Mama's & Papa's Once Again

A few days ago I was able to head to Mama & Papa's again, this time with my cousin J. I wanted to try their Philly steak sandwich after seeing it on the menu last time as well as a new flavor of pizza. I seriously love this place. The staff is cool, the restaurant is close to my apartment, and the prices aren't ridiculous. 

I believe J. got the Aro pizza while I got the steak sandwich that came with fries as well as the Mexican pizza. The sandwich was really good and filling and I'll be getting it again. 

The Mexican pizza was good and had my mouth watering. This is probably my favorite flavor from here now. The jalapenos were hot but very good. They caught me off guard because I'm used to places using ones that are just kinda hanging there for flavor. We also went to Plan Check the next day and chowed down on some great bacon burgers and fries. It was a good weekend.

Mrs. Prindable's Pink Lady Candy Apples

My mother got me some candy apples and I need to thank her for ordering them and my cousin Mala for bringing them. These things are the truth. I gave some to my cousin and to Cam. There are twelve in a box and three of each flavors. 

The company that makes these is Mrs. Prindable's and they are called Pink Lady Apples. The flavors are dark chocolate chips and butterscotch chip, milk chocolate chips sea salt toffee almond, triple chocolate chip, and milk chocolate chip peanut butter. I am gonna eat another right now since I have so many left. Want one?  

Isa Japanese Noodle, Sushi, and Curry on La Brea

Cam and I went to Isa Japanese Noodle, Sushi, and Curry on La Brea the other day. She said that this place is fairly new so we checked it out continuing a year where I've had a lot of new food which is always fun. They have parking but we parked right out front on the street. We weren't even sure if the place was opened because the windows are so dark.

Cam ordered this tofu soup thing. I didn't try it since tofu jacks my stomach up something fierce. Speaking of which, she also got this octopus dish that made her stomach hurt. We tried to find the word to describe it and “rich” was what we came up with. I liked it but one was enough for me since I had the crunch shrimp roll. It was good but ha a bit too much sweet sauce. It tasted like strawberry yogurt. The chicken and rice was great though. I got a giant bowl and between this an the sushi I was super full. Well, I did come home and eat some candy apples which I'll be writing about in a moment. This was a nice little place. The waitress was nice and the food was good. Cam also got a fried rice dish that took a while to get but was worth it. I didn't get a picture of it but it was good.  

Plan Check Once Again

Mama Lukes and I went to Plan Check today. I don't get to see her often so when she said she wanted to try something good I asked what she was in the mood for. She said a burger or sandwich. It was between Food Fair by Diego and Plan Check. She'd never been to either but between the two I'll almost always pick Plan Check. We headed there, found parking, and went inside. I got the Bleuprint Burger which has smoked blue cheese, pig candy, fried onions, roasted garlic steak sauce, peppercress (?), with fries, and a Sprite. I'd never had this one and it was so damned good. We split our burgers so we got to try each. Both of them were very good.

This was a lunch special so it was even cheaper than usual. ML got the Chefs Favorite Burger which had cheese two ways, bacon two ways, ketchup leather, sunny fried egg, and hot sauce. That one tasted good as well. She did not have the fried egg which I've never had either because I can't eat eggs sunny fried. The cheese two ways is melted cheese and this kinda fried, wafer type cheese. She liked her meal as much as I did and I was glad. I hate taking someone to a place they have never tried and they hate it or think of three other places that are better. I'll be heading back here again soon enough. I still haven't had a chance to try their drinks which are supposed to be incredible.  

Tatsu Ramen and El Diner

I got to go to two new food places last week. The first place is a ramen spot over on Melrose right before La Brea. It is called Tatsu and we went on a Friday night and the place was packed. I'm talking line to the door packed. Thankfully the food is made pretty quickly and you order your food in line through a few tablets. The place clears out as fast as it fills up so we were able to get a seat at the window inside. Each of us got soul ramen. Koko got the one with an egg in it while I did not. You can pick how much garlic, the type of broth, and how spicy or strong you want it. There are even vegan options if you want. I'm gonna try this place again for sure and since they deliver that makes this more likely.

The next place I went to was El Diner with Cam. This place is right next to the El Rey theater on Wilshire. We went here before a show and since she had been here before and said they were good I wanted to try it. Again. You'd be surprised at how hard it is to find good Mexican food in Los Angeles. Everyone has their favorite but most are not that good. This place was good but if I could suggest anything it would be more of everything. I got a chicken burrito that was good but just needed more everything but rice. The cheese, salsa, and sour cream were all on one end and not much. It was good but I would've liked more. The guacamole and chips were really good and I'd love a big ass plate of those.  

Mama's And Papa's Pizza Again

I went back to Mama & Papa's in West Hollywood. Last time I went with my cousin Mala but this time it was with Cam. She'd never been there before and what made the fact that I was going again is that I had leftover pizza in my fridge and when I got into the car with her she asked what we should go and eat I responded “Anything but pizza.” She then said she wanted to try this place and there are certain restaurants that if you offer I can't say no. So we parked and walked on down there.

When we arrived and checked out the menu I saw that there was way more there than I noticed the first time. They have chicken, sandwiches, and breakfast food. Are you a fan of breakfast food? I am. So I am gonna have to try theirs out. I ordered the barbecue and chicken pizza and it is so weird how different fresh food tastes when you aren't used to eating it. This damned thing was just so good. Most times I eat pizza with chicken it tastes like everything was just chucked on there and baked all at once. Not here. All fresh.

Lots Of Different Food

I have been to quite a few paces in the past few weeks and have totally been slacking when it comes to writing about them so like a lazy ass I'm gonna just post each one in this one blog. This isn't a Fat Tour because its over a period of weeks and not a day. Enjoy!

On Halloween before the parade me and my cousin Mala headed to Sweet Chile on Santa Monica Blvd. I had stopped going to this place for years choosing to head to Sammy's Thai Barbecue instead. Well, sad to say this but Sammy's is no longer edible. I'm serious. The food tastes so bad now. At Sweet Chile we got dumplings that looked like none I'd seen before but tasted great. Beef pad se ew as well as shrimp fried rice. Oh, and really good friend won tons. They have really large portions even for a regular size so expect to take leftovers. We had enough left for sharing each others food and two separate meals the following day. The staff here is really nice and the location is on the main street but it is nice and calm inside. Thai places love old R&B and pop.

Bludso's Barbecue On La Brea

Cam and I went to this place on La Brea just south of Melrose called Bludso's Barbecue, and let me tell you: this place is amazing. For over a month we've been talking about barbecue and I had two places I thought about going to nearby because I had never heard of this place. So after some shopping we headed here.

I started off with the Big Red soda (Cam got Cherrywine) which is awesome and has real sugar in it. For a meal I had the rib tips. These were perfect. The seasoning was incredible. They have two hot sauces and the hot one is the better of the two. It isn't too hot and even if you do not enjoy hot, you will likely love this. Cam got the chicken and I tasted it and it was so good.

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen Westwood

Today Cam an I went to ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen over in Westwood. The only reason we were over there was for shopping purposes. We wanted to go to The Stand but found out that it is no longer there. Matter of fact, a lot of places aren't in Westwood anymore! Burger King has been replaced with Chik-Fil-A which is awesome and we almost went there. But this random side street had a lot of good places so we went here. I got a beef bowl with jasmine rice, squash, curry, and some green stuff sprinkled on top. This place was started by the Chipotle folks so the set up is all the same. The food was really good but I'd suggest more meat with the food because there is a lot of rice. One bowl is about two dishes so have fun. I'll be heading here again...but to the one on Sunset. Westwood is not a place I like to frequent.  

The Counter On Ventura

Today Jen-Jen and I went to The Counter over on Ventura to grab something to eat. She got a burger with fried pickles while I got the sliders. I had never tried them before and knew that I wanted something that wasn't gonna cripple my ass since I knew we would be moving around all afternoon. These little things were really good. They had a pickle, cheese, and onions with fries. I also had a Sprite. Our waitress was good (braids, nice, ass that wouldn't quit) and didn't ask us how the food was while our mouths were full. This was my first time at this location and while it is small it tasted great. Maybe the bigger ones lose something in their size. We sat outside and it was really nice weather today. Just gotta be careful for th crazy hobos on Ventura.  

Arclight Lunch

A few weeks ago Cam and I went to see a movie at the Arclight and since we were running late we had time to grab something to eat. I wanted to try something different so I got the nachos. Great idea but big mistake. These were enough for three or four people. I don't think I even got through half of this. It had chicken, guacamole, beans (damn it), and other things I can't recall. Even looking at Cam's dish I can not remember what it was. It looked good and she really enjoyed it. I ate so much that I wasn't able to get my popcorn, Milk Dudes, and soda combo. Next time I will stick with regular ass meals.

Needed Some Thai

The other day while running errands Cam suggested we get some Thai food. We thought of King & I aka whatever they are calling themselves this week but I recalled that they close at a weird time and sure enough it was that time. She then said maybe Cuban and my eyes crossed. This is a hard choice. I have wanted Cuban for weeks but once you mention Thai that's all I can think of. So we headed to Natalee Thai which does not happen enough. Here is what we got.

LA County Fair 2014 Food

Last weekend Cam, Jen-Jen, and I went to the LA County Fair once again. We had already decided that we would not get on any crazy rides that would cause crotch pain or bruises so we went on a slide. While we didn't get as wild as the last time we did still try some good food. I tried the Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich. Now, this seems like it would not be good especially once we bit into it and it was filled with jelly, but Ill be damned if it wasn't awesome. It was messy as hell and I had to wipe my hand and face after each bite but it was worth it. This is something that I'd try making myself at home...if there was a damned Krispy Kreme anywhere near me!

I also tried the fried Twinkie. It wasn't as mind-blowing as I expected it to be. If it had been crispier I imagine it would have been awesome but I doubt the cream would've stayed inside. They had the option to top it with chocolate or strawberry drizzle. I went with chocolate since strawberry anything can be iffy. This is something I could try making myself and I am sure I'd do it better. Yes. I am saying that I can do something better than people who do it for a living. Handle it. We forgot to get the fried Oreo's and didn't think about it until we had already been there for six hours and was ready to go home. We stopped off at The Counter where I enjoyed a BLT that I ate so fast that I barely remember tasting it. Good times!

Dinner And A Movie

A couple of days ago before seeing the new movie Chef with my cousin Mala, Camille warned me not to see it hungry. I'd made that mistake before with Julie & Julia and suffered watching that woman bathe everything in butter while I munched on snuck in sour candies. So before we headed into the Arclight we ate at their cafe where I've never had a bad meal. I got the French dip sandwich with fries and a Sprite. Oh, my god, it was so good. It has crispy bread but it wasn't the kind that hurts when you bite into it. I've had sandwiches where the bread was so hard that I had to take the roof of my mouth to grief counseling afterward. This had a couple of types of cheeses and was made with juicy roast beef. Our waiter was really cool and at the cafe they ask what time your movie starts so they can get your food to you faster. It's great.

Mala got a good looking steak with chimichurri and she switched her side to a Caesar salad. I could tell she liked it by the way her eyes rolled when she cut into it and took a bite. I'll have to try it the next time I go. I'm sure many people skip past this place thinking it is expensive, but let me tell you, it isn't. If you're at the Arclight you are paying $32 for two tickets. They are worth it! The meal was less than $40. It may sound like a lot to some but I don't eat out as often as I used to so spending that much to enjoy a really good meal is more than worth the price. Next time you head to this theater enjoy your meal and a good movie all in one place. They have awesome booths, good service, and if you're feeling saucy you can get one of their adult beverages which are might powerful!

Home Sweet Home In Los Feliz

Located at 1760 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Home Sweet Home is one of many places that I've never been to because I'm just not in Los Feliz often. Koko and I tried to go to another place but it was closed because a lot of places are just not open in the middle of the day anymore and the other places was described as a “dirty Thai place.” Yeah...but no. So we headed to Home Sweet Home and I am so glad we did. The atmosphere was really chill and the waitresses were good. Not once did they ask me if I was enjoying my food while it was in my mouth. Didn't hurt that that had legs for days. I got fish and chips that were really good and garlicky. Koko got fluffy egg whites with other stuff including a bowl of fruit that I tried and liked. I would like to try this place again and others in the area. I also need to add that their bathroom was very clean!  

Mini Food Tour

While Dashuh visited we went on a mini food tour. I'll try and remember the order we went in. I think we went to The Counter last but I don't have pictures from there anyway but believe me...it was good. We went to Bubba Gump's at Universal City Walk and my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I got the sampler which had shrimp, fish, fries, and hush puppies. By the time I got to my po' boy and shrimp I was full. It was all good. Dashuh got a half rack of ribs that I finished the next day because I'm a good friend.

Chilling At The Counter

Last week Cam and I went to The Counter. We kept trying to figure out where we were gonna go to get beer. Not just regular ass beer because Cam knows good beer and it takes a special tasting beer for me to give a damn about beer. We managed to make it to the restaurant during the last five minutes of happy hour. I never go to happy hours. I ordered an Allagash that had 11% alcohol and proceeded to get plastered.

Cam got this sampler they had and realized that the ones with the most alcohol tasted the best.

Crispy Crust Pizza

Last week I got tired of ordering Domino's and wanted to see if there was a cheaper place to order from that was good. I checked online and saw this place called Crispy Crust that I'd seen driving around. On a whim I checked if they delivered to my area, unlike Pizza Hut, and it turned out that they did. I got a large pepperoni and 18 piece buffalo wings. The pizza was good. It reminded me of one I had years back when a boss ordered it for everyone. The chicken was actually pretty damned good. From now on I'm pretty sure I'll be ordering from this place from now on. Its cheaper than Domino's which charges way too much for a few pieces of chicken.  

Slater 5050 In Pasadena

Both of my cousins aka the only people in my family that I see mentioned this place called Slater 5050 in Pasadena. So before heading out to see Godzilla me and Mala headed to Pasadena and made an attempt to find parking since there was a damned bike race going on and every street was compromised. We found public parking and headed in. The place wasn't packed since we went so early in the day. We got seats as soon as we arrived. This place has TV's all over the walls and hot chicks that work there. The menu is a bit overwhelming. There are a shit ton of burgers to order from. Our waiter was cool and got our orders without writing it down since we got the same meal.

I ordered a Sprite and we both got the 5050 burger since nether of us had been here before. Mala got her's with an egg on it. This burger has guacamole, cheese, and the patty is made of half beef half bacon. This is a thing! He warned us that even though the burger was well done it would appear pink because of the bacon in it. We had no problem with this. We also got one order of fries that was enough for two people. Did I mention that bacon ketchup came with it?! Oh, it was so good. The fries alone were good and well seasoned but the bacon ketchup made it even better. We ate this before noon and I didn't need to eat anything else for the rest of the night. If you get the chance to go here do it. You'll be full but it won't cripple you.

Busy B Chili

A few months back one of my old co-workers wrote a blog with a recipe for some great sounding chili. I had a dish she brought me to work a while back and it was awesome. So last night I realized that after thinking of it for a full day that I had to make this chili. I got all but one of the ingredients from Trader Joe's (found the chili powder at Gelson's). I also got cornbread as well as ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Oh, and I got twice the amount of meat so I doubled the seasonings. For less than $25 I made enough food for the next few days! CLICK HERE for the recipe and HERE to check out her blog The Busy B Creates for the full recipe as well as other posts. Her stuff is far more useful than the things I write about and contain far less swear words.  

Sandwiches At Toast

A couple of days ago me and Cam went back to Toast. We went in the middle of the day and I was worried that it would be too packed. As we drove by I saw a lot of people and I was worried that we wouldn't get a seat. I was already thinking of a plan B. and going blank. Thankfully it was fine and there was plenty of seats inside. As I sat there trying to ignore all the waitresses in leggings and the male models they have as staff I ordered a very good lemonade. I had my back to the bakery so Cam had a good view of all the sweets. I can not remember what sandwich Cam got. I believe that this is a chicken sandwich with a side of fries. Yeah, let's go with that. Both of us just ate half of our sandwiches because we knew that we were gonna get something right afterward.

I got what was called a Smoked Stack which was a turkey and avocado sandwich that was way better than I thought it'd be. I figured there would be slices of turkey and it was actual pieces of turkey which made it way better. The fries were great as always. After we finished eating we stepped into the bakery and saw so many things we wanted. They have a damned cookie with Twix in it! We were both in ice cream mode so I got strawberry on a big ass cone and Cam got a cup of ice cream that was too much for her as if there's such a thing as too much ice cream. The next time we go I am getting that Twix cookie because it is now stuck in my head.  

Fat Tour 2014 Part 2

Today me and J. did another Fat Tour (click here for part one). We knew that we were gonna head to Glazed again because bacon donuts. That's all I need to say. So we were trying to figure out what to eat. I am always bad at this unless I am craving something very specific. When I hang out with J. she likes to try things she hasn't before so I suggested Noodles Station Thai Street Food aka @Bangkok aka King & I. So we head over there and J. says “Is that the place with the closed sign?” I jumped out the car and saw that they were closed from 3:30pm to 5pm. What?!

We were gonna go to this new sandwich place on Melrose when J. started talking about a place at The Grove when I realized...Wood Ranch Bar & Grill! I haven't been to this place in probably two years. So we got there and there was a ton of parking which is super rare. We got a table quickly and ordered. We both got the strawberry lemonades. I only had two because I'm watching my figure. Ha!

Food Fair By Diego

The other day when hanging out with Cam she asked what I wanted to grab for lunch. As we walked downstairs I told her that I would know by the time we got to her car. I decided on Food Fair By Diego which we had been to once before. This place is really good though there isn't much parking since there are like three other places in that small lot. We pulled in and got a spot right out front and as we waited for our food to arrive I stared at the paintings of big naked women and wondered why they named the place this. It is a bad name. Great food. But that name doesn't stick. I think I called it Food Land or Food Stand. So I ordered and sat down drinking some bomb ass lemonade while Cam got a tea/lemonade mix. It is real lemonade by the way.

I got a cheeseburger and fries while I think Cam got a turkey burger with a side of beets with almonds. We both really enjoyed our burgers. The fries were just as good as they were the last time we were there. Her beets, I didn't try. I will not even attempt to try those things. She thought they were okay. Not great, but okay. I told her that it looked like candy or that it appeared like it would be sweet. She said it kinda was. If you are ever in that area and don't want to deal with all the nonsense that comes with trying to eat at the Grove give it a try. Just call beforehand because they have very weird hours. We got there after 2pm and they closed at 3pm.

Noodles Station Thai Street Food

After the hike that almost killed me, Cam called me later that evening and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. At first I suggested Pinche's. Then I thought of this place we went to for my birthday a few years back called Shin but Cam is smart and told me to check if they were still open. They weren't. So I thought of how good @Bangkok formerly King & I was so we went there. When we arrived we saw a sign that said Noodles Station Thai Street Food and we panicked. Was this a new place? Were they gone?! No. They just changed their name once again.

Please stop that.

We started with the chicken wontons which were not on the menu anymore. I am not sure why they'd leave it off and only show a vegetarian version. We had to ask if they still made them an it turns out they do. These things are incredible and need to be back on the menu where you can see them.

The return of Cam and her attacking hand!

At Penguin's Again

Yesterday me and Cam went to Penguin's on Pico after a fruitless search on my part for some clothes from the thrift store. We hit up three and when we got hungry headed over and got the same meals; fish, shrimp, fries and hush puppies. I had catfish while she had trout. After we were one (she saved some of hers) I felt so much better and wished that a place like this was closer to me. There may be. I bitched for years about no good Mexican food near me and then finding out about Pinche's. The simplicity of this makes me smile. Just well made food and a Snapple and I am good for hours. Then I get mad that I didn't order more to take home and eat.

Fat Tour 2014

The other day I hung out with my cousin J. and it was awesome. We don't see each other often so when we do we tend to eat stuff that we have been talking about. This time it was a trip to two spots. One I forgot I mentioned which ended with us being stuck in traffic for an hour on Sunset Blvd. There was some accident and we sat in her car laughing our asses off at music, people walking by, and life.

We were heading towards the wrong pastry place and she said that she thought we were going to Pinche's first. I was confused and guided us into the bad traffic I mentioned. We finally got there and I ordered us two Mexican Cokes which she'd never had before. We both commented on how you can't drink as much of these as you can regular Coke's.

I ordered what I always order which were the flautas. I said I wouldn't but I did. This time I got the beef ones and they are so damned good. I wasn't even trying to cut them in half. I just crammed them into my mouth and let the guacamole get all up in my beard.

So Many Birthday Dinners!

During my birthday week last week (March 4th if you're wondering) I ended up going out multiple times with people. Thursday E. and I went to Bunker Hill which is Downtown. That place is just amazing. Besides serving Jack & Coke that is full of the Jack they have the best fish and chips that I've eaten. This was my second time having it and it was just as good the second time. I promise to try something new the next time I go which I will do again for sure.

E. got a salmon dish with keen-wa which I had never tried before. Its one of those dishes I hear about in movies and such and it turns out that its pretty damned good. It had a texture that I wasn't expecting as well as taste.

Bacon Potato Salad

Today I dragged my jacked up body out of the house to do some shopping since I was down to one hotdog, and swallow of lemonade, and tortilla chips. And why am I jacked up? Broom ball. I'll explain on one of my other blogs some time. So when I went to Cole's and they had that bacon potato salad which I'd never had before I decided to try and make my own version. And I did it! Its pretty damned good and I have decided to show you how to make this easy ass meal.

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet

Last weekend I went to this spot in Downtown Los Angeles called Cole's. The full name is Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet but that is just too damned long of a name. We went there on a Saturday afternoon and the place was super packed. We found a table since it was just me and EQ and then were told to wait till we were seated. Minutes later we ended up at the same damned table. EQ told me what they had that was good and I got a French dip made with pastrami and a side of bacon potato salad while she got I believe the lamb French dip and these super garlic fries. When I say super I mean super. Sadly, I didn't get any good pictures of my food to use because the place was so dark and I refuse to use flash indoors. I will not be that guy!

The sandwich and bacon potato salad were incredible. I have had French dips at Phillipe's who along with Cole's claim to be the originators of this style of sandwich. The other place was Dough Boy's which was also good. Cole's was by far the best though. I didn't want to eat too much since I was going to be playing broom ball later, something I am still paying for today with my swollen ass knee and sore arms. I had one of EQ's fries and damn those were full of garlic. That's a good thing. I'll for sure be heading back to this place but I'll have to work on my club voice. That's the loud voice you have to use when at a club or bar and its just too damned loud to talk to people.  

Food At The End Of 2013

I have gone to quite a few places in the last few weeks and have been lazy about posting about them or forgetting to take pictures of food before I devoured it. So here are the places I ate between Christmas and last week not including an extra trip to Fatburger I took and a trip to Mendocino Farms. These will not be in order.

Went to Vito's over on La Cienega and Santa Monica with Cam. This place is so good. Cam had never been before and she liked one of the pizzas she got (by the slice we aren't savages) more than the other. Mine was too spicy for her. I think I may have to go here again soon.