Frisella's Roastery-Closed

Frisella's Roastery
1351 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-593-1137

I must have driven past Frisella's Roastery a million times. Frisella's is just across the street from Tasty Goody, Mr. Fish & Chips, and Red Devil Pizza.

I thought it would be an oven cooked, fake BBQ place. But I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste of the ribs.




Frisella's had a pork rib dinner special, with two sides for $9.99. I got a side salad, which they count as two sides. When I looked at the size of the side salad, I was more than happy with it.

The ribs are grilled smoked over red oak and mesquite wood. The oak wood isn't overpowering, which is good. There was a light smoke flavor, nothing overpowering. There wasn't any rub except for a ton of black pepper. A nice smoke ring, not much fat and pretty tender ribs. Not the best but good, solid ribs.

I barely touched the side salad, filled with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded cheese, onions and crutons, but it was fresh and tasty.

Service was below average. The server was the only server working, there were about ten people total in the entire restaurant. He wasn't friendly, he didn't come around too often, he never bothered asking how the food was, he needs to be retrained on how to be a server.

I wouldn't go back to Frisella's because of the poor service. I can't believe Frisella's has been in business for 16 years, with such poor service.

Pizza Barn

Pizza Barn
2021 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-392-5555

New Year's Eve, a potluck dinner, no idea what to bring. So I check my email and a very nice reader, gives me a list of about 5-7 restaurants that I should review. I check the links provided and Pizza Barn peaks my interest. Not for the pizza but the Mario's Ultimate Sandwich. So I decide give Pizza Barn a try.

Tuck in the corner of a small strip mall, Pizza Barn is less than 25 yards from Sal's Pizza & Bagelry, and just a few blocks east of Pizza N Stuff and Red Devil Pizza. I found out that Pizza Barn has been open for over 15 years and Sal's moved basically next door about three years before. Why the city of La Verne would allow this to happen is beyond me. Two pizza places so close to each other isn't good for both places.

I got the small pizza, half pepperoni and half sausage, $8.65 and the small Mario's Ultimate Sandwich, $12.49.

The pizza was just loaded with rich, savory cheese. The pepperoni was pretty spicy and had good flavor. The sausage was pretty standard. Nice crispy crust. A good pizza. Better than the other three La Verne pizza places I've reviewed.

The Mario's Ultimate Sandwich is great. A pizza shaped sandwich that is loaded with roast beef, turkey, swiss, mozzarella, provolone cheese, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, dressing and onions on request. I asked no dressing on the entire sandwich, no roast beef on one side, and the side with roast beef, no avocado. They got the order perfect.

The bread has a lot of sesame seeds, oregano and has a nice crispy crust, with a nice soft texture inside. The meats and cheeses are piled high and everything is fresh. A great great sandwich.

Service is pretty good. You get a dive bar feel, when walking into Pizza Barn. But the owner is nice and friendly.

As I mentioned before, I think the pizza here is better than the three other La Verne pizza places I've been to. So that alone would be enough reason to go back. But the Mario's Ultimate Sandwich, is great and worth the trip alone. To the reader who recommended Pizza Barn, I owe you a drink!!

Pizza N Stuff-Closed

Pizza N Stuff
1532 Foothill Blvd.
La Verne
909-593-3676

I reviewed two other pizza places in La Verne, Red Devil Pizza and Sal's Pizza & Bagelry. I heard good things about Pizza N Stuff, especially since they have been in La Verne, since 1977. So they must be good since they have been around for 32 years.

I got a large pizza with half pepperoni and half Canadian bacon, $20.36. When I got the pizza, the box was heavy, always a good sign. But when I opened the box, one of the first things I noticed, was the amount of dough. The pizza is just way too doughy for me. This is almost like a thick crust, deep dish pizza. Some of the dough wasn't even fully cooked. Most of the dough is pretty plain and bland.

They were a bit cheap on the amount of Canadian bacon. There weren't that many slices on the pizza. The slices were fairly big and flavorful. But they aren't cheap on the pepperoni. There were tons and tons of pepperoni on this pizza!! While the pepperoni was good, nice spicy flavor, the sauce wasn't good. Too tangy and sour. Not a good combination.

Service is pretty good. Nice people who greet you when you walk in.

I wouldn't go back to Pizza N Stuff. I thought, while the pizza had a lot of pepperoni, it was too pricey and the pizza is only average because of too much dough and too tangy sauce. There are better pizza options in the area.

Sal's Pizza & Bagelry-Closed

Sal's Pizza & Bagelry
2095 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-596-4002

I first found out about Sal's Pizza & Bagelry from a review by David Allen.  Though David didn't have the pizza, some people commented about the good pizza at Sal's. So I decided to see for myself.  One of the comments mentioned that Sal used to own Red Devil Pizza, and when he sold it, there was a clause in the contract that Sal could not open up another pizza restaurant within so many miles of Red Devil, for ten years.  Well, clearly those ten years have come and gone.  If anybody can confirm this story, please email me.

I got the medium pepperoni, $14. The first thing you notice about the pizza is the crispy crust. What was interesting was that inside the crust was soft and doughy. The sauce was mild, almost bland, and didn't really add much to the pizza. There was a lot of cheese and pepperoni which is always good. But there was nothing outstanding about this pizza.

Service was below average. The young girl taking the order was just there to earn money. Not friendly or helpful. You could tell she didn't want to be there. But what really got me was one of the pizza cooks brought the pizza to our table and only brought ONE plate. Not a big deal but damn take a look at who is getting the pizza and bring enough plates. What was a big deal was the fact that pizza cook didn't say one thing. Not; "You had the medium pepperoni?" Not "Enjoy" Nothing. I mean could it be that tough to be personable and friendly, you are running a restaurant!!

I would not go back to Sal's again. I much prefer Red Devil Pizza, which isn't anything great. I wouldn't even go back to try the bagels because of the bad service.

Red Devil Pizza-La Verne

Red Devil Pizza
1465 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-593-1313

After reading the archives for David Allen's Blog, I decided to go to Red Devil Pizza!!

When I got to Red Devil, I didn't realize I had already been to two restaurants in the same shopping center, Mr. Fish & Chips and Tasty Goody, both of which are still open!!

Anyways I got the small pizza with half pepperoni and half meatball, $13.50. The small was a 12" medium crust pizza. I thought the taste of the pizza was OK. It was cooked a little well done but not burnt, nice firm crisp crust, good amount of cheese, and toppings. The pepperoni side was pretty good, but the pepperoni was a bit on the salty side. They could also put a few more slices of pepperoni on the pizza.

The meatball had an overwhelming garlic flavor. They need to cut down on the amount of garlic in the meatballs.

Service was pretty good. Most of the people working behind the counter were high school kids. They were pretty nice and hard working.

I wouldn't say Red Devil Pizza is the best pizza in the area but it is a couple notches above the chain pizza places. I wouldn't go out of my way for Red Devil but I wouldn't mind going back there.

The Habit Burger Grill

The Habit Burger Grill
1608 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-593-1640

The Habit Burger Grill opened in Santa Barbara in 1969. They have gradually moved south to LA, opening locations in Woodland Hills and Glendale. The La Verne location is the further location east of LA.

I ordered the Double Char with cheese, $4.82. The burgers come with mayo, lettuce, and tomato on a toasted bun. The burger is fresh and the cheese was melted!!! Always a plus in my book. The burger is about the size of an In N Out burger. It was very good but has a more mild taste since they only put mayo on the burgers, not that tangy "secret sauce"

Service is good. The girl who took my order was nice and friendly.

This is a very good place but a bit overpriced. Almost $5 for basically a double-double at In N Out? You're better off going to In N Out but The Habit does make a damn good burger.

Update August 15, 2009.

Ok no picture because I ordered the samething, doublechar with cheese. $4.88. The burger was just the same as before. Good quality, fresh beef and fresh veggies.

What I didn't like was the service. I got my order to go but I decided to eat outside, since it was such a nice night but when I opened up my bag, the guy didn't put any napkins inside. I walked back in asked for napkins and all I got was attitude. What an idiot. It was his fault for not putting any napkins in the bag and he cops an attitude to me? Idiot.

While eating I noticed the girl at the other table, didn't get any napkins either. I saw her walk back in and up to the counter to get napkins that should already be there.

The Habit needs to improve the training of their employees. It should be second nature to put napkins in a to go order.

The burgers are still good but pricey, especially compared to In N Out. But service here sucks. I almost never get bad service at In N Out and I always get napkins when I get my order to go.

Update Oct 28, 2009



I went back to The Habit after watching Constant Choke lose in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series!!! Always love seeing the yankees lose!!!

Anyways I got the double char burger with lettuce wrap, $4.49 and an order of onion rings, $1.95.

The lettuce wrap char burger was the same as the last time I went. Good but not as good as the protein style from In N Out.

The onion rings were very good. They were just fried so that means fresh hot onion rings. The batter was a bit thick, I prefer less. But a nice crunch and nice sweet onions.

Service when I ordered was good. The young lady was nice and friendly and helpful. But when I was getting ketchup, while waiting for my order, the ketchup dispenser was almost out. The lady behind the counter said "Sorry we are out of ketchup." Well isn't it your job to refill the ketchup dispenser? Another example of terrible service a The Habit.

The Habit is an overpriced, bad service, fast food burger. I rarely have bad service at In N Out but the last times at The Habit I have experienced bad service. Why would I bother going back?

Grapevine-Closed

Grapevine
1204 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-392-3500

It's rare to find a Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Restaurant in the Pomona Valley. I only know of one, Grapevine. What is really interesting is that Grapevine is housed in an old house, where many other restaurants have tried and failed. Grapevine has been opened for at least three years, so there fulfilling a need.

I ordered the beef kebab, $16.99. For the first time at a Middle Eastern restaurant, I'm asked how would I like the meat to be cooked. I asked for medium rare. The kebabs comes with rice pilaf, grilled tomato, onions and pita bread. The kebabs arrive and I'm surprised at the small portion. It's smaller than Shirazz and many of the kebab places I've reviewed in Montebello.

The menu says center cut of beef tenderloin, which is basically the filet mignon. So it's suppse to be the most tender. Well the beef was very tough, not tender at all. It also lacked the flavor of the other kebabs. It wasn't as well seasoned. I think they just put some salt and pepper.

Service was below average. The server/host who seated me, was very unfriendly with a huge attitude. It took a bit longer than usual for her to come back and ask if I wanted anything to drink. When she took my order she was robotic, as if she doesn't have any personality.

I would not go back to Grapevine. The prices are higher than other kebab places, the portions are smallers and the service isn't as good. Why waste my money and time going to Grapevine?

T Phillips-Closed

T Phillips Alehouse
2335 D St
La Verne, CA
91750-4408

What was once a Hero's, is now T Phillips Alehouse. If you didn't the name change, everything is the same. The same huge portions. The same peanut shells on the floor. The beers on tap. The friendly service.

Pictured is the chicken breast sandwich with fresh fruit for $9.95. The chicken breast comes on an onion bread. The chicken breast is a huge piece of tender meat, topped with jack cheese, bacon, tomato, and lettuce. Everything is fresh and very tasty.

Service is very good. I almost had to tell the servers, I'm done with my water. I must have been asked if I wanted more water at least ten times. They are friendly and helpful.

T Phillips Alehouse is a nice place for a meal or a few beers. The prices are right, the food is good, and the service is excellent.

I would go back to T Phillips Alehouse anytime.

Michael J's-Closed

Michael J's
2315 Foothill
La Verne
909-596-1567

A family style restaurant at the corner of Foothill and Fruit in La Verne, Michael J's has your typical homestyle foods. A sign on the windown mentioned all you can eat fish and chips for $7.99 so I decided to give it a try. Big mistake.

I get to the restaurant and there were about 15 people there. So take a look at the menu and they offer everything from burgers to salads, to breakfast items, and sandwiches. But I go ahead and order the fish and chips. The dinner cames with soup or salad and I get the salad. The salad was just lettuce, croutons and some red cabbage. The salad was fresh and cold, which all salads should be. So I'm happy with the start.

The fish and chips are cooked to order and arrive at my table very hot, five minutes or so after I finished my salad. Four, finger sized pieces of fish arrive on top of a plate of fries. I take a bite and there is little crunch. Not good. The fish, I believe cod, was indeed hot but too greasy and the lack of crunch really makes it a bad example of fried fish. I decided to try one more batch to see if things would improve. But the second batch was more greasy and still lacked crunch. The tartar sauce was nothing to write home about either.

The service was pretty good. The waitress did forget to bring/ask about malt vinegar but I don't put malt vinegar on fried fish so that didn't really matter. Otherwise she was nice and attentive.

I wouldn't order the fish and chips again at Michael J's but I may try some of the other items on the menu.

Tasty Goody

Tasty Goody
1483 Foothill
La Verne
909-596-8879

Tasty Goody bills itself as "The Greatest Chinese Food in California." Well I would go that far but they are very good. They pride themselves on quality and quanity. They give you huge portions. Their menu says a two item combo will be more than one and a half pounds. It is. It's really too much for one person to eat. This will be two meals for me.

I ordered the two item combo, with Chinese BBQ pork and teriyaki chicken, for $5.51. The fried rice had peas, carrots, and bits of eggs. It was lightly seasoned but without soy sauce like most fried rice are. The Chinese BBQ pork was more tender than other places I've been. Most of the pork was lean but a few pieces had their share of fat.

The teriyaki chicken was very good. Many teriyaki chicken tend to be salty but they had the right amount of spices. A good amount of the ckicken was white meat and the chicken was lean. The chicken was very good and one of the better teriyaki chicken around.

Service is very good. The turnover seems high for the dinner rush so nothing was sitting on the steam tables for a long time.

Mama Petrillo's-Closed

Mama Petrillo's
2123 Foothill Blvd
La Verne
909-596-5600

A friend called and said we should go for pizza. I said Petrillo's in Glendora. She said sure why not. But instead of going to Petrillo's in Glendora we went to Mama Peterillo's in La Verne. The two Petrillo's are run by different people. Though there is another Mama Petrillo's in Temple City.

I think I just found my favorite pizza place. The pizza is great here. We ordered a medium pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom pizza for about $18. The pizza arrived quickly and it was hot and it was soo good. The pizza is cut into squares and the toppings are piled on. After we took a couple pieces, I lifted the pizza and it was very heavy. The crust is harder texture than other pizza but it is soo good. The sausage could have had a little more spicies but otherwise it was fine. The pepperoni was perfect where the outer part is crispy and the inner part is cooked perfect. The mushrooms seem to be canned mushrooms but they were flavorful.

Service was good, as the served always kept the drinks filled up. I would go back again and again.

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.