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May, 2011 - DineDelish

May 2011

5 Guys Burgers and Fries – Something Familiar Becomes Brand New

by Franklin on May 30, 2011

It looks like the predominantly East Coast eatery has made its way well into the West.  Upon arriving, 5 Guys seems to have the color scheme of the very West coast hamburger joint, In-n-Out. The red and white tiles were really familiar.  Perhaps this is why there is much talk about 5 Guys vs. In-n-Out.  Without any suspense, let me just tell you.  In-n-Out is better.  Yeah, I am from the west, so of course I will be biased.  I’m not saying 5 Guys makes horrible hamburgers — they are amazing. I don’t want this post to be some sort of comparison test.  Maybe for a later date.

The taste of these burgers are one of a kind.  Condiments include the normal ketchup mustard, and lettuce, but I got mine with bacon and jalapenos as well.  The flavor profile was amazing — spicy from the jalapenos, and a little sweet from the grilled onions. I would have liked the bacon less crispy — I like bacon more on the chewy side than the cookie crisp side.  The meat was superb, grilled on the flat top with a perfect crust.  Though it was a little dry, I would have liked it a bit on the rare side.  All in all, it was a solid burger.

The fries were okay.  Yeah, just okay.  It was kind of soggy — no crisp at all.  The Cajun seasoning was really good on it, though not my cup of tea.  The malt vinegar was good — mixing it with ketchup really made it really pop. I even experimented and made a trifecta sauce – ketchup, malt vinegar, and Cajun spices.

Basically, 5 Guys is a solid burger joint.  Their burgers are flavorful and you have lots to choose from toppings wise.  Free peanuts too.  I wouldn’t say they have the perfect burger though.  Maybe it’s the west coast in me. Maybe it’s because they charge a lot more than the other guys.  Or it could be something as minuscule as them serving their burgers with cold buns.  It must be a sign — Keep trying it until it hits me.  Yeah, that must be it.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries on Urbanspoon

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Charlie’s Chili – Newport Beach Boardwalk Chili Fix

by Franklin on May 29, 2011

It’s a bright and sunny day, what is one to do?  For me and many other lucky Southern Californians, it means, going to the beach.  Walking around Newport Beach, I checked out all of the shops and enjoyed my restful afternoon. It was a bit chilly and windy.  What was the solution?  Chili!  Charlie’s Chili to be exact.  Situated in the center of the boardwalk, it seemed like a popular spot.

I took it to go and enjoyed it on the pier.  Looking at it, I instantly knew it would be great.  Mixing in the cheese and the sauce, I could see all the little granules of chili powder and seasonings. Though I would have liked a bit more meat, the beans were really good in this chili.  They had a lot of cheese on top that melted within the chili.  Every spoonful had a lot of cheese. Yum.  The flavor was really good.  I am so used to chili in the can, this was really an eye opener — I never eat home made chili enough.

It was a great snack.  Eating the warm chili, sitting on the pier, and enjoying the beach is as good as it gets.  I think this opened my eyes a bit to chili.  I’d like to try other more famous chili’s around Southern California. I may even attempt to make my own chili.  Who knows.  All I know is that chili is good and hearty.  If you are at Newport Beach and want some chili, you know where to go.

Charlie's Chili on Urbanspoon

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Sam Woo Barbecue – Chinese Makes This Carnivore Happy

by Franklin on May 27, 2011

I love Chinese food.  I think America loves Chinese food.  That is probably why there are so many Chinese restaurants around town.  I’m not talking about Panda Express, or China Wok, Chinatown Express — the list goes on and on. When I think of Chinese food, and think of meat, I always look to Sam Woo.  Duck, pork, chicken, they have everything.  Roasted whole duck hang by their necks on display.  That might be a bit much to some, but to me, that’s lunch. I always come here for the duck and BBQ pork.  I sometimes get the sausage and the pork loaf too.  Get that with a little rice, and I can eat for days.

Sam Woo makes some good duck.  The skin was salty and fatty, the meat was tender and flavorful.  Did it taste like chicken?  No, it tasted like duck, obviously.  All kidding aside, it did have the texture and mouth feel of chicken, but a bit more fattier in taste.  And more fat means more flavor.

I personally like pork to be on the sweeter side.  Apples and pork chops, pineapples and ham, maple glazed bacon.  See the trend here?  Pork is just better on the sweet side.  The BBQ pork her was just that — sweet.  They make it in huge slabs, and chop it up per order.  It had this really sweet glaze over it that made it stand out.  The sweetness worked really well with the pork.    It tasted amazing!

Chinese food at those fast food joints is good, but is nothing like this place.  Sam Woo gives it that extra care and quality in everything they make.  It is authentic, as real Chinese food should be. Every time I need a meat fix and in the mood for Chinese, to Sam Woo Barbecue I will go.

Sam Woo BBQ on Urbanspoon

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Heroes Bar & Grill – Monstrous Portions, Dinosaurs Welcome

by Franklin on May 26, 2011

Walking into Heroes, I was overwhelmed with all the decorations and busy-ness there was.  Lights stretched around the room, peanut shells on the floor, and walls full of anything.  I bet there could have been a picture of my face, penciled in fake mustache and all, and I’m sure I would have missed it. Just as their interior design is over the top, their food is a representation of that.

Food here are for hungry hungry people.  Dinosaurs perhaps?  I saw a table order the nachos, and that thing came on a 12+ inch pizza pan.  I can’t help but wonder if their portions are for regular patrons or Adam Richman’s next challenge.  Trust me when I say that you will be needing a to-go box. My pastrami burger was humongous — pastrami stacked so high, I thought it was a pastrami sandwich.  The amount of curly fries they put on the side was massive as well.  Even the diet coke I ordered came in glass mug so huge, it looked like a Double Gulp cup with handles.

These guys know how to feed a guy. The melted Swiss was nice as well as the meaty amount of pastrami. Though their pastrami was the thickly sliced kind, I prefer the thinly sliced pastrami because it is fattier and juicier. To top off my burger, I asked for some mustard. They handed me a new jar of the good stuff — Grey Poupon. The commercial from way back when with the billionaire asking for the Grey Poupon came to mind. This mustard was perfect for the burger. Lots a meat, with the good stuff made this carnivore very happy.

The best dish was the meatball appetizer.  I usually hate meatballs because it is usually too bready or too ground beefy.  Oddly, Heroes meatballs are perfect. They use a blend of sirloin and Italian sausage.  Perfect marriage of both textures, and sauce.  The marinara sauce for this dish was perfect too. Their sauce was simply amazing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was somewhat sweet and addicting at the same time. Dipping the cheese bread into the sauce and eating it with the meat balls was so perfect.  Impressive, considering this is a bar and grill after all.

The joy of eating peanuts, and literally throwing the shell on the ground is unexplainable.  Somebody has to clean it up, and it isn’t going to be me. Eating monstrous proportions, watching your team on the flat screen is what Heroes Bar & Grill is all about.

Heroes Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

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Blue Bayou – Pirates of the Caribbean Meets Cajun Creole (Disneyland)

by Franklin on May 25, 2011

I remember going to Disneyland when I was a kid.  One of my favorite rides was the Pirates of the Caribbean.  The cool robotic and realistic figures causing havoc in pirate land was so entertaining.  They just looked so real!  Drifting away deeper and deeper into the fake world of pirates, I couldn’t help but get lost in it all. One thing I always remembered was the beginning of the ride.  Gazing at the people dining near the Bayou in the dimly lit setting, I always wondered who these people were.  How did they get over there, I asked myself.  In my young and naive mind, I came to the conclusion that, “those people must be special”.

Twenty odd years later, here I was, waiting to be seated where those “special” people had sat.  I entered the dining area, and it was just as I imagined.  Dimly lit with candles and lanterns, cool ambiance of the swamp bayou, and people on the boats riding Pirates of the Caribbean on the calm water. I had come to realize that I was on the other side of the looking glass —  I was finally here.

The setting was romantic.  You almost forget you are at Disneyland — inside of a theme park attraction even. The waiter gave us some bread and butter along with our waters.  I ordered the Buccaneer’s short rib and my girlfriend ordered the Cajun spiced salmon.

My short ribs were really tender and flavorful, but really salty.  I like salty and savory  foods, but even this was too salty for my taste.  Eating each bite of meat with the bread or potatoes really helped a lot. My girlfriend’s salmon was really good though.  The strong flavors of the seasoning and the crawfish beurre blanc was delicious.

Is it weird that I liked the appetizers more than the main course?  The chicken gumbo was really good — the Cajun flavors were really prevalent in the dish. I also liked the starter salad.  The craisins and fresh greens really made this salad pop.

 

So I guess my thinking is still correct.  It is virtually impossible to get a fantastic meal in the happiest place on earth. I guess the food doesn’t have to be spectacular at the Blue Bayou.  They make it up with the nice views and scenery.  I must say though, it was a dream come true eating here.   I had finally made it on the other side of the water.

Blue Bayou (Disneyland) on Urbanspoon

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Manuel’s El Tepayac – Boyle Heights Does Authentic Mexican Food

by Franklin on May 24, 2011

Boyle Heights has been blessed by Manuel’s El Tepayac. Established in 1956, this is truly a historical restaurant to the community. They serve authentic Mexican food — not the street tacos and burritos kind, but the real home cooking Mexican food. I remember when I was a kid, I ate here with my family. The unique thing about this restaurant is that it is small. The inside dining area can’t hold no more than 35 people. It is situated on a somewhat residential area — next to a house, across from a church. Things like this make this restaurant a special one. Despite being in a somewhat bad neighborhood, this still hits home to me.

This restaurant is for the hungry – for those who can eat. Who better to represent this than my family. We ordered the biggest thing on the menu — The Manuel Special. This was a humongous burrito. Inside, there were beans, rice, choice of meat (ours was carne asada), guacamole, and cheese. On top, they poored mounds of their chili sauce and cheese. The thing was so big, they had custom made platters for to-go orders. They even gave it to us in a box.  They sure know how to feed the hungry.

A part of me wanted to get my hands messy and just pick up the whole burrito. Of course, my senses kicked in knowing that it would fall apart and make a mess. It’s always a good idea to cut this burrito into slices and eat it. Where else can you go and say, “I had a slice of their burrito.” The flavor of this thing was amazing.  It was messy, but good.   I’m not usually a fan of beans, but theirs was manageable. The carne asada mixed in with the guacamole was delicious. Of course, we only finished half of the thing.  Still a feat if you ask me.

We also ordered the enchilada plate.  I always order the enchilada plate here — it is my favorite. The red sauce they put over the enchiladas was so tasty. It had a very strong, dark chili taste to it that I liked. The depth of flavors the sauce had was like no other. Underneath all that yummy sauce and cheese was the beef — it is the best beef, hands down. Most places with shredded beef is usually dry and tasteless. The one from El Tepayac was so tender and was not dry at all. They had huge chunks of meat inside too. The quality of their meet was outstanding. I encourage anyone who comes here to try the enchilada plate. I get that all the time, no matter what. I got this even though I knew in my head the Manuel Special would have been more than plenty.

Their guacamole was all hand made in house. How do I know this? Because for one, There were still huge chunks of avocado in the guacamole. Also, I found a piece of skin/stem in the guacamole. Though I was disappointed of finding it, I was assured that it was indeed fresh and home made. Dipping the tortilla chips in the guacamole, I found myself grabbing a lot of guacamole on one chip. Subconsciously or not, I must have wanting to cover my whole chip with guacamole. It was that good.

Los Angeles is proud to be a Mexican cuisine Mecca. El Tepayac, arguably one of the most influential and historical Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, has a place in my heart. They serve quality food, and the establishment knows its roots. They are humble — their food is comfort to the community and for me. Through the years, I hope to find Manuel’s El Tepayac still the same as it was yesterday and is today.

El Tepeyac Café on Urbanspoon

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Frati Gelato – Cremoso Gelato Delizioso Italiano

by Franklin on May 23, 2011

Gelato, ice cream’s less fatty Italian cousin, is one of my favorite desserts. It is such a perfect ending to a great meal. It’s tasty, and has a lot less fat than ice cream. One of my favorite places to get gelato is Frati Gelato in Downtown Fullerton.

Their signature flavor, Frate, is one of my favorites. It is creamy in taste (marscapone cheese). It is really good.  The Frate all by itself is good too — it has bits of pine nuts and pistachios.  I know the ingredients sound weird together, but it is really delicious. I like to mix it with a citrus like their lemon or blood orange gelato.  The creaminess and orange flavor make it taste like an orange cream or an orange bang.

Speaking of pistachios, my favorite gelato there is the pistachio.  This one is a little more expensive than the rest because they import their pistachios from Italy.  I know — legit! The taste of the pistachio gelato is amazing.  You can actually taste the quality of the ingredients and have actual pistachio pieces inside.  I sometimes don’t like gelato that is overly sweet.  This one is not overly sweet, and it has that really good pistachio flavor.  Amazing.

Freshly made on-site by master gelato maker Dr. Anthony LuPriore (not pictured above), it’s no wonder that these little cups of joy are so delicious.  The flavor is so pure and clean, it really puts regular ice cream to shame. I am happy that I found my sport for gelato.  Everyone needs their Italian ice cream fix sometimes., and I got mine.

Frati Gelato on Urbanspoon

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Angelo and Vinci’s Ristorante – Funk meets Delicious Italian

by Franklin on May 23, 2011

I want to start off by saying sorry about the pictures.  Let me explain.  Entering this place, I was a bit at awe.  Things here, things there, all in a weirdly lit restaurant.  Of course the one seat that was available was dark, and under a green fluorescent light.  Perfect setting for taking great pictures right?  Fascinated by all that was around me, I was reminded of the busy walls of Buca di Bepo. Angeleo and Vinci’s really reminded me of Buca, but in more of a twisted disturbed kind of way.

The menu was just like the decor, busy and cluttered to the maximum.  It took me almost 15 minutes to finally decide on what I wanted. Unsatisfied of my decision (because I wanted to try it all), we finally went with the Rollettini Di Diardino and the Pasta Di Tre.

The Rollettini was a roast beef and pasta, stuffed and rolled with Quattro Formaggi.  It was drenched in cream sauce.  This dish was way too saucy.  The thing was literally swimming in this sauce.  The roast beef was good, so I just made a little sandwich with the rolls they provided. When life gave me lemons, I made a sandwich. 🙂

 

The Pasta Di Tre was more what I wanted.  It was freshly made ravioli, mezzaluna, and tortellini.  It was simple, just the pastas on the plate, nothing else, sauce of the side.  Also, despite the sausage that looks like a giant turd in the picture, the taste was excellent.  This was pasta at its finest.  Each stuffed pasta tasted delicious in itself. This was a way better dish that the Rollattini.

 

So my experience at Angelo and Vinci’s was interesting.  I had high hopes for this place as I always wanted to go here.  The decor was incredible, but the menu was a headache. I suggest ordering something you would normally get.  Don’t try something out of the ordinary.  You will regret it.  Also, if you have time, check out their supposedly haunted basement.  It is pretty freaky.  They have old dolls and figures and weird black light pictures that is just plain weird. I want to give this place a second chance.  Try it out, you definitely will not forget it.

Angelo's and Vinci's Ristorante on Urbanspoon

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The Boiling Crab – Cajun Seafood With a Side of Napkins

by Franklin on May 20, 2011

I feel bad for those who are allergic to shellfish.  You can’t eat crab? lobster? shrimp? Wait, is shrimp considered a shellfish? I think so.  Anyways, I do feel bad for you, because that stuff is some of the best stuff the ocean has to offer.

I love Boiling Crab — I also love to boil crab.  Maybe that’s because I love crab and because seafood is good stuff!

The vibe you get at Boiling Crab (BC) is a Cajun seaport theme serving up seaside fare.  For some reason, I feel like someone in a pirate outfit would fit in nicely.  It’s very casual, and very messy.  They even let you write on the walls.  The one in Alhambra has every inch covered with writing.  One bad thing about coming to BC is that there is most likely a wait.  I remember one time, my family and I had to wait almost 2 hours! For a restaurant that has so many people wanting to eat there, it has to be good.

The food is exceptional.  What’s on my table?  If I am a little tight with my budget, I usually go for the shrimp and some corn.  Maybe throw in some clams in there with some Cajun fries.  The fried catfish basket is great too.  On days I want to splurge, I splurge.  I order the dozen raw oysters and finish it off with some dungeons crab.  I tried the craw fish (crayfish), and I realize that I am not a fan of it.  It’s pretty much a small lobster that is yields little meat for a lot of work.  I’ll stick to my shrimp.  All of this seafood won’t be what it is without the sauce — the reason why this seafood is so good is because of the sauce.

Sauce is important in your meal.  It is the main flavor element.  At BC, you can choose from Cajun spices, garlic butter, or lemon pepper.  Most people get the “whole sha-bang” — this is a combination of all three sauces.  This place is a fan for those who like spicy food because they can go from really mild, to “XXX” spicy.  You can get this seasoning for your fries as well. I tried the most spicy level, and it is really spicy.

You have to be careful because you may regret eating “all that spicy spice” the next morning.  You will reek of garlic and spices.  Your friends will plug their noses when you talk to them, and vampires will stay away.  You will constantly reminded that you ate at Boiling Crab last night.  Is that a bad thing?  I don’t think so. 🙂

The Beginning

Eating at Boiling Crab is really a great experience.  You wait  for  hours, put on a bib, and make a mess.  You get fresh fish and seafood with amazing flavor.  It is a seafood lovers paradise and is definitely a go to spot when I need my seafood fix.

The End

Boiling Crab on Urbanspoon

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Bar Louie – Tots and a Flick

by Franklin on May 19, 2011

Bar Louie situated in Anaheim Garden Walk was an enjoyable time. Before our movie on the second floor, we wanted have a quick bite to eat (so that we won’t fill up on popcorn and candy).  What did we order?  Szechuan Wings, skirt steak, and tater tots.

Everyone loves tater tots.  Eating theirs just reminded me of so many things — Elementary school during lunch, or Napoleon Dynomite pulling them out of his pockets. They are so fun to eat, easy to eat, and all you have to do is pop them in your mouth.  I couldn’t remember the last time I had tater tots, and eating it again was just a simple joy.  It was especially delicious dipping them in their queso sauce.

The Szechuan Wings were really tasty.  It had a kind of Hoisin sauce (Chinese barbecue sauce) glaze on it. It was somewhat sweet, somewhat tangy, and a hint of heat.  Skeptical of trying something random, I was quite surprised.

For our main entree, we shared the skirt steak.  I love the one at ChaCha’s in Brea, and we thought we would eat this one for a comparison.  Sadly, it was not something I would order again.  I requested rare, but the meat was over cooked. I think this was because the quality of the steak was not that good, or possibly even not fresh.  Also, the sweet potato fries really did not go well with the steak and the chimichurri on top.  Thank goodness we had tater tots!

We tried something new.  It wasn’t as good as what we expected, but you can’t expect perfection all the time.  In the end of the meal, we were full and we didn’t have to stuff our faces with soda and popcorn. Eating tater tots after so many years was a good time traveling experience.  I guess I am a simple man after all.

On a totally random, but genius thought, how good would tater tots be during a movie!?

Bar Louie on Urbanspoon

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Lascari’s Italian Cusina – The Garlic Saves the Day

by Franklin on May 19, 2011

When I think of Italian cooking, I thing of pastas, pizzas, and even salads — I rarely think about sandwiches. When I found out that Lascari’s makes some good Italian sandwiches, I was excited.

We started with some bread and butter.  They also gave us this garlic mash spread.  It was really good on top of the warm bread. I particularly like mine with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  It was even better when I mixed the balsamic vinegar with the garlic spread.  It was a pleasant start.

We ordered the Baked Ziti and the Capacolla & Genoa sandwich.  In the baked ziti, I liked the rocotta and Romano cheese along with the mozzarella on top. I do like cheese as you know, and this had a lot of it.  The flavors were really nice, and I instantly felt comforted from the first bite.  It was warm and hearty, humongous too.

The sandwich, on the other hand, I was not a fan of.  It was stuffed with Capacolla and Genoa salami, very good, but it was a bit dry. It helped to dip the sandwich in their garlic spread and balsamic vinegar, but something was just missing from the sandwich.  The side of pasta salad was really good though — some of the best I have ever had.  It really was just a perfect balance of flavors.

I think I could have a good meal with just bread, a side salad, and a ton of that garlic spread. At the end of the meal, I was satisfied.  I had some warm baked ziti and a meaty sandwich saved by garlic.  I shall be on the search for an Italian sandwich that blows me away.

Lascaris Italian Grill on Urbanspoon

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ChaCha’s Tacos & Tequila – Doin’ the ChaCha for Happy Hour

by Franklin on May 17, 2011

After finishing our movie, we needed to catch the basketball game! Should we just go home and watch it? Yardhouse? Naw. Right across the street, there it was. ChaCha’s. It was happy hour all day and we could not have been happier. The game was on, the sun was shining, but our team was losing. Oh well. The good food cheered us up.

They gave us a huge bowl of chips and salsa.  It was a great starter to our other starters.  The flavors of the salsa, especially the green one had a strong citrus flavor.  It was a huge bowl, and we could not finish it all.

Our Wood Oven Queso Fundido was especially good with the chips.  The melted cheese rolled up in the tortillas they provided were good, especially dipped in the salsa.  I am a lover of cheese — melted cheese is even better.  Each spoonful left a trail of stretchy cheese, which was a good thing.

We also ordered the Manila Clams.  It was sauteed with garlic, chorizo, herbs, white wine, and butter. The combination was amazing, and the clams were very fresh.  On a chip, I would put some queso on top, some chorizo,  and salsa.  That was good in itself, and eating the clams with it just made everything complete.

ChaCha’s offers a lot of great happy hour plates.  For dinner, I always get their chimichurri skirt steak. It is the best thing they offer and one of my favorite beef dishes of all time.  This high end Mexican restaurant has a nice interior and there is always live music playing.  A festive atmosphere and good food is always had at ChaCha’s Tacos & Tequila.

ChaCha's Tacos & Tequila on Urbanspoon

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Scottie’s Smokehouse Barbecue – Saucey Sauce, Beefy Beef

by Franklin on May 13, 2011

Finding a good barbecue spot is really difficult.  Usually, I can hit up Lucille’s and my BBQ fix is pretty much met.  But the fact that one can get that BBQ anywhere, it doesn’t become something special.  When I walked into Scottie’s, it exuded a BBQ restaurant to its core.

The beef ribs we had were great.  Though somewhat burnt (maybe a little too much), the smokey flavor was prevalent throughout the meat.  I was impressed with the beef brisket — it was juicy beyond words. It tasted really good with the andouille sausage.  My favorite was the pulled pork.  Laying on the sauce over the pork, it was very tasty.  It had a light smokey flavor and

Every smokehouse barbecue restaurant has to have their sauce.  BBQ is nothing without a good sauce.  Scottie’s had 4 different kinds to choose from, and surprisingly, they were all distinct and really good. There was the original, smokehouse rub, spicy, and Louisiana.  Usually when restaurants have a plethora of different sauces, there is always that one or two that doesn’t taste good — theirs were all amazing.

Along with our meal, we had a bunch of sides.  Cornbread, collard greens, mashed potatoes, mac n’ cheese.  Name it, we had it.  The most memorable? The cowboy mac n’ cheese. This was mac n’ cheese with beans on top.  This was interesting and it went really well together.

Above all, the people there were really friendly.  Servers always asked us how we were doing, and they even changed the channel to the basketball game we were aching to watch.  The food and customer service really made me comfortable here. Good BBQ with the basketball game on, what more can I ask for?

Scottie's Smokehouse BBQ on Urbanspoon

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Sparky’s – Donuts & Doughnuts

by Franklin on May 12, 2011

Sparky’s.  Sounds like a dog grooming salon or some kind of dog accessory store.  This place is far from that.   They sell donuts!  It’s not just a regular donut shop, it’s THE donut shop if you ever were to visit Universal Studios, and is located in Universal City Walk.  For all those who aren’t from Los Angeles, that is the shopping strip right outside of the theme park, which means you don’t have to be inside the park to get your hands on these.

I like to think there are 2 types of donuts.  The cakey kind and the doughy kind.  The cakey kind has the consistency of a crumb donut (cake-like), and the doughy kind has the chewiness of a Krispy Kreme donut.  The ones at Sparky’s interestingly are like a little bit of both.  They are cakey in texture, yet they melt in your mouth.

What if I were to tell you I can fit a whole donut in my mouth?  Impressive?  I think so.  Before I start sounding like a freak donut monster, I want to let you know that these donuts are tiny.  But these little things are so good.  You can’t eat these right after you get them either — they are hot right out of the fryer!  Do you know how hard it is to keep yourself from eating these tasty little things?  There I was with a bag full, and couldn’t eat a asingle one.

The sugar and cinnamon mixture sticks to the hot donuts, and each bite leaves a sugary mess all over your mouth.  To avoid this, I eat each mini donut in one bite — that’s how they should be eaten.  Who takes more than one bite to finish a mini donut anyways?

It is pretty cool how they make these things.  They have a little donut maker that does it all for them.  It squeezes out mini circular donuts into a vat of hot oil.  Then the little donuts flow through a conveyor and get flipped mechanically.  The clerk stuff these hot mini morsels into a bag, sprinkles a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar, and is ready to be destroyed.  Check the video below to see how the fresh donuts are made.

These things are amazing, and can be addicting. Though Sparky’s is a candy store, I only come here for the donuts.  I will probably get these every time I visit Universal City Walk. These are the best mini donuts, hands down!

Sparky’s Donut

Sparky's on Urbanspoon

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Sonic Drive-In – Rare Sweet Treat for an Angelino

May 11, 2011

Living in the Los Angeles area, I don’t get to enjoy the tasty treats of Sonic Drive-In.  I mean, they pour out commercials on TV.  Well, they used to anyway. I don’t understand why there would be Sonic commercials on locally broadcasted stations, yet, there’s none nearby.  The question of the hour is, Why aren’t […]

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Roscoe’s House of Chicken n’ Waffles – LA’s Favorite Breakfast for Lunch and Dinner

May 10, 2011

Remember Fresh Prince of Bel Air when Wil Smith would talk about Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles?  Did you watch the episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain goes to Roscoe’s?  Heck, even Snoop Dogg took Larry King there on CNN. It is safe to say that Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles is popular amongst celebrities and […]

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Tapa Boy – Filipino Food Truck Hits Home

May 8, 2011

Filipino food is very special to me, and I love it.  Anything with meat and rice, I love. When I had the chance to try Tapa Boy, Filipino cuisine food truck, I jumped on it.  In all honesty, anything with meat and rice, I can eat it for days. That would be a big weakness […]

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Daikokuya – Japanese Ramen In My Own Backyard

May 6, 2011

Ever since I was a little boy, I made simple things at home.  My first dish would have been ramen.  Boil that water, put the packet in, crack an egg, and you got yourself “oodles of noodles”. That’s not really cooking is it.  I surely thought that it was home cookin’ — but I was […]

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Fullerton Farmers Market – Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Food and Music

May 6, 2011

I just love farmers markets.  The fresh organic produce and everyone gathered in respect to good food just makes me happy inside.  I have been to my fare share of farmers markets, and Fullerton holds a pretty large one.  Today, the fifth of May, celebrates Cinco de Mayo. It commemorates the Mexican heritage and their […]

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The Hat – Pass the Pastrami & Gravy Please

May 5, 2011

What is in a perfect sandwich? Before you start scratching your head or making a pros and cons list, let me just tell you. It’s pastrami. Come on. It’s salty, fatty, and meaty. Perfect recipe for some good meat right? Pastrami sandwiches at The Hat is the way to go. At the Brea, CA should […]

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