Juan Pollo

Juan Pollo
300 S. Garey Ave
Pomona, CA 91766
(909) 469-4779

If readers of The New Diner read my review of the First McDonalds, they know that the owner of Juan Pollo brought the site of the first McDonalds and are using the site as their corporate offices. I have passed by a lot of Juan Pollo restaurants but never went in.

So I finally decided to go try Juan Pollo and see how their rotisserie chicken is. At the Pomona location, they have a huge sign out front, where you buy one whole chicken, you get one free. Then you walk inside and you see the fine print, with the purchase of a large side.

I noticed the regular prices for whole chicken, $8 and $16 for two chickens, which includes tortillas and salsa.

For the Tuesday special a whole chicken is $10.99 and the cost of a large side is $2.99. My total, two chickens and a large side-potato salad, was $15.34. So the Tuesday special is basically, the regular price for two chicken, your bonus is a side is included.





I noticed the chickens on rotisserie and thought they were pretty small. They are small. But they are well seasoned and has a lot of flavor. I think they use a rub of salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and other spices. The breast meat was a bit dry but the other pieces were nice and moist.

I didn't take a picture of the potato salad, but it was pretty good. The potatoes were cut so smooth, it was almost like mashed potatoes and I like that. I hate lumpy potato salad. But, the potato salad was a bit salty and had a heavy onion flavor.

Service was OK. There wasn't anything outstanding or anything bad about the service. But, as I was taking a picture of the outside, some delivery man, asked why I was taking pictures? Why the hell is it any of his damn business? If a business is proud of the quality of their product they would be proud that somebody was taking pictures.

I do think Juan Pollo serves good rotisserie chicken, but the chickens are small and a bit pricey. I can go to Costco and get a bigger, better chicken for less.

Dino's Chicken and Burgers- Pomona-Closed

Dino's Chicken and Burgers
770 E Arrow Hwy
Pomona
909-445-1112

I heard about Dino's Chicken and Burgers about 2-3 years ago when Ted's Place closed down and was replaced by Dino's in Azusa. But I never made it to the Azusa location. But then in David Allen's blog I read that Dino's opened in Pomona. So I finally decided to try this chicken place.

I wasn't that hungry so I just had the half chicken, a la carte, $4.75. Dino's was started by a Greek, so there are Greek spices in the chicken. There is a bright red coating to the chicken, a nice amount of sauce, and a wonderful smell. There is sweet, garlic, some kind of citrus, and onion taste in the chicken. The chicken is pre cooked and then finished on the grill. It is very juicy and full of flavor. I was very impressed. I thought the chicken was good size and well worth the price.

Service is good. The lady was very nice and the chicken came out quickly.

Don't waste your time and money at some chain fast food chicken restaurant. Dino's is a wonderful addition to any city's offering of restaurants. This chicken is great and a must try.

Zankou Chicken- Montebello

Zankou Chicken
125 N Montebello Blvd
Montebello
323-722-7200

I know that Zankou Chicken has been around forever and there are many locations in the LA area. But I have not been to any Zankou Chicken. I have heard the way to go is their rotisserie chicken but when I found out they had kebobs I wanted to try both.

So I got a combo kebob plate, beef and chicken, $9.95, and a whole rotisserie chicken, $8.99.

The combo plate comes with hummus, salad, onions and rice. First the chicken kebobs. Very good among the best chicken kebobs I have had. Nice flavor, moist, tender, flavorful. It was great.

The beef kebob was tender, well seasoned, and flavorful, but dry, very dry. If the beef was cooked to medium it would have been very good.

The hummus was very, nice texture and not a ton of garlic or tangy as other hummus I had. I liked the rice but there just wasn't enough rice.

When I placed the order, asked that the rotisserie chicken be packed to go. But I opened it up and took a couple bites while I was there. I wasn't impressed. The chicken was a bit small and very dry, not moist at all. I do think it is full of flavor, smells great but it was on the rotisserie too long. For a few bucks less I can get a bigger chicken that is moist from Costco.

Service was very good. The young lady who took my order was nice and friendly. She ask there wouldn't be any problem packing up the rotisserie chicken to go and just let her know when I wanted the chicken packed. She brought my order to my table. She worked hard and did her job really well.

I wouldn't come back to Zankou for their rotisserie chicken but I think their chicken kebob and hummus is great!!! They deserve a second chance on the beef kebob but not the rotisserie chicken. That is their signature item and they missed.

Oinkster

Oinkster
2005 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles
323-255-6465

The Oinkster. I have heard about the Oinkster for a long time. But I just never made the trip to Eagle Rock to try their food. So I got together with some friends and we had a late dinner at the Oinkster.

The Oinkster is known for their pastrami and pulled pork. I decided to try their pulled pork sandwich, 6.99, and chili cheese fries, $4.95. The pulled pork sandwich comes with red cabbage cole slaw and carmelized onions. They have Carolina BBQ sauce at the condiment table. The pulled pork was a bit dry, matter of fact everything about the sandwich was dry. The pulled pork didn't have that smokey flavor. It was tender and had decent seasoning. The cole slaw was dry, hardly any mayo. The BBQ sauce is a very thin, tomato based sauce. It does have a kick at the end but I wasn't a fan of the BBQ sauce. It did make the sandwich a bit moist and added a kick but I didn't think it enhanced the flavor of the pork.

The chili cheese fries are OK. The fries themselve are Belgian fries and I love them. Beligim fries are lighter and more tasty than French fries. I call them the Muchos of fries. Since Munchos are the lighter and in my opinion, better version of fries. Next time I go, I will just order the Belgian fries.

But the chili fries just didn't cut it for me. The chili was bland and lack flavor. Yes there was a lot of cheese and that is alway good but the chili just made the fries soggy and bad.

Service is very good. Friendly, nice, and helpful. I asked the girl behind the counter if they could turn the TV to the Dodger game. They quickly turned the TV to the Dodger game. She even said, she didn't even know they were on.

I will go back to the Oinkster and try their pastrami and burger. But I would not order the pulled pork again.

Update March 7, 2010.




I went back to Oinkster and tried their rotisserie chicken. I got the quarter white meat chicken with rice and fries, $5.99.

When the chicken arrived I was a bit disappointed by the small size of the chicken, I also thought that maybe the chicken would be dry. But much to my surprise the chicken was tender, flavorful, and moist. I wouldn't say juicy but moist. I think the chicken has been sitting in a warmer for almost too long, a few more minutes and I know the chicken would be dry. But I got lucky and it wasn't dry. I did like the chicken and thought it was a great deal.

The fries are great. Light, crispy and the aoali sauce, with a lot of garlic was a wonderful dipping sauce!!! The rice was flavored with spices and maybe cooked in chicken stock. Nice and flavorful.

Service was good. The young lady taking my order was nice and friendly.

Chicago Ribs-Closed

Chicago Ribs
9901 Yorktown Ave
Huntington Beach
714-963-7427

I was really looking forward to going to Chicago Ribs. But when I got there, I found that this was really a Chicago For Ribs, that was brought out by a different owner, but it was still Chicago for Ribs.

I got the half rack of baby back ribs, $16.99 and the chicken breast and fried shrimp, $17.99. The ribs are cooked in an oven, covered in BBQ sauce and served up. They are OK but nothing great. I got double mac and cheese and the mac and cheese tasted like it came out of a box. Hell I can do that at home.

The chicken breast as thin and a bit dry. The BBQ sauce was the same sweet sauce that covered the ribs. The shrimp was good size and had a nice crunchy. But they weren't hot when they came out. Otherwise I don't really have many complaints.

Service was below average. It was a fairly small place but the server took away to refill drinks, take my order, come out with the cornbread and was generally slow. Maybe he was watching the World Series? Or just goofing offf. But he wasn't around a lot.

I would not go back to Chicago Ribs again. Wasting money on below average food isn't my idea of dining out.

Moffett's Chicken Pie Shoppe

Moffett's Chicken Pie Shoppe
1409 Baldwin
Arcadia
626-447-4670

Every since I tried the La Palma Chicken Pie Shoppe, I knew there had to be another chicken pie shop that was better. Well I found it, Moffett's has been an Arcadia staple since 1975. It's good comfort food at good prices.

I ordered the all white meat chicken pie lunch special, with mashed potatoes and carrots. $6.05 and a beef pie ($4.70)

I cut into the chicken pie first. I see lots of gravy oozing out. So that's a good sign. Then I see lots of white meat chicken. They don't add anything else, no veggies, nothing, just white meat chicken and gravy. It was worth the price. The chicken is tender and flavorful. The gravy adds, but do not overpower the flavor of the chicken.

Now the beef pie, they overcooked the crust just a little but I like it that way. There were tons of beef, peas and carrots. It was very tasty.

Both pies were well worth the price. But what I loved most, was the pies were served pipping hot. Almost too hot, I had to wait a few minutes before I could dig in.

Service was good. The server was friendly and knew lots of customers. She was attentive and provided quality, quick service.

I would go back to Moffett's any time. Moffett's is a great place for good quality comfort food at good prices served by nice friendly people. The next time I go, I will order their unbaked pies and have them at home.

Spring Street BBQ-Closed

Spring Street BBQ
640 North Spring
LA
213-626-0535

I never realized all the other options for food around LA city hall. Spring Street BBQ is a very good BBQ place.

Ok, OK I know it's rare to see me review a BBQ restaurant and see other meats. But I had already gone to Spring Street BBQ and had the spare ribs but I forgot my camera. So two days later I go back since a couple buddies and I are going to the Dodger game.

Instead of the ribs, I order the Sampler plate, $10.95, baby back rib, St. Louis style spare ribs, smoked chicken, sliced brisket, and hot link. A lot of food. Some good, some I wouldn't order again. But well worth the price.

The good:

Baby back ribs. Pretty good sized and meaty. Nice and tender and flavorful.

St. Louis spare rib. A very good example of why spare ribs are better than baby backs. A nice tender, full of smoke flavor rib. When I went the time before, I got the lunch basket of St. Louis spare ribs, $7.95, which is about four good sized pieces.

Hot link. A nice kick to this sausage. Full of flavor and very tasty.

The bad:

Chicken: smoked and sliced thin, this is just too dry. I wouldn't order this again.

Brisket: again smoked and sliced thin but just too dry. Even the BBQ sauce doesn't help.

Service is very good. The server was a nice, friendly young lady. I tried to call earlier and the line was busy, I tried two other times and still busy. I mentioned this to her and said I called just to make sure they were open. She said yes the phone was off the hook and Thank you for letting us know. Then she said we are open everyday except Sun. Most servers wouldn't have even bothered replying.

I would go back to Spring St BBQ. I liked many items on the menu, but the spare ribs are very good.

Update Feb 7, 2009



I went back to Spring St. Smokehouse and tried their pulled pork sandwich, $9.95. I wasn't impressed. The pork was a bit dry on some parts and just drowned in sauce in others. The small parts of pork that wasn't dry had a nice smoke flavor but this just didn't work for me.

I wouldn't order the pulled pork again. But somebody at my table ordered the spare ribs and they looked great.

El Pollo Fino-Closed

El Pollo Fino
801 Whittier Blvd
Montebello
323-887-9908

El Pollo Fino is an interesting combination of chicken place and taco stand. The chicken is a copy of El Pollo Loco but at better prices. The half chicken, $4.78, is marinated in plenty of lime and Mexican spices. The chicken is flamed broiled earlier, kept warm and when you order it is put back on the grill. The skin has a very nice flavor from the marinate. But the chicken is on the dry side and not exactly the biggest chicken around either. Is it better than El Pollo Loco? Yes but that's not saying too much.

The carne asada burritto has beans, rice and onions for $3.91. There isn't as much carne asada as other Mexican places that I have reviewed. The carne asada was also very tough and not tender, very chewy. The beans and rice are nothing special or outstanding. Overall the burrito is nothing special.

Service is OK. It's not great and it's not bad. But I ordered a bottle of Coke and asked if the Coke was made in Mexico. Here's a tip, Coke made in Mexico is much better than the Coke made in the US. In Mexico they use real sugar, not that crap sweetener they use in the US. He said he wasn't sure. I asked him to go check the bottle to make sure. He just stood there. I asked him again. Again he just stood there. I asked him a third time and he finally went to the cooler to see if the Coke was made in Mexican. Now it's only a $1.55 item but that's $1.55 they wouldn't have had. I normally do not drink soda but if I do I'll drink Coke and not that second rate cola. And I prefer Coke made with real sugar!!! Though I still do hold a grudge against Coke for making that New Coke crap back in 1985.

I would go back to El Pollo Fino if I'm in the area but I wouldn't make any special trips.

Steve's BBQ

Steve's BBQ
7007 Greenleaf Ave.
Whittier
562-789-0200

I found out that Steve's has a $6.99 all you can eat, lunch special, Wed-Fri. So I was in the area and decided to give it a try. Steve's is in Uptown Whittier and there is parking in the back.

The buffet is set up with somebody piling your plate with whatever you want. They have everything from bbq spare ribs, chicken, chips and salsa, salad bar, and some Mexican dishes.

The first picture shows the BBQ spare ribs, BBQ chicken leg and broccoli. The ribs are not smoked but baked in an oven and just covered with a sweet BBQ sauce. They were overcooked, falling off the bone, which I'm not a fan of. They had a lot of meat on them but also a lot of fat. The sauce is too sweet for my taste.

The BBQ chicken was also very soft and overcooked. They only have leg quarters, no white meat during the buffet.

The broccoli was also mushy as if they were on the steam table for too long. I prefer my vegetables crispy.

The best part of the buffet at Steve's was the macaroni salad. WOW was it good. First of all it's served hot, which is different than almost every other mac salad I've had at a BBQ place. The mac salad has peas, carrots and huge pieces of ham in it. But the best part is the stroganoff-like creamy topping, which is so good. By far the best macaroni salad I've ever had.

Service is very good. The lady who is behind the steam table was very friendly and she kept asking if the amount she put on my plate was enough. She would have piled my plate with tons of ribs if I wanted.

Steve's is an OK BBQ place. Nothing great but it caters to the area, meaning suburbanites!!! I wouldn't go back to Steve's for the BBQ. I would go back for the mac salad.

Please note, if you're going to comment about Steve's BBQ or any other BBQ place I've reviewed, spare me the "You should try the brisket or the pulled pork." Those comments will be deleted. I have already stated I only go to BBQ place for PORK SPARE RIBS. There are many other blogs that review the other meats served at BBQ places. So if you want those reviews go to those blogs. My blog will only review the PORK RIBS.

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop-Closed

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop
925 N. Euclid
Anaheim
714-533-2021

La Palma Chicken Pie Shop is the place for good old fashion comfort food. I ordered the chicken pie lunch for $4.85. The lunch includes soup or salad, a roll, and whipped potatoes. I salad was just lettuce and some carrots, so nothing special. The roll was just a roll, again nothing special.

The chicken pie is what it's about. The pie is served with lots of chicken gravy, too much for my taste. Next time I will order either no gravy or gravy on the side. But the chicken pie, ooooo so good. Loaded with big pieces of chicken and nothing else. This is a chicken pie not a chicken and fillers pie. The crust is nice and flakey. I thought the gravy was kind of bland but overall the chicken pie was great.

They have a huge bakery and all the cakes looked good but I didn't order any. I would go back. Prices are great and the food is very good.