Danilo G.'s Profile

There's a reason that the Greeks fought so hard at Thermopylae.  Some ancestor of the family that has owned Yianni's for nearly 50 years had a lamb on a spit ready to serve.

This restaurant has been serving the same classic, home-style Greek specialties with Pythagorean consistency.  We had Gyros, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Fried Kasseri Cheese and Hummus with pita.  Zeus weeps because he can't eat here.

The Gyros were thick, meaty, and unadorned.  There's nothing to hide here.  Given a choice between Athenian-inspired democracy and these Gyros, representative government is definitely the lesser.  

Greg runs the place after his dad passed in 1989.  The menu hasn't changed here in years because there's just no reason to mess with what works.  TOTALLY recommend Sunday breakfast here with sausage and eggs (alfresco).  Forget the new Corporate, PotteryBarnCheesecakeFactoStarbuck-ified east side of Claremont.  This place is Homeric.

Don't come here if you have your Sushi Training Wheels on.  

If you have actually purchased and read a few books about sushi, been to a bunch of places and really know what good sushi is--

-- watch your chin because the bar just got raised.

Of course this guy has a reputation, and it's probably not deserved in most ways.  There's a big no cell phones sign on the front door.  TRUST ME is everywhere in the interior.  You're told that if you sit at the bar it's Omakase only.

Omakase means chef's choice.  He or his staff prepares something very generic to start to see what you do to find out just how much you know.  For the most part one dish will tell any "Itamae" what they're dealing with.  He works silently, efficiently and the dude really knows what he's doing.

He served up a Maguro sashimi.

It was all I could do to not just stuff the whole thing in my mouth after the first bite.  I thought of ways to try to get my wife kicked out so I could have her portions.  THIS IS JUST MAGURO!  COME ON!  It's just supposed to be a starter, a nice plain blue fin tuna.  I couldn't believe how good this fairly pedestrian sashimi could be.

Then came the Hamachi.  Damn.  Wife is still here keeping up with me!    Then Abe (Albacore) which usually is just a "something different", whatever fish between other goodies.  This Albacore was absolutely world class fish. I have never had anything that could follow good Yellow Tail belly, but it was just amazing.  And it just kept coming.

The food kept coming, wave after wave.  I now know what the female orgasm must be like from the inside-out.  I knew it had to end; I also knew that I would never be ready for it to happen.  With a nice bottle of cold sake, the meal turned out at $55 per person with tip.

I'm going to mortgage my house and eat myself to death there.  I CHALLENGE THEM TO SATE MY DESIRE FOR THEIR FISH!

Yeah.  It's that good.  Read up.  Learn a few things so you'll really enjoy what's going on, and dive in with eyes open.  A few pointers for advanced class:

* Don't rub your chopsticks together.
* Don't mix Wasabe into your soy sauce.
* Wasabe goes on between the fish and the rice on Nigiri sushi.
* Eat your nigiri sushi in one bite. Use your hands.
* Use your sticks with sashimi
* Yes, the rice is slightly warm... It's supposed to be, FOOL! You get cold from lesser establishments that make tons of it up and put it in the fridge.  If it's fresh, it's going to be "slightly" warm.
* Don't lay your chopsticks down on anything but a plate or rests, and for God's sake don't cross them.
* Good nigiri sushi has two components -- rice and fish -- and rice should NEVER be dipped in soy sauce.  Dip sushi "upside down" and only get the meat.
* On dishes with sauce served on them, don't use soy sauce.
* Get a few books and really dive in.  I really started enjoying sushi even more once I really had some background.  For a "Readers' Digest" version, you can visit this site --http://www.sushifaq.co...

Don't expect much in the way of decor or style.  It's about the fish, and it's really that amazing.

It's not THAT expensive, but, like really good sushi, it gets that way because it's so damned hard to stop.  i fear for my bank account the next time I go in!

Back in Georgia where there is real Georgia Barbecue!  Daddy Dz claims to have the best BBQ in Atlanta with the reviews to back it up.  I personally haven't eaten at all the Barbecue places, but I've had some Awesome Barbecue at some very popular local institutions:
 
            Fat Matt's
            Harold's
            Low Country
            Dreamland

Like I said, I haven't been everywhere, but the above list is representative of some of the best places, Fat Matt's being my personal favorite -- until now.

Dammit if that chopped shoulder plate at Daddy Dz isn't the most awe inspiring piece of pork I've ever had!  They really get it right, and they have a wonderful sauce (two kinds, hot or mild) to soak into it.  I had the mild sauce with my lunch, and it was a high-quality, spicy-sweet Georgia-style recipe.  My dining companion had the spicy, and it tends to go a little South Carolina Low Country on me, and frankly that's just fine, too.

In the South, I have come to believe that there is one standing motto surrounding Southern Cooking.

"If it's good, it's definitely going to be better Deep Fried".

Daddy Dz has concocted a way to Deep Fry Barbecue and make me speechless.  Called "Cue Wraps" -- they are chopped shoulder nuggets wrapped in Chinese Crab Puff Skins and served with the two kinds of sauce.  I could eat these all day if they had a side of Crash Cart to stave off the heart attack.  Awesome!

If you're expecting a place that is clean and beautiful like MacDonald's, just keep driving, and frankly (PUHLEEZE).  This place has evolved over time into what it is, and it is so authentic, so utterly perfect; dingy in the right places, clean in the right places, goofy in the right places, that it couldn't be recreated.

This is actually my second trip to Dz.  The first time was on MLK day, and they had closed early because they ran out of meat.  Any place that just shuts when they have nothing left to sell gets serious cred with me. These guys take it seriously and for a good reason.  They are definitely the best I've had in Atlanta, and possibly anywhere else.  If you haven't been here, you've missed the best Atlanta Barbecue.

Barbecue, by almost all reports, originated in the North Carolina Tobacco Drying houses, as Slaves and Farmers would cook a pig over the drying fires.

Other forms of Barbecue's origins are also extant, mostly involving Indian/Mexican cooking of whole beef in a pit.

Whether they are both true or not, they probably shouldn't get mixed up because the results can be terrifying.  Grandpa Fred's says they are a "Georgia" barbecue.  Well, Fred, I eat A LOT of Georgia barbecue, and you are about as Georgia as Vladivostok.

First of all, there's NO PORK.  Fred's doesn't cook pork, so if you're going there thinking that some pork ribs, pulled pork or maybe even some Memphis Spaghetti are in your future, well, your future is bleak.  

If I were to go into any Rib Shack in Georgia and order beef ribs, they'd look at me with blank stares.  They wouldn't think I was an idiot, they just wouldn't know what to think.

OK.  I gave the place three stars for some really good sliced Rib-eye steak (Barbecue?) great corn bread and good sides, although the Cole slaw was a funny gray-tan color, but good.

Service is OK, everything is cooked to order.. just don't order anything special, because you're going to get it the way it is on the menu no matter how hard you beg.  I ordered the sliced rib-eye with the sauce on the side, and WATCHED the guy write it out longhand on the slip.  I also ordered a beef link mild. One of the sides I ordered, a house salad, was ordered without dressing as my wife like her own vinigrette.  This too, was written out on the order. When I got the order and drove the 7 miles back home, to my surprise the link was most definitely a hot link, and the Sliced Beef was slathered in sauce.  Salad had dressing.  

My wife wanted the sliced ribeye without the sauce, and waited more than an hour at home while daughter and I rounded up the food.  I almost ended up on the couch for that.

I had ribs that were more sauce than meat.  They were slightly overcooked, definitely a little thin on the meat side, and completely black from cooking.  I think it's always a good idea to par-boil beef ribs, and they obviously don't do this here.

I'm giving Fred Three Stars (really 2 1/2) for cleanliness, really friendly wait-staff, good sliced steak and decent sides, but I won't be coming back, as this place is a decent cook-house, but as barbecue goes, it's just...

meh....

Oil changes for you car have become a tension-filled experience.  When did this happen?  I used to just go to an oil-change business, pay the money and just get the damned oil changed.

At some point, these oil-change businesses decided to try to up-sell me on every little item that they could possibly find -- fuel injection treatments, radiator flushes, transmission flushes, etc.  I don't remember over the last 10 years going into one of these places without a very serious-looking guy coming to me with a card, little oil spots on it, warning me that if I didn't change all these fluids and flush out all my systems, disaster would result.

The disaster was usually all the added costs to my bill -- going in, expecting to pay thirty dollars or so, and then coughing up a hunsky when I was finished.  I've owned and restored many complex and expensive cars, and I know what needs to be serviced and when, and I hate having to say no, no, no, no to some kid that I guarantee knows less than I do, and is just mouthing some company line to me to put more money in it's pocket.

I decided to give the corner gas station a try, and after driving around a bit, I finally found a station that had a shop that hadn't been eaten up by a Food Mart.  I pulled in and asked if they could change my oil.

I was pleasantly surprised.  The guy said, "Sure! Give me half an hour.  It's 35 bucks."  I gave him the keys.

What a nice, polite and chatty bunch of guys. We talked while he changed my oil.  He looked under the car to make sure that nothing was loose or out of place, checked my fluids and it was done in about 20 minutes.  No up sells, no BS, just nice guys, good service.  Even the young attendant said thanks when I paid.  I felt like they really enjoyed what they did, appreciated the business and wanted to see me again.

I'm definitely coming back, and if I have any other service that the car needs, I'll definitely give them a shot.  If you're looking for a a couple of guys that care what they're doing, want your business and act like it, work like a couple of old school pros and give you the feeling that you didn't pay a fortune for something you didn't need -- this is the place.

Sometimes you just need a decent plate of non-chain-restaurant-incinerated-to-close-enough Barbecue, no matter where you are.  Living in California, I've come to realize that geography means a lot.  There is not one good chance of getting good Mexican Food in Bar Harbor Maine, just like I've come to the conclusion that really great Barbecue will involve a few days of driving from LA.

Even though just about everyone here is from somewhere else, the people that make good Barbecue are still doing it where they always have.  So, I've changed my success metrics for Good Barbecue in LA:

Close to home, "pretty damned good", friendly and authentic-like.

Flames, near the corner of Corbin and Nordoff, fits that bill quite nicely, at least 4 stars worth.  They have a complete menu with all the goodies -- chicken, beef, pork -- in all the typical combinations -- slabs, tips,sandwiches, wings -- in nice portions and with side dishes that are highly acceptable in a Barbecue Restaurant.

I had a full slab of ribs (pork, what did you think?) with Cole slaw and shoestring fries.  They got the ribs incinerated to perfection.  Many BBQ neophytes believe that ribs should "fall off the bone".  Veterans will tell you that this means "overcooked".  They should have a certain "bite" at the bone that signals that everything is cooked.

You get the "bite" at Flames.  It is cooked just like it's supposed to be. The sides are fine too, but that's like the "Best Adaptation of a Book to a Screenplay" Academy Award.  Nobody cares as long as Paris Hilton doesn't win.

If you're expecting a stack of white bread with your ribs, you just aren't far enough south or east -- meh.

I look forward to trying some of their other goodies.  The staff is more than friendly, the place is very clean, and it definitely has the right smells. If you are a vegetarian and some unearthly vortex has sucked you into the place (Barbecue is MEAT, dude!) They have a veg plate consisting of three sides -- see the website.

I heartily recommend the place -- I sucked off a star for somewhat high prices ( a full slab is 22 bux!) and somewhat Texas-like smokey barbecue sauce where my tastes are definitely more Atlanta/Low Country in nature.  To each his own.

It's close, it's decent, and it's Barbecue.  'Nuff said.  4 stars.

If you just want booze, there are a lot of liquor stores in Los Angeles.  If there is a particular type of spirit (bourbon for me!) that you have a particular passion about, there are very, very few really good liquor stores in Los Angeles that have great selections and an atmosphere where you feel like you can ask questions and get quality, educated responses.

I went to the Bottle Shop just less than a year ago to get a few Kegs of beer for a small corporate gathering, and was amazed at the quality of great beers they had available to be tapped, and made a mental note to go back in the future and look around the place.

A buddy of mine and I did just that yesterday.  We spent some time in the place; I needed to replace the bottle of Elmer Lee that had taken me a couple of months to drain, and he needed to get a good bottle of scotch for an associate.

Their selection of great spirits is comprehensive, nay, VAST!  I counted at least 20 great bourbons available, and when asked, they mentioned more that they get limited quantities of from time to time (like Sazerac 17, Old Pogue, etc.).  My partner was happy with the Scotch selection -- I pretty much gave it up after trying to "get into" the earthier Islay Scotches, which to me taste like a combination of Root Beer, NyQuil and Jaegermeister.

They have complete selections of everything from Irish Whiskies to Rums and Vodkas.  Their wine selection looks fabulous, including some very nice champagnes, and as stated before, their beers are really top notch.

Combine all this with an enthusiastic, family-run operation in the sleepy community of Sierra Madre, and you have a top-shelf store.  The owners take great pride in knowing as much as possible about their selections, and make great recommendations with respect to a customer's particular tastes.

If you like bourbon, you'll find Pappy Van Winkle's, Jefferson Reserve, Eagle Rare and many other small-batch, hard-to-find and aged (up to 18 years) bourbons, on top of the usual premium stuff like Rare Breed, Beam Black, Booker's, Woodford Reserve, etc.

I settled on the Jefferson Reserve at about $50 bucks.  Look forward to a return trip in a couple of months.  Highly recommended, although they didn't have my Elmer Lee's, which is a really nice "go-to", but with the selection they had, I didn't miss it more than, say, 30 seconds.

Some Details:

Hours of Operation: 9:00 a.m. till 11 p.m.

7 days a week for your convenience
Family owned and operated since 1963

PARKING AVAILABLE BEHIND THE STORE

Jim Neely's Interstate Barbecue is really about as good as it gets, the only thing I didn't like about it was the whole "WE'RE FAMOUS" thing.  There is stuff everywhere telling you that you are in a FAMOUS PLACE that is FAMOUS FOR BARBECUE!!!  I almost deleted one star off this review because the message is so freeking ubiquitous.

OK I get it.  But is it good Barbecue?  You bet.  And it has a few local spins on the flavor that make it exceptional, but if you've read my other reviews, not at the very tip top.  Damn close though.

Menu selection is great, but we're all here for the Pork!  Interstate is famous for the Chopped Pork Shoulder sandwich, and well, your first trip to a restaurant should basically be directed towards the "go to" item on their menu.

Wife and I had the chopped shoulder sandwich.  It came out fast and was served by one of the most quietly cheerful waitresses I have ever met.  Nice lady that is part of the Neely family.  They make up quite a bit of the actual staff.  Some of the other Neely clan have gone on to open up shops all over the country, including two in Los Angeles.  I can't wait to try them here...

The sandwich was fabulous.  I haven't had chopped shoulder before -- most places I've been go for the "pulled" version, but Memphis seems to go for "chopped".  I want to try it a few more times before convertingo over for good. It was like going to someone else's church for services, and thinking that maybe THEY are the ones with the hotline upstairs.  Need to try that chopped shoulder some more!

Daughter isn't really a big BBQ fan, but she'll eat spaghetti with nearly anything on it. Memphis seems to have a tradition of serving spaghetti with barbecued pork and sauce.  I tried it and would think about ordering it at some point in the future  Nice twang, just enough meat and the pasta wasn't all mushy and nasty.  For a restaurant that is about as far form Italy as Edmund Hillary could hike, they actually get the pasta right and put their own spin on it!

Neely's Interstate gets a wobbly "5" only because they know they are that good and tell just about anyone within earshot.  Thank God they can't afford a Blimp or we'd see  a FLYING PIG OVER MEMPHIS telling us how great Interstate is.

It really IS that good, just not modest.  Not far off I-20 and close to Graceland (about 10 mintues, and even LESS modest).  Totally worth the detour!  Nice T-shirts too; they store them under the counter and days later they still smell like smoky pork goodness!

Well, Gurovich Roadfest '07 is over.  We logged more than 6000 miles in 17 days, traveling out of Northridge via Needles, Albuquerque, Ft. Smith, Atlanta, Tampa, Gulfport, Monroe, Midland and Scottsdale.

Sheila was always gracious as she let me try out a few Barbecue places along the way, and I found a real stand-out with Anjacs in Gulfport, MS!

Located not too far from the still wiped out shoreline, Anjacs is nestled in an unassuming yellow, multi unit structure near the Gulfport Post office and Courthouse.  While it seems to cater to take-out and parties, there is a very nice and clean eating area with a lot of magazines, newspapers and a television to bide the time.  This place is nice and homey, unassuming, and everyone in the place is so friendly that I'm sure we're all related!

Drop by for the atmosphere, but we're here for the meat.  Anjacs has a variety on the menu from Beef Brisket, to Hot Links to Ribs and Pulled pork.  My Wife ordered the ribs and I had a combination that included the aformentioned pulled pork, brisket and hot links.

FANTASTIC.  It's hard to mess up barbecue, but when you get it right, it is REALLY right.  Anjacs gets the meat right, and it has probably the best barbecue sauce I've ever had.  So good I bought a bunch of it, which they sell on site in mason jars, and brought it to my buddies back here.

A strong endorsement comes from my daughter, with whom I have tried in vain for years to eat something out of the range of corn dogs and macaroni and cheese.  Seeing her face besotted with sauce as she devoured half a rack of ribs is 'nuff said.

Also recommended is the bread pudding and red velvet cake (a southern specialty).  Both are awesome.  Anjacs is only a few minutes south of I-10 in Gulfport -- it's worth the detour!

What's to say?  I'm a Road Tripper!  I've dragged my family all over the US in our Volvo Wagon.  Every year I make the trip out to EarthLink Headquarters to work for a few days while my wife visits her parents in Tampa, and then I join for a truncated in-law stay so nobody has their welcome worn out.

To this end, we usually travel down I-40, as I believe this to be a far superior drive than the trip down I-10.  Problem is, once you leave L.A., there's no real big towns until you hit Albuquerque, which is nearly 700 miles away.  Gotta have some coffee, and frankly, without a few Doppios in me, I get grouchier than my daughter when she has to get up early on Sunday morning.

Flagstaff is a big pain in the patootie to navigate through when you're just trying to get through the place.  If you get off the interstate to get some java and then try to get back on, you're guaranteed to lose an hour, and it's just not that cool anyway.  So, what's a grouchy, caffeine-addicted dad to do?

The Seattle Grind Coffee house in Winslow, AZ.  Located about 60 miles East of Flagstaff, is an old Santa Fe Train Stop -- immortalized by The Eagles in their song "Take it Easy"; there's a corner with a Flat Bed Ford parked on it for you to have your picture taken with a statue of Glen Frey.  

Ahhhh..... coffee is a stupendous, and the local flavor and hospitality shines right through with a little conversation and easy access to back to the interstate.  The people running the place make the best Cappucino I've had, except for the Airport in Florence Italy (really -- don't know what the heck they do there, but it's THAT good!).

I've stayed in Winslow a couple of times and it's a blast, but I would definitely be lost without this Oasis in the desert.  Believe me when I tell you that there are NO ROADSIDE Coffee Houses between Barstow and Albuquerque, and I'm really not that sure about Barstow!  

The Seattle Grind would be welcome in any town, but being in one of the coolest high-desert road-trip towns in the country just makes it damned special.  Will be there on the last day of March as Gurovich Roadfest '07 begins its first leg!