I hate creamy sauces. I just do. But this isn't some sort indiscriminate kind of loathing-- I hate the texture, the look, and based on all the cream sauces I've tried, I hate the taste too.
So to find out that Joan's Vinaigrette is more of a creamy sauce is disappointing. It was even more disappointing finding this out after my food arrived. I ordered the Tarragon Chicken Sandwich (baby greens, tomatoes, chicken, and the vinaigrette). I could definitely taste the tarragon (which was good), and the bread was great, but the sauce? Yea... not so much. The whole meal looked to be a disappointment (in spite of the great company), but then, we discovered a little thing called dessert. And Joan's on Third knows how to do dessert.
We decided to mix it up and order three different desserts (one chocolate dessert, one fruit dessert, and one "outlier"). I went with the rustic apple pie. Once I saw it, I fell in love. It had a thick, crispy crust that enveloped the apples in the center. I looked amazing. But when I asked to get it warmed up, the workers accidentally burned it. In spite of that, the pie still tasted amazing. The apples were warm and a little sweet (maybe a little tart?), there was a perfect amount of cinammon, and the crust was perfect (when not burned).
Aegean ordered some sort of fruit tart. It had an assortment of berries, and was delicious-- just the perfect combo of sweet and tart (word of the day?). Elained ordered the old-fashioned chocolate cake. The chocolate icing was so rich and the cake was moist and perfect.
The staff there is amazing. To make up for the burnt pie, they let me get whatever dessert I wanted, then proceeded to pile on more. I picked up the Clouds cupcake, a chocolate cookie, and something I believe was called "Chocolate dream" (it basically looked like a brownie bite. The Cloud was a chocolate cupcake topped with merengue in an our chocolate shell. The merengue was so airy... like a cloud (get it?!), and the cupcake was very good (also moist!). The cookie was more like a brownie in the form of a cookie, but it was perfect in every way. The chocolate dream, however, wasn't very dreamy. The chocolate was too bitter, and the whole thing was dry. It was a let down. But it was all freeeee!
I'll give Joan's on Third a second chance in the lunch department (both Aegean and Elaine were satisfied with what they ordered, so I can't be too quick to judge). But I'll definitely go for dessert.
{Grainy cell phone pics shortly?}
Joan's on Third (Warning! Website has annoying music! Can't turn off!)
8350 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Quick show of "hands": who thinks my posts here are too long?
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Dessert @ Simon|LA
Let's start with the basics: SimonLA is located in the newly renovated Sofitel(LA) on Beverly Blvd. across from the eponymous Beverly Center.
And now the meat of the matter.
We went to Simon to try their signature dish-- the Junk Food Sampler. At $25, it's not a dessert meant to be sampled by just one person. Nor could you without dying.
What you get varies slightly-- In other words, I didn't get what was in this picture. We got: cotton candy, the rice krispies, two cupcakes, two "snowballs", a vanilla milk shake, a fair size of caramel corn, a bag with three cookies inside, and a scoop of sorbet (which seemed out of place on a junk food platter and dangerously approaching the "moderately healthy" category).
Like memories of my childhood, nothing stood out. Everything was good-- and a reasonable facsimile of the real thing-- but the novelty wore thin fairly quickly, even though we only ordered three to split with ten people.
We tried other desserts too-- some strange avocado-chocolate puddingish thing that actually tasted pretty good and a banana-caramel chocolate cake that also scores high marks for taste but was, ultimately, lost in my desensitized taste buds.
Do what Simon says and go try it once, if that's your thing.
And now the meat of the matter.
We went to Simon to try their signature dish-- the Junk Food Sampler. At $25, it's not a dessert meant to be sampled by just one person. Nor could you without dying.
What you get varies slightly-- In other words, I didn't get what was in this picture. We got: cotton candy, the rice krispies, two cupcakes, two "snowballs", a vanilla milk shake, a fair size of caramel corn, a bag with three cookies inside, and a scoop of sorbet (which seemed out of place on a junk food platter and dangerously approaching the "moderately healthy" category).
Like memories of my childhood, nothing stood out. Everything was good-- and a reasonable facsimile of the real thing-- but the novelty wore thin fairly quickly, even though we only ordered three to split with ten people.
We tried other desserts too-- some strange avocado-chocolate puddingish thing that actually tasted pretty good and a banana-caramel chocolate cake that also scores high marks for taste but was, ultimately, lost in my desensitized taste buds.
Do what Simon says and go try it once, if that's your thing.
Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen
Inspired by Surafel single-handedly breathing new life into the food blog, I'm going to probably write 2-3 entries today. Alas, my long-in-the-works Happy Hour Round-Up isn't quite ready for the big leagues.
Last night I went out to Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen, encouraged by the promising review from the LA Times and the yuppy-sounding name (the Prius felt right at home).
But I won't be returning.
Let's start with the name. The restaurant, located at 1119 Wilshire Blvd, overlooks a strip mall with nary a canyon-- or any rust, thank God-- in sight. I'm all for idealistic names, but you have to have the theming to go with it-- just ask Disney's California Adventure (or... don't).
Walking in the restaurant, I hadn't felt that conflicted since I found out The O.C. was finally ending (once it got good again, but before I could get bad again). The decor is pretty nice and mellow-- some would say stark. But the acoustics are awful-- it might have been the loudest restaurant I've ever eaten at, and whole "communal table" idea pushed things over the edge, to the point where I felt like I had to yell at my dining partner to carry a conversation.
The food was good but overpriced. In all, a glass of wine cost about $10 dollars, bringing the total meal cost to over $50 for just one person (no appetizer-- just drink, meal and dessert). I had the chicken-- and while the chicken was perfect, the strange cabbage and risotto combo underneath added some interesting flavors. Still, good chicken. But nothing truly daring or remarkable.
The money would have been better spent at a therapy session-- at my personal favorite, the Rustic Canyon Whine Bar and Seasonal Bitchin' (that's the obligatory pun, admittedly weak, for this entry).
Overall: Don't go.
(to other food bloggers here: since we all know Jane has the market cornered on super-detailed numeric rating systems, how's about we go for a simpler "go/don't go" standard rating system?)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Ami Sushi
{I feel like I'm taking over the blog. Someone please eat something! Just because Nicole Ritchie is skin and bones doesn't mean it's the cool thing to do... although I must admit, exposed clavicles are hot.}
I visited the uber trendy looking Ami Sushi restaurant in Westwood. I was lured in by the menu, only to have my spirits crushed by the bad food, awkward ambience, and poor service.
The interior epitomizes the modern Asian decor that's apparently all the rage nowadays-- dark colors, leather, bamboo, crazy compartment plates (no joke), etc. It was all meant for an intimate setting, but the extremely high ceiling made it seem as if you were eating at some dance club and not a restaurant; it sucked the life out of the room. On top of that, you had gigantic artistic photographs of Buddha statues (I think), next to a giant projection TV showing ESPN. And they played Green Day, Sean Paul, and Beyonce as background music. Everything clashed; I was confused.
As for the food, we went with the 3-piece combo plate, and picked the salmon steak, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and spicy tuna rolls as the 3 entrees. The spicy tuna rolls came out first. In spite of the spicy-ness, the tuna was particularly bland, and had a strange, "mushy" texture. Even with soy sauce, the rolls were disappointing. The salmon steak (grilled salmon covered in teriyaki sauce) was slightly better, although it was not something to rave about. While the salmon was certainly moist, the teriyaki sauce seemed to be a secondary addition, just plopped on at the end (ie. the salmon wasn't "infused" with the teriyaki juices). I was underwhelmed by the salmon overall. As for the tempura, the shrimp was mediocre at best. The "tempura sauce" was too watery, and failed to add any real flavor to the food. The vegetables were unrecognizable (I think one was a yam), and the different textures (crispy on the outside, really mushy on the inside) was not enjoyable. Worst of all the salmon was near room temperature, and the tempura was cold.
The service wasn't much better. We were bothered numerous times about whether or not we were ready to order (when the menu is closed, we're ready! argh!). When I asked for a lemonade refill, the woman said "No, is not possible" (I'm not sure if she meant I had to pay, or that I couldn't get a refill; it was really awkward). The waitress also forgot to bring me water after I asked her to.
Overall, the restaurant was a disappointment in every conceivable way.
(You know where it is)
I visited the uber trendy looking Ami Sushi restaurant in Westwood. I was lured in by the menu, only to have my spirits crushed by the bad food, awkward ambience, and poor service.
The interior epitomizes the modern Asian decor that's apparently all the rage nowadays-- dark colors, leather, bamboo, crazy compartment plates (no joke), etc. It was all meant for an intimate setting, but the extremely high ceiling made it seem as if you were eating at some dance club and not a restaurant; it sucked the life out of the room. On top of that, you had gigantic artistic photographs of Buddha statues (I think), next to a giant projection TV showing ESPN. And they played Green Day, Sean Paul, and Beyonce as background music. Everything clashed; I was confused.
As for the food, we went with the 3-piece combo plate, and picked the salmon steak, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and spicy tuna rolls as the 3 entrees. The spicy tuna rolls came out first. In spite of the spicy-ness, the tuna was particularly bland, and had a strange, "mushy" texture. Even with soy sauce, the rolls were disappointing. The salmon steak (grilled salmon covered in teriyaki sauce) was slightly better, although it was not something to rave about. While the salmon was certainly moist, the teriyaki sauce seemed to be a secondary addition, just plopped on at the end (ie. the salmon wasn't "infused" with the teriyaki juices). I was underwhelmed by the salmon overall. As for the tempura, the shrimp was mediocre at best. The "tempura sauce" was too watery, and failed to add any real flavor to the food. The vegetables were unrecognizable (I think one was a yam), and the different textures (crispy on the outside, really mushy on the inside) was not enjoyable. Worst of all the salmon was near room temperature, and the tempura was cold.
The service wasn't much better. We were bothered numerous times about whether or not we were ready to order (when the menu is closed, we're ready! argh!). When I asked for a lemonade refill, the woman said "No, is not possible" (I'm not sure if she meant I had to pay, or that I couldn't get a refill; it was really awkward). The waitress also forgot to bring me water after I asked her to.
Overall, the restaurant was a disappointment in every conceivable way.
(You know where it is)
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The Good...
I went up to San Francisco this weekend, and filled myself up with some amazing food (including delicious homemade pancakes care of Jason and Kayvan). But this is blog is all about restaurants, so let's do it to it...
The first was Indian Oven, in the Lower Haight district. This non-descript restaurant had quite the wait outside (nearly 30 minutes), but was well worth it. The restaurant had a very homey feel to it. It was very intimate, the perfect place for a nice, relaxing dinner with friends.
This being a special occasion (no idea why though), we decided to go all out, ordering wine and an appetizer. While going to the restroom, I noticed an amazing appetizer dish ("assorted appetizers") on another patron's table, so we ordered it ourselves. It consisted of a samosa, vegetable pakora (spinach, onion, and potato dipped in a chick pea batter), and papadum (a sun-dried lentil wafer). The samosa was rather tasty, with just the right amount of kick to it that was a great complement to the amazingly sweet mango chutney. The pakora tasted like onion rings for the most part-- it was hard to really tell what you were eating-- but was satiating nonetheless. The papadum was a bit plain, until you added the mango chutney, becoming an outstanding combo.
I went with the dal (assorted lentils delicately spiced with sauteed ginger and garlic) for my main course (it was more than enough with the rice and garlic naan). I'm used to eating Ethiopian food, so I was very familiar with the dal (which is almost identical to some Ethiopian lentil dishes). The dal had a subtle (re: plain) taste, but was meant to be eaten with the naan (which was perfectly garlicky). Together, I couldn't get enough of them. The rice was flavorful by itself, needing nothing to kick it up a notch. Like I said, I ordered wine, a Riesling, Yalumba "Y" series (a white wine), that was sweet, with a slight apple taste to it, which went well with the mildly spicy dal.
I didn't try much else, because I had enough to deal with myself (waaaay to much dal), but it was definitely a satisfying meal. My fellow diners were also satisfied. And the fact that there were a few Indians enjoying the restaurant as well made me think that it was pretty authentic Indian food.
Indian Oven proved to be a great find in the city.
Indian Oven
233 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
I also had the opportunity to go to the greatest food court in the world... found in a mall (because that's usually where food courts are). The mall (the Westfield San Francisco Centre), only a couple blocks from Union Square, is your typical high-end fashion mall (much like the Beverly Center here). Except, the luxury of the Beverly Center stops just before the food court. At the San Francisco Centre, the food court is an extension of the kind of luxury you can find at the nearby Bloomingdales (i.e. no Fat Burger, Sbarro, or McDonald's, de rigueur at most mall food courts). Food is served on white plates (similar to the presentation plates ubiquitous on the Food Network), alongside silverware. Soda can be served in a glass, and most restaurants (?) offer beer and wine.
After debating between Japanese food (the tempura platter was rather enticing), Korean food (the smell of Korean BBQ was tempting), and a steakhouse, I went with the steakhouse, the Buckhorn Grill, because I saw three people with Roadhouse Onions-- I'm a sucker for high end (-ish) onion rings.
I went with the Little Buck Sandwich (the perfect size), the side of Roadhouse Onions, and a soda. The meat was amazing-- it was so flavorful, juicy, and rather tender. I couldn't get enough of the carmelized onions either. For a rather simple sandwich (just tri-tip and onions on a french roll), it was bursting with flavor. It was the perfect choice. The Roadhouse Onions were what I expected-- fried deliciousness (is that a word? because it is now). With a little ketchup, it was a great side dish. Not nearly as oily as most onion rings, it didn't seem too unhealthy (although they give you so much, it still probably is). Getting all this, in a food court, at a mall, for only $8?! That's pretty insane.
...Apparently the redesigned Century City Mall has a similar food court (with a few of the same choices). It may be worth a gander.
Westfield San Francisco Centre
865 Market St.
San Francisco CA 94103
The first was Indian Oven, in the Lower Haight district. This non-descript restaurant had quite the wait outside (nearly 30 minutes), but was well worth it. The restaurant had a very homey feel to it. It was very intimate, the perfect place for a nice, relaxing dinner with friends.
This being a special occasion (no idea why though), we decided to go all out, ordering wine and an appetizer. While going to the restroom, I noticed an amazing appetizer dish ("assorted appetizers") on another patron's table, so we ordered it ourselves. It consisted of a samosa, vegetable pakora (spinach, onion, and potato dipped in a chick pea batter), and papadum (a sun-dried lentil wafer). The samosa was rather tasty, with just the right amount of kick to it that was a great complement to the amazingly sweet mango chutney. The pakora tasted like onion rings for the most part-- it was hard to really tell what you were eating-- but was satiating nonetheless. The papadum was a bit plain, until you added the mango chutney, becoming an outstanding combo.
I went with the dal (assorted lentils delicately spiced with sauteed ginger and garlic) for my main course (it was more than enough with the rice and garlic naan). I'm used to eating Ethiopian food, so I was very familiar with the dal (which is almost identical to some Ethiopian lentil dishes). The dal had a subtle (re: plain) taste, but was meant to be eaten with the naan (which was perfectly garlicky). Together, I couldn't get enough of them. The rice was flavorful by itself, needing nothing to kick it up a notch. Like I said, I ordered wine, a Riesling, Yalumba "Y" series (a white wine), that was sweet, with a slight apple taste to it, which went well with the mildly spicy dal.I didn't try much else, because I had enough to deal with myself (waaaay to much dal), but it was definitely a satisfying meal. My fellow diners were also satisfied. And the fact that there were a few Indians enjoying the restaurant as well made me think that it was pretty authentic Indian food.
Indian Oven proved to be a great find in the city.
Indian Oven
233 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
I also had the opportunity to go to the greatest food court in the world... found in a mall (because that's usually where food courts are). The mall (the Westfield San Francisco Centre), only a couple blocks from Union Square, is your typical high-end fashion mall (much like the Beverly Center here). Except, the luxury of the Beverly Center stops just before the food court. At the San Francisco Centre, the food court is an extension of the kind of luxury you can find at the nearby Bloomingdales (i.e. no Fat Burger, Sbarro, or McDonald's, de rigueur at most mall food courts). Food is served on white plates (similar to the presentation plates ubiquitous on the Food Network), alongside silverware. Soda can be served in a glass, and most restaurants (?) offer beer and wine.After debating between Japanese food (the tempura platter was rather enticing), Korean food (the smell of Korean BBQ was tempting), and a steakhouse, I went with the steakhouse, the Buckhorn Grill, because I saw three people with Roadhouse Onions-- I'm a sucker for high end (-ish) onion rings.
I went with the Little Buck Sandwich (the perfect size), the side of Roadhouse Onions, and a soda. The meat was amazing-- it was so flavorful, juicy, and rather tender. I couldn't get enough of the carmelized onions either. For a rather simple sandwich (just tri-tip and onions on a french roll), it was bursting with flavor. It was the perfect choice. The Roadhouse Onions were what I expected-- fried deliciousness (is that a word? because it is now). With a little ketchup, it was a great side dish. Not nearly as oily as most onion rings, it didn't seem too unhealthy (although they give you so much, it still probably is). Getting all this, in a food court, at a mall, for only $8?! That's pretty insane.
...Apparently the redesigned Century City Mall has a similar food court (with a few of the same choices). It may be worth a gander.
Westfield San Francisco Centre
865 Market St.
San Francisco CA 94103
...and the Bad
I came back to LA, and ate at another great restaurant, the Beachcomber Cafe in Crystal Cove/Laguna Beach-- it's right on the water, creating a beautiful environment. And they had the most amazing seared ahi tuna, and the juiciest, softest, salmon I've ever had (both delicious even without the savory Asian dressing). They have great service, and even give you blankets so you can stay warm while you eat. It's hidden from PCH, creating a welcomed sense of (tropical) isolation from the city. So the week to this point (Friday), had been pretty delicious. Then came La Dijonaise Cafe. Oh how I loathe thee...
First, a little bit about the menu. This is a moderately priced restaurant (the most expensive entree is $16-- this isn't even Cheesecake Factory expensive). It's also a relatively laid back environment (trendy yuppies mixing it up with the untrendy elderly, etc. etc.). And yet, the menu items are all in French (with English descriptions). What type of bourgeois/snobbish/pretentious kind of place is this?! Either jack up the prices and go all out with the pretentiousness or, give it up. You can't have it both ways! (The restaurant didn't even feel French!)
And now the food: It would probably be better if we didn't talk about it. I ordered the shrimp scampi, which was served with a lemon and garlic sauce. I went with french fries and vegetables, because I didn't want rice. The food came out, and I was already disappointed. There were five pieces of shrimp. And while I was expecting some sort of creamy sauce, I got watery sauce instead. The shrimp was satisfactory, nothing special, nothing I couldn't make at home (although I guess it wasn't necessarily an inventive/risky choice... but nothing else on the menu really jumped out at me). The vegetables (green beans and carrots) were bland... even with salt and pepper. The french fries were the one bright spot. But the "sauce" from the shrimp drenched most of the fries, leaving them soggy (the few that survived unscathed were crisp and delicious). I could only eat the fries with ketchup (to mask the sogginess-- don't try to rationalize this) and a fork (probably the first time I've ever eaten fries with a fork). The fact that this was all $14 made it even more of a disappointment.
I also ordered dessert, a chocolate brownie, for a reasonable $1.50. It was a horrible dessert. You'd think it would be pretty hard to mess up a simple chocolate brownie, but not for them. It was moist, but lacked any real chocolate flavor. It was as if no real chocolate had been added, but instead, the brownie was sprayed with chocolate mist, giving the slightest hint of chocolate with nothing really there to back it up. There was no bittersweet chocolate taste I've come to know and love. It did taste like something familiar, but I still don't know what it was (it's not something "good-familiar" either). A major let-down.
Oh, and the fact that cleaning a table involved sweeping the crumbs off the table and onto the floor, was irritating too. There were pieces of lettuce underneath several tables. That's just wrong.
...I'm pretty sure "dijonaise" is French for "disappointment." ... It's not? Well who cares what the surrender-happy French say. I'm an American. If I want to change the translation of one of their words, then I have every right to. They still owe us for all those World Wars.
{I won't even tell you where this place is.}
First, a little bit about the menu. This is a moderately priced restaurant (the most expensive entree is $16-- this isn't even Cheesecake Factory expensive). It's also a relatively laid back environment (trendy yuppies mixing it up with the untrendy elderly, etc. etc.). And yet, the menu items are all in French (with English descriptions). What type of bourgeois/snobbish/pretentious kind of place is this?! Either jack up the prices and go all out with the pretentiousness or, give it up. You can't have it both ways! (The restaurant didn't even feel French!)
And now the food: It would probably be better if we didn't talk about it. I ordered the shrimp scampi, which was served with a lemon and garlic sauce. I went with french fries and vegetables, because I didn't want rice. The food came out, and I was already disappointed. There were five pieces of shrimp. And while I was expecting some sort of creamy sauce, I got watery sauce instead. The shrimp was satisfactory, nothing special, nothing I couldn't make at home (although I guess it wasn't necessarily an inventive/risky choice... but nothing else on the menu really jumped out at me). The vegetables (green beans and carrots) were bland... even with salt and pepper. The french fries were the one bright spot. But the "sauce" from the shrimp drenched most of the fries, leaving them soggy (the few that survived unscathed were crisp and delicious). I could only eat the fries with ketchup (to mask the sogginess-- don't try to rationalize this) and a fork (probably the first time I've ever eaten fries with a fork). The fact that this was all $14 made it even more of a disappointment.
I also ordered dessert, a chocolate brownie, for a reasonable $1.50. It was a horrible dessert. You'd think it would be pretty hard to mess up a simple chocolate brownie, but not for them. It was moist, but lacked any real chocolate flavor. It was as if no real chocolate had been added, but instead, the brownie was sprayed with chocolate mist, giving the slightest hint of chocolate with nothing really there to back it up. There was no bittersweet chocolate taste I've come to know and love. It did taste like something familiar, but I still don't know what it was (it's not something "good-familiar" either). A major let-down.
Oh, and the fact that cleaning a table involved sweeping the crumbs off the table and onto the floor, was irritating too. There were pieces of lettuce underneath several tables. That's just wrong.
...I'm pretty sure "dijonaise" is French for "disappointment." ... It's not? Well who cares what the surrender-happy French say. I'm an American. If I want to change the translation of one of their words, then I have every right to. They still owe us for all those World Wars.
{I won't even tell you where this place is.}
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken
{Ok, I'm new to this, and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, and I ate at this place weeks ago, but I'm gonna post anyways, because that's how I roll...}
Situated in the heart of downtown Culver City, just minutes away from the douche bags at Sony, and surrounded by trendy restaurants and bars (and a Cold Stone) sits Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken. The place is first and foremost a fast food restaurant, so don't expect much in terms of atmosphere. This isn't one of those hoity-toity, uber-trendy Westside restaurants (although it does have cool plasma TVs showing sports/the news).
It's pretty simple, you order at the counter then wait for your food. The wait to get your food is manageable (although it seemed like days until I got my food, probably because I was starving, and had a hankerin' for fried chicken). I ordered a 2 piece lunch meal, which comes with a side of fries and a biscuit (I avoided the side of pickles). So far, it's your typical fried chicken fast food joint, like KFC or Louisiana's Fried Chicken. But the similarities end there.
The fried chicken is amazing. The skin is just the right kind of crispy (with that slight aftertaste of "Oh God, this is definitely not healthy"), and if I remember correctly, a little sweet too. By far, the skin was much better than anything you could get at KFC or LFC. The meat (I ordered chicken breast, but you can also get two legs, or two thighs, etc.) was tender and juicy. The biscuit, although a little salty, was also very tasty (slightly crispy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside). The fries (I think you'd call them steak fries) were pretty good too. I also ordered a lemonade, which was just the right combo of sour and sweet (a little more of the former over the latter, just how I like it).
For those of you who don't like fried chicken (?!), they have a pretty extensive menu, and have pretty appetizing desserts, although after all that food (plus the lemonade), I definitely didn't have room for dessert.
Good eating overall. I was happy.
- Surf
Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken
9537 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, Ca. 90232
{There's also a location in Compton, just minutes from my house, if you wanna come visit me}
Situated in the heart of downtown Culver City, just minutes away from the douche bags at Sony, and surrounded by trendy restaurants and bars (and a Cold Stone) sits Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken. The place is first and foremost a fast food restaurant, so don't expect much in terms of atmosphere. This isn't one of those hoity-toity, uber-trendy Westside restaurants (although it does have cool plasma TVs showing sports/the news).
It's pretty simple, you order at the counter then wait for your food. The wait to get your food is manageable (although it seemed like days until I got my food, probably because I was starving, and had a hankerin' for fried chicken). I ordered a 2 piece lunch meal, which comes with a side of fries and a biscuit (I avoided the side of pickles). So far, it's your typical fried chicken fast food joint, like KFC or Louisiana's Fried Chicken. But the similarities end there.
The fried chicken is amazing. The skin is just the right kind of crispy (with that slight aftertaste of "Oh God, this is definitely not healthy"), and if I remember correctly, a little sweet too. By far, the skin was much better than anything you could get at KFC or LFC. The meat (I ordered chicken breast, but you can also get two legs, or two thighs, etc.) was tender and juicy. The biscuit, although a little salty, was also very tasty (slightly crispy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside). The fries (I think you'd call them steak fries) were pretty good too. I also ordered a lemonade, which was just the right combo of sour and sweet (a little more of the former over the latter, just how I like it).
For those of you who don't like fried chicken (?!), they have a pretty extensive menu, and have pretty appetizing desserts, although after all that food (plus the lemonade), I definitely didn't have room for dessert.
Good eating overall. I was happy.
- Surf
Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken
9537 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, Ca. 90232
{There's also a location in Compton, just minutes from my house, if you wanna come visit me}
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