Street Food Cinema

Street Food Cinema

Jamie

The latest Two Guys Take on Food, Jamie and I went to Street Food Cinema.  The movie that night was The Princess Bride and we were sorry that Rosa and Rynyn were not with us.  It was truly a wondrous night and combined with The Princess Bride, it was clearly a night made for date.

The whole night was quite good.  Street Food Cinema is a moving service.  That night the movie shown was in downtown Glendale, but it goes to Exposition Park and the Pomona Fairgrounds as well.  The Glendale sight was quite good for a date because just a block away, was the downtown area.  Downtown Glendale was quite the show for before or after the movie, a couple could walk the downtown area.  They had an outdoor galleria that looked like it extended for many blocks.  Jamie was telling me that he thought Pasadena and Glendale were basically one place, but it isn’t.  Based on what I saw, Glendale was where it was at, and it would be worth the extra ten minute drive on the 210 to get there.

For food, they had over ten food trucks serving over a thousand people that Street Food Cinema had collected.  They had: Let it Roll, The Beignet Truck, Vizzi, Canvas, Diva Crepe, Rollin’ Rib BBQ Joint, Salads Galore, Currywurst, The Fry Girl, LA Brew and Umami Burger… mhmm, Umami Burger.  They also sold caramel corn at a little stand, but I am not too sure if it was a Street Food Cinema thing or not.  Over all it was a good mix of food from which to choose.  For the atmosphere it was like a festival out in the park that everyone was having a good time.  They had a band, Grey Eastern that played there well before the movie.  One of the songs that they played was featured on the show Defiance, on the Syfy Channel.  They even had a contest based on the movie that was quite cute.  The winner got a plush crown and twenty-five dollars!  Now I have a gripe.  They needed two more people to and I was chosen but somebody (the winner I should say) ran up and took my position!  I was cheated!  Hehe

All and all it was a good time.  I would suggest that everyone should go to Street Food Cinema to have a good time.  And if you are lucky enough to have a special somebody, all the better!

Fogo de Chao

Fogo de Chao

What can I say about this place.  Much meat was had by the us at Fogo de Chao.  Every year at the end of Gencon and before the dead dog party myself and others go to this Brazilian steak house to gorge ourselves on the ten plus different types of meat that they bring out to the people on skewers.  Everything from beef that comes in the from of sirloin, to filets, to great honking ribs.  Pork, chicken and lamb are served as well as sausages.  They had little t-bones steaks this time and they nice and tender and pulled off the bone.  The bottom sirlion however was sooooo good.  They also have a salad bar that was huge and well stocked that came with not only salad but different types of vegetation to off set your meat comas that you are inflicting on yourself.  

It was good... but the people you share the meal with make it all the better.  

I missed Char in the shot!  :(

Izakaya Fuga

Izakaya Fuga

Today I went out to lunch with my friend Kay, continuing out crawl around the Little Tokyo.  Today we went to a little izakaya, that is located in the basement of a building in the heart of Little Tokyo.  It is a nice place that looked like a lounge with out the smoke.  In fact, Kay mentioned that the place was a lounge.  In the back they had a couple of booths that were curtained off with opaque curtains.

As you can see, I had a sesame jidori kaarage bento.  It is a friend chicken that came with a aeoli that was nothing special.  But the kaarage was pretty good.  It looked like the chicken was overcooked but it wasnt.  It came with a salad, a spicy tuna roll and some tempura along with rice and miso soup.  All and all it was good and not that expensive.  For the two of us it only came out to thirty dollars.  Still, I think Daikokuya (the ramen place I reviewed last month sometime) is much better...

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5

Service: 3 out of 5

Food: 3 out of 5

Price: cheap for what you get

The Game Haus Cafe

The GameHaus Cafe

While attending Gamex 2013, a local gaming convention here is Los Angeles, I came into contact with several people advertising a new cafe, the GameHaus Cafe.  Will be ready to open in a couple of months.  The interesting think is that it will be a board game cafe.  They will have, as they put it: "from Mouse Trap to Here I Stand."  I am looking forward to the Cafe as they will be serving pies and sandwiches and grilled paninis.  

I did an interview with them.  Here it is, my YouTube video, in which we here it from Teri and Rob themselves.

Ten Ren's Tea Time

http://www.tenrensteatime.com/

 I have been going to Ten Ren's for a several years now and I have mixed feeling about going there.  It is not the fact that they are bad, it is the fact that they keep changing how they cook things.  Take the stewed pork I had today.  It is something that I have had for years, but I got the pork and it came with two pieces of fried tofu.  Now I like tofu but not in my pork and when I asked a server about it, he said it has always come with tofu.  I know for a fact that it doesn't because I had many times over the years and it has never came with tofu.  Go figure

Now the meal was good, as the stewed pork cam with rice and two sides that change from day to day.  Today I had some potatoes and vegetables.  The stewed pork was good as the pork was cooked until it came apart but it still kept its shape because it had the fat still connected to it, fat that practically melted in your mouth.

The original reason I went to the place all those years ago was the fact that I went to a milk tea.  They make all sorts of teas, coffees and other drinks.  You can get them with boba or not.

So if you are looking for you fix of Taiwan, Ten Ren's is the place to go!

Midoh

http://www.midoh-la.com/

Today I went to Midoh for lunch.  The Midoh is part of the Bishamon Group, a group of restaurants that are under one umbrella.  What I had was a hamburg steak with demi-glace, two fried shrimps and some vegetables that included carrots, green beans and some potatoes.  I got some rice, miso soup and a salad to go with the it and I ordered some pickled cucumbers as well.  It was a big lunch!

I was kinda surprised at the hamburg steak that sat on a bed of julienned onions.  It was still juicy despite is being cooked all the way through.  The shrimp I suspect were were frozen but still tasted rather good in their panko coating.  The only thing I was not liking was the tartar sauce that they put on the shrimp.  Didn't need it in my opinion.  The vegetables were good, even though the carrots were too well cooked.

Overall a pleasant lunch.  I will have to go back and try out their curry.

Heroes and Legends

I remember when Jamie and I first thought about doing this site.  It all kinda started off as a joke, but it bloomed into something.  Now we are doing it every two weeks and are having fun with it. This was the second episode we have done during our first season.  We went to a place called Heroes and Legends.  It is a sports bar of all places, with peanut shells on the floor and multiple TV screens on the walls.  Now I have been here before and most of the food is pretty good.  The southwestern meatloaf is rather good and their nachos are absolutely huge!  The drinks come in huge mugs and the service is rather good in keeping them filled.  There are somethings you would want to avoid.  You ask for a medium rare burger and it comes well done.  They come with a rather lame excuse as to why.  And I would stay away from their artichoke.  It looks freaking fantastic but utterly fails in taste.

Service: 3 out of 5.  Service is good while you order something and fall off when they bring out the last thing you orders.
Price: 3 out 5.  You get what you pay for.
Atmosphere: 4 out of 5.  If you are looking for a cool place to hang and have a beer, this place will do.
Food: 3 out of 5.  It is good but not great.

Daikokuya Little Tokyo

I went out with my friend Kay for lunch today.  We went to Daikokuya in Little Tokyo, and both had the ramen with the kotteri upgrade.  It was just a we bit on the salty side, but the pork that came with it was very tender.  It also had a soft boiled egg, bean sprouts and bamboo.  The sauce was pork based and sorta thick and creamy.  Kay was telling me that if you let is sit and cool that the pork fat in the juice would congeal.  mmmm

It was a cool place set up like a ramen shop in Japan.  Small and intimate.  There was a line at the door, owing to the greatness of this place.

Two Guys Take on Eureka!Burger

Our last take, this time on Eureka!Burgers.  It missed by that much.

The Dog Haus

The Dog Haus    My review on Youtube

Some of my college friends introduced me to the Dog Haus about two years ago and in hindsight I’m lucky they did.  The Dog Haus is inside what looks to have been an office building in a past life and even with the sign out front it can be easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.  Thankfully, you can’t miss the line running out the door, a testament to how popular the Dog Haus is.  And it deserves every bit of its reputation.

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk in is the atmosphere. The taller ceilings play with the upbeat music and raised bench tables to create a friendly & active feel – your ears will never want for attention.  Neither will your nose, thanks to the kitchen being literally right next to the tables.  The grills, prep station, and cooking line are all in full view behind chest-high glass, meaning you’ll be able to follow along with your Dog as it’s prepared. A minor point to appreciate, sure, but personally I’ve always enjoyed being able to watch the food creation process. It gives you something to look forward to!

Speaking of the food, the Dog Haus’ dishes are delicious and plentiful.  A wall-length sign (formerly two full chalk boards!) sits high above the register when you walk in, showing off the wide variety of options available to toss on your hot dog.  Want hash browns on that? Sure!  How about onions, tobasco, & bell peppers? Done!  Hell, one of my friends makes a point to get what effectively passes for an entire breakfast on his hot dog every time we go there (unsurprisingly, it's called The Lumberjack)! With over 30 different sides to add, your imagination's really the limit. If you want it, they can make it, even if it’s not on the menu.  I would know – I once saw the owner spend the better part of half an hour working with two customers to make fried Ice Cream, when none of them actually knew how to make it!

For me, though, my favorite has always been the classic Chili Cheese Dog, which is what I got with +James Forest  when we went last Friday. One bite was all it took to see that it was still as great as ever.  The Hawaiian sweet roll that served as the bun was so soft I would swear it was fresh-baked, which proved a nice contrast to the thicker, juicy meat of the hot dog – remember, these are 1/3 or even ½ pound Dogs we’re talking about here!  The Chili wasn't too thick and it wasn't too watery, striking exactly the kind of flavor & consistency balance you're looking for in a Chili that's used as the "side".  And the cheese! Oh man, the cheese.  You see, most places add cheese to a Chili Dog like it’s some kind of wallpaper project – slap on the yellow slab and go.  Not the Dog Haus. They hand grate the sharp cheddar every day and sprinkle it both on top of and under the chili, giving you that nice sharp accent to the heavier flavors of the dish. And as a finishing touch, the Dog Haus layers on a sprinkling of onions and a light bed of mustard.  

All in all, the Chili Cheese dog was delicious (if you can’t already tell!).  A big offering at 10” with a nice coke-in-a-glass-bottle on the side made for exactly the afternoon snack I was looking for and exactly the kind of meal you should try out yourself sometime.  I easily give the Dog Haus a 5/5 and would recommend it to anyone who calls themselves a fan of hot dogs, chili, or even just good old hang out food & fun. Just don't forget the napkins! You're gonna need 'em. 

Martinelli's Little Italy

This was a review done by our very good friends +Yu Damman. 

Ate tonight at Martinelli's Little Italy in Salina, KS.

Four people ate all they could eat of some really good food.  Not stuffed but full.  Full and happy.

Like the dearly departed Belisle's of Anaheim, CA they specialize in large portions.  1/4 portions, our waiter Zach explained, were for one person.  1/2 for one or two.  Family portions for up to four.

Bart had a soda, tomato and mozzarella appetizer, 1/4 portion of the house salad, and a 1/4 Chicken Carbonara with penne pasta.

Dee had a 1/4 lettuce and tomato salad and a 1/2 Lasagna and a water.

I had a regular coffee, in a huge cappuccino cup, a 1/4 spinach salad and a 1/4 Chicken Picatta with fettuccine pasta.

Dustin had a special which was a chicken breast, capers, provolone, and pancetta.  His pasta dish was spaghetti marinara.  A meatball on the side and after dinner he ordered two cannoli of which he gave me one.  I forget his drink order.  He was odd man out and on another bill.

House bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar which never saw the bill and we had three or four half loaves among the four of us.

Bart and I had more than we could eat and brought some home.  I couldn't finish my pasta and Bart had some of his salad and entree and pasta left over.  I am a big guy and a big eater.  They could serve me more than I could eat and that is a credit to their portions.

I had some of Bart's appetizer.  Super.  Just nice mozzarella, basil and tomato.  Just like a traditional pizza if you only ordered the toppings.

I asked for extra salad plates so Dee and I could swap some samples.  Lasagna was excellent.

I had a hard time deciding which was better between my salad and my entree.  Rare for that to happen.  When all was said and done I finished my salad even to the extent of letting my pasta get cold.  Spinach, grape halves, walnuts and a rich dark dressing.

I didn't think it was possible for this quality of Italian food to exist in Kansas.  Especially not in a small town that comedian John Bowman joked looked half like a real city and half like the set for Grapes of Wrath.

Even with an appetizer we cleared a bill for three people that would be about the same in any diner in the little berg that I live in.

This is not an Italian themed restaurant but a proper Italian restaurant.

I grew up eating a combination of German, Italian, and Midwestern field-hand food.  I could beat their meatballs, at home and to my liking at least, in texture but not in flavor.

The meatball was a side dish as is traditional and thank goodness that it was too much for Dustin to finish so I could have some of it.  I prefer the texture of the more home-style meatball that poor folks make that is about 2 parts bread to 3 parts meat.  I could never match Martinelli's traditional seasoning and flavor that I haven't tasted since the 1970's.

According to our waiter and unlike most Kansas establishments the staff actually takes their lunches from the same kitchen that they work in.

Short of Italian restaurants in California wine country it was some of the best Italian food that I have ever had.  Those restaurants could not touch Martinelli's portions or cost.

If I could have had a sprig of fresh Rosemary on my Chicken Picatta I would have cried.  If I had ordered a carafe of wine I would have sang.

I think that if they would have arranged some sort of trial by combat for seconds on the cannoli I would have removed my shirt, in Latin and Italian brawling style, and fought it out against all comers for at least another two or three of them.

Service excellent.  The hostess, the manager, one waiter, and two waitresses worked our table.  Primary waiter, Zach, knew the menu and preparation of the dishes well.  Handled Dustin's pasta change order with no fuss.

I live about four or five hours driving time away from Salina and Martinelli's.  In the future I will contrive a reason to go back to Salina so I can eat there again.

http://www.martinellisonline.com/

The Pasty Bakery

The Pasty Bakery     Our interview on Youtube

After our trip to the Congregation Ale House, +Jim Sandoval  mentioned that he was still hungry, and well, I was too.  Jim suggested that we should go to and have some pasties at the Pasty Bakery.  With the three beers still in Jim, we walked over the bakery.  We were met by Maria, the owner, a nice lady who sold a variety of savory and vegetarian pies.  It was inexpensive and they were rather a good size, about as big as my fist (which is pretty big).

Now I dont know if it was really hot or not, but I found the spicy beef really hot.  It is unfortunate that they no longer do the sweet pasties anymore because Jim was telling me of the apple pasties that I was really craving.  Unfortunately they did not sell!  Come on people!  How could you not want sweet pasties!

It was good.  Authentic English pasties for the cheap!  I highly recommend them.

The Congregation Ale House

The Congregation Ale House.           Here on our Youtube channel..

My good friend +Jim Sandoval  and I had a marvelous time this day.  I went to Long Beach where Jim lived and we went to the Congregation Ale House.  Now Jim had ordered three IPAs, or India Pale Ales to try.  Now unfortunately I cannot have anything to drink due to medical reasons.

Jim chose the following

• Eagle Rock Populist, an American IPA
• Alagash Hugh Malone, a Belgium IPA
• Moylens Hopsickle, an American Imperial IPA

We had a variety of different sausages to go with it, including a Hot Atomic and the sausage platter containing a beer steamed bratwurst and (my favorite) the duck & bacon sausage.  We got all of this and the Belgian cut fries that came with two dipping sauces: the siracaha ketchup and the rosemary garlic mayo.

The food was good.  If I am to go back in the future, I an going to have the duck & bacon sausage again.  It was so earthy with the herbs that were mixed in with it.