Robin Hood: A Bit of London in the Valley September 6, 2007
Posted by foodies in Bars, Places to go when you're drunk, Pubs.1 comment so far
Robin Hood British Pub & Restaurant
Location: 13640 Burbank Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91401-5216
Phone: (818) 994-6045
Type of Food: Good ole’ pub with affordable prices tucked away in the Valley
Yes, we’re back! After a long time of no posts Renee and I have a new fetish: The Pub. There are many reasons that we love the pub scene:
1. Pubs are the new dives
2. Great lowkey beers on tap such as a Bodington’s and Greene King Abbott Ale.
3. Always can find a great place to sit without the crowds and always douch-bag free
To tell you the truth, it was our first time eating here. But we do have out own favorite pubs that we love. (I love McG’s in Chatsworth, Renee loves Kingshead in Santa Monica) And tonight we were feeling a bit tired of everything so we decided to head South to Ventura Blvd. and randomly close our eyes and throw the proverbial dart on the map and take a blind go at it.
Run by two ex-Pats, The Robin Hood Pub and Restaurant has been open since 1982, and they’ve been serving the Valley old fashioned British home-style Pub food. Food your Mum would make. We didn’t even make it to Ventura before hitting Robin Hood on Burbank while we headed South on Woodman Ave.
Service: 8 out 10. The waitress was decent. Checked up on us, got us refills but really didn’t make much conversation, but it was okay since the dinner rush did start to get busy. We didn’t even ask that much in the first place since she was prompt with my pint of Boddington’s
Menu: We salivated within minutes of scanning the menu. Robin Hood not only boasts a Happy Hour, but always Afternoon tea from 2-5 in which they serve tea sandwiches and scones. They also have specials every weekend (that we totally plan to hit up) Their menu is very traditional; Fish and Chips, Shephard’s Pie, Banger’s and Mash. Their bar is very vast as well. They have 11 great beers on tap such as Boddington’, Guinness, Stella, Greene Abbot Ale, etc.
First we started off with pints. I love Boddington’s personally, light but creamy. I loved how there was practically no foam (less foam means more beer), this was poured by a professional. Renee ordered a pint of Stella for herself and we also had fried mushrooms, which I was let down by.
The batter looked light, but also tasted old. As if the oil that they fried it in seemed like they friend the fish in. Not getting that again.
Steak & Mushroom Pie with Chips and Peas
Cornish Pastie with Mash & Peas
For our main dish I ordered the Steak and Mushroom Pie with Chips and Peas. The food came piping hot. I being the crazy one who loves abnormally hot food took one bite of my Steak and Mushroom Pie choked and then appreciated the doughiness and the buttery taste of the crust. The pie had pieces of steak, mushrooms and potatoes that were cooked in a wine sauce which didn’t taste bitter at all.
My only complaint is that the pie should have had more meat. There was most potatoes. The chips were okay. I was hoping for the authentic chips where they’re thick, crispy and hot, I have a feeling that I had half of a cold batch and then half of a hot batch put together. The peas were good. Not mushy at all. And the gravy that came with the dish was not too salty and well seasoned. I honestly didn’t even think it was gravy because it was so dark, it’s more of a demi glaze. Renee thought hers tasted very good. She liked the seasoningg of the ground beef and the mash that came with her dish were creamy without feeling too heavy. Her only reserve was that the peas wernen’t mashed.
All in all, the Robin Hood is a pub that we plan to definitely come back to. Look out for our future post when we check out their high tea!
Going Japanese–Late Night December 10, 2006
Posted by foodies in Cash Only, Cheap, Curry, Japanese, Late Night Eats, Places to go when you're drunk, Trendy / Hipster.add a comment
Koraku Restaurant
Location: 314 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4221View Map
Phone: (213)687-4972
Type of food: Comfort Japanese food, ahem–no sushi
There are times when you can’t have dinner at 5, 6, 7 or 8 p.m. for that matter. Maybe you were at the bar and didn’t want to weigh yourself down so you could get that good buzz or maybe you saw a late movie and forgot.
In my case is because I’m at my weekly Brazilian Capoeira classes and don’t get home until 10:45 p.m. and with all the cart wheelin’ and hand stands, I tend to eat light and early, so sometimes after practice, I’m starving for something satisfying, and not to mention good, so I was ecstatic when my friend Pat told me about a Japanese comfort food that was:
A) Open till 3 a.m. on Monday-Fridays
and
B) Not a damn Denny’s Restaurant
Located at Little Tokyo in Downtown LA, it’s a great place to hit when you’re not craving the usual burger and fries and want a hearty bowl of ramen, or maybe hot tonkatsu (breaded pork) over steaming rice.
Essential Orders:
It is totally visually evident that the gyoza is freshly made. The thiness of the wrap isn’t thick like the instant out-of-the-bag kind like at Vons or Ralph’s. They’re big, and they come hot and steaming from the pan right to your table. It’s served with hot chili oil and perfectly moist. If you’re a fan of heat like I am, this amount of chili oil does not do this justice.
All courses also come with a bowl of miso soup and their own cabbage salad, but since I don’t eat rice, I ordered the seaweed salad that was also very good! They kind of went to town on the green onion in my soup, but lately it’s been cold as all hell and I wasn’t on a date or anything so I totally didn’t mind that.
Usually when you go to Japanese restaurants, they give you only ONE whole pork cutlet, but this is the only place I’ve realized that gives you TWO! The tonkatsu was crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. Not only did it come with a bowl of rice, but another side of cabbage salad, and potato or macaroni salad which were also very very good.
My friend (and sister of other Eat This Blog Creator, Renee) Ivy, got the Hamburger Cutlet. One thing that we agreed on other than the fact that the food was so good is that they don’t pour the tonkatsu sauce on top of the meat, and instead give you a squeeze bottle (which we were tempted to gaffle)
Unfortunately our eyes were bigger than our stomach, because the portions were such a good size that we brought home a decent amount of leftovers.
Service: 8 out 10. The waitresses there are very nice and attentive, even when it’s really busy ours was always able to refill our glasses at just the right time and always seemed warm when greeting and serving us.
Things to Know:
-
I’m honestly not sure about parking in the daytime since all of the times (which have only been 2), have been after 11 p.m. Parking in the night doesn’t seem like such a problem. You can park anywhere really since the metermaids all stop monitoring around 6 p.m.
- If it’s only 2 of you, you may want to sit at their countertop area. From there you can watch the chefs make your food. You’re THAT close to them.
- On weekends, you may want to already expect some sort of a wait. The place is pretty small and narrow– Like a hallway even
- Most importantly, CASH ONLY is accepted.
“SHOT.” YOUR NEW FAVORITE 4-LETTER WORD. September 25, 2006
Posted by foodies in Bars, Outisde Los Angeles, Places to go when you're drunk, Trendy / Hipster.add a comment
Location: 923 8th Ave (Cross Street: Between 54th Street and 55th Street)
New York, NY 10019 View Map
Phone: (212) 245-3212
I’d like to think that I’m an organized person and I have my jet-setting trips planned to the second. So of course I’ve scheduled a night to get completely fucked up and when my bestfriend Peter told me about a place that specializes in nothing but shots and not metion accessories–I said nothing and simply nodded my head and let him lead the way!
Silver stars dangle throughout narrow, red-walled saloon, perhaps foreshadowing what the local and after-work crowds will be seeing after they throw back the bar’s 100-plus different shots. Five plasma screens flash with sports, while a digital jukebox plays everything from ’80s hair bands to modern pop. Creative shots, which are typical of the namesake city, run different prices.
Essential Orders:
Since I had no idea when the hell I was ever going to be back under such cheap circumstances (ahem, staying for free at a friends’ place) and not to mention, knowing someone in the inside, Peter and I were especially feeling adventourous in choosing what we were going to drink.
Being a bit shy and awkward in a new place, we tried their new “Snakes On a Plane” shot. It was on special for $3!
You can’t see it that well, but there’s a lemon rind that’s supposed to be the snake! If the owner is making it–he’ll do his bestest Samuel L. Impression!
One that I tried was “The Top Gun Shot”. You wear a hat and dark glasses while “Danger Zone” plays in the background. Get a friend with you and he gets to be your ultimate wingman–Mother Goose!
“The Jose Conseco Shot”- Straight from a syringe–Need I say more?
“The Monica Lewinsky Shot”–No Cigar, but then again, no hands either.
Oh, and did I mention there’s a wig involved?!
“Truth Syrum”–For the Ladies
And the craziest one of all–”The Full Metal Jacket Shot”.
Yes, girly-style the push-ups were–I at least was able to do 10!
Alright, soldier!
Now, for this one, I have no idea what the hell I was going to get myself into. But when I put an army helmet on and my bartender not only did 2-3 shots of Seagrams’ for extra confidence and started shouting commands and I quickly threw back a shot of Wild Turkey and then proceeded to do 10 pushups on a floor–a bar floor, and I got up quick again and threw back another shot of Wild Turkey, I did not know that they were going to take it that far! Thank god I’ve been working out for the past 4 months. I knew that would come in handy. Thank god I didn’t look like some chicken-shit weakling.
Service: 10 out of 10. The bartender was very nice and personable. She also made the drinks very well.
Things to Know:
- 5 IMPORTANT WORDS: THE BARS CLOSE AT 4 a.m.
-
Save Money-Each week a new batch of shots goes up for a $3 pricetag all the time, but daily happy hour from 4pm to 7pm also means $3 drafts, $4 bottled beers, $4 well drinks, and $5 Guinness. During Yankee games, pitchers of Bud Light are $12.
-
No food is served, but the bartenders are happy to let you bring outside meals in.
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.
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.
