Tom Sawyer Diner

This is a restaurant you'll probably never visit, and you have no reason to, even if you're desperately hungry at the wee hours of the night in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

And, honestly, I wouldn't write about it here, except that, in all honesty, I feel like things have gotten a bit too serious over at ZagatWho as of late. Gone are the funny pictures, and the witty comparisons of our food to some long-forgotten childhood memories, replaced with-- surprisingly enough-- real writing about restaurants.

So I invite you to slum it with me as I write an entry about a restaurant entirely undeserving of one.

The theming of the Tom Sawyer Diner ends at the name-- there is no other mention of Tom Sawyer, a whitewashed fence, or Mark Twain anywhere in the establishment. It's sort of like the Cheesecake Factory in that way, except they actually serve cheesecake (albeit not in a factory-like environment). This is also where comparisons to the Cheesecake Factory end.

I admire their honesty-- the ubiquitous diner dessert glass case did feature desserts, but the staff had chosen not to remove their tell-tale price tags and wrappings, betraying any notion of a home-cooked pie. Store bought through-and-through.

The food was less than unremarkable-- it was hardly edible (if CitySearch rated in Harrisburg, this place would get a negative score). Virginia mentioned that her tuna melt "smelled like death" and the beef gravy atop Andrew's meatloaf tasted like it was probably distilled from the sweat of the eponymous singer-songwriter. My open-faced turkey sandwich featured turkey meat older than the Berlin Wall, with the consistency of Butterball sandwich meat (pressed turkey product, I suppose). The baked mac and cheese looked like coffee cake and tasted like nothing.

And the service. It started out nicely enough, but quickly took a nosedive. I sort of blame myself for this-- why, Ravi, must you be so picky? After she dropped off our plates, I kept eyeing her suspiciously (not out of lust-- she was, as Virginia pointed out using an Arrested Development reference oft repeated throughout the trip, a bit of a "shemale"). She eventually cut herself on something at the bar, but continued to serve food with an open wound on her hand (occasionally sucking the blood out of the wound because, well, that's the sanitary thing to do, right?). I began to count the health code violations in my head, if only so that I wouldn't have to focus on the taste of the horrible food. Eventually, she got a bandage, but it wasn't big enough to cover the wound in my heart. Or the vomit.

Ravi

Rebuttal

In regards to Surafel's last post on Gyu-kaku, I feel that as a Korean-American, I must respond.

Please note however, that I have not been to Gyu-kaku, and the Japanese version of this restaurant style could be different than the Korean. But it sounds pretty close.

The experience of Korean BBQ (galbi house) is one that every true foodie must go through. Yes, you have to cook the meat yourself, but I believe that is part of the charm. Really amazing cuts of meat, marinated to delectable perfection while you have good beer, good side dishes and good conversation. You can control how cooked you want the meat, and it's pretty impossible to ruin it. Also, waitresses walk around to make sure the meats are cooked properly, and help out when needed.

Many of these restaurants also feature coal grills (YOM) which provide a distinctive flavor to the meats. By cooking it yourself at the table, you will be able to eat the meat right when it's ready and hot. Lukewarm BBQ is whack, and anything short of sizzling meat is unacceptable.

Plus, cooking it yourself gives you a feeling of accomplishment. I like to believe that since most Korean people are fairly stubborn and think they do everything right, they like to do things on their own. Especially the men, with that whole, machisimo thing. They don't want no waitresses cookin' their meats for them. I think that's why my family always shoos them away. Or bosses them around. It's the Korean way. (Also note, if you have a rude Korean waitress, you have to be rude back to get the best service. This has been tested time and time again).

So, please don't write off a restaurant because you have to cook the food yourself. You go there BECAUSE it's part of the experience. Kind of like going to an Ethiopian restaurant and eating with your hands (or alternatively, Medieval Times).

Gyu-Kaku

{Forgive me, but I'm gonna try to be philosophical for a moment. I may even go meta on you, although I don't really know what that is. It just sounds intellectual.}

Gyu-Kaku (a Japanese BBQ chain restaurant) seems to challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the purpose of eating out at restaurants. I was always under the assumption that we eat out to experience new foods, new flavors, new settings, etc. It's a chance to get away from the often mundane foods we have at home. And most importantly, it's a chance to avoid having to cook for ourselves. It's this last part that Gyu-Kaku seems to be at odds with most, and it's ultimately the restaurant's fatal flaw.

A quick blurb about the decor, etc.: The atmosphere was strange, to say the least. The restaurant was trying to create a pseudo-Japanese/industrial vibe, but it was a little clunky.

Anyways, onto the food, and the restaurant's fatal flaw: you cook the meal yourself. There is a little fire pit/grill in the center of every table, and you do the cooking. Everything we ordered needed to be cooked at our table (there are a few "pre-made" dishes). I ordered the green onion pancakes as an appetizer, and they were rather tasty. They reminded me of latkes, but with a stronger onion vibe to it. As a table, we ordered the Shrimp Garlic, Salmon Miso, Harami miso, and the Nakaochi Kalbi (miso). The shrimp was pretty good, and the salmon (which was steamed) was tasty as well-- we did a good job cooking these dishes (seafood is easy to cook). As for the beef, I couldn't taste the difference between the two dishes. None of us wanted our meet raw, so we tried our best to cook it pretty well. The sad thing is that we kinda sorta burned many of the pieces, or at least charred them, essentially nuking whatever flavors may have existed. Beef is much harder to cook, and our failure put a damper on the meal.

And that's the problem with Gyu-Kaku. The quality of the meal depended on us, moreso than it normally would at any other restaurant (even if you were to "build" your own meal, like at bld). Even worse was the fact that cooking isn't necessarily a great task to do when you're trying to have a conversation with people. Our table was silent at times as we concentrated on the food (constantly flipping and checking if everything was done). While it was certainly a unique experience, it wasn't necessarily a good one.

We also ordered dessert... s'mores! This was by far the best part of the meal, even if the graham (sp?) crackers were a little stale. It was the first time I made s'mores on an open fire. It was lots of fun.

If you go to Gyu-Kaku and you want good Japanese BBQ, you better be good at cooking beef, because it all rests on your talent. If you go for the above average seafood, and great s'mores, then you'll probably enjoy yourself a little more. C+

Gyu-Kaku
10925 W.Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90064

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}

Diddy Riese Hot Dogs

Working under the assumption that no meal is too trivial to be blogged about, it's time to talk Diddy Dogs (as I now call them).

Problem is, I may never call them by that name again. Indeed, the old Diddy Riese should stick to making cookies, because the hot dog was a little disappointing. Of course, when price gets factored in, I'd probably eat them again-- $1.75 for a hot dog and soda can only be beaten at Costco (but then, what can't be beaten by Costco? Whenever my mom would go to Costco and ask my dad what he wanted, he'd always say: "a new wife," and then she'd get offended and pretend like he hadn't told that joke before, which to me establishes Costco's frequently superior quality-- so much so that my mother would feel threatened by the big box retailer's bride selection).

The main problem with the Diddy Dogs was the way they were served.


Imagine your pre-made hot dog rolled up in a longer version of these puppies (canine imagery galore!). It just isn't right.

Bonus points for having Strawberry Slice on tap, though. You just don't see that kind of dedication to a soda fountain anymore these days.

Next time I'll just stick with the cookies: Cinnamon Sugar, Candy Chocolate, and Chocolate Chip.

-->Ravi

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill

Last quarter, when I dragged my sister all the way to the Grove during rush hour to see an advanced screening of Match Point, only to discover that it was being played in Santa Monica (doh), I saw that there was a Wood Ranch Grill there. Whilst images of meat danced in my head, I promptly proposed a Zagat-Who trip which was enthusiastically received.

After a painfully long five week wait, we finally gathered a ravenous group to trek through Friday night traffic from Westwood to La Brea.

(oh what choices!)

For those of you who don't know (www.woodranchgrill.com), this establishment has epic tri-tip and bbq, even for those people who aren't normally that into red meat. Though they have other menu items, you will probably get the combo meal- 2, 3 or 4 bbq items with two sides. Their bbq items are glazed with their signature bbq sauce and roasted overnight, and include beef ribs, babyback ribs, bbq or fire-roasted chicken (breast or half-chicken) and the tri-tip. I would recommend the tri-tip because that is what they are famous for.

Their sides may cause a problem for the indecisive one, but otherwise are fun to choose from: mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, ranch fries, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, grilled vegetables, baked potato, baked beans, and coleslaw.

Our experience was pretty standard. Because the Grove is normally very crowded on Friday nights, we had to wait about half an hour for a 7-person table. Our food came in a timely manner (not too long but not a short wait), and we were presented with warm and fresh GARLIC BREAD ROLLS THAT MELT IN YOUR MOUTH.

(AHHH DELICIOUS GARLIC ROLLS!)


(Ravi's last moment pre-garlic roll consumption)

But our waitress gave Aiko a virgin raspberry Ranch lemonade (it was supposed to have rum) and they gave Eric the wrong meat (but he liked it, ZING!). But on the up side, they brought him his tri-tip and he got 4 meats for the price of 3. And that my friend, is beating the system.



(Top: Aiko and Cindy, a bit daunted by their entrees?; Bottom: Eric with his ranch fries, sweet potatoes and incorrect meat)


(Count 'em: all four meats)

We all ate and were merry and died of meat overload. This was all concurrent with listening to the worst EZ listening/reject pop (e.g., NSync "Bye Bye Bye"). Be prepared to drop about $30+ if you get the 2 bbq combo and a non-alcoholic drink, but they do validate for parking. Overall, it delivered what I expected it to, so it's an appropriate restaurant when you feel like having some high-quality meat. They have ample portions (my leftovers were a hearty lunch today), but this is definitely a once-in-a-while thing.

Overall: MEATASTIC.



















-k.


Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill
The Grove
189 The Grove Drive Y-80


(Aiko, Cindy and Nish- waiting for food)


(Erica and Eric- the calm before the storm)


(Cindy, Nish and Ravi with their entrees)

Lucille's B-b-ew!

Okay, that does sound harsh, but I don't regret going, and it was pretty tasty.

The lo-down:

Lucille's Barbeque
Del Amo Fashion Center
21420 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90503
310-370-RIBS (7427)

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars, but it's really a borderline deal--where I really would have put 2 and 7/8th stars out of four, but the 2 might throw people off and then no one would come here. But it's not that bad.

We (Saabir + I) were pretty excited to come here since the website and menu looked pretty darn amazing--and upon getting there around 8pm on a Saturday night--after being told we had to wait about 50 minutes (we actually ended up waiting 1hr13minutes)--and seeing GAZILLIONS of very very overweight African-Americans--we thought we hit the jackpot in terms of bbq.

To (tell the) truth, the bbq chicken and any other chicken there--is goddamn amazing! I've never had such soft, tender, and juicy! chicken--EVER. Especially as chicken strips--which tend to be dry and/or not real chicken tasting. If you come here, order the chicken.

The slightly lower rating that I'm giving is mainly due to the immense disappointment in the baby back ribs. It is what Lucille's is supposedly famous for--as well as their 3 different original bbq sauces! But after taking one bite into a sauced rib, I knew I would not be eating any of the others--the meat was dry and not particulary special, and the sauce made me feel sick. Is bbq suace supposed to do that? I mean, I'm not fan of bbq (and sauce) but I know how to enjoy good food. These ribs? Ain't so cool.

We ordered and shared: the $17.99 appetizer platter which came w/ 3 sauces (honey mustard, ranch and some egg roll dipping thing)--and--wait for it:

-fried green tomatoes
-southern chicken w/ corn eggrolls
-chicken strips (AMAZING!!! I will dream about them)
-stuffed jalapenos (I hate jalapenos but I still ate them--the taste was gorgeous. Yes, I can say that)
-two STUFFED quesadillas with caramelized onions, corn salsa, tri tip beef, and loads of cheese
-ONION STRAWS. enough said. (red onions, too!!!)
-buffalo wings!!! mmm. The sauce on them was tasty. What happened, RIBS?

For the main course, we decided to share the dish where you got to choose two different bbq-ed meats and we chose the baby back ribs and the bbq chicken (!!!). We also got garlic mashed potatoes and braised greens as sides. Don't get the braised greens. Not a good idea. All you get are mushy green leafs of some vegetable I have yet to place. I wish we had selected the corn on the cob because everyone else in the restaurant got that and it looked perfect.

Considering we really only just shared a (huge honkin') appetizer and one main dish--there was WAYYY too much food. You also get homemade buttermilk biscuits with apple butter complimentary right before your food comes. And the food came FAST. Like in 5-8 minutes after we ordered it. But that could be due to the crowdedness of the restaurant, and the mad cooks just making loads of everything.

I was really happy with all the food we got, but like I said--Lucille, what happened to your Ribs?!

Oh--and the service--never have I been so ATTENDED to. Literally. I wanted to tell our (2!) servers to STOP interrupting our meal (about 5-6 times) with the same question: "Are you guys doing okay? How's the food?"

It's really unnecessary, but I'll let it slide because it's better to be attended to than not at all.

I recommend this place--because I liked it, and would give it the benefit of the doubt--maybe we just got some bad ribs--something that doesn't usually happen. The decor, music, and little things won me over. Here's why:

-instead of mints, you get tootsie pops! as many as you want! (I really didn't take any, but that's not the point--I saw some obese persons grab handfuls and waddle their way out)
-they give boxes of fancy toothpicks. but i was really hoping for matches instead.
-each drink is HUGE!!! and comes in JARS without the lid, of course. it's so quaint and southernly homey, that it's cute. ALSO! you can take your drink out with you in a huge plastic cup (like almost 64 oz.) with you. I've never heard of that.
-you really get a lot of food (but the prices run a little high, but it's worth it if you love bbq).
-buttermilk biscuits. worth mentioning twice. APPLE BUTTER!!!


So, in finishing my lo-down,

sauces: Original BBQ, Hot & spicy BBQ, and some other reddish one that I didn't catch the name of. If addition to this, they had their own special HOT SAUCE. Saabir loved that all the sauces sat in HUGE container/bottles at the table. You could buy them at the cashier too for your own bbqs.
service: extremely attentive, almost to the point where I want to kill them. I hope this isn't the epitome of Southern Hospitality.
food: pretty damn good, but I'm not in love.
prices: around Cheesecake Factory prices--about $8-9 for appetizers, and for the specialty bbq meats (the main reason you go here)--around $20 (give or take some bucks)
atmosphere: homey, and friendly in a country way. If you have fear of 1) large crowds of African-Americans or 2) REALLY REALLY FAT FAT FAT persons or 3) meat, this place is not for you.


And for those who care, Lucille's did receive the A grade.

I still cannot get over the cute oversized mason jars for glasses. CUTE!

Manna Korean BBQ

Please tell me if someone has already posted about this place... I don't think they have, so I'll continue.

Warning: this place received a C rating, which means Ravi will never enter the establishment. I, on the other hand, found it even more intriguing.

For $14.99, a person can eat as much Korean bbq as humanly possible. The marinated beef was delectable, the thinly sliced beef just right...

All the little dishes you get were yummy, including: jap chae (glass noodles), kimchi, this sweet dried seaweed thing, fish cake, spicy pickled daikon, and ambrosia. Oh, and they had some egg thingy that was delicious too.

There's a sweet tea to end off the gargantuous meal. Nice way to complete it.

Remember to wear clothes you don't mind smelling up a storm. It's definitely pungent for hours after your meal.

Overall--yummy and affordable for Korean bbq.

Manna
3377 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
323.733.8516

The Stand--Your local hot dog eatery

If your local hot dog stand was the Ritz Carlton.

I have only known of maybe a total of three places where I could fulfill my love for phallic shaped meat: a) Pink's b) U-Dog (RIP. you will be forever missed) and c)Josie Maronne's sausages at the Century City Mall. As for Pink's, I refuse to stand in line for thirty minutes for a relatively decent turkey hot dog. I just won't do it. Besides, parking is a bitch enough as it is in LA, I don't need it to be complicated by dodging for spots with hipsters in Volvos. U-Dog went out of business and I only found this out recently, so a single tear goes out for their deliciously spicy veggie hot-dog. And since I'm never in Century City anymore, I have no reason to visit and a hot dog isn't enough for me to make the trip.

So what do I have left now that I am living in Sherman Oaks?



It's a five minute drive from my apartment and they offer one free hour of parking with validation! (*****)

Quaint doesn't even begin to describe The Stand. The exterior brings back nostalgic memories that I've never had of childhoods in North Carolina, sipping lemonade on the front porch, and tire swinging. The interior is small and cozy with a diner feel, but not contrived like Johnny Rockets.



But on with the hot dogs.

I had the "Chicago" turkey dog which consisted of small turkey hot dog (a little thinner than what I'm used to; I'm a fan of girth) encased in a kaiser roll. Piled on top were pickles, onions, tomatoes, mustard, sport peppers, and a raddish whose teal green color should never occur naturally.

Neil had a regular all beef hot dog, piled high with bits of bacon and cheddar cheese. I was disappointed that the cheese was not melted, but I guess it is only a hot dog. We also shared a small side of Macaroni and Cheese (how the hell do I not weigh 500 pounds?).

The Verdict: I would definitely visit again. The atmosphere is lovely. The hot dogs were satisfying and paying a measly $3.95 for a hot dog? Both wallet and appetite are sated.

The Stand
17000 Ventura Boulevard
(Just West of Balboa)
Encino, CA 91316

queen pig

first of all, i'm sad to say that i received ravi's message about the dessert outing after i ran into the lucky five that actually got to go. i damn my poor luck of having class and finding out too late, but i look forward to the post.

i did want to establish in this food blog that i officially declare myself the heavy-weight title of queen pig:
i ate at not one, not two, not three, but four westwood establishments for lunch today. it was all gut-sticking food and completely gratuitous, but i justify it by saying my generous boss likes to dabble in a variety of culinary treats (and paid). however, i was able to drive a gigantic vehicle in lunchtime traffic to four restaurants in under half an hour. a feat for someone who admittedly, can't really drive. i shall rank by fatty's:

chili's: we ordered a chicken ranch sandwich (my personal favorite) and the ground peppercorn burger. the chicken ranch sandwich this time was a bit smooshed, but they had a huge piece of chicken, which is a plus. the peppercorn burger is a tasty selection (but i couldn't eat it as i've given up hamburgers a year ago minus that relapse that we shall not speak of)- it sounds weird because it's supposed to have bleu cheese on it, but i don't think it does. both sandwiches are sans cheese- which is why i usually order them. the fries could've been a bit saltier, but overall- chili's is fattyfatty, but delicious.

ono hawaiian bbq: ok, before today i'd really only ordered ono once before per my roommate's roommate's indirect suggestion. i don't really like their food. in one word, it's too heavy. we ordered the ono family plate which consisted of white rice, macaroni salad, chicken katsu, bbq beef, teriyaki chicken and heart disease. i heard the macaroni salad was good (but it was just too mayonaissey for me). i had some chicken katsu which made me lethargic (as fried food tends to do) and chicken teriyaki (which was surprisingly tender). the bbq beef looked a bit sketchy and i don't really like franchised hawaiian restaurants' takes on korean bbq. overall- fattyfattyfatty and so-so.

california pizza chicken: my boss is a really picky eater and says she only eats those "crazy pizzas" on special occassions. personally, i think 24 dollars for two tiny pizzas is a bit outrageous (dominos 5-5-5 deal!). we ordered some goat cheese (sick) pizza and some chipotle chicken pizza. i didn't try the goat cheese one, but the chipotle one was very spicy. i don't really know how ravi would feel about this one. overall- fatty-lite and too pricey.

tomodachi: i think they overcharge at tomodachi because they're really the only place in westwood to get decent sushi (r.i.p. cowboy sushi, you weren't even a contender). since my boss is a bit picky, we ordered "fake" sushi: tempera salmon roll, tempera tuna roll and some other salmon roll. i ate much of this and the belly was quite filled and content. i wish we got the unagi (mmmmm unagi). overall- fatty-lite and just right.

we also had some noah's bagels for breakfast- i had the cinnamon bagel which was alright but cold. but why is it that no matter which noah's franchise you go to, EVERYONE IS ALWAYS A HUGE DICK? apologies if you work there, but you're probably a jerk.

my boss also made brownies and red velvet cake.
i'm leaving ucla a huge cow.
good thing i'm on a food blog.

cheers,
kathy