Pizzamania

Pizzamania
13547 Telegraph Rd
Whittier, CA 90605
(562) 944-8803

I have been to the Pizza Mania in Long Beach, and liked the pizza and sandwiches.  I saw that there was a Pizza Mania in Whittier and I was in the area and dropped by.  I forgot to ask if the two locations are related.

The Whittier location is huge, with a separate room, where you placed your order and a huge dining area.  This place has to be very popular with the little league kids in the area.

Medium mushroom and jalapeno pizza, $16.57.   The sauce had a mild flavor.  The mushrooms were fine, but the jalapenos were pickled and just too salty.  I would prefer fresh jalapenos or pickled jalapenos that were less salty.  But, the crust was off.  Cripsy on the outside and way too bready in the inside.  The pizza was heavy and it's all crust.

Service was very good.  Mostly teenagers working, who were nice and helpful.  The pizza came out in about ten minutes.  They were pretty busy for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I wouldn't go back to Pizzamania in Whittier, the crust just isn't up to par.

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!

La Azteca Tortilleria

La Azteca Tortilleria
4538 E Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90022
323-262-5977

You don't have to search long for a good burrito in Los Angeles.  Hell, go to an area with a large Mexican population and you'll find a good burrito within five minutes.  So, when a restaurant is suppose to have the best burrito in Los Angeles, it better be damn good!

LA Weekly rated the chile relleno burrito at La Azteca Tortilleria, the best burrito in LA.  Word of caution, in their Top 9, they included Al and Bea, where I was underwhelmed!

La Azteca Tortilleria, is located on a busy stretch of E Cesar Chavez Ave., which used to be Brooklyn Ave, before they renamed the street to honor Cesar Chavez.  It's a small restaurant, with about four tables and some counter seating.  It can get hot in there but they have a portable air conditioner that helps.

Chile relleno burrito, $6.50, Anaheim chile, cheese, tomatoes, in a flour tortilla.  La Azteca Tortilleria makes their own flour tortilla and it's great, really fresh.  The other ingredients were good and they sure give you a lot.  But, while good, not the best!

Service is good.  They are nice and friendly.

The chile relleno burrito is worth the $6.50 price tag and some people may not be able to finish the burrito.  But, it's not the best burrito in LA, though the tortilla 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?

Pizzita Circle

Pizzita Circle
4047 Grand Ave Ste E
Chino, CA 91710
909-590-0404

Much like Giuseppe's Pizza, Pizzita is a combination pizza and Middle Eastern place.  Pizzita is a fast casual restaurant, located in the very busy restaurant corner of the Wal Mart shopping center in Chino, with good size dining area with tasteful decor.

Veggie Pizza, $7.95. Mushrooms, spinach, green peppers, onion, olives.  Comes with broccoli but I asked for no broccoli.  The crust is just too crispy for me.  Some people may like it, but it's not my cup of team.  The sauce is a bit bland.  The toppings are, for the most part, plentiful, except it was hard finding any spinach on the pizza.  I wouldn't order the pizza again. 

Falafel-$3.  Loved the falafel!  This had lots of flavor and was fried perfectly.   This may also be the largest falafel I've had, huge!  Well worth the price.

Service is good and friendly.

While I didn't like the pizza, the falafel was great and I would go back for the falafel wrap or just another order of falafel.  I have heard the hummus, which comes in three or four flavors, is great!  I'll be ordering some hummus on my next trip!

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.

The Supreme Plate

The Supreme Plate
9849 Foothill Blvd Ste K
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-987-3474

As many long time readers of The New Diner know, I use David Allen as a resource for my restaurant choices.  Back in December of 2014, he reviewed The Supreme Plate and I put it on my bucket list of places to try.  I finally made it out to Supreme Plate and wondering why it took so long!  What a great place!

A New Orleans style seafood restaurant, located in a mini mall that doesn't have a sign-other than on the window, that's Supreme Plate.  A small sized restaurant with 10 tables and counter service.

Shrimp o' Boy, $9.99!  This was amazing.  First of all, it was huge! The bread is shipped in from New Orleans-nice and pillow soft, perfectly toasted, with tomatoes, lettuce and pickles.  But, the fresh shrimp were the highlight!  Lightly breaded in cornmeal, fried perfectly, and plenty of them.  Must have had at least half a pound of shrimp on the sandwich.

Mac n Cheese, $4.50. A unique mac n cheese!  Lots of different spices than regular mac n cheese, but very tasty and creamy.  Maybe a bit overpriced for the portion size, but quality was spot on!

Hush puppies, $2.00.  Deep fried balls of cornmeal with some onions.  Very good but they could have been served hotter.

Service is friendly but slow.  The people working there are very nice.  But, service is slow, it took about 25 minutes for our order to arrive.  That would be fine if the food was served pipping hot.  But, the food was warm, not hot.

Next time I go to Supreme Plate, I'll just call in my order.  Very good food served by nice friendly people.