Barbara "Cutie" C.'s Profile

Urth Cafe is a very nice place to drop in on. It is the kind of place where you will say the guy next door is your best friend (that means it is very friendly). I usually visit when I am in the middle of errands. It is a nice place for a pick-me-up meal.

My favorite item on the menu is their vegetarian chili. I never would have guessed it, but chili has become very important in my life, probably because it combines two of my favorite toppings: cheese and onions. And if you are feeling wild, you can add pepper. Cut in some bell peppers too, and cucumbers. It's meaty, but it's salad-y, and I love it!

Urth Caffe is wonderful because they specialize in every part of the meal. If you want a smoothie, they will make you a smoothie. If your grandchild wants gourmet coffee, they can do that too. I took a sip of her latte and it was much too strong for me. She tried to warn me, but I still hated it. If that's what she wants, thats what she gets. As for me, I stick to the everyday fresh-squeezed OJ. You can't go wrong.

Urth is also wonderful for their desserts. We shared a flourless chocolate cake and it was very good. It was so rich we couldn't have more than a few bites. We were happy to take it home and our family said "thank you."

But the best part of Urth Cafe is the men in uniform. This is a big cop hangout, and actually all kind of paramilitary hangout. And that is good for me because that means a lot of eye candy. There is something about a well-dressed man with a good haircut that makes your chili taste a little better. And of course, they fawn all over an old lady. I don't think you'll feel sorry if you go.

Try not to go at a peak hour. The word has gotten out and it is very crowded, but if you go and there is some room for you to breathe, you will enjoy yourself and feel energized to get back to your day of thrift shopping, sightseeing and general good cheer. Tell those handsome officers that Cutie sent you!

Guelaguetza is a wonderful authentic Oaxacan restaurant in Korea Town that everyone should visit once in their life. It is a family restaurant where everyone from good babies and not-so-good babies to the best grandparents there are, and all the hungry friends in between, come to enjoy live music, specialty cuisine, and lively atmosphere.

Oaxacan food is different from the traditional Mexican food that I'm used to eating in Los Angeles. You will like it. I would say the biggest difference is the regional influences on standard items. While you might have a regular cheese quesadilla at your corner restaurant, you have to come to Guelaguetza to find a Flor de Cabesa quesadilla, which is especially yummy because it contains squash blossoms. Flowers can be food, and quite tasty food when they are combined with stringy cheese. I can't wait until I have another one.

An appetizer of chips and salsa is enhanced by their homestyle Molé which, if you've never had it, is a sauce usually based in chili pepper mixed with almost twenty other ingredients, which can range from chocolate to garlic. I'm a big fan of putting sweet sauces on my savory dinner. In the Jewish culture, I put applesauce on my potato pancakes. This is just as good.

A nice thing about Oaxacan food is that you can share a few items family-style or order your own entree. This time, my granddaughters and I decided to share a little bit of everything.  I was especially impressed by the guacamole, the sweet tamale, the cold, cactus salad, and their version of a thin-crust pizza which is topped with grilled mushrooms and black beans. Come to think of it, I was impressed with everything. And just because I give a lot of positive reviews does not mean that I don't have high standards.

The beverages are really something to write home about. They are famous for their horchata, which is a rice-based cinnamon drink that they topped with nuts and strawberry. I usually don't like cinnamon, and I was surprised to learn that they snuck it into my drink. But if they got away with it, its worth it. My grandchild ordered a fancy squash drink which reminds me of the Chinese Bobas that you drink with a big straw. Only this is better because it is made with fresh squash instead of processed jelly balls.

Be sure to save room for desert! If you have enough people at the table you can justify ordering their sampler desert platter which includes choco-flan, which I thought they invented at Tropicana Bakery in Downey, but happens to be very good here. It also comes with corn-based jello (which is really more appetizing than it sounds, in fact I loved it), and strawberries with salted cream. I'm a fan of anything with cream, so they had my attention from the beginning.

Next time, I will remember to order more food so I can take some home. The best part about this place is the overall experience of this friendly, lively place. It is not just a meal, it is a night out and that is exactly what we all look for. So get out and bring your best girl, and I know that you will enjoy it.

Nibbler's in the new place in town. It has taken over for the Denny's behind Union Station. I'm rushing to give this review, because I learned that they are switching back to Denny's because the sales aren't as competitive. I learned this news when I stopped in for blintzes this morning and, boy will I be sad to see them go, because Nibbler's offers a wider variety of options than Denny's.

Their blintzes happen to be very good. And they share the menu with other popular Jewish items such as lox, bagels and cream cheese and matzo ball soup. I have not tried the lox or the matzo ball soup. I actually don't even like lox because I don't eat fish, but I'm happy to know it is on the menu. Even if I don't eat these items, I can try to make my family eat them.  

There are a few things you need to know about Nibbler's. It run by the same management and it looks exactly like Denny's, but without the signage. In fact, they spruced things up a bit by decorating the stone walls with different colors and that is the kind of touch I appreciate. They also offer free items if you come at the right time. I won't tell you that I'd take the free Philly cheese steak sandwich, mostly because I don't like that kind of sandwich and because I'd feel embarrassed to take a free meal and leave. But the fact that they offer this service makes me think they are considering the customer.

And after my years of running a shoe store, I've learned a thing or two about customer service. That is really what matters when it comes down to it. Food is food. Sometimes it is a little better. Sometimes it is a little more authentic. But the customer service is the asset that really earns a restaurant a place in my heart.

My family happens to like Nibbler's and we've made it our new spot. We will try to go a few times before they switch back to Denny's and stop serving the flannel cakes and the fresh-squeezed orange juice. The staff is very attentive but they seem sad about switching back to Denny's. I think there is more freedom when you are your own boss and that is nice but you really can't argue with name recognition. When the Denny's sign is back, I'll fondly remember the brief but wonderful spell when we had Nibbler's in our lives.

We celebrated Mothers Day by touring the historic houses in Monrovia. Monrovia is a very pretty part of the world. It was developed at the turn of the 20th century and so you have the old Victorians--or some the homes have been updated to look Colonial Revival (which is also old fashioned, but  probably seemed up-do-date once upon a time). Every Mothers Day you can tour these houses and imagine how people used to live, which is easy because all the men take their souped-up 1920s roadsters out of the garage and drive them up and down the boulevard as if that were perfectly normal.

And when you are ready for lunch, you should go down the road to Dogwoods Market. This is an upscale Middle Eastern specialty market. They have all the wonderful spices, vegetables and fruits, and it smells wonderful. But even better than the groceries is Harry's Deli, at the back of the market. They serve wonderful Middle Eastern foods, and it is very exclusive: only one table!

I liked it right away because it's called Harry's, the name of my sweet husband. If I opened a restaurant, I'd call it Harry's, too.

It is important to let your children order because they know just what will make you happy. And it turns out they didn't even choose, they left it up to the very sweet woman who was working at the counter. She wasn't even supposed to be there because Sunday is her day off, but she saw me and she liked me. I think it was because I told her I was from Egypt that she made us a special Mothers Day lunch.

She brought out tabouli, hummus, babaganoush, Turkish pizza, falafel, stuffed grape leaves, and for me especially one of my childhood favorite dishes, Foul madamas.

Foul is like a lima bean. I guess you can have Foul in the afternoon, but it is usually part of your dinner, although I have heard that some people eat in the mornings for breakfast. Foul is really a can of beans and you can mix them with anything that you like. Our chef mixed them with tomatoes and olives and onions and cilantro, and it was the best foul i have had in a long time! We've got to go back and try it again and again. Now that I've had foul I can't get it out of my mind.

For desert, she brought us homemade ice cream. And it was so good. And the bill was so reasonable. It was real home cooking, served with love, and the perfect treat on my special day.

This is the kind of place that you like to go back to. When you are through with your meal you can do all your shopping. For a more selective taste in your mouth than just a hot dog for lunch, go to this market and deli. It was so special to spend Mother's Day here, and I know the next time I want to see old houses or stop by the Aztec Hotel, I will come here for lunch. Be sure to stop by and tell them that Cutie sent you!

I recently went back to Cafe Metropol and tried some new things. You don't mind if I update my review, do you?

This is in the industrial part of town, near the Santa Fe Train Station (which is now an architecture school). This looks very much like a bar, but it isn't. It is very nice inside. I'm surprised that there weren't more people on a Monday night because the food is very good. (I ought to know because I usually don't like food.) My granddaughter explained to me that most of the people come during the daytime on break from their jobs downtown. So if you're looking for a discrete place to meet someone special, try Cafe Metropol on a weeknight.

And when you come, you should have the special soup. It is a Beef Vegetable Soup, and it is the best homemade soup you have ever had. I was extra nice, so they brought me some extra broth. But if you come here, don't eat anything else because they have very good desserts.

Tonight I had Flourless Chocolate Cake. This is like a sundae. It has ice cream with a lot of goop on it. It is very rich and very good. I was surprised to hear that there is cake in it. It is too good to be real. How does it taste? It tastes like it shouldn't taste like that. And it tastes like a candy bar. I think that it is better than a sundae because I ate in on a Tuesday. You need a whole family to eat it--or you can finish it all on your own, if nobody's looking.

When we asked our server to send our complements to the chef, we discovered that our server made the desert. I think he is so good he should open his own place. I thought we must have gotten his skills from his mother, but when I suggested that, he told me that she is a horrible cook. In fact, we discovered that we both got Boston Market to cater Thanksgiving one year!

But even if his mother can't cook, it's okay if he can make my desert. I told him that if he ever opened his own store I would be his first customer. (It's lines like that that ensure I always get extra broth for my soup.) For now, I'll just have to find him at Cafe Metropol.

Back to the dessert and my final thoughts on dinner: you better get me out of here. I should not be eating this: it is too good.

This was a very different dining experience for me, at the suggestion of my grandchildren, who are adventurous. I have had Indian food before, but never like this.

Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se specializes in the street food of Bombay, very unusual dishes that surprised me coming and going. But I like being surprised, so I enjoyed the experience. We ordered a little bit of this and a little bit of that, to get an overview of what the kitchen can do, and we had help selecting items from the very nice husband and wife, Sailesh and Shruti, whose restaurant this is.

To start with we sampled DahiPuri, which was a delicate fried ball, like a cracked egg, stuffed with lentils and a splash of cold yogurt. I think the point of this dish was about contrasting textures and temperatures. I did find it tasty, but when I tried to describe it, I came up short -- it was so unfamiliar, I didn't know where to start! But it was salty, so I knew I wanted something to drink. I was served a very special beverage called Piyush, which is something like a milkshake, but a thousand times more scrumptious. Apparently it takes three days to make a cup of Piyush, and it contains all the delicacies of India: saffron, pistachio, yogurt and love from the kitchen. I liked it so much, I took one home for later!

Next we had the most unusual tapioca dish. It wasn't pudding, it was lightly fried tapioca burgers, which were finger food with a twist. The texture was very interesting, extremely chewy yet also light, and again there was a tangy yogurt sauce for dipping. Now when I say these were burgers, you must not think there was any meat. At the end of the meal, my grandchildren informed me that everything we had tried was vegetarian. I couldn't believe it--there was so much flavor and texture. If I had known this was what vegetarian food could taste like, my family would have eaten less meat in my house! But we didn't know any better in my day, so we all ate steaks. When somebody said vegetarian, we just thought of beets and string beans and carrots, boiled in water, not very interesting. I don't know if I ate a carrot or a beet or a string bean tonight, because the vegetables were so creatively prepared. The potatoes I did recognize.

The next thing to come to the table was a Samosa, which I found quite familiar. In Jewish we call it a knish. This was a very nice knish, with a light pastry shell and delicious spiced vegetables inside. The dipping sauces were different, more tangy than the savory gravy I would have served. This one was quite filling, and I believe I ate the serving meant for the whole table. Another familiar dish was the Masala Dosa, which in French we call a crepe. Inside were spicy potatoes. I liked how crunchy the crepe was, and the contrast with the soft vegetable stuffing. And after eating quite a bit of it, I discovered there was a special sauce which made it even more unusual. This dish I would like to have next time.

Finally, they brought me a very special dessert that they make just once a month. It was only milk and sugar and cardamon, but stirred for three days until it was a light custard with little feathery bits floating in the cream. This was very special, and I shared it with my grandchildren.

I certainly like this restaurant. I could happily come back every month, if Sailesh and Shruti will remind me what dishes I liked best. I think experimenting with a meal can be exciting, but you have to stick with a few old favorites or eating is too much like work. So next time we will have  Masala Dosa, Samosa, and some new treats.

When I think back on my adventurous meal, although I enjoyed all of it, the Piyush drink stands out as my very favorite thing. Honestly, this might be better than guava juice (my favorite). You must go to Artesia and try it for yourself, and when you do, please pick me up one to go!

On New Years Eve we took a family road trip to Redlands, which is a very charming little town outside of San Bernardino. Along the way we took old Route 66, where we stopped to see a giant orange at the side of the road, and a peculiar hotel with rooms shaped like teepees. I absolutely fell in love with the teepees, and hope to go back soon to spend the night in one. When we got to Redlands, the snow on the mountains ringing the town looked real, but I couldn't believe it. It didn't feel like we were up so high.

There is a very fine restaurant here called Farm Artisan, and they have a very, very wonderful hors d'œuvre of a little bowl of sticky black balsamic vinegar. Yes, vinegar--to swirl your bread in. I have had plenty of different vinegars in my 94 years, but not like this! The waiter told me that they have a secret recipe that involves cooking their special vinegar in a pot with some sugar and a lot of love. I could taste the love.

So what does this special vinegar taste like? Sweet, slightly bitter, fruity, then sweet again. It sticks to your tongue in the nicest way. It just tastes like... like MORE! Honestly, I would come here just for the balsamic vinegar, and I am very happy that I was able to get a little pot "to go" along with some extra bread for my breakfast. The crusty bread here is delicious too, but I think that it would be naked without the balsamic vinegar reduction.

As the dinner progressed, the edge of my vegetarian quiche was dipped into the balsamic. Every selection on my cheese plate was dipped into the balsamic. A little bit of vinegar was drizzled atop my soup bowl, As I discovered through this lovely meal, pretty much everything goes better with vinegar. And my family kindly indulged me as the vinegar bowl gradually crept over to my side of the table and remained there.

This is a family place, warm and cozy but it has a sophisticated look. It is right on the main drag, but we found parking easily. Everyone was very nice to us, and even though it was a holiday, nobody seemed rushed or irritable. I was surprised that it wasn't more crowded for New Years Eve, but we had an early reservation, just after it got dark.

I am learning from my grandchildren about organic produce. Pesticides? I didn't see any, and everything tasted fresh and healthy. Along with all this good organic food and my pills, I will stay alive until I am 105. I do not relish taking all my pills, but if I need them, I eat them--and if I take them it keeps my family quiet.

Back to my New Years Eve dinner. I had some squash, a nice quiche, a leek consomme, and a selection of fancy cheeses. Now consomme is just a fancy name for a soup. It's a good thing to eat hot soup on a cold night. Listen to your grandmother: you must put up your pot so you can have hot soup to keep you from shivering. It's cheaper than turning the thermostat up--but also, you have to wear a sweater, and sometimes a hat if it's really chilly. If you do all this you won't catch cold, and if you don't and then you do, please don't come crying to me.

We finished our meal with some rich, dark chocolate cake for dessert. The chocolate tasted like fudge. It was not too sweet, the way I like it best, and very, very good. And no, silly, I didn't put any vinegar on it (but mostly because my little bowl was empty by then)!

I would highly recommend that people in Los Angeles take a day and go to Redlands, especially if you take Route 66, pay a visit the teepee hotel, and stop at Farm Artisan for a delicious meal of vinegar and...

This unusual new restaurant just appeared one night down the road from my retirement home. The waitress told me they've actually been here for a few months, but I prefer to believe some friendly deity who shares my fondness for eating breakfast food at dinner time waved his hand moments before I drove by and "poof!" -- Waffle Fusion.

Waffles I understand, Fusion not so much (I tried). But it's brightly lit and clean inside, the staff is very attentive (maybe should mention that ours was the only table), and we had a nice dinner. We ordered a bunch of things for the table to share, to get an idea of what Waffle Fusion is all about. Honestly, I'm still in the dark. I think a fusion is a combination of something, but the only fusion at our table came when the waitress encouraged me to mix the ranch dressing with the buffalo sauce, which she assured me was a popular dip. I'm glad I used a separate plastic cup and just a spoonful my precious ranch dressing for this experiment, because it tasted awful! The important thing about fusion is knowing when to stop, apparently.

We ordered a little of everything, breakfast, dessert and dinner. There is no reason to get them in any order. The waitress will bring them to you when they are ready, and you'll manage. We did.

The potato chips are highly seasoned. As for the calamari, I say enjoy. I decided I was going to eat my potato chips with ranch dressing, because at 93 I can pick my dips. But the potato chips don't come with ranch dressing automatically, so my advice to you is to order calamari, which comes with ranch dressing that you can dip your potato chips in. I also loved the sweet potatoes. Although I like the ones at Twohey's, too. Maybe I just really like fried sweet potato fries, and I can live with that. I also had a vegetarian hamburger, which was fine, and shared a stack of fluffy pancakes.

I loved the waffle with the unusually good strawberry sauce. The waffle is very good - soft yet crispy. I like food that has nooks and crannys because the sauce can get in. You don't actually need a waffle to eat the strawberry sauce, but it helps. And a fork works fine too.  

We finished with the four-layer chocolate cake with lots of chocolate frosting. It is bitter chocolate and I'm on a bitter chocolate kick. It didn't need any accessories. The chocolate cake is not a fusion dish. Eat it plain.

I can see coming down here in my convertible with a bunch of young people and each of us gets our favorite snack.  Also, the location is ideal, across the street from my Sears and the Deseret thrift store. I could spend the whole day at this corner, shopping and noshing. If a nail salon opened up, I'd never have to leave.

I don't know about concepts, but I'm a fan of this food. Some of the other reviewers said that they get some of their food from Costco as if that were a bad thing! This place will do well. With all the TVs it is a great place to watch the World Series -- even if you don't know who is playing (I never do). I think it is Dupar's for the 21st century. Wifi and waffles. My grandkids explained that with the Wifi, we could come in for a nosh and do some work on my blog, which is exactly the kind of fusion we've been looking for. See you soon for a waffle!

I haven't had much experience with Japanese food, because the only fish you'll catch me eating is fried shrimp-- and lox, of course. Or a tuna sandwich, at the Hollenbeck Palms Bistro.

But my grandchildren assured me that there's more to Japanese food than sushi, and that I'd like their version of home cooking. So we came out to give it a try, to a cosy little place upstairs in the Little Tokyo mall where I get my cream puff fix. I liked it from the start, but I like everything that is close to the house.

The decor was nice, lots of old fashioned wooden chests and hanging cloth. I would bring someone on a date here, especially if they like Japanese food or if they are more adventurous, like my husband.

Now the truth is that I ate Japanese food for the first time in restaurants in Los Angeles many years ago, but I haven't kept up the habit. I mostly had the shrimp tempura. It was good. It really had to do with all the sauces. That is the secret of good cooking, no matter what part of the world you're cooking in.

Overall, I was very impressed. We ordered a little of this and a little of that, and I tried all the things that didn't look too strange. One thing that did look too strange was a shredded white snowy radish covered with hundreds of tiny dried fishes. Apparently it's one of the girls' favorites, but not only didn't I taste it, I did my best to pretend it wasn't on the table!

But most of what we ordered, I liked. The miso soup was bland, but very good. The lightly fried tofu chunks in salty sauce were wonderful -- well, I don't know whether I liked the soy sauce or the tofu, but together they make a wonderful dish. I felt similarly about the eggplant, which also had a delicious sauce--whichever the best part was, together they make a wonderful dish.

I was surprised to enjoy the cold buckwheat noodles as much as I did, since I think that's the same stuff as is in Harry's pillow. Was it better than his pillow? I don't know--I don't taste his pillow. But these noodles had that same yummy sweet/salty sauce, and they were a treat.

The service was good. No complaints. They are running it well. They cater to families and treat the customers nicely. The food is good. It was interesting. Families come here. You should come and bring your children.

It's not easy to find a classic French cream puff. The American version is often too sweet and needlessly complicated. Here's what goes in a cream puff: unsweetened choux pastry, a rich cream filling, and a dash of powdered sugar. That's it! It was good enough for Catherine de Medici and it should be good enough for you.

My grandchildren introduced me to this Japanese chain with a funny name, and wanted to know if their cream puffs tasted like France to me. Since the closest store is only five minutes from my apartment, in Little Tokyo, I'd say they're better than France. Plus it's the perfect treat for your grandchildren after they play Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade upstairs, and I get hungry just watching.

What a delicious cream puff. What more is there to say? It is just as it should be, with no funny business. Apparently they do offer other novelty flavors to suit American tastes, but the classic, original cream puff is always on the menu, and it's what I'll order.

I liked the shop. This place is understated and clean. I thought  there should be more people
standing in line. As we waited for our order, I noticed the unusual logo, a cartoon of a little old man with a big beard. He doesn't make me think of a cream puff, but I don't need a picture to like a cream puff.  

You will need plenty of napkins. You might say "I only want half" but if you're like me you will power through. If you bring your family, definitely get a box, it is a better deal.

People who want to satisfy their sweet tooth come here. Families with their chilren. Young men and their girls. Boys and girls who have a dollar in their pocket. If you are younger than me, you can have two.