Fish & Chicks March 8, 2008
Posted by foodies in American, Cash Only, Cheap, Uncategorized.add a comment
Northridge Fish & Chips
Location: 10336 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA 91326
Phone Number: (818) 360-3474
Type of Food: Seafood, Cash Only, Deep Fried, Cheap Eats
After wandering aimlessly one afternoon on a day off with Renee and after getting her fix at Red Mango (most likely another post for another time) we decided to walk in. I know, I know, real fish and chips and even then, fish and chips in NORTHRIDGE. This place has stood the test of time since 1968 and this place is proof that what you see is what you get and less is more.
Stolen moment. NOT
The place visually hasn’t changed since it’s opened and I remembered why I found this place so familiar; my parents used to take me here when I was little. Looking at the place takes me back, and there’s a big visible window where you can see the guys cook the food. But seriously, why mess with a good thing!?
Essential Orders: Their menu is small. But for reals ya’ll: 2 words: Fish & Chips. Don’t plan on getting anything else other than that because, sorry to say, everything is just filler.
The Money Shot. Boo-yeah!
We ordered a 4 piece fish and chips and calamari and chips. Their fish is so good. Beer battered and fresh. Everything is made to order; no heat lamps or premade food that’s been chilling for forever and a day. The batter is light and flavored while the fish was still moist and GIHUGEN. Each piece was about 6-8 inches–way bigger than other shit seafood shacks like Red Lobster and WAY BETTER quality. Honestly 1 piece is enough for 1 person. Unless you’re really hungry.
Their mushrooms are also very tasty, but watch out, don’t get overzealous like me and try to take a bite off of the bat because not only are you going to burn your mouth, but all of the moisture bursts out and you burn your front as well. And remember, like I said, everything is just filler.
Their calamari was pretty much out-of-the-bag-shit that you could find in the grocery store and their clams were mediocre, and a while back when my brother got an order their shrimp tasted like it came from Albertson’s or something.
The Bill: Always depends on how many people but usually it’s around 5 or 6 dollars and you totally get what you pay for.
Things to know:
- Cash only!
- If you’re short on time you may want to call in advance; first come first serve
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Everything is made to order, if you peer over to the fry station, there is absolutely NO old food lying around
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On weekdays between 12-2 p.m. they have this Happy Hour where 1-2 pieces of fish and chips are only between 2-3 bucks only!
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Sometimes if I wanna save a buck or two, bring your own drinks. He doesn’t say anything to me. Next time I’m gonna bring Boddington’s to see if he’s gonna say anything.
- Watch your clothes they have the cheapest paper plates. It’s the thinest barrier between you, and the sticky old table.
Goodbye, E & E April 18, 2007
Posted by foodies in Cheap, Curry, Japanese, Salads and etc. (non-main course food).add a comment
E & E Cafe and Japanese Market
Location: 18429 Nordhoff St
Northridge, CA 91325 (Between Reseda Blvd. and Darby Ave.)
Phone: (818) 775-0115
Type of food: Japanese Homestyle meets your Mom’s kitchen
I admit, I only discovered this place a little before this year from my bestfriend Renee, and I’ve been a frequent customer ever since. Even more so this month since it officially closes it’s door for the last time this Saturday. Who knows how many countless CSUN college students and Valley residents this restaurant has been serving for 14 years, but I had the pleasure to become a regular and even to say “The usual.” and them automatically know what I was talking about.
It’s located in a very busy strip mall that also has a Panda Express (blech, why would you even wanna go there?!) and a boba spot next door on the 2nd floor. The place is quiant & very peaceful. Countertops are located right in front of all of the action (aka the kitchen) for those who dine alone, a couple of 2-top tables along the perimeter of the restaurant, and a couple of 4-top table or two 8-top tables. They also sell their own salad dressing, baked goods, Japanese tea sets.
Essential Orders: The menu is anything but sushi or your typical Japanese dishes–boasting mostly curries. They also have different specials everyday. You can order the spiceness of your curry anyway you like-from a 1-10. It costs extra if you go beyond 7, which I haven’t done yet, but the waiter did try to persuade me to do since they are only going to be open a few more days. I like to order their tonkatu curry at a 7. It usually comes with a green salad that’s dressed in their famous sesame soy dressing which you can buy bottled from the restaurant, or from their small grocery store which you can find downstairs. The main dish which never sits on the window for more than 5 seconds, also comes with steamed rice.
Their gyoza is completely homemade and always tastes fresh. Always hot and juicy when you bite into it, my waiter is always impressed since I like to empty the bottle of hot chile oil whenever I order this.
I also order their deep fried tofu which is served in a small bowl decorated with green onions and TONS of shaved bonito flakes swimming in a hot bonito soy broth. I usually like to finish the tofu and then pour the sauce all over my rice.
Things to Know:
- Credit cards accepted
- Due to the overwhelming demand and love for the place, they had to stop deliveries and take out orders.
- No reservations
- Dine in only till Saturday
- They have tea time from 2-4 p.m.
- CSUN Students get 10% off.
Jamie Does Nathan–er I mean Nathan’s August 31, 2006
Posted by foodies in American, Cash Only, Cheap, Fast-food, Hamburgers / Hot Dogs, Outisde Los Angeles.add a comment
Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs
Location: 1310 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, NY
So for the past week I’ve been in NY. This trip has been planned MONTHS in advanced. I think I deserve it–after all, I’ve finally made it to LEVEL 5 and it feels awesome. To be honest, I had no idea what the hell I was going to do in New York, but I definately knew where I wanted to eat!
Since 1916, Nathan’s Famous has been serving Coney Island the best in hot dogs. Now almost 90 years later has become an institution in the state of New York and overseas!
Service: 7 ot 10. The lady that had helped us was real nice and even though the place is constantly packed, they know the value of urgency and understand the demands. Not really tableside service, more like counterside. Pretty much fast food, but truly fast and fresh.
Things to Know:
-Their public restroom is the ONLY decent place to take a piss in. And other than the bathrooms in Astroland where there are rides and such, it’s also FREE.
-Don’t go to Coney Islands just for the hot dogs (even though that was the only reason I went there). They also have an amusement park, a beach and tons of other really cool sites.
What we ordered:
First and foremost, 3 words; Fresh squeezed lemonade
Good God, their fries are a thing of beauty. Since business is constantly moving the fries came HOT. They were crispy on the outside and potato-y in the middle. My bestfriend Peter got regular, I, being the adventourous one got the Creamy Garlic and my, my, my, I wasn’t disappointed. The fries were slathered with buttery garlic goodness…And let’s not mention the cute pitch fork that you can use to eat them and then use as a weapon if need be!
And of course, I got their chili cheese dog. The dog itself was SO good. These dogs truly popped with the first bite. Nice saltiness, not dry at all. The buns were steamed and not stale or hard at all. I was really hungry since it was a long subway ride from Queens so I pretty much wolfed it down, I should have taken the time out to truly savor it.
My only reserve was that the chili was a bit much, and I didn’t know it had beans, which I really am biased towards since I like my chili without beans. I also didn’t know that they serve only grilled onions, which I pretty much scrapped off, I’m more partial to the raw ones to offset the texture. Another thing was the condiment/hot dog ratio was a little excessive too so by the end my hot was one big mess.
But all in all, Nathan’s is definately a must for the Hot-Dog Lover. It’s like a football player going to the Super Bowl–except for Foodies.
The deli you go to when you’re around Hollywood and it’s 2 AM August 19, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in American, Late Night Eats, Trendy / Hipster.2 comments
Canter’s Deli
Location: 419 No. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles 90036
Hours: Open 24 hours a day
Last year, I was introduced to Canter’s after going to my friend Tova’s shows. When Grand Lux Cafe was closed, this was our immediate plan B. And to be honest, I’d rather go here than the very overpriced Grand Lux Cafe anyway.
The most recent times I’ve gone here were after seeing The Devil Wears Prada and after watching The Futureheads. From these two visits, I ordered my two favorites from the breakfast and sandwich menu.
Breakfast:
The way I’ve always had corned beef was straight from a can, so when I ordered this here, I was overwhelmed by how good this was. I loved eating this so much that I ordered this the next week I went there. The meat is seasoned really well, and it’s not at all salty. And Jamie pointed it out to me that the way Canter’s make their scrambled eggs is different from most places- and this is in a postive way too. We haven’t figured out what they put in their eggs, we just know that we like them A LOT.
Sandwich:
I know most people order pastrami sandwiches here, but it’s really nothing to write home about. You can get a much better one at Brent’s in Northridge. My sandwich here is The For Dedicated Fressers Only:
I can only finish one half of this sandwich, and I always save the other half for either my brother or to eat for lunch the next day. You get the best of both worlds with this sandwich, and it tastes even better when you slather mustard all over it.
Service: 7 out of 10. It all depends on how big your party is and what time you’re there. When it’s just around midnight and after last-call, you should expect this place to be busy. I’ve mostly had good and friendly servers here.
Good to know:
- Although they have a parking lot where it’s free for the first two hours with validation, you’re better off finding parking on the street if you’re going there during peak hours.
- Canter’s is great for big groups. I’ve gone here several times with a group of over 15 people and the wait wasn’t too long at all.
Not Tickled Pink August 2, 2006
Posted by foodies in American, Cash Only, Hamburgers / Hot Dogs, Late Night Eats, Overrated, Places to go when you're drunk, Stay Away, Trendy / Hipster.add a comment
Pink’s Hotdogs
Location: 709 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Hours: Mon-Thurs,: 9:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m., Sat. & Sun.: 9:30 a.m.-3:00 a.m.
Where do you take your psuedo-New Yorker bestfriend for his last night in LA before he goes back to the Big Apple, where coincidentally is the place where hot dogs is their state’s forte?
Pink’s of course. Or at least I thought of.
Honestly, going to restaurants while you’re trying to commit to a lifestyle change is hard. I’ve been doing it now for 3 months along with excercise 5-7 times a week. So when I want to cheat, it better be worth it and that’s why I decided to fuck Taco Bell and go to Pink’s at 12 in the morning.
Pink’s Hotdogs is one of LA’s historical landmarks and has rarely changed it’s outside for the past 70 years. The place is famous. I can’t really tell you all of the times I’ve seen it on the news or on Food Network.
They’ve got the standard fast food; burgers, fries, hot dogs. What they’re really famous for is their personalized special dogs that are named after films or movies star.
From one side…
To the other…
Estimated time waiting: 2 hours
Time actually eating: 15 minutes
Their lines are epic. I think when Peter and I lined up it was around midnight and it took over an hour before we could order. Now, if the food was actualy good, it probably would have been worth it, but alas, it really wasn’t.
Service: 7 out of 10. Ordering is very organized. They’re staff works real hard and gets the food quick to you, but they did screw up my order.
What we ordered: Peter ended up getting “The Lord of the Rings Dog”–a stretch 10 inch with onions rings slathered with bar-b-que sauce. Unfortunately there was too much and he had to scrape off the sauce. I, being the purist I am got the chili cheese dog with onions. Unfortunately the ESL workers thought I said mustard. Yeah, because onions and mustard sound just the same and because of that, my dog tasted real sour. If I didn’t actually took apart the whole hot dog and bun I wouldn’t have known that there was mustard! My dog didn’t even pop the first time I bit into it.
Looked good for a second
Yeah, this place is hipster, trendy and overrated.
Go to Scoobies. Fuck, should have gone there instead. I even thought of going there instead of Pink’s.
Like finally scoring a date with a hot guy and then finding out that he can’t kiss. Ugh.
