Full Moon House

Full Moon House
960 North Hill St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-537-0792

Full Moon House used to be Golden City, and is across the street from Fullhouse Seafood Restaurant, and the now closed Master Chef!  I believe Full Moon House opened in March or April of 2017.  I find it very interesting that Chinatown has three non Chinese restaurants that opened up and seem to be doing really well; Howlin' Ray's, Burger Lords, and Little Jewel of New Orleans, but Chinese restaurants are closing like Golden City and Master Chef!

Anyways, I was recently in Chinatown and I was going to eat at Master Chef.  But, when I walked to their restaurant, it was closed!  Then I noticed Full Moon House and decided to give them a try.  Full Moon House is bright, well lit, big dining space.  From what I remember the decor is basically the same as Golden City.

Starting at 9:30pm they have a late night menu, where certain dishes are discounted a couple dollars.

Sauteed shrimp- $10.95 late night special.  Regular price-$13.95- celery, carrots, and snow peas.  This was good, if a bit greasy.  There were about 8 large sized shrimp that were well cooked.  The veggies were crispy and fresh.  I just think they just too much oil, everything was double covered with oil.

Shrimp chow mein $8.95 late night special. Regular price-$10.95-Pan fried mixed with skinny soft noodles with with onions and bean sprouts.  Other chow mein choices are crispy skinny noodles with gravy, and pan fried mixed with spaghetti lo mein.

The skinny soft noodles aren't my thing.  I much the spaghetti lo mein noodles more.  This dish was ok,  Many of the onions were raw which made for a weird taste.  Some of the noodles were burnt, and some were well cooked.  Weird!  The shrimp, smaller than the sauteed shrimp, weren't that plentiful.  I would order the spaghetti lo mein the next time.

Service is good.  The restaurant was busy when I was there.  But, the servers were nice, and the food came out quickly.

I would go back to Full Moon House to try some of the other dishes.  But, I still miss Master Chef!

Burgerlords-Closed

Burgerlords
943 N Broadway Ste 102
Los Angeles, CA 90012
323-405-4012

Burgerlords was listed in the Top 9 best veggie burgers in LA by Discover LA.  I already tired and loved The Park's veggie burger, so I was looking forward to trying other veggie burgers.  But, when I read that Burgerlords is owned by the sons of the owner of Oinkster, I had some doubts.  Why? About 3-4 years ago I tried the veggie burger at Oinkster and found out it was a veggie patty they bought at a store!!  Not home made!  But, I was near Chinatown and figured I would give them a try.

Located a few feet east of the Bruce Lee statue, Burgerlords is trying to copy In N Out or trying to be the hipster In N Out.  The Chinatown location is a to go place, but there are a few tables.  I don't know who is responsible for cleaning the tables, but they needed a good cleaning.  So much trash on the ground nearby!  You would never see that at In N Out!

Fries, $2.25.  Their website says shoestring private reserve, Kennebec potatoes.  I have a feeling there are frozen.  But, they were cook very well and seasoned.  I liked the fries, and the portion size is huge!

Vegan cheeseburger, $6.50.  At least Burgerlords makes their own veggie patty!  From their website:"made fresh, in house everyday.  It consists of a custom blend of vegetables, grains & spices that includes nuts, gluten & soy. "  I could taste and see barley, roasted mushrooms, eggplant, leeks, chickpeas, and cashews as Discover LA mentioned.  This burger is very dry and flavorless.  I wasn't impressed.  Maybe if there were more of the vegan thousand island dressing.  Hell, maybe just some salt and pepper.  I wasn't impressed and thought the $6.50 price tag is way too high!

Service was fine.  They were nice and the food came out quickly.

But, just as I was finishing my meal, I noticed they put this sign up in the window.  WTF is that?  What business worth a damn does that?  There were three people working.  Unless there is an emergency, then there is no reason to close the restaurant!   There were at least six people waiting while this sign was up.  I don't think this burger is worth the wait!

I wouldn't go back to Burgerlords again!  If douchebag hipsters want to spend $6.50 for a veggie or beef burger, basically 50% higher than a double-double at In N Out be my guest.  I'm not going back to Burgerlords!

Howlin’ Ray’s

Howlin’ Ray’s
727 N Broadway Ste 128
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-935-8399

For three years, from 2014-2016, I have been a pescatarian.  For 2017 I decided I would be a pescatarian for either 1% or 2% of time.  During the three years I didn't eat any meat, Nashville style fried chicken has become the hottest thing in fried chicken.  Howlin' Ray's is located in Chinatown, yes that does sound strange to me too!  The lines can be up to 2 hours long!!  I got to Howlin' Ray's  on a Saturday at about 11:40.  My wait time until I ordered was about 90 minutes.  I have heard that Howlin' Ray's has run out of food, so get there early.  They open on Saturday and Sunday at 11am.

I guess Nashville style fried chicken is adding a ton of spices to fried chicken.  At Howlin' Ray's they fry the chicken and then dip it in butter, then add the spice.

Whole chicken- half mild and half medium spice,  $28.

Rowlin' Ray's uses very good quality chicken.  The skin was very crispy and not greasy at all!  The mild wasn't spicy at all.  The breast meat was moist, juicy and flavorful.  The medium spice was maybe a 6 on a scale of 10.  The same crispiness and quality chicken.  But, the spice for the medium reminded me of shake and bake-which isn't a good thing.

Service is friendly and helpful.  The guy packing orders was just giving away things- I got a cup of extra pickles and could have gotten a cookie, but I turned it down.  But, he's kind of creepy the way he looks at the extra items the looks at you. 

Overall this is very good quality fried chicken, worth the price?  Yes.  Worth the wait?  No way!!  I would only go back if I had to wait under 30 minutes.

Lobsta Shack-Closed

Lobsta Shack
701 W Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
323-999-1797

Lobsta Shack is the brick and mortar version of the very popular Lobsta Truck.  Now, I've never chased the Lobsta Truck, but overwhelmingly they got great reviews.  So I was looking for to trying Lobsta Shack.  I wanted to compare it to Knuckle & Claw, a very good place to get a lobster roll!

Located next to the old WalMart Grocery store, that closed down after a few years, Lobsta Shack is a huge restaurant.  But, it was empty the day I went.

Fish and chips, $11.  The fish is cod.  The batter wasn't good- kind of soggy and not fresh.  Either the oil they used was old and dirty or the fish was in the fryer for too long because the color of the batter is awful.  The fries, while plentiful, was from the freezer.  Not impressed.

Lobster roll-$20.  Knuckle & Claw says their lobsters are shipped directly from Maine.  I doubt the lobster used at Lobsta Shack is from Maine.  The lobster roll is a good size and there is a good amount of lobster.  They offer with butter or spicy mayo,  I got the butter.  Stick with the original.  But, the lobster was only average.  Something was missing.  Yes, the price is cheaper at for the lobster roll at Lobsta Shack, but the value or quality isn't there!  Go to Knuckle and Claw for the lobster roll.

Service was good.

I was disappointed in Lobsta Shack.  I won't go back.  I'll pay a little more and get a better quality lobster roll!

Little Jewel of New Orleans

Little Jewel of New Orleans
207 Ord St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-620-0461

Orleans & York Deli has been on my bucketlist since I heard their po boys were very good.  But, after reading a Yelp review of Orleans & York Deli, somebody said that Little Jewel of New Orleans, has better po boys and service.  I searched and found that Little Jewel is just up the street from the place that copied Coles, the real inventor of the French Dip sandwich; that overrated Philippe The Original, in Chinatown!!  Yes, weird that you can only get decent Chinese food in Chinatown, but can get great New Orleans/ Cajun food in Chinatown!!

Little Jewel is part market and part deli.  Their shelves are stocked with New Orleans staples, including a good selection of hot sauce.  You order at the cash register, not the deli counter-that's where you pick up your food.

Shrimp po boy, $14, deep fried shrimp, mayo, pickles, lettuce, cabbage, and tomatoes.  The french bread is shipped from New Orleans and is soft, yet has a good firm chewy texture.  There were a ton of shrimp, each perfectly cooked-lightly breaded, with good flavor.  The menu warns that their sandwiches come with a lot of mayo, so I asked for light mayo.  The veggies were fresh.  This was a great sandwich, very filling and well worth the price!!

Service is good.  The guy at the register was nice and helpful.  The sandwich came out quickly and the lady was very nice.  She took the time to write out their wi-fi password.  The only thing I see they need to improve upon is that they should make it more clear that you order at the cash register, not the deli counter.  While I was eating a couple people tried to order at the deli counter.

While I still haven't been to Orleans & York Deli, they have a huge mountain to climb, because Little Jewel has a great po boy sandwich!! 

New Dragon Seafood Restaurant

New Dragon Seafood Restaurant 

936 N Hill St 

Los Angeles 

213-626-6050 

 There is a myth going around that you can't get good Chinese food in Chinatown. Well, I've tried a few restaurants in Chinatown and I've found them to be quite good. As good as some places in Arcadia or Rowland Heights? Maybe not, but certainly good enough not to make the drive eastward. I wanted to try New Dragon Seafood Restaurant for awhile and finally made it there on a nice Friday night. New Dragon Seafood Restaurant is literally across Hill St. from Master Chef, one of my favorite restaurants in Chinatown. House Special Chow Mein, $7.75,-beef, pork, chicken, shrimp with celery, and carrots. This was my favorite dish. The noodles were cooked perfectly. Everything was seasoned well. The meats were very good, all tender and flavorful. All the flavors worked well together, but the amount of meat can overwhelm this dish. There maybe too much meat in this dish. But, I really liked this dish and would order it again. Cod Fillet with twin mushrooms, $9.75. This was a very salty dish. The fish, I'm not sure if it was really cod, was mushy and overcooked. The mushrooms were canned but the over veggies-celery, carrots, and green onions were fresh. They must love celery because there was celery in all three dishes!! The chili sauce/gravy was mildly spicy, not overwhelming but you can feel the heat. But, I couldn't get over the saltiest of this dish. Scallops with straw mushrooms, $13.75. Again the mushrooms were canned and celery filled this dish. But, some well cooked snap peas added some texture to this dish. The scallops were plentiful and pretty fresh. The sauce was leaning towards the salty side, but pretty good overall. Service is good. There was only one guy working and he took care of me, another two tables, and a couple to go orders. I was disappointed in New Dragon Seafood Restaurant. I found most of the dishes salty and I'm not impressed with any restaurant using canned mushrooms. I wouldn't go back to New Dragon Seafood Restaurant and it would rank as one of my least favorite restaurants in Chinatown.