With National Pancake Day coming up, IHOP has been spreading the word for weeks with public service announcements starting NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young for their fifth annual fundraising event to be held Feb. 23.

The restaurant is partnering with the Children's Miracle Network for the event to raise money for the non-profit organization as part of NPD. IHOP's goal this year is to raise $1.75 million.

On National Pancake Day, IHOP will give guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at its more than 1,400 restaurants throughout the United States.

In return, the restaurant asks that guests make a voluntary donation to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network and other local charities.

To help spread the word even more, Children's Miracle Network announced that a number of its celebrity supporters plan to make National Pancake Day wake up calls to remind interested individuals to stop into an IHOP for free flap jacks on February 23, and IHOP announced a "Stacks for Good Acts" online contest offering a year's supply of free pancakes to the winner.
 
Children's Miracle Network National Pancake Day Celebrity Wake Up Call Program invites interested individuals to receive a wake-up call from their choice of celebrity as a reminder to stop in on Feb. 23. 

Celebrity callers include NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, entertainer and Children's Miracle Network co-founder Marie Osmond and newly crowned Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron.  Wake up calls can be ordered at www.IHOPPancakeDay.com.
 
IHOP's "Stacks For Good Acts" Online Contest invites good Samaritans to submit a 250-words-or-less story, at the website above, about a good deed they or someone they know did in 2009. Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality and entertainment value.  One grand prize winner will receive free pancakes for one year.
 
More information and complete contest rules can be found at www.IHOPPancakeDay.com. Entries can be submitted online and the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 19, 2010. One (1) grand prize winner will receive free pancakes for a year (defined as one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per day for 365 days) at IHOP.
 
Fun fact about National Pancake Day:
For centuries, the English have 'flipped' for pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday, which heralds the beginning of fasting during Lent. Long ago, strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products, hence the name Pancake Tuesday. 
While IHOP's National Pancake Day typically takes place on Shrove Tuesday, which lands on Feb. 16, this year the company will host its free pancake event on Tuesday, Feb. 23 instead.

Subway has brought back its "Any" event - get any regular footlong sandwich for only $5. From the Italian BMT to the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki - only $5.

The promotion is for a limited time only, so get out there and get your $5 lunch.

So I took advantage of Jamba Juice's $1 Oatmeal Wednesdays today to start my day.

I went with a fresh banana and brown sugar crumble topping - simple and healthy. For just $1, the portion size was satisfying. The oatmeal itself was warm and softly cooked but not much taste.

The bananas were freshly sliced in small rounds and together with the brown sugar topping were pretty much the only flavor in the whole serving, but what else do you expect from fresh oatmeal?

I don't know if it was worth having the brown sugar crumble because there were hardened pieces throughout and I worried some would crack my teeth. They were just too hard.

It would be nice to have more berry flavor options also because I don't care too much for blueberries, dried cranberries or cherries.

Today, Jamba Juice has announced its own solution to many people's new year resolutions to eat healthy and save money - oatmeal for just $1 every Wednesday, all month long!  

The smoothie company offers their oatmeal, made with 100% organic, steel cut-oats, with a choice of 3 real fruit toppings - fresh banana, blueberry/blackberry and cinnamon apple - and now for a limited time the Berry Cherry Pecan, a mix of premium dried fruit, glazed pecans and a brown sugar crumble.

No microwaves here, the made-fresh-daily oatmeal takes a full 40 minutes to prepare, but ready to serve when ordered. 

The oatmeal offerings contain no artificial preservatives, no artificial flavors, zero grams trans fat and are a great source of protein and fiber. And on for only three more Wednesdays this month - you can get all that healthy, tasty goodness for just a buck - $1, regularly priced $2.95.

Good for you and your wallet.

I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow. Check back here Wednesday afternoon for the verdict. 

Working in the San Gabriel Valley, specifically West Covina, has definitely expanded my dining palette.

Even on the weekends, I find myself craving Japanese or Thai food, and one day I finally had to search for a Thai restaurant in my city of Montebello.

I've shopped in this shopping center plenty of times, my bank is even nearby, but I never really paid attention to Modern Thai next to the post office and CVS in the Montebello Plaza Shopping Center before.

I found about it online (go figure) and dragged my boyfriend in on a night when he wasn't in the mood for cooking.

This would have been my boyfriend's first time trying Thai food but I, on the other hand, had plenty to compare it to.

To get a good comparison, I ordered the Tom Kha Gai soup ($5 for bowl), a spicy coconut cream soup with chicken and mushroom, and the Chicken Pad Thai ($8) noodles.

We also ordered the Spicy Basil dish with beef stir-fried with chili garlic sauce and basil leaves ($8), and a side of steamed jasmine white rice ($1).

The first thing that caught me off guard was the way all the chicken was cut. It's like they tried to slice them any way they could to use every part of the chicken. They were good size portions but they were a little dry in the noodle dish.

The soup was spicier than I'm used to but very tasty with big pieces of mushroom.

The Pad Thai was not spicy and a little disappointing. It didn't have as much flavor as other Pad Thai I have tasted and the chicken didn't help much.

The best dish was the Spicy Basil. It had the right amount of spice and meat and I actually scooped up some of the sauce to mix in to the Pad Thai.

I went back another time for take-out and thought I would try a starter this time.

I ordered the calamari wonder ($7), which is pretty much fried calamari with sweet and sour sauce, to start with, and King's Curry ($9) for a main dish.

The calamari reminded me of popcorn shrimp from its size and the fried batter. They were decent but heavier on the grease and not on the flavor. The sauce didn't help much.

The King's Curry is shrimp and green beans sauteed in a sweet and spicy King's curry sauce.

The amount of shrimp in the dish was perfect and they were perfectly cooked. The green beans were a perfect combination with the shrimp and the spicy sauce brought it all together. This has been my favorite dish here so far.

The Thai iced tea ($2.50) is also one of my favorites. It doesn't have that coffee taste and is not too sweet.

The restaurant is at 2557 Via Campo in Montebello. They are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Lunch specials and catering is available, as well as free delivery within three miles. For to-go orders, call 626-724-9245.

Though I have been spoiled with homemade tamales from my mom around Christmas time for years, she has not given in to pressure this year and will not be laboring away to make any.

So that leads me on a quest to find warm, tasty tamales elsewhere.

Though I have had a few homemade tamales already this season, (thank you Eloisa), I knew it was time to give those tamale vendors and bakeries a try.

Although an email I received from a blog reader last year about where to find good tamales was deleted long ago, I remembered the name of the bakery he suggested and thought I would give Maria's Bakery in El Monte a shot.

I also have passed by a tamaleria (shop specializing in tamales) in East Los Angeles many times and I thought I would try Sandra's & Lolita's Tamales as well.

SANDRA'S & LOLITA'S TAMALES 

I have heard that Sandra's & Lolita's can have a long line out the door just days before Christmas but this morning it wasn't that busy.

What I instantly liked about Sandra's & Lolita's is they offer a variety of tamales - pork, beef or chicken in red sauce; pork or cheese in green sauce; cheese; and sweet ones with pineapple chunks and raisins.

I tried the beef, chicken and pork in red sauce and a pork in green sauce. I'm not a big fan of raisins so I skipped on the sweet ones this time.

When I unwrapped the tamales, there was sauce everywhere, which seemed like a good sign. The masa was so moist the tamale just opened up in the middle.

The red sauce was the tastiest with a slight spiciness. The green was good also but not as tasty as the red.  

They weren't very big or meaty tamales but for $17 for a dozen, I guess that's what you get. They also sell masa by the pound and champurrado.

MARIA'S BAKERY

Maria's wasn't as hard to find as I thought thanks to my Sprint navigation but if you don't have one, just be sure to slow down on Peck Road as the parking lot entrance is the first one past the CVS Pharmacy.

So even though this is supposed to be a bakery, there wasn't too many pan dulces (sweet bread) or bolillos (Mexican rolls) to be seen but from the front counter I could see plenty of women working hard in the back in every stage of tamale-making - cooking meats in large pots, making masa, shredding meat.

At Maria's there is only two types of tamales available - pork in red or green sauce.

I grabbed a few of each ($1.60 ea.) and a couple of pieces of pan dulce that was available. They had a lot of flaky pastry kind which is not very common in Mexican bakeries anymore.

What I instantly noticed from the tamales were how heavy they felt in the bag compared to the ones from Sandra's & Lolita's.

Once I unwrapped them I knew why they felt heavier, there was plenty of meat coming out the top. The masa looked thick and intact which worried me that they would be dry - no bueno (not good).

But once I took a fork-full, I was happy they were not dry and were pretty moist and tasty. The red sauce wasn't as spicy and tasty as the green sauce but still good. 

The masa had a nice texture and taste that I could imagine frying up some tamales the next day and it tasting so good. Heck, it would probably be good just to fry up the cooked masa by itself.

So they may not have been made at home by my mom, but these tamales sure tasted very homemade and hit the tamale spot for me.

Sandra's & Lolita's Tamales are at 5390 Whittier Blvd., East Los Angeles, (323) 722-2961.
Maria's Bakery is at 4743 Peck Road, El Monte, (626) 444-8109.

Note: Both locations are not plastic-friendly so be sure to bring your green (cash).

What's your favorite place to get tamales?

By Stacey Wang,

Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, it comes as no surprise that I love Asian food.

One of the staples in my diet to date is Chinese curry. It's got a simple ingredient list - chicken or beef, carrots, potatoes, onions and curry powder. Quick to make, ingredients simple to remember and it can be made in bulk. A perfect combination for someone with little to no time to cook.

So I have grown fond of curry. Plus, it's satisfying.

In my search for a lunchtime meal, I pulled into The Commons at La Verne. The plaza was packed with cars on one side - mostly because of hungry mouths at acclaimed The Habit Burger Grill, coupled with bargain shoppers at Ross. The other side was empty, so I chose to park there out of intrigue.

That's where I found Siamese Restaurant, a dineresque Thai restaurant with cultural ornaments scattered throughout the place.

I ordered chicken curry from the lunch specials menu for $6.25 - which included Wonton soup, a choice of fried rice or steamed rice and a small side salad. I opted for brown rice, adding an extra $1.

The Wonton soup was forgettable, a soggy pork Wonton in a soup that had little flavor but a hint of sourness. I finished the cup quickly, set it aside and thoughts of how the curry would measure up filled my mind.

Unlike its Chinese relative, Thai curry has a thinner consistency and is slightly tart. It also has a creaminess because coconut milk is used.

To me, a good Thai curry is not too creamy, sour or spicy. The Siamese curry fulfilled each of these aspects.

My dish had thinly sliced white meat chicken, red bell peppers and jalapenos, drenched in curry sauce and topped with bamboo slices. The bamboo aged the flavor and the few jalapeno slices gave it a bite that crept on my tastebuds. I finished two glasses of water by the end of my short meal.

The portions weren't generous but reasonable, despite my being famished, because the great thing about curry is that it's incredibly filling.  

Siamese also offers variety of items on its $6.25 lunch menu, including Pad Thai, Karee Kai and Panang.

For an extra $1, menu items such as sweet and sour fish, chili fish and ginger shrimp are available.

To catch the lunch specials, you can visit the restaurant from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Even if you miss the specials, most of the menu is under $10.

Siamese Restaurant is at 1544 Foothill Blvd., La Verne; (909) 593-7097.

If you saw me when I was about 10 years old, you might ask the same thing my mom asked, "Where does it all go?"

I've always been the smallest, shorter one of the bunch, but I could still keep up with my brothers at the dinner table.

I always had a love for good food, (of which I gladly blame on my parents), so it is no surprise that when it comes to family gatherings involving food, Thanksgiving has been my absolute favorite since I was about 10.

Before then, my Mexican family didn't make a big deal about this day in November mainly because it isn't much acknowledged in Mexico. It was always around my older brother's birthday so just a regular meal and birthday cake did the trick.

Although I love my mom's cooking, she wasn't too familiar with turkey, stuffing or any of those Thanksgiving staples.

After my parents divorced, the best thing I got from the deal were my step-aunts and their cooking. The first Thanksgiving with my step-family really opened my eyes to all the goodness (and food) of the holiday.

And being a growing child, I took it all in - literally.

Sure I loved running around the yard and playing with my siblings and cousins but before anyone was even called to the table, I knew and was the first one sitting down preparing for the feast.

I am also a slow eater, painful to many, but I love to savor every bite and morsel so I was also always the last one at the table, especially after having seconds, sometimes thirds.

My step-aunts and family had all the essentials down - turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, potato salad, green bean casserole, beets, yams, watergate salad, pumpkin pie with cool whipped topping, and more - and they made it all look so easy for a kid like me.

Once I moved back in with my mom and didn't have those Thanksgiving lunches with my step-family anymore, I still craved the ham, the potatoes and oh the watercress salad.

So we eventually convinced my mom to start having a Thanksgiving meal.

We invited neighbors and family friends and they brought something to the gathering. My mom made the ham. Sure, she used a canned ham, canned pineapple and canned cherries, but she made such a juicy, sweet ham, it was like she'd been doing it for years.

The brown sugar was her secret I think. It's still my all-time favorite ham.

Every year after then, we added something more or just got more creative with the stuffing or pies, adding different ingredients or techniques.

Then once my brothers moved out, one by one, to get married and start their own family, there were more options of where to celebrate the holiday, which gave my mom some relief from being the main chef.

I still beg her to make her ham though, even if it's not Thanksgiving. There's always Christmas, Ma.

Since I am more of a baker, I now love to try something new to share at the Thanksgiving table. Sometimes it's a variation of a pumpkin dessert or something for the non-pumpkin lovers, but it's always tasty. I wouldn't have it any other way.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY? FAVORITE THANKSGIVING DISH?

SHARE YOUR THANKSGIVING FEAST STORIES BELOW and...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

After hearing about Mr. Baguette for over a year, I finally got to taste one of the sandwich shop's creations.

I thought there was only a Mr. Baguette in Rosemead and I hardly ever go through the city let alone stop somewhere there to eat.

But by chance, I happened to be driving north on Atlantic Blvd. in Monterey Park one Saturday afternoon, spotted this location on the right side and knew I had to take a detour from my original destination.

When I first perused the displayed menu, I was surprised by the variety of cuisines offered at what I thought was a mainly French-inspired sandwich shop. There are Vietnamese inspired sandwiches and new to the shop are the beef and chicken fajitas sandwich.

The new addition looks to combine Mexican cuisine with the signature French baguette bread. The sandwiches come with beef or chicken finely chopped fajitas, in-house salsa sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese.

They even offer Jarritos, a line of fruit-flavored sodas that are a favorite in Mexico.

Though sandwiches do take over the menu, you can start off with pate chaud or pork or chicken meat pies, a ham and cheese roll, or a bowl of clam chowder or chicken curry.

Sandwich selections vary from classic French baguette sandwiches to Vietnamese-French combinations.

There is the classic brioche in a variety of meat or veggie options in a smaller-size French roll bread. There is a variety of croissant sandwiches or just get them plain.

Contemporary sandwiches come with mayonnaise spread, lettuce, tomatoes and American cheese with your choice of meats like grilled beef, roast beef or tuna.

The condiments can be substituted with the house special salad of carrots, daikon and chili peppers.

The Classic sandwiches are served with the house salad and come in varieties such as pork meat loaf, pate pork meat loaf, chicken, meatball, veggie or a combination of meats.

I craved a Vietnamese style sandwich that comes with carrots and chili peppers so I went simply with a grilled pork classic. 

My sister and adventure companion decided to try the Saigon probably more for the name. The Saigon comes with a combination of hot Vietnamese-style bacon and pork meat loaf.

She forewent adding the house salad topping which comes on the side in a small bag when ordered to go. Even though the pork in her sandwich looked different than we're used to seeing, she said it was a tasty combination of meats and devoured it in less than 10 minutes.

I had to add the house salad to my sandwich, especially the chili peppers to give it a nice kick. I have been to some Vietnamese restaurants that serve these types of sandwiches, known there as banh mi, and most of the time the peppers are spicy.

Mr. Baguette was no exception but it was a great balance to the nicely sliced carrots and daikon, which is a type of radish. The grilled pork was nicely seasoned and grilled to a nice tenderness.

The final touch that made the sandwich deliciously scrumptious was the baguette. A nice warm toasty on the outside and soft on the inside.

What I love even more about Mr. Baguette are the prices. You can get a simple sandwich for under $3. Our sandwiches were less than $4 for a good size.

Having such a variety of beverages as sandwiches, my sister and I had to try something from that menu as well.

I went with the boba thai iced tea for $2.50 and my sister gave the mango smoothie a try for $3.85 and 35 cents extra for boba.   

The thai tea had a nice taste and the boba balls were larger than I've had in other boba drinks but I didn't find anything much special in their tastes. They just added some texture.

My sister felt the same way about the boba but enjoyed her fresh-tasting smoothie just the same.

Mr. Baguette is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has three locations in the San Gabriel Valley located at:

• 400 S. Atlantic Blvd., #288 in Monterey Park, (626) 282-9966
• 8702 E. Valley Blvd. in Rosemead, (626) 288-9166
• 9661 E. Garvey Ave., #101 in South El Monte, (626) 575-8632

For those of you who like your cheesesteak sandwiches just as they should be - steak and cheese and steak and cheese - then Quizno's new Double Cheese Cheesesteak is for you.

The sandwich shop's new toasty sub is not a torpedoe or bullet so you can get it in a small, regular or large size in white or wheat bread.

It comes with hand-carved marinated prime rib steak slices, double the slices of swiss cheese, sauteed onions and mayo - that's it.

Sure you may not get your daily recommended servings of vegetables but you can always get a side salad.

I recently tried the small size (ixnay on the mayo though) just to see if it was plenty enough with double the meat and cheese. 

With a side of chips and a drink, the small did satisfy but at the same time, the meat marinade was so tasty and the cheese was all nice and melty that I wanted more even if it was going to make me so full I'd place myself in a food coma - staring into the glare of my computer screen at work.

It's not the value meal you could find at some other sandwich shops - $5.29 for the small plus $1.99 to make it a combo - but it's worth the double meat and cheese alone.

By Eric Terrazas

I am a big fan of pizza, which has long been a favorite dish of mine.

Always on the lookout for a tasty pie, I decided to check out a place called Anna's Pizza, located in West Covina.

I ordered the mini 8-inch two-topping pizza for $4.99. The two toppings I selected were pepperoni and pineapple.

My first impression of Anna's was pretty positive. While it was not the best pizza I ever had, I still came away a satisfied customer.

For $4.99, the two-topping pizza is not a bad deal. I ate all of my pineapple and pepperoni pizza, which tasted pretty good.

I decided to give Anna's another try the next day. This time, I selected the $6.99 lunch special, which consisted of a mini 8-inch two-topping pizza, a small salad and a medium soft drink.

The toppings I selected were sausage and mushroom. 

I thought the sausage and mushroom pizza tasted better than the pepperoni and pineapple.

The salad, which comes with several choices of dressing, wasn't bad. I wish it included a couple more tomatoes.

Anna's salad dressing list includes ranch, blue cheese, Italian, thousand island, vinegar and oil, and Caesar. I ordered the thousand island.

I had no problem finishing my sausage and mushroom pie.  

For $6.99, I thought Anna's lunch special was a nice meal and deal. Other pizza sizes are also offered.

The choice of toppings also include meatballs, salami, ham, Canadian bacon, tomatoes, garlic, onions, green peppers, olives, jalapenos, anchovies and chicken.

If you happen to have a light budget, the $3.99 mini 8-inch cheese pizza sounds like a good choice.

Anna's menu also features dishes such as spaghetti ($6.99), lasagna ($7.75) and ravioli ($7.25). All dishes are served with garlic bread.

Different varieties of sandwiches and salads are also available. A regular (8-10 inches) sized sandwich costs $5.25 while a foot-long is priced at $6.25.

Salad selections include chicken ($6.50), antipasto ($6.25), and garden ($4.75).

So if you are in the mood for Italian fare and happen to be in the West Covina area, Anna's just might sound like a good place to eat.

Anna's Pizza is located at 1010 West Covina Parkway in West Covina. For information, call (626) 337-7297.

You knew I would try to snag a free flatbread from Jamba Juice. How could I resist free food?

Check out this article from business editor Kevin Smith explaining this special promotion.

At first, I thought of going an hour before this special promotion started, but actually got too busy in the office.

Once I had a break, it was just after 2 p.m. but thought I would still see if I had a chance to try these new low-calorie flatbreads.

I arrived at the Jamba Juice in West Covina by the mall at about 2:20 p.m. There was no long lines in sight like I remember seeing for the free chicken giveaway El Pollo Loco and Kentucky Fried Chicken had, but that was fine with me.

There wasn't even one person in front of me when I entered the Jamba Juice in West Covina on Tuesday.

I was reminded once again of the free promotion and I said yes please! Apparently they were giving away one of the four varieties (Tomo Artichoko, Smokehouse Chicken, MediterranYum and Four Cheesy) at different times throughout the promotion. I got the Smokehouse Chicken variety.

I ordered a healthy smoothie as well - Pomegranate Pick-me-up - and happily took my little warm box of flatbread. Regular price for a flatbread is $3.75.

No matter where I read or searched for online, I could not figure out what type of food exactly Jamba Juice meant by 'flatbread', but it pretty much resembles a mini-size, thin-crust pizza with flatbread as the dough.

The smokehouse had roasted corn, peppers, black beans and chicken on top of a little melted cheese and what tasted like a slightly tangy barbecue sauce. The flavors of each ingredient went well together considering it was only 330 calories.

The flatbread was warm and toasty but a bit hard on the side while it was soft on the bottom.

The flatbread was more of a snack with it's mini-pizza size, or if you wanted to make it a full meal, you could pick up a couple or add one of the salads also offered now at some Jamba Juice locations.

Next time I'll try one of the salads, wraps or sandwiches while picking up some fresh juicy smoothie at Jamba Juice.

DID YOU SNAG A FREE FLATBREAD? KNOW OF ANY OTHER FREE FOOD OFFERINGS YOU CAN SHARE WITH US? LET US KNOW BELOW - SHARING IS CARING.

By Lafayette C. Hight Jr.

Entering Wang's was, well, interesting.

There's neither a service counter inside nor a podium of any sort, so while standing at the entrance for about many minutes I thought I'd been accidentally dipped in invisible ink.

Maybe there actually were only a handful people working that night, but the half-empty dining room - which had only about six tables occupied - didn't seem to warrant the lack of attention.

Eventually we did manage to catch someone's curiosity and found ourselves at a table, where we perused the menu and decided upon the Mandarin dinner, at $13.95 per person, which included a choice of soup and two entrees and some appetizers.

There were two of us, so the meal seemed a perfect fit. We opted for Hot and Sour Soup to start things off. When it arrived I was a bit worried because it came with a very strong smell of sesame oil. I was happy when I tasted it, though, to discover that it was the same soup I'm familiar with.

Shortly afterward, a plate with wontons, egg rolls and foil-wrapped chicken showed up.

It was here that I discovered that Wang's food seemed to only have one temperature. Hot. Screaming hot. Hot enough that Dante might have seen it served in the inner ring of the seventh circle.

It's almost as if the temperature was supposed to take your mind off the fact that the food was lacking in the flavor department.

Had my eyes been closed, it would have been difficult to tell the difference between the vegetable egg roll, the wonton and the fried wonton skins that were delivered as an appetizer  - tasting kind of like deep-fried paper. The small piece of baked chicken, however, was pretty good. The problem was that it was minuscule, about the size of my thumb.

Then the entrees arrived. The best part of the entrees was the shrimp. Not the whole dish, but the individual crustaceans. So it became a bit of a race to see who could get the most shrimp, without being obvious that we were trying to out-shrimp each other.

I was also trying to figure out why the chow mein arrived in a pie plate. Not the tin type, but a glass pie plate, while the beef dish had a normal serving dish.

But I couldn't even think about that, as I was busy attempting to perform a miracle with the soy sauce (red, not green), salt and pepper that were on the table.

I figured out the right proportion after about 10 minutes - a splash of soy sauce, three shakes of pepper - to add at least a semblance of taste to the dishes.

I have to admit, that what I did like about Wang's was that the restaurant has a full bar with some pretty decent drinks, not typically found in Chinese restaurants in the Valley.

And by the end of the night, I needed one.

Wang's is located at 120 E. Lemon Ave. in Monrovia. For information, call (626) 303-3071.

As if I need another reason to love Jamba Juice and their tasty fruit creations. I have yet to try their most recent food offerings but this will sure help.

Here's the latest from the smoothie company:

"As a part of its Fall 'Feel Good Campaign', Jamba Juice announced today that it will be filling customers up for free."

Starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, the first 150 customers can get a chance to try Jamba Juice's new California Flatbreads for FREE, at participating Jamba Juice locations.

The recently launched lunch offerings "make the perfect guilt-free afternoon snack, made with high quality, better-for-you ingredients and all under 330 calories."

"A perfect combination of delicious ingredients on top of a crispy crust, and an excellent source of protein, the new Flatbreads are available in 4 yummy flavors including: Tomo Artichoko Flatbread, Smokehouse Chicken Flatbread, MediterranYum Flatbread and Four Cheesy Flatbread."