esther: May 2008 Archives
Last week, I visited Tampopo Ramen, a Japanese restaurant in the food court-like Plaza Walk building in Rowland Heights. Last night, I happened to wander by the area again and saw a sign in front of the restaurant that announced its closure on June 2.Today, I called up the restaurant to confirm it was actually closing forever, not just on one day.
Yes, it's true. They're closing.
The person on the phone, who sounded like the owner, said he's received many compliments about the food and condolences about their closing. The man said operating costs are high, as are the rent and parking fees. There's another Tampopo Ramen in Gardena, although he's not the owner-operator. The man says he doesn't have any plans to open at another location this year. Their last day is June 1.
If you have time before June 2, check it out. I really enjoyed it, and even started writing a review for it for the Highlanders...
Continue reading Goodbye Tampopo Ramen.
By Daniel Fritz, Staff Writer
The unassuming red, white and brick building on the corner of Ramona Boulevard and Maine Avenue in Baldwin Park is the home of Stars Burgers.
While the venue may be a bit harsh on the eyes, customers' undoubtedly happy palate will most likely forgive the visual shortcomings of what is essentially a hotdog stand.
On first glance, it appears Stars Burgers only has outside seating, however, there is a small inside seating area attached to the building. There's even a few prehistoric arcade machines inside.
However, the restaurant makes sure to cater to the diverse Baldwin Park demographic by not just sticking to one food genre.
Stars Burgers has a huge menu, ranging from hotdogs to Mexican food to all sorts of sandwiches. The marquee even states that "Shish-k-Babs" are sold, however upon further inspection, they're no longer on the menu.
Not only is the menu far-reaching, but the vast operating hours make Stars Burgers a place where, if one were so inclined, one could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. They're open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
There's even a few breakfast specials, like the two pieces of bacon or sausage, two eggs, hash browns and toast combo for $3.05. Several lunch combos exist as well, none of which will set you back more than $5.
In fact, pretty much everything on the menu ranges between $2 and $5.
During my visit, I had a hamburger and a hotdog for $4.87, and took a seat at a patio table outside.
While the dining experience was pretty much what you'd expect from sitting on a corner in Baldwin Park (I had a woman try to sell me Chicklets while I was eating and a pigeon got a little too friendly), it was enjoyable nonetheless.
The hotdog, which came loaded with onions and mustard, was clearly of the footlong variety as it had outgrown the bun.
The hamburger came medium well (I wasn't given an option) and was tender and juicy. Thousand island dressing and shredded lettuce came standard on this one.
Both were satisfying, and I cleared my plastic basket from the table feeling heavy in the stomach and light in the wallet.
Stars Burgers is located at 14351 Ramona Blvd. in Baldwin Park. For information call (626) 337-7777.
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2201
By Lafayette Hight
My knowledge of Filipino culture isn't incredibly extensive, but as I drove by Jojo's Lechon I instantly recognized the word for roasted pork and decided to give it a try.
Jojo's is a fast-food restaurant on Huntington Drive, with about a dozen tables and a similar number of prepared dishes in a display case.
The dishes weren't labeled but the type of food was pretty easy to identify. Unfortunately, the menu wasn't too helpful. Jojo's has a lot of items available for catering but the menu doesn't exactly correspond to what's available.
I decided upon a three-item combo meal for $6.25, and then began to browse the food choices which included fried fish, stir-fried squid, a few varieties of chicken and red meats.
I selected a chicken dish I later learned was Chicken Adobo, a mix of stir-fried shrimp with vegetables and then began looking for a pork dish. After all, going to a restaurant called lechon, and not trying the lechon would have been like going to the former Pup 'N Taco restaurants and ordering a hamburger. Or dining at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles for the first time, and eating a steak.
One of the largest trays in the display case had meat in a dark colored sauce, so I asked my server what it was. He told me the traditional Filipino name, but it flew past me so quickly that I asked him to spell it for me.
Instead, he said, "Some people call it chocolate pork."
Excellent, I thought, since I was looking for a pork dish to try.
I tried the Chicken Adobe first and it was excellent. It appeared to have been made from a whole chicken, chopped into pieces small enough to handle as finger foods. The combination of spices in the gravy was amazing. I enjoyed it so much that the first thing I did when I got in front of a computer was do a Google search for a recipe.
It's that good.
Second, I tried the chocolate pork, which I liked as well, but the spices weren't as vibrant as those in the chicken dish.
As I was eating the pork I noticed that the consistency of the gravy was similar to a roux, the base of most French cuisine.
You may know that a roux is simply cooking oil and flour which are stirred in a pot or skillet over a low heat until the flower is a dark, rich brown - similar to the color of mahogany. I usually make one for gumbo, or other French stews, and when a freshly-made roux is added to the final dish it tends to clump up at first, and needs to simmer for several hours before it becomes a uniform consistency. Until then, however, the roux is a thin layer on top of the dish.
This is how I interpreted it.
And I couldn't have been more wrong.
But first, the shrimp with vegetables dish. Like in many Asian cuisines, the shrimp are whole. It was simple and good. The combination plates come with steamed rice.
Now back to the pork. About an hour after my meal, I learned that "chocolate pork" is actually called dinuguan, which means pork blood stew. It is a dish made with pork blood, entrails and meat.
So now I'm on the fence. On one hand, if my server had told me, I probably wouldn't have ordered it. On the other hand, who knew that blood and entrails could taste so good?
Jojo's Lechon is at 1112 Huntington Drive, Duarte.
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2764
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