Cole's

Cole's
118 E 6th St
Los Angeles
213-622-4090

I know already reviewed Coles, but shortly after I reviewed them in 2006 they closed for renovations for about a year. Recently Cole's reopened under new management. So I decided to do a new review.

Coles invented the French Dip sandwich. That other copy cat place can make the claim but they are liars. Coles invented and has the best French Dip sandwich in LA.

I got the beef dip and pork dip, $8 each. Also on the menu is Au Jus for a $1. Now I had to get the Au jus but I think either the server thought I asked for extra au jus or he just didn't charge me for au jus.

The beef dip is the way to go here. Thick hand sliced beef, piled high on a crusty hard french bread. Perfect for dipping into the au jus. So wonder, so tender, so the very best French dip in LA.

The pork dip is awesome too. Nice tender pieces of pork, hand sliced, and piled high. Again the bread was hard, making it perfect for dipping.

Service was good though after I ordered the pork dip, the entire wait staff was called into the back by the manager. I saw the pork dip on the counter and I didn't want to wait anymore so I got up and asked the chef who made the sandwich if that was the pork dip. Just as he answered the server came and he took the plate to my table. He came around to refill drinks and was nice.

Coles beats the Copy Cat by a mile. The beef is a better quality meat, cut thicker, cut by hand, and the bread is harder which make it better to dip into the au jus. The Copy Cat's bread gets way too soggy even with a single dip.

OK the area around Coles isn't the best but I've never had a problem. I went at 6pm and it was dark but well lit and I had no problems.

I would go to Coles any time. I'm so glad they reopened and I got a chance to try their great French Dip, the French Dip they invented.

Alondra Hot Wings-Long Beach-Closed

Alondra Hot Wings-Long Beach
245 Pine Ave
#190
Long Beach
562-437-2103

I went and really enjoyed Alondra Hot Wings in Montebello. They have two other locations, Paramount and Long Beach. I went to the Long Beach location and found the food to be just as good as the Montebello location.

I got the fried shrimp, $9.95, and the 16 piece wings, half hot and half honey bbq, $9.45. There must be a 50 cents charge to split flavors because the menu price was $8.95 for 16 wings.

The fried shrimp was so good. They came right out of the fryer and was awesome. The outside was crunchy and the shrimp was butterflied and huge. Great stuff. Though the sauce they gave me was basically ketchup. There was no hint of horseradish to make a cocktail sauce. Oh well, no big deal. The shrimp is so good it doesn't need any dipping sauce. I think the menu said six shrimp, but I got seven and I'm not complaining.

But anyplace called Hot Wings has to be judged by their wings. Well Alondra matches up with any other wings place. Ok they don't have girls in orange shorts serving up the wings but when the wings are this good, who cares. The wings are small, crispy and tasty. They do not cheat you out of sauce. They put a ton of sauce on the wings. The wings are so crispy and tasty. I love them.

Service was good considering there were a huge group of about 25 people. The servers are friendly and nice.

I would go back to any Alondra Hot Wings. So good and so tasty.

Update December 21, 2009




I went back to Alondra Hot Wings since the hottie I went to Lucille's BBQ-Long Beach with, wanted to see how the wings compared to Wings Stop.

I wasn't in the mood for wings but I wanted to try some other menu items. So I got the fish and chips, $9.99. Out came three pieces of what looked like a good sized fish. But one look inside and you will see a lot of batter and filling and not much fish. The fish was good, nice texture, and firm fish. But there just wasn't a lot of it. The batter has a bit of a rough texture. The tarter sauce had a nice tangy flavor.

As readers of The New Diner know, my favorite place for fish and chips is England Fish and Chips, and the fish and chips at Alondra do not come close to the fish at England.

One thing that got me was the price of soda. I ordered a coke and it was $3.95!!! Sure it was free refills but that price is just out of line.

Service was very good. The server and nice and friendly and helpful. We weren't lacking for anything.

I still haven't tried the pizza at any of the Alondra Hot Wings I've been to; Montebello and Alhambra but I do know that I won't try the fish and chips again. Maybe next time I go to the Alondra Hot Wings in Paramount and I'll finally try the pizza.

Joe's Pizza-Santa Monica

Joe's Pizza-Santa Monica
111 Broadway
Santa Monica
310-395-9222

As readers of The New Diner know, I love Village Pizzeria for NY style pizza. Nothing in LA comes close. But a fellow foodie told me about Joe's Pizza in Santa Monica so I decided to give it a try.

I got the plain slice, $2.75, and a pepperoni slice, $3.25. The plain slice was very crispy, almost too well done, and didn't have a lot of gooey cheese. It's ok but doesn't come close to Village Pizzeria. The pepperoni was the same, crust overcooked and not enough cheese. The pepperoni were ok, nothing special.

Service was good. Greeted as I walked in, order taken, and friendly people. Cash only is written on the register but they will take credit cards on order of $18 or more.

I read some people say the prices are a bit high but I found them to be fair. But I didn't think the pizza was anything great. I much prefer Village Pizzeria or Rocco's.

Five Guys Famous Burgers- Cerritos

Five Guys Famous Burgers- Cerritos
11461 South St
Cerritos
562-809-0055

I went to the Five Guys in Carson, and didn't really plan on going back to any location but I was by Cerritos and figured why not give Five Guys another try. So I went to the Cerritos location which has been open for about 3-4 months.

I got a bacon cheeseburger, with A-1 steak sauce, lettuce and tomatoes, $5.49. I get my bacon cheeseburger and there is no bacon. I opened up the foil to take a picture found no bacon hanging out, then opened up the burger and found no bacon. I went back to the cashier, told her there is no bacon. She asks if I got the bacon on the side. No problem, I say. She asks one of the cooks for a side of bacon. When the cook is about to hand me the bacon, she says make sure you give him kind of a lot of bacon. I got the cold, sittting out in the open for a long time bacon. The burger is nothing special. It's OK. It's certainly not better than In N Out. I also thought the burger was smaller than the Carson location.

From the last paragraph you can tell my review of the service. The cashier was very friendly and helpful when I placed my order. But she went way above good service when she told the cook to make sure I got extra bacon. So very good service.

Again, if I'm in the area I would go to Five Guys. But it's nothing great and is more expensive than In N Out.

Code-Closed

Code
4221 Dolphin Sriker Way
Newport Beach
949-660-0888

If the address of Code looks familiar, that's because this location has been home to about six restaurants in the past 10-12 years. I know this used to be Trophy's and Fury.

I went for a happy hour, got there at 5:30pm and it was empty. Nobody there. It got a bit more crowded by 6pm but it was still shockingly slow.

Their happy hour menu is half off most of their menu items. I got the king crab roll, $6. The roll was very small, pretty fresh, and even at half price not worth it. There were very small amounts of king crab. Even the rolls themselves were bite sized rolls. Everything was fresh but not worth even the $6 price.

Service at the bar was good. The bartender was nice and friendly. Even as it got crowded, the bartender would ask if I needed anything. Very nice young lady. Ok, ok, she is nice to look at but that didn't cloud my judgement of her service.

Code to me is typical of OC, especially south OC restaurants, overpriced, average food. I'll admit the interior looked nice and the bar area is huge but who cares if the food isn't good. No reason for me to go back to Code, unless I want to look at Lisa the bartender again.

Taza Fresh-Closed

Taza Fresh
1220 S Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar
909-861-3601

Diamond Bar lacks any Mediterranean restaurants. But about a year ago, Taza Fresh opened up, so Diamond Bar has a restaurant that serves kebobs. I should have gone much sooner but after read Mother May I, a really good food blog, I finally made it to Taza Fresh.

I ordered the chicken and ground beef kebob, $8.79, each and the top sirloin shawerma wrap, $4.49. The ground beef kebob was not good at all. Very dry, no flavor or seasoning and just bad. I wasn't happy, especially since they don't have regular beef kebobs.

But that quickly changed when I had the chicken kebob. The chicken was so fresh, so tender and so moist. A wonderful example of how kebobs should be. As the picture shows the kebobs are huge!!!! A great value, no a steal at the $8.79 price.

I thought the hummus was very good. Not sour/tangy like so many other places. But what I didn't like was the rice. There was no flavor and they use a cheaper long grain rice, instead of basmati rice.

Another steal is the top sirloin shawerma wrap, $4.49. I have never had shawerma because I thought it was ground meat. But much to my surprise this shawerma was wonderful. A ton of beef cut up into small pieces, with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, and a garlic sauce. Just a wonderful combination of flavors. Better than a burrito.

Service was good. The lady was very nice and friendly, answering all my questions.

I would go back to Taza Fresh anytime. I went around 7pm on Thursday and there wasn't one person there. But there were a ton of people at the El Pollo Loco next door and a few people at the Round Table Pizza a few doors down. TERRIBLE. Wake up Diamond Bar, you have a great place that serves great food, at great prices. Why not support the local businesses and not the coporate chains.

Lou's Red Oak BBQ-Closed

Lou's Red Oak BBQ
21501 Brookhurst St
Ste D
Huntington Beach
714-965-5200

I do like Santa Maria style BBQ. But the last two experiences at Santa Maria style BBQ makes me want to stop going to any Santa Maria style BBQ places.

I have known about Lou's for over three to four years but I just haven't been down there.

But much to my regret, I did make it down there. I got the rib combo plate, $16.99 with tri tip, and Kraft mac and cheese and corn on the cob. I know Santa Maria BBQ is all about tri tip but this tri tip was terrible. They said cooked medium but what I got was tri tip cooked rare, the pictures do not lie. Now I'm not too picky, I just don't like well done. The tri tip was tough, not much flavor, and lots of fat. They do not season their tri tip well at all. It seemed as though they flashed cooked the tri tip because they were running out.

I love BBQ ribs and I always get BBQ ribs at BBQ places. I'm not expecting smoked ribs but damn the ribs were bad. First of all they say they are St. Louis style ribs, they aren't because the tips were on the ribs. St. Louis style means no tips. But they were grilled and lack flavor. They also had a lot of fat and grizzle. Not good at all

Now they say real Kraft mac and cheese is a side option. But damn, can't you can't make your own mac and cheese? The corn on the cob was cold and pretty flavorless.

Service was OK. We were greeted and seated quickly. But after that we didn't see the server for at least ten minutes. They were on their Iphones and texting everybody. But after coming back to take our orders the server was good, refilling drinks and was helpful.

I would not go back to Lou's again. I thought the prices were very high for the amount and quality of food you get. A Santa Maria style bbq place better make a damn good tri tip but Lou's falls way short. If I lived in Huntington Beach, I would make the drive to Culver City and get the best Santa Maria style BBQ at Santa Maria BBQ.

Chili's

Chili's
707 Grand Ave
Diamond Bar
909-396-1222

I hate Chili's!!! Ok I really don't hate them for the food. They serve good food, but what I do hate them for is their campaign about baby back ribs. They have everybody brain washed into thinking that baby back ribs are the way to go. They really aren't. Spare ribs are much better but you have to be a skilled pitmaster to cook them correctly.

I got the baby back ribs, $16.29, with regular bbq and honey bbq sauce. The ribs are cooked in an oven and while they are full of meat, they needed to BBQ sauce to make them taste good. The regular BBQ sauce was pretty mild, nothing great. The honey bbq sauce had a little bit more kick but again nothing great.

I ordered this to go. This location in Diamond Bar has been opened for about 5-6 months and the people who are there are nice and friendly. The bartender who took my order was nice and my order came up quickly.

People think Chili's is what BBQ ribs are about and the ribs aren't even BBQ'd. I would not order the ribs are Chili's. They do other items well but ribs aren't it.

Fab Hot Dogs-Closed

Fab Hot Dogs
6747 Tampa Ave
Reseda
818-344-4336

I found Fab Hot Dogs by a fellow blogger, Famished LA. I'm glad I found this because I found one of the best hot dog places in LA. Maybe a Yelper named Rachel B will want to come here?

I was shocked that there is FINALLY a deep fried hot dog in LA. Deep fried hot dogs are well known in New Jersey, maybe the best thing to come out of New Jersey. The hot dogs are made differently, so that they can handle the deep fryer.

I decide to get the The Ripper, $2.75, with mustard and onions. I didn't want to overload a hot dog with a bunch of stuff, I want to taste the hot dog. Oooh this hot dog was sooooooo good. First thing be aware, the hot dogs are cooked to order so it's very hot. Be careful when biting into it. But it's sooo good. A different texture since it's ripped, but a nice flavor and good spice. I talked to the owner and he told me that they order these hot dogs directly from New Jersey.

The Manhattan Dog, $3.45, NY red onion suace, kraut and mustard. This hot dog had an amazing snap and flavor. The hot dog is different that the ripper. This is just like what you expect a NY hot dog to be. Long and thin with a great snap, not sure if the hot dog is by Sabbrett but damn close. The kraut was fresh and the bun held everything together.

The best thing was having tater tots, $1.50. OK a childhood thing but you gotta admit, they are great. Again cooked to order, this was great. They fried them just right, crisp on the outside, nice and soft inside.

Service is OK. The owner and his wife are running the store. When I got to the front of the line to order, the wife just walked to the side and got some orders out. I wish people would at least greet me and say "I'll be right with you." Simple statement but it goes a long way. I don't mind the wait just as long as I'm not left standing there. The hot dogs are cooked to order, expect a little wait.

Red Oak BBQ-Closed

Red Oak BBQ 

7051 Greenleaf Ave 

Whittier 

562-907-0008 

 What do you get when you serve up below average BBQ and terrible service? You get Red Oak BBQ in Whittier. As the name suggests, Red Oak is Santa Maria style BBQ which means meats cooked over oak wood. Santa Maria BBQ is known for their tri tip but some restaurants will cook other meats to, shocking, make money!!! I got the tri tip and spare ribs dinner, $17.95. The dinner comes with two sides, I got a green salad and onions rings. Both were OK, nothing special. The spare ribs were bad because they had a chemical smell, as if they used lighter fluid to start their BBQ's. The meat was a bit tough but that has to be expected since they aren't actually smoked. But they should smell like lighter fluid. The tri tip was a little better but nothing great. It was a bit tough, something tri tip, which is a sirloin cut, shouldn't be. It was also pretty bland, I dipped the tri tip into the au jus and that gave it some flavor. Service was terrible. I was greeted, seated, and got a drink quickly but it went downhill from there. After the drink I didn't see the server for at least five minutes to take my order. I also asked for a refill after placing my order and I had to ask another server for a refill. Then I made a call at 7:55pm and talked for about 10 minutes. I didn't see the server at all during that time. About five minutes later, he tells me I'll check on your food order. I wait for another five minutes and I still haven't gotten my food. I don't know if they went all the way up to Santa Maria but damn it shouldn't take that old to get the food. Finally my order comes. But the onion rings are cold. Nice. I had to wait another ten minutes to get my bill. The place was by no means crowded and they had three people serving. But it was so damn slow and terrible. I think he was just talking to people at the bar in the back and not paying attention to people having dinner. Idiot. The final straw came when I got my receipt for my credit card. Another server, not the server I had, dropped it off and said "Here you go." WTF? No Thank you. Have a nice night. Stupid idiot. Hope you liked my tip. I would not go back to Red Oak BBQ again. Below average food and TERRIBLE service. Plus the night I went, there were a bunch of young kids running around, crying and screaming. Parents should know that other people are trying to enjoy a nice dinner, they don't need some screaming kid ruining their dinner. Hire a baby sitter or teach you kids some manners.

Rosie's BBQ & Grillery-Closed

Rosie's BBQ & Grillery
9012 Tampa Ave
Northridge
818-349-3055

Anytime I see BBQ and Grillery, I know that the ribs are not going to be smoked. A real pitmaster would never have a grill. But I decided to try Rosie's anyways, mostly because of a Yelper, Rachel B. spoke so highly of it, though she is weird and doesn't eat any meat with bones attached.

Wednesday night they have an endless slab of baby back ribs, $18.99 with one side, mashed potatoes. I knew right away the ribs were cooked in an oven and finish on a grill because the ribs were too hot to pickup with my hands. The slab pictured had a lot of tender meat but as I worked towards the ends there were tons of fat and grizzle. This happens because the ribs are cooked at an high temps thus the fat isn't allowed to burn off.

Service was bad. As I was being seated I passed by the server station and three servers were standing and talking, even though there were plenty of people at the tables. About five to seven minutes later the server arrives and ask if I'm ready to order. Not even taking drink orders. This is not acceptable. The server should have come by earlier and should have taken a drink order. I knew what I wanted to eat but servers should take drink orders first. I asked for gravy on the mashed potatoes but as you can see I got dry mashed potatoes. I didn't eat much of it because the ribs were so filling. After I was finished with the first slab I had to wait at least another five minutes before the server came around. I got a batch of six ribs, still with a lot of fat, but while I was eating them the two guys next to me were moved to a booth because the area I was sitting in was reserved in thirty minutes. How did I know? Because the host told a bus boy and another server. Now I didn't feel rushed and I would have taken my sweet old time but restaurant staff shouldn't talk shop around other customers. I ask for my check and I am waiting at least another five minutes before he comes and takes the money. Now the place was getting busy but not too busy, so there is no reason for the long wait. Just terrible service. The server was nice enough but just too damn slow.

What is the difference between Rosie's and Wood Ranch? For ribs they are about the same, though Wood Ranch ribs don't have that much fat. Service wise, Wood Ranch is much better.

I would not go back to Rosie's, at least for the ribs. The ribs are just OK and have too much fat on them. Of course service is bad.

Kaisen Sushi Bar

Kaisen Sushi Bar
3855 S Bristol St
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-444-2161

Kaisen Sushi is known for their revolving sushi and their $1.75 daily specials. They have a $1.75 lobster hand roll on Wednesday. Not sure what their other daily specials maybe but they are all $1.75.

They had a jumbo shrimp tempura special for $3.75. This was awesome. Shrimp the size of a damn tree branch, covered with a crunchy tempura coating, served hot!!!! A steal at $3.75. This was up on their daily special chalk board.

I had to try the tuna and yellowtail sushi, $2.25 each. Both of these were fresh, tasty and well worth the price. I could have ordered two orders and this would have been the same size but half the price of Asakasa in Hacienda Heights.

Shrimp tempura hand roll, $2.75. This was so much better than Asakasa. Fresh, the shrimp tempura was decent size and there was actually shrimp inside that tempura. The avocado, imitation crab meat, everything was so fresh.

The lobster hand roll, $1.75 on Wednesday. A great great hand roll, lots of lobster, fresh

Service is good. I was right in front of the sushi chefs, so I didn't get the full revolving sushi experience. But the sushi was served up quick and fresh. The server refilled drinks quickly. But they don't take away the dishes because that's how they add up the bill. Each plate color is a certain price, ranging from 99 cents to $3.75.

I would go back to Kaisen anytime. The shrimp tempura roll was worth the $2.75 but would be a steal at $1.75. The lobster rolls are a steal at the regular $.3.50 but one of the best deals at $1.75. After a bad experience at Asakasa, I'm glad I made the drive to Kaisen. Good, fresh sushi at good prices. I would have never thought that a sushi place next to a Staples would be so good!!!

Update: Dec 4th.




I went back to Kaisen and added a picture of their daily specials.

I decided to get the lobster hand cut roll, $7. It was just as good as the hand roll, filled with lots of lobster and avocado. A good deal at $7.

I went on a Thursday so it was soft shell crab hand rolls for $1.75. I'm not a big fan of a soft shell crab but I figured why not try it. It's only $1.75. What a surprise. The soft shell crab was nice and crunchy and very tasty. There was also sushi rice (duh), imitation crab meat and avocado. All very fresh and good. I finished off three orders.

Service was pretty good but I'm really starting to get mad about servers asking, when they pick up the check, they ask if I need change. No that's not professional. A better way to handle this situation is, "I'll be right back with your change." That serves two purposes. I could be a reminder to the customer, ME, to say keep the change. Of course the other is not to piss off people, who are tipping you.