Pompeii Pizza Parlor-Closed

Pompeii Pizza Parlor
1425 Valinda Ave
Valinda, CA 91744
626-917-1597

Pompeii Pizza Parlor is located in a very unique shopping center.  Pompeii is located in the back of the shopping center, but there is a huge strip of stores right in front of them.  Not sure how that worked, but the building in front is a newer development.  I'm sure when Pompeii first opened, where the building is now, was their parking lot!

From what I understand the original owners of Pompeii closed a few years back.  Then somebody who worked at Pompeii was reopened the restaurant using the same recipes as before.

Pompeii has two entrances; one for dining in and the other for take out.  The take out has the counter and kitchen, and a couple tables to wait for your pizza.  The dining area is huge, with lots of seating.  Nothing much in terms of decor, but the restaurant is clean, which is more important!

Medium mushrooms and jalapeno pizza, $11.50.  The crust was a thicker than I'm used to, but held up well to the toppings.  Lots of cheese on this pizza-which I really like.  Toppings were fresh and good.  The jalapenos were especially spicy.  A very good pizza.

Service-the people are very friendly and nice.  But, the pizza just took too damn long, about 30 minutes!!  The place wasn't that crowded and there weren't many delivery or to go orders.  Not sure why it took so long?  Pompeii's saving grace was that the people were very friendly.

The pizza is good, the people who work there are friendly, but they need to work on getting the pizza out in a more timely manner!  Next time I'll call in my order.

Blazing Stone Pizza-Closed

Blazing Stone Pizza
3501 Monterey Rd
Los Angeles, CA 90032
323-276-3939

I found out about Blazing Stone Pizza while reading The Eastsider Blog.  They opened back in September with a very interesting story about how Blazing Stone Pizza acquired the building, which used to be a bar!  Now people who live in El Sereno and Montecito Heights, do not have to go to Highland Park or Alhambra for good pizza!

Located on a corner lot, Blazing Stone Pizza has a huge patio area and a small indoor dining area with about eight tables.  At the counter there are pizzas sold by the slice.  They also serve salads, sandwiches, and calzones, along with bottled sodas.

You can choose between three different crusts-hearty-thick robust-fluffy inside and crisp inside; house-basically a medium crust, or LA thin-light, thin, crispy, and three different sauces- red gravy, rustic, and blazing.

Small Mean Greens, with LA thin crust and rustic sauce, $12, Bell Peppers, Red Onions, Olives, Artichokes, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Zucchini and Mushrooms.  We asked for no olives and artichokes, and my half came with no zucchini.

I should have read the description better, because I was expecting a New York style thin crust.  This was a cracker like crust-not my favorite, but the crust did hold up to the large amount of toppings very well.  The sauce was flavorful, not one ingredient overpowered the sauce-which I like.  The toppings were fresh and tasty.  I thought cucumbers would be weird on a pizza, but this was pretty damn good!! 

I kept thinking this was be a very good pizza if I ordered the different crust.  So, afterwards I ordered and mushroom pizza with the house crust and blazing sauce.  It was great!!  If we had ordered the house crust, the Mean Greens pizza would have been great!!

Service is very good.  Nice pleasant people who try to please their customers. 

I like Blazing Stone Pizza a lot.  I hope the neighborhood supports their new pizza restaurant instead of going elsewhere or feeding the chains!  I will be back soon!

Knuckle & Claw-Closed

Knuckle & Claw
3112 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-407-6142

Having tried the lobster roll at Lobster Grill, I searched for another place to get lobster rolls.  I found Knuckle & Claw and decided to head down there.  A little west on Sunset Blvd. of Silver Lake Ramen, is Knuckle & Claw, a small restaurant, that serves up Maine lobster, which they get shipped from Maine everyday.

There is no indoor seating but plenty of outdoor seating.  Tastefully decorated in a nautical theme, Knuckle & Claw is a great addition to the dining scene in Silver Lake.

 
Full Lobster Roll, $18. A 6" roll with 1/4lb of lobster!  Unlike the lobster roll at Lobster Grill, this was all meat, not fillers.  Very tasty, not much mayo, just good lobster meat.  The bun was nice and firm, holding the lobster very well.  A damn good example of lobster roll!  Well worth the price, because you're getting real lobster!

There is a blue crab roll on the menu, but the blue crab is from the Gulf of Mexico, which means it isn't nearly as good as Maryland blue crab!  There is no debating this point!

Clam chowder, $9. A good hearty example of clam chowder.  But, a bit thinner than other chowders I've had.  But, lot of clams and potatoes cut into very small pieces.

Service was good.  It was very slow when I was there, only one other customer.  Maybe Silver Lake hasn't found out about this treasure?

Knuckle & Claw is an example of paying for quality.  Yes, the lobster roll at Lobster Grill is cheaper, but you don't get Maine lobster or the amount of lobster as Knuckle & Claw.  I would go back as long as the quality stays the same!

Nancy’s Pizza-Closed

Nancy’s Pizza
410 W Main St Ste 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-872-0648

I first heard of Nancy's Pizza when I drove by a new building on Foothill Blvd. in La Verne and saw a sign that said future home of Nancy's Pizza.  A quick search and I found out Nancy's is a Chicago area chain that is expanding to Southern California.  Nancy's claims to have invented the stuffed pizza!  The difference between deep dish pizza and stuffed pizza, is that there is a layer of dough and sauce, on top of the stuffed pizza.

Nancy's Pizza in Alhambra is across from Alondra Hot Wings, is in a mixed use building that has retail space on the ground floor and condos or apartments on the upper levels.  Nancy's is next to Al's Chicago Beef, another chain that serves a Chicago staple- Italian beef sandwiches!

Medium, Original 2in, Nana's Special, baby spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, $23.98.  There is no  cornmeal on the crust.  But, the crust was buttery and flakely.  There was plenty of cheese, but the toppings were pretty spare.  And it was only mushrooms and spinach, not expensive toppings.  The pizza is pretty good but very pricey, almost $24 for a medium???

Service was pretty good.  I called in my order, because I know stuffed/deep dish pizza take awhile to bake.  I saw Nancy's menu online, but forgot that they called baby spinach, mushrooms, and mozzarella was called Nana's Special.  The young lady who took my phone order didn't know the menu and had to look at the menu to figure out I wanted the Nana's Special.  Not that big of a deal but, something that needs to be worked on.  The pizza was ready when I arrived, so that was good.  I asked for a box and the box can flat, not folded.  Again, not a big deal, but come on, fold the box.

My go to places for deep dish pizza in LA are Masa of Echo Park, Hollywood Pies, and Union Pizza.  Nancy's is pretty good but not worth the price.

My Vegan Gold-Updated Review-Closed

My Vegan Gold
4319 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-522-6500

My Vegan Gold is in the same shopping center as Agra Cafe and Garage Pizza, at the very busy corner of Fountain and Sunset.  The shopping center once housed the now closed, Tang's Donuts and Sandwiches, that served up a good sandwich for $5.  Much better than the crap at Subway.  In this shopping center there are Saito Sushi and Jay's Bar-which is suppose to have good food, that I could still try.

There is another vegan restaurant a few miles away, Sage, where the food is overpriced and the service is terrible. I went there once and will never go back!

Nacho cheese bomb fries, $4.95.  I'm guessing these are frozen fries, but they were cooked perfectly!!  Very crispy on the outside and soft inside.  The nacho cheese was pretty good, a thick sauce, not sure how it's made, but came close to nacho cheese.  I would order both the nacho cheese bomb fries or the regular fries again!!

Chow mein, $9.95, wheat yellow noodles, organic tofu, assorted veggies-cabbage, snap peas, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, and zucchini, in a garlic sauce.  This was outstanding!!  You won't miss the meat, because there is so much flavor in this dish.  The noodles were cooked perfectly, the veggies fresh and crisp, the tofu-fried perfectly.  Though the garlic sauce was a bit too sweet, it wasn't overpowering.

Service was ok.  Though when I first got there, I waited at the counter and saw a man, who I believe is the owner, look at a lady and asked her what she wanted to order.  Even though there were three other ladies in line ahead of her.  It turned out two of three ladies were together, but the third lady, who was in line ahead of the lady that owner helped, got screwed.  The owner should have asked who is next?  But, the young lady who took my order and brought my food was good.  Not overly friendly, but did her job.

I would go back to My Vegan Gold again.  I like their food and the prices are reasonable, which is something that you can't say about all vegan or vegetarian places.

Updated Review October 5, 2016

I went back to My Vegan Gold to try one of their burgers.  They have a portobello mushroom burger along with a plant based chicken burger.  

My Vegan Gold Burger, $8.95 with side salad.  If you're expecting a protein pattie, you'll be surprised.  This is more like 3-4 pieces of protein that is topped with their great cashew nacho cheese sauce!  There is lettuce, tomato, and a thousand island type dressing.  The burger is good but the texture is a bit weird.  The salad was mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing.

Service was pretty good this time.

I like My Vegan Gold and will go back when I'm in the area.

Smash Burger-Closed

Smash Burger
602 W Huntington Dr
Monrovia, CA 91016
626-408-0311

Smash Burger is a Colorado based burger chain, that has come into the crowded Southern California burger market.  I don't know their concept and don't want to google them either.

Smash Burger in Monrovia is located in a shopping center that is filled with other chain restaurants!   Smash Burger offers burgers made with beef, there are two sizes available, chicken, or a black bean.  You can create your own or order from their selection of burgers.

There is ample seating inside and a patio with about eight tables with umbrellas!  They need to put more trash cans!!  After we finished eating, I couldn't find any trash cans on the patio and had to walk to the left of the front counter to find a trash can.  I know it wasn't a long walk to the front counter but come on put a trash can on the patio or at least by the door!

Avocado Ranch Black Bean Burger, $6.39, fresh avocado, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato & ranch dressing on a multi-grain bun.  This was a great burger!!!  The black bean patty was thin, which is good, because it didn't fall apart like many bean burgers.  The texture was great and perfectly seasoned.  The toppings were fresh.  A very good and filling burger.

I also got an regular order of fries, $1.99.  I was surprised at how thinly sliced the fries were, but they were good.

Service was good.  The people are nice and friendly.

I would go back to Smash Burger again.  I black bean burger is a very good vegetarian option!!!

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana-Closed

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
625 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-765-9550

Having gone to DeSano Pizza Bakery recently, I remembered Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana, in Pasadena, has been on my bucket list of places to try.

As the name says, Settebello is a Neapolitan style pizza.  A fairly large restaurant with a huge bar to the right of the entrance and tables scattered around the bar.  The noise level is fairly loud for a busy Saturday dinner, but not so loud you have to scream at the person across the table from you. 

Margherita, $12, Crushed Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The crust was almost great, but too many burnt areas.  The none burnt areas had a very nice texture-chewy yet very soft.  The sauce was balanced and flavorful.  They could have put more cheese on the pizza, but otherwise a very good pizza.  It would have been better if they pizza chef had moved the pizza before it was charred.

Service was quick but very inattentive.  While our server came by often, he didn't notice we needed refills.  At most restaurants you don't have to ask for refills on water or soda.   Yes, I could have asked, but a couple times when the server came by I was talking to my friend and just didn't ask for a refill. 

Overall my experience at Settebello was good, but not great and didn't live up to the hype.  For a place that has been open for a long time, they shouldn't serve charred pizza!

Rokuan-Closed

Rokuan
14230 Chino Hills Pkwy
Chino Hills, CA 91709
909-590-1233

Rokuan is in the Stater Bros. shopping center, the same center as Oh Queso is located! The sign outside says Sushi, and on the door is Rokuan.   It's a small restaurant, with minimal decorations.  It has about eight seats at the sushi bar, another five long bench seating and a couple tables to the left of the front door. 

I got there early for lunch, about 11:45am, and got seated quickly.  But, within 20 minutes, every table was filled and about three people waiting for a table. 

Shrimp sushi, $4.95 and lobster sushi, $5.95.

The shrimp was good.  Nice and fresh and good quality.  The lobster was amazing, even though it was more of a lobster salad than lobster.  They cut up pieces of lobster and mixed with the some mayo and other ingredients and it was damn good!!  

Spicy tuna hand roll, $5.15.  Again, fresh and tasty. 

Crunchy roll, $9.95.  Shrimp tempura a California roll.  Pretty good, even if the shrimp tempura wasn't that crushy.

Service was very good and attentive!

I would happily go back to Rokuan.  The exterior isn't that inviting, but the sushi is very good!

Mexico City-Closed

Mexico City
2121 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-661-7227

Located in Hipsterville, Los Feliz, across the street from the now closed, Tangier Korean BBQ of Toyko, Mexico City is an Americanized version of Mexican food.  Located in, what has to be a, googie style building, it was packed and very loud.  The noise level is unbearable.  I was practically screaming at my dinner companion who was less than four feet from me!  They have a large menu, if a bit pricey.

Vegetarian tostada, $11, with yellow squash, avocado, onions, lettuce, broccoli, with a side of black beans and rice.  Not a fan of squash but I ate it.  This really lacked flavor and seasoning.  The only thing Mexican about this dish was the tostada and the crema.  While the portion was huge it wasn't a good value.

Service was friendly but slow.  Drinks were slow to be refilled and it took awhile for us to get our check.  The server didn't come around much and while he did have other tables, he needed to come by more often to our table.

I wouldn't go back to Mexico City again.  Why eat bland food at a Mexican restaurant in LA, when there are a ton of better Mexican restaurants?

Heywood A Grilled Cheese Shoppe-Closed

Heywood A Grilled Cheese Shoppe
3337 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-667-1522

I loved grilled cheese sandwiches as a kid but rarely eat it as an adult.  I just don't think it's worth the money restaurants charge for grilled cheese sandwiches.  Gourmet store to buy cheese and bread.  A pannini maker or just a hot pan, and you can make a grilled cheese for much less.

But, I've been by Heywood a few times and read good reviews.  But, last week I read they had lost their lease and will be closing at the end of June.  So, I figured give them a try.  While they are closing, the coffee shop/cafe that is taking over will serve some of the grilled cheese sandwiches from Heywood's menu.

Vintage, $9,-cheddar, butter, on multi-grain bread.  All grilled cheese comes with tomato soup and salad.

The Vintage was fine, good quality cheddar and nice oversized multi grain bread.  But, nothing great and not worth the $9 price tag.  Yes, it includes soup and salad but still not a good value.

Tomato soup and salad included with all grilled cheese sandwiches.  Salad was fresh, probably from a package. 

Tomato soup- served lukewarm.  Nice tangy flavor, but nothing special.

Service was OK.

Again, the grilled cheese sandwich was fine.  But, not worth the price.  But, the hipsters who have taken over Silver Lake, must love Heywood, because many people are coming by for a grilled cheese before they close.

Lobster Grill-Updated Review-Closed

Lobster Grill
3210 Chino Ave Ste A
Chino Hills
909-628-6580

Things do change quickly in Chino Hills!   Lobster Grill is the same space that housed Villaggio Pizzeria then Bad Bob's BBQ.  Too bad that chain Buffalo Wild Wings, in the same center, is still open!  Lobster Grill is a combination of Boiling Crab and a Cape Cod seaside lobster restaurant.  They have the bags of seafood with the spicy sauces and the lobster rolls, along with whole lobsters, oysters, and shrimp.

Lobster Grill really brightened up the place.  The walls are white with shades of orange, a dramatic contrast to the dark wood of Villaggio Pizzeria.  A very welcoming place.  It's order at the counter and they will bring your food to your table.

There is a very good happy hour, Tues-Fri from 3:30 to 5:30pm, they are closed Mondays.  The lobster roll, regular price, $10.95 are $8.95.   So I stopped in for happy hour.

 Clam chowder, cup. $2.95 happy hour price.  This was very good.  Came pipping hot and full of flavor.  A rich, thick, hearty broth with bigs chucks of clams and potatoes.  Hit the spot on a raining day in May!  This clam chowder is pescetarian, as there is no bacon.   

 Calamari, $4.95 happy hour price.  Regular price, $7.95.  This was served lukewarm.  This a just frozen calamari fried up.  Very rubbery and soggy.  This could be good, if served right out of the fryer. 

Lobster roll, with fries, $8.95, happy hour price.  Regular price, $10.95.  Lobster roll was great.  Lots of lobster mixed with celery and some herbs,  in a ketchup and mayo sauce.  The lobster is served cold but the roll is nicely toasted and holds up to the large amount of lobster. 

Fries were served lukewarm, but could be good if served hot!  

Service is good.  The guy who took my order was nice and helpful.  When he brought out the clam chowder, he went and got a spoon for me.  Food came out quickly. 

The idiots on Yelp give Lobster Grill three stars, mostly because they got butt hurt their groupon wasn't accepted.  One stupid yelper got mad because they wouldn't allow her to use her groupon, which included alcohol, because she didn't have her ID.  No wonder yelp is a damn joke!

They do need to work on getting out fried items while they are hot.  But, overall I like Lobster Grill, especially for their lobster roll.  I would go back and would gladly pay the full price for the lobster roll.  It's a steal at their happy hour price!

Updated June 24, 2015

So I went back to Lobster Grill and tried the Crab Melt sandwich, $8.95, during Happy Hour.  $10.95 regular price, which comes with fries.  The sandwich has cheese, provolone or white cheddar and a ton of dungeness crab!  A bit salty and there were three small pieces of shell in the crab.  Despite that, it's a good sandwich and worth the price, a good deal at the Happy Hour price.  Fries were barely warm and a bit salty.

Service was terrible!  The lady was nice but my order took about 40 minutes and it wasn't busy at all!!!!  Not sure why it took so long.  Did they forget my order?  Is the kitchen and the front, not communicating with each other? Whatever it is, they need to improve.  No way a sandwich takes 40 minutes to make.  TERRIBLE!!

My second time at Lobster Grill wasn't as good as my first time. Not sure if I would return!

Fish-O-Licious-Closed

Fish-O-Licious
4200 Chino Hills Pkwy
Chino Hills.
909-393-3888

Chino Hills already has Pacific Fish Grill, and now they have some competition.  Fish-O-Licious was reviewed by David Allen, and I decided to give them a try.  Fish-O-Licious, is a new chain, with locations in Commerce and Corona.  A Long Beach location is suppose to open soon. 

Fish-O-Licious has a fairly big sized dining area with nice neutral colors, that makes for a nice pleasing dining experience.  You don't feel like you're at a fast food restaurant or cafeteria.

Every Tuesday, they have a $1 fish taco special, so I decided to drop in.  I go there about noon and surprisingly, there were only five people in line.  I expected the lines to be out the door. 

Battered fish taco, $1 on Tuesday, regular price, $2.75. Sole.  On their menu, sole is listed as sole (basa).  Well sole and basa are two different type of fish.  Sole is generally more expensive.  So, if I had to guess this battered fish taco is made with basa fish.  It was pretty good.  The light crunchy batter was very good and hot.  This came right out of the fryer!  The fish had good flavor.  Cabbage, red onions, cilantro, and tomatoes were all fresh.  The flour tortilla was nice and warm.  The only thing I didn't like is the small size of the fish.  But, at  $1, it's a decent size piece of fish.  I hope the fish is bigger at the regular price!

Grilled fish taco, $1 on Tuesday, regular price, $2.75.  They use salmon and sole (basa) for their grilled fish tacos.  While I didn't see much salmon, the fish was well seasoned and well cooked.  The veggies were fresh.  If I had to choose, I think the battered fish taco was better, but both were good.

Calamari plate, with fries and cole slaw, $7.95.  The roll is a sourdough roll from a package.  The fries are standard frozen fries, nothing bad or great about them.  The calamari was clearly from a frozen bag.  They were very chewy and not fresh.  I wasn't impressed.

Service was very good, though my order seemed to take a bit longer than it should.  Nice friendly people who know the menu.

Both Pacific Fish Grill and Fish-O-Licious have their good and bad points.  I would say Pacific Fish Grill has the better deal on the fish tacos, because there is more fish in the tacos during their $1 special.

New York Delight-Closed

New York Delight
310 S Thomas St
Pomona
909-868-6518

Pomona lacks options for good pizza.  I do like Valentino's, that I reviewed in 2010.  Otherwise you're limited to the chains.  So, I was really happy when I heard about New York Delight!

New York Delight is tucked away in the Arts District section of downtown Pomona.  There are nightclubs and a middle and high school nearby.

The building is long and narrow with a few tables with bench seating along one wall and a lone table along the other wall.  The walls are pretty barren expect for a few framed photos of New York City.

I understand they started as a sandwich shop and later added New York style thin crust pizza to their menu. 

Large mushroom pizza, $6.53 tax included.  The first thing you notice is the great crust-lightly cripsy with a nice chewy texture, and very thin.  While the amount of mushrooms was lacking, the mushrooms were fresh and tasty.  The cheese was lightly piled, they could add a little more, but they use a good quality cheese!  This is a very good example of New York style thin crust pizza!  They also have a $20 specialty pizza that is about 18 or 20 inches and piled high with toppings.

Service is good.  The people are nice and helpful.  Be sure to call before dropping in.  When I first found out about New York Delight, they were only open from about 11am to 2pm Mon-Fri.  On Friday and Saturday, they would reopen at about 8pm and stay open to about 4am, yes to serve the late night party people!

I would go back to New York Delight anytime.  This is not only the best pizza in Pomona, but is the best New York style thin crust pizza, in the Inland Valley.  Yes, they beat out the old standard,  San Biagio's Pizza!!!