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chicken - DineDelish

chicken

Mendocino Farms (Fairfax) – Not Fried Chicken

by Franklin on November 3, 2015

Fried chicken is good. Everyone loves fried chicken! I mean, don’t quote me on this, but even vegetarians love fried chicken. People even put it between two slices of bread and call it good. Putting fried chicken in a sandwich is a good idea, but I would rather have my fried chicken sans bread. Mendocino Farms does a sandwich called the “Not So Fried” chicken sandwich. It has shaved roasted free range chicken, but it’s rolled in Mendo’s krispies. With herb aioli, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes, and pickled red onions, the sandwich is quite delicious for not having fried chicken in it. All on a toasted ciabatta, the sandwich really has the qualities of a friend chicken sandwich without being fried chicken. What’s better than this sandwich? Fried chicken, obviously, but the sandwich will do if a sandwich is what you are looking for. Did you count how many times I wrote “fried chicken?” FRIED CHICKEN!

Check out the post here for the Mendocino Farms of Marina Del Rey. I got the Kurabota Pork Belly Banh Mi of course.

Mendocino Farms Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. – I’m Guilty

by Franklin on February 4, 2015

It is always good to see a somewhat popular restaurant in Monterey Park that isn’t Chinese or Asian. Even though Tokyo Fried Chicken Company suggests something Asian, I still think of it as southern fried chicken. Though it may have some Japanese influences, it is all about the fried chicken here. Fried chicken was the main event today, and we had a feast indeed.

We started things off with chicken skins. When I saw that on the menu, I knew I needed to have it. I remember as a kid, I was forced to throw the chicken skin away when eating KFC or Pioneer Chicken — my dad was kind of a health nut. Well, I got my revenge with these fried chicken skins. The basket was full of crunchies, almost like a basket of chicharon, I was dipping them and popping them in my mouth. They were delicious and such a guilty pleasure.

The sauces were key. The ponzu was much needed as it did a good job in cutting the fat of the fried goodness. The acidic and the fatty chicken was a great mixture. I wasn’t really a fan of the sweet soy sauce though.

The chicken was the main dish, but sadly the chicken wasn’t the main event. I have had my share of fried chicken (guilty), but their chicken was very different in a way not pleasing to my palate. As a savory and salty lover, their chicken was a bit on the sweet side. The sweetness was a bit off-putting. Even the chicken was a bit tough and seemed like it was more chuncky than juicy. The batter was crunchy though and had good flavors.

Mac and cheese with fried chicken go together like mac, and cheese. Their was quite delicious with the nori on top. The cheesy dish combined with the seafoody seaweed was a nice mix. It was cheesy and macy — delicious!

Dessert was made possible by Quenelle of Burbank. The push pops orange creamsicle of manderine orange and vanilla bean was nostalgic to the max. I remember eating the Flintstone push pops as a kid, and these were just delicious. The ice cream bar, apple pie a la mode was delicious as well. The apple pie ice cream, brown butter glaze, and graham cracker strusel crust was exactly what I imagined. If you were to make an apple strusel crisp pie into an ice cream bar, this would be it. The ice cream was a perfect ending to our fried chicken dinner.

Tokyo Fried Chicken Co. on Urbanspoon

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Bella Cuba – Post-Shopping Meal

by Franklin on February 2, 2015

Sometimes, Cuban food just hits the spot. The classic Latino flavors and dishes of Bella Cuba just hit the mark. After a long day of shopping at South Coast Plaza, Bella Cuba was a good energizer. Their classic Cuban dishes were comforting. Nothing is more comforting that having meat and rice.

Bread and butter at its most basic. A nice touch, and something nobody wants to fill up on before dinner.

The roasted garlic chicken was a delicious classic. Not as good as Versailles in Los Angeles, but still a good dish. The black beans and rice went so well with the chicken. The chicken was a bit dry, but had great flavor from the acidic sauce and onions. You know that lemony sauce I am talking about. The thought of it makes my mouth water — perfect for the blank slate of a chicken. The sweet plantains balanced out the savory and sour of the fish nicely.

The ropa vieja was an interesting dish. The comfort of the stewed shredded beef (ropa vieja) and rice was a good combination. The garlic, onions, and peppers were fluorescent and gave the dish nice flavor. It was to me a bit boring and needed something more for the dish to shine. The plantains did a good job in breaking up the mundane savory beef.

I heard goo things of their tres leches cake and had to order one. Though I have had better, and though I prefer my tres leches cake to be very creamy and wet, the cake was a great dessert. From the acidic and savory chicken to the hearty beef and rice, the cake was a nice cool down. If you are expecting the best tres leches cake though, look elsewhere.

Bella Cuba was good but not great. The comforting meat and rice will always be a winner for me. South Coast Plaza, easily one of my favorite malls (if i were rich), has some good eats inside. If you are in the mood for something Cuban and a little in your price range, just go across the street.

Bella Cuba on Urbanspoon

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Jim Dandy – Fried Chicken and Fritters

by Franklin on September 19, 2014

You have fried chicken, then you have Jim Dandy. I had high hopes for Jim Dandy, and for good reason too. It’s not Church’s or Popeye’s, and it sure is not KFC. Although Church’s and Popeye’s has a special place in my heart, I have no love for KFC. Jim Dandy is on a new level of fried chicken. Is it even mightier than my all time favorite, Pioneer Chicken? It just might have better fried chicken, but it can never touch the nostalgia factor that Pioneer has. Situated just on the verge of South LA, Jim Dandy sits on a corner, all alone. The bullet proof glass where you order from is telling of the neighborhood. A little dangerous? Well that depends on who you are. For me, it was just a little bit of my childhood. All I came here for was the chicken, but it turns out, I got a little more.

The fried chicken is quite tasty. The chicken itself has a pure flavor. The original has less flavor, but all the crunch and chicken essence you need. The spicy though, is not really hot spicy, but just has more spices. This is where all the flavor of a good fried chicken was. The spices were just right, and the chicken wasn’t salty or overly flavored with other ingredients. The batter is light, yet satisfying. At this point, I thought we as a community should replace all KFC restaurants with a Jim Dandy. That would be my service to the community.

I ordered a side fritter with my wing. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I assumed it would be dry and quite stale tasting. I couldn’t further from the truth. The fritter, covered in powdered sugar was quite possibly the best thing I ate in quite some time. Such a simple thing really, it was more like a donut. Fried in either shortening or animal fat, the fritter was so light delicate. The somewhat warm inside was so fluffy and cake like, but the outside crust was the main attraction. It was so crispy, mixed with the powdered sugar, it was just a perfect bite every time. I might even like these more than the chicken. It is just that good. All fritters will be compared to Jim Dandy from here on out. Take my word. Get the fritters.

When will I ever visit Jim Dandy again? Soon I hope. The chicken and fritters is such an affordable meal and a delicious one at that. I came for the chicken, but I left with a memory of the best fritters I ever had. I’ll be back sooner than later.

Jim Dandy Fried Chicken on Urbanspoon

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Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner – Fried Chicken and the Boysenberry in the Center of it all

by Franklin on June 29, 2012

Knott’s Berry Farm is know for many things. It really was a farm back in the day — it’s not just a name. Today, kids know it for Snoopy, teens seek thrills on their roller coasters, and adults and old folks know Knott’s for their jams. For me, I am all about the food. Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner is a popular spot for people who want fried chicken. The country style interior and waitresses in olden day attire gives Mrs. Knott’s Chicken a certain charm you can’t get anywhere else. Once you enter (possibly after waiting an hour), you are taken back to when Knott’s Berry Farm first opened. It wasn’t about roller coasters, Snoopy, or fun in the sun all access passes. It was all about food.

I may come here for one thing, and one thing only — their home made biscuits! They are tiny little biscuits wrapped in a cloth napkin. They come on a plate by about 10 to 12 at a time. They are warm and fluffy, right out of the oven. I usually put boysenberry jam on it, and is probably the only time I get to eat that delicious jam. I usually over do it and eat about 3 before the the main course. I can eat these with jam all day, and I would be full and satisfied. If you don’t come here for their chicken, you definitely need to come here for the biscuits.

I always get the fried chicken. Why wouldn’t I? They made their mark on this stuff — I have to order it. I got mine with corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cabbage with ham. Their chicken is light and the batter isn’t too overwhelming. The seasoning isn’t too overdone either and they llet the juicy chicken shine on its own. The sides were nothing special, though it was a good accompaniment to the chicken. If their fried chicken was a lot more crispy, it would probably be the best fried chicken ever.

With the chicken dinner, you get a choice of chicken noodle soup or rhubarb. At the time, I didn’t know what rhubarb was, so I went with the chicken noodle. Though not a fan of chicken noodle soup, this was probably the best I ever had. Thicker than normal, the chicken broth was hearty and delicious. I wouldn’t mind having a bowl of this when I’m sick, or any regular day for that matter. This was thick and creamy like a chowder more than just soup. Maybe that is why I liked it so much.

At the end, I treated myself to a huge slice of boysenberry pie. Boysenberry is a cross between a blackberry, loganberry, and raspberry. Walter Knott’s, owner of Knott’s Berry Farm, and his partner were responsible for cultivating and growing the boysenberry. Without the help of Walter Knotts and coining the name boysenberry, none of these roller coasters and Snoopy might not even exist today. More importantly, the boysenberry wouldn’t have existed, and the jam, and the pie, all of it might not have been around. That is one important berry. The berry is tart like raspberry but sweet like a blackberry. The pie is warm and the boysenberry filling has a perfect tart and sweet balance. A perfect ending to a great country style meal.

Knott’s Berry Farm is special in that everything associated with it has no credit to food, but food deserves all the credit. The restaurant and pie business grew to Knott’s Berry Farm, and it is great to see that food is the driving force for a business. It is a piece of history that I am happy to take part in, though it is through the consumption of fried chicken. Others may see Knott’s Berry Farm as a theme park, but all I see is pies, biscuits, jam, and fried chicken.

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner on Urbanspoon

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Zankou Chicken – A Hollywood Original, and a Trip to Lebanon

by Franklin on April 26, 2012

Clue number 1, Chicken. Clue number 2, purple turnips. Clue number 3, and this is the kicker, garlic sauce and hummus. By now, if Zankou Chicken isn’t alarming in your mind, you probably haven’t had it before. Heck, did you even read the title? Zankou Chicken is as Middle Eastern as can be. It all started in Beirut, Lebanon in 1962 by the Iskenderian family. In 1984, the family having moved to Los Angeles, opened their first Zankou Chicken in Hollywood. They are all about fast food that is all natural and fresh — and in the end of it all, it really isn’t fast food. They have served the diverse city of Beirut, and what better place than to serve a diverse city like Los Angeles. They are known for their Mediterranean Middle Eastern food, and their secret garlic sauce is their signature item besides their chicken. Being healthy and delicious is what they strive for.

Ordering the half chicken, I was excited to eat. As usual, their chicken was perfectly roasted, and eating even the breast meat was tender and juicy. The skin was nicely caramelized on the outside, it was almost as if it was fried. I would split open the pita to a pocket, stuff it with hommus, chicken, lettuce, and garlic sauce. Each bite was an explosion of flavor, especially with the accompanyment of the pickled purple turnips and yellow peppers. What made this pop was their secret garlic sauce. A bit zesty, and white as snow, I can never have enough of that stuff. Would I ever eat at Zankou Chicken without this stuff? Maybe. Their garlic sauce is what makes Zankou Chicken so special. Put that on anything, and it turns the dish into a flavorful mouthful. the secret recipe is coveted by other, and loved by all.

Shawarma is the preparation of stacked meats on top of each other. Heat is applied to the sides and the meat is cut off as it is cooked on a rotating spit. Their shawerma wrap had slices of marinated USDA steak. Inside hommus, tomatoes, onions and sesame sauce. The meat was much too dry as was the pita bread — hence, the mangled looking wrap. I immediately thought I should have ordered the chicken. The sauces didn’t seem enough because it didn’t help with the dry beef. You are better off ordering the whole chicken and making your own wraps.

At a placed called Zankou Chicken, the chicken is what you should order. Amazingly fresh and clean, the taste of the food is as delicious as can be. The food doesn’t try anything spectacular or over the top. The simplicity of everything just shines. Fresh ingredients and classic recipes make Zankou Chicken one of my favorite casual eateries. Eating here, I am always taken for a trip to Lebanon and the Middle East.

Zankou Chicken (Hollywood) on Urbanspoon

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Max Brenner (Caesar’s Palace Forum Shops) – Chocolate Runs Through My Veins

by Franklin on April 1, 2012

Chocolate and chocolate. Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. Chocolate. Everyone loves this stuff. Girls devour it after breakups. Guys say they don’t like chocolate, but secretly love this stuff. I am sure chocolate has some kind of chemical that makes us happy. That is we love it so much. Max Brenner, an Israeli chocolate shop, uses the powers of chocolate to entice their customers. From hot chocolates, chocolate pops, and monstrous chocolate chip cookies, chocolate is definaltey the name of the game at this restaurant. Upon ordering off of the dinner menu, my eyes were wide open for the dessert.

I wanted to try the mac and cheese, and I was surprised. Called the Really Cheesy, Really Crunchy Mac and Cheese, the taste was perfect, though not too cheesy. The noodles were al dente, something missed in a lot of mac and cheese dishes. Help from the applewood smoked bacon gave it that salty flavor. Baked in a large skillet, it was enough as a complete meal. The maranara sauce in the flask was interesting, and delicious – It transformed the dish completely, giving the dish a robust flavor profile. As for the diced tomatoes, I did not care much for it. This dish was delicious in itself. Sensing a lack of meat, I ordered some.

Another table ordered the Thai style chicken satay, and I thought it looked good. The chicken were grilled perfectly, and the meat was soft, almost too soft. The barbecue sauce was disappointing — it was like the ones from the dollar store. Fortunately, the hoisin like sauce was more of my liking. The best part of the dish was the That style slaw. Mixed with peanuts, peppers, lettuce, and a sweet sauce, it was a perfect compliment to the chicken.

Now that we had savory out of the way, I was excited about dessert. I decided to order the cold iced chocolate, chocolate pizza with the works, and as an after thought, the chocolate chip cookie.

I was utterly disappointed with the dessert I ordered. The chocolate chunks dessert pizza was lacking in every way. Topped with melted chocolate, hazelnuts, bananas, peanut butter, and roasted marshmallows, it was all a sugary mix. The ingredients would have been perfect if the pizza dough was better. The dough was just a thick piece of dough and didn’t resemble anything pizza dough like. Even frozen microwave pizza had better dough. I imagined and yearned for dough that was like that of a gooey Wetzels Pretzels or a doughnut. I wasn’t getting my chocolate fix at all.

The Pure Chocolate Truffle Granita was chocolate in ice cold liquid form. It was basically dark chocolate truffle blended with ice. At first, I was in remorse after finding out the drink didn’t contain any ice cream, but this turned into a blessing in disguise. The pureness of the chocolate shined with ever sip. A bit on the bitter side, it was a little drinking really good coffee without any creamer. Why ruin a good cup of coffee with creamer? In this case, the ice cream was perfect not in this drink. As for the DRINK ME cup, this was a play on the movie Alice in Wonderland. These whimsical accents made this drink fun and exciting.

The chocolate chip cookie is such a classic, it’s the favorite among the masses. The cookies at Max Brenner are monstrous. Each one costing $5, they are well worth it. Warm and fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside, there is no doubt that they were bakes not too long ago. Each bite was perfectly chocolatey and delicious. The chocolate was of the highest quality, and each bite had mostly chocolate. In hind site, these would have been perfect with the iced chocolate drink. How perfect would that have been?

Honestly, this place is all about the dessert. If you plan on eating dinner here, eat elsewhere. Yeah, you will get some good eats, but save this place for a dessert only. Do get their interesting desserts, do skip the dessert pizza, and opt for their chocolate chip cookie. You can get a chocolate over load, and buy some stuff for a chocolate overload for another time. The Israeli know their chocolates. Max Brenner is a true testament to that. Check out their online store here, and maybe you can get a chocolate overload as well.

Max Brenner on Urbanspoon

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Dino’s Chicken and Burgers – Orange Chicken, and I’m Not Talking About Panda Express

by Franklin on February 24, 2012

Dino’s is one of those spots in Los Angeles that is equally dingy as it is delicious. As weird as that may sound, it is true. The place is near on Pico, near Vermont — not the nicest location, but not the worst either. This one is the original that started it all. Even though it is called Dino’s Chicken and Burgers, everyone gets the chicken. I wanted to get the chicken and try maybe a burrito or burger. I asked the guy, “what else is popular?”. He gave me a puzzled answer which led me to believe that chicken was the way to go. I looked around the kitchen, and all I saw was chicken. No burgers were being made, no burritos were being rolled. It was all chicken.

You get a bed of french fries, half a chicken, cole slaw, and tortillas — it all came out to less than 6 bucks. That was an amazing deal for a delicious meal on the cheap. The chicken had a nice char to it, and the taste was intense at times. It has an orange pigmented marinade that turns your finger orange for days (imagine hot Cheetos fingers). The kicker though, is this sauce they pour over the whole plate, fries and all. It is a sweet, salty, vinegary, and spicy mixture. You can easily have too much and have heart burn right after. This was delicious though — it made the dish pop. The tortillas were soft and were actually tasty — they weren’t just thrown in there. The cole slaw was nice too, a good textural crunch amongst the meaty chicken and fries. All of this for 6 bucks is well worth your money.

So there you have it — delicious cheap eats. Don’t bother going to Dino’s and get a burger or Mexican food, though I am curious as to how it is. Do get the chicken plate, and if you don’t want a bed of fries, you can always substitute it with rice. Dino’s is expanding and you can find a few of them around Los Angeles County. Find one near you, bring it home, or enjoy it there — just be ready for orange fingers.

Dino's Burgers on Urbanspoon

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Raffi’s Place – Persian Food Finds Its Way Into My Belly

by Franklin on January 29, 2012

It’s not every day that I get the pleasure to eat Middle Eastern food, especially Persian. It was my brother’s birthday, and I wanted to treat my family to something they never really had before. The exotic cuisine was a success to say the least. It was fun eating family style at Raffi’s Place in Glendale. The place was really busy, but waiting for a table wasn’t a long wait. The interior was nice — when I say the interior, I mean the outside eating area. Most of the patrons eat outside, which was adorned with lights and trees. It is a fitting place to celebrate something special, or just to have nice a meal.

Not being a fan of lamb, I was hesitant in ordering the Rack Of Lamb. Surprisingly, it was one of the best meats there. It was a succulent rack of spring lamb marinated and charbroiled with bell pepper and onions. It didn’t have an ounce of dryness and was not gamey. The char on the meat was tasty. Soltani Kabob is a filet mignon and ground beef, skewered and charbroiled. It was a perfect beef for sharing. The Shish Kabob was marinated chunks of filet mignon, skewered and charbroiled with bell pepper and onion. The meat was perfectly cooked to a medium well. It was softer that I thought it would be. The Chicken Barg is their most popular item, and their cheapest option. It is skewered and charbroiled, and being a boneless breast of chicken means it is easy to eat.

The side dishes were perfect with the meat. The hummus was as good as it can be. It was cooked, mashed garbanzo beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. The eggplant was grilled eggplant with tomato sauce and garlic. It was an awesome side with the meat. It was zesty and flavorful. My favorite was the Yogurt And Cucumber with mixed herbs. Just dipping the flat bread with the hummus was delicious — even better with the meat

The flat bread they gave us was tasty and perfect for meat. It may be the Los Angeles in me, or maybe I am eating it right, but I would stuff the flat bread with meat and all the sauces and eat it like a taco. Each bite with the meat, yogurt sauce, and eggplant along with the hummus was amazing. Then I would take a few scoops of the basmati rice. It is so fluffy and delicious. Cutting up some roasted tomatoes and onions, every flavor was just a perfect mix of textures and taste.

We had to end this meat with dessert. We ordered the Chocolate Raspberry Gelato. It had chocolate gelato with a heart of raspberry sorbet all covered with cocoa powder. The cool thing was that the inside of the chocolate gelato was the raspberry sorbet. It was kind of a cool surprise.

Raffi’s Place is a sure thing. Located in Glendale, CA it is close to The Americana and Glendale Galleria. Inside and out, the place is somewhat classy and isn’t too expensive. The staff can be a bit inattentive, especially when it is busy, but the service is very quick when you do get their attention. I guess Middle Eastern food isn’t quite exotic to me. Make your taco fajitas? Meat and rice? That is an everyday kind of food for me. Their flavors are nice and the atmosphere is pleasant. Nothing more that I can ask for.

Raffi's Place on Urbanspoon

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Savoy Kitchen – Proper Hainan Chicken Rice At An Italian Joint

by Franklin on November 14, 2011

Hainan chicken — it looks so bland and regular, I didn’t understand it at first.  Knowing that Savoy Kitchen makes a killer Hainan chicken rice, I had to give it a try. But once I got to the restaurant, I was skeptical.  Savoy, which for the most part felt like an Italian restaurant, did not seem like a place to get authentic Hainan chicken.  I was wrong.

The Hainan chicken came out, and from the looks of it, it looked bland.  The plate was white and beige, and lacked color.  I surely did not eat with my eyes.  Once I took a bite, I was pleasantly surprised.  The chicken was moist and had a rich flavor. What makes this dish though, are the sauces.  My favorite was the ginger sauce — it just went perfectly with the chicken.  Mixing it with the soy sauce was good too.  Taking a bite of rice and chicken with sauce was a perfect mix of flavors.  Such a simple dish, but delicious.

The shrimp rolls were good too, but kind of small.  It had a nice crunch and seafood flavor. Dipping it in the sauce was even better.  I would order these again as they were a nice appetizer.

I was impressed with the creme brulee.  I didn’t know Asian restaurants had creme brulee, but I must have forgotten that this was also an Italian restaurant. The dessert was perfect.  The custardy inside was gooey.  I love breaking that caramelized hardened top.  This is a must get after a nice meal at Savoy.

In hind sight, this is a weird restaurant.  It’s more of an Italian restaurant than anything else, but they serve some of the best Hainan chicken rice around. I don’t understand it — I just accept it.  Don’t ask questions, clear your mind, and just eat.  There is a wait sometimes, as the inside and outside seating is small and cramped.  I am curious about their Italian dishes though.  I hear good things.


Savoy Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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Grand Lux Cafe (Venetian) – A Little Something For Everyone And Anyone

by Franklin on October 27, 2011

I have always wanted to eat here.  I knew the food was going to be average, I knew it was exactly like Cheesecake Factory inside and out, and I knew there still would be a wait. Despite these foreseen events, I still wanted to go.  I mean, its Grand Lux Cafe.  It is what Las Vegasians  don’t eat (Yes, you read that right, Las Vegasians. Is that not the right term?) and what everyone else visiting Las Vegas do eat.  It is open 24 hours and is probably the busiest restaurants on the strip.  I came ate here not knowing they opened one up in LA inside Beverly Center.  I had to try it once at least, where it all started.

Just like the people at Cheesecake, complimentary bread and butter was served.  Thankfully, it wasn’t white and pumpernickel.  The bread was a great start as always.

I ordered the fried chicken and waffles.  I couldn’t decide between lunch and breakfast, so I had brunch. Before heading back to LA, I had to get some Roscoe’s-esque chicken and waffles.  Though this dish didn’t come close, the fried chicken strips were crispy.  The pecan honey butter sauce was good on the waffle which was also light and crispy.

I also tried the short rib grilled cheese sandwich.  It had slow roasted short rib slices, caramelized and picked onion,s arugula, and melted cheese. It was a solid sandwich and tasted really good.  It was rich in flavor and the side salad was a great companion.  The flavor was nicely balanced.

It was a pleasure trying the food at Grand Lux Cafe.  Having heavy influences from Cheesecake Factory, the similarities are evident. The food is consistently good and the price is always even better.  Gran Lux Cafe, attracts the masses.  The gamblers, clubbers, families, and older couples all eat here.  What you end up here is a standard meal for a decent price.  You get a little something for everyone.

Grand Lux Cafe (Venetian) on Urbanspoon

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BBQ Chicken – Spicy Does a Body Bad, In a Good Way

by Franklin on June 14, 2011

Eating here was just out of luck, chance, random act of randomness.  I always seen this place on Vermont in Koreatown, but we needed to eat dinner in Irvine.  I saw BBQ Chicken and thought I’d give it a try.  I went inside, and it looked promising.

The name BBQ Chicken is a bit misleading.  They don’t specialize in BBQ at all.  They are more of a specialized fried chicken restaurant. Amazingly, Koreans do fried chicken well.  BBQ Chicken’s fried chicken was really delicious.  Not dry, not too greasy — it was just good good food.

We ordered the half and half, one regular and one spicy.  The chicken here is delicious — plain and simple.  The sides as salad and rice were perfect for this.  The pickled daikons were perfect.  It helped cut the rich fattiness of the fried chicken. Add that with some rice and side salad, it was a great meal.

Warning:  If you love spicy food, I would reconsider the spicy chicken. Honestly, the spicy sauce they put on the chicken was uncomfortably spicy. It was good, nice and crispy, but this stuff was mouth torturing.  Even for the advanced spicy food eaters, this would be a challenge.  Hey, if you love spicy food, order it.  Just remember that I warned you.

After the spicy meat sweats, I looked back on the meal.  For a good price, I had a really tasty meal.  Decent fried chicken and experienced some of the spiciest food ever.  If you happen to be at Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center or Koreatown in Los Angeles, check out BBQ Chicken.  You will regret eating it, and regret not eating it.

BBQ Chicken on Urbanspoon

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Vons/VNS Chicken – Not the Supermarket Either

by Franklin on May 2, 2011

So how did I come across this chicken?  It all started at work.  My friend had brought some from home.  I had a bite, and I was amazed.  The chicken was so juicy and flavorful — not an ounce of dryness.  The score marks on the drum stick made it easy to eat.  This chicken was fantastic!  The best part was the sauce.  My oh my, the sauce. It was something so familiar, yet so different.  It was a mixture between barbecue sauce and saracha hot sauce — that stuff is addicting.  This was some good chicken.

No packaging, no nothing — my friend had brought this chicken in a Lock-and-Lock glass container.  I asked him “Where did you get this?  Did your mom make it?”  He answered back, “I don’t know, I just got it from home.  I think it’s from Vons because it was in a Vons bag.”  I thought out loud, “there is no way in heck this is from Vons Market.  It is too dang good.”  Confident that the chicken was not from some super market, I was on a mission to find this chicken. It was my only goal in life.

A few days later, my co-workers went out to get some lunch.  After waiting a while, impatiently at that, I realized they went out to get some chicken.  Can it be?  What are the chances the chicken they bring is from the exact same place as the one before?  They had finally arrived. As they opened the box, my friend says, “Yup, this is it. I was talking about this place.  I guess there is a place called Vons Chicken.”  Finally!  It is here!  How silly of my friend to think this is the same place as Vons, the supermarket. He is from Canada after all. 🙂

Dipping the chicken filets in the different sauces, I was in chicken heaven.  The kicker is the pickled daikon.  It was so refreshing and the acidity of the daikon radish cut the richness of the chicken.  It was a perfect match.

So there it is folks — Vons Chicken, not to be confused with Vons the supermarket.  I had finally found it.  The restaurant is Korean owned, and they cook to order.  Each chicken fillet or drumstick is grilled, then finished on in the convection oven.  They offer a variety of sauces and marinates for the chicken.  The spicy is really spicy, according to the workers there.  However you get the chicken, enjoy them.  They are amazing.

VNS Chicken on Urbanspoon

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Love Letter Pizza and Chicken – Dear Deliciousness

by Franklin on April 30, 2011

Remember when you were a kid and you loved pizza.  Heck, you probably still do.  Everyone likes the pizza, but hates the crust.  I don’t know about you, but I was one of those kids that ate the good part, and threw the crust back into the pizza box. Before you shake your head at me in disappointment, please note that I didn’t do this often, and I don’t do this anymore.  I didn’t know any better, okay?  I actually blame pizza companies for this.  If everyone stuffed their pizza crust with sweet potato like Love Letter Pizza and Chicken, we wouldn’t have this problem.  Yeah, they actually stuff their pizza crust with sweet potatoes.  That may sound a little off to you, but this stuff is delicious.

As pizzas go, their two popular ones are the Bul Kogi Pizza, as well as their Gold Pizza. The Bul Kogi pizza is a traditional pizza, but has marinated beef as one of the toppings.  The Gold Pizza is the sweet potato pizza that I mentioned before. It has bits of chopped sweet potato and veggies as toppings.  At the restaurant, I wanted to try both, but wasn’t about to order two pizzas.  They were kind enough to make me a half/half. Score!  Both pizzas were great — they were very different, but very tasty and delicious.  The sweet potato puree busted out of the crust and was very hot.  Don’t burn your mouth like I did.

Along with the pizza, the chicken wasjust as good, if not, maybe better.  I am a carnivore at heart, so this was really good to me. The chicken wings are fried, and then submerged in a sweet and spicy glaze.  The chicken was so crispy and flavorful from the sauce.  It it something you have to try yourself.  The sauce is sticky and sweet and is a perfect food mate with the pizza.

Along with our order, we got a complimentary salad.  It was basically shredded cabbage with thousand island and corn.  We also tried the corn cheese.  This was corn mixed in with jack cheese (maybe mozzarella), all melted on a skillet. This thing was so cheesy and good, it was a great starter.

Love Letter Pizza and Chicken, as the name suggests, sure do make pizzas and chicken.  The thing is, it’s not your ordinary pizzeria or chicken joint. They do something special, and their menu infuses Korean ingredients with their food.  Amazing pizzas, amazing chicken.  As for the name Love Letter, I am unsure of the origin or why it’s named that.  But I have a letter of my own, and it reads:

 

Dear Love Letter,
I love your pizzas.  I love your chicken.
With love,
My Stomach

Love Letter on Urbanspoon

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AhnJoo Truck – Food Network Star Cooks Up Korean Grub

April 28, 2011

As a Korean American, I love Korean food.  I ate it growing up, and it gives me a sense of home when I eat it. I was excited that the AhnJoo Truck was going to be at the Santa Anita Food Festival, and it was my first stop. AhnJoo is something of a snack or […]

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