The New Diner 2

Apparently, The New Diner has reached it limit with Blogger. But, don't worry, The New Diner will continue at The New Diner 2. Same attitude, same types of restaurants, same reviews.

Sugarfish By Sushi Nozawa

Sugarfish By Sushi Nozawa
600 W 7th St
Ste 150
Los Angeles
213-627-3000

Sugarfish is a sushi restaurant that has been on my list of places to try for over a year. I finally decided to try it. Sugarfish is owned by Sushi Nozawa, a very popular Studio City sushi restaurant, that recently closed. I've heard some of the best quality sushi in LA can be found at Sugarfish.

I ordered the "Trust Me," $29, which included organic edamane, tuna sashimi, two pieces of; albacore, salmon, yellowtail, and halibut, a tora roll and blue crab roll.

To save time and typing all the sushi was the best I've ever had!!! The fish were so buttery, so fresh and just melted in your mouth. Maybe for the first time ever, I noticed the difference in quality of sushi. Just amazing!! The other big difference is that the rice they use is hot!! A very unique taste and flavor, that I love. Now, I read reviews that said Sugarfish drowns their sushi in ponzi sauce, but I didn't notice that at all. All I tasted was the freshness of the fish.

Tuna sashimi. I'm not a sashimi fan. I like the texture that sushi offers. But this tuna sashimi was just like the sushi I would have later; fresh, buttery and just melted in your mouth.

Albacore and salmon

Yellowtail and halibut.

Toro hand roll.

Tora is tuna belly, and while there wasn't a lot of tora in there, this was a very good roll. They just need to put more toro.

Blue crab hand roll. Nothing can ruin your crab dining experience than biting down on a shell. That happened to me and I wasn't happy. For a restaurant as good as Sugarfish that shouldn't happen. The roll was good and had a good among of blue crab.

I thought the "Trust Me" combo was well worth the price and I was stuffed!! It was a great meal, minus biting down on the crab shell.

Service: I have never been to a restaurant that charged a 16% service charge for TWO, as in TWO, people!! Then to top it off, they charged tax on the service charge!!! While service was good, it's in bad form to add the tip. This is America, not Europe.

If I go back to Sugarfish, I will since the fish is the best quality fish I have ever had, it will only be to go. Screw this 23% service charge.

Woodstock's Pizza

Woodstock's Pizza
928 Embarcadero Del Norte
Isla Vista
805-968-6969

About ten years ago I went to Cal St. Goleta, aka, UC Santa Barbara, for a basketball game. People told me I had to try Woodstock's Pizza and they said it was walking distance from the Thunderdump. Well, I go and try to find Woodstock's Pizza, but the nerds that fill up Cal St. Goleta didn't have a clue where Woodstock's was. I gave up trying to find it. But, today with the help of modern technology, I finally find Woodstock's Pizza!!!

What greets me at the front door of Woodstock's? A sign welcoming all Cal St. Goleta fans. Look a Cal St. Goleta's "Hamburglar" logo!! Anyways, there weren't too many people inside Woodstock's. I guess the nerds from Cal St. Goleta were still in class.

You may wonder I call UC Santa Barbara, Cal St. Goleta. If you go to a game between Cal St. Goleta and a Cal State school, the nerds at Cal St. Goleta will chant "State School," as a way to make themselves feel better because the were too stupid to get into Cal and Cal-LA. In other words the nerds at Cal St. Goleta have an inferiority complex. I've never heard that "state school" chant at Cal or Cal-LA, only Cal St. Goleta and Cal St. Bren-AKA UC Irvine. Oh, stupid Nauchos, Cal St. Goleta is a state school, since they receive state funds. Also, Cal St. Goleta, was actually located in Goleta, before the city of Santa Barbara annexed the campus.

I got a personal cheese pizza with wheat crust, $5.82. I've had wheat crust on a pizza at Michaelangelo's Pizza, and I loved it. The firmer texture of the wheat crust, is what sets it apart from the regular flour crust.

The amount of cheese for this personal sized pizza was amazing, I bet there was more cheese on this pizza than other places medium pizzas!! The cheese was melted nicely, gooey and chewy.

The sauce was a bit too tangy for my tastes, they could tone it down a bit, but it was very fresh.

Now, the price listed for a cheese personal pizza is $6.49. But, for some reason I got a discount, maybe for a wheat crust? Either, way a great deal for a very good quality pizza.

Service is very good. The guy who took my order was nice, friendly, and helpful.

If I ever go back to Cal St. Goleta, I would happily go back to Woodstock's Pizza. If I do, I just hope I don't run into the Naucho Loco's, the nerd, sorry I mean, the student booster group for Cal St. Goleta; State School, State School, State School!!

Holy Smokes Bar-B-Que-Closed

Holy Smokes Bar-B-Que
116 N Vincent Ave
West Covina
626-339-6787

I went to Hungry Al's Bar-B-Que in 2005, when I first started The New Diner. I wasn't impressed and never went back. A few months ago, I drove past Hungry Al's and noticed, what I thought was a new sign. But, a closer look showed a new BBQ place that replaced Hungry Al's.

Holy Smokes Bar-B-Que opened in August, 2011. The owner of Hungry Al's retired and closed the restaurant in April 2011. Today, I finally got a chance to try the BBQ at Holy Smokes.

I got the lunch rib plate, $7.88, with macaroni salad. The lunch portion is served all day and has three spare ribs. The ribs include the tips, so they aren't St. Louis ribs, making them huge, these three ribs filled me up. The ribs had a decent bark, I tasted cumin and a nice smoke ring. But, when I bite into the ribs, they had a weird texture. I thought they may have been boiled before they were smoked, but the more I ate the ribs, I'm thinking they are grilled at high heat, which isn't BBQ, it's grilling!! For what they are, grilled, the ribs were pretty good. But, it's not the BBQ I was expecting. The BBQ sauce is a tomato based sauce with a strong cumin flavor. The macaroni salad tasted like it came out of a can.

Service is pretty good. The lady taking orders, who I believe is the owner or related to the owner, isn't really a people person, she is more reserved and not the friendly out going personality that is more suited for customer service. She is friendly, just not out going. It may bother people that the food was service to to go containers and utensils were plastic, but it's BBQ-which isn't gourmet.

While the ribs were huge and the prices very reasonable, I personally wouldn't go back. The ribs aren't smoked or the very least, they didn't do a good job of smoking the ribs.

Cavaretta's Italian Groceries

Cavaretta's Italian Groceries
22045 Sherman Way
Canoga Park
818-340-6626

Until last year, I've never had an Italian cold cut sandwich. I knew what mortadella, capacolla, and salame were but they didn't appeal to me in a sandwich. But, one day I figured they all sandwich meat, so I decided to give them a try. My first version of an Italian cold cut sandwich was at Eastside Market Italian Deli, it maybe my favorite place for an Italian cold cut sandwich. I also like the sandwich from Capri Deli & Kitchen. I found out I really liked an Italian cold cut sandwich. So, now when I go to any Italian deli, I look will order an Italian cold cut sandwich.

I read that Cavaretta's Italian Groceries serves up some great sandwiches, maybe the best in the Valley, so I dropped in. Cavaretta's opened in 1959 and has always gotten good reviews for their sandwiches.

Large Italian, mortadella, cotto salame, Italian salame, provolone cheese, $7.45. Every Italian deli has their version of the Italian cold cut sandwich. Some put capacola, others will include turkey, and others will have ham on their sandwich. Well, Cavaretta's is the first to have two different types of salame, cotto and Italian.

I liked the Cavaretta's version of an Italian cold cut sandwich. The meats were very fresh. I opened up the sandwich to see if I could tell the difference between the two salames, but they looked the same to me. The mayo, lettuce and tomatoes were all very fresh and cold, they were stored properly, until some other places! The Italian roll had a nice, soft chewy texture and good crust. While the sandwich was good, it wasn't outstanding and certainly not the best Italian cold cut sandwich I've had.

Service is good. The guy who made my sandwich was nice and made the sandwich quickly.

I was impressed with Cavaretta's Italian Groceries, but I wouldn't rush back to get an Italian cold cut sandwich. It maybe the best in the Valley, but really, how much competition is there? If you live in the area, this is a great choice, I just wouldn't make a special trip for it.

La Grande Orange Café-Closed

La Grande Orange Café
260 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena
626-356-4444

Is there a restaurant that has been on your "to try" list that you drive by often, but never actually stop in for meal? La Grande Orange Café is one of the restaurants for me. It's been on my list of restaurants to try, and I'm in or drive by Pasadena quite often.

Recently a friend and I were talking, and she raved about La Grande Orange Café. So, we decided to have dinner there recently. She goes to La Grande Orange Café often and has tried many items on their menu.

She told me La Grande Orange Café, is housed in the old Pasadena train station. In keeping with the a back to the future them, LGO is next to the Del Mar Gold Line Station. If you're like other people in Los Angeles, there is a parking garage that offers two hours free parking with validation.

I got the grilled ahi tuna tacos, $20, with pico de gallo, gaucamole, and shredded kale slaw.

WOW, was the awesome. Everything was so fresh and tasty!! The ahi was grilled rare, and was among the best ahi tuna I've ever had. I've paid more for ahi at sushi restaurants that wasn't even close to this ahi. The ingredients for pico de gallo and gaucamole must have been on the farm that morning, because I've haven't had such fresh pico de gallo and gaucamole, ever!! The tortillas were freshly made. Everything combined made great tacos.

But, what blew me away was the kale slaw. Now, understand, I hate kale. But, it was on the menu and I figured, I would try a little bit of it, and if I didn't like it, no big deal. Well, I took a small bite and I was blown away by the flavor and freshness of this kale slaw. I find the texture and bitterness of kale to be off putting. But, that wasn't an issue here. The kale was tender, mixed with some garlic, red peppers, and some black beans. I think they offer this as a side, but next time I go, I'm going to order a couple of them to make an entree salad.

Service was ok. Our server was nice, but didn't came around that often. I felt as though he was just going through the motions. I don't want a robot as a server!

I'm not sure why I haven't gone to La Grande Orange Café earlier. But, I'm coming back soon.

Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt

Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt
10850 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles
310-475-1070

After having a great burger at Hole in the Wall Burger Joint, my friends said we should get dessert at a great frozen yogurt place. I figured why not, and so we went to Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt.

I got a small Irish Mint and cookie covered chocolate, $3.50. Unlike those damn chains that serve run of the mill frozen yogurt, this was awesome. A nice thick texture and wonderful flavor. The Irish Mint was fantastic!! Great mint flavor!! The cookie cover chocolate was almost like eating See's Candies chocolate in a frozen yogurt form.

Service is very good. They allow you to sample their flavors, and they serve up the yogurt quickly. Before I left, I wanted to get a business card, so they gave me a frequent shopper's card, and the guy asked how many yogurts I purchased! I told him, only one and he punched the card. Most places wouldn't have punched the card or asked how many items I bought.

It's a cash only operation, too. What's the matter with West LA? The people are plastic but the stores don't accept plastic?? While I still don't like going to the pretentious West LA, if I'm in the area, I will go back to Bigg Chill Frozen Yogurt.

Hole in the Wall Burger Joint-Closed

Hole in the Wall Burger Joint
11058 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles
310-312-7013

Competition is what drives the restaurant business. Foodies are the winners in the these restaurant competitions. While I'm not sure if The Counter, was the first of it's type to open in the LA area, it has competition with Hole in the Wall Burger Joint!! Hole in the Wall Burger Joint is more casual than The Counter, where it's more of a sit down restaurant. But, hell when you have the name, Hole in the Wall Burger Joint, are you really expecting a sit down restaurant? It's a bit hard to find, the store front is actually on Missouri, though the street address is listed as Santa Monica. Look for the shopping center with Winchell Donuts and Hole in the Wall Burger Joint, is behind that Winchell's.

Like The Counter, you fill out your burger order on a sheet of paper. All protein are 8oz portions, and include beef, turkey, spicy chicken and veggie. I got a turkey burger on a whole wheat bun, with onion mayo, cheddar cheese, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard pickle relish, $8.95. They offer a pretzel bun and a burger in a bowl, but I passed on those.

I really liked this burger. A turkey burger is usually going to be a bit drier than a beef burger, because of the low fat content in turkey. But, this burger was juicy, full of flavor and just wonderful. The turkey was cooked perfectly and was well seasoned, very important. The toppings were fresh, though I took off the mustard relish after the first couple bites, I just wasn't a fan. For a great topping, on their condiment bar, is their version of ranch dressing and it's great. Next time I go, I'm getting my burger dry and just add their ranch dressing.

Service is good and the burgers came out quickly, hot and fresh!! But, it's a cash only operation, so be prepared. They have an ATM on site, but of course, we'll get dinged by your bank for not using their ATM's!!

I would go back to Hole in the Wall Burger Joint, any time.

Two Brothers From Italy Pizza

Two Brothers From Italy Pizza
4760 Oceanside Blvd
Oceanside
760-758-3638

I was in Oceanside and while driving around found Two Brothers From Italy Pizza. I was hungry and I haven't had an Italian cold cut sandwich in awhile, so why not give Two Brothers a try? Looked in the corner of a strip mall, Two Brothers From Italy Pizza is a big location, with plenty of seating and is pretty popular judging by the number of people, either dining in or picking up orders.

I got the half, 8 inches, Paolo's Special, ham, salami, capicola, pepperoni, and provolone cheese, $7.49. I read the menu incorrectly, and this wasn't a cold sub, but an oven baked sub. Not what I'm used to but I liked this sub. The bread as well toasted and added a different texture to the sandwich. The meats were pretty good quality, that were piled on top of each other. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh. This is a solid, good sandwich at a good price. It's nothing outstanding but much better than anything you're going to get at a chain sandwich shop.

Service was good. The cashier who took my order was nice and friendly. Like I said, I misread their menu and thought I was getting a cold sandwich. So, while waiting for the sandwich, the young girl who taking food to the tables, said I'll check on your sandwich. I guess she could see I was wondering what was taking so long!! But, that's my fault because the sandwich had to be toasted and that does take some time.

I wasn't in the mood for pizza, so I didn't get a slice of pizza, or maybe the pizza that was sitting in the warmer turned me off, it didn't look that appetizing.

Overall, I had a positive experience at Two Brothers From Italy Pizza. If I'm in the area again, I may come get a fresh baked pizza, but I'm not going to rush back.

Hambone's BBQ and Po'Boy Sandwiches

Hambone's BBQ and Po'Boy Sandwiches
9342 Alondra Blvd
Bellflower
562-920-1090

After watching the BBQ episode of Top Chef Texas, I wanted some BBQ. I recently found out about a new BBQ restaurant in Bellflower, called Hambone's, so I called a friend and we got ourselves some BBQ. Opened for about a year, Hambone's has been serving BBQ, po boy sandwiches and soul food. The restaurant has a small indoor dining area with a couple tables and counter space, and a good sized covered patio with about 6-8 tables.

I got the 3 baby back ribs with mac and cheese, $5.98, #18 on their menu. As readers of The New Diner know, I'm not a fan of baby back ribs. I got the baby backs because they do not offer spare ribs. Many place make the mistake of too much smoke on baby backs. Hambone's does a very good job of smoke their ribs. The baby backs were very good, with lots of meat and good smoke flavor. Baby back ribs are pretty tender to start with, so not much smoking is needed. I really like the quality of the ribs, good flavor, meaty. They use good quality ribs.

The mac and cheese was fantastic!! Perfectly cooked macaroni, covered with a gooey cheese sauce that was well seasoned and flavorful. They use a good roux that coats all the macaroni with that cheesey goodness.

Service was very good. They are friendly and helpful, which was good to see because they were a bit abrupt.

It's been awhile since I've had good BBQ and I'm glad I've tried Hambones. But, if I have one complaint it would be the high prices of their dinners and plates; half ($21.99) and full rack ($24.99) of baby backs with two sides. They did have a five baby back ribs for $11.50, which is a good price, but I'm not willing to spend a lot of money anymore for bad BBQ, so I got the 3 baby back ribs combo. Luckily Hambone's serves up very good BBQ. I will be back get that and try a po boy sandwich, $11.99.

Mogan's Cafe-Closed

Mogan's Cafe
548 Palisades Dr
Pacific Palisades
310-454-0040

Happy New Year, The New Diner readers. Glad to have you back for another year of restaurant reviews.

I'm rarely on the snotty, pretentious, asshole West Side, but I decided to make an late morning trip out there. Afterwards, I wasn't planning to go to Mogan's Cafe, but I was already in the area, so I decided to dropped in. Luckily I brought my camera, so I could do a review, my first in Pacific Palisades!

Mogan's Cafe is a few miles from the intersection of PCH and Sunset, no ocean view but a nice restaurant in a strip mall. While we were walking to our table, somebody at another table just got his breakfast quesadilla and it was huge!! So I was expecting huge portions. Good thing they delivered because I was starving.

I ordered the salad and sandwich combo, $10.99 on the menu, with the tuna salad sandwich and a mixed green salad.

The mixed green salad had green leaf lettuce, red tip leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula with a vinaigrette dressing. This was a large portion. All the produce was fresh and tasty. The vinaigrette was slightly tangy but well mixed and worked well with all the veggies in the salad.

The tuna salad sandwich was huge! I would bet there was more tuna in this half sandwich, than a tuna salad sandwich from Subway. The tuna was moist but it wasn't drowned in mayo. I read that most restaurants use a different type of mayo, one that has low moisture, than the regular store bought mayo. I wonder where we "common" people can buy that mayo. This was a very filling and good sandwich. I don't think I could finish an entire sandwich.

Service was good. We sat on the patio and didn't lack for anything. The busboy refilled my water countless times, 82 degrees on January 2nd, makes me thristy. The salad and sandwich combo was priced at $10.99 on the menu, but when I got the bill, the salad and sandwich combo was $11.49. Ok, I'm not going to make a big deal about 50 cents, but come on update the prices on your menu.

I would go back to Mogan's Cafe. I like the quality of their food and their portion size!

Brians' American Eatery-Closed

Brians' American Eatery
1451 Washington St
San Diego
619-296-8268

Brian's American Eatery is your classic diner. You're getting comfort food in good sized portions at good prices. I've been to Brian's once, back around the time when Petco Park opened for the San Diego Padres. I went during their Saturday special, all you can eat beef ribs. The ribs are pretty good, they aren't BBQ, the menu even says oven cooked ribs, but they tasted good and for about $14, you can't beat it.

This time around, I came on a Sunday afternoon and it was fully of people. Luckily the weather was cloudy and overcast, so I said first available, and we got a table outside on the patio.

I got the Big Rooster-grilled chicken with bacon and melted swiss cheese on onion bun, with side salad and mac and cheese.

The chicken sandwich was a bit greasy, the bottom portion of the bun was a soggy mess and a bit dry, I guess they figured you would add condiments to the sandwich. But, the chicken was well cooked and the swiss cheese was melted nicely. The bacon was huge, crispy and tasted like it had just been cooked, not sitting under heat lamps. I added some ranch dressing, from my side salad, and it really helped. Maybe, Brian's should call it the Ranch Big Rooster.

My favorite part of the meal was the mac and cheese. WOW!! What a great example of mac and cheese. Everything was well blended together!! The cheese, the perfectly cooked macaroni, everything. They know how to make a roux at Brian's!! They serve this as it's own entree, I think that's what I'll get next time I come to Brian's.

The side salad had fresh veggies and their ranch dressing is great!! It's now some watered down ranch you find at other restaurants, but a well mixed and seasoned ranch.

Service was ok. The server was nice but he wasn't around that often. I understand they were busy, every table in the dining room and patio was filled. But, that's not an excuse for coming by the table only to take our order and to drop off our order. He didn't even come by to give us our check, we were walking to the cashier, when he gave us our bill.

While this visit wasn't great; the Big Rooster wasn't good, and I wouldn't order it again. But, I like my other trip to Brian's and will go back for their ribs, soon!!

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
380 K St
San Diego
619-237-1155

Ok, I'm not the type of guy who likes eating at chain restaurants. Why go to a chain, when there maybe a restaurant just as good? I'll admit, I didn't know certain restaurants were chains when I at there. If I see a new restaurant when I'm out for dinner, I'll just stop in and have a meal there. I don't do research on a restaurant while I'm out and about. But, if I do have time to research a restaurant, I will see if it is a chain and then put that restaurant on the back burner of my "to try" list.

I went to this same exact Flemings about five years ago. I had an enjoyable meal and figured since I was in San Diego I would try them again. Fleming's is running a promotion; if you make reservations online, you get $25 off your meal, if you spend $50 or more and then you get a $25 off card that is good for the first three months in 2012!! A great deal.

Flemings is located in the Gaslamp area of downtown San Diego. It's a fairly big sized restaurant that is dimly lit. It has a nice modern steakhouse decor.

Since I was dining alone, I had to order over $50 of food, so I got an appetizer, Jumbo lump crabcakes, $16.95, with roasted red pepper and lime butter sauce. Jumbo lump are the second highest grade of crabmeat, similar to a choice cut of beef. Jumbo lump are white meat from the two muscles near the swimming legs of the crab. They should be nice and sweet.

I hate crabcakes that are nothing but fillers, breadcrumbs or other junk that doesn't belong in a crabcake. When I cut into this crabcake, nothing but beautiful white meat!! The crabcakes were beautifully browned on the outside, and it wasn't heavy with butter like some place do. It was a nice light sear and a nice texture to the crabcakes. The meat was well seasoned, if they don't use Old Bay seasoning, they use most of the same ingredients like Old Bay. The roasted red pepper and lime butter sauce added a nice cool flavor to the crabcakes. But, I could have eaten the crabcakes alone and been very happy.

If anybody complains about the price of the crabcakes, they are just clueless. Jumbo lump crab meat isn't cheap and as long as the crab cakes have little fillers, this crabcake was about 98% jumbo lump, 2% bread crumps and parsley, it's well worth the price.

Well, a steakhouse, no matter how good their appetizers maybe, has to serve good quality steaks that are cooked perfectly. I got the main filet, $41.95, cooked medium. After telling the server I wanted my steak cooked medium, he said hot pink inside. I told him yes! I like how the server make sure how your steak is going to be cooked. Some people have different definitions of how a medium cooked steak should be.

Anyways a few minutes later, I got a perfectly cooked filet!! This steak was very well seasoned. Some may say it was a little heavy on the pepper, but I like a good amount of pepper on my steak. And Fleming's uses prime steaks, the top cut of beef. So the steak was tender, melt in your mouth, good!! A very good quality steak, well worth the price.

Service was great!! The server and busboy came by my table often, and I wasn't lacking for anything.

I would gladly go back to this Fleming's in San Diego anytime. A great meal with two perfectly cooked items and great service!! What more can you ask for?

Pizzeria Mozza

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles
323-297-0101

Pizzeria Mozza is owned by celebrity chef, Mario Batali and has been a hit for LA diners since it opened in 2007. My understanding is that Nancy Silverton is in charge of the menu and it's her recipes. Whatever the situation is, I've wanted to try Mozza and finally got a chance. I made reservations about a month in advance, and I'm glad I did. When I arrived Mozza was packed, I mean just packed full of snotty, full of themselves, asshole pretentious people!! I thought I was on the Westside!!

While waiting for my friends to arrive, a couple walked out of Mozza, and said "I can't believe the earliest time for a table is 10:15pm." It was about 5pm, when this happened!! So make a reservation!!

Pizzeria Mozza is a fairly small restaurant that is divided into two areas, a larger, much louder room and the smaller, much quieter "wine cellar" It's not really a cellar, it's just room where some wine is stored. But, it's much quieter and a great setting for a good dinner with friends.

I got the "meat lovers" pizza, bacon, salame, fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato, and mozzarella, $19. The pizzas are 10in, personal sized pizza. I didn't know what guanciale was, so I asked the server and he told us, it is an Italian bacon made from the cheeks of the pig. Later, googled guanciale and it's an unsmoked bacon.

Anyways, the first thing I noticed was the size of the sausage, huge, full of bold fennel flavor. They use quality ingredients for this sausage. There was a couple slices of the regular bacon, which was fine, but nothing memorable or outstanding. The guanciale was pretty good, but I prefer smoked bacon. The salame was shaped like pepperoni and had a nice kick to it. The mozzarella was nicely melted and flavorful. The tomato sauce also had a nice kick to it.

But, what ruined the pizza for me was the crust. This may have been among the worst crust I've ever had! A cracker thin crust, that didn't hold up the toppings well towards the center and crunched on the outer edges. That's not my kind of crust.

Overall, the pizza was worth the high price tag, because of the great quality of the meats, not because of the crust.

Service was good, when we saw the server. The hostess was nice and welcoming. She greeted me and every other customer I saw, with a smile and hello. The server was nice and friendly, he patiently answered our questions, but he wasn't really around that much. He came take our order, give us our bill, and then take our money. That's it. I realize the "wine cellar" was packed but there were only about 8-10 tables. It was so busy that we saw the bus boy more than our server.

Afterwards, I went to Mozza To Go, where you can order, pizzas and salads to go, to pick up a menu. The interesting thing I found, is that the meat lovers pizza from Pizzeria Mozza is different than the meat lovers from Mozza To Go, instead of guanciale, they have pancetta. Why they wouldn't use the same toppings for both places, I don't know.

Frankly, I didn't have that high of expectations for Pizzeria Mozza. I don't get the hype about celebrity chefs. So what the owner maybe on TV, doesn't mean his cooking is worth a damn. I could care less that Mario Batali owned Pizzeria Mozza. But, many people buy into the hype. Though I was very impressed with the quality toppings, the crust was horrible. I wouldn't go back to Pizzeria Mozza, unless other friends wanted to go.

Updates

December 9, 2011

I went back to Broaster Kitchen.

October 25, 2011:

After a lot of thought, I have decided to add a new label to reviews; Moved. This means a restaurant has closed down at the listed address in a review, and has moved to another location. I will keep this list updated as possible. I will add a link, if I do a review for the new location. But, keep this in mind; The restaurant will still be labeled closed, since that restaurant is no longer at the address listed. And, honestly if I gave that restaurant a bad review, I'm not going to waste time to update that they moved.

The biggest reason I added Moved, was because I hated seeing how Yelp handles a restaurant that has moved. They will just change the address to the new location, BUT, they keep the reviews AND pictures of the old location. It can be confusing, seeing pictures of two different locations, and really a stupid thing for a review site to do.

September 11, 2011:

I went back to the Pioneer Chicken in Bell Gardens.

Feb. 26, 2011:

Went back to Original Graziano's Pizza and tried their pizza.

Janurary 27, 2011:

This is a, The New Diner, first. If a restaurant that I reviewed has closed, I will label it closed and the year I reviewed the restaurant. Even if the restaurant has moved to a different location, I will label that restaurant as closed, because that location is closed.

Most of the closed restaurants, have either stayed vacated or turned into a different restaurants. But Straw Hat Pizza in Orange, is the first to close and then reopen under new ownership!!

I just found out they have been opened, under new ownership, for seven months. I wasn't really impressed with the pizza, under the old ownership, but I'm glad to see Straw Hat has survived. It was a childhood favorite. Who knows maybe a new owner or another location, will still have the same great Straw Hat taste.

Like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and the other steroids users, there should be an asterisk with this update about Swinging Door BBQ. Which also closed down, then reopened in the same location, but under new ownership and they changed the name to Swingin Door BBQ. Notice the new owners dropped the G. Yes, it's a small detail, but they are different names.

January 19, 2011:

I went back to My Brothers BBQ for their broasted chicken.

2010 Updates:

Bludso's BBQ

I posted pictures of the Arby's in Huntington Beach, with the chuckwagon building and the ten gallon hat, on my review of the Arby's in Pomona.

Pizza Mania, and finally had their pizza.

Pioneer Chicken on Soto.

Jerry's Dogs.

38 Degrees Ale House.

I tried to go back to Porky's BBQ for some fried chicken. I will never go back to Porky's again because of their TERRIBLE service.

Oinkster

Amber Waves.

You can search restaurants by city and cuisine.

2009 Updates:

Alondra Hot Wings in Long Beach.

McConnell Bistro at Pitzer College.

I have just found out that four restaurants I have reviewed on The New Diner, have closed; Memphis BBQ, Dante's Italian Deli, Hof's Hut and Ruth's Place. I don't know exactly when these restaurants closed.

This bring the total to 51 restaurant that I have reviewed but are now closed. If any restaurants that I reviewed are now closed, please let me know. I won't write an update about closures unless it reaches a milestone number.

I have decided to create a new category for closed restaurants; Closed-Reviewed and the year I reviewed the restaurant, for example, Closed-Reviewed 2006.


Bob's Big Boy in Diamond Bar for their 30th anniversary party.

The Smoking Joint.

Langers.

The Habit

Dr. Hogly Wogly

I added a picture of the new signage for Phillips BBQ in Chino.

You can now search reviews by cuisines. I have added labels to my reviews and will add labels to all reviews soon.

Some tips on searching.

I have labeled most restaurants by their broader cuisines and the item I ordered. Example: Mexican, tacos.

If you click BBQ, you will only find places REAL BBQ places that smoke their meats, or at least attempts to smoke their meats. For other places, they are under Oven BBQ.

If you are looking for ribs, they are labeled spare ribs, beef ribs, or baby backs ribs.

Closed means the restaurant that I went to, at the address listed, is not the same restaurant or has closed down.

Profile Name Change.

In case anybody is wondering, I decided that The New Diner should be my profile/user name for The New Diner blog. So all comments will be by The New Diner. This is my food blog. Unitas We Stand is my tribute to Johnny Unitas and the expression of my love for my BALTIMORE COLTS.

I still have my Unitas We Stand blog. I still love the BALTIMORE COLTS. If I get married, I still will have my fiance take and pass a test about the BALTIMORE COLTS. And yes, if she flunks, I will not marry her. Though I may give her a make up test.

The Gastronome

The Gastronome
Cal St. Fullerton

Classes first started at Cal St. Fullerton in 1957. In 1988 they finally got dorms for about 800 students, at the time enrollment was about 20,000. In the early 2000's Fullerton added a second phrase of dorms. Both phrases of dorms did not have a traditional dining hall. Students would have to cook their own meals or buy a meal plan at Hope International University, which is across the street from CSF.

Then in August of 2011, with enrollment well over 30,000, CSF opened a third phrase of dorms that finally included a dining hall!! Called The Gastronome, it's a huge complex that is broken up into five sections; deli/grill, salad bar, dessert bar, fried food bar, meal of the day.

The first college dining hall The New Diner reviewed was, McConnell Bistro at Pitzer College, and I was very impressed with how far "dorm food" has come. But, then I was reminded of how bad dorm food can still be when I went to Los Olivos Dining Commons at Cal Poly Pomona.

Since CSF is part of the same college system as Cal Poly Pomona, I figured I would get more of the same. $12.39 for dinner and is all you can eat.

There was a large salad bar, stocked with tons of veggies. Some were fresher than others. I got romaine lettuce, spinach, chopped eggs, kidney and garbanzo beans, and cucumbers, topped with ranch dressing.  Most of the veggies I got were fresh, except for the cucumbers, which had been sitting around too long.  The dressing was diluted with water, making it very runny and hurt the flavor.  Overall, a pretty standard buffet salad bar.  But, I didn't find any carrots!!

I got the regular and buffalo chicken wings are from the fried food section, which also had some bacon wrapped hot dogs. The wings are already fried and they will toss the buffalo wings sauce when you order it. The wing were crispy and juicy. The sauce was a bit mild for me, but a pretty good example of wings.

The chicken curry-with carrots, peas and potatoes, was located in the "entree section." The other entree offering was meatloaf, which I didn't want, it just didn't look appetizing. I like that this station offered two entrees and the entree choices changes daily.

The chicken was white meat and pretty flavorful. The curry had a mild flavor, I'm more used to a bolder flavor when it comes to curry.

The busiest and longest section served freshly grilled chicken sandwiches, burgers, a pizza area, and had sandwich bar, where you wrote what you wanted on your sandwich and it was freshly prepared.  I got a turkey, salami, and capocola with cheddar cheese.  This was a very fresh sandwich with good sliced meats.  I'm not expecting the best sliced meats, but I was satisfied with the quality of meats.

Pepperoni pizza. The pizza are made in a wood fire oven. But the quality of ingredients were lacking. The cheese was very rubbery, the crust was mediocre, and the pepperoni was just ok. I really thought this was a pizza from Little Caesars and that isn't a compliment.

The chicken sandwich is made to order, is a good sized piece of chicken breast that is well seasoned with salt, pepper and onion and garlic power. It was cooked perfectly on the grill. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh, but the bun was just a regular bun, nothing special about it. I really liked the sandwich, which was flavorful, tender and moist.

I didn't care for the burger, which tasted like mystery meat burgers and wasn't good at all. It was just too greasy, it must have been 70-30 meat to fat ratio, which is terrible.

Service overall was very good. The cashier was nice and friendly. All the servers were nice. But, the guy at the grill, who prepared your burgers or sandwiches, was moving in slow motion. I mean there are people in line and he's going so damn slow. The guy cooking your burgers was nice and moved quickly.

The students at Cal St. Fullerton are more down to earth kids, not the spoiled, snotty rich kids who attend Pitzer.

Overall, I enjoyed my first trip to The Gastronome. I'm not sure it's a good value at $12.39, but there was a wide variety of food and the quality, overall, was pretty good.

Byblos Cafe-Closed

Byblos Cafe
129 W Chapman Ave
Orange
714-538-7180

Byblos Cafe is in the Orange Circle. The New Diner has been to a restaurant on the east part of the Orange Circle; Watson Drug & Soda Fountain, one on the north part; Beach Pit BBQ, and one on the south part; Felix Continental Cafe so it made sense to review a restaurant on the east side of the Orange Circle. So Byblos was my choice.

Walking around the Orange Circle I almost feel as though I will see Biff saying "Hello McFly, anybody home?" The city Orange tries to go back to the future, and bring that old time feel into today's hustle and bustle world.

The lentil soup-with celery, swiss chard, and lentils, comes with an order of kebobs. I don't eat much soup, and this may have been my first experience eating lentil soup. I was impressed with the soup, though it had a tangy sour taste, which comes from the Swiss chard. The broth was thin, I always thought lentil soup broth was a bit thicker, and the lentils were cooked perfectly. I would have liked this better if there wasn't the tangy sour taste.

Sirloin beef kebob with hummus, $10.99, with lentil soup. The first thing I noticed was the small portion! I know this was lunch, but the amount of beef was pretty small. The beef was perfectly cooked and very tender. They say it's sirloin and I'm sure it was, but this was more tender and flavorful than other Middle Eastern restaurants that called their kebobs, filet mignon.

The rice pilaf was nothing to write home about. It was there, it wasn't memorable, it added some carbs to the meal.

The hummus was wonderful. Most hummus is too tangy for me. This hummus was much more mild. It was very smooth, no lumps, and had the right consistency. It was made better by the warm pita bread. I hate going to Middle Eastern restaurants that serve cold pita bread.

Service was very good. I believe the owner was serving us. She was nice, friendly and informative. She was the only server and kept the 15 or so diners happy.

Overall I did enjoy my meal at Byblos Cafe, but I didn't think it's a good value. The portions are small and while the quality of the beef is very good, it's not worth making a trip back.

DZ Akin's

DZ Akin's
6930 Alvarado Rd
San Diego
619-265-0218

I enjoy going to the classic deli. I love the atmosphere, the food, the rich cultural significance of a deli. I've been to my share of delis in the LA area. So, on my latest trip to San Diego, I wanted to go back to the only deli that I know of and have been to in San Diego; DZ Akin's. A friend, who lives in San Diego, told me that DZ Akin's became popular because a local news reporter loves the place. In fact they even named a sandwich after him, Ted Leitner-corned beef, pastrami, and American cheese on rye.

DZ Akin's is located off the 8 freeway in a small strip mall. You enter at the bakery and deli counter, then walk through the long dining area. It can get very crowded, I've waited 20 minutes for a table before.

I got the pastrami and corned beef on rye, $12.95. While the sandwich was piled high with meat, the meat quality wasn't that good. There were a lot of fat and gristle on the meat. I know corned beef and pastrami are made from the brisket cut, a very fatty and full of connective tissue, cut of meat. But, most delis trim off a lot of the fat. I can say with almost 100% certainty, that DZ Akin's does not make their own meats. The meats are bought from a source. In other words, I can get a pound of pastrami and corned beef for the deli counter and make my own sandwich, for much less.

The rye bread wasn't anything special, I could have gotten better bread at the local market.

Service was good. I wasn't really lacking for anything, the server was nice, friendly, and helpful. I asked about their plantation soup, and she had the ingredients written on her order book. To me that's impressive. Instead of saying, I don't know or I'll have to ask, all she did was look in her book and gave me the answer. A very well trained and friendly staff.

I won't go back to DZ Akin's again. The food is just ok and like I said, I could get better meats and bread for much cheaper at most deli counters.