Coney Dog-Closed

Coney Dog
8873 Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood
310-854-1172

August 27, 2013 Update-Coney Dog is closed.  But, another restaurant has opened in it's place, Gabby's and still serves the coney dogs. 

About a mile west, on Sunset Blvd, from Carney's is a new hot dog place called Coney Dog. While many people may think coney dogs were invented on Coney Island, that simply is not true. Coney dogs were invented in Detroit. A coney dog has mustard, onions and chili on a natural casing hot dog, usually an all beef dog.

Now, I hate Detroit and all sports teams from Detroit. I hated the "Bad Boys" Pistons with Isiah Thomas and Bill Lamebeer. I hate the Tigers, and hope either the Indians or White Sox beat them out for the 2011 AL Central Division title. I especially hate the commie Red Wings. The Lions suck, so it's not a big deal to hate them. But, a coney dog maybe the only thing from Detroit I like, well besides a Pontiac GTO.

Anyways, I found out about Coney Dogs, on the site filled with arrogant assholes, chowhounds. The original poster that mentioned Coney Dogs, doesn't even understand the meaning of Grand Opening. Hey stupid, most restaurants have a grand opening, a few weeks after being opened. Then some idiot, who has an axe to grind with Coney Dogs, constantly posted some BS about the hot dogs and chili being a bad mixture of meats and horrors, the chili had beef hearts. Out of maybe 15 posts, maybe two posts actually talked about Coney Dogs. No wonder chowhounds if just full of assholes!!



Coney Dog, $3.95, chili, mustard and onions, grilled 80% beef and 20% pork hot dog. The hot dog was grilled, with some nice charring. It had a great snap. The hot dog was well season and was bursting with flavor. It's easy to tell they use a very good quality hot dog.

But, what got me was the chili. I normally don't order chili dogs. But, I figured when in Rome, I mean Detroit. This chili had no beans, just filled with meat. Good seasoned, well cooked beef!! It wasn't spicy at all, just thick, hearty, good chili. They use quality stuff here at Coney Dogs.

Service is very good. They are nice and friendly and the food comes out quickly!! There is free validated one hour parking on the roof or you can street parking. They are across the street from The Whiskey, so I imagine they maybe very crowded when all the bars on Sunset close. But, a good and welcomed addition to the LA hot dog scene.

I would go back to Coney Dogs, any time. But, go Indians or White Sox, win the 2011 AL Central!!!

Hollywood Pies-Moved

www.hollywoodpies.com
323-337-3212

Nov. 2014 review of Hollywood Pies' new location on Pico.

In the LA area there are only two places to get a good Chicago style deep dish pizza; Tony's Little Italy and Masa of Echo Park. Now, Hollywood Pies, has emerged as a third place to get a good Chicago style deep dish pizza.

Hollywood Pies is an interesting business concept. They do not have a store front, they only use the kitchen of a restaurant that has closed. Also, it's a delivery and pick up only location. Well, it's not really "pick up," they have curb side service, so you call them when you arrive and they will come out with your pizza. They do accept credit cards.

So, I drive out to the given GPS address of 417 Westmont Dr, in West Hollywood, which is just north, on La Cienega, of the Beverly Center. And, I see a closed down restaurant. I park and when I get outside, I can smell the wonderful smell of pizza!! So, I know I'm close. I walk closer to the restaurant and I see a young woman walking away from a car, and inside the car I can see pizza boxes. So, I ask the young lady is this Hollywood Pies. She says Yes. We talk for a couple minutes about the location and business model etc. She goes back inside and a couple minutes later, comes out with my order!!!



I ordered a galf Classic Chicago-Whole milk mozzarella, mild Italian sausage and fresh house-made ricotta and Half Fairbanks-Whole milk mozzarella, mild Italian sausage, onions and baby bella mushrooms $22.

Chicago pizza take 45 minutes to cook. Any place that says they are a deep dish Chicago pizza place, and their pizza takes 20 minutes to cook, get the hell away from there. That place either, isn't a real Chicago deep dish pizza place or their pizza are prebaked/frozen, and that's not what you want.

I placed my order and they said the wait time was 90 minutes, because they were at their max. I wasn't too happy about the wait; not so much with Hollywood pies, but with myself for not placing my order sooner.

Anyways, they called me when my pizza was ready and I quickly drove over. Hollywood Pies' website gives 415 WESTMOUNT DR. WEST HOLLYWOOD CA 90048, as a GPS direction. Just go to the intersection of La Cienega and Westmount, go west and you will run into the building that is pictured. There is a small parking area that says No Parking but if you stay in your car, you don't have to worry about the meter maids.

Anyways, I was handed my pizza, my arm dropped about six inches, because the pizza was so heavy. Always a good sign when it comes to Chicago pizza. I found a crate to take a picture of the pizza, then drove about 45 minutes to finally dig into the pizza. The pizza holds up amazingly well after 45 minutes.

The crust is dense, but light, flakey, and buttery. It holds up very well to all the sauce and toppings.

The sauce is on the tangy side, but is very good. I get an oregano flavor from the sauce.

The whole milk mozzarella, is very good quality.




Fairbanks-Whole milk mozzarella, mild Italian sausage, onions and baby bella mushrooms. This was awesome. The sausage was crumbed up pieces of mild Italian sausage, with good flavor and seasoning. The onions were very sweet and cut into long silvers, which allowed them to remain crispy even after baking.




Classic Chicago-Whole milk mozzarella, mild Italian sausage and fresh house-made ricotta.

All the flavors really worked well together for this pizza. The ricotta added a rich creamy flavor and texture.

I think my favorite is the Fairbanks, but would gladly order the Classic Chicago, again.

Service was very good. The young girl was professional on the phone and when she gave me the pizza, was nice and helpful. I would order at least an hour in advance, and give yourself time to find Hollywood Pies.

I would go back to Hollywood Pies anytime.

The Parlor

The Parlor
7250 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles
323-930-2100

The Parlor is your normal sports bar, with bar food. I don't expect any sports bar to be a five star restaurant, I just want good quality food.




I wasn't really in the mood for wings or a burger, but the fish and chips, $12, sounded good, even though the server didn't know what kind of fish they used.

A few minutes my fish and chips arrived. First, I asked for and got well done fries. Very nice and crunchy outside and soft inside. Good start.

Then two huge portions of fish. I asked the guy who brought me the fish and chips what kind of fish, he didn't know but would ask the chef. About a minute later, he said the fish was basa fish.

So, I take a bite of the fish and the lightest, batter is covering the fish. This batter doesn't belong on fried fish. It was too light and just falling apart.

The basa fish was pretty good, light flakey and well cooked. What was interesting was the second piece was very salty compared to the first piece. Not sure why, I didn't add salt to anything on the plate.

Service was great. The place was packed, with wall to wall people, and the server was great, very nice and friendly.

I would order food again at The Parlor, the burgers and the chicken and beef skewers look good, but I wouldn't order the fish and chips again.

Patsy D'Amore's Pizza

Patsy D'Amore's Pizza
6333 W 3rd St
Ste 448
Los Angeles
323-938-4938

Pasty D'Amore's Pizza is located in the LA Farmer's Market. I have reviewed four other restaurants/stands at the Farmer's Market; Gumbo Pot, Bryan's Pit BBQ, Magee's Kitchen, and Deano's Pizza. I read that Pasty D'Amore's is one of the oldest pizza store in LA. So I decided to give them a try.



Slice of pepperoni, $3.50. For what is suppose to be a New York style pizza, this slice was pretty small, cut from a medium size pizza, not a jumbo or large sized pizza. But overall it was a very solid pizza, not Village Pizzeria, but then again not many pizzerias can match Village Pizzeria. The crust was just starting to get the nice charred taste. The cheese was plentiful and tasty. The pepperoni was standard, nothing special.



I liked the cheese slice but I thought there could have put more cheese in the slice. There were a few bare spots with sauce and very little cheese. The sauce was mild, nothing overpowering, which I like.

Service is pretty good, if a bit slow. The lady who took my order was nice and friendly. But it took a while to get my slices. I know they have to heat it but the slices were hot, when I got them. But it took longer than usual to get the slices. Not sure why; maybe new employees?

If I was at the Farmer's Market and wanted pizza, I would go to Patsy but I wouldn't make a special trip.

Magee's Kitchen

Magee's Kitchen
6333 W. 3rd St
Stall #624
Los Angeles
323-938-4127

One of the first times, I ever went to the LA Farmer's Market, I went to Magee's Kitchen and had a corned beef sandwich. Since that first time I went to the Farmer's Market, I have been to four other restaurants/stands at the Farmer's Market; Patsy D'Amore's, Gumbo Pot, Deano's Pizza, Bryan's Pit BBQ.

I figured since I was in the area, I should give Magee's another try.




I got the corned beef sanwich, $8.75, with mustard, on rye bread. You can get horseradish on the sandwich, I asked for it on the side. I know corned beef is from the very fatty, brisket cut, and fat adds flavor to meats. But this corned beef was way too fatty, use the fat to flavor the meat but cut the fat off when serving the corned beef.

Anyways the corned beef, was pretty moist, tender and flavorful. But just to much fat. I cut out most of the fat, and I bet I cut about 10% of the weight of the sandwich. The rye bread was pretty standard, nothing special.

Service was pretty good. The girl taking my order was nice and friendly. She tried to suggest adding sides to the sandwich, but I declined. I didn't mind how she asked, in a nice friendly way, I wish other servers would be as nice, not pushy.

I wouldn't go back to Magee's Kitchen. It wasn't anything outstanding. You're better off, going to Canter's Deli, a few block up the street.

The Palm- West Hollywood-Closed

The Palm 

9001 Santa Monica Blvd 

Los Angeles 

310-550-8811 

I have always wanted to try The Palm because I've heard great things about their steaks. The Palm had a special during DineLA, three course meal for $34, so I decided to go!! I'm not a fan of Dine LA because I think most of the restaurants mass produce the special meals and many times the food isn't freshly prepared and/or cooked. The first course was a nice Iceberg Wedge Salad with Danish Blue Cheese Dressing and Applewood Smoked Bacon. They quartered a head of iceberg lettuce and topped this with Danish blue cheese dressing and applewood smoked bacon. The lettuce was fresh and crispy. The blue cheese dressing was chilled and had a perfect blend of blue cheese. Great stuff. What wasn't so great was the bacon, which had been sitting under heat lamps forever. Cold, ok it is going on a salad, but you could tell it wasn't fresh. Another thing that wasn't freshly made was the fried onions. I guess every table got the fried onions because I didn't order them. But man they were cold, soggy, greasy and just plain bad. So what if this was free. If a restaurant wants to make a good impression, they need to make sure all their food is fresh. But I came to The Plam for the 9oz Filet Mignon over Wild Mushroom Ragout. I asked for a medium rare steak and got it. But as with most DineLA dinners, the food is quickly prepared and then sitting around heating lamps. The steak was very tender and flavorful but served about luke warm. I know steaks have to rest for about 15 minutes before being sliced but this steak must have been resting for at least 30 minutes. The wild mushroom ragout was served hot and maybe it kept the steak warm!!! I did enjoy the steak but I don't think the steak is worth their regular $45 price. Dessert was Key Lime Pie and it was great. I loved the subtle citrus flavor and creaminess of the pie. The crust was flakely and wonderful. Service was below average. The server wasn't always around and didn't even come by to ask how the food was. When he was at the table he was friendly and helpful. I wasn't overwhelmed by The Palm, it didn't live up to my expectations. I would have been upset if I had to pay the high prices on their regular menu. There is no need for me to go back to The Palm.

8oz Burger Bar-Closed

8oz Burger Bar
7661 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles
323-852-0008

2009 marks the 70th anniversary of Nile Kinnick, of Iowa, winning the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player. But Nile Kinnick was more than a football player, he was leader, he was honorable young man, who did what was right. This was shown in his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech:

"Finally, if you will permit me, I'd like to make a comment which in my mind, is indicative, perhaps, of the greater significance of football and sports emphasis in general in this country, and that is, I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the players of this country would much more, much rather, struggle and fight to win the Heisman award than the Croix de Guerre."

Kinnick would not play professional football after his college career at Iowa. Instead he went to law school, finishing 3rd in his class after a year. But after one year in law school went enlisted in the Naval Reserve. Three days before Pearl Harbor, Nile Kinnick was called to active duty. While training in Florida he wrote this:

"There is no reason in the world why we shouldn't fight for the preservation of a chance to live freely, no reason why we shouldn't suffer to uphold that which we want to endure. May God give me the courage to do my duty and not falter."

Later, he added, "Every man whom I've admired in history has willingly and courageously served in his country's armed forces in times of danger. It is not only a duty but an honor to follow their example the best I know how. May God give me the courage and ability to so conduct myself in every situation that my country, my family, and my friends will be proud of me."

He also wrote this- remember this is the early 1940's.

"The inequities in human relationships are many," he wrote, "but the lot of the Negro is one of the worst...kicked from pillar to post, condemned, cussed, ridiculed, accorded no respect, permitted no sense of human dignity. What can be done I don't know.... When this war is over the problem is apt to be more difficult than ever. May wisdom, justice, brotherly love guide our steps to the right solution."

On June 2, 1943, during routine flight training, Nile Kinnick's plane made an emergency landing in the Gulf of Paria, Kinnick's body was never found.

The last letter Nile Kinnick ever sent included this:

"I am so glad you could speak enthusiastically of your visit to Iowa City. That little town means so much to me...It is almost like home. I love the people, the campus, the trees, everything about it. And it is beautiful in the spring...And I hope you strolled off across the golf course just at twilight and felt the peace and quiet of an Iowa evening, just as I used to do."

The Big 11 honors Nile Kinnick at every coin toss before a football game. His face is on the coin. The University of Iowa's football stadium is named after Nile Kinnick.

America lost a potential future President and leader.

Why am I bringing up Nile Kinnick, in a review of 8oz Burger Bar? Well Iowa produces some of the best beef in America.

I was in the area and while I already had a burger the night before at Russell's in Pasadena, I decided to try 8oz Burger Bar.

8oz Burger Bar is another contender of the gourmet burger battle of LA. Father's Office, Umami Burger in Hollywood, Umami Burger on La Brea, and 38 Degrees.

I got the 8oz burger, with lettuce, tomato, onions, 8oz secret sauce, a combo of ketchup, mustard, and mayo, with white cheddar cheese-$10 play $1 for cheese. The burgers are cooked medium rare and I got medium rare. This was a great burger, just awesome!! Juicy, flavorful, tender and just awesome. The meat is a combination of sirloin, tri tip, short rib and chuck, stored in their salt-tiled locker. This is so good and for $11 well worth it and a steal!!! I didn't mind paying the extra $1 for my choice of cheese.

I also got the stout battered onion rings, $4. This was great too. The first bite I took was very salty, but afterwards, each piece was great. Light, crispy, flakey, just wonderful. They could have been hotter, my order was sitting under heat lamps for awhile. But this was one of the best onion rings I've ever had.

Service was great. The hostess was very nice and welcoming. I actually had two servers. The first server was nice and friendly. But I guess I got there just as her shift was over. The second server was fine but not as nice or friendly as the first server. The second server wasn't bad, just not as good as the first server.

I love 8oz Burger Bar and is my favorite in the battle for the best gourmet burger in LA.

Itacho

Itacho
7311 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles
323-938-9009

Overpriced, small portioned sushi- that describes Itacho to a T. I know it is in the Mid-City area and more restaurants in that area are overpriced but come on now.

I got the California roll with real crab meat, $8, and yellowtail sushi, $6. Then a filet migon sushi, $7. The California roll might have been 6oz, it was so small. They crab meat was fresh, the rice was good but come on, $8 for such a small portion? The yellowtail sushi was fresh but again, very small and thin. I mean almost paper thin.

The filet mignon sushi was something that sounded interested so I decided to try it. The filet was seared for about a minute each side so it was very rare. It was a bit chewy, not tender as filet should be. But an interesting mix of flavors and texture. I'm not sure if I would order this again.

One thing I'm sure of, the service was very slow. I couldn't believe how long we had to wait to order food and how long it took for the food to arrive. I understand the restaurant had to serve 40-50 people, but it's can't be that tough and slow.

I would not go back to Itacho again. While the food is pretty good, the portions are so small and the service is terrible. Why is there any need to go back?

Bryan's Pit Barbecue

Bryan's Pit Barbecue
6333 W 3rd St
Stall #740
Los Angeles
323-931-2869

Bryan's Pit Barbecue is located at the LA Farmers Market. I understand this is an off shoot of Sonny Bryan's BBQ of Texas. I know Texas BBQ is all about the brisket, but I hate BBQ brisket. As readers of The New Diner know I'm all about the ribs.

The baby back ribs are sold by the pound, $12.50/lb. These are cooked in an oven and then left in the warmer, which you can see in the second picture. I got about half pound of ribs, $5.75. The ribs were very small but had a decent amount of meat. But there was no smoke flavor to them at all. They were tender but baby backs are always tender.

Service is OK. They are rude when calling on the phone. Like I was botherting them asking where in the LA Farmers Market they are located. While I was there, they were ok, not bad, not good.

I would not go back to Bryan's Pit BBQ again. I could just go to Tony Roma's for oven cooked ribs.

Vito's Pizza

Vito's Pizza
846 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles
310-652-6859

As all readers of The New Diner, should know I love Village Pizzeria. Now I have found another place that comes close to Village Pizzeria, Vito's Pizza!!!

I got a slice of the red meat pizza, $3.79, with pepperoni, sausage, salami and meatballs. WOW was this great. This pizza was load with toppings. So much pepperoni, sausage, salami and meatballs. All the meats were so tasty. The sauce was mild, which I love, and the cheese was good.

What I didn't like was the crust, too thin, a bit soggy. But overall a damn good pizza.

Service was good. Vito's is a small pizza shop but the people working there are nice and friendly.

I would go back here anytime.

Morel's French Steakhouse & Bistro

Morel's French Steakhouse & Bistro
189 The Grove Dr
Los Angeles
323-965-9595

I went to Morel's about two years ago, while I was at The Grove. I had never heard of it but I had a great scallops dish. When I went back again I was looking forward to having the scallops again. But I didn't see any scallops on the menu so I decide to get the grilled Atlantic Salmon, $17, which is on top of black lentils and comes with a merlot red wine reduction sauce.

This was a good dish, I wouldn't say great but good. The salmon, grilled to perfection, was light and flakey and had lots of flavor. The black lentils was a nice touch, I really liked the texture of the lentils and I think it worded well with the salmon.

Service was pretty good, though we were waiting awhile for a server to come once we were seated. Otherwise our server was attentive and helpful.

The first time I went to Morel's I didn't recall it being two different restaurants. The downstair is more of a casual, bistro type restaurant. Upstairs is the steakhouse and a bit more formal. But I have been impressed both times I've gone to Morel's. I doubt I will ever go to the steakhouse part. But at the bistro, I've had one great dish, scallops and one good dish, salmon. If I'm at The Grove I will go back here. But since The Grove is so close to the Farmer's Market, I would prefer going to the Farmer's Market before going to any restaurants in The Grove.

Formosa Cafe

Formosa Cafe
7156 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles
323-850-9050

A LA landmark, I had to try Formosa Cafe's kobe burger. I had high expectations but after having the burger, I would have been better off going to any other burger place.

The kobe burger has jalapeno cheese on an onion bun for $14. The burger was suppose to be cooked medium rare. When the burger came it was huge and had a nice presentation. But once I took a bite, I felt as though I was having a $6 burger from Carl's. The beef was very dry. Kobe beef should be very moist and juicy. I really doubt if they used kobe beef. I'm pretty sure this is kobe-STYLE beef. The burger priced in the $5-$7 range would be a good value. At $14 it's a rip off.

Service was average. We waited a little for refills on drinks. But our server was nice and pleasant.

Ok, so Formosa has pictures of many Hollywood stars. So what. The food isn't anything to brag about and it's overpriced. I have no need or desire to go back here again.

Deano's Pizza-Closed

Deano's Pizza 6333 W 3rd St #310 LA 323-935-63733 The Farmer's Market has a ton of places to eat. Across from the Gumbo Pot is Deano's Pizza. Deano's offers many other choices besides pizza. Pasta, grilled meats. But I wanted to try their pizza. So I got their pizza deal for $5.75. A slice of pizza, salad and a soda. The pizza was just OK. I was in the heating tray for awhile but even if it was fresh out of the oven, there was something missing. There could have been more pepperoni. The sauce could have been better. The crust could have been better. I just wasn't impressed with this pizza. I would have been better off baking a frozen pizza. The salad was filled with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and croutons. Service was pretty good but the kid didn't give me a receipt, even after I told him, yes I wanted a receipt. I would not go back to Deano's for their pizza. But their grilled meats, chicken picatta looked very good.

Canter's Deli

Canter’s Deli
419 North Fairfax
LA
323-651-2030

Canter's has been in LA since 1924. Since I was near Canter's I decided to try their pastrami sandwich. The pastrami was $10.55 and was stacked with lean cuts of pastrami, on rye bread. The pastrami was a little on the dry side, I put some regular yellow mustard to add some moisture, and was sort of lukewarm. I wasn't too happy with that. I wanted a hot pastrami sandwich. I didn't think the pastrami was overwhelming but much better than Johnny's in Culver City. I really liked the rye bread with it's crunchy crust and soft bread.

Service was good. I sat at the counter and while it took a while before I got a drink, I wasn't ignored. The server acknowledged me and said he would be right there. Nothing worse than sittting at a restaurant and the servers not talking to you. The order came up quickly but the pastrami wasn't hot, it was lukewarm.

If I went back to Canter's I would order another sandwich. I wasn't too impressed with the pastrami. I would rather go to The Hat in Glendora or The Hat in Alhambra for pastrami. I will soon review the pastrami at Langer's, which I've already been to but wasn't impressed with.

The Gumbo Pot

The Gumbo Pot
6333 W. Third St.
LA
323-933-0358

After a tour of the art work along the Gold Line, I decided to go to Farmer's Market and Canter's Deli, taking the trains and buses. The trip to Farmer's Market from Union Station took about 30 mins, which is great. The bus dropped me off right in front of the Farmer's Market on Fairfax.

So I go to The Gumbo Pot. Now I hate gumbo but I love Cajun/New Orleans style cooking. I ordered the shrimp plater for $8.12, that included cornbread and a salad. Shrimp is rolled with cornmeal and then fried, making for a nice crunchy outside. The shrimp came right out of the fryer, so the wait was about 10-15 minutes. The shrimp was very hot but they weren't exactly big, but for $8, they did give you a good portion. They have a heavy crunch/texture to them because of the cornmeal.

The salad was romaine lettuce with a nice creamy dressing with walnuts. The red sauce you see is the cocktail sauce and is one of the better cocktail sauce's I've had. A very good spicy flavor that added to the shrimp.

Service is good but lines can be long and since they cook to order most fried orders, be prepared to wait.

If I'm in the area, I would go back to Gumbo pot and maybe order a Po'Boy but I wouldn't go out of my way for the Gumbo Pot. The shrimp is good enough but nothing special or outstanding. And with so many other food choices at The Farmer's Market, I would have to be in the mood for Cajun/New Orleans style food.