Patsy Kitchen

Patsy Kitchen
3641 Katella
Los Alamitos, CA
562-431-9747

A couple stores down from Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters, is Patsy Kitchen. A wonderful place for a meat filled pasty. I ordered one small hot beef and one small hot chicken pasty. Both are filled with lots of potatoes but not much beef or chicken. The two patsys were about $4.75. You can also order them frozen and heat them up at home. The crust was nice and flaky and the pastys were nice and hot. I though the pastsys were good. But not a good valve. $2 for potatoes with some beef or chicken isn't worth it.

Friendly service and people. But be careful going in when it's over 90 degrees. They have no air conditionings and the ovens are turned on all the time, so combined that with the over 90 degree heat outside, you get a very hot and uncomfortable room.

Mustard's Chicago Hot Dogs- Los Alamitos

Mustard's
3630 Katella Ave
Los Alamitos CA 90720
562-598-1662

While driving to Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters, I found Mustard's second location in Los Alamitos. Having already been to the Mustards in Long Beach, I decided to drop in to compare the two locations, and to honor the Chicago White Sox winning the 2005 AL Central Division.

I ordered the charbroiled Chicago dog which is a skinless hot dog with the usual Chicago hot dog toppings. Very good stuff but I do like the snap of the natural casing. Though I would order a charbroiled Chicago Dog again. The Chicago Dog was $2.90. The Chicago dog is the second picture.

Then I ordered the Comiskey Park Pole. A polish hot dog with relish, grilled onions, tomatoes, and mustard. Great stuff again. $3.01 was the cost for the Comiskey Park Pole.

There is no difference in the food between Mustard's in Long Beach and Los Alamitos.

I would go back again.

Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters

Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters
3671 Katella Ave.,
Los Alamitos, CA
(562) 594-0140

While doing a search for Mustard's Hot Dogs, I found a review for Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters in Los Alamitos. I decided to try the Pittsburgh broasted chicken and see how it compared to the Chicken Box.

I was very surprised. Two other buddies came along and we ordered the 12 piece family pack with broasted potatoes and potatoe salad for about $18.00. The 12 piece included 3 breast, 3 wings, 3 thighs, and 3 legs. The surprising thing was we could select the seasoning. We selected the Original, Cajun, and Lemon Pepper. In the picture of the chicken going from left to right you see the orginal, Cajun and Lemon Pepper.

We each took a piece from the three seasonings. The chicken had a very nice crunch and was very moist and tender inside. After the first few bites, I knew this was better than Chicken Box. The Cajun seasoning lack any real spice. The original was very good but my favorite was the Lemon Pepper.

The broasted potatoes were pretty good. A nice texture outside, though not crunchy and thick slices of potatoes inside. The potatoe salad was decent. Nothing great.

I really enjoyed my trip to Pittsburgh Chicken and Taters. I will go back when I'm in the area.

Mike's Memphis BBQ-Closed

Mike's Memphis BBQ
11513 Knott Ave
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 799-6222

The first time I went here, I ordered the rib tips. Big mistake. Tips were burnt, no flavor, little meat. I went today, Sept. 27th and ordered the pork ribs lunch with mac salad for $8.18.

The ribs were OK. Though they lacked some smoke flavor. The ribs were fairly tender but they seem to lack any rub. The BBQ sauce was great. Just a little spicy but very nice flavor. Maybe the best BBQ sauce around. The mac salad was very creamy and fresh. I really enjoyed the BBQ sauce and mac salad. Now they just need to work on making better BBQ.

If I were in the area, I would go back. But I wouldn't make a special trip.

Paco's Tacos-Closed

Paco's Tacos 1131 Brea Canyon Rd Diamond Bar, CA 91765 (909) 595-0044 A long time Diamond Bar/Walnut restaurant, I only go to Paco's for their specials. Monday and Tuesday is 99 cent tacos. Wed and Thursday are $2.99 tortas and meat and bean burritos. Sat and Sun is a meat and bean burrito and any taco (except shrimp) for $3.99 The second picture is a hard shell shredded beef taco and a fish taco. The beef taco is deep fried. They load the taco with cheese as you can see. The beef is OK but lacks any flavor. They need to add some spice to the beef. The fish taco is a small piece of deep fried fish, (think fish sticks) with cabbage, tomatoes, and a decent white sauce. The third picture is a soft shell carne asada, carinitas, and fish taco. The carne asada and carinitas are very dry and lack flavor. If you want decent food at cheap prices Paco's Tacos is the place. Nothing great except the price.

Casa De Tacos-Closed

Casa De Tacos 2015 Hacienda Blvd Hacienda Heights CA 91745 626-968-9180

A very nice Mexican restaurant about a mile north of the 60 freeway on Hacienda Blvd. Nice friendly and fast service but mostly a take out place. There are three tables in the restaurant but most of their business seems to be take out.

Pictured is a super carne asada tostada for $5.40. They do not cheat you out of anything. The tostada was filled with nice tender carne asada, beans, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and lots of cheese. This could easily feed two people.

A nice place that I will go to if I'm in the area.

Mr Fish & Chips-Closed

Mr Fish & Chips
1453 Foothill Blvd
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 593-6322

Mr. Fish and Chips is located in the Von's Shopping Center on Foothill Blvd in La Verne. It's a a nice place for fish and chips. They use a tempura batter for their fish.

The second picture is their Double Catch special with onion rings $4.97 tax included. One piece of fish, three jumbo shrimp, and choice of fries or onion rings. The fish are nice and flakey with a decent tartar sauce. The shrimp are shaped in a circular pattern and have a good crunch but the shrimp aren't exactly jumbo. The onion rings are pretty good with a good crunch and sweet onion.

The third picture is the 21 shrimp basket which is on special for $3.24 tax included. The shrimp are very hard and crunch. I'm not a big fan of the hard crunch but for the price you can't beat it.

They offer a frequent diner car which gets you a free meal after the 9th $5 or more meal you buy.

Nice service and the orders are cooked to order so expect a decent wait. I would go back but I wouldn't buy the shrimp basket again.

Windy C's Chicago Hot Dogs-Closed

Windy C's Chicago Hot Dogs
140 S. Mountain Ave.
Upland, CA. 91786
(909) 982-8273

About a mile north of the 10 freeway in Upland is Windy C's Chicago Hot Dogs. I wish the wind would blow this place away. The owner is one of the rudest person around. The hot dogs are small and overpriced.

Pictured is the Chicago dog for $3.61. As you can see the hot dog is pencil thin. The hot dog lacked any snap, flavor and was lukewarm at best. The toppings are fresh and the bun is nice and stemmed.

The place was empty when I got there. The owner was in the back doing whatever. I can see from the prices and terrible service why this place stays empty. I am very surprised it has stayed opened all this time.

I wouldn't go back.

Chicago Harv's-Closed

Chicago Harv’s
410 E. Chapman Ave.,
Fullerton,
(714) 871-0491

While Chicago Harv's may have started as a Chicago Hot Dog place, it now serves a wide variety of food. All hot dogs and burgers include a side order, fried, chili, salad, or rice. The hot dogs are all viena beef hot dogs. But they do not have the name of Chicago landmarks. No Comiskey Park Polish Dog or the Great Chicago Fire Dog. Pictured is the Chicago Dog without peppers for $3.22 tax included.

The hot dog has a nice snap to it. The toppings are fresh. Thought for my tastes they put too much relish.

A pretty good place for a Chicago style hot dog. Since it's located right next to Fullerton College there are many college students during the lunch rush. Burgers and the teriyaki bowls seem to be the most popular among the students. A nice place to go during the warm weather months as the girls are wearing next to nothing thus making the scenery much better.

A decent place to get your fix for Chicago style hot dogs. I will go back and try their burgers and teriyaki bowls. Maybe in May when the weather is warmer and the scenery will be better.

Royal Buffet-Long Beach-Closed

Royal Buffet
530 E. 33rd Street
Long Beach, CA 90807
562-427-9977

Off the Atlantic exit off the 405 freeway is Royal Buffet. A huge place with good food. Adult dinner is $9.99 which includes all the soda you want to drink.

The first picture is barbequed spare ribs and butterfly fried shrimp. Both very good. A nice crunch to the shrimp and a nice tender spare ribs.

The second picture is fried shrimp, chicken and broccoli, and seafood combination. The chicken and broccoli was very good. The turnover on most items is pretty fast and the means fresh food most of the time. The two times I had the chicken and broccoli, the broccoli was crisp and had a nice snap. The seafood combination had shrimp, immatation crab meat, and mixed vegetables. The sauce was a little too heavy but otherwise, I was very impressed.

One of the better Chinese Buffets I've been to. Their website has a $1 off adult meal. They also have a frequent diner card, where you get your tenth meal free.

www.royalbuffet.com

Mustard's Chicago Hot Dogs-Long Beach-Closed

Mustard's
3387 Atlantic Ave
Long Beach, CA 90807
562- 427-6435

I found Mustard's while going to Royal Buffet. A pleasant surprise. A very good hot dog.

The second picture is the Jumbo Chicago Dog for $2.91 without the peppers. It was very good. The hot dog has a natural casing and was served hot. The toppings were very fresh and tasty.

The third picture is the Jumbo Comiskey Park Pole. A polish sausage instead of the beef hot dog. Again good stuff. $2.91.

I was very impressed with this place. Good prices, good hot dogs. And a good location, just north of the 405 freeway on Atlantic.

Tom's Tacos-Closed

Tom's Tacos
3024 W Ball Rd
Anaheim, CA 92804
(714) 952-1600

Back in the 1980's, the World Famous, Tito's Tacos moved to the Orange Curtain. By the late 80's they sold the recipe and restaurant to somebody named Tom. Tom sold the restaurant to the current owner.

Tom's is about a mile or so south of Knott's Berry Farm at the corner of Beach and Ball Road.

The difference between Tito's and Tom's, is that Tom's serves chicken tacos and closes much earlier than Tito's. Tom's Tacos hours are 11am-9pm, with last orders taken at about 8:30pm.

I ordered the beef taco with cheeese, chicken taco with cheese and a beef and bean burrito for $6.40. The chips and salsa are complimentary. The tacos are fried and the shell is really crunchy. They charge extra for cheese, $1.35 for a taco, $1.70 for a taco with cheese. Get the tacos with cheese!!!

I like the salsa but the chips are very thick and are hard to chew.

This is very good food at cheap prices.

Barro Brothers Pizza

Barro Brothers Pizza
21000 Golden Springs Rd.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909-598-2871

Barro's is a place I've been going to since high school in the mid 1980's. One of the best pizza places around. But within the past two years they sold to a new owner and I feel the quality has slipped a little.

Every Monday they have a $8.95 one topping large pizza special. Today, September 12th, I ordered the large picture with grilled chicken as the topping. As a sign of the slip in quality, there were very few pieces of chicken. Barro's used to give you a ton of toppings that covered the entire pizza. Now it barely covers half the pizza. But the cheese, crust and toppings are good. A nice chewing crust, good sauce (though they could put much more on there) and the chicken is nice and tender.

I only go to Barro's with a coupon or buy the special. The slip in quality is noticeable. The service is fine but if you go on Saturdays there are tons of little league teams having their after game parties. So you'll be waiting awhile.

Bernie's-Closed

Bernie's
1299 S. Harbor Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631
714-525-2186

In front of Great Wall Mongolian BBQ is Bernie's. This location is the third location for Bernie's. They used to be on Beach Blvd. in Buena Park but were displaced by the 5 freeway. Then they moved to Beach and Commonwealth in Buena Park and then they moved to La Habra about a month ago.

A nice, clean, comfortable diner type restaurant. I ordered the pastrami burger with wet fries. When I ordered the pastrami burger I asked that no onions and pickles on the burger. The waitress wrote down the request and went to put in the order. The order comes up and there are problems. I get the pastrami sandwich and not the pastrami burger, even after I went through the trouble of asking for no pickles and onions on the burger. The waitress took the order back and got the right order.

The pastrami burger as you can see is very big. Always a plus. The patties was juicy and flavorful. I thought the pastrami had a little too much fat but otherwise is fine. I did like the burger and the price is right at $6.75. The fries was a little undercooked and the gravy was your typical gravy from a box.

The food is good here and I would come back. The prices are almost all under $10 and they do give you a lot of food. Other than the waitress messing up my order she was attentive and I didn't lack for anything during the meal.

I would like to come back for breakfast but hopefully better service. I don't want my eggs scrambled when I ordered eggs over hard. But I'm willing to give them another try.

Interesting note, their take out menu doesn't have their address.

Philly's Best- San Dimas

Philly's Best- San Dimas
806 W. Arrow Hwy Unit C
San Dimas, CA 91773
909-305-8811

I went to Philly's Best in San Dimas today, Sept, 1, 2005. They opened August 26th so less than a week. But as with all Philly's Best locations I've been to the same menu items. Though the San Dimas location about about 20 cents more than the Placentia and Irvine locations. They are located in the Target shopping center off the 57 Freeway at Arrow Hwy.

The sandwiches pictured above are from the San Dimas location. The second picture is an American Hoagie with ham, salami, bogolna, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Mustuard, mayo, onions, oregano, oil and salt and pepper are optional.

The last picture is a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and onions. This location doesn't cheat you out of the steak. They put much more steak onto your cheesesteak than the Placentia location. Maybe that's what accounts for the higher prices.

Very friendly service and good cheesesteaks and hoagies should make this location a hit with the San Dimas community.