Brooklyn Bagel Bakery

Brooklyn Bagel Bakery
2217 Beverly Blvd
LA
213-413-4114

While searching for a bagel place this morning, I found Brooklyn Bagels. I was expecting either a donuts place that sold some bagels or a run down older bagel shop. But it's really a wholesale/retail bagel store. The walls of filled with team pictures of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The sign says est. 1953. I wonder if they moved out to LA first before that scumbag bastard Walter O' Malley stole the Brooklyn Dodgers from their rightful home.

Anyways, all bagels are $1, with cream cheese add another quarter. I had a cheese bagel and a pumpernickel bagel. The cheese bagel was great. They didn't overload it with cheese. It was fresh, chewy, and great. Better than any bagel at Noah's.

I loved the pumpernickel bagel. It was smelled like great pumpernickel. It tasted like great pumpernickel. It was one of the best bagels I've ever had.

Service is good. The lady behind the counter took and filled our order quickly. This is a take out place only. They do not toast your bagels either. You have to wait to enjoy this great bagel place.

I would go back to to Brooklyn Bagel anytime.

Langers

Langer's
704 S Alvarado St
Los Angeles
213-483-8050

So I finally go to Langer's. This the self proclaims world's best pastrami. Well if you think of the world as between 7th and Alvarado St, that maybe true. But this is not even close to being the best pastrami.

I ordered the pastrami sandwich, $10.25. I bite into the sandwich to see what all the hype is about. I find this to be one of the fattiest pastrami sandwiches around. I know brisket is full of fat but the curing process is suppose to get rid of the fat. Ok they cut the pastrami thicker than most delis. Does that make it better? Who cares how thick or thin they cut the meat, if the meat isn't any good.

Service is good. I wasn't waiting for anything.

Langers is vastly overrated. It's a good sandwich, but it's not the best pastrami sandwich I've ever had. I much prefer Brent's and Canter's. If I'm in the area I would go back.

Most people get curb sided service. There is a parking lot, free with validation, about a block away. There is a security guard patrolling the parking lot. This area is fine. But there are mostly Latinos there and most don't speak English. The ones who do are trying to sell you fake passports, ID's and driver's license. It's not the part of LA that will make the travel brochures but it's nothing people should be overly concerned about.

Update April 12, 2008.





I went back to Langers to give their pastrami another try and for some better pictures for readers of The New Diner.

Again, I wasn't overwhelmed by the pastrami. It is good. But not the greatest pastrami I have ever had. The meat is a bit fatty and salty. Ok, I know pastrami is from the brisket, a cut of beef that is full of fat. I also know they brine the meat with salt water. But it is a bit too salty for me.


Update Oct. 29, 2009.




I went back to Langers today and wanted to try something different. Since it has finally been feeling like fall, I tried the half soup and sandwich, $11.95, with a bowl of matzo ball soup and half a pastrami sandwich.

The matzo ball soup was hot and the broth had a nice chicken flavor. The matzo balls were nice and soft. I was impressed.

The pastrami sandwich was the usual, good but not the greatest. One thing now, I noticed the rye bread has a much harder crust. I hate that. For me bread should not be hard as a rock. Good thing I had the matzo ball soup to dip the sandwich into, that soften up the rock hard rye bread.

Service was bad. Ok, I understand it was the lunch hour. But our server was barely around. He didn't come around to refill drinks. I noticed the rest of the tables got lemon in their water. Our waters did not have any lemons. Our table was missing brown mustard. Not a big deal since I don't put that on my sandwich. But not good either.

The hostess who took our name and called us when our table was ready, was fine. But the hostess who walked us to our table was bad. She walked by our table and didn't say anything but she stopped at the table next to us and asked how was everything. Then she asked another table and asked them, how was everything. What kind of service is that? Terrible.

I'll admit Langers gets through the lunch crowd very quickly but service was bad on this visit.

Ocha Classic

Ocha Classic
837 Vermont
LA
213-427-9823

What a find!!! What a find!!! My girlfriend mentioned we should go for Thai food and said she wanted to go to Ocha. Now this is the first Thai restaurant I have reviewed for The New Diner. Thai food other than satay isn't my favorite. I'm not a fan of real spicy food. But Ocha really surprised me.

We ordered the spicy shrimp soup ($7.95) and the chicken satay($6.95). The chicken satay was tender and had nice bits of charred that made it one of the best satays I've had. And it's a great deal. They bring you four huge skewers of chicken. The chicken is a mixture of dark and white meat and not some grounded chicken as some other places can be.

Not the best part, the spicy shrimp soup. First it's not that spicy. About a the spiciness of the mild sauce at Del Taco. But the soup is a fish based with tons of deveined plump shrimp. The soup works well as a soup but over white rice it's a great meal. I didn't like the celantro but otherwise this was a great dish.

I saw the spicy seafood soup, filled with mussels and crab claws, at other tables and that looked great too. Matter of fact everything looked great from the fried rice to the seafood items.

Service is good but expect a wait. There is a long line out the door along Vermont. It does move pretty fast but it's still a wait. They do not take reservations.

I would love to go back to Ocha and try their other items. But I will always order the spicy shrimp soup and chicken satay. A great find.

Pollo Campero-LA

Pollo Campero
1605 W Olympic Blvd.
LA
213-251-8594

This is the first Pollo Campero to open in LA and maybe the US. Located at the corner of Olympic and Union this Pollo Campero had huge lines when it first opened This is just like the Long Beach and Glendale locations, serving the damn good fried chicken. The chicken is so moist and tender. The skin is a little salty for my tastes but I still love this chicken.

I didn't notice any difference in quality between the three locations. But this location always has long lines!!! I must have waited in line for about 20 minutes. Also parking can be a little tough to find, though there is a parking garage in the back of Pollo Campero and they will validate your parking.

This location also didn't have the sampler with fries and a breast. They did have the breast and a drink for $3 which is still a great deal.