Bentorama

Goodbye Tampopo Ramen

Tue, 27 May 2008 13:46:12 -0800

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...

Dining on a Budget: Stars Burgers shine bright

Mon, 19 May 2008 17:12:16 -0800

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.

daniel.fritz@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2201

Dining on a budget: El Gallo Pinto

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:28:39 -0800

By Evelyn Barge
Staff Writer

Sometimes the best meals are discovered behind the most unassuming of storefronts.

That's certainly the case with El Gallo Pinto, a Nicaraguan and Mexican restaurant tucked away in an unremarkable Azusa strip mall.

Named for the traditional Nicaraguan dish of beans and rice, El Gallo Pinto is a gem of an eatery that serves up a hearty dose of authenticity with each of its delectable dishes.

The extensive menu is protein-heavy with options like broiled steak ($10.99), fried marinated pork ($10.99) and beef tongue ($12.99).

All entrees are served with - you guessed it - gallo pinto. Or you can substitute salad and tortillas or fried plantains.

If you want to mix and match, try a few selections from the a la carte section of the menu.
The nacatamales ($4.99), much bigger than Mexican tamales, are mouth-wateringly delicious and provide more than enough food for a wholesome lunch or dinner.

Round off the meal with plantain slices ($2.50) or fried cheese ($2.00), just two of the tasty traditional sides available for a very affordable price.

I found the atmosphere inside the restaurant to be warm and inviting.

The wait staff was especially friendly, as the server greeted each customer and offered up helpful recommendations, even while busy during the lunch-hour rush.

El Gallo Pinto is a fairly small operation, so be prepared to settle in and enjoy the experience.

On the day I visited the Azusa Avenue restaurant, just one person was serving the lunchtime crowd in the dining room, while a single chef was preparing all the dishes in the kitchen. Still, the relaxed environment and easygoing pace just mean you have more time to take in the decorations and savor your meal.

After leaving the restaurant quite satisfied, I called my younger sister, Gail, to chat about my first foray into Nicaraguan cuisine. Gail traveled to Managua, the capital of the Central American country, in the spring of 2006 on a weeklong mission trip, and I asked her what she remembered about the country's traditional diet. We compared our separate experiences with the local style of cooking and found many similarities, despite the hundreds of miles and years that separated our meals.

She described the scene in Managua with its open-air markets, street vendors and fresh produce, meats and seafood as impoverished yet beautiful, and complemented by a rich culinary tapestry.

"The food is amazing," she said, "better than I ever eat here (in the U.S.)"

True to those roots, El Gallo Pinto carries on that tradition, serving up spectacular Nicaraguan cuisine from inside a rather simple strip-mall unit that's certainly worth walking into.

El Gallo Pinto is at 5559 N. Azusa Ave., Azusa. For information, call (626) 815-9907

evelyn.barge@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2472

Dining on a budget: Jojo's Lechon

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:00:42 -0800

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.

lafayette.hight@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2764

Ballpark food

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:43:58 -0800

Check out the fan survey on the best ballparks in Sports Illustrated. In the food category, Angel Stadium ranks at No. 10 and Dodger Stadium is No. 13.

Food prices on the rise

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:33:04 -0800

The cost of food is rising, have you noticed?

A couple of weeks ago, we published a database of the cost of grocery items at different stories. Check it out.

Dining on a budget - Orchid Thai Cuisine

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:30:29 -0800

By Kevin Felt

Orchid Thai Cuisine in Arcadia wouldn't be out of place in the trendy malls dotting the landscape of modern Bangkok.

As we thumbed through the long menu, filled with traditional Thai foods and a limited selection of Chinese-influenced dishes, we gazed at the comfortable modern decor and baby blue ceiling, augmented with wispy clouds and twinkling star lights, which would be right at home in the trendier parts of Bangkok.

The annotated menu includes more than 100 items with helpful descriptions, ranging from Satay Chicken, Papaya Salad and Jungle Curry to Panang, Pad Thai and Nam Khao Tod.

For most of the a la carte curries and main dishes on the menu, you can chose between beef, chicken, pork or tofu for $7.95, shrimp or squid for $9.95, or fish or scallops for $12.95. Most lunch specials, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, cost $5.95.

The generously sized $7.95 a la carte plate of Spicy Orchid Crispy Chicken was especially tantalizing. Small chunks of chicken were stir-fried to the perfect crispness in a tasty garlic glaze with slivers of carrot, green onion and cashews.

Though the menu labels the dish as spicy, the friendly waiter's warnings convinced me to try a medium version. Although it did little to sizzle my admittedly high-tolerance palate, the dish, atop 50-cent sticky white rice, was delicious.

Next was the $7.95 Pad-See-Ewe with tofu.

Thin, inch-wide rice noodles were pan-fried in a sweet soy sauce with egg, firm tofu and Chinese broccoli to create the slightly sweet, slightly salty dish, served on a large platter. It was good, but slightly bland for my tastes.

As an added surprise, as we boxed up our leftovers, the waiter delivered small cups of dessert.

Every day, the restaurant provides patrons with a different Thai dessert, he explained. Today's specialty was a surprisingly tasty soup of chewy green tapioca balls, corn kernels, coconut shavings and iced sweetened milk.

It will definitely be worth another visit to try the Eggplant with Basil Leaves or the Green Curry.

Orchid Thai is at 1311 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia.

Sir, there's a fly on my salad

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:01:23 -0800

I can't stand the idea of bugs, flies, spiders or any sort of insect near me, much less in my food. Fortunately or unfortunately, diners have no clue and no control of what goes on inside the kitchens of most restaurants. Who knows what the conditions are like behind the swinging doors. At a few establishments, however, the kitchen or prep area is out in the open. I'm referring to places like Subway, Quizno's, taco stands, and to some extent, Panda Express and El Pollo Loco.

For lunch the other day, I stopped at O Salads, a restaurant in Irwindale that's basically a large salad bar. The last thing I expected to see was flies buzzing around, but I saw at least three. One was a super plump fly resting on the counter. Another was flying wildly all over the restaurant. The third was crawling on the slices of carrots and cauliflower.

You might say that three flies is no big deal. I'm sure there are worse kitchens and more serious health violations at other restaurants. And really, O Salads seems like a very clean, well-run restaurant. But watching the flies buzz around made me lose my appetite for a salad.

I went next door to Xa Vietnamese Grill and ordered a plate of grilled beef over rice.

Sakura Ichi

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:15:26 -0800

Power lunch, dinner date, happy hour. I tried out Sakura Ichi in Pomona a couple of weeks ago after a few recommendations. It's a beautiful restaurant in downtown Pomona with good service and pretty good Japanese food.

The inside of the restaurant is gorgeous. Modern Japanese. Dark wood. Red accents. Bamboo poles. Mood lighting. Large bar. Private rooms, including traditional Japanese dining rooms. It's a great place for a dinner date or a business lunch.

The service is friendly and attentive. Our waiter explained the different dishes and made some very good suggestions.

While the food isn't magnificent, it's still very good. The menu includes pretty much everything you'd expect to find at a Japanese restaurant -- chicken teriyaki, gyoza, California rolls, tempura, salmon teriyaki and lots of sushi. There's even separate page dedicated to Chinese dishes. I also ordered a salmon collar (they also have yellowtail collar) that was soft, fatty and very tasty. I was disappointed by the tempura. The vegetables were a little hard, and the tempura batter wasn't as light and fluffy as I would like it to be.

Sakura Ichi Japanese Restaurant
101 W Mission Blvd # 101
Pomona, CA 91766
(909) 865-2059

Dining on a budget: Start with the specials

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:08:52 -0800

Dining at a new restaurant can be confusing, even overwhelming. With more than 100 different items on most menus, ordering the right dish is like picking the winning lottery number or guessing the exact number of jelly beans in a candy jar.

The problem gets worse when you’re trying a new cuisine. The dishes use new flavors, different ingredients and are sometimes in a foreign language.

Offering popular yet simple dishes, Rosie Thai Food in Covina is an excellent introduction to Thai food, especially if you’re not familiar with the cuisine.

First, try all-day specials. You’ll find familiar Asian dishes, such as Kung Pao chicken and teriyaki chicken, as well as classic Thai favorites like pad Thai and spicy beef with mint.

For $5.95, the all-day specials come with rice and salad, and during lunch, a small cup of soup. For a few extra dollars, the specials include more exciting dishes, such as stuffed chicken wings, shrimp sauteed with black pepper and garlic, and Thai barbecue spareribs.

Keep in mind that Thai food expertly combines sweet and savory flavors, so the beef and broccoli stir fry at Rosie will taste very different than at a Chinese restaurant. The combination of the two flavors creates dishes that will make you hunger for more but not weigh you down.

Once you’ve graduated from the specials menu, I highly recommend dining family style and ordering more authentic Thai dishes from the second half of the menu. Not only is the food delicious and flavorful, but it’s also very affordable.

One of my favorites is panang curry with chicken, a sweet and savory coconut-based curry. I also like the Tom Kha Gai soup, which includes coconut milk, lemongrass, straw mushrooms and various herbs. Both sweet and savory, the soup is light enough as a starter or can be ordered as an entree. On a cold night, it’s especially satisfying.

If you enjoy spicy food, the hot mint leaves and chili paste with chicken is a highly addictive stir fry dish. However, you may want to keep a large glass of ice water or milk close by.

Rosie Thai Food is at 474 E. San Bernardino Road in Covina. It is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays. For more information, call (626) 339-4935.

By Esther Chou

Red Brick Pizza no more

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:48:57 -0800

Two locations of Red Brick Pizza in the East San Gabriel Valley have closed recently, and I can only guess why. There was one location at the Lakes in West Covina, close to Edward's movie theaters, and another in Covina on Badillo and Grand, next to Von's grocery store.

Neither of the restaurants had great business, and I'm not sure why. I have a few guesses.

First, let me start with what they don't do wrong:
1. The pizzas taste good.
2. The menu offers a lot of a lot of variety and creativity. Toppings included prosciutto, pine nuts, ricotta cheese, sesame thai sauce, arugula, kalamata olives, and all the traditional pizza toppings.
3. They also have breadsticks, salads, sandwiches and gelato
4. They offer coupons and specials
5. Every booth has its own flat panel TV and remote control

Here's what I don't like:
1. It is expensive. Small pizzas cost about $7, mediums for $10.50 and larges for $17. Sure, the pizzas tasted good, but they weren't that good. The pizzas didn't feel like a good value for the money.
2. The pizzas aren't filling. A medium pizza feels like a small pan pizza from Pizza Hut.
3. Service is slow. The restaurants can operate with just two people in font -- one person making pizzas and another person taking orders and making salads.
4. The casual dining environment feels fast food restaurant, but the menu prices aren't.
5. The restaurants don't market themselves as a take-out pizza place, don't offer delivery nor do they allow customers to order online. They want dine-in customers, but it's not very enjoyable to dine there either.
6. You can't control the volume level on the televisions.

Pike Place Roast

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:59:56 -0800

What do you think of Starbucks' Pike Place Roast? Is it as good as anticipated? Do you think it's better than some of their other blends?

My short view -- Pike Place Roast is light, nutty and smooth. Starbucks must have listened to the complaints of burnt, bitter flavors in their other coffees because It's not bitter. Although it could use a little more body, it's a great every day coffee.

Other takes --

Pike Place delivers a pretty great cup of joe. It's got a light fruity and nutty aroma, a smooth feel on the tongue but nice body and no wimpy finish. This lighter roast (clearly a response to widespread complaints about Starbucks's penchant for over-roasting) allows a broader spectrum of flavors and aromatics to emerge, things that can sometimes be burnt away in a darker roast. Starbucks might not like this, but it kind of reminds me of Dunkin' Donuts' house coffee.
The Stew (Chicago Tribune blog)

Pike Place definitely went down better than the normal houseblend at Starbucks. It was smoother and without the bitter aftertaste. Another barista informed us it is lighter than Starbucks' usual coffee.
The New York Observer

I'm surprised and pleased that the taste is friendly....there's no shock. The flavor may be easy on the tounge, but its also very full....the boldness of a strong roast is not sacrificed...its pretty darned good.
Inside KIRO Newsroom

It was anti-climatic. The aroma was reminiscent of a more mellow (generic?) coffee, which I think is good - the objective here should be to provide a more universal coffee experience I think. The taste is citrus-like, with less of the bitter aftertaste that has become the bane of many a coffee aficionado. I’m reminded of perhaps the Casi Cielo. It’s good, but I don’t see it as raising the bar so much: had Starbucks put the same care into turning over the House Blend brew more frequently and grinding the beans in-store, I think the flavor would be close to par.
The Starbucksters Blog

Pikes Place Roast itself is REALLY good. It has some similarities with house blend but is much deeper. The barista told me that when they were choosing the beans they really focused on pairing the coffee’s flavor with creem and sugar. This is a pretty ingenious, don’t you think?
My Starbucks Blog

the pike place blend is a medium roast that i wasn't too crazy about. it had a very weak after-taste & it just felt to light.
Radar Hill

Strawberries 'n Cream Pie

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:25:47 -0800

Sometimes, it's all about compromise.

Some people like fruit pies -- apple, cherry, strawberry. And other people prefer cream pies -- banana cream, coconut cream, custard.

This pie is a great compromise. I'll start from the bottom layer:
- Graham cracker crust. (The pie I bought used a darker graham cracker crust, which was crunchy and not super sweet
- Thin layer of vanilla cream. (This is the same type of cream used in the banana cream pies)
- Thicker layer of strawberry cream. (Small bits of chopped strawberry).
- Top layer of sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

If you like Marie Callender's fresh strawberry pie, you'll probably like this one too. However, I found the slices of strawberries weren't as satisfying as whole strawberries in the fresh pie.

For those of you who like cream pies, there's plenty of cream here to satisfy.

Even better. Marie Callender's is having a sale on the Strawberries 'n Cream Pie. $10.99. Compare that to the 13.99 fresh strawberry pie.

Dining on a budget: Unexpected delicacies at Vons Supermarket

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:10:43 -0800

Rarely does one get convenience and quality: It’s usually one or the other.

However, at the Vons supermarket in Glendora, I found that these two traits have apparently united at the deli counter.

As a former Azusa Pacific University student, I’ve been going to the Glendora Vons deli for years, finding it to be a local, quality meal — even on a student budget. In those days, a Vons sandwich was a decadent treat enjoyed during my weekly trips to buy Top Ramen in bulk.

So, for the discriminating eater on the go, this may be the ideal solution.

One of the great things about the Vons deli is their sandwich ingenuity, something you wouldn’t expect to find on a toilet paper or dish soap (or Top Ramen) run.

For $4.99, the deli offers a variety of interesting and unique sandwich creations.

In my younger years, I never did branch out all that much, sticking mostly to turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread. For this review however, I decided to go nuts — or at least my version of nuts.

I ordered the “Hail Caesar,” described as having Primo Taglio pan-roasted turkey, Primo Taglio havarti, green leaf lettuce, garlic spread and tomatoes on rustic Italian bread.

Sounds fancy, right? It tasted pretty fancy too.

The combination of the havarti cheese, fresh lettuce and tomatoes was entirely refreshing. And while the garlic spread was a bit strong, it served as a nice counterpoint to the rest of the sandwich.

My only complaint, however, was the rustic Italian bread. I’m not entirely sure why a bread that shreds the roof of one’s mouth is being widely used on sandwiches, but it shouldn’t be. It hurts. I recommend staying far away from the rustic Italian, and instead perhaps opt for a nice sourdough or wheat roll.

While the sandwich alone was $4.99, Vons will “make it a meal,” which means add chips and a medium drink, for $1.50 more. However, the chips can be substituted for fresh fruit or soup.

“California Dreamin’” is a pan-roasted turkey sandwich with avocado, bacon and ranch spread, also on the painful rustic bread.

These are just a few of the many culinary Frankensteins available for the adventurous palate.

Gourmet soups, rotated from day to day, are also another feature here. For a $3.29 small, or $3.99 large, customers have the choice between broccoli and cheddar, minestrone, chicken noodle or clam chowder. And that was just on Friday. Couple a half sandwich with the small soup and pay only $4.99.

Finally, hot paninis are available in turkey and havarti; ham, swiss and cheddar; pastrami and swiss; three cheese; or philly cheesesteak.

I personally wouldn’t touch those greasy nightmares with a 10-foot pole, but for the seemingly ubiquitous price of $4.99, you, too, can look like you were recently dipped in oil.

I guess my favorite part about all of this is that, while there’s a Starbucks four doors down from Vons, there’s also one about 20 feet from the deli counter.

So, why not substitute that soda for an iced coffee? It goes great with a turkey sandwich!

Coupon for Friday's

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:33:48 -0800

File this post under cheap eats, not tasty eats. I've never been a fan of Friday's, but sometimes, cheap food is cheap food.

Here's a coupon for a buy one get one 50% off lunch at Friday's. It's only good during lunch on weekdays from the "Right Portion" menu. If you go, let me know if it was worth it.