Cruzer Pizza-Moved

Cruzer Pizza
4449 Prospect Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-666-0600

Cruzer Pizza is located just off of Hillhurst, in Los Feliz.  It's a very small, most take-out place.  There is one table with two chairs and a counter with about four bar stools.  They do a huge take out business with many customers coming in to pick up orders.

It's 100% vegan, including the crust!  Some places forgot that if the crust has eggs, it is not vegan!  

Vegan Veggie Pizza-large 14 in., $17.99, with six veggies of your choice.  Dairya cheese, half olives, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, onions, and spinach.  The crust was outstanding!! Firm, holding up to the toppings, yet a good texture!  The daiya cheese isn't my favorite.  It's has a weird texture.  The sauce is just bland.  They need to add more spices to the sauce.  The veggies were fresh.  I should try the vegan meats!  The Philly Cheesesteak pizza will be my next order from here.

Service is good.

I wasn't blown away by Cruzer Pizza.  It was fine.  The blandness of the sauce still gets me.  But, I would go back because I think the crust is outstanding!

Happy Family Restaurant-Moved

Happy Family Restaurant
18425 Colima Rd Fl 2
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626-965-9923

Happy Family is on the second floor of the shopping complex where Newport Seafood and, the now closed, Four Seasons Steak House, used be.  

It's a huge restaurant with tables covering basically the entire front of the house!  It's brightly lit and the clean. 

Beef and broccoli- $11.95

This was a very good example of veggie beef and broccoli, maybe a bit heavy on the pepper, but otherwise good.  The veggie beef was a bit chewy, but very flavorful.  If you eat meat, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  The broccoli was fresh and well cooked.  This was cooked just a little longer than most Chinese restaurants, which I like.  Still crispy but not mushy!

Celery, bean sprouts, and mushrooms-$8.95.  I wasn't that impressed with this dish.  Pieces of celery sliced julienne style.  There were a few pieces of mushrooms, but not as much to justify the price.  Celery and bean sprouts are inexpensive.  A bit under seasoned.

Service was good.

Overall I liked Happy Family and would go back.  I wouldn't order the celery, bean sprout, and mushroom dish again.

Charlie’s Stars & Stripes American Deli-Closed

Charlie’s Stars & Stripes American Deli
296 N 2nd Ave
Upland, CA 91786
909-981-2411

Charlie’s Stars & Stripes American Deli is a sports bar in Upland, that gives recognition to men and women who served in the military.  There are two walls with pictures of service members!  On a wall near the bar, there is a picture of Pat Tillman!  Today being Memorial Day, I decided this would be a great time to do a review.

Back in 2014, I found out about Charlie's after a David Allen Restaurant of the Week mentioned they had a $5 steak night on Monday.  I wasn't eating meat at the time, but I went with a group of people.  I think I had either the fish and chips or a salad.  I can't remember.

Fast forward four years, they moved the steak night to Wednesday, and it is $7.95.  Still a steal. I read there are new owners, and they did do some renovations- they moved the wall dedicated to area service members to the back, mainly because more photos were added.  The names on the menu no longer have military themed names.  The Pearl Harbor Burger is now the Hawaiian burger.   

While it says deli in the name, it's not a deli in the classic sense.  Their menu is salads, sandwiches, burgers, and some entrees like spaghetti, salmon, and steak.

Shrimp basket-$9.99.  Charlie's is a casual bar, so I'm not expecting gourmet food.  The shrimp is fine for what it is.  This is 10 pieces of frozen shrimp. Good sized shrimp with a good crunchy outside.

Service is good.  It was slow, as the entire downtown area has very little foot traffic.  But, I didn't lack for anything.

I like Charlie's and would go back anytime.  If you do eat meat, that steak special is a steal! 

Corn Man- Food Stand

Corn Man Food Stand
2338 Workman St
Los Angeles, CA 90031

Corn Man is a very popular food stand in Lincoln Heights!  He has his own yelp page.  He has his own Instagram location- The Corn Station.  He has been written about in all the food websites!  Everyday, from about 10:30pm until he runs out, Corn Man sells Mexican style corn on the cobb and cups of corn loaded with mayonnaise, butter, chili powder & cotija cheese!  Both are $2.50 each.  I got there about 9:30 pm and there were already about 5 people in line.  By the time he arrived, about 10:45pm, the line was at least 50 people long!

The line starts at the wall of the Workman St. entrance of a public parking lot.  It's about 100 yards south of the Workman and Broadway.  The above address is the parking lot.  It's a residential neighborhood. 

This was a huge piece of corn, very fresh, hot and stayed hot for about the hour drive.  Filled with tons of mayo, butter, chili powder & cotija cheese, it was great!!  I didn't want too much topping, as I want to taste the sweetness of the corn.  But, the toppings make the corn, addicting!  I could have eaten two or three more!!

The corn cup is good, maybe a bit too much cheese, but fresh and full of flavor.  I prefer the corn on the cobb, but I would get this cup again.

Service is good.  He has a helper, his daughter, the night I was there.  They move quickly and are very friendly!

Corn Man lived up to all expectations!  It's worth the wait!  My advise, is to arrive early, 9:30pm, seems to be the time when most people suggest to arrive.  But, even at 9:30pm, there maybe 25 people already in line!!

Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen-Closed

Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen
12900 Victory Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 91606
818-308-6166

A friend follows Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen on social media.  When she told me about Krimsey's I was looking forward to giving them a try!  This maybe the first, and so far only vegan Cajun restaurant in LA.  There is a huge vegan event at the Rose Bowl today, but it costs $45 just to get in, and you still have to buy food!  So, I decided this would be the perfect day to go to Krimsey's!

Located on a very street, Krimsey's takes up the corner unit of the strip mall.  It's a huge place, with the counter on the right part of the room and tables on the left.  You order at the counter and the food is delivered to your table.

Hushpuppies-$5.79- a mixture of corn and sweet onions balls fried to perfection!  This is better than any hushpuppies I've ever had!  Every crunchy on the outside, light, and bursting with flavor on the inside!

New Orleans poboy-$11.99.  heart of palm are seasoned and battered, then fried, served on sourdough bread with mayo, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, and creamy spicy house sauce.

WOW, was this ever good.  The heart of palm has a very chewy texture.  It attached to the batter and it made for a great tasting item.  The bread and veggies were fresh.  The sauce is on the spicy side, maybe just below medium in spice.  But, you will get a decent kick.

Service is good.  On Saturdays, they only start serving their regular menu at 11:30am.  I'm not a big breakfast person, buy many of their breakfast dishes looked great!

I would go back to Krimsey's anytime! 

Taco King-Closed

Taco King
1317 E Foothill Blvd
Upland, CA 91786
909-982-0014

David Allen wrote about Upland institution Taco King being put up for sale.  So, since I did a review about another restaurant that maybe closing soon, Teddy's Tacos, I decided to give Taco King a try.

King Taco is a few blocks west of the now closed-Buckboard BBQ & Grill and Red Hill BBQ,  I'm sure I've pasted by Taco King and their distinctive sign many times, but never stopped in!

There are about 10 tables as you walk inside.  You order at the counter.  There are pictures of how Taco King looked in the early 1970's! 

Bean special- bean and cheese burrito, chips and a drink-$4.85.  The bean and cheese burrito is $2.75 by itself.  I liked this bean and cheese burrito.  It was better and more flavorful than the bean and cheese burrito from the more well known, Al & Bea's Mexican Food in LA.  While this is smaller, I much preferred the bean and cheese burrito from Taco King!

Hard Shell taco- $1.90- with beans instead of ground beef.  This was a good taco, their beans are great!  Fresh lettuce and cheese.  The portion is a bit small, but the quality of the food is very good.

Service is good.

I'm glad I got a chance to go to Taco King before it closed.  Hopefully, the new owners will keep the recipes and Taco King will continue to be an Upland institution!

Cocobella

Cocobella
1253 Vine St
Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-848-4672 

In the same shopping center as Doomies Home Cookin, home of the vegan Big Mac, Cocobella is a vegan ice cream place.  The space used to be an Eastern European restaurant that closed, matter of fact, I never saw one customer in there, while I was at Doomies.  One great thing I found out, Doomies has opened their Next Mex restaurant, right next door.  It's vegan Mexican!! 

Anyways a bright, airy place with the ice cream along the back wall, and some tables in the front.

Toasted smores, $5.50.  This is made out of coconut milk and soy.  It was very tasty, but the texture threw me off.  It was very grainy!  I really don't know what causes this to be grainy.  If this wasn't grainy, I would have liked it much more.

Service is good.  The lady was very nice and helpful!

I would go back to Cocobella.  They gave samples and I tried the salted caramel, and it was good, but wasn't as grainy. They have different flavors at different times of the year.  The strawberry lemonade looked really good! That will be my choice when I come back for Doomies Next Mex!