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"I like fine dining and In-N-Out at the same time"
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Review votes:
11 Useful, 1 Funny, and 9 Cool
Los Angeles, CA
Yelping SinceJuly 2009
Things I LoveIn-N-Out, Mexican food, creative sushi rolls, gossip Girl, 90210
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm studying or eating. Or just eating.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI am a new yelper, but a veteran diner!
My Last Meal On EarthIn-N-Out: A 4x4 w/ grilled onions, 2 orders of fries, and a Medium Sprite
Torrance, CA 90503
(310) 542-0022
Rascals Teriyaki Grill
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Torrance
my girlfriend and i went here for dinner on a weekend night, and when we entered, the very small restaurant (~8 tables) was completely packed. a waiter came to greet us after cleaning up a table (he seemed to be one of three people running the whole restaurant that night - the other two were presumably the couple who own this place) and said that we would need to wait around 10 minutes for a table to get free. there was no waiting space really, so he directed us simply to stand at the door, putting us in risk of being slammed in the face by the next entering restaurant patron.
after less than 10 minutes, we were seated and given the menu. i won't duplicate a review my girlfriend already gave, so if you want the details of our food, please see Mary W's review (around 11/28/09).
although there are a few other pho/vietnamese places located around town (one in towson and another one along rte. 40), here's why i liked this place:
1. this was a slightly more convenient location for me in my opinion
2. although the prices here are also higher than surrounding restaurants, i would definitely pay the marginal price difference for some pretty amazing pho/ summer rolls.
3. i had time on my hands, so i was willing to wait for the slightly (very little difference) slower service vs. other pho restaurants (due to the small size of the kitchen).
4. the size of my party was not big (just my gf and me), so getting a table in a timely manner wasn't difficult. larger groups should be careful when dining here.
5. NO MSG. (major (+) points)
this is officially my go-to place for viet food in baltimore.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 376-1066
Coyote Cantina
Categories: Tex-Mex, Mexican, Bars
Neighborhood: Redondo Beach
we arrived there around 630pm on a saturday night, and noticed that it was pretty empty; however after an additional 10 minutes every single table managed to fill up. the place is well decorated with its coyote theme, and had two relatively large HDTVs in the bar/entrance area on opposite sides. we were promptly seated and given chips. the first thing i noticed about the chips was that they seemed old but they were somehow very hot still, which led me to the conclusion that these things have been kept under a heat lamp. -1.
i continued to look on the menu and saw the menu identical to the one online: a mix of "mexican" dishes along with tex-mex and straight up american fare. nothing on the menu seemed particularly appetizing, and the restaurant offered no daily specials either. our order:
2-item plate with chicken enchilada and carnitas enchilada - both were extraordinarily bland. the carnitas was probably the least moist that i've tried in a long time, and the chicken was underwhelming. both were covered more in cheese than in sauce: fortunately their plethora of hot sauces (3 whoop-ass hot sauces (mesquite, chipotle, and hickory) and a cholula, along with salt and pepper) helped mitigate the bland flavor.
3-item plate with chicken taco, some other taco and chile relleno: similar to what was described above. The chile relleno was munificently covered in cheese, while the pepper itself was almost nowhere to be seen.
mexican lasagna: this was the only dish that seemed pretty distinctive/wasn't drenched in cheese (ironically). i didn't try it, but the person who did seemed to enjoy it. a tinge of spiciness.
turkey jalapeno enchilada: "tasted like chicken."
casa noble tequila sampler ($16): smoother than expected.
Overall, if you didn't already notice what "broke" it for me, the blandness of many of the dishes left me irked and wanting to say "pretty bad" when the waitress asked how the food was as she was taking my dish away; i ended up simply adding a "pretty" ahead of my usual "good" response. also, these dishes also came at a higher than average price for what they offered.
the service was also majorly lacking. this place seemed to be understaffed, given the number of restaurant patrons. we asked one waiter for straws. he forget. we asked another for the tequila sampler menu right after we ordered. she forgot, and we asked once more before she got it for us immediately and apologized. the food took a good 30 minutes or so to come out.
so, despite the fact that this is a tex-mex place, and it does indeed offer more than just burritos, enchiladas, and tacos, they have much to work on their execution of these dishes.
my girlfriend and i went here for lunch, and we were seated by the only waitress there (presumably the owner or some relative of the owner). the complimentary chips and salsa were served: the chips are slightly thicker/have a different texture than your typical tortilla chip.
i ordered a tamarindo, carne asada taco, al pastor (spicy pork) taco, and a chicken tostada, and my girlfriend ordered a pineapple fruit drink and a chicken enchilada (served with rice and black beans). the tacos were average, as it only came with the meat, a little cilantro, and a slice of lime. even with the addition of salsa, it was not very impressive. the tostada was slightly better. however, i must say that this has been close to the most authentic mexican food i've tried in the city. the meat itself was pretty flavorful, but the taco could have been made slightly better. as for the enchilada, it was pretty well made. no complaints about that.
total bill for the meal came to around 25-30 before tip. pretty good for baltimore standards, i guess.
i would really like for this place to stay open as well, which is why i'm writing a review for this place today. it is a decent mexican restaurant, located conveniently 1.5 blocks west of n. charles st., right next to the enoch pratt free library. i highly recommend you go if you are seeking authentic mexican food in the city, and don't want to venture too far into east baltimore to find decent mexican food.
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 316-5058
El Burrito Jr
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Redondo Beach
i've been a fan of this place ever since the first time i tried it. i've been to 3 of their locations (torrance, redondo beach, and lomita), and all three locations are equally delicious. when i eat with my family i go to the other two locations, as they offer waiter service, whereas this one is solely takeout only.
everything: burritos, tacos, enchiladas....are all delicious. i can never eat enough of their tortilla chips, and therefore i always request extra (at no extra charge).
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 540-5141
Phanny's Burger
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Redondo Beach
my best guess is that what made this place popular was the quantity of food you got with just a few bucks, but as my friend also noticed, they jacked up the prices a bit. a breakfast burrito now runs quite a bit over 5 dollars (if i remember correctly, that is) and even though they're good, they're not so much a bang for the buck. if i'm ever craving a breakfast burrito, i will come back here again, but if i simply want a cheap filling breakfast, i will look elsewhere.
i made the drive down from baltimore with my girlfriend. we ordered many dishes, including duck, drunken noodles, tilapia, papaya salad, and more, and all of them tasted amazingly fresh and delicious. there is no doubt that i will make every effort to drop by here again before i ever leave the east coast, and order more and different dishes from their large menu.
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There are many qualities of this place that stand out from others. First and foremost, the cafe does not have a menu. Instead, the patron gives full control of their taste buds to the chef, who cooks up dishes of all regions, to her liking. But don't be deterred: the food has as much flavor as it does in diversity. Because an impending snowstorm caused everyone to hunker down in their apartments for the night (including myself), I had the opportunity to try one of her dishes today - the Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine with Herbed Couscous. For the flat fee of $5 (with her premium dishes at times at at a higher price), you will not find food made with such fresh ingredients elsewhere nearby, nor will you get so much of it as well. The meatballs were wonderfully spiced and sprinkled with golden raisins to give a perfect balance, while the moist coucous complemented the meatballs in a way that other forms of carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, or noodles could not match. My bowl of couscous with meatballs came with a slice of banana bread on the side to clear my palette. After taking a small break after the main dish, I enjoyed this dessert with a cup of milk.
Due to the cook's busy schedule, the cook has established her own blog [whyisfoodsogood (dot) blogspot (dot) com], in which she publishes days in which she is open for service. By the time she publishes this, she is ready to serve eager patrons immediately. All I had to do was call in, let her know that I was interested in a meal, and she had it ready for me within minutes. Encouraging a greener environment by enforcing her "BYOB", or Bring Your Own Bowl, policy, the chef will guarantee that you leave with your bowl filled, and that you finish it feeling satisfied and happy.