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.

Home Cooked Meal

Every time I have been over Julia C.’s place her mom makes something that A. I have ever had. B. Tastes amazing. And C. has vegetables. Everyone knows that I’m not a huge fan of veggies but if you make them well I can and will eat them. Her mom made this delicious ground turkey dish with squash and peppers with rice and tortilla shells. It was super tasty and new to me. Also whenever we sit down and have dinner there is groovy conversations going on.

We talked about how many restaurants seem to have no pride in what they serve and many chefs do not taste what they are preparing and serving paying customers. We also discussed how certain cultures are now preparing food better than the places they got their food from (ex. Koreans making Mexican food better than Mexican restaurants). Good food and good conversations are two things I love more than anything. I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving!

Bodega Wine Bar

Remember that wine bar I mentioned a few blogs ago and couldn’t remember the name? yeah. That one. Its called Bodega Wine Bar. Its on Sunset & Vine and is awesome. Good wine. Good setting. And good food. This place has really good food. The pizza tastes like it was made. I know that doesn’t make sense so let me explain.



It tastes like whoever made it actually takes pride in what they serve. I say head there and enjoy a good time. They have board games, an assload of different wines to drink, and the best bartender I have ever met. Edwin is only the second bartender I have ever met that wasn’t a dick and the first was a chick so there. Go there alone and chill or go with a group of friends and laugh your ass off. And eat and drink of course.

Trying New Things

For those of you that don’t know, I am not an adventurous person. You will never hear me say “I’ll try anything once!” Some call me stubborn. I call them people who just met me. Last weekend I hung out with Julia C. at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to catch a flick (“Wild Style”).



Each time we have gone to these films Julia C. manages to bring something I have never had before. Last time it was this sweet bread that was like a giant ass pastry that gave me wood. This time it was bread, some kinda seaweed and rice stuff (that tasted meaty though it wasn’t), these amazing (!!!) mushrooms, this kind of lemon like seasoned stuff we used to dip the bread in, and great cheese.

I was full by the time the film started.

Numero Uno Is Number One

So I recently went to Numero Uno with Camille. I hadn’t been there for a long ass time. Like, decades. We were trying to figure out where to go and decided on going here. Oh, god. I am so happy we did. This place immediately became one of my favorite new places to eat. I had no idea Numero Uno was so fancy looking inside. Or so close to my own damned house.

We started off with these dough balls. I forget the name of them. It was something in Italian. Don’t judge me. They were covered in garlic, butter, and had a taste of what could only be described as sugar. I am so glad we got this instead of garlic bread. There were six of them and after two I was already getting full. I had to save room for dinner.



Oh, the pizza! It was thick. I kept calling it cake. I got pepperoni with chunks of tomato and Camille got the…uh…I forget. It didn’t have meat so I didn’t eat it. It was really good and after a slice and a half I tapped out. The two glasses of pink lemonade didn’t help. I got the small while Camille got the individual. My pizza was slightly larger and thankfully I didn’t get the medium or else I wouldn’t be here to tell this tale.



If you haven’t been to Numero Uno in a long ass time like me, I say give it a try. So good!

Loteria At Farmer's Market

A few weeks ago I went to grab some breakfast with my homeslice, Laura. I had planned on getting the same old and having some breakfast. Laura suggested this place called Loteria at The Grove over here near Farmer’s Market. Oh, I am so glad we went here. Its buried amongst all the other tons of places at Farmer’s Market. Just pull up a seat at the counter and enjoy the smells.

We got these chips with really good salsa. It wasn’t the kind like you get at the store that has big ass chunks of tomato that you know isn’t real but its all you can buy. This was really good and spicy but not so spicy that the flavor was lost.



I had to ask Laura to name the stuff I had so here goes. I had the huevos con chorizo and it was amazing! I almost snorted it up my nose. It was very filling and I didn’t expect it to be. On the side was some mashed potatoes that had some green stuff in it. I don’t know what they were but they didn’t take away from the flavor. What I loved about the potatoes was that I didn’t have to add anything. And of course Limeaid is very win. Also black beans which I didn’t eat but I dipped my chips in.



Laura got this. Not sure what it was but it looked like it tasted great.

King & I

King & I rules. I had never been to this place until one day while hanging out with Camille and Kirby we went. I was in love from the very first sip of their Thai iced teas. I always judge Thai places by how good they are. I’ll never make the mistake of getting one from the doughnut shop ever again. Damn, that was a bad idea. Anyway…



We started off with the potstickers which were so damned good. I actually stopped mid-sentence to talk about how good they were. And they give you soy sauce that isn’t all salty. Very good and you barely need it since the potstickers have so much flavor.



And yes, thanks to Kiyoshi (or his shame at me wanting a fork at a ramen place in Little Tokyo years ago)I know how to use chopsticks.



I usually get the chicken or beef pad Thai but this time I got the chicken fried rice. I am so glad that I did. It was so damned good. Didn’t need anything with it. No sauces or anything sprinkled on top. That is Camille’s hand you see taking my cucumber because you all know I’m not eating that vegetable. This place is on La Cienega a block or so before Olympic. Good fast service with a very nice staff.

Denny's

So I went to Denny’s with Kiyoshi and Flo a couple of days ago. I hadn’t been in a long ass time. I’m more of a IHOP guy myself. But it was good. I got pancakes, eggs (scrambled of course!), bacon, and sausage. It was the smaller Denny’s on Sunset and cool. Not all loud and crazy like some of those places get. Ever been to the “Rock & Roll Denny’s”? I think they shut it down after a shooting. I went there before. Fucking disaster.



There was some chick with a jacket on. That’s it. She just had a jacket on. Cops were all over the place and folks were getting arrested. I was like “Why in the hell would anyone eat here on purpose?!” Anyway, I enjoyed myself. it’s the conversation. I like places where I can just sit and talk and the wait staff doesn’t bug you and try to rush you out.



I had a mango strawberry tea that they didn’t refill and wanted to leave a small tip but Flo got all Harvey Keitel on me.

Tender Greens

Laura invited me to this place I had never even heard of but had to have seen called Tender Greens on Sunset. Or Hollywood as she put it. I’m joking (this is in case Laura is reading this). She warned me beforehand that this place was healthy because she knows how my diet rolls.



So we get there and they have this big ass dry erase board menu with what they had. I got the chicken chipotle with mashed potatoes. They were trying to force a salad upon me but Laura let them know that there was no way I’d eat it. So I got extra mashed potatoes instead and they were good. I love when I don’t have to add salt or butter. I also got a a lemonade that was, like, real lemonade. I had to add an assload of sugar to make it super sweet.



Laura got the steak with salad and mashed potatoes. It wasn’t warm so they reheated it…kinda. She still seemed to enjoy it and said that this place makes some kind of mistake every time she goes. For desert we got a carrot cake top. Yes, just the top and it was soft and delicious.

Thanks to Laura for getting me out the house and trying something new.

Nanbankan Yakitori

So me and Camille went to Nanbankan on Santa Monica Blvd. Friday night in celebration of my birthday. I had never had this food before and didn’t know what to expect. Camille has awesome taste in food and introduced me to cool ass places to eat before (Toast, Swinger’s) so I had no doubts this would be great as well.

So we get there and sit at the bar area where they bring us an appetizer of this really amazing dipping sauce with vegetables consisting of carrots, celery, and this other vegetable that tasted like nothing. I liked that one and passed Camille my carrots.

Next came the chicken. This was some of the best chicken I have ever tasted. I wanted to weep it tasted so good! Its one of those things where it messes with you because you know you’ll never eat something this good again or experience this newness again. I ate mine as slowly as possible.

Next was the steak. This was some of the juiciest beef I have ever had in my damned life. Again, I tried to eat it slowly and enjoy it. Don’t be fooled by the size of this stuff. It was still filling. The Japanese are magical that way.

The shrimp tempura arrived and was delicious. The batter used melted in the dipping sauce. It was also served with a sweet potato and asparagus. You know I gave Camille the asparagus.

Camille got this corn on the cob that smelled like popcorn. No, I did not try it. Sharing corn on the cob is a big no-no. I will have to try it next time.

This was washed down with an Asahi that we split and tea. Green tea was asked for but it was brown. Who cares. Still very good and cleaned the palate quite well in between dishes. highly recommend going here if you want delicious ass food!

Korean Barbeque!

There’s this Korean barbeque place in (gasp!) Korea Town here in Los Angeles. No, I do not know the name of it but its on Vermont. There’s another place next to it but I’ve never been there. This particular place I hadn’t been to since, like, 2002 or something. Maybe even a year earlier. But last week I got to go with one of my favorite people, Heidi.

This place was awesome. We ended up sitting there for close to three hours chatting about everything while chowing down on some great food. They started us off with some entrees that consisted of a potato salad that was delicious. Some cabbage thing that was super spicy and had some much flavor I couldn’t even taste the cabbage. There was also this weird Jell-O like thing that Heidi had my try. It looked like it would be hard to chew but it actually melted in my food hole.

Heidi also got this dumpling soup thing that was massive. I had a few of them and I’m pretty sure it had chicken in it. Not 100% sure but it tasted like chicken. Please, God, let that have been chicken…

Then came the hotness! We got this big ass plate of beef. That’s right. Beef. It had some onions (grilled as they should always be) tossed in, but, damn. This had to be like a couple pounds of beef! It was grilled and tasted all kinds of wonderful. I almost shit myself. Not in an Astro Burger kinda way either (that food there runs through me like a Kenyan athlete!). That was a euphemism. Or whatever the hell you call those things.

We also had these awesome little steak things that were hard as hell to bite through (actually close to impossible) but, man, they tasted so good! I could eat this stuff every damn day if I could. I plan on going back next week and I will likely get the same damn things again. It was amazing! Oh, and they serve water to you in a metal bowl. I felt like a puppy!

"Asstro" Burger

Went to Astro Burger last week. For those of you that have never been there this place was the place to go when you wanted a good burger and it was 2am and you were drunk off your ass. Sure, its good sober but drunk it’s the best thing on Earth.

The past few years they have been flip flopping. I went there last year and was like “What happened?” Now they are back in form. Well, okay form. I had a burger last week and it wrecked my bowels. Still you should give it a try. This is why being a food reviewer is not my job.

Astro’s has great fries. Their sodas aren’t watered down. And when their burgers aren’t setting my ass on fire they’re great. Give it a try and let me know what you think about ‘em.

Hollywood Farmer's Market

Today I went to a farmer’s market with Heidi, Michelle, and Julie. I don’t really frequent these type of markets (I’m actually having a hard time remembering if I have ever been to one). It was very fun. Sitting here and Michelle grabbed me and Julie and we took off. Met Heidi there and got the ball rolling.

They all had been there before so they knew all the good places to grab some food. We got some papusa’s (I got chicken) and some red lemonade where it tasted like everything but lemonade. What I mean is that it had lots of fruit but I couldn’t taste lemons. Go figure. Next we got a tamale that I split with Julie. Along the way we tried different fruits and stuff they had everywhere. You really don’t need to buy anything since there are samples of every fruit you can think of. This place was really fun for more than the food.

Ass.

Yes, I know this is a food blog but I’d be a liar if I didn’t mention that this place was crawling with booty. Some good and some terrible. But still, lots of ass. We toyed with the idea of getting a pie but it sounded way too healthy for this vessel. You all know I’m about meat, fat, and fried things.

If you’re ever in the Hollywood area I really suggest you go here. Besides food they have clothing, bags, and jewelry. I grabbed two little bundles of sage while I was there that smell wonderful by the way. So head there and don’t do like I did and eat random Japanese fruits. That thing looked like melon but my brain refused to acknowledge that it was supposed to be.

Giamela's Fellas!

There’s this place that I have been to twice. It’s called Giamela’s in Los Feliz. This place is known for their steak sandwiches but I go for the pastrami. Gotta say it in an ugly Boston accent. And before anyone starts saying how their state or city has the best whatever allow me to tell you one thing:

Don’t waste your time.

Giamela’s has a pastrami sandwich covered in onions and peppers and rocks my ass off. They are fast too. The place is right on a corner with a strange ass parking lot. The inside is big enough and feels open with a TV on the wall and a screen door like Grandmama has in the front. You can see them making everything fresh which is always nice.

Heidi took me there for the first time maybe last year or late 2008. I got the large sandwich and damn near had to be rolled out when I was done. This time I was smart and got the regular and it hit the spot. Oh, and make sure to get an Orange Bang with it. Goes just fabulously together. No need for chips though they have a large variety. And remember to thank them for giving you a fork because you will need it. All the stuff they pile on top does not stay on the sandwich. That’s a good thing.

I seriously think you should give this place a try if you love meat and love eating things that aren’t rushed tasting (because as Camille says you can taste love in food). Just remember to bring your own hot sauce,

Swinger's Baby

Wanna go swinging? No, not like that you perverts. There’s this place I have known about for freaking years but never tried to go there. Never even thought about going there. Its called Swinger’s over on Beverly Blvd. here in Los Angeles.

My best friend on the fucking planet Cam took me there and it was just so damn good. They grill their onions. Yeah. Thank you. That may not seem like a big deal but it is. When you get a fast food burger they pretty much just slice an onion in half and toss it onto your burger leaving you with stank ass mouth. They grilled theirs brown and delicious.

And their big ass fries were just amazing. I do not suggest running after eating here. I did. It was stupid. The aiter we had was very cool and fast. I got three refills on my drink. Sprite in case you’re wondering. Cam got a grilled cheese something or other. I stuck with the plain burger as you can see and enjoyed it terribly. Umami was a bit more expensive than Swinger’s. If you have about $20 you and another person can easily eat here and get full. I highly recommend heading to Swinger’s and getting some cool food at a cool place.

I Want You Umami...

Ever hear of Umami Burger? I know I hadn’t. And I am so pissed! This place instantly became one of the top three burgers I have ever had in my life. Yeah, yeah. Screw the places you go to. Forget your Burger Kings, Astro Burger’s, Fatburgers and such. Umami has by far the most flavor of any burger I have ever eaten.

I got to SoCal burger. My friend Laura who brought up the plan to even head there got this other one that had cheese on it. She liked hers but not the cheese on it. I ate mine as slow as possible just to enjoy it being in my mouth. Damn, it was that good.

This is a edited paragraph. I totally forgot to mention the desert. I normally dont get one at places except the Cheesecake Factory. Laura suggested the ice cream. It was a chubby little rocky road thing that looked like a Ding Dong on steroids. It was very delicious and if you have the room get it. We split one.

Now don’t let the small size fool you. This thing is very filling. This is coming from someone that used to put away two entire meals from Jack in the Box. No, I don’t eat the way I used to but this little looking thing was just awesome. If you live anywhere near an Umami Burger you have to get some! If you don’t like it then something is seriously wrong with you.

Around The World With My Mouth

Last couple weeks I have had the chance to go to some new places to eat and try some stuff I hadn’t had before. Each time it was awesome. I also went to some places where I had been before and had a great meal.

I went to these Japanese place with Kiyoshi where we had curry. I had the chicken curry while he had the beef. It was so damned good and filling. Had a Sprite with it as to not interfere with the taste too much. Awesome curry but it ran through me like a Kenyan during the LA Marathon! This caused me to use a port-a-potty for the first time. Eat it near your home.

I also went to Kinaree on La Brea and Fountain. I love this place and I always get the same damn thing. Yes, I’m that guy. I get the honey pork with steamed white rice and fried crab wantons for an appetizer. I love this place. They are fast and the food has never fucked with my stomach. I also had some of the food from Summer’s plate. I didn’t eat the vegetable part though.

At Benihana I had a steamed shrimp fried rice. I cant even call it just that. There was so much stuff tossed in there. There was rice, shrimp, cucumber, onions. It was loaded and very filling. I also had the chicken.

And don’t let me forget the cool little onion volcano. That was awesome.

And then there was this spot in Venice right by the beach. It was a Mediterranean spot that was very cozy. I cant remember the name of it though but it was really good, even the next day. I got the chicken kabob that had this sauce that made my mouth water. And it came with fries and that made me happy. Very cheap place by the way. For about $20 you get delicious pita bread, real mint tea (with real leaves in it!), and your meal.

Baconholic!!!

I love bacon. I’m not afraid to admit it and I’m sure as hell not hiding it. I don’t know what part of a pig it comes from nor do I care to. I have never seen it made nor do I want to. I just want to say that bacon rules and you should all admit it.

Some people don’t eat it for religious reasons. Oh, how sad. Seriously, I wouldn’t even be trying to be a Christian if all of a sudden bacon was a banned item. I’m that serious about it. Think about how bacon makes you feel when you eat it. Crispy, soggy, dripping with grease. It doesn’t matter. I will eat it. A few months back at my lady’s sisters graduation there was a buffet where I consumed maybe two dozen slices of bacon. If you don’t stop me I will keep eating it.

This has been going on since I was a little Dante. If there was bacon near me it was going in my mouth hole. Screw the three second rule. If it was on the floor for an hour I’d still eat it. I just made some bacon for dinner. Bacon with what, you ask? Nothing. Just bacon all by itself. Bacon is a meal. I don’t need eggs, pancakes, juice, and milk. Just bacon.

Hoozle, a pal in Ireland, posted a link about a vodka with bacon in it. I would take one sip and have the largest orgasm ever. One day I will try it and let you all know what I think. Here’s my prediction.

“I no longer need to read another word of the bible. For I have found God!"

Costco Hotdog

So I finally got to taste the myth. Not only did I taste it, I liked it. I liked it a lot. Me and Reinard went up to Costco after a couple of stops at the gas station and his place. We head over to Costco and it was early in the afternoon but totally packed. I was shocked. Didn’t these people have jobs to be at?


So as we’re heading to the door Reinard starts checking his wallet. He cant find his Costco card. We stop and I stare at him and squint in anger. Well, anger and disappointment. I tried to go to Costco years ago with Heidi and they were closing denying me this dream. Now this? Damn it. The funny thing is that I was gonna ask him if he had it before he even came and got me.


We get to the entrance and this old guy is standing there checking folks cards. Reinard tells him that he left his at home so the old dude tells us to go to the customer service desk and get a temporary one. He then adds:


“Better get in there or I’ll shoot ya!”


Or


“Better get in there or I’ll fuck ya!”


We aren’t sure which but either one is frightening. So we get in line for a moment when Reinard says he just wants to eat. So we get in line and ponder the idea of a pizza when I see how cheap the hotdogs were. So we grab two each and a soda. We sit outside and talk for well over an hour about everything. It was very cool. Julie called while we were hanging out and we ended up recording my Rosscast.


So the hotdog. It was big. Like Lexington Steele big (three points if you get that reference). I put onions on it which I never do. Relish, and mustard as well. Reinard managed to break the onion crank with his Hulk-like power. The damned thing was a perfect hotdog. I cant think of a way to improve it. If you have a friend with a Costco card force them to take you there. It’s worth it.

Get Yo Drank On!

Lots of people don’t think about how important a drink is in regards to their meals. With fancy stuff like wine they do. You drink white wine with some things and red wines with others. Fancy stuff, right? This isn’t about fancy stuff. This is about soda.

With certain foods certain sodas are required. With foods that are heavy in spice (Indian, Mexican) I would request a Sprite, Sierra Mist, or 7-Up. These lemon lime based drinks are good because they don’t overpower the natural spices. The last thing you want is to have a delicious meal and wash all the taste away by drinking something fruity like Hawaiian Punch.

With foods like barbeque fruit drinks are the way to go. Orange soda and grape soda work best. I don’t know why but they do. The strong taste works very well with most meat based dishes as well. Steak with Hawaiian Punch is awesome. Turkey sandwiches with orange soda is good. I suggest you all try it. You wont be disappointed.

Some sodas don’t mix well with foods. Cream sodas and root beers don’t mix with many things. Plain hotdogs and just French fries are okay but who the hell wants to eat that alone? Strong drinks like Coke and nasty ass Pepsi go well with barbeques and meat but never with pastas. By no means should you ever drink a dark soda with pasta.

Try Sierra Mist for Italian foods. I have tried orange soda with pizza and its okay but Sierra Mist offers the perfect combination of fizz to the tomato and cheese.

You all should try these out and let me know what you think. I am a professional in matters of soda. Also, let me know what mixes you find that work well.