Walking north on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, it was a bit surreal to happen upon the newish Las Vegas outpost of Pink’s Hot Dogs. Something like a funhouse mirror of our own local institution, Pink’s LV is basically a door on the front facade of Planet Hollywood. However, there is a nice sized self-seating area, right on the boulevard, welcome on this stretch of busy street.

There is a line to place your order, but it is short, moves fast and–crucially–does not run parallel to the food preparation itself, as it does here on La Brea, denying you that anticipatory glimpse for personal reckoning prior to ordering. How many of our orders have been altered at the last minute (for the better or for the worse) as we peer through the glass as the workers slap that together an order for those ahead of us on that final stretch to the cashier.

»continue reading Los Angeles in Las Vegas: Pink’s Hot Dogs

»continue reading Today’s In-N-Out

Beer on tap for Burger King’s Whopper Bars [Mississippi Clarion Ledger]

Don’t look for beer at conventional Burger Kings. That’s not in the plans. But more Whopper Bars — which offer an assortment of burgers, toppings and beer — could be on tap in tourist hot spots such as New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, says Chuck Fallon, president of Burger King North America.

A brewski at the new Whopper Bar — served in special aluminum bottles to keep them extra cold — fetches $4.25. Or, order beer as part of a Whopper combo and your bill will be $7.99 — roughly $2 more than the same combo meal with a fountain drink.

If it has not been said before this moment, I shall say to you now: Rosecrans Avenue through Hawthorne is the chili corridor of Los Angeles. Here, consumer chili-cheese confidence at some point over the course of the past few decades did peak at an all-time high, flatline, and remains there still, fluctuating plus-or-minus chili5% per annum. The intersection of Rosecrans and Hawthorne alone manages to sustain not one, but two full-sized Wienerschnitzels, believe it, their perimeter immediately surrounded by Piggies to the west, Cougars to the northwest, Chili King to the north, Fabulous Char-broiled due east and of course not forgetting the locale of, you heard it here, possibly the best burger in Los Angeles, B & R Burgers, even closer, east. But this grouping is merely the tip of the chili-and-cheese-coated iceberg; indeed, the list of atherosclerosis purveyors rivals even that of auto mechanics here in Lenawthorgundowood as it bleeds into Torrance and Gardena.

Consider the chili cheese fry platter as a meal in itself, and the sole the reason for my visit to Chili King Friday last, a nondescript shack in Lennox, both dwarfed by and servicing the needs of the car wash whose lot it shares. The cost of said meal (pictured, top): $3.25.

»continue reading Neither The First Nor The Last Chili Cheese Fries of the Decade: Part Three of a Three-Part Chilogy

Admittedly, doesn’t look all that hot in this lousy phone cam photo–ordered to go and assembled at home, hence the sloppy presentation–but the Noodle Planet signature beef phở is one of my go-to rainy day comfort dishes. I’m sure the Foodies could have some quibbles about Noodle Planet’s authenticity or overall quality or whatever but it works just fine for me.

Not feeling like the wait at a packed Bay Cities for my usual Godmother, I popped into Swingers two doors down on Lincoln. I tend to think of Swingers as reliable diner eats, if not particularly special. Hit a counter spot and went in for the Ahi Sandwich (“seared ahi tuna steak, red leaf lettuce, pickled ginger, bean sprouts, and spicy wasabi mayo on toasted pumpenickel”). $9.95 with a side, tortilla soup in this case. It did me right. Admittedly, this one is right on the edge of the dreaded cute/overpriced/unsatisfying cliff I tend to fall over and get burned, but managed to stay on the good side. Tasty with a decent cut of ahi, done nicely rare, and, comparing that Godmother at $8, not a terribly bad value. I’ll leave comment on the service at Swingers for another time.

»continue reading Rain or Shine Tonight: The “Panini-Off” Is On

SETTING
Fabulous Char-Broiled Burgers
3301 W Rosecrans Ave
Hawthorne, CA 90250

SOUNDTRACK
Weldon Irvine
The Sisters
1979 (1998 Saucerman release)

LOCAL TIME
1pm PST
8 Jan 2010

Ryan migrates east: fries get fatter, prices fluctuate accordingly

Here at Gardena’s edge do I then temper Thursday’s Tustin Timor et Tremor tussle with a plate of heart-stopping fries and mighty bacon cheeseburger. It is as it should be. Welcome, 2010: Thick fries; $4.69/plate. More than a meal in itself; still, Piggies, a chili fry’s throw away, has nothing to worry about per se. Not a true Googie, this Fabulous, but dig that crazy SoCal façade just the same, Dad: booths built in to the outside wall!

Brief notes:

• Requisite off-duty security guard spotted chowing down. Good sign
• Cheery, cordial staff
• As I eat I chat with a few locals about Jason Patric stinking up the Geronimo movie on the telly. Christ, man. Just how may different Native Americans has Wes Studi played, at this point?
• Novelty machines galore crowd the walls, including one that vends “jokes and tricky toys” (whoopee cushions) and at least two fully-stocked rows of “Cooby Doo Playing Cards” (sic)
• I do believe that I’ve just shat my pants. More soon

HEART STOPPERS
» The Last Chili Cheese Fries of the Decade
» Under $10 And Incredibly Shameful: Carney’s Derailer
» The Last Oki-Dog of 2006
» Black Widow Out-Chili-Cheeses Chestnut By Ounce
» Tommy’s At 60: The Six Sixty-Cent Chili-Cheese Chiliburger Cheeseburger Challenge

Mayhap you saw the tweet by Victor already, live at the scene. If not, let it be known that the Santa Monica Food Truck Lot is, at present, closed, the issue being that the lot’s zoning language does not explicity state “food truck use”. New language will need to be added and approved before the trucks may begin doling out those cute, tasty, cute-and-tasty and occasionally neither-cute-nor-tasty sub-$10 meals to aficionados of the westside gourmet lonchera scene.

Certainly not the first time The Man has clashed with a conglomeration (coalition?) of food trucks in our fair city. Anybody remember 5750 Wilshire Blvd a few months back? Stick around for full details as they trickle in. Meantime, solidarity tweets may be directed here: @SMFoodTruckLot

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» On The Scene at the Santa Monica Food Truck Lot Opening Day (Los AnJealous)
» India Jones Chow Truck Impounded By Po-Po, Back On Streets Today (Losangelous)
» LAPD Officially Tasked With Throwing Fines At Your Favorite Food Truck (LosAnJelous)
» Green Truck “Scoping Out” Museum Square Today (Losanjealous)
» Nothing Of Interest To Be Gleaned From This Post (Los Anjealous)

Over at the vacant parking lot at 14th St. and Santa Monica Blvd. India Jones, Border Grill, Barbie’s Q and Fishlips are the first to set up shop. The lot could probably accommodate 8 trucks at the expense of some customer parking spots. Could probably not handle the dozen or so listed on their flier all at once.

Deep fried samosa spring rolls from India Jones. $3.00. Best item consumed today.

Border Grill tacos, pork & potato, $3.00 & $2.50 respectively. Slightly above average tasty, but tiny and relatively overpriced. Reliable as they may be, going to have to file away B.G. truck into the Overpriced & Cute category going forward in ‘10. Not going out of my way for their meals on wheels when the restaurant is always an option.

Rolls from Fishlips. Decent 6-piece sampler, probably priced about right at $5.95. F.L. was the least busy truck around 12:30 or so.

Will probably be back again to see how this project unfolds. The ambitious plan for the location is Monday-Friday, 11am-8 pm. A couple of picnic benches would be great. Would be fun to see some pricing battles between the trucks for customers’ dollars if this takes root in the area long term.

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Twitter>> @SMFoodTruckLot

Spotted around 2pm at Wilshire/Granville. Is this truck any good? I didn’t stop (already had 3 McRibs for lunch). And I’m kinda over all trucks for a while. Plus I’m generally suspicious of anything advertising “Franchises Available”.

The ever perspicacious Janet L. from Sherman Oaks over on Yelp gives them a rave–when they include enough slaw on their items:

I then tried Calbi last Saturday ALSO at Abbot Kinney and there was NO line and the tacos were AMAZING! I loved em. I especially loved the marinade of the chicken and the generous amount of slaw they put in each taco. LOVE the extra extra spicy sauce they give along with it also. After 3 of these puppies we headed over to Flying Pig which was also pretty freakin’ amazing. (more variety and kinda gourmet-ish).

But since the review is for Calbi, I must stay on topic. I have to add that Calbi is RELIABLE which is mega points in my taco book. They tweeted they were going to be in my hood of Sherman Oaks (which I know is rare) and when I replied to see how long they were gonna be there, they actually wrote back to me. Customer Service points for that little token.

The reason for -1 star is that today when I got my tacos they didn’t seem to put as much slaw on top of the tacos and that adds so much. So – hopefully they will work on the consistency.

SETTING
Piggie’s Charbroiled
4601 W Rosecrans Ave
Hawthorne, CA

SOUNDTRACK
Flaming Lips
Oh My Gawd!!!…The Flaming Lips
6 Jan 1987 (Restless)

LOCAL TIME
1pm PST
29 December 2009

Sun streams harshly through the window here in Hawthorne, right onto the table, right onto the plate before me. $4.19 for the “large” because, yeah, I’m feeling In Charge. Take seat next to corner booth inhabited by three of Hawthorne’s Finest: One on duty with talkie dialed low, two off-duty in Sunday civvies. All three grousing about the job and casting the occasional wary eye my way. I’m just eating chili fries, boys; rest assured I bitch about my job just as much as you, end of day. One Decade!!! A full decade in Los Angeles. How in the hell have I pulled it off, exactly? How have I survived!? Why did I stay!? What kept me!? How Have I Changed Los Angeles For The Better, and, How Has She Changed Me? Sunlight streams onto the plate harshly still and I ponder various chili-coated plates that have confronted me over the course of the last decade, here in smog central. This one’s harmless when stacked ‘gainst the past, to be sure; still, no easy lunch, this. I throw down the fork, douse the pepper’s heat with a swig of ice water and hit the sidewalk. Inhaling, it hits me like a flash of lightning: It is good to be here, Los Angeles right now on this 29th of December 2009 Anno Domini. I gulp the air, form fists triumphantly and shout to no-one, “Oh My Gawd!!!”

This Has Been

The Last Chili Cheese Fries of the Decade

OR HAS IT???

OH MY GAWD!!!…

 

Be sure to check back in 2010 when Ryan live-blogs his seventh (7th) angioplasty! -ed

PHOTO from Canter’s 75th Anniversary special, March 20, 2006

[VOTE AGAIN]

Here we go–a few sandwiches to get this one started. We took some liberty and expanded the definition of sandwich to include things like gyros and brautwurst. Basically anything eaten with the hands that is a protein (or vegetable) between a bread that isn’t a taco. We’ll keep adding to the list. Feel free to stick your own picks in comments below and we’ll try to add them in the poll so you can vote them up. –Ed.

PHOTO of “pre-masticated dry-as-shit tacos” by Ryan from Surfer Taco Truck.

[VOTE AGAIN]

Of course food and drink are the next most important things after music and shows. Same deal as before–we just stuck a dozen or so regular taco haunts to get this one started. We’ll keep adding to the list. Feel free to stick your own favorite picks in comments below and we’ll try to add them in the poll so you can vote the shit out of them. –Ed.

Happened upon Isaac Toast on what turned out to be their actual opening day this morning in Westwood. They’re on tucked away on Weyburn Ave, round the corner from Coffee Bean on the way to Trader Joe’s. Not sure what kind of foot traffic they’ll get down that way, but glad to see an occupied storefront for now at least. As the very first U.S. outpost of a Korean street food turned national chain, they plugged in a fully formed brand and design aesthetic from the get go–clean lines, futuristic retro decor, sans serif fonts, pretty much pitched in the same zone as Asian counterparts Famima!! and Pinkberry.

I was their eighth customer ever, which entitled me to a free coupon for a soda or coffee (WITH purchase). Went for the $5.45 Isaac Sandwich, Bacon edition, on wheat toast (a bagel is a ten-cent upgrade). Ingredients listed are: Isaac Sauce–not sure, something sweet apparently–Bacon and “Veggie+”, which apparently includes tomatoes, shredded cabbage slaw and a bit of corn sprinkled in. Their literature takes pains to plug the nutritional aspects of the ingredients (“Tomatoes are a good source of vitamin C, A, K and a very good source of molybdenum, potassium and manganese”). Unlisted, however, in the ingredients were the fried egg and slice of cheddar, which apparently are standard on everything across the full menu. Their slogan is “Tasty, Toasty & Healthy”–two out of three ain’t bad. I’ll report back as I work my way through the menu, including some interesting looking juice, tea & coffee offerings.

Read about Isaac Toast in South Korea here on sixthseal.com.

A couple more lousy shots of the sandwich wrapping and exterior below.

»continue reading Korea’s Isaac Toast Sandwich Shop–First U.S. Location Now Open in Westwood–First Impressions

Another year. Another ton of food in my belly. Before I take part in my yearly New Year’s purging ritual – a pastrami sandwich every New Year’s Day whether it makes my gentle stomach upset or not – I thought I would share the eleven things I enjoyed most in 2009. There are two simple parameters. First, 2009 had to be the inaugural year in which I consumed the food item. And, secondly, the item needed to be priced low enough that former bankers could afford them.

BEST CHICKEN SANDWICH
Chicken Club
Westside Tavern (West L.A.)
As a noted chicken sandwich connoisseur amongst my friends and parents it is safe to say I know my shit. And the Westside Tavern, probably my favorite new restaurant of 2009 overall, does the chicken sandwich right. The bacon is awesome. The sourdough is awesome. The chicken club is awesome. [Photo from hungrykat.blogspot.com]
 

BEST PIZZA
Mushroom and Peppers Pizza
Nicky D’s (Silver Lake)
There’s a reason I’ve convinced multiple Westside buddies to venture to the outskirts of the desert (a.k.a. Silverlake) for Nicky D’s. Simply put, The Best Pie in Los Angeles. Try it with mushrooms and peppers – you won’t be disappointed. If you are, go back to Papa John’s, you fucking idiot.
 

BEST FOOD TRUCK
Border Grill
It also almost feels like cheating categorizing Border Grill amongst their fellow food truck pedestrians. That’s the way it goes though. Everything is good: the fish tacos, the carne asada quesadillas, the butternut squash soup. Tip: I once found a free coupon for a taco literally under the menu board. [Photo from Gastronomyblog.com]
 

Best Bread Pudding, Best Fish and Chips, Best Morning Muffin, Best Israeli Couscous, Best Drink, Best Garlic Bread, Best Cake and Best Breakfast Potatoes below.

»continue reading The 11 Best Things I Ate This Year in Los Angeles (In This Economy Edition)

SCENE OF THE CUTE CRIME: The Colony Cafe, Pico Blvd.

CUTE ITEM: “BTLA” Burger – Bacon (Hickory smoked), Lettuce Tomato, Avocado.

NOT-SO-CUTE PRICE: $9.75

»continue reading In Which Victor Yet Again Falls Prey to Overpriced Cute Food

»continue reading This Weekend in Indio: Morrissey + Annual Tamale Festival

One senses that “cute” is the prevailing adjective used when describing this Venice Blvd. place and its food. How much “cute” does for one, if anything, is subjective obviously. On this visit, my cute “Sub Italiano” ($9.95) and cute cold quinoa side salad didn’t do much for me beyond look cute on the plate. The bread was soft, I’ll give them that. A couple of things this place has going for it (besides the aforementioned soft bread and the cuteness) is the self-refillable coffee and access to free open Mar Vista wi-fi.

The Curious Palate

A couple lousy phone camera shots below.

»continue reading The Curious Palate, Mar Vista: Cute

For the eighth time this season, the Lakers won at home while holding their opponent under 100 points–barely so–110-99 over the Hornets–a feat which, as everyone knows, means a coupon good for 2 free tacos from Jack in the Box to all fans in attendance. (Hey, when you’re pounding on weak teams and games turn to garbage time, you’ve got to keep yourself interested somehow, be it focusing on intriguing individual match-ups, such as Jordan Farmar going head-to-head with former Bruin teammate Darren Collison, or watching for Shannon Brown to take flight and posterize someone, or holding out for two lousy, free 99-cent tacos.)

Graphic photo of said 99-cent tacos and an ingredient list below, if you dare.

»continue reading Laker Taco Tracker–Last Night’s Result: 110-99 Over Hornets,Tacos Secured