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!!

Blue Star Diner

Blue Star Diner
2200 E 15th St
Los Angeles
213-627-2022

I only went to the Blue Star Diner because I had volunteered at the LA Regional Food Bank, earlier that day and was looking for something to eat. Located in a very industrial part of LA, Blue Star Diner doesn't look like much from the outside. Inside there are dogs, who belong to the owner, running around. Doesn't sound like a very clean place, but they did get an A rating from the health department the day I went.



I ordered the oven roasted turkey sandwich, toasted wheat bread, lettuce, tomato and mayo, $8.50, with a side of mac and cheese, $2 extra. The sandwich came out and while it was good, it wasn't outside. The wheat bread was lightly toasted, the veggies fresh, the turkey was a bit dry and they could have put more mayo on the sandwich.

The mac and cheese looked good but there was so much black pepper it just ruined the taste. They put coarse ground pepper in the mac and cheese and it just ruined it. The macaroni was nice and soft but the cheese barely there. I think from the picture it looks like a mac salad, not mac and cheese. Wasn't worth the $2 extra price.

Service was good considering the situation. I was part of a large group and there was only one server and she was overwhelmed. But she worked hard and did the best she could. Anybody who would expect super fast service in this situation is an idiot.

I would not go back to the Blue Star Dinner. The food is average and a bit on the pricey side. There are better ways to spend $17 for lunch.

Pann's Restaurant

Pann's Restaurant
6710 La Tijera Blvd
Los Angeles
310-670-1441

A few miles from Dinah's Family Restaurant is Pann's Restaurant. A diner style restaurant that opened the same year that the drunk, bastard mick, stole the Brooklyn Dodgers from their rightful home, 1958.

I have heard that Pann's has some of the best fried chicken in LA and I decided to give it a try.




Pann's had a $6 special, two pieces of chicken; your choice of white or dark meat, choice of sides, I got the mashed potatoes, and a biscuit. A great deal, that is offered Monday to Friday only.

The skin had a light batter and was crispy. But I thought the skin lacked seasoning, pretty bland. They need to seasoning to their fried chicken. Inside of the chicken was moist and tender. I did like this better than Dinah's but I don't consider Pann's the best fried chicken in LA.

The mashed potatoes were great!! Creamy with bits of potatoes, so that you knew this was made from scratch, not some damn box. I didn't care for the brown gravy which was made from a mix and pretty bland. I also did't like the fact they gave me a whole portion of mashed potatoes but a small portion of gravy.

Pann's regular fried chicken is half a chicken for $11.95. I don't think the thigh and leg piece is worth the extra $6.

Service was good. The host was very nice. I walked in and he was busy at the register and there were 2-3 other people waiting. Once he was done at the register, he came over and asked "Who was here first?" Great customer service. Some places just go to the first person they see.

I sat at the counter and it did take awhile for a server to come by. But a busboy got me some water and he kept refilling the water, the entire time I was there. Awesome.

My server was nice, friendly and hard working. She had a lot of tables and was attentive as she could be, and anybody reasonable person could expect.

I wouldn't mind going back to Pann's but I wouldn't rush over there. I do think Pann's serves a better fried chicken than Dinah's, but Pann's is a bit expensive, if you order off the regular menu.

Watson Drug & Soda Fountain-Closed

Watson Drug & Soda Fountain
116 E Chapman Ave
Orange
714-532-6315

Pasadena has the Fairoaks Pharmacy to take people back in time, well the City of Orange has Watson Drug & Soda Fountain. Watson has been around since 1899. A place that brings back memories of a time long gone and hopefully an end to things that are a sad part of American history. Walk into Watson and you have a drug store and pharmacy on the right side and the restaurant/soda fountain on the left side.

The soda fountain has a counter and some booths and tables. I bring up the counter because this weekend are we honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader in the civil rights movement. The lunch counter sit ins were one way to bring an end to the stupid Jim Crow laws and segregation laws.

I got the super sandwich, $9.25, with ham, roast beef, turkey, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on toasted French bread and for my side, I picked onion rings.

The meats on the sandwich were pretty dry and very average. The quality of the meat is about the same was Subway. Sure the meats were piled high but who cares when the meats especially the turkey and roast beef are dry. The lettuce and tomato were nice and fresh but the french bread was barely toasted. Again nothing special.

The onion rings were served warm, meaning they were sitting under heat lamps forever. They were also dry, hard as a rock and just plain bad.

Service is terrible. I walked up to the counter to take a look at the bottle sodas they carry and there was a girl behind the counter and never acknowledged me; even though I was standing right in front of her for 2-3 minutes. Too many restaurants do not realize the fact that they should greet every customer. I don't care what they are doing, acknowledge the fact they a customer is there. If you can't multi task, making a ice cream sundae and say hi to a customer, you should get another job. I ask the young girl if I can just sit anywhere. She said yes. I find a seat and I find out this girl is my server. I sit there for about five minutes before anybody comes to my table. Finally a busboy gives me a menu and gets me water. My server, barely came by my table. She is nice but is a terrible server, maybe the better word is she hasn't been trained on how to be a good server.

Watson is an overrated restaurant. It maybe a nice trip down memory lane but the food is average at best and the service is terrible.

Frisco's-Closed

Frisco's
18065 Gale Ave
Industry
626-913-3663

Frisco's is a popular bar and grill. It is a 1950's diner style restaurant, with waitresses in roller skates. This location has been here for as long as I can remember.

There have a burger combo special, with fries and a drink, $4.95. I had them put cheddar cheese for $5.70. The burger is a half pound burger with lettuce, tomatoes and onions. The burger was served warm, not hot. The burger is fresh ground beef, not a frozen pattie but they put way too much salt on the burger, very very salty. But the burger was lacking flavor. Just too bland and salty. The bun wasn't toasted but was find. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh. Overall there was nothing special about this burger. It is a great deal but nothing else.

The fries, which I asked to be well done, were also served warm. I ask for well done fries so I can get fresh hot fries, not fries that have been sitting under heat lamps forever.

Service was below average. The server was nice but I never got any silverware, not that I really needed any silverware. She didn't come by my table other than to take and deliver my order. She was more concerned about other tables than mine. I think she took the attitude that I only order the $6 special and her tip wasn't going to that much. Her attitude should be if I provide good service, I my get this customer to come back and order something else on the menu.

I think Frisco's appeals to people's sense of nostalgia but the food is average and server is below average. Not a good combination. There is no reason for me to go back to Frisco's.

Home-Closed

Home Restaurant
2500 Riverside Dr
Los Angeles
323-665-0211

Home, What an interesting name for a restaurant. Located just down the hill from the DUMP, Dodger Stadium, Home has a huge menu, a full bar and serves breakfast the whole day.

I ordered the All American breakfast, $7.95, two pancakes, two pieces of bacon, and two eggs, I asked for over medium. The bacon was very good. Lots of smokey flavor, not too much fat, the right mixture of crispy and chewy. The pancakes were light, fluffy and good size. I asked for over medium and I got over easy eggs. I hate over easy eggs because I hate runny yolk. over medium means the yolk is almost fulled cooked. It sure as hell isn't runny.

Service for our group of about 20 people was good. We didn't lack for anything and we got our food quickly.

I would go back to Home, but I would either not order eggs over medium or ask for eggs over hard, maybe that way they will cook the yolk. But I found the food to good and fresh and worth the price.

Granville Cafe-Closed

Granville Cafe
807 Americana Way
Glendale
818-550-0472

Granville Cafe is located in the Americana on Brand. The same owners who built The Grove on Fairfax built Americana in Glendale. I wish they would have put better restaurants.

I think Granville Cafe is a more expensive Coco's or Baker's Square. They use organic food but I don't find their food good at all. Very average.

I ordered the Craveable Turkey Club salad, Home-Roasted Turkey, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Juicy Tomatoes, Fresh Avocado, Hard Boiled Egg, Red Onion, Blue Cheese and Crisp Organic Romaine Lettuce tossed with Granville’s Balsamic and Blue Cheese Dressings. $9.95. I asked for no balsamic, I hate that tangy taste of balsamic.

Everything in the salad, except for the avocado, was fresh. The avocado was mushy and not fresh. But there wasn't anything special about this salad. If you had this salad and the same salad from Baker's Square or Coco's you would not be able to tell the difference. I thought the turkey was sliced lunch meat. WOW impressive. I would expect a better quality turkey than sliced lunch meat turkey. While $9.95 isn't out of line with prices at Baker's Square or Coco's, it wasn't worth it.

Service was OK. The server was pretty nice but he was gone for long periods of time. He never bothered to ask how the food was after we ordered. When he was around he was good. But the fact that he wasn't around much, isn't good. The restaurant wasn't crowded at all when I was there.

I would not go back to Granville Cafe again. There are much better restaurants in Glendale.

Park Pantry

Park Pantry
2104 E Broadway
Long Beach
562-434-0451

I've heard that Park Pantry is known for their breakfast menu. But I was in the area and wanted something to eat. This is a diner style place. Nothing fancy, just good comfort food. Well maybe not the cheeseburger.

I got the double cheddar cheeseburger, $9.50, with fresh fruit. The burger comes with grilled onions, pickles and 1000 Island dressing. This was a very greasy burger. I picked off the onions and my fingers could have greased every squeaky wheel on the block. The meat was big but pretty flavorless, not seasoning, nothing. You got a lot of burger for your money but the quality just wasn't there. I don't think even adding A-1 steaksauce would improve the burger.

Service was very good. The server was attentive, I never had to ask for anything, and friendly.

I may go back to Park Pantry for their breakfast or other items. But I would stay away from their burgers.

On the Mark-Closed

On The Mark
355 Nieto
Long Beach
562-986-5811

On The Mark is an interesting place. They are opened for breakfast and lunch everyday. But served dinner only on Thursday. I went there for breakfast.

I ordered the Seafood Omlete, $13. Shrimp, lobster, crab, spinach, tomato, and jack cheese. I got on tomatoes since we are in the middle of tomato recall due to salmonella. The omelet was very good, cooked just right and loaded with crab, shrimp, and lobster. But this was seasoned much at all, very bland. I should have added some pepper and maybe even some cocktail sauce.

Service was below average at best. When I arrived the hostess saw me but took about five minutes to come over and greet me. At most there were 15 people eating. Then the hostess told me that the person who made the arrangements, had canceled the "reservations" I was pretty sure the reservations were not canceled. About five minutes later my friend walked in and our party finally got seated. The server took forever to take our order. She took forever to refill drinks. Our party wasn't that big, maybe 12 people, certainly not overwhelming. But she was just too damn slow.

I liked the food at On The Mark but service just sucks. If I do go back I may do a take out order.

BlackBoard Bistro

BlackBoard Bistro
1198 PCH
Seal Beach
562-596-9556

Housed in what used to be a school, BlackBoard Bistro is a nice place to enjoy lunch. BlackBoard Bistro and Finbars, an Italian place a few block west, ued to be owned by the same person. But now a different owner bought BlackBoard Bistro.

I've only been here for lunch and it's a great place for fresh sandwiches. I ordered the tuna salad sandwich, $8.29, on wheat, with tomatoes and lettuce. The sandwich is so fresh it seemed as though the tuna was in the ocean that morning. They added the right among of mayo to the tuna. The wheat bread was very lightly toasted and the tomatoes and lettuce was very fresh. The sandwich comes with your choice of fries, fruit, or cole slaw. I got the fruit and the strawberries, pineapple and cantulope was very fresh.

Now service is below average. I've actually went to BlackBoard Bistro twice. The first time I didn't have my camera and we sat down and ate. That was not good. We sat in the patio and they were very, very slow. The server very rarely came around to refill drinks and ask if we needed anything. He also never bothered to clear the dishes from the other tables around us. He was friendly but just wasn't attentive and just gave the impression he didn't care. I understand that the NCAA tourney was going on and everybody has March Madness but damn, do your job.

The second time I went, I didn't forget my camera and the service was good. Maybe because the owner or manager was helping me. He was nice and friendly. I got my order quickly and then I tooked the pictures.

I would and have gone back to BlackBoard Bistro. But I think I would much rather order something to go and then enjoy the sandwich on the Seal Beach Pier. If you can deal with below average service, BlackBoard Bistro serves very fresh food at good prices.

Crosstown Diner

Crosstown Diner
2880 Bruckner Blvd
Bronx
718-597-3450

After taking the redeye from LA to NY and getting about two hours sleep, we went to the Crosstown Diner for breakfast. Sorry for the lack of a picture of the restaurant.

I ordered two eggs and bacon, with home fries, and toast for $5. Now that's a great price anywhere. But the eggs, which I ordered over hard, were too well done. I hate all this brown stuff on eggs. Yes the yolk was cook and not running but the egg white should be fairly white, not brown. The bacon was terrible, it must have been sitting under heat lamps for a long time. The home fries were decent but I didn't finish them.

Service was pretty good. Our server was attentive but she had a New York attitude. She wasn't exactly friendly but she wasn't exactly a bitch either.

I wouldn't go back to the Crosstown Diner for breakfast. Yes, the prices are great but the food isn't good, so why waste money?

Grub-Closed

Grub 911 Seward St Los Angeles, CA 90038 323-461-3663 On one side of the side are movie studios and sound stages. The other side of the street are houses with the corner house a restaurant!!! A popular restaurant too. On Sundays they open at 9am. We got that about 8:50 am and within five minutes there were 10-12 people in line with us. The first time we came, we got there at 11am and they told us the wait would be 90 minutes long!!!! We did not stay. We saw this on the Food Network. I think Rachel Ray. Now she's a great cook. Her 30 minute meals are great. But as for her choice of restaurants, they leave a lot to be desired. I ordered the Mamacita Breakfast Burrito. $8.95, scrambled eggs, chorizo, cheddar cheese, and potatoes wrapped in a flour tortilla. Our order took a bit longer than I thought it would. There were at least 20 people in the restaurant but I thought they could have been faster with our order. When it finally arrived, I was tricked into believing that burrito was huge. It is huge but only because of the way they cut the potatoes, very large pieces. There isn't that much chorizo or eggs. What little egg and chorizo was very good. The chorizo had a nice spicy flavor. The scrambled eggs were fully cooked and fluffy. Service was good, except for the longer than expected wait for our food to be cooked. The server was friendly and attentive to our needs. I would not go back to Grub. I think the food is good but nothing great. But most of all I think it's on the pricey side. They have a three egg breakfast for $7.95 but what about bacon or sausage? That would put you back $4.95. $12.90 for a three eggs and bacon breakfast? Not worth it.

Jimmie's-Closed

Jimmie's
701 Whittier Blvd
Montebello
323-726-7783

Jimmie's is a local restaurant that tries to cater to all of Montebello. So that means American food, Persiand food, and Mexican food.

Well they don't do American breakfast right. Pictured is the one egg breakfast special with a biscuit for $4.79, which includes potatoes and bacon.

Where should I start. The biscuit and country gravy. TERRIBLE. First there was a thick layer on top of the gravy. When I dipped the biscuit, both the biscuit and gravy weren't even luke warm. The gravy tasted as though it had been sitting around for an entire week. TERRIBLE.

The egg was ordered over hard and this was overcooked. It's too brown. There should be some white showing, even in a over hard egg. The was the best part of the meal.

The bacon was undercooked. They needed to be on the grill for a few more minutes.

The pototoes were nothing great, very bland.

Service was average. The young server took my order and the order came quickly but my drink wasn't refilled until I had to call for her. But she was nice and pleasant.

I would not go back to Jimmie's. Terrible food.

The Pantry

Original Pantry Cafe
877 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90017
213-972-9279

Owned by former LA Mayor, DICK Riordan owns The Original Pantry. I guess DICK, owning The Pantry had NOTHING to do with Staples Center being built two blocks south? If you're stupid enough to believe that, I have some land for sale.

Anyways, opened in 1924 The Pantry offers meat and potatoes food. There is always a long wait, especially before or after a Lacker game. The menus are on the walls and blackboard.

I didn't want breakfast, though many of the breakfast items other people were eating looked great. I picked the BBQ spare ribs, $10.95. The ribs came with mashed potatoes and corn. The ribs were just covered in BBQ sauce. The ribs were not smoked but cooked in an oven. They were overcooked. I hate it when ribs are falling off the bone. They aren't suppose to be cooked like that. The boneless ribs had a lot of fat on them.

The mashed potatoes seemed to be made from a box and the corn was from the freezer.

Service was pretty good. We waited about 30 minutes for a table. But that's normal. After we placed our order the food arrived very quickly. Our server didn't refill our drinks, water and ice tea, and he didn't ask if we needed anything else after we got our food.

I would not go back to The Pantry. The food I had wasn't great and even though the breakfast looked great, I can go to other places that has just as good, if not better food for breakfast. But it's a place everybody should go to at least once. It's a historic place and even though DICK Riordan now owns The Pantry, you still have to go at least once. Again the lines can be long before and after a Lacker game. But they are also opened 24 hours.

Harbor House Cafe

Harbor House Cafe
16341 Pacific Coast Highway
Sunset Beach
562-592-5404

Maybe I'm on a history kick but after going to Clifton's, I went to an Orange Curtain landmark, Harbor House Cafe in Sunset Beach. The Harbor House Cafe has been around since 1939. They never close so it will get packed after all the surfers close down the bars on PCH.

I ordered the omelette with turkey breast and cheddar cheese for $7.95. The omelette was interesting in that it was dry at one end and as I worked my way to the other end, it was runny and almost like a poached egg. There were small amount of turkey breast and tons of cheddar cheese in the omelette. The turkey breast was nothing more than sliced lunch meat.

Now I'm not saying it was the omelette but afterwards I had an upset, bloaded stomach. Even taking six tums antacids didn't help.

Service was decent with the server leaning on the side of "God I hate my job and I don't want to be here." She wasn't that friendly but she wasn't rude. She did refill coffee and water quickly. But she took forever to come by and pick up the check.

I wouldn't go back to Harbor House Cafe. The prices are good but the food isn't that good. Plus parking can be a pain depending on when you go.

Fairoaks Pharmacy

Fair Oaks Pharmacy
1526 Mission St
South Pasadena
626-799-1414

Fair Oaks Pharmacy has been a South Pasadena landmark since 1915. The soda fountain takes you back in time. The soda fountain is known for old fashioned ice cream and floats. They also serve a regular menu.

I ordered the Roadside half and half. Half garden salad and half a turkey sandwich. The salad was filled with all different types of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The salad was fresh but nothing outstanding.

The turkey sandwich was also very fresh, with smoked turkey, lettuce and tomatoes on white bread. The salad and sandwich combo was $7.95.

The sundae pictured is mint chocolate chip topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and cherry.

Service was very slow. I realize it was a very hot day and a group of 25 people came in just before I got there. But there were at least six kids working behind the counter and nobody taking orders at the tables. When they first came to take my order, the kid walked right past me to another table. Then came back and asked if I had been helped. Why not ask me first before going to another table? Then when I placed my order, I realized that you have your choice of bread for the turkey sandwich. Now I'm not that picky. I like all kinds of bread but prefer wheat bread. They should have given me the option.

I think Fair Oaks Pharmacy is a place everybody should go to at least once. But the food is nothing special and the service is very poor.

Shorehouse Cafe-Closed

Shorehouse Cafe
5271 E 2nd St
Long Beach
562-433-2266

This 24 hour diner serves good food at good prices. They have another location in Seal Beach on PCH.

I ordered the chicken breast club sandwich for $9.95. Filled with chicken breast, ham, jack cheese, and bacon it was a good sandwich.

Service was very average. It took forever to get more water and the server wasn't anywhere to be found for ten minutes. But I have been there when service was very good.

Since 2nd St. is a popular late night spot, Shoreline Cafe can be very crowded with a bunch of drunk idiots after the bars close.

I would go back to Shoreline Cafe dispite the very average service I had.

Diner on Main

Diner On Main
201 Main St
Alhambra
626-281-3488

I normally don't go out for breakfast. I would much rather skip breakfast and get a nice lunch on weekends. But sometimes you have no choice in the matter. But it's not like I'm against ordering breakfast food. I just don't go that often.

Diner on Main is a throwback to a different time and place. You almost feel as though Richie Cunningham and the Fronz are going to walk in for a soda.

I ordered the sausage and two eggs, $7.25. The meal comes your choice of bread, I got the English muffin, and hash browns. I order eggs over medium. I prefer the yolk to be almost solid, closer to over hard, than over easy. These eggs were a little runny for my tastes. I think I need to order eggs over hard from now on.

The sausage was tasty with a lot of spice to them. The hash browns were cooked just right for my tastes. Crispy but not too crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.

Service was good. We sat at the counter and we weren't lacking for anything. But there was a long wait to get a table and some people had been waiting in line for over 30 minutes. Now the food is good but not good enough to wait 30 minutes.

I would go back to Diner on Main. Good food and good service.