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.
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.
Pride and Joy of the West Coast June 8, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in American, Hamburgers / Hot Dogs.1 comment so far
In-N-Out Burger
Location: 25220 N. The Old Road, Newhall, CA 91321
Type of food: Burgers and fries
You East Coast and Midwest people think you’re so cool having White Castle? Those compact little burgers you buy by the dozen that probably give you the shits? I feel sorry for all of you out there that don’t live in California, Nevada, or Arizona- for you are all missing out on the legendary burger that is the In-N-Out Burger.
While I'm lucky enough to live in an area with at least two In-N-Out locations less than 10 minutes away from each other, I found myself at this location in Newhall on a Friday night after a trip to Magic Mountain, riding their newest suspending rollercoaster, Tatsu (which was fucking awesome, by the way. The smoothest rollercoaster I've ever been on.). This particular location is one you can see from 5 freeway, nestled in an area the local folk call Hamburger Hill.
I arrived at this In-N-Out starving. I hadn't eaten a meal since around 1:00 and it was already 10. There could only be one choice for me tonight: the Double-Double, Animal Style. In-N-Out describes it as "two 100% pure beef patties, hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, spread, two slices of American cheese, grilled onions, stacked high on a freshy baked bun." That's just the normal Double-Double. I customized mine by ordering it Animal Style, where the burger is cooked with mustard and has grilled onions. My sister, Ivy, orders the Double-Double plain.
What I love about In-N-Out is the freshness of the burger overall. I love the crispy edges of the bun and the Thousand-Island type of spread in between. And what I appreciate the most out of In-N-Out are their french fries. I consider myself a fry-connoisseur and there's no other fast food place that beats the taste of In-N-Out fries. They use fresh potatoes and they're soft and light. You can order them "well-done" to get that typical crispy-fried taste, but I enjoy mine the way they come, sprinkled with salt and with a side of ketchup.
Service
9 out of 10. Every In-N-Out I go to has excellent service. It's probably due to the fact that In-N-Out treats their employees really well by paying them more than minimum wage and provides them with benefits and incentives for long-time employees. And when you want to customize your burger, they'll be happy to do so. You can order 3X3 or 4X4 burgers there- 3 patties with 3 slices of cheese, 4 patties with 4 slices of cheese, all between two buns. And if you're that ambitious, you can get a 100X100.
Essential order
Everything on the menu. I mean it. The menu hasn't changed since 1949. They've kept it simple for years with offering just their delicious burgers and fries. No onion rings, no tacos, no bacon, no chicken, no special cheeses.
Price
Their combos are all priced under $5.
Things to know
- Be prepared for a long wait time if you get there during prime lunch hours and before closing hours.
- Know the secret menu.
Take The Stand May 19, 2006
Posted by foodies in American, Hamburgers / Hot Dogs, Trendy / Hipster.add a comment
The Stand
Location:
17000 Ventura Bl, Encino, CA
818.788.2700
Parking meters up and down Ventura Blvd. $.50 per hour I think.
Type of Food:
American, Trendy/Hipster, Hot Dogs, Hamburger
Yeah, I know, I suck. Lack of updates. Many reasons that I'm home on a Friday night:
A) I'm single and presently Asexual (AKA lame)
B) I'm sick.
C) Mom is in TX getting ready for family festivities (BTW, I'm not going to–YES!) and I feel bad when my dad is alone.
D) I've been on South Beach for the past month and whenever my meal has come–I've wolfed it down so quick that by the time I've realized what I've done my meal is done!
But yes, I've gone to The Stand at least every other week. Why? Other than great service, good food, it has a very very vast menu that it would seriously take me months if I went there everyday to order something.
Service:
8 out of 10. The workers are very nice and personable. They also have table service so no waiting around for you to pick up your tray. And they also check around and refill your drink at no extra charge.
Essentials:
Their chips, which practically come with everything there. Thick, crispy, light. I think this is one of the main reasons that I can't come here anymore. (South Beach involves little to no carbs).
Pictured from Top to Bottom: Hot dog with grilled onions and chips. "LA DOG" A hot dog with bacon, mayo, grilled peppers and onions.
Their hot dogs are tasty. Not as tasty as Skoobie's (And I'm not saying that because the guy that owns it or something gave us props), but it's still good. The buns are hot, but taste real heavy. By the time I get to more than half, I usually ditch the bun anyway. The dogs are hot, good amount of flavor without being too salty.
The menu is impressive as well. In addition to regular old dogs with all the standard trimmings, The Stand has included a wide variety of regional style dogs… from "authentic" Chicago Style Dogs (pickles, celery salt, relish, tomatoes, peppers, yellow mustard) to New York Style (grilled with NY Onions and yellow mustard), Boston Style (baked beans and swiss) and even the famous Georgia Slaw Dog. And it doesn't stop there… The Stand has a variety of sausages too.. Polish, Bockwurst, Bratwurst, Italian, Andouille, Texas Turkey, and various Low Fat Chicken varieties. Where to start?!
A couple of weeks ago I ordered the LA dog. The verdict? Just go to Woodman and Nordhoff around 9 and you'll get a better one. Yeah, harsh I know. Their burgers are also so-so. If there is one word that would come to mind, it would be DRY. I needed several refills to eat this.
By reading this, you'd ask yourself why I come back? It's the seating that beats all of the other hot dog and burger joints. The patios is really nice and secluded. Great place to take a date. Or what my friends and I do, offend people by smoking cigarettes near the Jewish WASP families while making horrible jokes laced with crass potty humor.
Valenica, again, at Cousin’s Burgers and Olive Garden May 14, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in American, Hamburgers / Hot Dogs, Italian, Sweets.add a comment
Cousin's Burgers
Location: 24341 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia
Type of food: Burgers, sandwiches, salads
The closest burger place that's less than a five minute walk from my place of work is Johnny Rocket's. I stay away from that place now because of their extremely slow service and overpriced food. I was introduced to Cousins' Burgers last month, by my friend Aaron, when he claimed I was following him during lunch. As much as he might be happy to think I was stalking him, I just happened to be using my 90 minute lunch privilege that day to walk over to Target across the street and he was walking that same direction too. I'm happy he introuduced me to this place as the place is a much better alternative to Johnny Rocket's.I've been there about three times so far, and I try something different each time. For this review, I decided to use their Frisco Burger:
The Frisco Burger is their version of a patty melt- a 6 oz. burger with swiss cheese sandwiched between sourdough bread slices. I believe the burger itself is under $6, but if you pay $2 more, you can get a combo that will include fries and a soda (Pepsi products). I LOVE the fries here, they're seasoned well and crispy. While I usually try to finish my fries anytime I order them, I wasn't able to finish these ones as they were really generous with their portion here.
If you want a plain burger without all the frills, you can choose between a 4 oz., 5 oz., 6 oz., and I believe it goes up to 8 or 9. They have a station to put your own choice of lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, relish, and onions, and loads of different sauces like horseradish, honey mustard, ranch, spicy mustard.
If you're not in the mood for typical fast food burgers, this is a great, little place to go. The service is good (I'd give 'em a 7 of 10) and the place is clean. I would just try to avoid it at exactly 12:00 time as it's prime lunch time and it's when the mall moms from Target drag their kids over there.
Olive Garden
Location: 27003 McBean Parkway, Valencia
I know everybody goes to the Olive Garden and it doesn't really need to be reviewed because it's either you hate it or you love it, but have you had dessert there?
I know I don't usually make it to dessert, but for this visit, I couldn't pick a big meal as Megan and I had already eaten lunch at work during a co-worker's farewell luau party. We decided to eat a bit lighter and have dessert instead.
I ordered the tiramisu because I always have to get tiramisu- it's what I grab at buffets and my favorite flavor for gelato. It's $5.95 at OG and it's alright. It's very light and fluffy, but not enough of that rich espresso flavor I always crave for. I've had better tiramisu at other restaurants.
Megan ordered chocolate gelato:
It's about three heaping scoops with chocolate flakes spread all over it. It's sweet, chocolatey, and all sorts of yummy. It was almost perfect except for one VERY BIG MISTAKE from the staff. While Nevvie was helping Megan finish it off, she ended up biting into about an inch long piece of rectangular, jagged plastic. It still baffles me how it got in there, but our waitress took it back and comped it for us.
This particular Olive Garden from the 3 of 4 times I've been there has been excellent with their service, I would give them a 9 out of 10- but this visit was extremely different from any of my previous times. This young, blond waitress we had was unfriendly, aloof, and really, really stupid. She was slow with our refills, neglected to ask us how we were doing during our meal, and she didn't even show the slightest bit of concern after Nevvie had bitten into that piece of plastic. And what really annoyed me was with her not understanding that when you provide cash and a credit card for a bill, that means you put cash towards the bill and charge whatever's left on the bill on the card. She understood it as taking the $9 for herself and the whole bill on my card. Stupid bitch. (And actually just writing that out made me go to the Olive Garden's website and fill out a guest comment form there.) Oh if I didn't love their soup and salad combo so much, I would put this on my shit list. – Renee
UPDATE: On May 19, I received a $30 gift certificate for Olive Garden. Another case in point- if you get shitty service, complain, and you might get compensation for it.
