Legends Classic Diner

Legends Classic Diner
1155 E Rt 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-852-2700

I've passed by Legends Classic Diner many times, on the way to Donut Man, but I never stopped in.  When a buddy said we should to to Legends, I took him up on the offer.  This is a huge space, with the counter directly in front of you, as you walk in.  To the left is a huge dining room decorated with 50's themed items.  Think Elvis, I Love Lucy, etc.  To the right is even more dining space.

Tuna melt- $8.05.  This was a very good example of a tuna melt.  The tuna was fresh, not drown in mayo, well seasoned and the slices of American cheese were melted perfectly.  The bread was nicely toasted, maybe a bit too much butter, but otherwise held up to the tuna very well!

Small fries- $3.05.  I could have gotten a combo with the tuna melt, but I don't drink much soda, so I figured I would just order a small fries.  These fries were huge!  A good value for the price. They are frozen fries, but crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Service is good.  One thing, you can leave your trays and baskets on the table.  There are no trash cans for people to bus their own tables.

I was impressed with Legends. 

Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery

Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery
2051 Rancho Valley Dr
Pomona, CA 91766
909-620-9200

Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery is an area chain, that's open 24 hours a day.  Their breakfast and lunch menu is served all day, but the dinner menu goes from about 3pm to 10pm.

The Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery in Pomona is located in a fairly new shopping center, with almost every kind of food you want.  The center where Corky's has a Golden Corral, a  pizza place, a Dickey's BBQ, a couple fast food places.  Across the street is a Target, and yet more restaurants including Panda Express.

I actually went to Corky's twice.  One time for breakfast and the other time for dinner.

Mushroom and cheese omelette-$11.49  This is a huge portion, 5 eggs, a good amount of cheddar cheese and fresh mushrooms.  A good, solid dish.

The hash browns were cooked perfectly on one end-perfectly brown, but the other end could have used a few more minutes on the grill.  But, the hash browns were not seasoned at all.  What professional cook forgets to season their hashbrowns?

Service during breakfast was ok.  The server never smiled, wasn't the friendliest, but, I didn't lack for anything.

Shrimp and chips -$13.19.  Eight frozen butterflied shrimp, four pieces that stuck together, so one side wasn't browned.  But, I'm not expecting fresh shrimp from a diner.  The steak fries weren't seasoned, but cooked perfectly.

Service for dinner was ok.  I had two servers, one must have went on a break.  I realize I was eating at the counter, but I won't want to hear the servers complaining about their hours, or boss.  Do that away from me.

I think some people would find Corky's a bit pricey, but for the amount of food you get, I think it's worth it.  You won't leave hungry.  I would go back, but I still can't believe the cooks don't season the potatoes!!

Flo’s No 2

Flo’s No 2
5650 Riverside Dr
Chino, CA 91710
909-628-0818

I found out about Flo’s No 2 when David Allen talked about the home made pies at Flo's Cafe near the Chino Airport.  Flo's has three locations, including two with a few miles of each other.

Since today is Pie Day, 3-14, I figured I would give Flo's Cafe a try.  I went to Flo's Cafe first and something just seemed off.  The young man who helped me was nice but I wanted a couple slices of pie and while there were some whole pies, he said he couldn't cut them.  He also said all slices were $3.50, when the David Allen's story said the pie of the month was $1.75.  Anyways I just passed and figured I was go to  Mariscos El Puerto. But, on my way there I passed by Flo's No 2 and I decided to give them a try.  And yes, get a slice of pie!

Flo's No 2 is a stand alone restaurant, with a counter to the right as you enter and tons of tables straight ahead.  A nice warm, cozy place.  The sign says this location opened in 1986!

Fish and chips, $7.45.  Fish was cod and they were frozen.  But the fish to batter ratio was about 70 to 30, which is pretty good.  Not overwhelming, but worth the price.

Blueberry crumb pie, regular price $3.50.  Pie of the month slice, $1.75!  This was a running, sloppy mess.  No sweetness in the crumb or the blueberries!  Not impressed!  I will have to try the apple or cherry pie.  But, I'll pass on the blueberries.

Service is good.  The lady who helped me was very nice and helpful.

I would go back to Flo's to have breakfast, many breakfast items look good. 

Twohey's Restaurant-Moved

Twohey's Restaurant
1224 N Atlantic Blvd
Alhambra
626-284-7387


After 75 years Twohey's Restaurant will close on Feb. 1, 2018, after losing their lease.  So, even though I did a review back in 2008, I wanted to go back to Twohey's one last time. The restaurant hasn't changed much since 2008.  It's a huge place with seating in every part of the space, including the counter.  There was a long line of people, many wanting to make one last visit.

There is talk that Twohey's is suppose to reopen in another location.  But, I'll believe that when I see it.  After the Tail o the Pup closed in 2005, it was suppose to reopen, but the iconic hot dog stand is now in a museum in Chatsworth!  I heard there is a Tail o the Pup food truck and a location was suppose to open in downtown LA, but that didn't happen!

Update Jan. 27, 2018.  Twohey's has found a new location.  They will move to South Pasadena and take over where the Carmine's used to be.  They will stay open at this location until they are ready to move into their new location. They are hoping for a Spring 2018 opening.

Lobster truffle mac and cheese, $18.95.  The only good part of this dish was the large amount of lobster!  There must have been maybe a quarter to half pound of lobster!  The macaroni was cooked well.  But the cheese sauce was like soup.  So thin and lacking flavor!  They need to add more flour to thicken the sauce.  Going to Twohey's may bring back memories, but I can see why some people today don't like it.  Using frozen items and nuking them in the microwave!  I mean come on!  Use fresh ingredients and actually good. 

Service at the counter was good.  But, when I went to pay the manager and the hostess were terrible.  I mean I walked right past them to go to the register.  If they didn't see me they must be blind as hell.  They weren't busy, they were just standing there doing nothing.

 I'm sure there will be people who will miss Twohey's, but it's just an average restaurant. 

Cindy’s Eagle Rock

Cindy’s Eagle Rock
1500 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323-257-7375

Cindy's has been in Eagle Rock forever under many owners!  Just a few blocks east of CaCao Mexicatessen, and across the street from the now closed Larkin's, the current owners really revamped the restaurant.  They set up a Go Fund Me account to pay for the renovation of their iconic sign!

It's a fairly small restaurant with booths along the windows and a good sized counter.  They were packed the day I went and customers just kept coming in!

Veggie burger- $9.50- chicken fried portobello burger with sweet corn relish, goat cheese, and red pepper sauce with mixed green salad.

They have seven different veggie burgers, how often they veggie burger changes depends on how quickly the batch of veggie burgers are gone.  I was intrigued by the chicken fried portobello burger and ordered it.  It was very good.  The portobello mushroom was moist and tender.  The batter was very good, crispy and held up to the conidments/  The goat cheese fresh and the red pepper sauce was too tangy.  But, otherwise a great burger.  Yes, it's not the most healthiest veggie burger, but it's different and I would order this again!

Service was pretty good.  We sat at the counter, so our server came by often.  Though she didn't refill my drink that often.  But, she was friendly and helpful.

I always heard Cindy's was overpriced for mediocre food.  I found the prices to be fair, especially for the area and the food to be very good.  I would go back!

Astro Family Restaurant

Astro Family Restaurant
2300 Fletcher Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90039
323-663-9241

Astro is a googie architecture style restaurant.  Googie architecture was popular from about the late 40's until the 1960's.  Think of that cartoon The Jetsons, and you basically have googie architecture!  Astro is a long time diner in a douchebag hipster neighborhood.  While the restaurant looks huge from the outside, it's not really that big inside.  There are booths along the windows and a long counter on the right side of the building.  I think there is a room if you went straight after walking in.

It was very slow for a dinner rush.  Maybe 4 to 5 tables with customers.  

Garden burger, $11.75, with lettuce, tomatoes, thousand island dressing, with cole slaw and onion rings. This was terrible!  The patty is just bland, flavorless and I'm pretty sure frozen then nuked in the microwave.  But, really an unasembled burger?  Come on, at least place the top half of the bun on the plate and not underneath the patty and the other part of the bun!  The veggies were fresh, but the lettuce was wet!  Dry off the lettuce before serving it up!

Onion rings were ok.  Lukewarm at best, and straight from the freezer to the fryer. 

Service was good. 

After eating here, I know why they were slow during dinner time!  Astro Family Restaurant is nothing but an overpriced, very underwhelming diner.  I thought about ordering fish and chips, and they were about $18.  Fried shrimp was about $22?  Really??  I won't come back!

Monrovian Family Restaurant-Closed

Monrovian Family Restaurant
534 S Myrtle Ave
Monrovia, CA 91016
 626-359-8364

According to the sign, Monrovian Family Restaurant opened in 1979.  Located a few blocks north of Gene's Grinders and Jake's Roadhouse, and a few blocks south of Mikomi, in a huge two story building!  It seems as though the decor hasn't changed since the 1980's; it's a very dated decor but a clean restaurant.  The restaurant itself is huge, with plenty of booth seating.  The clientele is older people, many of them who are regulars.  I heard both the server and the manager, at least I think he is the manager, call people by name!

Salad was pretty standard with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons. Some of the lettuce was very bitter!  But, it was drowned in dressing!  Order your dressing on the side.

Seafood plate, $15.49 with soup or salad, fried cod, fried shrimp and fried scallops with fries or rice or cole slaw.

I can just tell by the price the seafood was going to be frozen.  It was.  The fried shrimp was very hard and too crunchy.  It also wasn't that hot, as if they were sitting under heat lamps.  The scallops were too mushy but had a good crunch.  The cod was too greasy and it surprised me that batter was thin!  It was mostly cod with a light coating of batter.  The fries were lukewarm and were clearly under heat lamps.

Service was good by the server.  She must have came around ten times during the time I was there.  She was nice and helpful.  After eating dinner, I went to the restaurant and there was the guy, who I believe is the manager, behind the counter on his phone.  He never acknowledge me!  Most people behind the counter would have said thank you, come again.  But, he was too busy on his phone!  Bad customer service, especially by a manager!!

Monrovian Family Restaurant is mediocre at best.  I won't go back.

Green Street Restaurant

Green Street Restaurant
146 Shoppers Ln
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-577-7170

Behind Lemonade is Green Street Restaurant, a long time Pasadena restaurant that was actually on Green Street, but later moved to it's current location.  Which is the ground level of a parking structure! 

A large restaurant that is next to The Counter, it has both indoor seating and patio seating.  The two restaurants are so close together and sort of blend in that I saw two groups of people enter Green Street thinking it was The Counter.  Green Street was very busy on a Sunday night. 

Ahi Tuna Burger – Ahi tuna filet, charbroiled medium rare, with Wasabi ginger aioli and Asian slaw.  $16.50.  The ahi tuna was cooked perfectly, nice and moist with lots of flavor.  Portion size was good.  The Wasabi ginger aioli was a pleasant surprise, not as spicy as I thought it would be.  Or maybe the Asian slaw helped reduced the heat?  The but was toasted and held up very well.  A good dish, maybe a bit overpriced.  I got fresh fruit and it was fine.

Service is good.  Nice and friendly.

I did enjoy Green Street, but I think the prices are a bit high.  The quality of the food is good.  Debatable if I would go back!

Clifton's Cafeteria

Clifton's Cafeteria
648 South Broadway
LA
213-627-1673

I reviewed Clifton's Cafeteria back in 2007.  It was simple comfort food at good prices.  It wasn't gourmet, far from it, but it was a good value.  Later Clifton's started to use canned foods and the quality went down.  So, the Clinton family sold the restaurant to Andrew Meieran, who has renovated other buildings in downtown Los Angeles and turned them into nightclubs like The Edison.  Meieran planned a major renovation starting in 2011.

The orginal plan was to keep the restaurant open during the first phrase of renovations, but when you're renovating a building that first opened in 1935, there are many surprises.  So he soon closed down the restaurant and went full steam ahead for the renovation.  While renovations continued you never heard a word from the new owner.  It was always the standard response, the restaurant is going through renovations.  With the explosion of social media, not a good way to do business.

Finally in October 2015, they opened.  Long lines on the weekend, up to 2 hours, during the first two weeks of reopening awaited long time customers.  The best thing the new owner did was tear down the ugly aluminum facade that ruined the original front of the building. 

I went on a very warm Sunday, and the wait to get inside was about 15-20 minutes.  Once inside you get a tray and then the cluster of food stations are in front of you.  The first station is salad, followed by the "grill" breakfast items, a burger and fries station, then the pizza station.  Right after the grill section is the sandwich sectin, followed by the dessert section.  Behind you is the carvery- sliced roast beef, ham and turkey along with mac and cheese and stuffing is served at this station.  Then you go pay.  Then you find a table on any of the three levels of the restaurant that are currently open. 

Mac and cheese, $4.95.  This was disgusting!  First it was cold, not because it took a long time to pay and find a table, that actually went pretty quickly.  It was also very dry, very little cheese and it was bland as hell.  A rip off at that price!

Tuna salad, $2.50.  This was good, well seasoned, not drowned in mayo, but the portion size was very small and the value is debatable.

Jello, 35 cents.  It's blueberry jello with rapsberry inside.  It was fine.

Brownie bites, $3.  Pretty damn good and the best value of the items I ordered.  Flavorful, moist, and not too sweet.

Service is good overall.  But, the busboys are very slow to clear tables and offer refills.

Clifton's was not worth the long wait!  The food is overpriced, lacks flavor and portions are small.  The food line would move faster if they boards actually listed what items were being served.  For example, the signs above the grill section didn't list fries.  I only saw the fries because a person at the table next to me had ordered a burger and fries.  I skipped the burger section because I didn't want a burger.  Also, prices aren't listed for some items.  There was no price listed for the stuffing which was next to the $6 list price for the mac and cheese.  Why they charged me $4.95, I'm not sure.

To be fair, there is somebody at the front of the carvery telling people both sides serve the samething, but there as you walk out, people in the grill section can enter the carvery.  They need to either put an exit only sign or have somebody there to direct people!

As for seating some tables, especially near the second floor bar area are too small for dining.  The busboys need to come by more often to take the trays, which take up too much room on the small tables!  There were trays on the floor and chairs!  The third floor has seating for larger parties.

The basement, which will become a bar, and the fourth and fifth floors-will eventually become a steakhouse and another bar, are still being renovated.

The interior is filled with glass displays of wild animals that seem real.  Not sure how well this goes over with animal rights activists!!

I won't go back to Clifton's for the food.  I did like how they restored the building, but the food just plain sucks!

Update January 21, 2016

Two friends wanted to go and try Clifton's.  So, being the great guy I am, I said we'll go.  This time we went for dinner on a weeknight.   There was a much smaller crowd than before.  But, same confusing food sections.  My friend made a great point, even though she had never been to Clifton's, they do not serve any hot vegetables!  The old Clifton's had a wide variety of hot veggies.  So, they were from a can, but at least you had a choice. 

One change for the better is that they put the mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and stuffing in a chafing dish to keep them warm.  Before they were just on the counter!!

 Cheese pizza slice, $2.75.  Pretty good crust, but the sauce is way too tangy for my tastes.  They need to add some sweetness to the sauce.  Also, there was a wait for the slices because either there was a run on pizza slices-very unlikely, or the pizza chef was behind-I think that's the most likely reason.

 I had to try the mac and cheese again.  Same price, $4.95.  Same crappy no cheese sauce mac and cheese.  Terrible!  What a damn joke!

Small salad, $5, half romaine lettuce and half spinach.  They couldn't screw this up!  The lettuce and spinach were very fresh.  I got a citrus dressing that was pretty good.  Maybe a bit overpriced for what you get.

I'm not a fan of the new Clifton's and don't expect to return anytime soon!

Fred's 62

Fred's 62
1850 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles
323-667-0062

Hello Mc Fly anybody home?  No, Doc Brown didn't turn another DeLorean into a time machine and take Marty back to Lou's Cafe.  But, if you go to Fred's 62 in Los Feliz, you may feel as though you went back to the future!  A really neat old school diner that has been open since, for you slow Cal St. Long Beach graduates, 1962!!  Set on Vermont, just south of the House of Pies, Fred's 62 really does feel like you're going back in time.

Fish and chips, $11.77.  Four pieces of cod in a Guinness batter, fries, cole slaw, and a small salad.  At first look, I thought the batter would be too thick, but the batter was very light and crunchy.  The dark color has to be from the Guinness beer.  The fish was fresh and tasty.  The portion size was very generous.  The fries were average served luke warm.

Service was slightly below average.  The server was nice and friendly, but didn't refill drinks too often and wasn't around that often.  There was another server inside the restaurant and about three other tables outside, where I was sitting.  So, it wasn't like she was so busy, so didn't have time.

I was surprised at the quality of the fish here and would certainly go back, despite the below average service.

The Trails Eatery

The Trails Eatery
7389 Jackson Dr
San Diego
619-667-2233

Ever watch that show Restaurant Impossible?  It's where Robert Irvine-the man who lied about his resume but he still hosts a show on Food Network- has two days to turn over a struggling restaurant.  I guess the story is that The Trails Eatery opened as Megan's and did so well they had to expand into the building next door.  Well the expansion didn't go well and Megan's started to lose business.  They called Restaurant Impossible and along came The Liar, I mean Robert Irvine.  He changed the interior, the menu, and the name to The Trails Eatery.

Whatever he did it worked because the place was busy the morning we went.   The Trails Eatery is located in a standard suburban shopping center.  Plenty of parking and and other stores nearby.  They are opened for breakfast and lunch seven days a week, but only open for dinner a few nights a week.  I'm not sure the exact days, so call if you want to go to dinner.

Meat Lovers Omelette Ham, bacon & sausage with cheese; 9.29.  I usually don't get omelettes but today the meat lovers omelette looked too good to pass up.  The first bite I took the omelette was luke warm.  I want an omelette that is hot.  You can see the unmelted string of cheese in the picture, that should tell you that the omelette wasn't hot.  None of the meats inside the omelette were't hot either!  Of course the meats were all precooked but at least warm them up on the grill or make the eggs hot.

Service was good.  Our server was very nice and attentive.

I wasn't  impressed at all with the food at The Trails Eatery.  I mean Denny's makes a better omelette!!  Happy Trails,  The Trails Eatery because I'm not coming back!

Lil B's Urban Eatery-Closed

Lil B's Urban Eatery
2611 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
619-296-8268

Lil B's Urban Eatery is owned by the former owner of Brian's American Eatery. The word is the two business partners had a falling out and closed Brian's. I don't get into any feuds and was happy to hear that Brian's will continue in some form.  The main differences I noticed was that Lil B's had a smaller menu, more update interior, higher prices and better parking.

Half chicken caesar salad, $8.99.  This was a pretty good salad of a chicken caesar salad.  The romaine lettuce was fresh and crunchy.  The chicken was served warm and had a few too many char marks.  It was basically flavorless and was missing salt.  The dressing wasn't as thick as other caesar but tasted just fine.  I liked the fact they didn't drown the salad with dressing.
 

Side of mac and cheese, $2.49.  This was a blend of three cheeses and very well cooked macaroni.  I hate it when the macaroni is mushy.  It was good, but quite frankly, a rip off at $2.49 for such a small portion.  Two to three spoonfuls and this was done.

Service was friendly but lacking.  We were seated and it took forever for our server to even come by.  At first I thought she was the only server, but there were at least two other servers working.  Not sure what was going on, but I was hungry and wanted to get my order in!  She also wasn't refilling drinks quickly.  The ice had already melted and still no refills.

I had high hopes for Lil B's Urban Eatery and I came away disappointed.  Going to Brian's was always something I looked forward to when visiting San Diego.  Now with Lil B's Urban Eatery opened it maybe a long while before I return. 

The Pot Holder Cafe

The Pot Holder Cafe
3700 E Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90803
562-433-9305

So, I'm in Long Beach on a Saturday morning and we're trying to find a place to eat that is open.   The Potholder seemed like a good place to try- a nice neighborhood diner.  The sign said closed but the door was open.  They were preparing to open and quite frankly the server didn't seem too happy to see customers walk in about five minutes before they officially opened.

Anyways, The Potholder is a big place that has the last three units of the building and by the time we left almost all the seats were taken.  So it's a popular neighborhood diner.

Frankie's Special; two eggs over hard, two strips of bacon, two pancakes, $5.95.  I'm really not a breakfast person.  I to eat out for lunch and dinner instead of breakfast.  But, when I do go for breakfast, it's my usual eggs and bacon and maybe some toast or pancakes.

I always get my eggs over hard, I hate runny eggs.  These eggs were cooked pretty well.  The yolk or the white were cooked, maybe slightly overcooked, but that's fine.  The eggs did lack salt, which is a basic seasoning.  The bacon was the standard bacon you get from the supermarket, nothing special or great about it.  But, the bacon was slightly undercooked.

But, the pancakes were awesome!  They were cooked perfectly-light, fluffy with a nice sweetness to them.

Service was below average.  While the orders came out quickly and we didn't lack for anything, the lady who maybe the owner or manager wasn't too friendly.  Like I said she wasn't too happy we came in five minutes before they opened.  If they didn't want customers coming in, maybe they should lock the damn door!!  If they want customers they need to be nicer to customers and cook the food better-overcooked eggs that lacked salt and slightly undercooked eggs?  Come on now.

I wouldn't go back to The Potholder, unfriendly service and poorly cooked food, though the pancakes were great, isn't a recipe for a return visit.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen
4348 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles
323-664-3663

I was in the Silver Lake area the other night. It was late. I was hungry. I didn't want pizza since I had pizza a couple nights before. So, it was eating at The Kitchen or driving around and searching for a restaurant that was still open. So I looked at their menu and decided to give them a try.

The Kitchen is a small restaurant located just south of Sunset, on Fountain Ave. It a very popular locals hang out. I heard it can get very crowded for brunch on the weekends.




I got the fried Chicken, $14, farm fresh 7 oz boneless breast with gravy and double garlic mashed, instead of succotash. I don't know what they use as a scale, but if that piece of chicken was 7 oz., then I want that scale when I weigh myself. The chicken breast was huge, I would guess much bigger than 7 oz. The skin was nice and crispy and well seasoned, but as I got the end part, it was very salty, maybe from soaking up the gravy? The chicken was moist, tender, and flavorful.

The gravy was a thick gravy, well seasoned, and just the right amount for the chicken and garlic mashed potatoes.

The garlic mashed potatoes were very good. A nice thick texture with a good, but not overwhelming, amount of garlic.

Service was friendly, but lacking. My drink wasn't refilled, even though both the server and busboy came to the table often. The server didn't come back to ask how the meal was. Matter of fact she only came when she had to; taking our order, serving our food, dropping off the check, and taking the money. They weren't busy at all, so I don't know why we didn't see her more often.

I did enjoy the food at The Kitchen, but the service needs to improve before I would go back.