Borreguitas BarExpress

Borreguitas BarExpress
977 S Garey Ave
Pomona, CA 91766
626-391-0700

David Allen wrote about Borreguitas BarExpress a few weeks ago. It's a small place, where you either order at the counter, if the order is to go, or you take seat if you're eating there.  I would say there are about 6-8 tables.

It's so new they do not have a sign installed yet.  Just a banner over the signage of the business they replaced.

Vegan burrito with asada soy meat, refried bean, onion, and cilantro-$6.99.  This tasted more like a bean burrito because there was a very small amount of asada soy meat.  The beans were fine, the tortilla tasted as though it was made fresh, the onions and cilantro were fine.  I just wish there was more soy meat.

Service was good.  But, if you pay with plastic, they charge you a $1 fee, which violates the agreements businesses have with the credit card companies.  They also don't tell you about the $1!

Borreguitas BarExpress is ok.  There aren't many vegan restaurants in Pomona, but I can get a bean burrito from many other places in Pomona.  I want a vegan option with actual a good amount of vegan meat. Not a tiny portion of vegan meat, and the rest something I can get at any Mexican place in the area.  Matter of fact, there is a Mexican restaurant right door.

Avocadamama

Avocadamama
Highland Park Vegan Night

When I had Cena Vegan, I wanted to try Avocadamama too.  But, they weren't set up that night, or at least I didn't see them. 

Avocadamama is vegan pasta, with some great sauces.

Og Mac-$8, original cheese over rigatoni pasta topped with bread crumbs. The rigatoni is a bit thicker and larger than the rigatoni I've eaten before.  But, the sauce is outstanding.  Good flavor and very smooth.  But, the bread crumbs were too much.  The crumbs were very hard and tough to chew.

I would get this next time, without the bread crumbs.

Service is good.

I would go back to Avocadamama to try some of their other vegan pasta dishes.

Voodoo Doughnut

Voodoo Doughnut
100 Universal City Plz
Universal Cityshop, CA 91608
818-622-6646

Voodoo Doughnut is a well known donut shop in Portland.  They opened up a location at City Walk about a year ago.  Since I was already at City Walk, I decided to see what the hype about Voodoo Doughnut is all about.

I would compare Voodoo Doughnut to California Donut, with their creative ways of making donuts.  The store is a bit small, with the counter/display at the back.

Butterfinger donut-$1.95.Chocolate cake donut, with vanilla frosting and butterfinger crumbles on top.  This was ok.  The outside of the donut was a bit overdone.  It lacked flavor and didn't taste like butterfinger at all.  I wouldn't order this again.

Service was pretty good.

I don't get the hype of Voodoo Donut.  California Donut has more creative and better tasting donuts!!

Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe
1000 Universal Studios Blvd Ste 99
Universal City, CA 91608
818-853-0600

I went to the Hard Rock Cafe at City Walk many years ago.  I took a friend who was in town to City Walk, and while we didn't eat there, I decided to do a review.  But, without a picture of the food, because I'm not going back and overpaying for a burger.

Most people know that Hard Rock Cafe has tons of rock n roll memorabilia.  The food is mediocre at best, and always overpriced.

Hickory Barbeque Bacon Cheeseburger-current price-$16.95.Basted with hickory barbecue sauce and topped with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, crisp lettuce and vine-ripened tomato.  Click here to see a picture of this burger.

This burger was fine.  Nothing great or bad about it.  It was cooked perfectly.  But the fries were soggy and cold.

Service was good.

It's all about the atmosphere at places like Hard Rock Cafe.  The food is secondary.  If I'm going to pay that much for a burger, it better blow me away.  There are many gourmet burger places that have much better burgers at better prices! 

Cena Vegan

Cena Vegan
Highland Park Vegan Night

Every Tuesday and Friday Nights on York Blvd, between Ave 50 and Ave 51, there are pop up vegan food stands along York.  The line at Cena Vegan is always long, unless you get there early.  The food looked good and I decided to give them a try.

They are set up on the south west corner of York and Ave 51, diagonally across from Town Pizza-which also has a vegan pizza.  The line moves pretty fast, but there is always a line.

3 taco combo- Al pastor, carne adsada, and pollo, $8.  Not sure which was which.  But, one-I think it was the pollo, was very chewy and rubbery.  But, the other two were amazing!  Both full of flavor, great texture, and you don't miss the meat!  The tortilla is freshly made, and held up to the ingredients nicely.

Service is good.  But, in order to speed up the line, they had another worker take orders on their Ipad.  He should tell people, if you're ordering with him, it will be plastic (cards) only.  I was paying cash, ordered from him and he told me he can only take plastic.  He should tell everybody that in the first place.  You can pay cash or plastic at the register/counter. 

I would go back to Cena Vegan anytime. 

Kaya Asian Cuisine

Kaya Asian Cuisine
1640 W Mission Blvd
Pomona, CA 91766
909-622-2689

Kaya Asian Cuisine is basically a sushi restaurant that also serves some Chinese dishes.  Located in the same shopping center as a LA County office and a huge warehouse lumber store, Kaya is a medium sized restaurant.  There is the sushi bar on the right as you enter, and tables spread throughout the store.

Decorated with some title on the wall and a chair rail, it's gives off a warm welcoming feel.

Tuna, $4.50 and shrimp, $4.25,  sushi.  Both are good portions, were pretty fresh.  But, the sushi rice is bland and didn't stick together.  If you dipped it into soy sauce, it would fall apart.

Crunchy roll- $9.50, shrimp tempura, with crabmeat.  There was too much sauce on this roll.  As with the sushi, the rice didn't stick together and would fall apart when dipped into soy sauce.  Next time I order this, I'll ask for no sauce.

Red Dragon roll,$9.95, shrimp tempura and crab meat inside, and tuna outside.  A very good, balance, well executed roll.  I really liked this roll.

Service was good.  There was only one server for the entire restaurant, but I wasn't lacking for anything.  They do a great delivery business, because they had two delivery persons, coming in and making deliveries throughout the entire time I was there.

While Pomona isn't known as a city with a lot of good sushi options, Kaya is pretty good. 

I would go back to Kaya.

Catch 56-Closed

Catch 56
5615 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-667-2777

LA Eater listed the 18 best places to get fish and chips in LA.  I tried to go to one place, Searestasalt Fish Grill, but they were closed the day I went; even though their website said they were open. So, Catch 56 is the first place I tried that was on the list.

A good sized restaurant with tables spread all over.  You order at the counter.  You choose your catch- cod, salmon, shrimp, calamari, and they recently added red snapper.  Then you picked how they cook it-fried, grilled, or Hawaiian style and you pick you side-chips, cajun chips, herb rice, or spring mix salad.

I picked the cod, $11.99, fried, with chips.  This was a huge portion of cod, I would bet at least half a pound.  A light batter that made the cod very crispy,  The cod was good, I'm betting the cod was frozen, but they cut the fish in portions and make their own batter.  This isn't a frozen, premade fish and chips.  A very good example of fish and chips!!

The chips are well seasoned, and cooked to perfection!!  The chips are cut into thick rectangles, much like chips in England.

Service was good.  Nice friendly service.

I would go back to Catch 56 any time!! 

LBK Pizzeria

LBK Pizzeria
4359 Tujunga Ave
Studio City, CA 91604
818-824-3511

LBK Pizzeria was touted on LA Eater, as a popular Brooklyn pizzeria that is opening in LA.  Located in a busy part of Studio City, there is no signage on the awning, so GPS may say you've arrived but you're still not sure where it is.  It's basically a take-out place, with a counter with four bar stools, and a couple picnic tables on the sidewalk.

The pizzas are Neapolitan pizza.  I got the small Margherita pizza, $16, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, and a piece of basil.  a 12in pizza.  The crust is awesome!! One of the best crust I've ever had.  Crispy, yet firm and chewy.  Great texture and flavor.  But, flavor was lacking in the tomato sauce.  Way too bland and just flavorless.  The cheese was fine.  This could have been an outstanding pizza if their tomato sauce had an flavor!!

Service is good.

LBK Pizzeria didn't live up to their hype.  The pizza is fine, but I would much rather go to DeSano Pizza Bakery, which makes the best Neapolitan pizza in LA!

Taco Gourmet Simply Fresh

Taco Gourmet Simply Fresh
3530 W Temple Ave
Pomona, CA 91768
909-468-0147

Next to Koji Ramen is Taco Gourmet Simply Fresh, which replaced Cantina Express- though I'm sure there were a couple restaurants in between.  Taco Gourmet is a good sized restaurant where you order at the counter.  There are tables spread throughout the L-shaped restaurant. 

Fish taco=$1.99. Talapia with tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and sour cream. You choose the toppings, but I didn't see cabbage, just lettuce.  The tortillas are freshly made, which is a good touch.  But, the talapia is grilled and bland and flavorless.  The tomatoes, onions, cilantro and sour cream are fresh, but the talapia being dry and bland makes this a waste of calories.

Service is good.  There was a long line for Taco Tuesday, but the line moved quickly. 

I don't know about the other tacos, but I wasn't impressed with the fish tacos here.  I won't return.