The Donut Hole
15300 Amar Road
La Puente, CA 91744
626-968-2912
Drive-through only; 24 hours.
Visited: May 2010, Dinner, Take-out
Well, the real reason to visit The Donut Hole is that you get to drive through the donut's hole! It's very cool. The donut shop is open 24 hours, and even at 8pm, they still had a nice selection to choose from.
We just got a couple things - a Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting and a Raised Glazed Twist. Both were fresh and satisfying. They don't sell French donuts (which is a rarity, anyways).
Showing posts with label san gabriel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san gabriel. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Shakas Hawaiian Flavors, Monterey Park, CA
Shakas Hawaiian Flavors
2300 Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
323-888-2695
http://www.shakas.com/
Casual; order at the counter.
Located just north of the 60 freeway.
Parking in the strip mall and on the side street.
Second location: 101 Main St, #C, Alhambra, CA 91801
Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Take-out
Shakas is a nice casual Hawaiian fast food place. We tried just a few things, but were quite satisfied, and will definitely be back to try more menu items.
We had the Kalua Pork Tacos - two crispy tacos FILLED with kalua pig and topped with raw cabbage, cheese and pico de gallo. The kalua was smoky and rich, however, I figured out that kalua tacos are not for me. While tasty, they were waaay too rich for my blood.
We got a side order of the Mochiko Chicken. Boneless chicken pieces that have been marinated in a sweet soy sauce, and then lightly coated and deep fried. These were delicious little morsels. They identify the Mochiko Chicken as a house specialty, and they're right.
We also got an order of Spam Musubi ($1.95) which was very fresh and flavorful. I love it when there's just a little sauce on the rice, and this how they do it. It was larger than I expected - maybe 4 inches long.
They have all the other traditional Hawaiian grindz (Loco Moco, Kalbi, Katsu, Huli Huli Chicken, etc.) so we'll be back to try.
2300 Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
323-888-2695
http://www.shakas.com/
Casual; order at the counter.
Located just north of the 60 freeway.
Parking in the strip mall and on the side street.
Second location: 101 Main St, #C, Alhambra, CA 91801
Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Take-out
Shakas is a nice casual Hawaiian fast food place. We tried just a few things, but were quite satisfied, and will definitely be back to try more menu items.
We had the Kalua Pork Tacos - two crispy tacos FILLED with kalua pig and topped with raw cabbage, cheese and pico de gallo. The kalua was smoky and rich, however, I figured out that kalua tacos are not for me. While tasty, they were waaay too rich for my blood.
We got a side order of the Mochiko Chicken. Boneless chicken pieces that have been marinated in a sweet soy sauce, and then lightly coated and deep fried. These were delicious little morsels. They identify the Mochiko Chicken as a house specialty, and they're right.
We also got an order of Spam Musubi ($1.95) which was very fresh and flavorful. I love it when there's just a little sauce on the rice, and this how they do it. It was larger than I expected - maybe 4 inches long.
They have all the other traditional Hawaiian grindz (Loco Moco, Kalbi, Katsu, Huli Huli Chicken, etc.) so we'll be back to try.
The Donut Man, Glendora, CA
The Donut Man
915 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-335-9111
Walk up stand, no seating. Cash only. 24 hours.
Plenty of free parking behing the shop.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
The Donut Man is best known for their Fresh Strawberry and Fresh Peach donuts. Large circular raised glazed donuts that are cut in half and filled with fruit and glaze. The fruits are seasonal - either they have strawberries or they have peaches. When we arrived in the late afternoon, they were in the process of making a new batch of the massive strawberry donuts. We decided that they had so many other tasty things that we tried those and come back another time for the strawberry.
We tried their other specialty, Tiger Tails. Looong twisted raised glazed donuts that are plain, or have chocolate twisted in. Very good.
Their Boston Creme Pies were also decadent. Large (maybe 4 or 5 inches in diameter) raised donuts filled with custardy cream and topped with chocolate icing. Exceptional.
They also make French Donuts which are hard to find. They were fresh, and they custom glazed one for us with chocolate. Unfortunately, it wasn't that great. It was mushy in the middle. (Randy's in Inglewood makes excellent French donuts.)
We also tried their very large donut Cinnamon Rolls (maybe 6 inches in diameter), and their traditional Raised Glazed Donuts were very good.
There was slight hint of old oil, but overall they were very good donuts. And everyone was very friendly, including the other customers in line. It seems everyone's in a good mood when ordering donuts!
Despite the late afternoon/early evening timeframe, we were pleased at how fresh the donuts were. For a 24-hour business, it was great to know that they make their donuts regularly and provide quality donuts at all hours.
915 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-335-9111
Walk up stand, no seating. Cash only. 24 hours.
Plenty of free parking behing the shop.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
The Donut Man is best known for their Fresh Strawberry and Fresh Peach donuts. Large circular raised glazed donuts that are cut in half and filled with fruit and glaze. The fruits are seasonal - either they have strawberries or they have peaches. When we arrived in the late afternoon, they were in the process of making a new batch of the massive strawberry donuts. We decided that they had so many other tasty things that we tried those and come back another time for the strawberry.
We tried their other specialty, Tiger Tails. Looong twisted raised glazed donuts that are plain, or have chocolate twisted in. Very good.
Their Boston Creme Pies were also decadent. Large (maybe 4 or 5 inches in diameter) raised donuts filled with custardy cream and topped with chocolate icing. Exceptional.
They also make French Donuts which are hard to find. They were fresh, and they custom glazed one for us with chocolate. Unfortunately, it wasn't that great. It was mushy in the middle. (Randy's in Inglewood makes excellent French donuts.)
We also tried their very large donut Cinnamon Rolls (maybe 6 inches in diameter), and their traditional Raised Glazed Donuts were very good.
There was slight hint of old oil, but overall they were very good donuts. And everyone was very friendly, including the other customers in line. It seems everyone's in a good mood when ordering donuts!
Despite the late afternoon/early evening timeframe, we were pleased at how fresh the donuts were. For a 24-hour business, it was great to know that they make their donuts regularly and provide quality donuts at all hours.
Bahooka Family Restaurant, Rosemead, CA
Bahooka Family Restaurant
4501 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
626-285-1211
http://www.bahooka.com/
Casual; great for families or drinking get togethers. Full bar.
Plenty of free parking in their lot.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
This place is quite the sight to see - even if you just come to look and not eat (which is almost what we did). There are fish tanks EVERYWHERE! Great fun to look at. It's also quite a maze of a restaurant, but looks like it would great fun to hang out with friends and have lots of drinks with umbrellas.
They feature Polynesian food and tiki bar fun stuff. We decided to try a couple of their noted appetizers. First, Bahooka's Special Exotic Ribs ($23.25 for two pounds) which were like Chinese-style red ribs but then they were served with American-style bbq sauce. The ribs were tender, but didn't really have much taste. I was expecting much more.
And we got an order of the Crab Puffs ($10.75 for 2o puffs) which were rather odd little things. They were little fried balls of soft crab filling. The first one kinda tasted crabby, but the next ones just seemed salty.
So, I'm thinking that we won't be back for the food, but for the ambience. And after a few drinks, maybe those appetizers will be downright delish.
4501 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
626-285-1211
http://www.bahooka.com/
Casual; great for families or drinking get togethers. Full bar.
Plenty of free parking in their lot.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
This place is quite the sight to see - even if you just come to look and not eat (which is almost what we did). There are fish tanks EVERYWHERE! Great fun to look at. It's also quite a maze of a restaurant, but looks like it would great fun to hang out with friends and have lots of drinks with umbrellas.
They feature Polynesian food and tiki bar fun stuff. We decided to try a couple of their noted appetizers. First, Bahooka's Special Exotic Ribs ($23.25 for two pounds) which were like Chinese-style red ribs but then they were served with American-style bbq sauce. The ribs were tender, but didn't really have much taste. I was expecting much more.
And we got an order of the Crab Puffs ($10.75 for 2o puffs) which were rather odd little things. They were little fried balls of soft crab filling. The first one kinda tasted crabby, but the next ones just seemed salty.
So, I'm thinking that we won't be back for the food, but for the ambience. And after a few drinks, maybe those appetizers will be downright delish.
Euro Pane Bakery, Pasadena, CA
Euro Pane Bakery
950 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 107
Pasadena, CA 91106
626-577-1828
This is the 'old' location near Lake. They're opening another location further west on Colorado (west of Los Robles.)
Some indoor and outdoor seating.
Metered street parking.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
Euro Pane was recently on Food Network's Best Think I Ever Ate (for its Egg Salad Sandwich), however it was on our list to try before that. We were going to be the area, and thought we'd stop in.
It was around 3 in the afternoon, and we were very disappointed in the selection that remained. They didn't even have any more bread left to serve sandwiches! The cases was partially filled onesies of this and that, and it was all rather surprising since there was a line of customers who left rather disappointed. They were scheduled to be open until 5:30, and I don't know what they were planning to sell.
We tried a few things, and were rather disappointed in the lacklusterness of the items. We tried a slice of the Frittata which was really more like a quiche. It had some veggies in it, but the problem were the long frilly herbs that made it difficult to eat.
We also tried a Cinnamon Roll, and they threw in a Dinner Roll for good measure (I guess to clear the cabinet faster?). Both were just there, not inspiring.
The intriguing thing was the bag of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Biscotti-like things. They tasted and felt like a chocolate chocolate chip cake that was sliced thing and left to dry to produce these crispy wafter cookies. Fascinating and tasty. They didn't have a label so I don't know what they called them, or what they were supposed to be. Maybe they were just dried out cookies? Dunno, but they were tasty.
We were hoping to try the brioche, croissants, lemon bars, etc, that we had heard good things about. But alas, based on what we tried, we won't go out of our way.
950 E. Colorado Blvd, Suite 107
Pasadena, CA 91106
626-577-1828
This is the 'old' location near Lake. They're opening another location further west on Colorado (west of Los Robles.)
Some indoor and outdoor seating.
Metered street parking.
Visited: May 2010, Afternoon, Take-out
Euro Pane was recently on Food Network's Best Think I Ever Ate (for its Egg Salad Sandwich), however it was on our list to try before that. We were going to be the area, and thought we'd stop in.
It was around 3 in the afternoon, and we were very disappointed in the selection that remained. They didn't even have any more bread left to serve sandwiches! The cases was partially filled onesies of this and that, and it was all rather surprising since there was a line of customers who left rather disappointed. They were scheduled to be open until 5:30, and I don't know what they were planning to sell.
We tried a few things, and were rather disappointed in the lacklusterness of the items. We tried a slice of the Frittata which was really more like a quiche. It had some veggies in it, but the problem were the long frilly herbs that made it difficult to eat.
We also tried a Cinnamon Roll, and they threw in a Dinner Roll for good measure (I guess to clear the cabinet faster?). Both were just there, not inspiring.
The intriguing thing was the bag of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Biscotti-like things. They tasted and felt like a chocolate chocolate chip cake that was sliced thing and left to dry to produce these crispy wafter cookies. Fascinating and tasty. They didn't have a label so I don't know what they called them, or what they were supposed to be. Maybe they were just dried out cookies? Dunno, but they were tasty.
We were hoping to try the brioche, croissants, lemon bars, etc, that we had heard good things about. But alas, based on what we tried, we won't go out of our way.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Aloha Food Factory, Alhambra, CA
Aloha Food Factory
2990 W. Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
626-308-0215
Located 2 blocks east of the end of the 710 freeway.
Plenty of parking in their own lot.
Casual. And Hawaiian style, they're closed on Mondays and holidays.
Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Take-out
We wanted to get a good feel for this restaurant, so we ordered several items. The kitchen is rather small, and it took a while for our order to be completed. In the meantime, the lovely lady of the house gave us each a sample Macadamia Nut Pancake. The little pancake was tasty itself, but it was really the topping and little crunchy bits of mac nut on top that were amazing. I'm not sure what the topping is - it's not syrup, or sweetened condensed milk, but it was more like a creme anglaise. Very tasty.
We ordered the Loco Moco ($7.25) which was a very large portion of rice, hamburger patty, scrambled eggs, and gravy. While fine, it was overall rather plain. Which is what we found to be the case with all of the items we ordered. Good, but plain - not highly seasoned.
For the Aloha Plate ($10.99), we chose Kalua Pig and Cha Shu (which we had heard raves about). The Plate came with steamed rice, veggies, and Mac-Potato Salad. The Kalua was light on both smoke and flavor. And the Cha Shu was tasty roasted bbq pork, but definitely not cha shu. If we had been served it without a name, we would have assigned it the title of cha shu.
And lastly, we got the Kalbi Plate ($9.75) that came with rice, veggies, and Mac-Potato Salad. The ribs were tender and had a nice char, but also very plain. As if they needed to marinate longer, or have a sauce applied during or after cooking.
A friendly little hole in the wall that also serves shave ice, but not sure that we'd be back for the things we've already tried.
2990 W. Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803
626-308-0215
Located 2 blocks east of the end of the 710 freeway.
Plenty of parking in their own lot.
Casual. And Hawaiian style, they're closed on Mondays and holidays.
Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Take-out
We wanted to get a good feel for this restaurant, so we ordered several items. The kitchen is rather small, and it took a while for our order to be completed. In the meantime, the lovely lady of the house gave us each a sample Macadamia Nut Pancake. The little pancake was tasty itself, but it was really the topping and little crunchy bits of mac nut on top that were amazing. I'm not sure what the topping is - it's not syrup, or sweetened condensed milk, but it was more like a creme anglaise. Very tasty.
We ordered the Loco Moco ($7.25) which was a very large portion of rice, hamburger patty, scrambled eggs, and gravy. While fine, it was overall rather plain. Which is what we found to be the case with all of the items we ordered. Good, but plain - not highly seasoned.
For the Aloha Plate ($10.99), we chose Kalua Pig and Cha Shu (which we had heard raves about). The Plate came with steamed rice, veggies, and Mac-Potato Salad. The Kalua was light on both smoke and flavor. And the Cha Shu was tasty roasted bbq pork, but definitely not cha shu. If we had been served it without a name, we would have assigned it the title of cha shu.
And lastly, we got the Kalbi Plate ($9.75) that came with rice, veggies, and Mac-Potato Salad. The ribs were tender and had a nice char, but also very plain. As if they needed to marinate longer, or have a sauce applied during or after cooking.
A friendly little hole in the wall that also serves shave ice, but not sure that we'd be back for the things we've already tried.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Wolfe Burgers, Pasadena, CA
Wolfe Burgers
46 N. Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-792-7292
http://www.wolfeburgers.com/
Casual; order and pick up at the counter. Plenty of indoor, covered and open patio areas.
Free parking in the lot behind the restaurant.
Visited: a few times, Lunch, Dine-In
Most recently: May 2010
Wolfe Burgers actually has quite an extensive menu including breakfast and Mexican fare, but we stuck to the burgers.
A Wolfe Burger is standard 1/3 pound, and then there are variations on the Wolfe Burger.
We had the Ultimate Wolfe Burger that had two patties and the addition of blue cheese and bacon. It was a good burger that satisfied that great burger craving.
We also tried a Bacon Cheeseburger with Cheddar. Wow, both the bacon and the cheddar were so flavorful! They really turned a plain burger into one with a lot of pizzazz.
The service is quick and friendly, and all around a good experience.
46 N. Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-792-7292
http://www.wolfeburgers.com/
Casual; order and pick up at the counter. Plenty of indoor, covered and open patio areas.
Free parking in the lot behind the restaurant.
Visited: a few times, Lunch, Dine-In
Most recently: May 2010
Wolfe Burgers actually has quite an extensive menu including breakfast and Mexican fare, but we stuck to the burgers.
A Wolfe Burger is standard 1/3 pound, and then there are variations on the Wolfe Burger.
We had the Ultimate Wolfe Burger that had two patties and the addition of blue cheese and bacon. It was a good burger that satisfied that great burger craving.
We also tried a Bacon Cheeseburger with Cheddar. Wow, both the bacon and the cheddar were so flavorful! They really turned a plain burger into one with a lot of pizzazz.
The service is quick and friendly, and all around a good experience.
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