Adam "Who 'Dem Saints?" B.'s Profile

Yes, another example of living in suburbia. Yet another dollar store opens in the area. I've got to say it's kind of gutsy for EZE to open almost diagonally across the street from 97¢ Store. Now that's one of my favorite discount stores anywhere. So many unique products and ridiculous prices albeit not always at 97¢. Why would anyone dare compete with them? Well, someone has and I had to check it out while making an Albertson's run.

Place is small. About half the size of 97¢. It's very, very clean. I don't think I've ever been in a discount store that was so clean. Lots of generic green and yellow banners and signs promoting the low prices. As for selection, it's pretty weak. The stuff you see at every dollar store. Only this one has no food. At least I couldn't find any. That was a real disappointment. I overheard a conversation that the store will be expanding it's selection and I certainly hope so. For now, it's kind of in a hidden spot in the Albertson's center and it really needs to get some interesting items like they do across the street to make me shop here on a regular basis.

OK, this isn't my style but this is a really cute-sy place and a hidden gem up in Valencia. Lots of antique and vintage style goodies. Even some coffee and food products and cookbooks! Lots of good service (don't know what Jennifer R. is talking about....must've come on a bad day) and the prices....well....they're not great but there are a lot of clearance goodies you can obtain. Situated almost directly between Target and Sprouts and worth a peek if you're walking between the two.

Any place that takes over a Taco Bell immediately gets a couple of stars just for ridding the world of a plastic-coated cheesy mess that the Bell offers. The only Bell left here at this BBQ joint is the one near the bathrooms that you're supposed to ring if you like the food.

OK, that may be more cheesy than Taco Bell cuisine.

I first heard about Longhorn's a couple of years ago when they were in their initial location in Castaic and reading all the good writeups on it from fellow SCV Yelpers. My problem? When do I ever get to Castaic? Almost never! So I missed out on the first chance to try their take on Texas 'Cue. Now that they're in Canyon Country, I figured I better get to it fast before yet another SCV BBQ joint closes up. Like the one right across from Longhorn's that's now a Thai joint. Seems except for Rattler's, almost every other BBQ place that tries to open up here, fails. Will this follow?

Like pretty much every 'cue joint I've seen up here, they do their take on TX BBQ. Uh, there are three other main types, you know. Is anyone ever going to try Memphis, Kansas City or Carolina style? And no, Chili's. You don't count.

The place is very old-school Texas. There are Texas license plates everywhere. Even on the ceiling in the bathroom. Old West motif's abound even with loose-leaf books with Texas trivia on it to kill time while you wait for your order. Isn't that when I should just hit the Yelp app and read more reviews on this place?

The place is fast-casual as you might expect in a former Taco Bell. So you place your order at the front and whether you're take out or eating in, you wait for your name to be called and come pick up your food. In my case, I ordered the three meat platter of Pulled Pork, Chicken and of course, Brisket. They have Ribs, but they are not an option on the 1, 2 or 3 meat platter.

The presentation is very weak. I know, you don't expect high-end plating as you would a four-star restaurant in Beverly Hills, but they don't even seem to try. Everything is in paper baskets. Which amazes me that they don't offer fries because it's perfect for that. The meats are all in one big basket and as a result, the pulled pork and chicken were very difficult to determine which one was which. Kind of mystery meat in that case. That's the other thing, the menu mentions they have chicken but they fail to mention it's pulled chicken. Not a 1/4 or 1/2 bird off the spit. I was unaware of that or maybe I would've stuck to two meats or had the hot links.

The meats were good but I didn't taste too much smoke out of them. Of the three, clearly the brisket was the winner. As it should be. All meats were served dry and then you can pour on one of three BBQ sauces (or one hot sauce) you pour from crock pots....yes, crock pots....to your meats. The sauces (Sweet, Bold and Spicy, Honey Mustard) were all good. In fact, it's too bad I didn't sneak out some Honey Mustard because it would make an excellent dip for pretzels.

The sides looked atrocious. The BBQ Beans (they also have Cowboy Beans) looked and tasted like they came straight from a can of Bush's. Now I like Bush's, but I wouldn't expect that here. The Bacon Mac N Cheese looked like the higher end Kraft Dinner with a bunch of bacon crumbled on top with no rhyme or reason for decor. It just looked like a mess. Tasted OK, but again I could make the exact same thing at home. And that's not what I want from a restaurant. Roll was good. Nice yeasty quality you get from a roll down south.

Sodas do not come with free refills. Tea and Lemonade seem to. I just stuck with H20.

I'd like to think Longhorn's can make it and they did have a decent crowd for a Tuesday evening. The price points are good but there's some tweaking that needs to be done to make this place great. Right now, it's three star with potential.

I'm not exactly ready to ring that bell just yet.

Came here for Happy Hour prior to a Kings game. Glad to see they have Happy Hour even on Saturdays which most establishments don't offer. Stinks though that they end it at 6 when most of the other restaurants in the chain end it at 7. Probably because of the pre-dinner crowd prior to Staples Center events I would imagine.

Still, this is one of the better Happy Hours you could go to. Menu features six different items for six bucks apiece and I tried both the Ahi Tuna and the Prime Burger. Ahi was seared really well. Came with a nice slaw and a very wicked wasabi sauce. I used the Potato Chips at the bar to dip them into. Their chips were probably the weakest part of the experience. Seemingly Kettle Fried, they were way to greasy and soggy to really enjoy. The Prime Burger is served with two strips of bacon on top. Cooked perfectly medium well while still retaining the juiciness of the meat. Not dried out at all. Pretzel bun was nice and the two Onion Rings that came with the burger were gigantic, well breaded and great texture without falling apart on me. If I didn't order the Ahi, I could have easily ordered a full plate of these. Considering this is the high-end version of corporate parent Outback, you'd think the guys known for the Bloomin' Onion would succeed here and they did. Also of note, the lettuce for the burger was a big wedge. Almost big enough to be a salad in of itself and that's how I ate it with some more wasabi acting as the 'dressing'.

The only beer as part of the Happy Hour was a Widmer Hefeweizen for three bucks. Now by itself, that's a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, there's no taps (at least I didn't see any) and so this was poured from the bottle. And bottled Hef never tastes as good as it coming from the tap.

Would definitely return for Happy Hour. Especially to try their attempt at Cajun Barbecue Shrimp. But also, I'd come back for a regular dinner just to get an idea of what the steaks are like. LA Live and the surrounding area have lots of great Happy Hour destinations. This is one of the better ones.

Before I really get into this review, I want to make it known immediately that I have zero connections to any other cupcake shop in the area. I have a client which is a restaurant that does cupcakes, but that's about it. I don't know anyone at Cupcake Tree, Bake You Happy, Velvet or anywhere else in the Santa Clarita Valley. I have a reason for explaining this prior to my review and it will make sense shortly.

I learned about this place via receiving a Spreebird deal for this new cupcake place in the SCV. Sweet tooth that I have, I knew I wanted to check it out and compare it the other shops in the area. Place has a cute-sy 50s diner theme and a lot of cupcakes on the menu on the wall but only it seems a few actual choices at one time. They also have Empanadas and potato balls. Huh? Why do that at a cupcake place? To be unique? Maybe. However, i'd just stick with what should be your specialty. Not this. Less is more.

I tried 3 of the cupcakes. A Margarita, which they said was loaded with booze and is their 'Over 21' cake. Well, it was good but I don't know where the tequila was. It just tasted like a citrus-y cupcake. The Red Velvet was decent with a rose petal on top and the Chocolate Peanut Butter was chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting and a Reese's or similar peanut butter cup on top.

The cakes were all OK. Basic cakes with no cream filling which considering they were all 3 bucks and up, I was kind of surprised they didn't fill them. The frosting were all light. Too light. The flavor was good but essentially these seemed like whipped creme instead of buttercreme or ganache, which I would normally expect.

Had a couple of meringue cookies and the chocolate filling inside of these was more what I would have liked to have seen with the frosting. This was thick and chewy. I liked this a lot more. This should really be the base for the frosting.

So far, we're looking at an OK, but not great cakery. Three stars maybe even three and a half .

But here's where it all falls apart.

You see, my girlfriend ordered one cupcake. The Holly-Go-Lightly which is a fruity cupcake and not my style at all. It's supposedly a pink champagne cupcake loaded 'filled' with fresh strawberries and that's not really what we got here. The champagne, which the owners claim is some 65 dollar bubbly, reeked more of 3 buck Andre or worse, PBR. Yep. Cheap canned beer. Didn't taste like champagne at all. The 'strawberries' were actually what amounted to what might be called a 'Strawberry McNugget'. Small, lumpy and it didn't look fresh at all. According to various recipe websites, you should really use a champagne extract rather than actual champagne to make a cake like this. Right idea....wrong execution? Sure seems that way.

This review should end right there, but it doesn't. Unbeknownst to me or my girlfriend, we've ended up in a Facebook/Yelp 'war' with the owners who are defending their recipe and have even received posts on FB that this post must have come from a competing bakery. That's why I wrote that disclaimer at the top of this review. We're not competitors. We're just honest Yelpers offering constructive criticisms of an establishment. As I've personally done over 900 times since joining this site back in 2006. This is starting to reek of the Cowboy Cantina debacle all over again where the owners tried to defend their BBQ place over a bunch of bad Yelp reviews instead of improve upon their restaurant. Most of you know how that ended up. It's a Japanese Sushi Buffet now.

I suggest if they haven't done so already, that the owners try to watch the Burger Kitchen two part episode of 'Kitchen Nightmares' where the owners are confronted by a group of Elite Yelpers (led by the SCV's own Katie B.!) who explained they were offering honest and fair criticism of their restaurant and it should be taken as such. Not everyone is going to like your place. Not everyone likes Spago. Not everyone likes Mozza and not everyone like Sprinkles or Crumbs. I don't even like Sprinkles, so you're in good company. Don't go crazy over it. Don't go posting reviews from your staff trying to defend you. It's just a review. Not the end of the universe. Then again, it is 2012.....

So would I return? After this? Probably not. Cupcake Tree is much better and closer to me. Bake You Happy does those great cupcakes in Mason Jars and that 'Happy Hour' at the end of each day of operation. This is just average, at best and that's based on my cupcakes. Not my girlfriends. Forget about creating social media wars. Lose the Empanadas and get some Potato Balls and you just might improve and surprise.

Is there a decent Arts/Crafts store in the Santa Clarita Valley? We got no Pearl, no Blick and instead we have chains that don't seem to have updated their inventory since the 1970's.

I came in here with my girlfriend only to find the first thing I saw was a slew of 'As Seen On TV' items like the Turbo Twist and the Perfect Meatloaf Pan. Uh. what kind of craft work can I do with that? Maybe sculpt a really cute Meatloaf? Not the plan. I'm amazed there was no Forever Snuggie stuff here. At least with that you could make a decent design with. Maybe with a Bedazzler!

I didn't come here for Infomercial crap and I didn't come here for candy bars. Target is the next place down for that. I came here for crafts and all I saw of that was mostly 70s schlock. My quest continues.....

Kind of a hit or miss place that's part of the newish 1600 Vine complex a couple of doors down from Trader Joe's. Very flashy and unfortunately, very, very noisy. You need to go to the outside patio to try to get a conversation going. Bar is nice but the drinks aren't overpowering. If you're into beer like myself, you should go to Dillon's or the new WolfHaus Biergarten a few yards away. No taps (although they used to have them) and most of the bottles are lame choices like Blue Moon or Miller Lite. They do have Fat Tire and Black Star but again, so many better places to grab a great beer. Even Tender Greens on Sunset and Vine has great local microbrew choices. And on tap!

As for the food, the sliders are really good. Thick patties, well cooked. Good quality bacon on top. Bun a little bit on the hard side for the crust. Veggie Pizza is weak. Not enough topping and crust tasted remarkably stale. Like it was flatbread or something bought a week ago over at the TJ's in the same complex. I got to see the other pizzas and well, this really isn't a pizza place. So I'd skip it. Stick to the beef.

Nice place with excellent decor but lousy acoustics. Just not a place to have a decent conversation unless you head outside into smokers-land. So many great places to go to in Hollywood and this is only mediocre, at best. A few improvements and it could be great.

Ever since I first moved to LA, I would pass Bagel Nosh while driving down WIlshire, look at the logo and wonder if this was in fact, the same Bagel Nosh from South Jersey i knew way, way back. I'm still not sure but finally had to try it out.

I come in to the bagel counter to buy a baker's dozen, and this hispanic guys immediately wants to know what I want to order. Actually, that's all I saw was a bunch of hispanic guys working. And nothing says Jew-y Bagel joint than a bunch of slo-motion hispanics working the place.

OY!

Sort of reminds when I visited El Paso, TX once and I felt like the only Jew for miles. Only there weren't any bagels around unless I guess you punch a hole in a tortilla.

As for the bagels themselves, they're very big and fat. Bit chewy but definitely not like the kind I'd get back east. Just didn't have that impact to me I expect from a good water bagel. They're OK but nothing to make me run back and spend nine bucks on another dozen. I also didn't like the fact they didn't separate the garlic from the other bagels so you don't mix flavors. Not to mention no freshness plastic bags and if you wanted the bagels in a box like Krispy Kreme or other donut shops, it was an extra 50 cents.

Interesting bar that is very different from most coffee bars I've been to. First, it's a little tricky to locate. No real signage or if there is signage, it's hard to see. Must be one of those 'too cool' to tell you our name kind of places.

If you're coming for food, forget it. It's mostly cheeses and some breakfast stuff like granola. Even pastry selection is very limited. This is a wine bar, no doubt so if you want food, walk across the street to Lemonade or somewhere else on AK.

Staff seems to be interested in flirting than taking and making orders. Part of the reason might be the fault of their iPad based POS Lavu system. Had to run my card twice through it before it would take. But still I saw one person waiting five minutes for the next person to complete her order. Weird.

Place does have some interesting coffee and tea selections. Items you won't find at most coffee bars. As for the taste, I tried the latte and the foam was very thick. Maybe too thick. Coffee was good but not as strong as I'd appreciate.

Overall, a very classy place with a lot of room but not the best coffee bar along Abbot Kinney.

This is kind of a local TGIFriday's or similar. 50s style Classic Car/Hot Rod theme, large menu with things for everybody, seems to only be packed for Classic Car shows and UFC PPV's. I've lived up here for over six years and now I know why I've never been here before. It's totally a hit or miss type of place.

Hits? I had the Cajun Crusted Tilapia which came out hot. Real hot. If this was frozen fish, you've never know it. Really large and tasty fish with extremely yummy veggies and OK Spanish Rice. At least it wasn't dry like some Spanish/Mexican rice I get at a lot of El Torito-like joints.

Also, our server was fantastic. Very attentive. Always there to refill my tea. Maybe even too much. We tipped him great. What's he doing in Canyon Country? He'd make a mint waiting at some Beverly Hills establishment.

Misses: My girlfriend's Turkey Burger. Pre-formed, clearly frozen and extremely salty. Steak Fries looked undercooked and had practically no flavor. Again, clearly frozen as if they bought store brand instead of Ore-Ida. I had the chicken noodle soup with my entree and it too, was salty and reeked of Campbell's. Not to mention when the bill came, they charged me the full price for the soup even though there's a reduced price if you order it with your platter. They did correct the issue but you really have to be careful when receiving the check. Always. I don't care where it is.

While the fish was great, there's just too much here on the negative side that won't make us go back. Rather walk over to Oggi's instead. Or even the Baja Fresh near the movieplex.