Showing posts with label sandwich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sandwich. Show all posts

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Susan Feniger's STREET, West Hollywood, CA

Susan Feniger's STREET
742 N Highland (just north of Melrose)
West Hollywood/Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-203-0500
www.eatatstreet.com/
Tiny parking lot in back, and limited street parking.

Visited: January 2011, Lunch, Dine-in

Well, I'm not sure how to review STREET. I definitely enjoyed the experience of eating here, but I didn't necessarily enjoy all of the food. Maybe my expectations were too high. I thought many of the flavors to be too light, and others had too many flavors competing. But there were definitely some high points.

We wanted to get a good feel for the multi-cultural flavors featured at STREET and ordered a number of items.

We started with their famous Kaya Toast ($11) - thick coconut jam on toast served with a soft fried egg (really really runny) and a dark soy drizzle. It was an interesting mix of sweet and salty, and even a little cinnamony now and then. While fascinating, it didn't send my tastebuds dancing.

We also got the Dumpling Sampler ($14) which was a nice portion size with 2 pieces of 3 different dumplings. The Spinach Varenky were more cheesey than spinachy, and reminded me of a cheese blintz. The lemon marmalade the accompanied the varenky was very sweet, and overpowered everything. I was expecting more Asian flavor from the Mandoo Vegetable Dumplings, even the sesame dipping sauce didn't seem to add much. The Shrimp Stuffed Shiitake Mushrooms were the highlight of the Sampler. The mushrooms themselves were flavorful and the shrimp mousse was tasty. These were very hearty little mushroom appetizers.

And we also started with the Tatsutage Fried Chicken ($16). This was quite good, and I highly recommend having this as an entree. I would have liked the chicken to have more of the soy, mirin, and sake marinade flavor, but the batter was really nice, and the chicken fried well. The kewpie mayo didn't add anything. The chilled soba noodles with the pickled vegetable slaw and chunks of firm tofu were really tasty. Overall, a very nice dish.

For our entrees, we had a few sandwiches. First was the Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sandwich ($14) - actually two slider style sandwiches, and these were winners. It was kinda like having bbq pulled pork with vietnamese banh mi pickled veggie salad on a soft roll. Very tasty, and had a nice little spicy kick. The sandwiches came with a generous portion of fried plaintains, and these very curious chips that seemed similar to Chinese shrimp chips. This was a big and tasty plate of food.

Next we had the Brioche Cheeseburger ($13) - really, anything you do with brioche is going to taste good. The bread was a great holder for the tasty angus beef patty, Vermont white cheddar, and the bright yuzu sauce. The burger also came with a large serving of homemade pickles (didn't really do anything for us), and a large, but wish-we-had-more, serving of homemade Yukon gold potato chips.

And lastly, we had the Falafel Wrap ($11). The falafel themselves were fine, but there was just so much stuff in the wrap that it took away from the delicate falafel flavor. Tomato, lettuce, olives, pickled radishes, tahini, baba ghanouj, tzatziki - too much! BUT, the wrap did come with those heavenly potato chips.

We also ordered two hot teas that are supposed to be "pulled teas prepared tableside" - yeah, not so sure about that. Not only did the tea not arrive early (it came after we had our entrees, so really no time for the tea to cool enough to drink it with the meal), but there was no tableside service. The teas came in these really hot metal containers and poured into glass mugs without handles. Overall very awkward, but the Spiced Chai Assam ($4) was tasty, and the Gen Mai Cha ($3) was okay.

The food came out quickly - their kitchen must run really well. Our server was very nice, and got our order correct, but the slowness on beverages and lack of tea show was disappointing.

Cousin Vinny's Cafe, Torrance

Cousin Vinny's Cafe
5148 W. 190th St (in the 99c Store strip)
Torrance, CA 90503
310-542-3300
www.cousinvinnyscafe.com
Plenty of free parking.

Visited: A couple times, most recently, January 2011, Lunch, Dine-in

Well, they're from back east, and they say they got a good Cheese Steak, and boy, they sure do. We really enjoyed our sandwiches, and will definitely be back.

From a south Philly perspective, the original Philly Cheese Steak ($8.50) was very nicely done. The hoagie roll is soft and toasted on the griddle. The meat is plentiful and very tender, and the onions were cooked very nicely. They also use Provolone, which was great, but also have Cheez Whiz for those that prefer orange cheese.

They also claim to have the best French Dip ($8.50) around, well, not so much. It's a very fine sandwich with that nice bread and meat, however being from LA, nothing tops Philippe's. And my longstanding pet peeve, they used the term 'au jus' incorrectly on the menu.

The Meatball Sub ($8.50) made with their homemeade meatballs and marinara was also very tasty. Good bread is such a key, and their hoagie roll holds up well to the sauce and melted mozzarella.

All sandwiches come with a huge portion of crinkle cut fries or macaroni salad, and a pickle spear.

Vinny's is a new business, so watch out for coupons in area mailers.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Yellow Vase, Palos Verdes

Yellow Vase Café and Bakery
51 Malaga Cove Plaza
Palos Verdes Estates
310-378-0013
www.yellow-vase.com
Located in the hidden corner of the Plaza, to the right when you're facing Poseiden.
Plenty of free parking, just note whether you're in a 1 hour or a 2 hour space

Also:
1805 S. Catalina, Redondo Beach, 310-373-0013 (street parking; does not have a large room for events; is next to their flower shop)
810 Silver Spur Road, 310-541-0013 (plenty of parking; does not have a large room for events; has a very nice patio)

Visited: January 2011, Lunch, Dine-in

All locations are lovely with both indoor and outdoor seating, but the one in Malaga Cove is the cutest! They also have a private room that you can use for parties of 20 or more.

This review is for the Cafe side of the house. They have a lovely menu of breakfast favorites, crepes, omelettes, salads, soups, paninis (grilled or deli style, your choice), and other Home Specials.

Today we tried the Tomato Bisque Soup ($5), and very much enjoyed it. It's quite tomatoey with a light creaminess, and light on any other seasoning. It's served with 2 slices of baguette and 2 slices of seasoned crostini. This is a very filling bowl of soup.

The Quiches du Jour ($9) were Quiche Lorraine and a Vegetable Quiche. Sadly, they were already out of the Lorraine (by noon?) so we got the Vegetable. It was very good. It was hot, and the filling was well cooked and the crust was just flaky enough. There were lots of vegetables, and you could taste the freshness of the spinach and mushrooms. It also came with a small mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and two cute litte cornichons. A very filling meal.

And we tried the intriguing Olivieh Sandwich ($9). A chicken salad mixed with potatoes, pickles, eggs, and supposedly green peas (but we didn't find any) with lettuce and tomato on a baguette. You also have your choice of having it grilled panini-stytle, but we chose as is, or deli-style. The sandwich also came with mixed greens and their vinaigrette. The chicken salad mix was good, but needed just a little more seasoning. But the bread was outstanding. It really made the sandwich. Also, this is a very large sandwich, easily big enough to share.

The restaurant is partially self serve. You order at the counter, and take with you your beverages and pastries. Your food is delivered to your table of your own choosing. Now, taking your own drink to your table is normally fine, but it can really awkward if you've ordered a Large Hot Mocha ($3.80) (in a really large mug with saucer) or if you've ordered Hot Tea (2.25) - carrying your pot full of hot water and cup with saucer while trying to figure out where to sit is very cumbersome. A simple tray would have been nice.

We have tried a few of their bakery items in the past, and their adorable macaroons are also very flavorful - we've had Chocolate, Coffee and Passion Fruit flavors. We tried a Milk Chocolate Cupcake, and that was quite tasty too.

I'm already planning to go back with friends. A lovely place to relax and have a good meal.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

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.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Sonny's Famous Steak Hogies, Hollywood, FL

Sonny's Famous Steak Hogies
1857 N. 66th Ave
Hollywood, FL 33024
954-989-0561
www.sonnysfamoussteakhogies.com
Casual; take-out, order from the counter; eat in, table service.
Plenty of free parking out front and on the street.
Cash only.

Visited: March 2010, Dinner, Dine-in


As seen on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives with Guy Fieri, this fun little sandwich shop has great Steak Hogies, akin to Philly Cheesesteaks, and everyone working there was really nice. They've been around since 1958 - they must be doing something right!

We had the #90: Steak Hogie, Plain with Fried Onions ($5.45) plus the recommended Provolone ($0.50), although Mozzarella and American are available. The Sauce was also recommended, so we got a dish on the side. It's a homemade marinara style sauce, which did add a nice kick. So really, this sandwich became a #50: Steak Hogie, Sauce and Fried Onions ($5.45) with Provolone. A very satisfying sandwich that hit the spot for dinner.

We also had a #90 with Provolone, Green Peppers ($0.50) (cooked, but not well cooked as I prefer), and I would have ordered the mushrooms, except that I read reviews online that these were canned mushrooms, and I'm not a fan of those on sandwiches. No sauce. Again, a very satisfying sandwich.

We noticed other folks ordering the pizza, pasta and other hot and cold hogies, and then the smell of buttery garlic entered the small dining area. We couldn't resist, and got an order of Garlic Rolls ($2.90) that are only served in the evenings. These tender bread morsels are coated in butter and minced garlic and herbs - YUM!

Sonny's is definitely going to stay on our list the next time we're in the Ft Lauderdale / Miami area.

Dave's Chillin-n-Grillin, Eagle Rock, CA

Dave's Chillin-n-Grillin
2152 Colorado Blvd
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
323-490-0988
http://www.daveschillin.com/
Casual; order at the counter, and the food is brought to you. Very small with indoor and a couple outdoor tables.
Some parking on the street, and a public metered lot in back (use the back entrance).
Cash only.

Visited: May 2010, Lunch, Dine-in


Dave's is known for their sandwiches and smoothies. We decided to try their most famous and talked about sandwiches.

The 10" Hot Sub Meatball Sandwich ($9.50) with everything - onions, pepper spread, cheese and sauce. The bread was great - crusty and chewy. But there wasn't enough sauce, and the meatballs weren't strong enough to hold their own. What does make the sandwich is the amazing 'pepper spread.'

And the Tuna Melt ($7.00) with everything - pepper spread and tomatoes. I had read rave reviews about the tuna melt and how it was this amazing sandwich. I have to say that yes, I thought the sandwich was quite good. However, my ideal tuna sandwich is made with tomatoes and pepper jack cheese, and this tuna melt just tasted like my normal tuna sandwich that I make for myself. I'm guessing that no one else thought to make their sandwich with pepper jack before, so this was an 'amazing find.' I would order it again, after all, it has my fave tuna sandwich flavor profile.

We chatted with Dave for a moment about the pepper spread - which is really what makes their sandwiches so amazing. He originally developed it for the Italian Cold Sub, but the spread was so popular that he started adding it the others. It's a lovely pink-orange colored spread based on red bell peppers. Again, this is something else that is also my in recipe repertoire, but I guess for most folks, it's 'fancy' and 'new.'

While we enjoyed our sandwiches and the staff were really nice, the service was really really really slow, and we weren't even there at lunch rush.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Suzy's Bar and Grill, Hermosa Beach, CA

Suzy's Bar and Grill
1141 Aviation Blvd, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
310-379-6171
At the corner of Prospect in the Big Lots strip mall. Plenty of parking.
Casual.

Visited: Numerous times; Dinner, dine-in
Most recently: June 2010


Suzy's has entertainment most evenings - live music or Team Trivia (on Wednesdays), and they also have pretty good food including traditional bar food like Wings or Chicken Tenders (spicy, bbq or teriyaki), Nachos (plain, Steak or Chicken), and Mozzarella Sticks.

The Quesadillas are also good - choice of Cheese, Veggie or Steak, and comes with the house salsa. Even their Chips and Salsa are worth trying - a great homemade peppery salsa that you can't find anywhere else.

Their Double Dubiak Burger is exceptional. The grilled beef patties have so much flavor, it's amazing. You can order as is, or add onions. The burger comes with chips, but you can choose to add fries or onion rings.

The Fries or thick panko-covered Onion Rings are often a little pale for our liking, so we usually order then well done. However, the Sweet Potato Fries come out just right.

The BBQ Chicken Wrap is also a tasty option. Grilled chicken, bbq sauce, bacon, and tomato wrapped in a toasted tortilla. Very tasty. Comes with chips.

We also like the Beef Stroganoff - a more garlicky version than you'll usually find elsewhere. It's made with rigatoni, mushrooms, tri tip and grilled garlic bread.

The Vodka Rigatoni is also very satisfying - comes with chicken or meatless, and served with garlic bread. It's a pleasant pink sauce -not too tomatoey, not too creamy.

Also tasty is the Benny Burger. A burger with Swiss cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce and 1000 island on grilled sourdough. Served with chips.

They also have a variety of Philly Cheesesteaks with your choice of toppings. Wyatt's Works is a favorite - loaded with peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheese. We sometimes order with extra cheese. Sometimes the bread can be a little too fluffy for my preference, but it still tastes good.

The Fettucine Alfredo is actually served with linguine but is still very tasty. The sauce is lightly creamy, very garlicky, and has mushrooms. Choice of beautiful shrimp or chicken breast.

Not on the menu but a frequent special are the BBQ Ribs served with fries and a side salad. The ribs are very tender, and have a nice grilled smoky flavor.

The Tortilla Soup comes with chicken, rice, veggies, and topped with avocado slices. The soup is very tasty and has a bit of a spicy kick. Very satisfying.

There are even more items on the menu, and most are pretty good.

Note: beer and wine only, no hard alcohol.

If you're a regular, the bartenders/servers really get to know you and your order. Nice and friendly.

Charlie's Bar-B-Q, Dania Beach, FL

Charlie's Bar-B-Q
1302 S. Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, Fl 33004
954-924-0109
Plenty of parking behind the restaurant, also has a drive-through.
Dania Beach is in the greater Fort Lauderdale/Miami area.
Casual. Order and pick up at the counter.

Visited: Lunch, Dine-in
Most recently: March 2009

Charlie's Bar-B-Q is very tasty, and quite the value. Charlie, himself, is quite the character.

The Texas-style bbq is very good. The Beef Brisket Sandwich and the Pulled Pork Sandwich were on super tender rolls, and the meat was fork-tender, and the sweet bbq sauce, beans and potato salad were excellent.

When we head back to this area, we're going to stop by again.