Back At Fatburger

A few weeks ago Cam and I went to Fatburger since I had not gone in a while and the only time I seem to go is with her. I'm so glad we went. This place is so damned good and fast but not UCLA hospital cafeteria make Dante get food poisoning for a week fast. I got a burger, fries, and an awesome vanilla shake. Not sure why I never got one there before but I will from now on. We also had twin little girls and their mom come in and one of them could not stop looking at us! Even when she was leaving she was afraid to walk past our table or something. Also, just as we were heading in a lady at a salon nearby thought she knew Cam's mom but it turned out she did her hair a while ago.  

Two Weeks Of Food

A few weeks ago I went to Il Trammezino with Jen-Jen. This place was on Ventura and even though there is one near me in Beverly Hills I'd never been there or heard of it. She says its one of her favorite places and if I am eating somewhere for the first time and you tell me its one of your favorite places I'm gonna try it for sure. So we get there and even though it looks packed there is a table for the two of us. We sit down, she gets coffee, me a Sprite. I almost always get this or an Arnold Palmer when I try something new or if I don't want what I'm having to be messed with by the taste of something stronger like Coke.

I got the turkey avocado sandwich and when I took that first bite I damn near slid out my chair. It was so damned good. The bread was incredible. Most times you have a fancy sandwich the main difference is that the bread is harder or you have to put up more of a fight when eating it. This one was perfect. I'll definitely be heading back here and trying more things.

L.A County Fair Food

Last weekend I went to the L.A County Fair in Pomona with Cam and Jen-Jen. We had a really good time, went on some fun coasters (click here to see that) and of course ate a lot of shit that if you ate on a normal basis would end with you on the news being pulled out of your house with a crane and lots of pointing children. Our mission was to eat things that were fried that should not be and we did that.

The fair is expensive. You spend $15 to park and $19 to get inside. Food costs a pretty penny as well. But whatever. We were on a mission. I got the deep fried Oreos and I liked them. There were four of them and they were very filling. Before that I had a foot long hot dog and a lemonade Slushee. The day was filled with me drinking lots of lemonade and Coke which I saved a buck on after buying a fair cup.

Shaq Tried To Poison Me

What the fuck, Shaq? On the way home I grabbed this orange cream soda drink from 7/11 to go with my sandwich. It was a buck and huge so I grabbed it. My lord this tasted like ass. I'm pissed at how happy Shaq looks on the front of the can considering how disgusting this tasted. Its like drinking a very malty beer that has a slight taste of rotten orange. Its the devil pretty much. And there's quite a few flavors. They have a grape one that I was close to getting but sometimes grape flavored things taste like medicine. I'm sure of I got that flavor it would have been even worst. If you see this don't buy it. I try to warn folks not to buy things and they get curious instead. Don't get curious.

Itis Causing Burgers At The Counter

Me and Coco went to The Counter on Wilshire after a show at LACMA because as she put it “Jazz makes me hungry.” I had sworn off this place for a while because the service had dropped considerably and the food wasn't as good anymore. Thankfully the last two times I've gone its improved. It was a Friday night an very busy on the inside and outside but after about a five minute wait we were seated at a both like I requested which was nice. We started off with an order of fries and I got a lemonade to drink.

For my order I got a burger with bacon, grilled onions, garlic sauce, avocado, and cheese. The avocado slid off immediately so Coco just took it along with any onions that fell off. By the way, that is something only women can get away with. The burger was good and I finished every bite. The Itis began almost right after my last piece.

Coco got this monster. It had crispy onions, boiled egg, cheese, lettuce, garlic sauce, tomato, and pineapple. She couldn't finish this beast. She got halfway through before tapping out and taking hers home. I feel better knowing that this place is back to being good again.

Vito's Pizza On La Cienega

Last weekend me and Coco went to this place called Vito's Pizza over on La Cienega between Santa Monica and Willoughby. I've lived in this damned neighborhood for over 15 years and I've never heard of this place until Coco mentioned it and said how good the pizza was. After I had went to Two Boots in Echo Park I'd complained that there was not a great pizza place near me. Turns out there was and its a ten minute walk from my home and probably the best pizza I've had.

That's a huge plate by the way.

I have passed by this lace literally hundreds of times and never saw it. Its in that shopping center and right in the corner. It seems like a small place but there's plenty of seating and ones at the counter and even outside. The chick at the counter was nice and they have a good selection of pizzas. Oh, and they deliver! I got a pepperoni with a sausage/ham/pepperoni to go and ended up grabbing another slice to go.

I grabbed a menu and saw that they also have a ton of other things like sandwiches and such. Check this place out if you are ever in the neighborhood. You better let me know so I can come!

Bubba Gump's In Santa Monica

Last week for her birthday I took Hotness to Bubba Gump’s over in Santa Monica. I had passed this place so many times but never thought to myself “I should check that place out.” I am so glad that we did because I’ll have to check this out again for sure!

When we got there we had to wait a few minutes and then were taken downstairs to a seat that was right at the window which is awesome. We could watch all the strange folks that came to the beach while we waited for our food. They have these signs that you flip over to get a waiter to come to the table which is way better than having to flag someone down or try your damnedest to make eye contact with them to get help.

Butterfinger Cheesecake

I made a cheesecake! Christina was sending me pictures of all these different cheesecakes with Butterfinger candy bars on and in them and I decided to surprise her with one. Besides needing more sugar and more actual candy bar it came out nice. It’s a really rich cake so a very small piece will fill you up. It was very simple to make like most cheesecakes. Two packages of cheesecake, sugar, store bought graham cracker crust, and two Butterfinger bars. One inside and one crumbled on top. It takes a few minutes to make and is enough for a lot of people. Try it out. You don’t need to bake anything. Just toss it in the freezer for about an hour to get it good and solid.

Food Over The Weekend

Over the weekend I ate way too much damned food. Seriously. Friday me and Cam hung out and were trying to figure out what to eat. Between Chik-Fil-A and Penguins we choose Penguins. I had only been there once before and it was good. We got catfish (not as good as Christina's!), shrimp, potato salad, and fries with a mango Snapple to wash it down. This place is so damn good. All you need is hot sauce and you are good to go!

After that I went to hang out with my tattoo artist Coco we grabbed some Toi over in Sunset. For an appetizer we got the fried wontons (above) which were really good. They had a spicy seasoning on them and were full of chicken.

Food From Vegas

Last week I got back from Las Vegas and once again I ate a lot of really good homemade food. Like last time I had pork chops that were delicious but I didn’t take a picture because I’m a fat ass and ate them quickly. These aren’t in any particular order but I first have to mention the catfish Christina made. My god this was good. I rarely eat fish let alone catfish but she made it so perfect I had it for dinner and lunch the next day. There was also a side of fries from the same place as Rally fries and if you’ve had those then you know how great they taste.

We also had Chinese food which was so hard to get delivered. Either a place was too far, didn’t wanna come, or the driver was the cook. We ended up finding a place that was not only cheap but some of the best Chinese delivery I’ve ever had. There was the awesome shrimp fried rice.

All About That Lala's

This past weekend after a bunch of shopping and running around mixed with an ever growing hatred of the city of Glendale Cam and I headed over to Lala's on Melrose. I love this place. They have remodeled since we last went and it looks much better and has more room than before. We hadn't been in a long while so we took our asses there and had some really good food. Of course we started off with the bread and that delicious oil and herbs they serve.

Scooby Doo Cereal

A couple of weeks ago H.’s baby gave me a gift of Scooby Doo cereal. Before I even opened it I was sure that it was gonna taste like something from my childhood. I opened it up and as you can see they are shaped like little Scoopy Snacks. They smelled like the old school not available Rice Krispy cereal that had marshmallows. Yes, that was a real thing. This is a good cereal that is super filling. I poured my normal level of cereal (damn near at the top!) and by the time I was done I didn’t even have room for my orange juice. Not sure if this available everywhere but try it if you can. It might taste like something from when you were little as well.

Numero Uno Solo

Last Saturday I had Numero Uno delivered to my place. I wasn't even sure that they delivered to West Hollywood and when I called the guy that answered didn't sound sure if he knew either. It took a lot of back and forth between him and the driver before he decided that they would bring it. Last time I had this was with Cam and that was when we found out they even did deliveries. I decided that since I was making them come all this way I had to make it worth it.

I ordered the garlic puffs and realized that for one person this is way too much. I'm used to having my best friend eating them with me so from the start I was getting full. I also got the lemon chicken with pasta. If I knew how to make chicken like this at home I would always smell like it.

And you cant go to Numero Uno and not get pizza. I got a medium sausage pizza which was way too much for me. After the pasta I couldn't even touch this until the next day. I have had it two days for lunch at work now and it still tastes great. This place is a bit pricy for one person because when you have a friend you can go halfsies on every meal and be very full. Thankfully they brought this to my home though. I will now blame them for the it is I've been suffering from all night long. 

Five Guys One Dante

The other day I went to Five Guys on Wilshire before work because this past weekend I was being a fat ass. Three days three different food places. When I was walking there I knew I had pizza but pizza ain't Five Guys. This was my first time going alone so I knew not to get too many fries since a regular is enough for two people. I know I've said it before but this place is the only one where when their fries get cold I will still sit there all happy and inhaling them. The fries always come from a different place and they post where but I never remember. I have been here I think three times now and each time they are good so who knows how important it is. Some farmer just spit his potato coffee at his screen because of me saying that.

I got a double cheeseburger which was awesome. Their burgers are real burgers. Not some glued together patty that looks the same going out as it did in. It was good and hot and the cheese just melted all over the place. I'm sure some got in my goatee but I didn't care because I was eating it at work in the privacy of my bay where no one can judge me. Go to Five Guys on Wilshire. Nice staff, decent prices, and a Black chick that has a beautiful smile. 

Homemade Pork Chops In Vegas

Last week I was made an awesome ass meal where the star was homemade pork chops. I don't get to eat them often and when I do its at a restaurant and they don't make them the same way. The way Chocolate Queen made them was perfect. I mean seriously perfect. I sat down and had to force myself not to eat like an animal though towards the end I did put the fork and knife down and used my hands. I don't care how that sounds. It was so good that bringing utensils into the equation just slowed me down.

At Natalee Thai Again

I had not been to Natalee Thai in a few years so when me and Cam were trying to figure out what to get to eat before an interview we went to in Santa Monica the plan was some sorta burger joint. We passed this and I mentioned how good it was and how I had not been in a while so we stopped here. We started off with the chicken and shrimp wontons which are still really good, huge, and filling. I need to learn to remember that this can be a meal in and of itself.

Cam got the chicken larb and didn't like it that much. I have not tried theirs but larb seems like it would be hard to mess up. I didn't try it because I was filling myself up on my meal and those wontons I had.

I had the Korean barbecue beef. This was a really good dish. I wish it was sliced though. With beef this thin there's really no point in leaving it whole. It had a side of kim chee which I didn't eat. I don't like that stuff. I had a side of white rice and it came together well. This place is good but the waitress we had could have doubled as a magician the way she kept disappearing. 

Tilapia Ceviche

This past weekend H. made some awesome ass ceviche. I had some a long time ago made with shrimp and it was very bitey. The one she made had tilapia which I raved about a few years back when I had a huge supply of it and was able to experiment (click here for my first try at it). H. told me all the ingredients that she used and or course I cant remember them. I inhaled this with some surfboard chips from Trader Joe's. Very good and I'd love to give this a try myself.

Dorito's Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings

Have you ever had your mouth attacked? I have. Many times. But this time I'm talking about these new Dorito's Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings. I got them at 7/11 which is the new home of great chips. I got one of the new sandwiches they have there and spotted these near the counter. They taste good but I'll be damned if they aren't crunchy as hell and very big. They are larger than the regular Dorito and way harder. If they had this same hot wing and ranch flavor but in a regular crunch I would enjoy them way more. I'll definitely try these again if only to have Cam write about them on her blog Potato Chips & Beer. Again, I’ll try these again but the next time I’ll at least have my mouth prepared for how huge and crunchy they are. 

Kay & Dave's and Buddha's Belly

I am so bad. There have been a bunch of food blogs I needed to post and didn’t because I have been a neglectful inner fat man and I haven’t had my camera when I was eating food. But I have some from two places I’ve been to. One was after a hiking trip with my friends. Kay & Dave’s in Pacific Palisades is a nice little place. We called ahead and let them know there were eight of us coming so they needed to batting down the hatches.

The place seems to make every type of food. It was early and I was a filth bomb from walking in a small creek and wanted pancakes. I got some really good and not heavy pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was exactly what I needed. And they had good, fresh orange juice. The problem I have with most fresh orange juice is that while its good, its warm. This was nice and cold.

East Coast Candy

The other day I checked my mail and saw a package from Josh Smith aka Goldeneye. Josh is an awesome ass guy and sent me some candy from the East coast. One of them was a Mr. Big bar. As soon as I saw it I had a flashback of having this when I was a kid. I knew that I had this once in my life and had to keep from ripping it open and inhaling it at work. The Mr. Big bar has a wafer crunch, is crispy, and filled with nougat. It was pretty damned awesome and made my mouthparts very happy.

The next was Wunderbar and damn this thing is good! If Butterfinger made a version with caramel in it. This thing is honestly one of the best candy bars I've ever tasted and I rage against the fact that I cant get this where I live. Maybe if I go to a specialty shop or some nonsense but screw that. I should be able to go to 7/11 and grab this sumbitch! Its so good...

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Vietnamese Pork & Shrimp Salad

Over the weekend (yes, I eat multiple full dishes in one day sometimes) me and H. had a really awesome dinner she made. It was Vietnamese salad with pork and shrimp. Thankfully I have been eating more vegetables lately because this had, like, actual salad-ness to it. I will rarely turn down a dish that has pork or shrimp in it let alone both. Are you crazy?! I’ve had dinner with her and her family multiple times but never got to make them one of my dishes but I hope to very soon. This was way more filling than I imagined it would be. When she told me about it I pictured one of those small side salads that you get at restaurants. It wasn’t! It was big and good. Like me. Click here to get the recipe for yourself.

Breakfast At Panini Cafe

Last weekend me and Cam went to Panini Café to get breakfast. I rarely plan anything out in advance but the idea of not seeing my best friend for almost two weeks is ridiculous so I asked her if she was available and she was. Yayness! So the plan was the either go to Charlie’s at The Grove or Toast. We drove past Toast and it was packed as usual but then we headed down Crescent Heights and saw that Panini Café had breakfast and there was parking right out front. So went sat outside and ordered our stuff.

Honey Nut Chex

Honey Nut Chex is amazing. This is one of those cereals that when I was little would dread when it went on sale because my mother would buy it. But last week I decided to skip on the Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles for a few weeks and got this and some Fiber One. So far both are good and actually make me feel better. That’s the thing about honking up your body for years with “bad” food. When you try something new the results are immediate.

Larb And Ribs At Sammy's Thai

This past Saturday I was talking to Dashuh on the phone and she mentioned the fact that she got ribs. I wasn’t even thinking of ribs until she brought it up and I decided to give Sammy’s Thai ribs a try since in the years I’ve been going I had never tried anything in the form of a barbecue. So I ordered them and while very messy (thankfully I don’t eat ribs in public) getting on my pants and blanket they were very good. But you know I cant stop there. I’m not gonna get something to eat there and get just one thing. They’re that good. I also got a cup of Thai iced tea that I managed to drop while still in the restaurant. It wasn’t my fault. They tied it weird and it was cool because they replaced it for free.

The other dish I got was, of course, the larb. I love their larb. Dashuh looked it up and said that larb sounded like what you’d do after eating it. Regardless, it’s a great meal. I got the spicy one and it wasn’t really that different than the non-spicy one. I had two of the four ribs and most of the larb. Damn it. That is a weird word. I had to fight to make sure that I didn’t head back the next day to get some more of it. I’ll try and get something new the next time I go. Try.

"New" Fruity Pebbles

Fruity Pebbles has a brand new flavor. Well, there is no real flavor. Its the color. They made it brighter which makes it look prettier. Thankfully they haven't messed around with the taste. I was talking to some coworkers that are in their mid 20's and had to explain to them that certain cereals, though they have the same name, taste very different. Most noticeable if you grew up eating cereal almost every morning are Trix (completely different taste and not for the better) and Kix (which used to taste like armpit but it is now sweet). I don't know what I'd do if they ever changed the taste of Fruity Pebbles. Probably riot. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'd riot. I know it may not seem like a big deal to many but to me this is the best cereal ever made and messing with anything but its color is ridiculous. 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Last week my Coco asked me to help her make a pineapple upside down cake since I had made one before. Did I? I searched this blog for it and couldn't find it anywhere. Then I checked Dantania and lo and behold there it was! I had written it and made the cake before I ever started this here blog. Isn't it strange that she would remember that but not me? Either way we got started after a struggle to get to Ralph's.

I hate Santa Monica Blvd. traffic. As bad as it is for the person driving, as a passenger not only am I pissed to be in it I have to listen to a pissed off driver and all the other lunatics on the road. And for whatever reason we're getting summer time weather so that didn't help my half asleep mood. The ingredients are very few for making this. Brown sugar, butter, canned pineapples, those sweet ass cherries in a jar, cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil.

Lots Of Food At Lots Of Places

In the last few weeks I've had a lot of food at multiple places. Instead of doing several tiny posts I decided to just bombard your asses with one semi-long one. The first is from Sammy's Thai which me, Cam, and her Salsa Hooligans ordered during the Academy Awards. It took a while to arrive which was understandable since the awards are like a holiday here. We got pad thai, rice, won tons, shrimp dishes, and chicken larb. The chicken larb was great and I've had it once before at another spot Heidi had taken me to near Hollywood. It was spicy but not kick your ass spicy which was good. What the hell is larb, you ask? There is beef, chicken, and pork larb. So far chicken has been my favorite along with white rice.

Celery Flavored Soda

I tasted hatred. I never knew that hatred had a taste until I had it yesterday. I tried for the first and last time Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda. It is celery flavored soda. That’s right. The vegetable you loved as a child is now a soda that hates you. By “other natural flavors” I assume they mean sugar, rage, and struggle. I’m still not sure why I tried this. Cam, who hates celery pointed it out and in my non-sleeping stupor I decided to get it with my hotdog. What a bad idea! As soon as it hit my tongue I could taste the celery breaking through with sugar sprinkled on it. I would never try this again and suggest you don’t try it once. As I told Jacquese, “It tasted like a felony.”

Burgers At Plan Check

A couple of nights ago me and some co-workers went to this place over on Sawtelle called Plan Check. BS had said it was great and boy he did not lie! I had been over in this area once before with Cam when we got the moving spaghetti, Blue Marlin. I got the Chef’s Favorite which had a cheese…uh…plate, bacon, sauce, and fries that were fried in beef fat. I didn’t get it with an egg on it because I’m not a fan of unscrambled eggs. This was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Top three for sure. The fries were amazing and everything was served on baby skillets. Don’t go here if you’re in a rush.

The service is not the fastest in the world but they are plenty nice. Parking is a whore depending on when you go because this area is heavily populated. I’ll be going here again very soon. I doubt I'll remember the name of it though because its really not catchy. The prices are slightly high but worth it for the big ass burger and amount of fries. You could split the fries between two people and be okay. The seating is all around the windows, outside, and a small island indoors for a large group. There is a large selection of things to try and crazy mixed drinks I will attempt to have at some point.

Panini Cafe on 3rd & Crescent Heights

The other day before I headed off to work I asked Cam if she’d be up for grabbing something to eat. I was thinking of going to Toast, but the last time we tried it was super packed and we ended up going to At Bangkok. She mentioned that Panini Café on 3rd and Crescent Heights had opened. She had been to the downtown location before and said it was good. She has the good taste so we headed there. I got the #6 which was a chicken sandwich, chicken soup, and an Arnold Palmer. The sandwich was amazing. The bell peppers were perfectly grilled and so damned good. The chicken soup was real chicken soup and not some canned nonsense.

Cam got a salad, this rice with carrots that was good, and chicken kabobs. Both of us enjoyed the hell out of our meals. The staff there was really nice and the food came in minutes. I was shocked when I saw a waiter with plates and it was our meals. The way its set up is really open and people aren’t on top of each other. There’s also outside seating available. The only problem you may have is parking since 3rd street is not made for people to park easily on. Between both our meals it was less than $25 which is a great deal. If you get a chance to go here you really should. I cant wait to head back here and get some more meals.

Kettle Corn Leveled Up

A couple of weeks ago Cam made some kettle corn for some of her salsa hooligans. Yes, that is the name I have given them. She made the sugar kind which is always good and then made one that had seasonings on them. Not sure which kinds because I don’t pay attention when I am eating things I like. I know it had pepper and was slightly spicy. Damn, it was good! When I came home I was all set to make some of my own. Sugar? Check. Oil? Check. Popcorn? Nope! How in the hell did I run out of popcorn? I guess I made more than I thought the last time I was all about kettle corn. I’ll make some this weekend and let you all know how it turned out.

Lemon Pepper Chicken & Garlic Fries

I told myself that starting this year I was gonna start cooking at home more often. I like to make simple yet good meals that don’t require a lot of preparation or ingredients. If you live near a Trader Joe’s there’s no reason for you not to make your own meals. If you have $20 you have dinner for a week. I bought the bag of chicken breasts for $6.99. I season it with lemon pepper that cost $1.99 and a little garlic salt that you can buy anywhere for cheap. I put it in the oven for forty minutes, turning and seasoning it once. Afterwards I slice it to make it look pretty. I’ve been working on Hell’s Kitchen for too long…

The garlic fries cost around four bucks. You are supposed to season and bake these but that takes way too long and I tend to wait until I am very hungry and incredibly impatient. There’s a pack of garlic sauce that comes in the bag. I suggest you thaw it in a cup of warm water while you cook. I ended up frying the fries which cuts the cooking time but a fourth of the time. I put it in a large plastic container and shook it like it owed me money. In less than an hour I had a delicious dinner that makes about four meals for around ten dollars.