First Time At The Griddle

Last week I went to The Griddle for the first time ever. I have lived near the place for over twenty years and every time I was close to it I was either seeing a movie, enjoying Coffee Bean, Zankou, or at The Counter (no longer there). Every time I saw the place the line was huge and I have learned to stop going to places with long lines. Nothing worse than eating your food with a bunch of people waiting for your ass to finish eating. I would have not gone if CK did not suggest it. We went there early in the morning and there were just a few tables taken. I kept saying "Booth booth booth booth booth..." because if I go to a place with booths, damn it, I want to be in one.

CK ordered some coffee and she got the blueberry pancakes and I got one with apples called Teacher's Pet. We contemplated sides and after seeing these monstrous ass pancakes I am so glad we didn't. I was able to eat maybe 15% of my pancake. I thought it would be one massive thing and it turns out there are three of them. If you are able to eat one of these by yourself in one sitting someone needs to talk to you. I had it for breakfast, dinner later, breakfast the next day, and the damn thing was just half past gone. If I go again I will split pancakes with someone instead. Oh, and my dumb ass didn't know they had other food. I thought it was all pancakes.

Getting Stuffed At Bludso's

Cam and I went to Bludso's over on La Brea a few days ago. I wasn't even thinking about barbecue until she mentioned it. When sat outside and actually found parking right out front which was a miracle. I wanted to order something different since I always get hot links and call it a day. This time I ordered fries and a sandwich that had hot links and beef brisket on it. Cam got chicken, pickles, corn bread, and macaroni and cheese.

You may also see some pork ribs sitting there? Yeah. Those came on accident. I'm no criminal so I told them as soon as they brought I pointed it out and they said it was fine and we were not charged for them. Cam don't eat pork like that so I ended up taking them home for dinner. The fries were really good as well as the sandwich which damn near crippled me it was so filling. I wanted to try some of the sides but I was so full from my meal. This was so damn good.

Bunch of Burgers And Fat Tour

I have had a lot of burgers over the past few weeks. Lets start off with BJ's with Cam. We headed here because they are consistently good. I got a bacon burger while Cam got the pizza. It didn't really look like a pizza but she liked it. The burgers and fries here are really good. Nothing to scream about but good. Plus those fries stay hot until you say you are ready to go home.

Three Weeks of Food

Over the past couple weeks I have gone and eaten at some groovy ass places. There are two I have no images of like Pinche's on Sunset with with CK and recently The Counter near the tar pits with Cam. Before the AFI Fest with Coco we headed to PokiNometry. I had been here once before the previous year and it was so damned good. I ended up getting poki at another place this week down the street from me. Just get some shrimp, some tuna, some avocado and I'm good.

Tart Breakfast

Yesterday Cam and I headed to Tart for breakfast. We had not been in a hot minute. I fought myself and did not get the chicken and waffles and got the American Breakfast instead. Bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast. I also got hot cocoa to drink. It was a cool morning and we were outside at first and ended up taking our chilly asses indoors.

Cam got the Chilaquiles. It has tortilla chips, salsa Colorado, scrambled eggs, lime cream, queso fresco and cilantro. She offered me one bite and I took it but would not take another because it was so damned good I know I would have started eating all her food. She got a latte to go with it. This place is really good and it is never super packed so its nice to sit and talk and listen to good music. 

Late Ass Food Blog

I am terrible and have not been posting food blogs. Its not that I haven't been eating with folks. I just have not taken pictures every time and then I had to get a new camera. Oh, so much nonsense. A few months ago when JP visited we went to Marix and I forced myself to not get a hamburger. It was so damned good as it usually is. That is what I like about places I enjoy. Consistency. This place is consistent and I have never had a bad meal here. I also got to sit with JP and laugh like lunatics as usual.

Yesterday Cam came by and said the magic words. “I got you donuts.” Well come on eeeeen! After heading to the thrift store and getting some books we headed to my place and after looking at all my plants (click here to see 'em!). She went to SK's Donuts and got an Oreo one, bacon, and pumpkin spice. We tried the pumpkin spice one first and it was so damned good. Not as sweet as I imagined it would be and the cream melted in my mouth. The Oreo one was perfect. Again, I thought Cam wouldn't like it because she is not a fan of super sweet things but both of us really like it. She didn't touch the bacon one but I touched it so hard half an hour after she left. It was so damned good. The last time I tried to go to this place it was closed for renovation so I am glad they weren't lying the way Continental Kitchen did over here.

I forgot one! Before seeing Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Cam and I went to Toi on Sunset and had some delicious Thai. When I want Thai food I always forget that this place exists until she mentions it.

Back At BJ's

I thought I had written about the first time Cam and I went to BJ's but it turns out I did not. This time we were in Burbank and could not quite figure out what to eat. I did not want pizza. Cam did not want Dog Haus again. She checked if there was a BJ's nearby and there was one eight minutes from where we were so we headed there. It was raining a tiny bit but inside the place was packed. I told her the plan B. and C. ideas if shit was too wild here but she asked if we could sit at the bar area. Turns out that is a great idea because we sat in a nice booth area. We got a beer each and I ordered the BJ's Burger with bacon and cheese with fries. Cam mentioned she always gets pizza at this place and I was puzzled since she got a turkey dip when I was with her. She remembered this and how good it was so she ordered that.

We were both hungry as all get out so when the food came I inhaled mine. The burger was really good and I pointed out that they used that good bacon. The kind you don't buy because it is thick cut and only comes with like six in a pack. She enjoyed her sandwich and we both mentioned how great the fries were. They were seriously perfectly seasoned and cooked fries. Did not need to ad ketchup or anything to them. Just shoveled them into my mouth. I wish this place was closer to me because it is not crazy expensive and they have a huge menu that I have not even begun to put a dent in.

New Lay's Chips

Last week while traveling and buying more plants than I needed to Cam and I headed to a 7/11 and I remembered that we had not bought these new Lay's flavors the last time we were in one. So before I could buy them she threw her card in and paid for them. By the way, this 7/11 in North Hollywood was weird as fuck. Everyone inside was weird including the cashier that ran outside and she came back like everything was fine. She was umping from register to register with no warning. Anyhoot, we each got a bag of these new flavors. I tried all three. Not sure if Cam has yet.

The first I tried was the Lay's Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle. I tried just two chips in the car and ate the rest later on in the evening. These are not Flamin' Hot. I have tried every type of Flamin' brands and this is some new, weird shit. It made my left eye cry. Just that eye! The taste was spicier than it was hot. I did not sweat like when I eat other chips of this type. Just a watery eye and not much enjoyment. I don't know what these would even be good with. Water did nothing to rinse the spice away. The pickle smell was there more than the taste and I'm not a pickle chip fan all that much anyway. Wouldn't buy these again.

Trying Out Some Crack Shack

JP came back into town! None of you know how excited that made me. Before she got here we decided that we were gonna try out this place she had told me about called Crack Shack. By the way, terrible name. They should change that. We headed to the Century City mall and gave this place a try and I am super glad that we did. It was a Friday afternoon (which I kept forgetting) and the place was packed. They have so many seats that it did not matter. We found a booth inside after ordering. Ordering is all the way in the back in the corner. We walked around for a minute looking for it and I was making eye contact with random White women wondering if they were staff or not. So yeah. If you work there, happen to be a White women, I was not flirting with you. I was hungry and confused. We ordered our food and sat down. The food came way faster than I was expecting. Some places could learn a lesson from this one.

I got the Double Clucker and it had “two ground chicken patties, cheddar, bacon, smashed avocado, burger sauce, pickles, fried onions, potato roll.” This damned thing was so good! I had never had a chicken patty this juicy before. Thankfully this comes in a wrapper, which JP ignored, because it would have been in my lap. She got the Coop Deville which was “fried chicken, pickled fresno chilies, lime mayo, napa cabbage, brioche.” Hers looked so good and she liked it. She said she normally does not like the cabbage (cole slaw) on chicken sandwiches but she liked this one. We also split the fries because they were so big that if we had both gotten it we would not have finished it. I got a super sweet lemonade. They have self service for drinks which was nice. They also have an assortment of sauces to try and we did. I will definitely come back here. Oh, and we found a Randy's donuts inside the mall. Did not know they had multiple locations and have never had one even though JP and I have lived in California forever. I got a crumble glazed which was thick and good. She got a chocolate one and a maple. She said they were sweet and did not finish them. I did. They were sweet as fuck! They made my teeth hurt. All around a very good day with food and laughing.

Impossible Counter Burger

Last week I went to The Counter with Cam on Sunset. I like this location. Yeah, our waiter was a little weird and they are straight up letting their plants outside die but we still like it there. After some discussion on previous occasions Cam decided to get the Impossible Burger there. I was too hungry to experiment so I stuck with the classic. She liked the Impossible Burger but said that next time she gets it she will just get that patty but with regular toppings. I saw that she had like an entire avocado on hers and that seems excessive to me. I mean, I like the things but I never want an entire one on my burger. My classic burger was good and is just the right amount to not cripple me with fullness. She also got a milkshake and we had to wait a few minutes to get a damned straw because if we get rid of all the straws our planet will be better, right?! Maybe in a few more visits I will get the fancy new burger.

Third Time In The Dog Haus

After getting amazing plants in Burbank Camille and I ended up going to Dog Haus. This is the third time I have been and each time it has been at a different location. This time I decided to get something different. I stared at the menu and got a burger. Yes. At a hot dog/sausage based place I got a burger. I am that person that goes to another country to eat McDonald's. The burger was really good. Like, surprisingly good. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe for it to be a hot dog smashed into the shape of a patty. It was served on four connected Hawaiian rolls, fresh onions, lettuce, tomato, and a slightly spicy sauce. Very good. The fries tasted like Rally Burger fries but with less crunch. Still good. Camille got the chicken sandwich which looked really good. The only problem, which is a big problem that seems to haunt the chicken sandwich world, is the sogginess caused by the sauces used. A good chicken sandwich does not need a lot of...stuff. Look at Chick Fil A. They add a pickle the send you on your way. It seeped into her bread, also Hawaiian, and made it look as if the dough was not baked properly. She liked her tots though. I will for sure head back here whenever I get the chance. But if I get the chicken sandwich I will ask them to either put the toppings on the side or all of them on top of the chicken.

Numero Uno After A Long Time

Cam and I went to Numero Uno last week and this place is still really good. She got a veggie pizza while I got the lemon chicken pasta. Tastes just as good as I remembered. After checking my posts it looks like it has been six years since I last had it and seven since I went with Cam. I did not realize that it had even been such a long time. Understandable since she no longer lives over that way and I am rarely in that area. We also got those little bread balls that are so good. The service was really good and the lady was handling multiple tables. It was empty when we first got there but slowly began to fill up. That area is full of weird ass people wandering around and the parking is a nightmare the later in the day you go. I'd like to go here again in the next few months.

Two Weeks Lots To Eat

I have eaten so much food over the last couple of weeks. I was gonna do each of these as an individual blog but then I'd have to do like eight of them and between all the other random nonsense I fill my day with that was something I did not wanna do. The first place on the menu was Mel's over on Hollywood with Cam. We headed here during the AFI Fest. She got the turkey burger with fries while I got the Mel's Burger with cheese. She also got a shake that was good. I like this place because they are consistent with it. Except for that fried chicken sandwich that one time. That should never be on their menu. Oh. Her shake was vanilla and chocolate but tasted mostly like chocolate. They also thought we didn't pay and a waiter chased me to the corner. Made me regret leaving a tip.

Inti One Saturday Vito's The Next

Last weekend I went to Inti on Melrose with my cousin Mala. She had never been before and I've been there maybe three times before. I really like this place. The shrimp fried rice tastes like fried rice tasted when I was little. The lomo saltado consists of “strips of beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, and french fries served with steamed white rice, strips of beef sauteed with onions.” It is my favorite dish. 

We also got plantains which I almost forgot and Ceviche De Camarones that had “shrimp cooked in lemon juice, with onions and spices. served with boiled potatoes.” And of course I got the Inca cola because it tastes like magic. I look forward to going here again and maybe trying something new. Who am I kidding? I'm gonna get the lomo saltado again.

Last night Cam and I went to Vito's over on La Cienega after she was done adulting. She had mentioned wanting pizza earlier in the day so when she asked if I wanted something to eat I brought up this pizza and we went there. I have been a few times before and each I wonder why I go to other places to get a slice of pizza. It is in a kind of weird spot on La Cienega in a shopping center surrounded by other places. They have outside seating and indoor and play really good music. We grabbed a beer and two slices each and enjoyed ourselves. I love this place.

September Fat Tour

This past weekend I ended up going on a Fat Tour with JP. It was not official until dessert was introduced and it was in the form of leftover donuts from Dona's and Donut Friend. She mentioned three options on places to go an by the end of the day we ended up at two of them. First was IHOP. We were worried about it being packed because it was Sunday morning and you know how those kinda places get at that time. We got seats immediately which was cool. She ordered the breakfast sampler minus the eggs and I got their new burger. I got the plain ass one because if they mess that up I don't wanna try anything else. It was really good which surprised me. After that we went to my place and talked for hours like we do and later ate again.

We walked down to Marix which is one of those places that is consistently good. JP got the Cubano meal and since I already had a burger I tried this pork taco deal with rice, salsa, and guacamole. It was so damn good. We also ate a bunch of chips and salsa before the meal arrived because those things are dangerously delicious. I told JP how as much as I like this place I never think to go here. I also managed to make her cry laughing when me and my heavy chair was moved inches by a large woman moving her seat.