Prizzi's
3821 Riverside Dr
Burbank
818-641-5900

There are certain things about a Chicago style deep dish pizza that I love. The chucky tomato sauce, the layers of cheese and toppings, and a nice flakey, usually with cornmeal, crust. There are places in LA like Masa of Echo Park and Hollywood Pies that serves up a very good example of Chicago deep dish pizza.

Then there are places like Numero Uno Pizza, that think a deep dish pizza means doughly crust baked in a pan. That describes Prizzi's. I heard some good things about Prizzi's but never tried their location on Franklin in LA. Then they closed that location. Then, I heard they moved to Burbank, so I decided to give them a try.

Deep dish sausage pizza-$19. This reminded me of pizza places like Numero Uno Pizza, where they bake a pizza in a deep dish pan and call it Chicago deep dish pizza, but in reality it's nothing close to deep dish Chicago pizza. This was just a large amount of doughy crust, a little sauce then the ground up sausage, and then cheese. It was better than Numero Uno Pizza, but it wasn't a true deep dish Chicago pizza. I wasn't impressed with the sausage, because it was like ground sausage, not in the chunky pieces or the flat layer of sausage you see. The texture and taste was just wrong.

Deep dish meat lovers pizza-sausage, pepperoni, and ground beef, $25. The first thing I noticed about this pizza was the sausage. It was so thin. If you had true Chicago deep dish pizza before, you know the sausage has chunky pieces of tomato. It isn't a thin smooth layer.

This was a little better than the sausage, but the crust wasn't that good, a bit doughly. The cheese and toppings were OK, but nothing really stood out. Nor did this come close to Chicago deep dish pizza.

Since I have had deep dish pizza before, I know they take awhile to bake. The servers should tell people about the wait. Our server did not and that could be a problem for people who don't know about Chicago deep dish pizza.

I paid the server and told her it's all your's. A few minutes later the server came and asked, "Do I need change?" Now, WTF is that, I already told you "it's all your's" and even if you didn't understand, you come back with change and not empty handed.

Otherwise, service was pretty good.

To call Prizzi's a true Chicago deep dish pizza place, would be a mistake. I saw some of their other items, salads, sandwiches, pasta etc and they did look pretty good. I may go to try the other items, but I won't go back for the pizza.

Larry's Chili Dog

Larry's Chili Dog 

3122 W Burbank Blvd 

Burbank 

818-842-0244 

 I found out about Larry's Chili Dog on Yelp. I didn't realize it wasn't that far from Chili John's. Larry's is a small place that is easy to miss. They only have outdoor seating, but it's covered, a welcomed relief from this weekend's heat wave. Whenever I try a new hot dog place, I go for my usual hot dog; mustard and onions, $2.50. I figure if the hot dog is good, then I'll try other toppings. The hot dog is a steamed, all beef, natural casing hot dog. It's pretty good, with a good spice mixture and good quality beef. The snap is good and the flavors exploded with each bite. They were a bit light with the mustard, but there is mustard on the tables, so you can add as much mustard as you want. Overall, I am very impressed with the hot dog. I got the chili dog, $2.89, which comes with mustard and onions. The chili dog is the same, all beef natural casing dog, as the regular hot dog. The chili was very thick, a bit thicker than I prefer. I bet if you stuck a fork in a bowl of this chili, it would stand up! It will mild, not spicy, with beans and cumin was the spice, I tasted the most. The chili dog is ok but not my favorite. Service was pretty good. When I walked up to the window, I was greeted and the guy was friendly. The hot dogs came out quickly, though I told him, my order was, for here, but when my order was ready, it was wrapped in a to go container. I also noticed, after I left, I was overcharged for my order. The hot dog and chili dog would come out to $5.39 plus .54 cents tax, would be $5.92. I was charged $6.15. If they charge for mustard and onions, they should tell you. While the hot dog is good, I won't be coming back to Larry's Chili Dog, any time soon. The hot dog isn't so great, that I need to rush back.

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.

Handy Market BBQ

June 6, 2009. 65 years ago today Allied Forces, under the leadership of Dwight Eisenhower, stormed the beaches of Normandy. This invasion was officially named, Operation Overload and is more commonly known as D Day.

The mission of D Day? To liberate Europe from the scumbag nazi. American forces stormed Omaha Beach. Other Allied countries stormed, Utah, Juno, Sword, and Gold Beach. Within a few hours Allied Forces had captured all those beaches and started their way into liberating France. Soon Allied forces liberated France and then onto Germany and getting rid of the nazi scum.

Too many brave men died on the beaches of Normandy. They didn't burn their draft notices, dodge the draft, protest the draft, act like cowards and run away to Canada, they all answered the call of duty for their country. Too many paid the ultimate sacrifice and never came back home.

Today we need to take a moment to honor them. The saying at the end of the movie; Ike Countdown to D Day is so true, "We may never see their like again."

25 years ago, Ronald Reagan made one of his best speeches on the 40th Anniversary of D Day.









Handy Market
2514 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank
818-848-2500

To honor those brave men who made the ultimate sacrifice on D Day, I went to BBQ. Every Saturday, Handy Market has a BBQ, it is actually a grill but it is well known and as you can see from the line, it is popular.

Baby back ribs, beef ribs, chicken, and tri tip are sold by the pound. Sausauge and corn are also sold.

I got half a rack of baby backs, $7.49/lb and three beef ribs, $3.99/lb. Most half rack of baby back ribs are going to be about a pound.

The ribs are smoked in a smoker with mesquite charcoal. But the ribs are cooked at a very high temp, so they aren't really true BBQ. The ribs are oversmoked, they need to control the flow of the smoker better. The ribs since they are baby backs were fairly tender but that chemical flavor of lighter fluid just ruins the taste for me.

The beef ribs were pretty bad. Lots and lots of gristle and tough meat to go along with the chemical smell. Not a good combination.

This isn't real BBQ. What this is GRILLING-cooking meats at high temps. Most people in line with me thought this was great and love the meat drowned in BBQ sauce.

Service is OK, the people are nice and helpful but slow. I waited in line for about 30 minutes. Then I had to go to pay for the meat inside the market. At least it doesn't take that long to pay.

Also when calling for directions, they aren't too helpful. I called and asked what exit to get off at going north of the 5 freeway. They told me Buena Vista. Well Buena Vista is only off the 134 freeway. If you are on the 134 get off at Olive and go south to Buena Vista.

I would not go back to Handy Market's BBQ. It is not real BBQ and I can do a better job grilling ribs.

Bob's Big Boy- Burbank

Bob's Big Boy- Burbank
4211 W Riverside Drive
Burbank
818-843-9334

Maybe it's because of the holidays but I get nostalgic and I thought about Bob's Big Boy. So I found out that Bob's Big Boy in Burbank has been opened and has basically kept the same design, since 1949. So I knew I had to go.

What a great treat to see a non cookie cutter restaurant. Such great detail and design. I took lots of pictures.

I was shocked to see the amount of people here. The way for a table was thirty minutes on a Saturday afternoon. I would find out later that the workers there consider that to be a SLOW day!!!!

So I decided to get an take out order, since there are some picnic tables by the car hop area. I ordered the Super Big Boy with fries, $7.39. This is cheaper than the Bob's in Diamond Bar, so I figure the Burbank location does so much more volume they can charge less. The Super Big Boy is awesome. The Burbank location puts more of that Bob's relish on the Big Boy than the Diamond Bar location. But otherwise they taste exactly the same, great. The fries were ok but I saw so full from the hot dog and Big Boy, I only ate a few fries.

Service was both good and TERRIBLE. When you walk into the front door, you are greeted by a nice host. I asked him how long is the wait for a table. I didn't like the thirty minute wait, so I decide to get take out. He directed me to the take out register. He was nice, helpful and pleasant.

But the bitch at the take out register was TERRIBLE. She never greeted me. She never smiled, she had the attitude, order quick, I'm busy. When my order came up, she didn't even say thank you. She wasn't pleasant. She was just a bitch with the attitude of Why am I here? Well I can tell her many other places to go. Not sure what the hell is in the water in Burbank but terrible service at both Bob's and Papoo's.

As I was eating the Super Big Boy, a cook was taking his break. So I got to talking to him. He said Fridays and Saturdays nights are so busy you can't even get a parking space. Fridays they have a classic car night and the parking lot is filled by 4pm. I couldn't believe he considered the crowd today slow. A thirty minute wait for a table on a Saturday and he thinks that is slow!!!!

Overall though I did enjoy my experience at the Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. I would come back here if I was in the area. This is open 24 hours so that's always a plus and they have a drive thru. Hopefully that bitch isn't working the next time I come.

Papoo's Hot Dog Show-Closed

Papoo's Hot Dog Show
4300 W Riverside Dr
Burbank
818-846-1511

Papoo's Hot Dog Show is across the street from Bob's Big Boy. Both have been in Burbank since 1949. Once I saw the hot dog I wanted to give them a try.

I ordered the Dressed Dog, $3.25, a Hoffy hot dog with natural casing, mustard, onions, and relish. I asked for no relish. The hot dog was very good. A good snap and flavor. But they said the hot dog is charbroiled. Well this hot dog was barely grilled. I saw some burnt marks but it wasn't close to being charbroiled. It doesn't really make a difference to me, whether or not it's charbroiled or steamed but if you say it's charbroiled, charbroil the damn thing.

Service was TERRIBLE. I walked in and the two worthless servers saw me but didn't greet me. Nice. I took a seat, again both servers walked by, saw me but didn't say anything. Finally one of them, asks what would I like. No, hi how are you? Or what would I like to drink. I order the hot dog, she walks away and then asks what did you say you wanted to drink? Hello, stupid, you didn't ask what I wanted to drink. I told her I just want water. When I get my bill, she slams the bill down on the counter. Nice.

I would not go back here again. TERRIBLE service and while the hot dogs were good, they are overpriced.

The Castaway

The Castaway
1250 Harvard Rd.
Burbank
818-848-6691

I went here for a birthday party. They offered a limited menu choice for our big party of about 16 people.

I ordered the NY steak, topped with blue cheese, shiitake mushrooms with a red wine demi-glaze with seasonal veggies. For our group we got a trip to their salad bar and NY cheesecake for dessert, all for $40 tax and tip included. The regular price of the NY steak is $29.99. So with a salad and dessert that $40 was a good deal.

The salad bar was OK but they had either a spinach salad or mixed green salad, both of which I do not like at all. So I put together some tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots and some ranch dressing. All the items I had were fresh. But I wish they would just have iceberg lettuce.

The steak came out pretty quickly. I ordred mine medium rare and got medium rare. The steak was tender and juicy. But it wasn't as flavorful as other steaks I've had. I would say they use USDA choice beef. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great and I don't feel it was worth the price. I mean I could go to the market and get a steak and BBQ it myself for much less.

The dessert was NY cheesecake, which was nice, creamy and tasty. Their menu lists dessert startings at $5.95.

Service during dinner was great. The servers were attentive, friendly and helpful. But what isn't great is the parking situation. The restaurant sits atop a hill in Burbank. When you turn into the place you think you're going to drive up the hill to the restaurant. But with so many Christmas parties going on this time of year, the valet parking was closed. So there was a parking attendent that had us turn into a very small parking lot and a shuttle was going to take us to the restaurant. Well after we park and get out, two shuttles leave. Also the attendant who directed us to the lot, left and all the cars were driving up the hill. I said screw this and got back into the car and drove further up the hill. There was another attendant directing us to a larger parking lot. We parked and while the first two shuttles were filled quickly, two more shuttles came within ten minutes and we got to the restaurant with no problems. After dinner the shuttles were right there waiting for us in front of the restaurant. We didn't have to pay for parking or the shuttle. But it makes more sense to fill the larger parking lot, that is closer to the restaurant than that tiny parking lot.

I would only go back to Castaway for drinks and the view. What a great view!!! I feel that the food is very average and overpriced. I don't think the food is worth the high prices they charge and the view, while great, doesn't make up for the very average food.

Ribs USA

Ribs USA
2711 W Olive Ave.
Burbank
818-841-8872

Rated as one of the Top Nine BBQ places by9 On the Town, Ribs USA is in the shadow of many TV studios in the Burbank area. Many actors and actresses have autographed photos on the wall for Ribs USA. I can't see how Ribs USA was rated in the Top 9. They serve babyback and beefs ribs. As you know, I got the full slab o babyback ribs for $20. Good thing I was going to split the slab with a friend because the ribs were not any good.

The ribs from Ribs USA are not smoked. If you been to Tony Roma's, you know the kind of ribs at Ribs USA. The ribs are slow roasted in an oven and they lack flavor and they are not meaty.

The BBQ sauce is a very sweet, tomato based sauce that adds nothing to ribs.

I understand everybody has different taste but I don't understand how Ribs USA is ranked in the Top 9 of BBQ places in LA. I could go to any Tony Roma's and get as good or better ribs.

Update July 19, 2009.





I went back to Ribs USA and they now serve spare ribs, $16.95. I also got a dozen hot wings, $7.99.

The wings were OK, nothing great. The wings were a bit small, didn't have that much meat and there wasn't that much sauce covering the wings. They were crispy but I have had better wings.

Now for the spare ribs. The St. Louis style ribs were oven cooked, didn't have a bark, and since they are spare ribs were tough and had a lot of fat. Yes, they were huge. Yes, they had a lot of meat. But when spare ribs are done right, in the hands of a real pit master, cooked in a real wood smoker, low and slow, the fat is greatly reduced, and the ribs become so tender.

Unlike last time, I eat at Ribs USA. The service was OK. The server was nice but nothing special. You have to get your own drinks and they have free peanuts and you throw the shells on the ground.

I don't need to go back to Ribs USA again.

Chili John's

Chili John's
2018 Burbank Blvd
Burbank
818-846-3611

I heard a few good things about Chili John's so I decided to try it for myself. Chili John's isn't that impressive. I went on Feb 4, 2006 and they had a B rating from the health department.

I ordered a regular bowl of mild beef chili over spaghetti for $6.60. When the chili arrived she asked if I wanted sour cream and cheese. I said yes. She forgot to tell me that sour cream and cheese are extra.

The chili was OK but it wasn't even spicy and while I did order mild, that doesn't mean no spice!!!! The spaghetti was cooked just right but the portion is nothing. $7 for a little bowl of spaghetti?? Come on now.

I thought Chili John's was overpriced and the chili was nothing special. I wouldn't go back even if I'm in the area.

Taste Chicago-Closed

Taste Chicago
603 N Hollywood Way
Burbank
818.563.2800

Maybe it's because the Chicago White Sox are in the World Series but I was hungry for some more Chicago style hot dogs. So I decide to go to Taste Chicago in Burbank. Big mistake. First there were three accidents driving there, bunch of idiots driving and not paying attention. Next I get to Taste of Chicago and six people are in front of me in line and only one person taking orders. So after about a twenty minute wait I order a Chicago Dog with no peppers and you had to request the bright green relish for $3.84.

After another ten minute wait for the food, my Chicago dog finally arrives. As I was watching the guy behind the counter make the hot dog, he put the peppers onto my hot dog then looked at the order and took the peppers off. The bun was a plain hot dog bun no the poppyseed bun that are standard for Chicago dogs. The hot dog was flavorless and bland. The toppings were pretty fresh but didn't make up for the lack of flavor of the hot dog.

Not impressed at all. This place is very expensive and not worth the wait or the drive out there. I wouldn't go back. Not a good example of Chicago style hot dogs.