Dinerwood: Los Angeles Diner Reviews

Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop - Concilation Prize

2009-10-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sure, it looked a little sketchy on the outside. The building could have used a new paint job. The parking lot was empty except for two cars. The place had two names--one on the sign and another on the building. Was it Stewart's Coffee Shop or was it the Busy Apron? Charlie and I approached the building, one of us nervous and the other quietly optimistic.

How did we end up here? Well, let me just say, the Original Pancake House's website said they were open until 3pm. Charlie and I had just slogged through an hour of Saturday afternoon I-5 traffic to get there in time. I even had a coupon! We arrived with what we thought was an hour to spare, only to be informed by a departing waitress that they actually close at 2pm on Saturdays.

"Dim sum?" Charlie Chu suggested, stereotypically.

Dim sum ain't a diner--well, in some ways it is, but we'll get to that another time.

I had noted Stewart's Coffee Shop as we drove past it. It's only about 2 blocks from the Original Pancake House, so we headed back there. I sensed adventure. I think Charlie sensed the possibility of food poisoning. He had recently been acquainted with it, and had no desire to be reintroduced.

The moment I walked through the tall double red doors that are usually a hallmark of neighborhood Chinese food restaurants, I was in Stewart's thrall.

You know how much I love globe light fixtures? I would have a torrid affair on globe light fixtures with Moorish black wrought iron light fixtures. This passion comes from a lamp that hung in our rec room growing up--a lamp I still have. It resides in a closet right now because #1DC Antoinette doesn't think it goes with our living room decor. (Editor's note: this statement is entirely bullshit. I have suggested several times that we hang up that lamp in the aforementioned living room.) Stewart's was decorated with a series of chandeliers and hanging lamps in that style.

We stood in the entrance for several minutes without anyone saying anything to us. We saw a solitary waitress at the far side of the restaurant talking earnestly on the phone. Charlie once again suggested Dim Sum. He was not feeling this place. I was resolute.

There were only two occupied tables inside the whole restaurant. One of them happened to be right by the entrance. As we waited to be greeted or acknowledged, I asked the people at the nearby table how the food was. The woman gave me the "ok" hand gesture, which doesn't really mean just "ok," it usually means "good." The man piped up with a comment of "we eat here almost every day." I imagine that this place thrives on regulars, people probably greeted by name when they walk in. Maybe that's why we hadn't been approached yet; we were strangers.

After another minute or so, the waitress did put the phone down long enough to seat us. We took a booth by the window and began to really take in the surroundings, which did not make Charlie any less apprehensive. All the bad motel art on the wall was off-kilter. All of it. Like someone had purposefully gone to each one and nudged it a bit. The carpet was filthy. At corners and under ledges, we could see patches of what the carpet had once looked like. As much as the outside needed a sprucing up of the paint, the interior was in desperate need of even more care.

The waitress handed us menus that read "Busy Apron" instead of "Stewart's Coffee Shop." Now, had the menu's never been updated? Or had the sign never been changed? Looking at prices I was going with "never been updated." The prices were insanely low--nothing over $8 and the average price for an entree was $6.

Our waitress then disappeared to the other side of the restaurant. An older man came out of the kitchen and picked up the phone. He immediately began talking, so it was clearly the same phone call. We assumed he was the cook and our waitress would not return to take our order until he returned to the kitchen. Rather make us wait now than wait after we had put our order in. We settled in for the long haul.

It might be worth mentioning at this point that the entire staff of the restaurant was Asian, which will make some of the menu items more understandable.

The menu was full of interesting quirks that reminded me a email spam subject lines. "Eggs to Eat and Remember." I was most curious about the "STE style eggs." When I asked the waitress what it meant she seemed embarrassed and said "It's just a name." Charlie and I both needed more time to decide.

Then another man, who was actually dressed like a cook, complete with funny chef hat, came out for a moment, saw his shadow, and returned to the kitchen.

Our waitress soon came back to take our order. Charlie, now apparently free from fear, ordered the corned beef hash and eggs. I ordered the "Eggs a la Heavy." It promised to be a "casserole" of eggs, ham, tomato and green peppers. I also ordered a side of biscuits and gravy.

Our attention was attracted by a building across the street. We were unsure if it was a church or an old folks home; it could pass for either. On the lawn, a sign read "Psychic Fair and shopping" and tents and tables were set up. I remembered that I had just found out an ex-girlfriend of mine had become a pet psychic.

"Was there any indication of this ability while you were together?" Charlie asked.
I took a moment to answer, "Maybe."

I always wonder how badly my presence has effected the lives of my exes. That's incredibly self-deprecating and egotistical all at once. That somehow *I* was so important as to have the ability to destroy someone. Perhaps it is not on me that she now talks to dogs. It is also judgemental and petty to think that her talking to dogs is somehow evidence of destruction. What does it say about me that I feel these things? I started to really crawl inside my mind and just as I was about to begin some internal healing...our food came.

The secret weapon of Stewart's Busy Apron was butter. Lots of it.

Our hash browns were buttery. If it weren't for the butter, I suspect they would have been rather bland. They came out a bit too square and flat, which makes me suspect they were the frozen kind. Charlie's corned beef was also most likely from a can but it tasted like corned beef hash should--just a little grainy, just a bit soggy.

My "Eggs Ala Heavy" looked nothing like I had imagined. I thought maybe the "casserole" was really just a fancy way to say "scramble" or maybe something more fluffy like the "messes" on the menu at Millie's. I estimated it was likely a single egg that went into the pan with the long strips of ham and chunks of pepper and tomato. It was good at first, but as I ate my way down into the bowl, I discovered the pool of butter the food was soaking in. It become far too rich for me.

The biscuit was the kind you would pull out of a package from the super market. It was very soft and spongy. The gravy tasted like a powdered mix which was expected, but still disappointing.

I had really hoped Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop had turned out to be one of those unexpected wonders of diner-fare. In the end, though, it only had one thing going for it: it was cheap. Otherwise, it was adequate American comfort food made by Asian-American immigrants. There are a lot of those places, especially in the Inland Empire and in Orange County. That's a good thing, because not only does it give me places to go eat, but it also gives us dishes that may become new American classics.

Who knows, maybe Eggs a la Heavy is the next Biscuits and Gravy?

Food: Okay.
Service: Friendly but spotty.
Price: $5-$8
Pie: No pie.

Stewart's Busy Apron Coffee Shop
1221 East. Lincoln Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92825

(714) 533-4290

Harbor House Cafe - A tale of two visits.

2009-09-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

Finally, Dinerwood has come back to Long Beach. I just don't make it down there often enough. For months my friends Tony and Victoria had been singing the praises of the Harbor House Cafe. Life finally worked out and one night and I made a special trip down just for it.

Harbor House is covered in movie posters and movie memorabilia. Being this far from Hollywood, this design theme seems out of place and unnecessary. There's no residual shine from the glamour of "Hollywood" all the way down in the LBC. I would have, however, accepted a nautical theme since it does overlook the ocean.

The main building is a little place that more closely resembles a bar than a diner. At some point in the building's lifetime, an enclosed patio was built to expand the dining area. We were led through the patio and back to an area that looked more like the entrance. It had dark wood with real tables and chairs, unlike the patio that housed plastic lawn furniture. For some reason we were placed right next to the only other people in the area. I estimated that this couple was only on their second date or perhaps they were just coworkers testing the waters. Their conversation was awkward but earnest, and we got to hear all of it.

It wasn't all that interesting.

The Harbor House menu didn't seem deep at the time, but when I think back on it, it really covered a solid range. Breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches, Mexican and oddly, Chinese are all given their own section with several items listed under each of them. I definitely felt like a late night breakfast so that's where I focused my attention.

I am always iffy on omelets. I've had a lot of bad ones in my life. So I surprised myself with how quickly I honed in on the Hawaiian Omelet with pineapple and ham. It sounded like such a risk; would it be worth it? I was also given the option of subbing in biscuits and gravy in place of my toast choice for a nominal fee. I decided to go for it. Let's hear it for diner dinner risks!

While we waited for our food, we tried to figure out what this item in the picture above was. The wall was covered in them. I had vague childhood memories of being given these to play with as a child while in bars in Montana. Yes, childhood memories in bars. It's not odd, trust me. My parents aren't bad people, we're just from Montana.

The awkward girl in the awkward couple on the awkward date was telling an anecdote about being ripped off by a male friend for a large sum of money, while the awkward boy sat and nodded. A large family in both number and stature then joined our small seating section, leaving the patio still mostly empty. I do not understand the seating thought process here at Harbor House.

After trying to arrange themselves around one of the small round tables, they crowded too close to the couple and broke any air of passion that had been fostered. The awkward couple left awkwardly. I never found out if she got her money back from her friend.

When our food came, it looked delicious right from the start. If Charlie had been with us, he'd have had captured that. As is, the food just looks okay in these pictures.

The omelet was quite possibly the best omelet I have had in a very long time. (The best omelet ever was a smoked salmon omelet in a Sheraton hotel restaurant in Ellensburg, Washington). The eggs were wonderfully layered, almost like tamago, but without the sliminess. The mix of sweet from the pineapple and the salty of the cheese and ham worked amazingly well. Unfortunately the "hobo potatoes" as they call them failed to impress me as much. The unique addition of mushrooms to the mix of tomato, onions and peppers didn't add anything for me as the tomatoes were too overpowering.

I really enjoyed the biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were a bit dry, but the gravy was so good it made up for that default. That plate of biscuits and gravy was only an additional 65 cents.

Victoria got the cheese and potato soup. It was soup. Mmmm, soup.

Tony ordered the hot crab sandwich with onion rings. As good as my omelet was, Tony won this food battle. The sandwich was amazing. Real, high quality crab and not even the questionable placement of avocado on the sandwich could take away from it. The onion rings reminded me of more monstrous versions of the onion rings you can get at A&W fast food restaurants. The breading wasn't oily; it was nice and crusty.

Victoria faked us out with her paltry soup order. She ended her meal by ordering a scoop of ice cream. I failed to capture the scale of this "scoop" in the picture. It was a bear-paw sized scoop of ice cream in an otter sized world.

Our bill came out to only a hair over $32.

Harbor House had lived up to what Tony and Victoria had built it up to be. It was good food at a good price. I liked it so much that a few weeks later, when my parents were visiting and we happened to be in the area, #1DC Antoinette and I took them there. Could it stand up in the harsh light of day?

Sadly, it did not.

I went with the pecan pancakes, thinking that the genius of the Hawaiian omelet would transfer across the breakfast section. I was wrong. The pecan pancakes were regular spongy restaurant pancakes with bits of pecans poured over them. Meh. Even IHOP would do something like have a special syrup or even blend pecans into the batter. This was sorely disappointing. My side of bacon was adequate.

I didn't even bother to take pictures of what my dad got, since it was basically what I got minus the $2.00 of pecan bits.

My mom got the crab sandwich, and luckily that was as good as it was on the previous visit.

#1DC Antoinette ordered the cheesesteak sandwich. It was more like a hot roast beef sandwich with slices of meat, and not that great. The fries were mushy and gross.

I really oversold this place to my family. This wasn't quite as bad as when I chose "4 Rooms" as our Christmas Day movie (note: I do not get to pick Christmas Day movies anymore), but it was supremely disappointing. What I can conclude from my two visits is that Harbor House is a mixed bag. (2nd) Best omelet of my life one visit, disappointing pancakes the next.

And... it turns out, it's not even in Long Beach!

Harbor House Cafe

16341 Pacific Coast Hwy
Sunset Beach, CA 90742
(562) 592-5404

Food: Mixed but mostly good.

Service: Friendly.

Price: $8-$12

Pie: Case of homemade pie.

It does have this outside the front door, so that's pretty cool.

KJs Diner and Restaurant--Gutter ball.

2009-09-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

I was really excited when I pulled up to KJ's Diner. It is attached to a bowling alley--how great is that? Growing up, we had a Chinese restaurant attached to our bowling alley. Sadly, KJ's proximity to the lanes was the greatest thing about it.

I got there a bit early and as I waited for Charlie to arrive, I ordered a coffee (weak) and looked over the menu. It covered the standards, but also had an "International Breakfast" section with chilaquiles and lox--not served in tandem. An Asian themed menu was located on little laminated placards at the counter. The dinner menu was broken up by different "Flavas:" Spanish Flava, Italian Flava, and Savory Flava.

A nice couple chatted with me a bit about motorcycles and scooters (I had ridden my scooter from Silver Lake). They were enjoying a slice of apple pie with grated cheddar cheese on top. It's a Northeast thing.

Once Charlie arrived, we got down to business. When our waitress asked what we wanted, I asked if she recommended anything. "After eating here? Nothing! Hahahaha." I was really hoping she was just kidding--really hoping. I ordered the Cream of Wheat Pancakes and Charlie ordered the Ham Pan Sandwich, without the pan but with french toast instead.

A nearby table featured a dad and a gaggle of pre-teen girls celebrating a birthday. Divorced Weekend Custody Dad really needs to step it up. Bowling and a diner for your girl's 11th birthday? That's tragic. The staff did sing "Happy Birthday" in awesome oddly accented English.

It didn't take long for our food to arrive. I was surprised that I was paying over $8 for a stack of four pancakes. I assumed there would be hash browns or bacon or a slice of orange. The pancakes started off well, albeit a little undercooked, but as I continued down the stack they got more and more grainy and runny.

Charlie's french toast was okay and the ham slab was dry.

When we were finished, I asked our waitress what pies they had. She said "No pies, just cake."

Now, I knew they had pie. I had seen it. A slice of pie had been within five feet of me. I looked up at the counter and I could see a pie in the display case. Only one, so I could safely assume it was apple pie, which I wasn't in the mood for. Why would the waitress lie about the pie? She had told the truth about the food. Why lie about this? I shrugged it off.

KJ's Diner is not a place I'd recommend. If you are already bowling, pop over for some flava, but don't make it a destination. It's definitely not worth it.

Food: Disappointing.

Service: Okay.

Price: $6-$12, but ask exactly what you are getting for the price.

Pie: Yes, but they lie about it.

KJ's Diner

8731 Lincoln Blvd.

Westchester CA 90045

(just a short distance North of LAX)

http://www.kjsdiner.com/

Dinerwood on the Road: Las Vegas's Tiffany's Cafe

2009-09-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

White Cross Drugs is the oldest still standing business location in Las Vegas. We all know what the oldest profession in Vegas is. That's right:

...Crazy Old Prospector.

Our first night in Vegas, Charlie and I, led by our host Laurenn, cruised into the White Cross Drugstore pretty late. Well, regular people and regular city late. It was positively early by Vegas standards, which meant that there was nobody eating at Tiffany's Cafe. Tiffany's is open 24 hours; in fact, it was Vegas's first 24 hour restaurant, but it really is meant for an after-hours crowd.

Tiffany's is an amazing throwback to the classic greasy-spoon: a little dirty, a little messy, but you know the crew has their system down. The matron behind the counter was wearing a white t-shirt with a leopard print bra underneath. She was manning the grease trap and she had better things to do then worry about fashion.

Tiffany's also has some very bizarre artwork on the walls. The above landscape is thrown into disarray as the floating head of the outlaw Josey Wales descends from heaven.

Charlie ordered the Manhattan Burger. It's a regular burger with a sourdough bread bun.

Lauren ordered the BLT. It came with some home-made steak sauce. It was awful. It was VINEGAR with a little Worcestershire, and maybe some rat poison mixed in. While the cook was making the sandwich, I noticed that after frying up the bacon, he then wiped it off with a towel.

I ordered the Tiffany Burger. I figured I couldn't go wrong with the signature dish. It was a basic mushroom burger, that when I bit into it, sprayed grease all over Laurenn.

All of our french fries were slightly stale tasting.

Tiffany's was not all that good. Sometimes it is not about the food, though. The majesty of "setting" really pulled this place from out of the "DO NOT WANT" bin. It has such a classic feel and with the added benefit of the artwork, the place becomes wonderfully surreal in a town that is often depressingly surreal. It would be worth checking out, but know what you are getting into food-wise.

Food: Greasy
Service: Adequate.
Price: $8.00-$14.00
Pie: Various, located in a pretty display case at the entrance.

Tiffany's Cafe in White Cross Drugs.
1700 Las Vegas Blvd. S
Las Vegas, Nevada

Dinerwood On the Road: Las Vegas' The Cracked Egg

2009-08-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

My first time in Las Vegas was a little over a year ago. I asked the concierge desk at the Planet Hollywood Casino (where I was staying) where to get a good breakfast. After suggesting the in-hotel restaurant, I stopped him. "No, where do you real people get breakfast?" He paused- "The Cracked Egg." A little while later, I asked one of the bellhops the same question, "The Cracked Egg" he said. Now I didn't make it there during that trip, so I made a point to schedule it in this time.

The Cracked Egg has a few different locations around Vegas. Charlie and I went to the location on Rainbow Road, out in the hinterlands of South Vegas. I was surprised that it was in a strip mall. Once we went inside, I was pleased that there were no hints of "VEGAS!" here. It was very homey and decorated in faux-colonial style and accented with knick-knacks, but also had exposed duct-work which seemed out of place but fine.

The menu at Cracked Egg isn't deep. It covers some solid ground with pancakes, skillets and omelets. Price-wise, it read as entirely reasonable. They also have a gluten-free menu, which you don't see a lot of places.

I asked our waitress what she recommended and she replied confidently, "Anything smothered in gravy." I didn't feel like gravy but as I knew this would probably be my main meal of the day, I needed something filling. I went with sweet and heavy--the Peanut Butter French Toast. Charlie ordered the Mexican Skillet.

We both also ordered the fresh coffee cake, which the waitress brought right out. I took a bite and was surprised to find , a melty chocolate chip in my mouth. They routinely experiment and change up their coffee cake recipes, and this week was chocolate chip coffee cake. It was very rich.

Our food followed quickly.

The portions were pretty ample. I definitely felt like I received $9.50 worth of french toast. It was sweet and heavy, just like I wanted. The bread was split and filled with peanut butter blended with cream cheese. This would be to keep the peanut butter from getting too melted and liquidy and spilling out of the bread. The syrup and the bananas also added a nice balance of flavors.

Charlie's Mexican skillet was good but basic: chorizo, cheese, jalapenos, and salsa. The chorizo wasn't too spicy or too mild.

The Cracked Egg was a very good breakfast experience. The friendly wait staff helped remind me that there are regular people in Las Vegas. I highly recommend it if you find yourself there and want a quick reminder of what normal life is like.

Food: Good.

Service: Great.

Price: Reasonable.

Pie: No Pie.

The Cracked Egg
6435 S. Rainbow, #100
Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: 702.220.6449
Fax: 702.221.9310
http://www.thecrackedegglv.com/

Sunny's Family Restaurant: Underdogs, not undercooked.

2009-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

You'll have to forgive the less than stellar pictures on this one. #1DC Antoinette and I went out for breakfast with my parents and we forgot our digital camera. These were taken with my fifty dollar Wal-Mart phone...and they are horrible.

My parents are antique dealers and will often come down to Southern California to visit us and go to different flea markets. This past Saturday, we all went to the Golden West Flea Market in Huntington Beach. Across the street was a quaint looking place called Sunny's Family Restaurant.

After spending several hours at the flea market and finding some neat treasures, we finally headed over to Sunny's for breakfast. The first thing I noticed while walking in, was a dry-erase board asking us to compare them both in taste and cost to places like IHOP and Coco's. Sunny's had something to prove. Inside, it was a very warm and friendly place with three distinct dining rooms. One of them was assuredly a smoking section back in the day when restaurants had those. I have no idea what the third section would have been for.

Interestingly, the walls were decorated with a real hodge-podge of different framed images. One wall had all Superman pictures while another was dedicated to Mohammad Ali. There were also a large number of random movie stills. One was of the kids from Harry Potter. I have no idea what the connection was, except maybe the owner just likes movies.

The manager sat us at a table and within a handful of minutes three different waiters asked if we wanted anything to drink and/or to make sure someone had taken our drink order.
We all ordered the coffee and agreed that it was above average. All of the servers were downright festive. They all had smiles and easy-going manners that didn't seem forced. There was a team spirit there.

The first thing that I saw when I opened the menu was the Butterscotch pancakes. My eyes and stomach fell in love and no matter how much I scoured the rest of the menu, I could not seriously consider ordering anything else. Although the menu didn't specify, our waiter did explain that even with the specialty pancakes you can get the combo (which includes eggs and sausage AND bacon) for less than two dollars more.

We also noticed a particularly amusing menu item: Hooker fries. Named after the Union general who captured New Orleans? Hooker fries are french fries covered in melted cheese, bacon and other toppings. I think they may have gotten their name from the fact they will F*** your arteries up.

Antoinette, feeling a bit under the weather, inquired about the soup of the day. Our waiter informed us that at this location (there are two Sunny's Family Restaurants, both in Huntington Beach) they only ever have vegetable soup, but that it is made fresh daily.

My mom ordered the cinnamon roll french toast combo with eggs and a ham steak. She had never had cinnamon roll french toast and her mind was blown by the concept. I've had it before at other places (Brandon's Diner, for instance) and often the problem with it is that it is incredibly sweet. Sunny's wasn't overly sweet and I appreciated that. The ham steak was juicy and surprisingly huge.

My butterscotch pancakes did not disappoint. They were simple enough, just the butterscotch baking chips poured into the batter. For the most part they were melted throughout but occasionally I'd find a few chips that had escaped the heat by huddling inside the delicious fluffiness of the pancake.

The picture of my eggs and pork sausage didn't turn out, unfortunately. The sausage I found overly greasy but the bacon was quite good. My scrambled eggs were a little too wet but otherwise good.

My dad ordered the Chef's Special Cake: three buttermilk pancakes, two eggs, two sausage and two pieces of bacon. He agreed with me about the sausage.

Antoinette ordered the chicken quesadilla and a piece of corn bread, a refreshing break from the parade of traditional breakfasts the rest of us chose. The quesadilla had flavorful peppers but could have used more chicken. The cornbread was wonderful--moist and cakey, with just a hint of sweetness.

Sunny's was a friendly and enjoyable eating experience. We all liked the food but would agree that it wasn't mind-blowing. There was an underdog energy to Sunny's--they were really trying hard to compete. As the dry-erase board out front asked us to, we compared it to a Coco's or an IHOP and hands down Sunny's was cheaper and better than your typical chain. On its own merits, it was just a good place to eat. I'm sure the next time my parents come down to go to the nearby flea market, we'll be eating at Sunny's.

Food: Good.

Service: Friendly.

Price: $6-$10

Pie: Not at this location. They do have lots of ice cream desserts.

Sunny's Family Restaurant

7148 Edinger Ave

Huntington Beach, CA 92647

(714) 841-9934

Dinerwood on the Road: Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant, San Diego

2009-08-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you turn a corner and BAM! you find something you weren't expecting--maybe it's a twenty dollar bill you find on vacation and your parents let you blow it on Masters of the Universe action figures; maybe it's an old friend who just got a job working the counter at the questionable "bookstore" you frequent; maybe it's driving around your hotel your first night in town and seeing a sign that says "Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant." Sometimes it's that last one.

It was closed at the time we drove by (it's only open from 6am to 3pm), but in the dark it looked pretty awesome. We woke up early the next day and headed over.

It wasn't too crowded inside but this was also a Friday morning. I imagine it is busier on weekends. The interior felt newly remodeled. There was a pretty keen half circle counter up by the kitchen which was mirrored by a half circle lowered part of the ceiling. It made me imagine that at one time this place may have had a bit more style and design to it. Now it was decorated in warm earth tones and hotel room art.

We were seated in the span of no more than three minutes, then three different waitresses asked what we wanted to drink. We tried to explain to the later two that someone had already asked but they whizzed away so quickly that we failed. Two of the waitresses came to the table at the same time carrying our two glasses of water and a coffee. Aunt Emma's is the kind of place that leaves you your own pot of coffee on the table, and loyal readers will remember that I love that. After this and taking our order we hardly saw our waitress again.

The menu was very deep and traditional, and of course there was one item that was dominant: the pancake. This is a breakfast joint where the pancake is king and the king is a dessert.

There is a mess of different pancakes on the menu and nearly all of them involve whipped cream. It being only 8am, I wasn't in the mood for dessert so I ordered the corn pancake, described as "Corn flavored with corn topping."

#1DC Antoinette ordered a strawberry crepe (the foreign cousin of the pancake) and we shared eggs, turkey sausage, and fruit.

It is strawberry season so it was a bewildering that they used frozen strawberries. This might be the most 'foodie' critique I've ever made of a place, and although they were fine tasting, it was just such a cheap restaurant cop-out. The crepe was a little rubbery but tasted alright.

The eggs could have been good but were lukewarm when they arrived. The fruit bowl was a bit plain and the sausage was typical. Although I neglected to take a picture of it, I also ordered hash browns, which were actually pretty gross.

When the menu said "corn flavored" I imagined it may be a corn meal pancake which would have been nice. When it came out and it seemed to just be the regular pancakes with some corn niblets on top, I was a little disappointed. The pancake did have some sort of vague corn flavor, but I wasn't sure if that was just flavor transference from the corn topping. And that white mess on the plate that looks like a wadded up napkin? That's the plop of butter they put on the plate.

Aunt Emma's wasn't the treasure I had hoped it would be. It was adequate and reasonable. I may go there again just to try the dessert pancakes, but it's not a place I can give a gushing recommendation.

Food: Okay.
Service: Fine.
Price: $6-10

Pie: Various.

Aunt Emma's Pancake Restaurant
700 E St.
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(619) 427-2722
http://www.auntemmaspancakes.com/

Dinerwood on the Road: Night and Day Cafe, San Diego

2009-07-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

On our first night of our yearly trip to San Diego, we headed over to Coronado, the posh island community nestled off the coast of downtown. The Night and Day Cafe is a 24-hour broom closet of a place and provided one of those most bizarre eating excursions I've had in awhile.

Night and Day Cafe is tiny--maybe fifteen feet wide and no more than 30 feet long. It consists of a modest narrow counter and a cook station with some nominal storage in a back room. When we arrived, the counter was nearly full and we took the last two seats right at the front.

The walls are decorated with some choice artwork and photography. There is also a very modern jukebox mounted on the wall, which I couldn't get a good picture of as I would have had to crawl over the counter and stand on the griddle. Yes, that last picture is a guy with a fish sticking out of the bottom of his shorts and the second to last picture does say "Belgium Waffle."

The cook who was working not only looked but also acted a lot like the character "Cheddar Bob" from Eminem's "8 Mile." If you've seen the movie you'll know what this means. If you haven't seen the movie, well what do you imagine a character named Cheddar Bob is like?

He handed us menus and asked if we wanted anything to drink and then went back to cooking and chatting with what appeared to be regulars. Note: he asked what we wanted to drink, which was a soda and two waters, and then went back to cooking.

#1DC Antoinette and I were both shocked at the prices. There was very little under 8 dollars and if you wanted something extra, like fries, it tipped the modestly proportioned (we could see what the other patrons were eating) meals over into the 12 or 13 dollar range. Clearly, Night and Day Cafe had been corrupted by the affluence of the area. A place like this couldn't have started out way back when with these premium prices.

I wanted a patty melt and Antoinette had settled on the salad when the late night cooked wandered in to relieve "Bob" and told us that we had the wrong menu. He then handed us the "Graveyard Menu." Graveyard because you'll DIE looking at these prices! Seriously, their late night menu cuts several of their cheaper items (like the chili) and ups the price on others by nearly two dollars. For instance the tuna melt is normally $7.75, after 9pm it raises to $9.50.

Thrown for a loop, Antoinette had to rethink her order. To his credit, the late-night cook did offer to basically make anything for her and run over to the Vons across the street to get any ingredient he didn't have on hand. She ordered a grilled cheese (which was on menu) with bacon and tomato (which was not). I stayed with my patty melt (which had a small price jump on the graveyard menu). We decided to split the fries. We then again ordered a soda and two waters, which eventually the new cook did bring us.

By this time, some space at the counter had opened up and a trio walked in and sat next to us: two bros and a girl who was riffing off Marilyn Monroe, down to her peroxide hair and white halter dress. Our new cook was seriously taken by her. Even though she was clearly spoken-for by one of the dudes next to her (it was unclear which one), the cook proceeded to do his best to seduce and delight her. He put some Chuck Mangione on the juke box so the sweet jazz trumpet sounds would enthrall her. When she ordered fries, he offered and then went on to make her fresh french fries, cutting new potatoes just for her.

After a nominal amount of time our food came up.

My patty melt was very good. It consisted of two patties and lots of cheese and it was grilled just right to make it all come together nicely. It wasn't the best patty melt I've ever had and it certainly wasn't worth the late night price.

Antoinette's grilled cheese was sublime in its simplicity. It's a great combo. The tomato helps cut the grease from the bacon and cheese. They also used garlic butter to grill the bread, which was a nice complement.

He delivered our second-rate not freshly cut fries. I asked our cook/waiter for ketchup. He said, "sure," and went to the back to get a bottle. He then delivered it to the counter:

Oh, not to us. He put it in front of Marilyn Monroe, whose fries were still crisping in the fryer. He very rarely took his eyes off of her. It was especially bizarre because everyone on our side of the counter knew and understood it was weird and all we could do was awkwardly laugh at how awkward it was.

The fries weren't that good anyway. He totally wasn't getting up her skirt using those.

Night and Day Cafe was really bizarre. Good, but not good enough for the price. When we finished and paid, we waved goodnight to the cook. He didn't notice. I can't imagine we'll ever go back.

Food: Good.
Service: Likes blondes.
Price: $8-$13

Pie: NONE.

One final endearing trait:

Rae's Restaurant

2009-07-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

It had been quite awhile since I had been to the west side. Charlie lives there and recommended Rae's as a good example of an unheralded breakfast joint on that side of town. He was available to shoot pictures, so off we went.

We rolled in for a late Sunday lunch and I was surprised that it wasn't very crowded--not a ghost town by any means, but not packed. It turns out that the restaurant is deceptively large. Its main counter and booth space is augmented by an annex full of tables in the back. It was also decidedly non-douchey with a healthy mix of hipsters, locals and families. The douchey quotient is kept down by the proximity of places like Snug Harbor and Bread & Porridge, which act as a magnet for those types (Not saying there's anything inherently douchey with those places; they just happen to be more popular.)

Rae's was clearly an older place (est. 1958 according to their menu) and luckily hadn't a seen a renovation in quite some time. The colors change from a green and blue to a decaf shade of orange at the booths. Architecturally, the interior is all hard angles with the globe light fixtures and counter edges being the only exceptions. We sat in front of the picture window by the door. The large window let soft afternoon light just pour in, which gave everything a nice glow.

First off, I ordered a coffee, which was incredibly good--nice and strong without any bitterness. I found it very amusing that they served it in plastic mugs made to look like classic ceramic coffee cups.

The menu is small, comprising only one page. It covers the staples well and is peppered with interesting items and odd section placement. Under "Sandwich Specialties" it lists sundaes and malts and ice cream topping for sodas. I was sorely tempted by something called the "Denver Sandwich" which consists of two eggs, ham and pineapple. Now eggs and ham go together and ham and pineapple go together. Eggs and pineapple though? Why call it a Denver sandwich? Apparently it's a thing, although the pineapple appears to be an exclusive to Rae's thing.

Ultimately I went with the other most intriguing option: the bacon topped waffle.
Charlie ordered the Chorizo.

The chorizo had a mild spiciness to it, just enough to give it a tiny kick.

I expected to just find bacon bits sprinkled on top of the waffle, but what came was even better. The bacon had been added to the batter and cooked into the waffle itself. The syrup was nothing special but overall the combination was very good. My potatoes were adequate.

Something we both noticed about the food is that it is perfect "drunk food." It looks decent when on your plate in the daylight, but would look amazing if you were really drunk and trying to sober up. The slight sheen of grease would look delightful reflecting in the streetlights from outside.

At the end of our meal I decided to indulge with the blueberry pie. The edges of the slice were dry and sticky, which happens to fruit pies when they have been sitting out for awhile. Once I got closer to the center, it was much better.

Rae's was an enjoyable place. It had a nice atmosphere and decent food, but its biggest asset may be the price. For two breakfasts, coffee, orange juice and a slice of pie, our bill came to only $19.00. I look forward to going back there and enjoying more of that great coffee and maybe trying that Denver sandwich.

Food: Decent, bordering on good.

Service: Very friendly.

Price: $5-$8

Pie: Various.

Rae's Restaurant
2901 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 828-7937

The Horseless Carriage: Buy a car, get some pie...or not.

2009-06-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

The American auto industry has been in the news a lot lately. For once, a diner review is somewhat topical. The Horseless Carriage Restaurant is a unique type of diner. It's unique because it is in a car dealership--the Galpin Ford car dealership in North Hills, right next to the 405, in the heart of the Valley.

Yes. A car dealership's own diner. It opened in-well, why should I tell the story? Let's let Mister Galpin tell it.

For a closer look at the pic, click here.

For this visit, I brought #1Diner Companion Antoinette, #1Diner Photog Charlie, and #1Gwen Stefani Fan Cammie. Cammie grew up in the area and her parents always bought their cars from Galpin. The salesmen would give the kids tokens to take to the restaurant to exchange for sodas. Only one salesmen still does that, Stuart Sank, according to our waitress, and you should totally buy your car from him because of this.

One thing we noticed about the Horseless Carriage was that the interior was immaculately clean. The stainless steel and faux-deco fixtures gleamed and sparkled in the summer twilight. This was, hands-down, the cleanest diner I have ever visited.

We started with coffee even though it was 7pm on a Sunday. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised at how good the coffee was. So far we were off to a good start.

Looking at the menu, I noted that it covered a lot of the basics but wasn't overwhelming. There was just enough of every category to give some variety but without any 'wastes.' I feel like a lot of restaurants have 'wastes' on the menu--dishes that you just can't imagine anyone actually ordering...like the salmon at House of Pies.

Cammie ordered the Cobb salad. Which looks absolutely beautiful in that picture and tasted just as good.

Cammie also ordered a side of biscuits and gravy for the table, just to try it out. The biscuit was good--not great, and the gravy was a little watery.

Antoinette ordered the Sourdough Special and cup of french onion soup, but they were out of soup, so she just got the sandwich. The sourdough special is basically the beefeater at House of Pies or a beef melt at other places. It's roast beef, tomatoes and cheese melted on sourdough. It was good, but not as good as other versions of it that we've had.

Charlie and I both went with the reuben. It started out alright, although it was a little dry. Charlie had the wherewithal to order sides of thousand island dressing. Once we were able to really slather them with sauce, the enjoyability of the sandwich went up considerably.

We all ordered desert, well three deserts for four people. #1DC and I were going to split the pumpkin pie, which was the only pie they had left that day. Cammie ordered the cheesecake and Charlie ordered the strawberry cake. Charlie was the winner. The cake was especially pretty and delightfully sweet. It could have been a little fluffier, but was good overall. The cheesecake was decent but unspectacular. Our pumpkin pie was, well--it was a piece of pie that tasted like pumpkin, but not pumpkin pie. There seemed to be no nutmeg, no cinnamon, no spices. It just tasted like mashed up, kind of burnt, kind of soggy pumpkin on a pie crust.

In addition to the pies and cakes, they have something called the "Galpiccino." This consists of coffee ice cream, mocha powder and milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream. Just for the name it deserves to be ordered...just not by us... at least this time. And of course they had jello and whipped cream. How could they not?

With only a few minor bumps along the way, from the coffee all the way through to the end, it was well worth the drive. The only truly disappointing part was the pie. Even forgetting that it is probably second only to the Police Academy diner as far as unique locations goes, I can truly recommend the Horseless Carriage for a great experience.

Food: Good.

Service: Very friendly and helpful.

Price: $6-$11 with dinner entrees being a tad more.

Pie: Various cream pies, fruit and pumpkin. Stay away from pumpkin.

15505 Roscoe Blvd

North Hills, CA 91343-6503

(818) 892-3707‎

Again, special thanks to Charlie Chu for his great photography. He is available for weddings, bat mitzvahs and celebrity funerals.

Dinerwood On the Road: Fred's Grill - Morro Bay, CA

2009-06-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

Continuing our Memorial Day vacation adventure, which last time took us to Jerry's Coffee Shop, we found ourselves in Morro Bay on the central Californian coast.

The desk clerk at the Motel 6 recommended Fred's as having the best breakfast in Morro Bay. Having had one of the worst dinners of my life the night before, my expectations for the food in this town were very low.

I normally wouldn't have been drawn to this place. The exterior looked homey with the flower boxes and beige paint job, but the golf ball on the sign was a sure indicator that something odd was going on. The "Grill" in the name didn't set my mind at ease either. "Grill" always makes me think of bar food and hamburgers. Or the Macaroni Grill, which is just plain stupid.

Inside it was quite odd. There were various golf themed pictures on the walls and golf tchotskies on the table tops. I did not like it because I do not like golf. I also had no clue if golf was a thing in Morro Bay (apparently it is: "a poor man's Pebble Beach"). I don't remember seeing a golf course around town (apparently there's about four within a few miles).

The counter seemed more like a bar's bar. In fact, the whole place had a vibe of sports bar trying out a breakfast menu. I've come to find out through my keen detective skills--okay, okay, I just called and asked--the opposite is true. Fred's started as a breakfast joint and expanded all the way to dinner then, because of the economy, scaled back to being a breakfast joint. Although the outside didn't change, I imagine the inside decor had been altered to reflect the new emphasis, but then never changed back.

The service was very nice. We took a long time to order since we were trying to juggle planning the rest of our trip, making notes about what had already occured, and then trying to figure out if we wanted to split something or not. We were annoying, scatter-brained patrons that morning but our waitress handled it fine.

We started off with some coffee. It was quite possible the worst coffee I've had in recent memory. It was oddly metallic and bitter tasting, and had to be drowned in cream and splenda.

I ordered a hearty breakfast with pancakes, eggs, potatoes and ham steak. I had been spoiled with damn near perfect pancakes the day before, but these were still very nice restaurant pancakes. My potatoes were a bit salty as was my ham steak. The ham steak was also very thick, which was nice. My eggs, ordered over-medium, were fine except for the orange flavor transfer from the garnish.

#1DC Antoinette ordered a sausage and cheese scramble. The scramble was too cheesy but the sausage was good.

Fred's Grill was perfectly fine. The only bad part was the atrocious coffee. The place did lack any of the charm that I seek out in diners and coffee shops but it quite possibly is the best breakfast place in Morro Bay, and you know, good for them.

Food: Good.
Price: Reasonable.
Service: Very nice.
Pie: "Peach and Apple, but not all the time. And chocolate cake."

Fred's Grill
1698 Main St
Morro Bay, CA 93442
(805) 771-9811

Jerry's Coffee Shop

2009-06-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

On our way out of town for the recent holiday weekend, #1DC Antoinette and I had planned to go to the historic Munch Box in Chatsworth. Being crazy Huell Howser fans and having just watched the episode where he went there, we were really looking forward to it. When we arrived, though, the place was shuttered and there were no signs of it opening soon or ever again. Seriously, no hours posted, no 'open' or flipped over 'closed' sign, no nothing.

We asked GPS what we should do and GPS said "Jerry's Coffee Shop" in that snooty accent of his.

GPS took us out to Simi Valley, which I only know from the OJ Simpson trial...or was it the Rodney King trial? Either way, it was something having to do with injustice.

The moment we pulled up, I knew this place was something special. It looked like a dump, and dumps are either the worst or the best.

Jerry's is small, having maybe ten tables (with a few picnic tables outside). The carpet is stained and frayed, and the kitchen, which you can pretty easily see from the tables, is cluttered and messy.

The most interesting thing is...

...saran wrap on the radio and covering the outlets.

A lot of the booths have these really fascinating chairs. They look like they would have been a semester long project in a high school shop class or a side project by the Bauhaus...no, not that Bauhaus, this Bauhaus.

The coffee was only $1.65 and it tasted like $1.65 coffee. It was decent but a bit weak.

The menu was short and simple but had all the traditional favorites.

Antoinette ordered a simple breakfast of two eggs and a ham steak ($6.50). She liked the eggs. The ham steak, which looks obscenely phallic in that picture, was good but the some of the fat should have been trimmed off of it. The home fries were great.

I ordered the pancake sandwich ($5.50). The eggs were a greasy, which I predicted they would be. Despite that, they were pretty good. The sausage patty was a nice change of pace.

The biscuit was drier than I like and that was a whole lot of gravy for just one biscuit. Antoinette did not like the gravy at all, but I really liked it. It tasted--my hand to God--exactly like peppered beef jerky.

The pancake was close to perfection, like the best pancake you ever made at home on a Sunday morning. It was wonderfully moist and doughy.

After we finished eating, Antoinette got up to use the bathroom. I was probably spacing out thinking about lovely things or gas mileage or something, when I noticed someone staring at me. I shook out of it and realized it was the cook. He gave me the cook head nod that always means "Was the food okay?" I gave him a thumbs up. He smile and nodded and gave me a thumbs up back.

Jerry's was a great out of the way find. Because of its distant location, I can't imagine we'll ever be back though.

Food: Very good.
Service: Very nice.
Price: Very reasonable.
Pie: Very no pie.

Jerry's Coffeeshop

4817 E Los Angeles Ave
Simi Valley, CA 93063

(805) 526-1652

Piesta - June 14th

2009-06-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS ANNOUNCES ANNUAL PIE BAKE A’LA BEVERLY HILLS AND PIESTA! WHAT: Pie Bake A’la Beverly Hills and Piesta Pie baking contest and festival all about pies WHEN: Sunday, June 14, 2009 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE: Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market 9300 block of Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills

2-hours free parking Civic Center – 450 N. Rexford Drive WHO: All can enter the pie baking contest for best tasting and most pieutiful.

Cash prizes awarded - $75, $150, $275. Applications available at www.beverlyhills.org

Piesta! A free festival all about pies for children including: *Juggling by Mike *Pieathalon *Pie eating contest *Pie making *Sifting for treasures Plus pony rides and petting zoo for nominal fee

FURTHER INFORMATION: 310.285.6830

I took third in the Pie eating contest. Almost threw up twice.

Pann's: A deserved classic.

2009-05-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

Pann's was going to be the first place I reviewed even before there was a Dinerwood. Plans were made, plans fell through, and it took two years (I've been doing this for two years!) to finally make it there.

No doubt about it, Pann's is a classic. Just looking at the sign, you can tell this is a restaurant that "gets it." It has clearly 'kept up' but has stayed true to its origins as place to get good, quick comfort food. The sign is a marvelous example of Googie design that became popular in the 1950s. Inside, the art deco design is second to none. There is no Johnny Rocket's or even new style Denny's phony art deco here. It's straight legit. There's a reason Pann's is listed on LA Timemachines. The only style that has changed here in the last 51 years is the clothing.

Three friends and I came here at about 11 am on a Sunday, which is prime post-church time, but the line wasn't too bad. We were seated in no more than ten minutes.

The menu had a decent amount of variety, pulling a lot of influence from southern cooking, as well as traditional diner standards. I was really surprised by the extensive milkshake selection. Although personally I thought it too early in the day to order one, I did ask our waitress which one she preferred. She recommended the blueberry shake. For me, the oatmeal raisin cookie shake sounded awfully tempting. It's just some oatmeal raisin cookies smashed up and poured into a vanilla milkshake--and those of you who know me well know that I am a firm believer that everything is better when smashed up and put in a cup with milk.

Rachel and Charlie both ordered the Rena's Favorite (named for the co-founder): chicken and waffles and eggs. The chicken was incredibly juicy while the waffle was unspectacular but good. The eggs were tasty. They appreciated the melted butter. You don't often see that on the table unless someone orders lobster. I usually don't go places that serve lobster (and if they do, you should never order it--like ordering salmon at House of Pies) so I never see melted butter.

Tony ordered the Louisiana Omelet with a side of fresh fruit. He ordered it egg whites only but when it arrived, it clearly was not. They didn't charge him for it and he didn't care that much, but they did get it wrong. Inside the omelet were three different kinds of sausage. The "Louisiana sauce" appeared to be a tomato base with just a little bit of heat.

I ordered the hot link and eggs. I was really surprised that the hot link was, in fact, hot. It was spicy, southern-style beef sausage. There was no taste of grease at all. I had my eggs over medium, which is becoming my new default, and they were very good. My country potatoes were simple; not bland, just simple.

I chose a biscuit as my bread option; it was homemade and good, with just a bit of powdery flavor and easily peeled in half. The sign of a good, moist biscuit is this ability for it to be split without breaking up or leaving too many crumbs.

Rachel also ordered a root beer float. She's appears to have really taken a licking to it--I mean a liking to it. I made a funny!

Pann's was built up in my mind as such a classic place that it might have been hard to match my expectations. Food-wise, it certainly did--not because it was amazing or anything. I just expected good food and Pann's delivered. Style and atmosphere is where it really made me feel like it was deservedly a Los Angeles legend.

Special thanks to Charlie Chu for taking the food pictures on this outing. He's a real photographer and hot damn he makes this food look even better.

Food: Very good.
Service: A little slow on refills but otherwise quite good.
Price: A bit more expensive than it should be. $9-$13
Pie: Apple and Cherry.

Pann's
6710 LaTijera Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90045

Open Mon-Sat 7am-11pm; Sun 7am-10pm

Pete's Burgers Family Restaurant.- Burger stand or more?

2009-05-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

We had driven past it several times. It says 'family restaurant,' looks like a burger place, but also touts its eggs and bacon breakfast and fried chicken dinners...but it looks like a burger place! Mysterious? #1DC insists that it must have been an old Long John Silvers with the bell tower and widow's walk on the roof. I maintain that it looks like a haunted Kentucky Fried Chicken thanks to the rundown and tattered look of the exterior and the red and white color scheme.

We finally decided to to try it out for lunch one day. When we walked inside, it was pretty squarely a burger joint: all booths, ordering at the counter, one giant ketchup tub dispenser, with no public restrooms to top it all off. I don't normally review places like this, but since we were here, I soldiered on.

I'm glad we did, but not because it proved to be a magical experience or anything. There was more to Pete's than just how it looked on the outside. It has a pretty extensive menu for what looks like a divey burger shack. They have omelets, burritos, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, pastrami, salads, and a selection of dinner specials.

While in line to order, I snapped this shot of the kitchen staff. Although most reviews of Pete's that I've seen have referenced its being cash only, I saw a credit card machine by the register. Maybe it is decorative? Or perhaps it's a haunted credit card machine that they don't like to use because of the y'know, haunting.

Antoinette says that all that she remembers about the tuna melt was that it was crunchy. Not good, not bad, just crunchy.

My hamburger looked nice and thick when I first unwrapped it. I then saw that this was because of the hunk of iceberg lettuce in the middle. The burger patty was a decent size, but the bun was toasted a bit more on the burnt side than it should have been. It tasted alright.

We agreed that the fries were the only really noteworthy part of our visit to Pete's. They were pretty good, came seasoned, and were just a little soggy.

So in conclusion, Pete's is a burger shack that also happens to have other kinds of food--much like Jumbo's Clown Room is a bar that happens to also have strippers. I can't imagine you'd want to specifically seek this place out, but if you are stuck in the area and need some variety, Pete's can supply it.

Food: Okay
Service- Serve yourself.
Price $4-7
Pie- No pie, but they do have milkshakes.

Pete's Burgers
2400 S. Hoover St.
Los Angeles CA 90007
6:00am-11:00pm

Frank's Coffee Shop - STEAKS!

2009-05-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

#1DC Antoinette and I happened to be in Burbank one Saturday and passed Frank's by accident. She had never been and I hadn't been in several years. My first favorite thing about Frank's is how complicated the sign is. It's a whole mess of different styles going on there.

As we have learned from the Foxy's review, you can't always trust what is listed on the sign. There were no steak outlets nearby, just an apartment complex that shares the parking lot. I can't imagine a more wonderful living arrangement for myself. A coffee shop right outside my door! The apartments did look a little shady though.

The other amusing thing about the sign is that it may be inaccurate--the building itself reads "Frank's Restaurant," not "Frank's Coffee Shop." Which is it?

I do not have a panoramic camera; just take my word for it that the "urant" is there.

Frank's is a wonderful 70's throwback: long counter and plush Naugahyde booths that will surely remind you of ol' uncle Jimmy's easy chair in the den. The large windows flood the place with brightness that can only be outshone by the sunny dispositions of the waitresses. There's no snark there. They were really nice and friendly.

We started off with coffee, which came in a hilarious hodge-podge of thrift store mugs. My mug celebrated 'tee-time' while #1DC Antoinette's had a lovely seascape. The coffee itself was nice and smooth but could have been a little bit stronger.

#1DC Antointte noticed an odd number of italian dishes on the menu, and not just standards like spaghetti or lasagna, but more elaborate (for a coffee shop) dishes like homemade wild mushroom ravioli and gnocchi.

She theorized that the cook or the owner (I assume, Frank) may be Italian. Neither of us were in the mood for Italian, though thus the quality will remain a mystery.

We were in the mood to splitzies and ordered the two items we had both been eye-balling. We decided on the Fish and Chips and the Beef Melt.

The chips were crunchy, thick steak fries and the fish tasted fresh, even though it most likely wasn't. The crust wasn't oily and was more like the kind you'd find on chicken strips. In fact, I'd call it more of a breading, than a crust.

The beef melt was one of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time. I honestly wasn't expecting much but this really exceded my expectations. It had roast beef, bacon, avocado, tomato and cheese. It had a perfect amount of all the ingredients. I ordered the coleslaw, since we were getting fries-er, chips already. The coleslaw was decent and not soggy at all.

Now my second favorite thing about Frank's, after the sign of course, is that it is populated with these little guys.

They are every where. Drunk little tuxedoed goombahs. Stay classy Frank's.

We both really enjoyed Frank's. It's a place you don't expect much from just looking at it, but it will surprise you. There are some good diner choices in Burbank, but Frank's really is the best.

Food- Great
Service-Nice and friendly.
Price- $7-$10 for most dishes.
Pie-Yes

916 W Olive Ave (at Olive and Victory)
Burbank, CA 91506
(818) 845-2216

Revolver- Eat like a pig. I mean, cop. Eat like a cop. What? I like cops.

2009-04-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

I'm going to make you a promise in this review: I will not make any references to the Steve Guttenberg films.

My friend Dan, who you will remember from Eatwell and the oft-plugged Banana book, told me about the coffee shop at the Police Academy up by Dodger Stadium, and we decided to go for breakfast last Wednesday morning. It had been some time since he had been there and was a little foggy as to where it was located on the grounds. We parked outside and did just as I had learned from childhood Bernstein Bears books: when lost, look for a police officer to help. One was easy to find since literally everyone in a square mile of us was a cop.

The coffee shop is actually on the grounds of the academy. We were pointed in the right direction by some nice officers and proceeded through the stone gates of the academy. Ever hear gunshots at 7:30 in the morning? Lots of them? I lived in Glassell Park so that was nothing new to me, but the sheltered may find the continuous rapport of gunfire from the nearby shooting range to be a tad disconcerting.

We found the coffee shop right next to the swimming pool.

It has beautiful stone work on the outside and on the inside. The walls are covered in LAPD memorabilia: staff photos from different precincts, graduation photos and pictures of neighborhoods as they once were. You can make out the famous Norman Rockwell painting of the kid and the cop on the wall in the photo below. There is also a golden shovel on the wall commemorating... something. We didn't get close enough to read the inscription.

It was immediately after taking this picture that our waitress told me I was "breaking every rule" and there were no pictures allowed. What was she gonna do? Call the cops on me? Oh wait. Literally every other patron in the place had a badge and a gun...or at least a gun and was working toward getting a badge. I put away my nice digital camera. That's why there are only two more pictures in this piece. I had to be stealthy.

The menu has a lot of little cutesy cop names for dishes. "The Range Burger" and the "Academy
Special" (which is what I eventually settled on) are good examples, as well as more specific shout-outs with the "Bratton Burger" and the "Hollenbeck Huevos Rancheros." Everything was under eight bucks.

About two minutes after she admonished me for the picture-taking, our waitress came back to take our order. We asked for more time and got an incredulous eye roll. We wouldn't see her again for almost ten minutes. That taught us! Perhaps she was so used to regulars who order the same thing or know the menu by rote that we threw her off her game.

So the Academy Special was two pancakes, two sausages, two eggs and choice of potatoes (home fries or hash browns).

The pancakes were pretty good. I ordered my eggs over easy for a change of pace, and I realized that I don't really like over easy. The sausages were typical Jimmy Dean variety. The potatoes were good, but not really home fries the way I think of them from a restaurant--no onions and no peppers. They were what I'd make at home, just saltier.

Now, Dan ordered the Spanish Omelet. The picture I snapped of it didn't turn out. Rest assured it was as serviceable as my meal was.

A place like this caters to a very select clientele who, I imagine, want cheap and hearty meals. Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club delivers this in a convenient location for the local police. As a normal citizen, you are basically eating in the safest place in town. That's a really interesting feeling. I could whip out a wallet full of hundeys and flash it around and not worry about getting followed to my car and beaten. At least, I think so. Those waitresses did look a little shifty.

I was underwhelmed by the food, but it's definitely one of the most out of the ordinary breakfast spots in Los Angeles, and for that alone, I will recommend it.

Food- Okay.
Service-Grumpy.
Price- Cheap $6-$8 for most dishes.
Pie-No pie.

1880 Academy Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 221-5222

On the Road: San Marcos' Mama Kats

2009-04-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you a story--a story with pictures and few words.

Mama Kat's likes cats. Mama Kat's doesn't like to be open at night. Or Wednesdays. Is Mama Kat lazy like a cat?

Mama Kat's is located in a strip mall in San Marcos.

Inside, it is very friendly and the lights are extra bright, like stars.

Their apple waffle was very delicious and covered in whipped cream.

Their chicken salad sandwich was very good. The fries were very crispy and not at all greasy.

Their French Toast was very good and the eggs were wet and lumpy like my mom makes. I mean that in a good way.

Their pancakes were tasty and the fruit salad was better than you'd expect.

Their pumpkin pie was slap-you-in-the-face-for-disrespecting-your-mama good! We wanted to take one home. But they were all out. :(

So they baked us one! They baked a pie just for us.

We also took home two slices of other pies.

Their apple pie with oatmeal crust was SO GOOD!

Their cherry pie was SO GOOD! I don't even like cherry pie! Seriously, I have lobbied for the removal of "Cherry Pie" as a pie. This changed my mind.

Mama Kat's was a delicious find. It was homey and lovely and sweet. It was like going to your mom's house for a nice breakfast or lunch.

Food: So good!
Service: Like family.
Price: About $8-11
Pie: They baked us a pie! The pie is top-notch.

950 W San Marcos Blvd
(between Cribbage Ln & Park Pl)
San Marcos, CA 92078

(760) 591-4558

Eat-Well. Eat often.

2009-04-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Eat-Well is another staple of the Los Angeles breakfast scene. With two locations (formerly three) in two very disparate parts of the city, it can serve as a readily available morning and lunch spot for just about anyone. I've passed by the West Hollywood location but have never stopped in. (See the Silver Spoons review for reasons why.) I've had plans to go to the one in Glendale ever since moving nearby, but I had not made it there until last Saturday.

My friend Dan, who--let me plug it one more time--wrote the fascinating book, Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World, is a big booster of Eat-Well. He says he comes at least once a week because he loves it so much. Dan knows a great deal about the history of the restaurants, like why the Silver Lake location closed a few years ago (technically a franchise that was mismanaged) and how the Brite Spot kiped a lot of its dishes from the original Eat-Well menu.

We went early, sneaking in the back door a little past ten o'clock. By eleven the place really fills up and hungry customers spill out onto the street. We waited a little bit while the staff cleared tables and rung patrons up at the cash register.

While we were seated, I took in the atmosphere at Eat-Well. The large east facing picture window at the front allows the sun to spill into the dining area. That coupled with the high ceilings gives it a very airy and comfortable feeling.

One of the homey perks of Eat-Well is that kindly old Ida, the owner, who is known for her delicious coffee cake, is often found dishing it up for you herself.

No Ida this morning though (probably at the West Hollywood location), but we still got two pieces of coffee cake. I rarely have coffee cake so I can't gauge how good it is in the context of other coffee cakes, but I really liked this. It was nice and spongy.

Dan of course liked his eggs and french toast. He did admit it was a little off that day, and is usually knock your socks off good.

My eggs benedict was very good. My only critique is that it could have used more paprika to give it a 'kick'. Otherwise, the hollandaise was very creamy and not at all oily or fatty tasting. The eggs had a strong flavor and the yolks were nicely runny without seeming completely raw.

The fruit bowl that accompanied my entre was 50/50 . The bananas and pineapple were very good, but the melons were bland and mushy.

Now came dessert. The menu boasted both cake and pie in the dessert section. I asked the waiter what pies they had. He looked at me oddly and said "We don't have pie." I was agape; I was aghast. Could things have turned around so fast? Where was the pie promised in the menu? I brought this to the attention of the waiter. He replied, "I'm kind of new. Let me check." He checked and returned. No pie.

No pie. Ever.

Eat-Well was good, all things considered (pie fiasco and all). I don't think I'd make a weekly habit out of it--I'll let Dan keep this one--though I can recommend it as a safe bet for decent eats.

Food-Good.

Service-Decent.
Price- Decent. Average $7-$9 for most dishes.

Pie-No pie. Menu is a liar!

Eat-Well

(818) 243-5928
1013 S. Brand Blvd

Glendale, CA 91204

Foxy's - It's Crystal Clear.

2009-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

When we first saw the sign for Foxy's, we thought we were in for one heckuva classy dining experience. My God! They promote their crystal chandeliers on the sign! It wasn't until we pulled into the parking lot that we saw that Crystal Chandeliers is the name of the store across from Foxy's.

...I'm just surprised stores like this still exist in today's economy. Right next door is the Faberge Egg Outlet.

Once we entered Foxy's, it seemed that perhaps we still would be in for a classy experience, despite the lack of crystal. The vaulted ceilings and hunting lodge decor was not what I was expecting, but with the name "Foxy's," I guess you are either stripper poles and broken dreams or a hunting lodge vaguely shaped like an old IHOP.

Since it was very crowded that morning, they offered free hot chocolate to anyone willing to sit on the patio. It was still a nip of nippy outside, but we went for it anyway. Free. Hot. Chocolate.

One of those is a coffee, a very weak and burnt coffee. The hot chocolate was pretty good.

The menu was very dense--several pages and featuring a wide variety of dishes, but nothing too outlandish and nothing all that expensive. This combination made it hard to decide. Everything sounded good and the dishes that were paraded by our table on their way to their final destinations looked very appetizing.

I ordered the "Leaning Tower of Mexico," and understandably, I expected more of a tower than a mound. The mound was good, with a layered mix of everything you expect from a Mexican breakfast. I only kind of like avocado so I shunted a large part of the spread off to the side.

#1DC Antoinette ordered the "Light Eater's Breakfast." She inquired as to what kind of fruit would be included with the fruit salad. She was told banana, cantaloupe, etc., etc. When it arrived, no banana or cantaloupe. Why did our waitress feel she had to lie? Maybe she has some banana issues. I don't care to judge. Antoinette's English muffin was cold AND burnt. The eggs, however, were good.

Sadly Foxy's does not offer pie. They had a ton of different cakes and a cobbler, but no pie.

Overall, Foxy's was pretty decent. It is located in Glendale by the Galleria and Americana, so it offers a nice respite from awful mall food. That also means that it will shoulder some spill-over of awful mall clientele. We had to suffer through a party of ten middle-aged 'dudes' enjoying a breakfast while the "ol' balls and chains" did some shopping. Surely it can't always be that bad, but beware.

Food-Decent
Service-Good, except for the banana lie.
Price-Very reasonable.
Pie-No pie.

206 W. Colorado St.
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 246-0244

Dale's Diner: Coffee, pie and short skirts.

2009-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

My first Long Beach review! Are you excited? I know I was.

Dale's Diner was found thanks to my GPS. You can look for local stores and restaurants by either name or type. They even have a category for Cafe/Diners. So early last Sunday morning, after going to the Long Beach flea market, I needed a break from trudging up and down the aisles of junk and antiques and decided to get some breakfast.

I was a little hesitant walking in since this was so overwhelmingly a '50's style diner' and those can be kind of gut-punching or surprisingly good (see: Stevie Dees). It wasn't blaring 50s rock n' roll but it had the jukebox and some pretty sweet classic car trunk cushion booths (there's gotta be a shorter name for that).

I would have liked to have taken more pictures of the interior but the fact that all of the waitresses looked to be under 18 and wearing alarmingly short skirts, I felt pervy enough from taking the few pictures I did. Hitting this place solo also limited my organic taking pictures opportunities, since it's hard to pretend that you just got this this new camera and are just playing around with it and amusing your dining companion, when you have no #1DC with you.
#1DC Antoinette and I have a system down of my pretending to take a picture of her but really taking a picture of something else and vice versa.

I sat myself as directed by the white board at the entrance. All four of the waitresses checked in with me. I ordered a coffee and a water to start with. The coffee was phenomenal: super strong and super hot and super good.

Mmm...homemade chili and beans.

Thing's weren't cheap at Dale's. Most dishes hovered around 8 dollars. I was intrigued by the different flapjacks they listed--Oreo cookie for instance. It turned out their list of flapjacks was pretty close to their types of pies (apple, blue berry, bannana, no oreo, etc.) I was sorely tempted, but in the end I went with the biscuits and gravy for only $4.50. I also warned my food-order-taking waitress- who was different from my beverage waitress, who in turn was different from my second beverage waitress-that I would order pie later.

The biscuits and gravy were decent. The gravy was a bit too thick and the sausage bits were too small and few to really matter. The biscuits were quite good. This might not sound appealing to everyone, but I like to describe them as "powdery."

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I warned my waitress that I'd like pie later. I sat a long time waiting for her return. I also sat a long time waiting for a refill on my coffee. When my refill came, I asked my beverage waitress for my food waitress so I could order some pie. She eventually came over and I got a slice of apple pie. The pie was very cinnamon-y and, as you can tell from that picture, it was more reddish brown than golden.

I had to wait a bit longer for my check. By that time the place had filled up with people saying things like "Oh our regular table is open." and "Oh, let's try something different this week." and "Whoa, those shirts are REALLY short on those underage girls."

As super pervy as it might sound, I liked Dale's Diner more than I expected. It was fun without being obnoxious. The highlight was the coffee and the pie. I learned on my way out that they actually offer day old pie for $1.99, which would imply they get fresh pie every day, which is nice. I can't imagine the rest of the food is going to be bad or better than good. Seems like a decent place with a local following, if you are nearby it would be worth it for the coffee alone.

Food-Decent

Service-Meh, high school girls.

Price-A tiny bit high.

Pie-Good pie.

Tokyo 7-7 - Dining Japanese. I think I'm dining Japanese, I really think so.

2009-02-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

You will have trouble finding it. Your GPS will insist, such as it does, that you have arrived at your destination and it will do so using that condescending British accent you've been meaning to change but you can't remember how and the manual has gone missing. Your eyes will scan the street and find nothing. You’ll decide to just park and find it on foot. You’ll park in the nearby parking garage and then through the iron bars of the garage you will see it:

Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop

....it's in the alley.

Tokyo 7-7 is an American Japanese Diner. Its alley location isn't so odd from the Japanese perspective of alleys being streets that cars don't drive down. Stores and restaurants are often found down alleyways. A few years ago, I went to Japan on vacation and most of my time was spent wandering down alleyways.

In America, where alleys are for hobos and murderers, it is an odd place for a restaurant.

Inside, it’s like going to eat in your weird uncle’s den: wood paneling on the walls,

really odd…things…sticking out at you,

and like every weird uncle has—an autographed cast photo of Full House.

#1DC Antoinette, along with Diner Pal Paul (remember him?), took the opportunity on President’s Day to try out Tokyo 7-7. We rolled in at about a quarter to twelve, disappointed that we missed the super cheap breakfast specials which ended at eleven.

Our waitress went from sweet ol’ lady to exasperated in no time as after three check-ins with us we still had no idea what we wanted. The menu isn't expansive, but everything was so cheap that we were looking for the catch somewhere on the menu. “Do they charge for water? How can they afford this? Is salt extra?”

Sorry if the picture doesn't sell it, but there are no items in the double digits, and nothing above seven dollars.

Even though we missed the special super-cheap price for it, Paul ordered the French Toast breakfast. He liked the bacon and the french toast was pretty good.

Antoinette got the Portuguese Sausage and Eggs. The sausage was spicy. The eggs were okay. The home fries were rather boring; they tasted like boiled potatoes that were just kissed by the griddle.

I went in a different direction. I went East...FAR EAST! (Get it?!) I got the Tokyo 7-7 Special. Basically a Japanese breakfast with tamagoyaki (thin layered omelette), cha-shu (pork), sunomono (pickled cucumber), rice and miso soup. Everything was enjoyable at least. There's something about the way the Japanese prepare eggs that kind of disgusts me with the texture (wet and slimy), but it tastes pretty good. Clearly the Japanese dish was the way to go. It was also the most expensive of the three, topping out at--OMG--6 dollars!

Now a word about the coffee at the Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop. It's bad. It might have been the worst coffee I've had at a non-Starbucks. It took a lot of sweetener to make it through. The waitress was pretty good about refills...which wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Diner Pal Paul, insists that, on price alone, he'd eat there everyday. For the three of us, our bill came in at about twenty dollars. I would definitely go back if I ever happened to be in Culver City wanting breakfast. It's a unique little hidey-hole of a place. I felt comfortable there, probably because it reminded me of Japan and... my weird uncle.

Food- Good
Service-Good. She did get visibly annoyed when we didn't know what we wanted right away.
Price- Dirt Cheap. Remember, cash only.
Pie- No pie.

3839 Main St.
Ste B: Alley behind the street
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 204-5728

Update to Dolores!

2009-02-22T22:47:00.000-08:00

Dolores- Revisited.

Scroll down to the bottom for the new stuff.

Penny's Family Restaurant-- All Day Long, You'll Have Good Luck

2009-02-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

You don't really expect to find a ol' fashioned American comfort food eating establishment in something called "Hong Kong Shopping Center," but that's exactly what you'll find in lovely West Covina (not to be confused with its rival, directionless Covina).

Penny's is a sweet little place surrounded by knock off 99cent stores, fast food Chinese restaurants, and video stores with signs in languages I cannot comprehend. On the Sunday morning that we went, Penny's was packed with what were clearly regulars. That, or the waitresses were Chatty Cathys with everyone. An elderly gentleman dressed like a cowboy with a penny stuck to his name tag and a belt-buckle made of nickels, coasted around the place filling up coffees. When we asked him a question regarding the food, he shrugged and said "Oh, sorry. I just pour the coffee."

For all that activity buzzing around the place, you'd think someone would have noticed that we were in the beginning of February and they still had fall and Christmas decorations up. Maybe they just didn't care, like your great aunt who leaves up the Christmas tree all year because "Eh, I like it like that way" and "Oh, the bother."

While watching television the night before, I turned to #1DC Antoinette and said "Man, I want some pancakes!" So guess what I ordered? No swerve, I ordered the pancake breakfast with sausage, found on the menu as the "3 by 3 Special."

I'm going to confess that I like things doughy. I eat raw dough. Not just cookie dough, but rather all dough--and I like my pancakes doughy. Penny's delivered moist and soft pancakes to my belly. They also delivered a ton of butter, although I managed to scrape those two mounds off the moment after I took the picture. I'm sure my arteries look like the river of slime in Ghost Busters 2. I would have loved something more exotic, but alas they only had the standard maple pancake syrup.

The sausage was unremarkable.

Antoinette managed to find something she has long desired: perfect eggs. I was skeptical at first when she made the pronouncement, but I tried a bite and they were, without a doubt, perfect eggs: not rubbery, not wet, tons of real egg flavor. They were THE perfect eggs.
The ham steak was flavorful, but needed a few extra minutes on the skillet to make it rival the perfection of the eggs. I found the home fries a little too greasy and Antoinette would have preferred more crispness.

Instead of toast, she got the side of biscuits and gravy. The gravy tasted homemade with dashes of pepper while the biscuit was straight out of a package with dashes of disappointment.

Penny's did break the streak of family restaurants with crane machines, which could have been a disappointment, but hey had something arguably better: The Marvel Super Heroes fighting game from the late 90s. Juggernaut kicked my butt. Extra bonus--only a quarter!

We enjoyed Penny's. For Antoinette, the perfect eggs kept it from being just okay. I loved my pancakes and an ol' cowboy pouring coffee just sold me completely.

Food: Good

Service: Friendly

Price: Between $6 and $8

Pie: No pie.

969 S Glendora Ave
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 338-9286

Not a review, but an experience I should share.

2009-02-03T10:52:00.000-08:00

Took a month off from updating...but not from eating.

If I were the kind of blogger who gave ratings with cute icons...well, I'd be a different kind of blogger and this a different kind of blog. If either of those were the case, however, I would have had to come up with a whole new icon to relate my feelings about what happened to #1DC Antoinette and me two weeks ago.

Out for breakfast one Saturday morning, we cruised the neighborhood looking for something that might jump out at us. I suggested the Nickel Diner, but we decided it was a little expensive for our tastes that morning. I then suggested the Brite Spot. I hadn't been in a few months and never for breakfast. After that fateful morning, though, I may never, ever go again...

You will not see a lot of pictures in this post since it is not a review. I didn't go to the Brite Spot to review it. I went to get some breakfast, to strap on a feed bag and go to work. I was off the clock.

We walked inside, racing another couple to get a spot since we could see people piling up at the door. The Brite Spot is divided into two sections. On the right hand side I saw the waitress that I had had there a couple of times. She was clearing a table for us when I noticed my friend Dan (author of Banana) and his fiance sitting at a table on the left. We went over to say hello and they invited us to join them. They had just ordered so there shouldn't have been that much of a discrepancy between when their food and ours arrived.

The waitress in this section was a anemic blonde running at half speed--no--make that quarter speed. After a little under ten minutes, we got our menus and in a little under an additional ten minutes, we ordered. Our order was simple: oatmeal with banana for #1 DC and a breakfast burrito for me. We both got coffee as well and proceeded drink a lot of it. The refills came at a decent pace since another person entirely was handling that function. After about fifteen minutes, our friends got their food--at least most of it. Halfway through they realized they had never gotten their toast. After flagging down our waitress and reminding her of the toast, she paused for a few seconds and replied, "Oh, right." Then she moved on.

After about five minutes of our watching people who had been seated at the counter after us getting their food, our waitress brought the toast. "Umm, sorry.. it got all messed up. Better late than never."

Your waitress saying that about your food is just...wrong. It goes beyond terrible service.

We then reminded her about our food. " Oh, yeah.... it's coming." #1DC Antoinette suggested that we leave, but I don't walk out of places. I just don't. It's not something I am comfortable doing. I see it through.

At this point our friends were done eating. We talked for another ten or so minutes, waiting for the check to arrive. They finally had to flag her down again to get the check. She avoided eye contact with our side of the table. [Remember waiters: give the gift of eye contact.] Now, remember what our order was? Oatmeal with banana and a breakfast burrito. These take twenty minutes at home. We have now spent close to an hour at our table.

Our friends went up to pay and we said our goodbyes. After a moment, our food arrived. I took a bite of my burrito. Antoinette took a bite of her oatmeal. "It's cold," she replied. I jammed my finger into the wet mound of cereal and felt that it was, indeed, cold.

That was it. I had taken all I could take and I couldn't take any more. We got up and walked to the door. Our friends were still at the counter waiting to pay. As we walked past they asked what happened. "It's cold!" we announced and finished our walk out the door.

Dan said he watched the slow realization dawn on the face of the waitress when she looked over and saw an empty table.

This was such a bad experience that I did something I never do. I had done it only once before and that was at a Guatemalan restaurant that had stale chips and a wait staff who blatantly ignored us. I might go back to Brite Spot again someday; it's near where I live; it's near where I hang out; if I do decide to return, I will certainly refuse to sit in this waitress' section again.

All's well that ends well, however. We ended up having a delicious German brunch at the Red Lion Tavern on Glendale Blvd.

Avoid:
Brite Spot
1918 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 484-9800

Try:
Red Lion Tavern (only open for breakfast Saturdays and Sundays at 11am)

2366 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039

(323) 662-5337