The York

The York
5018 York Blvd
Los Angeles
323-255-9675

Just a few blocks west of Maximiliano, is The York a gastropub on, suprise, York Blvd.  There is no signage on the back of the sign in the picture above.  So, if you're heading east on York Blvd, you won't see the sign for The York. 

The York is a large and wide bar.  It was pretty full the night we went and it was only about 7pm.  The only menus are written on chalk board and hanging on the east and west walls of the building.  Interesting!  The other interesting thing is that all orders are taken at the bar!!  There are no servers, just a young woman you brings your food to your table.  If you didn't know about this policy, you would be sitting at a table for a long time.  When you place your order you are given a number and when I saw the numbers, I kinda of figured out we needed to order at the bar.

Beer battered fish and chips; $15.  I was told this fish used is cod, but tasted more like tilapia.  The batter was light and crispy as every beer batter should be.  The fish was fresh and flavor, but I don't think it was cod.  But, the fish was luke warm at best and very greasy.  It had clearly been sitting under heat lamps for too long.  I knew something was up when about five minutes after placing my order, the fish and chips arrived.

The chips or fries were pretty good but again lukewarm and not cooked to order. Not worth the $15 price at all.

Sriracha and honey wings, $10.  I would be the ratio fo sriracha to honey is 40% to 60% because this was just too sweet.  There was no heat from the srircha.  The wings themselves were huge and had a lot of meat.  But, like the fish and chips, the wings were lukewarm.  Doesn't The York believe in cooking items to order?

Service is good.  But, you need to know their system.  The bartender was nice and helpful. 

The York maybe a nice place to hang out with your friends, but the execution of the food is lacking.  Come on cook the items to order, so they are hot.  I won't be coming back to The York for the food, anytime soon.

House of Wings Sportsbar

House of Wings Sportsbar
2317 D St
La Verne, CA 91750
909-596-4466

A couple months ago while waiting for my friend to arrive for our dinner at Dillon's Pit Bar-B-Q, there was a Farmer's Market on D Street in La Verne. There were many vendors and local farmers selling their goods. The only restaurant on D Street that was actively marketing their restaurant was House of Wings Sportsbar, which was giving samples of the wings. I enjoyed the wings and decided to give them a try.

House of Wings is one of the most uniquely decorated sports bar, I've ever been to. The decor is more of a nice lounge than sports bar, with it's dim lighting and tasteful tables and chairs. If not for the flat screen TV's showing the Olympics and the Dodgers losing, you wouldn't think you're in a sports bar.

Wednesday is 50 cent wings night and the only caveat is you have to order in the quantities on the menu, 5 pieces-regular price-$4.99, 12 up to two flavors-$9.99, or 16 up to three flavors-$11.99.



So I got the 16 piece wings, and for you Cal St. Long Beach graduates, that's $8.00 plus tax, with hot, garlic parmesan, and lemon pepper as my three flavor choices.

The first thing I noticed about the wings, were the huge amount of meat on the wings. Some of the drummettes had so much meat on them, I thought they were a regular chicken leg!! They skin wasn't that crispy, but I prefer wings with more meat than a crispy skin.

Hot-Not as hot as I thought it would be. But, a good flavor, not too vinegary or tangy, which I like. If you're looking for spicy hot wings, try the extra hot because this hot is closer to mild.

Garlic Parmasan-I really liked this flavor, though they put a ton of parmasan cheese on top but that's easily taken care of by shaking off the excess cheese. A good garlic flavor enhanced by the parmasan cheese.

Lemon Pepper-I love lemon pepper as a seasoning, but too many times the lemon just overpowers the flavor. Whoever made this seasoning created the perfect balance between the lemon and pepper flavor. If I had to say what flavor came out most, it would be the pepper but I think the ratio is 51% pepper to 49% lemon.

Service was great!! We were greeted when we walked into the restaurant. The server who greeted us was nice, friendly, and welcoming. She happened to be our server and her friendly ways continued at our table. She came to our table often to ask if we needed anything. She was helpful explain the 50 cent wings special. She did ask if we needed change when she picked up the bill, a pet peeve of mine, but I can overlook that since she provided great friendly service!

I would go back to House of Wings any time and I would like to try other items on their menu.