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.
Best Tacos in LA–Hands Down July 28, 2006
Posted by foodies in Cash Only, Cheap, Fast-food, Mexican, Places to go when you're drunk, Tacos, Trendy / Hipster.3 comments
Location: 11222 Washington Place
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 3915780
Hours: 9 a.m.- 11:30 p.m. (Mon-Sun.)
There always was a reason why my Dad always volunteered to take the annoying in-laws to the airport, drive my brother 4 hours to college, commute to work 45 minutes every day for 5 years, and always pick up his wayward daughter who was always trekking to Michigan for various bi-coastal bootie calls from LAX.
It was one place–Tito’s Tacos in Culver City.
My dad discovered it 20 years ago when he started his career as an accountant and his office building was located one block away. (Since torn down and now working back in the Valley) .
And now, there’s always a reason why I always like to pick up my friends from LAX or attend special capoeira classes at the Brazilian Center for Cultural Arts.
Open since 1959, this place has withstood the tests of time and outlived various competiting taco stands for the past 40 years without having to put on any bells or whistles. The place hasn’t changed. Always hailed the best tacos in LA.
Goddamn, I seriously don’t know where to kiss ass first?!
Service: 10 out 10. The employees are nice, faithful, quick on their feet, and they get your whole order ready in a span of minutes. Tip them. They truly deserve it.
Essential Order: Whenever I’m there, I order the Tito’s taco with cheese. The meat isn’t like Taco Bell. No ground beef, only shredded beef with shredded cheese and lettuce. That’s it. Not complicated, right? A regular ass taco. Moist shredded beef that’s not dry and the perfect amount of seasoning.
Close-up. Any closer and this would be porn
Oh, and we won’t forget their homemade chips (My homemade chips are as good as theirs I have to admit) and also, they’re salsa is the most freshest and tastiest.
Price: Gas per gallon to LAX: $3.15
Parking at LAX airport for 10 minutes: $10
Tito’s Taco with Cheese: $1.80
Shooting the shit with Dad: Priceless
Chips and salsa are always complimentary with the orders and depending on how much your order actually is, they’re very generous.
Things to Know:
- Parking is always hairy there. Just park along Washington and pay the quarter, or do what my parents do and get the emergency handicap pass out and start limping.
- Expect LINES like a ride at Disneyland. They’re long, but the service is quick and you’ll be helped in no time.
- TIP the person who takes your order. They work hard to get the customers out. Almost like the baristas at Starbucks.
- Bring cash–it’s CASH Only. But if you don’t have any on you at that moment, they just put in an ATM machine just a couple of years ago.
Fast-food, Japanese style May 14, 2006
Posted by starbright31 in Fast-food, Japanese.add a comment
Sansai Japanese Grill
Location: 10904 Lindbrook Drive, Westwood
Prices: Most entrees/combos are between $6 to $8.
I know when you usually think of Japanese fast-food, what might come to mind is Yoshinoya (yuck!) and/or Panda Express (ugh…yuck!). I'm not a fan of these two establishments, even when I'm desperate for some "asian" food. I came across Sansai with my sister after our trip to the LA Times Festival of Books a few weeks ago. Sansai claims to have Japanese food that's influenced by the American lifestyle. Usually I'm not a fan of this type of fusion bullshit, but I have to say that this place was really, really good.
This is the steak bowl and soft-shell crab roll I ordered. The steak was delicious and tender. The soft-shell crab roll was just ok, it wasn't that flavorful and it needed more of that brown sweet sauce on it.
This is the seared ahi tuna salad my sister ordered. I didn't have any of it, but I know she liked it and was having a hard time finishing it.
This is a picture of their salad bar- with my order I had a choice of three different salads. I chose one that looked like a generic mixed baby green salad. I think the other salads was a Thai noodle salad and linguni with cucumber and tomato salad.
What to know:
- If you're in a hurry or you're really starving, don't order a roll. They took an especially long time with my roll.
- They're very cheap with their salad portions. I saw the staff skimming leaf after leaf off my salad after putting it on my plate
I was really impressed with how clean this place was. I always appreciate really clean restaurants, and this place was bright and spotless. And the staff was very friendly, despite being a bit slower than I expected. I'd still give them an 8 out of 10. - Renee
