Gracie’s Pizza-Closed

Gracie’s Pizza
4330 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-663-1219

Gracie’s Pizza, is the owner a fan of Gracie Allen?  Anyways, Gracie’s Pizza is about a year old and has been getting good reviews, but I think it's been under the radar in LA's pizza scene.  I haven't found anything written about Gracie's on any foodie blogs or websites.  I found it on yelp, while searching for another restaurant.

A small corner building, Gracie has a few tables as you walk in, a counter along the wall, and the bar and kitchen at the back.  It's a dimly lit room, you wonder if this is a bar or a pizza place. 

Spinach and jalapeno pizza.  $21 plus $3 for first regular topping, $1 each additional topping.  Premium toppings are $6 for the first, $3 for each additional.  Mushrooms are considered premium toppings!? Total $27.45

This was a very good pizza, one that deserves to be on any must try list of pizza in LA!  It's a huge pie about 18 inches or so.  Very good, firm, New York pizza like crust.  Folds over well, holds up to the toppings, and good flavor.  The cheese and veggies are fresh.  But, for $4 total, I expected a bit more toppings on the pizza.  There weren't that much spinach at all.

Service is good. As I mentioned earlier, I found Gracie's through Yelp.  When I read the reviews, I take all reviews with a grain of salt, I saw one idiot yelper, isn't that an oxymoron, give Gracie's one star because of the high prices.  He wrote he bought a couple slices, and a couple beers and the total was $80!!  Well, a couple slices and a couple beers at most would be about $30.  While he could have made a mistake, it could have been a couple whole pies and a couple beers for $80, his review distorts the facts!  Nobody with the IQ above a lug nut would believe a couple slices of pizza and a couple beers would cost $80!

Anyways, I would go back to Gracie's Pizza anytime!  A damn good pizza!

Pot Pizza Joint-Closed

Pot Pizza Joint
3515 Wilshire Blvd Fl 1
Los Angeles, CA 90010
213-368-3030

So Roy Choi- who brought the food truck craze to LA, with his Kogi food truck, has opened a couple restaurants in LA.  He recently decided to open up a pizza place to serve hungry customers at his Pot Lobby Bar.  There was a lot of fan fare about the opening.  The pizza is a square like Detroit, pan, but not deep dish and thin like New York.  Kinda of weird combo.

The name and the website, with a black and white picture of somebody smoke some pot is stupid.  I get he is trying to cater to the drunk idiots who got the bar, and then smoke some pot before or after partying.  But, give me a break. 

It's inside the Line Hotel on Wilshire.  It's really a small display case with what looks like toaster ovens reheating the pizza, which are already made.  I don't know where the pizzas are made.  Maybe in the kitchen of one of the restaurants he has at the hotel.

Cheese slice- $4.  They sell only slices and only three options-cheese, pepperoni, and a Koreatown Special with kimchi and some salad on top.  I got two cheese slices.  They were below average.  The crust is too crispy for my tastes, like a damn cracker.  They may have to turn down the temps on the ovens, since my slices were too well done.  The sauce is just there, no real flavor.  The cheese is plentiful.  Little Caesars is better pizza than this, and I'm not kidding!  On a side note-The person in front of me ordered some type of juice and that juice cost $10!!  What a rip off!  Hell, I would just buy a drink from the bar for that price!!

Service is good.  The line moves pretty fast and the people are nice.

This was a complete waste of time and money!  If you're a drunk, stoned idiot you may enjoy the pizza.  But, this is a terrible example of pizza!

Secret of Kitchen-Closed

 Secret of Kitchen
1247 N Grand Ave
Walnut, CA 91789
909-978-5080

 Secret of Kitchen is suppose to be about eight months old.  You can see this space used to be QQ Teabar, since their sign is still up and  Secret of Kitchen, just has vinyl signs.

A small restaurant with a few tables inside, I guess they must do a good take business or students from Mt. Sac, which is across the way.

Shrimp fried rice, $7.99, shrimp, carrots, eggs, green onions. A very small portion and only about six small sized shrimp.  Rice was well cooked, but this needs more flavor.  Simply more seasoning would be great! 

Service was good. 

I wouldn't go back to Secret of Kitchen.  I don't think the food is that good. 

Siam Palace Thai Cuisine-Closed

Siam Palace Thai Cuisine
992 E Alosta Ave
Azusa, CA 91702
626-334-0441

Siam Palace is located behind what used to be Country Chiken & Ribs, which is not only closed but the building has been torn down! It will be interesting to see what will be built on that property!

Siam Palace is a big restaurant, taking up two spaces in this strip mall.  One side is the front of the house and kitchen, while the other side is the dining room.

Shrimp fried rice-$9.95. Shrimp, eggs, tomatoes.  This was an ok dish.  It was a bit too greasy for my tastes.  There were about six shrimp for this dish.  The rice stuck together, which shouldn't happen with fried rice.  Portion size was a little small for the price.

Pad-Gar-prow- scallops, $9.95-small size scallops with chili, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic.  This was an ok dish.  Not that many scallops, which were pretty well cooked.  I didn't get any basil flavor, mostly I got some chili, onions and bell pepper flavors.

Service was good.  I was surprised we were the only people in the restaurant for most of our time.  There was another table but they left within 10 minutes of us sitting down.

I won't go back to Siam Palace.  I don't think the food is that good.

Chango Coffee-Closed

Chango Coffee
1559 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-977-9161

A hipster coffee shop in the ever changing Echo Park area of Los Angeles is my review today.  I was there around dinner time and instead of going somewhere nearby for dinner, I figured why not just have a meal at Chango!  They have sandwiches, including a number of vegan options.  Of course there are a ton of coffee options!

A galley style coffee shop with tables along the right side as you enter and the counter area on the left.  It's a nice stylish coffee shop.  That neon sign you see was recently restored.  The sign has not be lit up in the five or so years that I have been coming to the area.  The sign used to say delicatessen but now only uses part of the sign to say Del Mor the name of the building, which is a mixed use building.  If you know the name of the delicatessen or the market, please email me!

Breakfast burrito-$6.50, scrambled eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, sebre sauce.  The breakfast burrito sounded good, because some of the vegan sandwiches did not sound appetizing.  The breakfast burritos are heated in the microwave and then put on the panni press to warm them up.  It says the burritos are made fresh, but I don't see where they would make the burritos in house.  There isn't a flat top stove inside Chango.  I'm betting they have another company make their burritos.

Anyways, this was a filling, good burrito.  Lots of scrambled eggs and black beans.  Not as much cheddar cheese, but overall a good burrito.

Service was good.  The guy was helpful and nice.

I don't drink coffee, so I have no idea how their coffee is.  But, Chango has some nice options for a quick meal. 

Rounds Premium Burgers-Closed

Rounds Premium Burgers
46 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-304-9810

Rounds Premium Burgers came onto the burger scene back in 2013, with locations in Claremont, which I went to but didn't do a review, and West Hollywood.  Soon after Pasadena and Sherman Oaks got a Rounds location.  Fast forward to 2017, and now only the Pasadena location is open.  David Allen made the Claremont Rounds a regular stop, so much so that he did a farwell story when the Claremont location closed back in May, 2017!

The Pasadena Rounds is located just south of the now close Avanti Cafe, which I loved!  It's a large restaurant with the counter to the right, and seating at the left in the front part of the room.  Then a huge back room with two TV's and then outdoor patio seating!

When I went to the Rounds in Claremont, you marked your order on paper slips, just like The Counter.  I guess they don't do that anymore.  Anyways. the basic burger, your choice of beef, turkey or a veggie patty, is $5.95.  They you add toppings including sauces, veggies and cheese.  You used to be able to choose what type of bun, regular, whole wheat, pretzel or lettuce; but other than the lettuce, I don't think you're able to choose your buns.

Or you can order a Premium Rounds burgers, which are burgers with topping combinations picked by Rounds.  The only thing with the premium burgers is they do not allow substitutions but you can take off any toppings you don't like.  Which makes no sense, because you can get the basic burger and add all the topping, except for the toppings you don't like, of the premium burger. For the consumer, ordering al carte would be more expensive. 

 Mucho Mushroom burger, $7.05-mushrooms, swiss cheese, and garlic aioli.  This veggie burger was very good.  A huge patty, with corn, red peppers, some kind of grain and very well seasoned.  The mushrooms were great and the swiss cheese added a creamy flavorful texture to the burger.  The bun is a nice brioche bun.  Using this burger as an example, if I ordered this al carte, it would be $5.95 + $1 for the mushrooms + 75 cents for cheese for a total of $7.70 before tax!

Service was good.  The young lady working was very nice and friendly!  More restaurants could use somebody like this young lady!  She was quick, yet efficient, and very friendly.  I seemed as though she was working with a newbie or somebody who had only been there for a short time, and that cashier was also very nice and friendly.  I didn't have any direct interaction with the other cashier, I just notice how friendly she was.

Rounds is so much better than The Counter.  But, Rounds clearly hasn't had success in the LA area with the other four locations now closed.  I would go back to Rounds and I hope they stay open!

Yum Buffet & Grill-Closed

Yum Buffet & Grill
3920 Grand Ave
Chino, CA 91710
909-517-1588

Yum Buffet & Grill replaced the Hometown Buffet in Chino.  They really gave the space a huge upgrade.  They put tile on the walls and it's a much nicer place to have dinner.

There is a huge buffet line along the back wall, with the Mongolian BBQ at the far left!

The buffet on a Sunday night is $16.99.  

Chow mein, with coconut shrimp and shrimp from the seafood delight entree.The chow mein was mainly noodles.  There were some celery and cabbage, but 98% yellow noodles.  Pretty standard.

The coconut shrimp was way too sweet.  The shrimp was coated in a thick batter and then deep fried, then a sweet coconut sauce.  Not a good dish.

The shrimp from the seafood delight entree was well cooked and seasoned.

Sauteed mushrooms and greenbeans!  The mushrooms were great, well seasoned, good flavor and not overcooked.  They have steak at the Mongolian BBQ, so the mushrooms would make a good addition to the steak.

The greenbeans were cooked with some garlic and this was a good dish. 

Mongolian BBQ- shrimp, mushrooms, green onions, red and brown onions, and jalapenos!  This is cooked to order. This was great!  Fresh veggies, and shrimp and loved the fact they had some jalapenos, which added a nice heat to the dish!

Shrimp cocktail and fried shrimp.  Shrimp cocktail was small sized shrimp that was chilled and well cooked.  The cocktail sauce, I think I got the medium heat, was good, even for something that I suspect is from a bottle.

The fried shrimp was your standard frozen shrimp dropped into the fryer.  Some pieces were good depending how how long the shrimp was on the steam tray.  I got some pieces that just came from the fryer and tasted good.  Others had been on the steam tray for too long.  Just the way things go at a buffet. 

Snow crab clusters.  A bit salty, but meaty and plentiful.  They restocked the crab legs frequently and the new batch were quickly taken.

Service was pretty good.  But, one of the servers just stood there staring at the 2-3 tables, waiting to take away any used dishes.  It was like you were being watched by the lunch aides during elementary school lunch.

Overall Yum Buffet and Grill was a good value.  I would go back there. 

King Bap-Closed

King Bap
1106 S Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909-396-0420

A few doors down from The Whole Enchilada, is King Bap, a Korean rolls and bowls place.  I've seen Korean sushi and many Koreans own sushi restaurants.  I thought this was going to be a poke bowl type place.

It's a small restaurant with the counter right in front of you as you walk in.  There are tables around the other parts of the restaurant. 

Bowl with choice of brown or white rice, lettuce, choice of six veggies and one sauce. $5.95.  With tunafish +$1.50. I picked brown rice, corn, broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, and canned mushrooms and I got the cilantro sauce.  I wasn't happy about canned mushrooms.  I picked tuna, thinking it was tuna sushi, but it was actually tuna fish with a small amount of mayo. Overall the veggies were fresh expect for the canned mushrooms.  Without the sauce it's a very bland dish, some salt is needed.  But, adding the cilantro sauce, added some flavor to this dish.  The tuna fish was flavorful and I liked the fact they didn't add too much mayo.  It would actually make a great tuna fish sandwich or tuna melt.  Overall this dish was just ok.  I won't make a return trip.

Elbows Mac N Cheese-Closed

Elbows Mac N Cheese
215 W Birch St
Brea, CA 92821
714-784-6613

Elbows Mac N Cheese might be where Berkeley Dog used to be.  Anyways, a new restaurant in the ever changing Birch Street dining and entertainment center.  There was a Red Brick Pizza and a Fatburger that also called this address home.

It's a fairly small restaurant with counter service.  There are tables as you walk in and the counter is along the back of the building.  There are also about 3-4 tables outside.

Regular sized blue box mac and cheese-$7.55, with American and cheddar cheese.  This is a huge portion size.  The macaroni was cooked perfectly!  The cheese sauce was kind of bland but it did cover the macaroni.  Now that well done cheese topping kind of threw me off.  But, overall an ok dish.

Greenbean fries-$6.95.  I don't know why greenbean fries aren't the new thing!  They are so good.  A nice batter covering the greenbeans!  I'm betting it's frozen, but these were very good.

Service is ok.  The girl who helped us was nice and friendly, but when we walked to the counter she just disappeared to the back.  She made eye contact with us, but still went to the back.  Not sure why, but at least say something before leaving us hanging at the counter.

But, what I found unsettling Elbows, is that the staff treated their job as if they were at home.  I saw staff members eating while on the job.  I saw staff members just sit at tables meant for customers and talk as if they were sitting around the dinner table. Whoever the manager is, they need to get their staff members to treat their jobs as a job, not a social network.

I wouldn't go back to Elbows again.  The main draw, the mac and cheese, was ok.  But, nothing outstanding.

Grimaldi’s Pizzeria-El Segundo- Closed

 Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
2121 Rosecrans Ave Ste 1399
El Segundo, CA 90245
310-648-7503

I reviewed the Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn a few years ago.  A few weeks back I read about a Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in El Segundo, and they have a $10 Monday special in October!  So, the first Monday I could, I made a trip to El Segundo.  Located across Rosecrams Ave from Union Pizza Company, on the ground floor of a business complex, Grimaldi’s is a huge restaurant.

There is a huge dining room to the right as you enter.  To the left is a galley style bar area.  Red and white checked tablecloths and New York City subway signs finish off the decor.

16 in cheese pizza, October Monday Special, $10.  Regular price $19.  This was slightly too well done.  The pizza should have been pulled about 2-3 minutes before.  The crust was too crispy and tough.  It was a bit different than the texture than the Grimaldi’s from Brooklyn, that has everything to do with the water!  The sauce was the same and so was the cheese.

Service, if you're ordering take out you order at the bar, was good.  The bartender, who was working a couple tables in the dining room, was very nice and helpful.

I was disappointed about the quality standards.  It would have been a very good pizza, if the crust wasn't well done.  I may go back to Grimaldi’s, but I wouldn't rush back to this El Segundo location.  I would go back to Union Pizza Company before going back to Grimaldi’s.

Nori Sushi Wraps-Closed

Nori Sushi Wraps
711 Fair Oaks Ave Ste K
South Pasadena, CA 91030
626-529-2841

Nori Sushi Wraps is an interesting take on sushi.  They put everything you find in a sushi roll, into a sushi burrito!  Located in a strip mall on busy Fair Oaks Ave., Nori is a small place.  There are tables and high top tables as you walk in.  Then the counter is along the back wall, where you order and they prepare your food.

Spicy Tuna Fries, $8.00-Shoe string potato fries, cilantro, onion, and spicy tuna. Sauces are spicy mayo and eel sauce.  A friend who told me about Nori, said she really liked the spicy tuna fries.  After I got the order, I remembered she also told me the portion size is huge!  It was!!

The fries are standard frozen fries, but pretty good.  The spicy tuna is very good and they pile it on!  They give you a huge portion of the spicy tuna!   I wasn't sure about ordering this, fries topped with sushi, but it works!  Next time I will ask for the fries to be well done!

Shrimp Tempura wrap, $9.50-Tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, spicy tuna, and kale lettuce slaw. Inside sauces are Spicy mayo and Eel sauce.  This was good, but a bit dry.  Ok, maybe I should have put some soy sauce or more spicy maco, but it was dry.  But, all the ingredients were good.  I'm betting the shrimp tempura was frozen, but everything else is fresh.  It's a huge portion and well worth the price.

Service is good.  The guy who took my order was new, because somebody was helping him take orders.  But, they were friendly and the guy did a good job.  The only thing that doesn't make sense is, after ordering they give you a number on a metal stand that you take to your table.  So, I figure they will bring my food to my table.  Instead they call out your number and you bring the number to them and they give you your food.  What a waste! Just say give customers their number on their receipt.

I enjoyed Nori and would go back anytime!!

Elf Café-Closed

Elf Café
2135 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-484-6829

A few block west on Sunset Blvd. from Sage Organic Vegan, and right next door to Mohawk Bend, is Elf Cafe, a vegetarian/ vegan restaurant.  One thing both have in common is that they are home to douchebag hipsters!  I went to Elf about three years ago came away underwhelmed with the food, and a bad taste for their service.

Elf is a very small restaurant with very limited hours, they open at 6pm Mon-Sat.  They aren't open on Sundays or for lunch!  The restaurant covers two buildings, but they are both small.  But, driving on busy Sunset Blvd, it is hard to see their sign, since it is covered by overgrown trees and it's not lit!  Look for Mohawk Bend and it is right next door.

You enter Elf there is a bar and the kitchen, and a few tables.  Walk into the other room and more tables along with restrooms in the back. It's a dimly lit room with dark paint, making for a very morbid atmosphere!

From their summer menu, kabobs with spicy carrot puree, $20- king oyster mushroom skewers, wild rice pilaf, fresh herbs, tomato, purple potatoes, house harissa, tzatzki with rustic bread.  This was a take out order.  It's almost a month into fall and they still are using a summer menu?

I ate the meal at a nearby stand, that had very good lighting.  The lighting in the restaurant would make for terrible pictures.  Plus being around douchebag hipsters isn't my idea of fun.

This was a good dish, full of flavor and very well cooked.  But, hardly worth the $20 price tag!  There were 3 king oyster mushroom, well cooked, good flavor.  3 small purple potatoes-good.  A couple grape tomatoes.  The house harissa was well balanced and flavorful.  The tzatzki was fine.  The wild rice pilaf was cooked well.  The quality of the food nor the portion size is worth the price. 

Service, this time was good.  The server greeted me and was friendly.  She told me the order would take about 25 minutes.  I came back and she said they were boxing up my order.  So, very good communication.  My first time at Elf I went with a date.  We get there at about 6:10pm.  10 minutes after they open and there are only two people in the restaurant.  In a snotty tone the hostess/server asked if we had a reservation.  I'm thinking your damn restaurant is empty, you just opened 10 minutes ago, you should be able to seat us.  We get a table, we have dinner and by the time we left, maybe an hour later, there may have been 5 tables that had customers! The hostess/server gave off the attitude that we're such a popular restaurant that people need to make reservations!  The service wasn't that great that first time either.  Our server came to take our drink orders, then our dinner orders, bring our food and then our check.  Never once asking if we needed anything or how the food was.

I won't go back to Elf again.  Too pretentious, while the food is good, the prices are too high for the quality and portion size.  I'll let the douchebag hipsters have Elf all to themselves!  Little Pine has better food, better prices, and they are less pretentious!

Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar-Closed

Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar
187 N Sierra Madre Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91107
626-817-9180

Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar is owned by the same owners as the now closed Avanti Cafe.  The story is that running two restaurants was just getting too much for the owners. Luckily they brought all the pizza over, but not the wood fire oven!

I went to Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar about 2-3 years ago, had the lasagna and thought it was pretty good.  Of course I didn't do a review.  So, I drove by the other day and figured I should do a review.

Avanti Italian Bistro & Bar is a huge restaurant on a corner lot.  As you enter there is a small bar area.  Then the huge dining room.  They also have a small patio.  At night the lighting is low and it makes for a nice quiet evening.

Calamari, $8 happy hour price at the bar, $12 regular menu price.  This was terrible!  Frozen calamari that was chewy as hell, bland, and just not worth even the happy hour price! 

Spaghetti marinara, $11.  Any Italian restaurant better do a good job of making sauce!  Avanti does a good job!  The marinara was well balance and full of flavor.  The pasta was angel hair and cooked perfectly! A good price for the quality and portion!

I sat at the bar and when the bartender finally came by, I got good service.  It just took awhile for the bartender, or anybody to get there.  Ok, I know it's a slow period.  But, this was an hour or so after the happy hour times had started.  Somebody should be at the bar. 

I may go back and try their pizza.  But, I love the wood fire pizza, and they didn't bring the wood fire ovens! 

L Fish-Closed

L Fish
3205 1⁄2 4th St.
Los Angeles, CA. 90063
323-412-6586

I found out about L Fish from this LA Eater story.  As the story mention L Fish bought the recipe from the iconic El Fenix Puesto in Ensenada.

L Fish is really a stand in front of somebody's house.  The main set up with the fryer and flattop is where you order.  The tacos come just the fish or shrimp and corn tortilla.  On the table along the house is your condiments for the fish or shrimp tacos.  They have cabbage, pico degallo, salsa, and all kinds of sauces like crema and chipolte sauce.

Fish tacos-$2 The fish is angelito (angel shark), which is pretty damn good.  I've never had it before.  The batter is yellowish in color, tumeric or mustard power must be used.  It's kind of a thick batter and wasn't that crunchy, but I did like the flavor and texture of the fish.  Since you add your own toppings, I added just the basics, cabbage, pico de gallo.  I added some chipotle sauce and it did add some heat.

Shrimp tacos-$2.50- the shrimp, about three in each taco, was plumb, tender and very good. Same batter as with the shrimp tacos.  I prefer the shrimp taco to the fish taco here.

Service is good.  The owner is nice and helpful.  Eventually the plan is to make this location their actual restaurant.

I would go back to L Fish for their shrimp tacos.

The Melt-Closed

The Melt
7870 Monet Ave Ste 1050
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
909-332-3342

The Melt is a San Francisco Bay Area based chain.  I went toThe Melt at the Americana in Glendale, which is now closed, and thought it was pretty good.  I found out that The Melt had a location at the Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, and since I've never been to Victoria Gardens, I decided to go.

The Melt is on a corner lot with a good sized dining area in the middle of the room.  The line to order is to the left as you enter. The Melt trys to appeal the hipster crowd with their decor.  I find it boring, but whatever!

3 Cheese classic with sharp cheddar, muenster, and fontina cheese, $5.99 on artisan French bread with jalapenos.  Florentine bacon mac & cheese, $4.99- No bacon, creamy cheddar, fontina & provolone with spinach and crispy onions.

The 3 Cheese classic was ok, but I was expecting more flavor!  Maybe the muenster and fontina balanced out the sharp cheddar or maybe the sharp cheddar isn't as sharp.  But, it was lacking flavor.  Good thing I added the jalapenos!  That added a nice kick to the grilled cheese.  The artisan French bread was good though.

Like an idiot, I ordered the Florentine bacon mac & cheese without the bacon, instead of the trio mac & cheese, which is $3.99.  For that extra $1 I got bits of spinach.  Totally not worth the extra price.  Florentine actually means a dish serve with spinach!  But, the mac & cheese was very creamy and the amount of cheese was great.  The macaroni was a bit undercooked, too tough and chewy, maybe another 2-3 minutes in the pot and it would have been fine.

Service was good.  Nice and friendly.  But, you can order on tablets instead of the counter, but the tablets only accept cards, no cash!  I wish they would have a sign, wasted a few minutes ordering on the tablets, only to find they do not accept cash.

I wouldn't go back to The Melt again.

Paco’s Mexican Restaurant-Closed

Paco’s Mexican Restaurant
200 E Foothill Blvd
Arcadia, CA 91006
626-357-7270

While driving on Foothill Blvd. I noticed Paco's Mexican Restaurant and decided to drop in.  It's a Mexican-American food.  If you're expecting authentic Mexican food, you will not find it here!  But, I judge restaurants by what they are, not what they are not!  If they serve up great food, I could care less if it is authentic Mexican!

It's a fairly big restaurant with a small parking lot.  But, there is street parking.  If you walk straight in you will be in the bar, which was pretty busy considering it was about 1pm on a weekday.  The two dining areas are to the right.

Quesadilla Vegetariana, $11.25, large flour tortilla with jack cheese, roasted peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, corn, pico de gallo. Served with sour cream and guacamole.

This was a greasy mess!  I should have flipped over the quesadilla to see the oily greasy mess.  While there was plenty of zucchini, there weren't many peppers or corn.  The tortilla was grilled well, and if it was just a cheese quesadilla it would have been pretty good.  But, all the oil used to sauteed the vegetables just made this a greasy mess.

Service was friendly but just ok.  My drink wasn't refilled.  I wasn't asked how everything was.  I got there just at the end of the lunch rush.  When I got there most of the tables were filled.  By the time I got my food, most the tables were empty.  When I left there may have been 3-4 tables with people eating.  So, they weren't busy.

I wouldn't go back to Paco’s Mexican Restaurant. 

Eagle Rock Public House-Closed

Eagle Rock Public House
1627 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323-739-0081

Across the street from CaCao Mexicatessen is Eagle Rock Public House.  Owned by the Eagle Rock Brewery people, whose actual brew house is in Glassell Park.  But, a nice addition to the dining scene on Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock; which recently lost the Blue Hen restaurant!  

It's a huge place with plenty of tables and a bar in the middle.  They have a garage door that is great when there is a nice breeze, but better be closed in hot weather!

Fried cod sandwich-$15. Manifesto batter, slaw, malt vinegar aioli.  I went to Eagle Rock Public House a couple years ago, forgot to do a review.  But, if I did; it would have been a bad one.  I found it to be an overpriced mediocre small plates place. Their menu still has a lot of small plate items, but this is a substantial sandwich!

But, I looked at their menu and saw this fried cod sandwich, which I don't think was on the menu the last time I went.  But, what a great sandwich!!  A huge piece of cod perfectly fried with a great light crispy batter!! The slaw had cabbage, red onions, and pickled jalapenos added a great flavor to the sandwich.  The slaw would be a great side item to!  This sandwich was well worth the price!  I would order this again!

Service was good.

I'm glad I went back to Eagle Rock Public House!  I won't wait two years to return!

Flore Vegan Cuisine-Closed

Flore Vegan Cuisine
3818 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-953-0611

A couple miles south of Sage, a terrible vegan restaurant in Echo Park, is  Flore Vegan Cuisine in the Sunset Junction part of Silver Lake.  A small restaurant with seating outside on the very busy Sunset Blvd.

BLTA-$12. Tempeh bacon, green leaf lettuce, tomato, avocado, egg-less mayo on sourdough with choice of salad or cole slaw! What a great sandwich!!  Full of flavor and well balanced.  The tempeh bacon was fantastic!  If I didn't know it tasted exactly like bacon!  Salty, crispy and a good portion!  The sourdough bread was fine.  The veggies fresh and the mayo and avocado made for a moist sandwich!  The side salad was good sized, with green leaf lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and sprouts.  The vegan thousand island dressing was great, a tangy yet sweet dressing made vegan!  This sandwich was well worth the price.

Service was good.  It wasn't that busy and only one server, but she dropped by often.  She didn't ask what I wanted to drink, but brought water a couple moments later. The menu I got was very dirty with crap all over the pages.  They need to do a better job of making sure those menus are clean!

I like Flore and would go back, but the dirty menu has me freaked about how clean their kitchen is.  They have an A grade from the healthy department, but if they can't keep their menu clean, how clean is their kitchen?