Nathan's-Closed

Nathan's
9216 W Pico Blvd
LA
310-273-0303

Nathan's is the legendary hot dog stand in New York City. I heard they opened up two locations in LA. One near the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood and Highland and this location on Pico in LA. The Hollywood and Highland location with in the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant but closed down in early 2005.

So I decide to give the Nathan's on Pico a try. This is back in December of 2005 and I didn't realize that the best hot dog in LA was just a few blocks east at Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory!! But I tried Nathan's and not good at all. The hot dog was lukewarm at best, even though I saw them grill it. The toppings, onions, relish, and mustard are fresh. But the hot dog it's wasn't great. It lacked any kind of flavor and snap. I would have been better off going to a supermarket and buying the Nathan's brand hot dogs and making it myself.

The service was terrible. Some punk kid, son of the owner who thinks he's god because his daddy owns a store.

Nathan's has a big menu that includes ribs, fried chicken, sandwiches, and burgers. Instead of having such a big variety on the menu, they should worry about doing a couple things right. Since it is called Nathan's they should make the hot dogs live up to the Nathan's name. This Nathan's doesn't even come close.

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.

R & W Bar B Que-Closed

R & W Bar B Que
522 W Willow St,
Long Beach, CA 90806
(562) 426-2129

R & W is about a mile east of the 710 Freeway on Willow. Pictured is the Pork Rib with cole slow and rice and gravy for $8.95. The ribs are smoked but aren't smoke enough. This is more like a Santa Maria BBQ, when they grill the meat over hickory wood. So it cooks faster and has some smoke flavor but lack that good overall smoke flavor. But the ribs are tender, maybe just a little too tender. As you can see they give you a good portion and the ribs are very meaty. The BBQ suace is just run of the mill.

The cole slaw is nothing to write home about. The rice and gravy is bland.

Overall I think R & W is good but LBQ is much better. One thing service while friendly is very slow. It took 25 minutes to get my order ready and I was the only person when I ordered.

Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory

Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory
8930 W. Pico
LA
310-858-8590

The search for the best hot dog is over. The best hot dog in LA is at Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory. The regular all beef hot dog is so flavorful with the perfect blend of spices nothing in LA comes close. The hot dog doesn't have any natural casing but that doesn't take anything away from the taste. The hot dog is the third picture down and costs $2.50. I had deli mustard and raw onions on there and it was great. The bun isn't toasted or anything but the hot dog is so good it doesn't matter. They offer a jumbo dog for $4.50 which I will try again very soon.

I also ordered a polish sausage sandwich with a plain bun instead of an onion roll, that is stated on the menu, for $4.50. The polish sausage is not spicy but has a very good flavor. The menu says a garlicy flavor but I didn't taste any garlic. I didn't care for the sauerkraut they put on there. But otherwise a good polish sandwich. But I'm more impressed with the hot dog.

When ordering the two guys taking your orders are very nice and helpful. But for whatever reason my hot dog and polish sausage took forever. I sat down at a table and waited for about five minutes. I went up after seeing somebody behind me get his burger. The other guy, who didn't take my order, said it would be another five minutes.

Now the hot dog was very good and hot. So I'm not really complaining. But it did seem a little too long to wait for a hot dog and sausage. The cooks forgot to put the mustard and onions on my hot dog but quickly got the order correct.

If that fat idiot from the Hot Dog Spot reviewed this place he would make stupid, racist comments about the large amount of Jewish people eating there. But I don't care who is eating where I'm eating. Unless it's a good looking women and I saw four very beautiful women at Jeff's Gourmet when I was there.

I would certainly go back for the hot dog and may try a burger or a pastrami or corned beef sandiwch. A nice discovery!!!

The Swinging Door BBQ-Closed

The Swinging Door BBQ
11018 Van Owen
North Hollywood
818-763-8996

The Swinging Door is a new BBQ place that has many of the idiots at Chowhounds debating about what real BBQ is. Well Swinging Door is real BBQ. They smoke the meat right in front of the restaurant. You can smell smoke a mile away. I guess The Swinging Door was having issues with running out of meat, especially beef ribs when they first opened. Well beef ribs are not on the menu anymore. But I'm sure the idiots on Chowhounds will find something else to cry about.

I ordered the Basket of Ribs with one side for $9.50. The ribs are listed as ala carte but the Swinging Door is nice enough to give you a free side order, I ordered Mac and cheese.

I loved the ribs. They were nice and tender. Had a great smoke flavor, look at the smoke ring in the picture of the ribs. They are great. The BBQ sauce is a light, sweet tomato based sauce that was OK. But the ribs are the best ribs I've had at a BBQ in the Valley. The mac and cheese isn't anything special but when the ribs are great, who cares?

The service is great. Friendly and helpful. They even allowed me to sample their links, brisket, and chicken breast while I was waiting. I saw them slicing the tri tip and it looked sooo good, next time I am order the two meat combo and get the ribs and tri tip. The link was good, mild and not too spicy. The brisket was nice and tender and the couple slices I had there was no fat. The chicken was a little overcooked but I liked the flavor and would order it again.

I think I found my favorite BBQ place in the Valley. Great service and great food is a combo that can't be beat.

Ribs USA

Ribs USA
2711 W Olive Ave.
Burbank
818-841-8872

Rated as one of the Top Nine BBQ places by9 On the Town, Ribs USA is in the shadow of many TV studios in the Burbank area. Many actors and actresses have autographed photos on the wall for Ribs USA. I can't see how Ribs USA was rated in the Top 9. They serve babyback and beefs ribs. As you know, I got the full slab o babyback ribs for $20. Good thing I was going to split the slab with a friend because the ribs were not any good.

The ribs from Ribs USA are not smoked. If you been to Tony Roma's, you know the kind of ribs at Ribs USA. The ribs are slow roasted in an oven and they lack flavor and they are not meaty.

The BBQ sauce is a very sweet, tomato based sauce that adds nothing to ribs.

I understand everybody has different taste but I don't understand how Ribs USA is ranked in the Top 9 of BBQ places in LA. I could go to any Tony Roma's and get as good or better ribs.

Update July 19, 2009.





I went back to Ribs USA and they now serve spare ribs, $16.95. I also got a dozen hot wings, $7.99.

The wings were OK, nothing great. The wings were a bit small, didn't have that much meat and there wasn't that much sauce covering the wings. They were crispy but I have had better wings.

Now for the spare ribs. The St. Louis style ribs were oven cooked, didn't have a bark, and since they are spare ribs were tough and had a lot of fat. Yes, they were huge. Yes, they had a lot of meat. But when spare ribs are done right, in the hands of a real pit master, cooked in a real wood smoker, low and slow, the fat is greatly reduced, and the ribs become so tender.

Unlike last time, I eat at Ribs USA. The service was OK. The server was nice but nothing special. You have to get your own drinks and they have free peanuts and you throw the shells on the ground.

I don't need to go back to Ribs USA again.

Mom's Bar-B-Que

Mom's Bar-B-Que
1050 W Imperial Hwy.
LA
323-756-8405

Mom's Bar-B-Que is a small little shack on Imperial Hwy, just west of Vermont. I will make a stop at Mom's when taking the 105 freeway. I love this place. Mom's is take out only. At the corner of Vermont and Imperial Hwy there is a Louisiana Fried Chicken that you maybe able to sit down and eat. The BBQ travels well since I only eat the BBQ about 45 minutes after I ordered.

I ordered the lunch order of pork ribs for $8.50. The ribs are smoked over hickory wood. As you're driving on Imperial Hwy, you can smell and see the smoke coming out from Mom's. The lunch order has four ribs and one side. Dinner orders have five ribs and two sides. The sides aren't anything special and I usually ask for double bread and they will give it to me for no extra charge. The ribs are great. Nice smoked flavor, tender but not falling off the bone tender. There is very little fat on these ribs. This place is the Rib Nest minus the attitude.

I'm not a big fan of the BBQ sauce, too sweet, even the medium, for my tastes. But the ribs are so good you don't need BBQ sauce.

I do not believe this Mom's has anything to do with the Mom's in Van Nuys. I have never had a bad meal at mom's. They get it right every time.

Phillips BBQ #2 -Inglewood

Phillips Bar B Que #2
1517 Centinela Ave
Inglewood
310-412-7135

I finally went to all three Phillips Bar B Que locations. There is no difference between any of them. They are all great and some of the best BBQ in the LA area. All Phillips are take out only. Phillips #2 is on Centinela just east of La Tejeria.

I ordered the pork ribs for $11.50 which includes a 25 cent charge for sauce on the side. I understand why they charge for sauce on the side and I don't care because Phillips is great BBQ. The ribs are excellant. They have a great smoked flavor and are tender. I ordered the mix BBQ sauce. Well it's very spicy for my tastes. It's hotter than most hot versions of salsa. It's very spicy. I will stick to the mild sauce which is tends to be on the sweet side.


But Phillips BBQ is so good you don't need BBQ sauce. The meat is so good and right under your nose is a wonderful smoke flavor.

The two sides were mac salad and cole slaw. I didn't care for the cole slaw but the mac salad was very creamy and fresh.

The Phillips BBQ. on Crenshaw and Adams is the newest location. The original Phillips is in Leimert Park. I don't notice any differences between the three locations. One of the best BBQ in the LA area.

Carneys- West Hollywood

Carney's
8351 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood
323-654-8300

If I'm in the area, I will go to another location of a restaurant I've already tired. So I was in West Hollywood and I decided to see if there is any difference between the Carney's on Sunset Blvd and the Carney's in Studio City. The first picture is the view of Carney's going east on Sunset. The second picture is what Carney's looks like when going west on Sunset. There is plenty of free parking behind Carneys, the entrance to the parking is on the west side of Carneys.

I'm glad I did. I think at least for hot dogs, the West Hollywood location is better. I ordered their Chicagoan hot dog with mustard, relish and onions for $2.71. The hot dog had a very nice snap and the onions and relish were fresh. The buns are not steamed or toasted and aren't anything speciall This isn't a true Chicago hot dog but close enough. I think it's good but nothing great and I think going to Costco for a $1.50 hot dog and soda is a much better value.

I tried the mild Chicagoan Polish sausage, again with mustard, onions and relish. They actually split the polish and grill it. Well they over cook the polish sausage and I'm not impressed.

Carneys is a nice place to eat and has a nice unique dining experience, since you're eating in a converted train. The hot dogs are good but a little on the high side. If I'm in the area again I would go back to the Sunset location. The Studio City location is too close to other great hot dog places.

Pollo Campero-Glendale-Closed

Pollo Campero
1140 Glendale Galleria
Glendale
818-662-0445

In the Glendale Galleria food court, Pollo Campero gives shoppers a great dining option. I ordered the two piece meal, breast and wing, with fries, tortillas and a soda all for $5.30.

As with the other Pollo Campero locations the chicken is so tender and juicy. I just love the chicken. The best fried chicken around. The fries are good and crispy.

I always enjoy going to Pollo Campero. I would go to any location as I haven't noticed any difference in quality between the three locations I've been to.

Pie N Burger

Pie N Burger
913 E. California
Pasadena
626-795-1123

For every time I hear about the Apple Pan burgers, I also hear about Pie N Burger's burgers. So I decide to go back and review Pie N Burger. I went to Pie N Burger about two years ago and I was impressed. So with the taste of the overrated Apple Pan burger still fresh in my mind I went to Pie N Burger once again.

I ordered the cheeseburger for $6.26. The burgers comes with thousand island dressing, lettuce and pickles, though I asked for no pickles. The burger comes nice and hot. The meat is so juicy, it's dripping everywhere. I take one bite and I love it and know it blows away the Apple Pan. The meat is nice and tender and flavorful. The lettuce is fresh and they put just the right amount of thousand island dressing. They only minor complaint I have is that they overtoasted the bun. I could taste some burnt parts of the bun. Otherwise I was very impressed with the burger.

What I am not impressed with is the service. I walk in and there is no hostess or servers. Two cooks are talking and I ask just sit anywhere? One of the cooks says Yes and I take a seat and wait, and wait, and wait some more. What the hell are these people doing? Finally a server comes and brings me a glass of water. Barely speaking above a whispers she asks what I want. I place my order and then I wait. While I was waiting the same cook who told me where to sit, asks me "Do I want to order?" Is he blind? I was ordering from the server less than three feet away from him.

The server was very rude and short, like she couldn't be bothered. She was talking on the phone, going to the back, doing whatever else she was doing. Then another server comes, who I'm guessing is the head server. All of a sudden she's friendly and you can't get her to stop talking. Hmmmm I didn't leave a tip for her due to her bad attitude.

I think if you get a younger, under 40 server, your service will vary. Get an older server and she will treat you like a king or queen. The first time I had a server who was at least 60 and she was awesome, my water glass barely ever got blow a 3/4 empty. Anything and everything I needed, she was there.

I would go back to Pie n Burger but I do feel they are a little overpriced. Not on the burger but the fries, at $3.15. Almost $10 for a burger and fries? Not a good value. The burger is well worth the price, adding anything else makes it less of a value. Overall I'm impressed again with Pie n Burger.

Chili John's

Chili John's
2018 Burbank Blvd
Burbank
818-846-3611

I heard a few good things about Chili John's so I decided to try it for myself. Chili John's isn't that impressive. I went on Feb 4, 2006 and they had a B rating from the health department.

I ordered a regular bowl of mild beef chili over spaghetti for $6.60. When the chili arrived she asked if I wanted sour cream and cheese. I said yes. She forgot to tell me that sour cream and cheese are extra.

The chili was OK but it wasn't even spicy and while I did order mild, that doesn't mean no spice!!!! The spaghetti was cooked just right but the portion is nothing. $7 for a little bowl of spaghetti?? Come on now.

I thought Chili John's was overpriced and the chili was nothing special. I wouldn't go back even if I'm in the area.

Red Rock Chili-Fashion Island-Closed

Red Rock Chili
401 Newport Center Dr.
Suite A 106
Newport Beach
949-760-0752

Red Rock Chili is located in the food court at Fashion Island. I have heard so many good things about Cincinnati style chili but I've never had the chance to try Cincinnati chili. I sure as hell ain't going to Cincinnati since the city isn't a vacation paradise and I hate the Reds and the Bengals suck.

So when I heard about Red Rock Chili in Fashion Island, I knew I had to go and try it. Now Cincinnati chili is made with cinamon and it's not as spicy or thick as some other styles of chili. I ordered the chili dog with Cincinnati chili and the Red Rock Spaghetti with Cincinnati chili, cheese and onions. In Cincinnati that's called a three way.

First bite and I knew the Cincinnati Chili isn't for me. Just something about the spices doesn't taste right. Red Rock chili had nice pieces of ground beef in their chili but again I'm not a fan of the Cinncy style chili.

But the hot dog said it's suppose to be grilled, but this hot dog didn't have any grilled marks and was cold!!! Not a good start. They actually cut the hot dog in half and it's basically served open faced. Hot dogs are finger foods!!!

The spaghetti with Cinncy chili and cheese wasn't anything special. The spaghetti was cooked just right. Some places, Italian restarants being a strange offender, overcook their pasta.

The service is ok. The cashier tried to be a comic by asking if I wanted a picture taken with the food, after he saw me take a picture of the food. He got concerned when I told him why I was taking picture of the food. Maybe they should worry about getting the food right instead of being a comic.

While the Cincinnati chili isn't the kind of chili I like, I wouldn't go back to Red Rock. First the prices are high. The chili dog and spaghetti was $13.23. Yeah it's in Fashion Island and they give you a good portion it's still overpriced. Also the hot dog wasn't grilled at all and wasn't even warm.

Chicago's Best-Closed

Chicago's Best
2540 Main St.
Irvine
949-757-1802

In my never ending search for the best Chicago style hot dog, I tried Chicago's Best in Irvine. Let's just say I'm still looking.

I ordered the Chicago Hot dog which comes with an order of fried and the Maxwell Street Polish. As always no peppers on my hot dog.

The hot dog comes and there were two peppers on top. It's not big deal to take them off but I do like to have food how I order them. The hot dog lacked any snap and flavor. It must be one of those no brand name hot dogs. The toppings were fresh but the hot dog is terrible. The hot dog could have been served a little hotter. The fries were just your average run of the mill fries/

The Polish sausage wasn't any better. It was overcooked just a little, biting into the polish you almost had to be have the power of a pit bull. The onions are suppose to be caramelized but they were barely grilled.

I'm not a big fan of Italian Beef sandwiches that make Chicago so famous. I rarely if ever order them at restaurants that serve Chicago style food. Maybe I should since I'm having a tough time finding a good Chicago Style hot dog.

Royal Buffet-Chino-Closed

Royal Buffet
3911 Grand Ave.
Chino
909-590-8420

This Royal Buffet isn't owned by the Royal Buffet in Long Beach. Royal Buffet is housed in a building that used to be a Fresh Choice, in the Walt Mart shopping center.

Mon-Thur all you can eat buffet is $11.99. They have the usual Chinese food like fried rice, chow mein, beef and broccoli etc.

The first picture is their fried rice and beef and broccoli. The brocooli was mushy and had been on the steam tray for way too long. The beef was pretty tender and the gravy added a nice flavor to the meat.

The next food pictured is the shrimp cocktail and fried shrimp. The shrimp cocktail was nice and fresh. The cocktail sauce had just the right spice. The fried shrimp was nice and crunchy on the outside and cooked just right on the inside. I've been to way too many places where the fried shrimp was crunchy on the outside but undercooked on the inside. Good thing Royal Buffet isn't one of those places.

The next plate pictured are the crab legs and ginger and pepper crab. The crab legs were a little on the salty side but had good amount of meat. The ginger and pepper crab had a lot of flavor and the meat was very good.

The last plate pictured is their steak that is grilled while you wait. They have a Mongolian BBQ and grilled meats included with your meal. The steaks lack any kind of flavor, they do not marinate the meat at all. Adding A-1 steak sauce is a good idea. But they have a Hawaiian short ribs, chicken and beef that is marinated and is very good. Marinating the steaks with the marinate for the Hawaiian short ribs would make a very tasty steak.

Overall I think Royal Buffet is good. Good fresh items, the brocolli being an exception. I would go there again

Apple Pan

Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064-2105
(310) 475-3585

I've heard so many good things about the Apple Pan burger, I decide to go try it. The Apple Pan has about 20 counter spaces. There are no tables and many people get their burgers to go. It's pretty spartan with paper plates for the fried and the burgers are wrapped in paper and served to hungry customers.

I ordered the steakburger with no pickles for $6.70. I wait a few minutes and finally I get to see the burger that has people singing it's praises. Well I was very underwhelmed. The burger had the meat, lettuce, their "special sauce" and a toasted bun. Their special sauce is basically a more tangy sauce that Bob's Big Boy; puts on it's double deck burgers. The meat was cooked about medium, which is fine. But this burger isn't anything special and it's certainly isn't worth almost $7. I think the Burger Depot's burgers are about as good and they are about $6 less, after 2pm. The Double-Double at In n Out Burger is way better and includes cheese, and you can order two double-doubles for the price of one steakburger at Apple Pan.

The burger is good but nothing special. Again Apple Pan has been around forever so I can see why people want to go there. But many other places have a burger that is just as good if not better and most other places won't charge $7 for the burger.