Du-Par's Bakery & Restaurant

When Mr. Borscht and Tummy feel like a no-hassle dinner out they usually end up on the busy corner of 3rd and Fairfax at Du-Par's Restaurant & Bakery.  Part of the Grove's Farmer's Market they find it an especially nice place to eat and then stroll, in a busy city such as LA sometimes it can be pretty helpful to consolidate activities, driving around in the city can be such a hassle.

On such a night where a 'no-hassle dinner out' was exactly what Mr. Borscht and Tummy were looking for, they found themselves sitting in a booth in what can be very well called the restaurant of their choice.  It's no 5-Star restaurant in food nor service but there's ALWAYS a seat, the service is casual and so is the atmosphere.  The booths are booths and comfortable just like their food, a menu of comfort food made up of chicken-pot pies, corned beef sandwiches, onion rings, breakfast all day, the best fluffiest pancakes, cobb salad and so on.

A place where one can sit down and relax, talk of everyday things with a smile and an interest that one couldn't find anywhere else, here is where it is all okay- this is the reason Mr. Borscht and Tummy come here.

Tummy has been on an Arnold-Palmer stint and so again here is the Arnold-Palmer, this Arnold-Palmer Tummy noticed was far better than the last she had at Black Cat where the Arnold-Palmers seem to vary with the waiter, here at Du-Par's the Arnold Palmer is always 1/2 and 1/2, looks beautiful and tastes fabulous.

Mr. Borscht has a new found love for the 1/2 and 1/2 deal (he's had it the last three times he's been here) this deal includes half a sandwich of your choice, a bowl of soup of your choice, with a side of your choice of french fries, bread or coleslaw and also a slice of your choice of pie for desert!  Today his 1/2 and 1/2 started with a bowl of yellow-split-pea soup which was absolutely delish!  slight texture, creamy, soupy, flavorful, I wonder if they put bacon into it?  But Tummy can surely taste there this ham?  Tummy believes it to be ham, but there is some kind of bacon taste there which wouldn't be all too odd as most split-pea soup comes with crumbled bacon.  The yellow-split-pea which to some may not be that attractive is really great at Du-Par's.

Then out came Mr. Borscht's entree, he opted for 1/2 a corned beef sandwich on rye bread with coleslaw.  The sandwich is fresh and delicious, the coleslaw is fresh with not too much sauce on it which makes it really lovely.  There's no fancy work here- but that's the beauty of this place, it's home comfort cooking and Mr. Borscht and Tummy love it for exactly what it is.  It's just that kind of place.

Tummy always wanting to try something new decided to go for the chicken-pot-pie which Tummy has never had here, a side note on the menu next to the chicken-pot-pie says, 'made fresh daily and so sometimes we run out' - or something of that sort was printed, so... naturally, Tummy wanted to try it.  There were only two chicken-pot-pies left, Tummy ordered one with a side of banana-nut bread.

In an attempt to save the best for last lets begin with the banana-nut bread which was slightly stale, yes a little disappointing especially since Du-Par's is known for it's bakery which makes fresh daily a variety of pies and... DONUTS!

Now for the Chicken-pot pie... First bite, buttery semi-flaky crust, the filling is too hot to tell.  By the third bite Tummy is really liking this dish, the filling tastes like chicken-pot pie, fillings include bits of carrots, peas, potatoes, celery and of course.. chicken!  Needless to say, Tummy ate the whole bowl and can feel it going straight to her thighs.

Du-Par's chicken-pot pie is very yummy indeed, and chicken-pot pie will almost always be yummy no matter where you order it, it's just one of those dishes where deliciousness is just part of it's DNA, if it had DNA that is.  Regardless of Tummy's loyalty to Du-Par's, Tummy will say for the sake of honesty that Du-Par's chicken-pot pie doesn't have anything on a home-made chicken-pot pie and Tummy knows this first hand, because Tummy makes home-made chicken-pot pies.  When Tummy took those first few bites of Du-Par's chicken-pot pie she knew that the ultimate test would be to compare it to her own home-made pie, and it just didn't compare, but that was okay with Tummy because chicken-pot pie will almost always be yummy no matter where you order it.

Mr. Borscht gets a slice of pie with his 1/2 and 1/2, today we see that the pie of the month is PEACH!  so of course we're completely on that and of course it was delish!  Not the best, Tummy won't lie, but still tasty, pie is pie afterall.

And of course we ate every single bite except my one slice of slightly stale banana nut bread.

1 Arnold-Palmer

1 1/2 and 1/2 meal

1 Chicken-pot-pie

The Damage: $27.38

Mr. Borscht is very adamant about not having his face on this blog, he is a shy one indeed, so naturally I tried to take his picture, but to my dismay his hiding abilities are far greater than my lightening fast finger pushing button skills.

Du-Par's Restaurant & Bakery
6333 West 3rd Street
LA CA 90036
(323) 933.8446

Ye Olde King's Head

In Santa Barbara if you want Bangers & Mash you go to Dargan's and if you're in Los Angeles you go to Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica.  So, when Tummy & Mr. Borscht found themselves in Santa Monica one cool evening working up an appetite from the back and forth on the promenade full of street performers they stopped for dinner at Ye Olde King's Head.

Tummy and Borscht is easily charmed at the slightly dim set restaurant where the walls are covered with endless amounts of celebrity photos signed to Ye Olde King's Head and every single one of the waitresses speak with an authentic heavy British accent, or is it Scottish?  Perhaps both.  And though the material setting can easily charm, the food does more so, it charms with authenticity.  Fish and chips the popular British dish is widely ordered here, order the King size portion and get two honkin fried fish with mounds of chips, and it tastes exactly as Fish & Chips should taste too.

First thing is first, sit down and order a beer, regular or imperial pint are your choices in size, so far Tummy and Borscht always has gotten Smithwick's, dark and smooth.

Then comes the appetizer, a bowl of clam chowder to share.  Tummy and Borscht will vouch that it's the tastiest chowder in town.  Thick, chunky, full of flavor and as chowder should taste.  But beware, 'tis very filling indeed and a bowl for one can be a meal in itself.

Mr. Borscht almost always gets the Bangers & Mash, so once again Tummy and Mr. Borscht found themselves looking down at his lovely plate of Bangers & Mash.  Peas are peas, the mash is cooked twice baked as one can see by the browning of the top layer, the flavor is simple, just yummy mashed potatoes to go perfectly with the three bangers, which is apparently is just another word for sausages and a great conversation piece if you really want to go at it with company, just you ask them "why do they call it bangers?"

You can never go wrong with the Bangers & Mash, so if you find yourself being unable to make up your mind just remember two words: Bangers and Mash.  Plus, they keep very well for a meal the next day.

Tummy feeling rather bloated and heavy this evening wished for something light and was in a rather adventurous mood and wanted something new to share with her tastebuds.  Tummy ordered the Shrimp Salad with champagne vinaigrette dressing.  A mound of small fresh shrimp topped slices of avocado, tomatoes, boiled egg and red beets (Tummy loves red beets).  The portion was not too large but was not small either, it was... just right and fresh, as simple as the salad sounds the dish was delish.

1 Smithwick's Imperial pint

1 Arnold Palmer

1 Clam chowder bowl (good for 2)

1 Banger & Mash dinner

1 Shrimp salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

The Damage: $47.90

Ye Olde King's Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica CA 90401
(310) 451.1402

Fish Grill Pt. 2, Fish Tacos

Mr. Borscht has this weird thing for fish, like... he actually likes it.  So on this fine day Brother Charles and Tummy decided to take Mr. Borscht to the Fish Grill.  You remember that one random fish shack on Beverly Blvd I did a review on too long ago?  Well, in that first article on Fish Grill I mentioned farts and I also mentioned going back for another taste, to be sure, since the fish was a bit dry on the first try I really wanted to try their fish tacos which looked absolutely amazing.

So here I am again doing another post on the random fish shack called the Fish Grill on Beverly Blvd even though I suffered from major, and I mean MAJOR gas pains the last time I was there stuffing my face... for the love of art, right?  Right.  So let us begin!

Mr. Borscht who tends to love straight out fish ordered the Mesquite Grilled Trout plate which included coleslaw and french fries.  It was a flash back of the previous time I had been there, Tummy and Brother Charles hunched over a fairly dry fish... eh... not so good then, not so good now.  And surprisingly the trout tasted much like the sea-bass Tummy had the first time around, interesting... and I don't mean that in a good way, I mean, shouldn't sea-bass taste like sea-bass and trout taste like trout?  But I'm no fisherman.

Brother Charlie ordered the Grilled fish taco plate which included two hefty looking tacos that were full of fish, tomatoes and cabbage and a side of french fries and dry baked potato.  Brother Charlie said "hands-down fish tacos way betta!"

Today I opted for the fried fish taco plate which included once again two hefty looking fish tacos, french fries and a salad.  The taco included a good portion of fried-fish topped with tomatoes and coleslaw, there was a lovely crunch from the fried fish and the cabbage was fresh and cold, and as one would assume of their fish taco, it tasted of fish.... but not quite as flavorful as one would like, if anything the fish tasted more fried than flavorful fish topped with fresh produce.  It was slightly disappointing for me as I was looking forward to their fish tacos after my first visit to the Fish Grill.  Their french fries were the same as well, a bit tasteless though looking authentically fresh, this all is beginning to make me wonder if it has anything to do with the cooking oil being used?  If so, the oil must have such a name as, 'suck the flavor outta the food oil'.

And though I sit here writing somewhat a sour review of Fish Grill I must admit that  Fish Grill on both occasions I have sat and ate there had a moderate amount of customers flowing in, which just goes to show that not all tastes are made equal.

So here's the Fish Grill suggestion of the year, if you ever find yourself at Fish Grill go for any of the fish taco plates which tend to be slightly more flavorful and a lot less dry.

And to end on a good note you'll be glad to hear that hypochondriac Tummy did not suffer any gassy after-affects this time around.

1 Mesquite Grilled Trout Plate

1 Fried Fish Taco Plate

1 Grilled Fish Taco Plate

The Damage: $30.57

Fish Grill
7226 Beverly Blvd.
LA CA 90036
(323) 937.7162

Suzu

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting a close friend in San Francisco, his name is Simon and he lives in the Richmond district which I have to say, I absolutely love.  San Francisco is a charming city by far and so I was heavily charmed all weekend.  After a 6.5 hr drive and getting there past midnight, the next day Tummy and Mr. Borscht were very hungry indeed and Friend Simon took us to his favorite Japanese restaurant located in SF's Japan Town, Suzu, it was here that the real charming began for Tummy.

A small restaurant inside a smallish two-story Japanese mall, the atmosphere was casual and comfortable, and the only thing I can possibly complain about was the lack of tables though we didn't have to wait for one, but I would hate to be the one who did.

We did what we always do when eating out, we sat, we looked at the menu, and the Japanese restaurant did what they always do during this 'menu-perusing' time, served hot tea.  Here, it was not green-tea that they served but what tasted much like barley-tea.

This is a Ramen specialty restaurant and so Friend Simon ordered his usual the Ramen with chicken, Large chunks of crispy chicken floated around the broth.

I ordered the regular ramen combo which came with regular ramen and a side Tonkatsu over rice, Tonkatsu is breaded and fried pork-cutlet topped with dark sweet sauce.  I've been to other Ramen houses before where the broth is a cloudy, flavorful pork broth, here at Suzu the broth was a clear pork broth, still flavorful and I have to say more delish.  The only difference that I can make out between the cloudy pork broth at other ramen houses and the clear pork broth here at Suzu is that the cloudy pork broth seems to taste a bit richer and fattier while the clear pork broth not much so, thus I'm inclined to say that I actually prefer the taste, texture and experience of the clear pork broth of Suzu's Ramen.

The tonkatsu side that came with the ramen combo

Mr. Borscht is a big fan of Unagi (fresh water eel) and so he opted to order the Unagi-Don, large pieces of Unagi on top of rice with a side of pickled radish and pickled ginger, the Don also came with a small side of salad and miso-soup.  It wasn't the best Unagi I've tasted, I've had softer and fresher Unagi before but Unagi-Don is one of those simple dishes that even if not the best is still very tasty... Mr. Borscht ate the whole Don.

Suzu makes sure you don't leave hungry but doesn't make you feel as if you've wasted your money on food you didn't have room for, in this way they gauge the human stomach-stretchability very well.  The ramen bowls are large but not too much so, the tonkatsu side I had with my combo was a smaller bowl and so made it quite do-able to finish, while Friend Simon had the Ramen chicken with large chunks of chicken and a boiled egg which made it the perfect amount for him as well.  Mr. Borscht's Unagi Don with a side of salad and miso soup also was the perfect amount.

As you probably well know by now, Tummy loved the food as well did Friend Simon and Mr. Borscht.  It was nearly a perfect meal and the perfect meal to start off our long weekend in San Francisco.

Friend Simon doing his 'Oh! SOOO full!' impression

1 Chicken Ramen

1 Regular ramen combo (w/tonkatsu)

1 Unagi Don

1 Cola

1 side of rice

The Damage:  $42.00

Suzu Japanese Restaurant
1825 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 346.5083

Taqueria De Anda

Tummy visiting family in Fullerton inevitably means eating out, for lunch today we opted for something semi-fast as we were in a rush but still wanted to taste something authentic, so upon Brother Charles' suggestion we went to Taqueria De Anda.  Sister of Tummy asked, "Uh... are we going to be sick after eating here?" She was genuinely concerned, the outside of the restaurant did not look like the restaurants we normally frequent, we decided to give it a try anyway, afterall, like I've said before it's usually these places that serve the best food.

The inside of the restaurant looked quite different, with mustard yellow and red walls adorned with landscape pictures Taqueria De Anda didn't look too bad afterall. 

The sizzling of the meats on the grill in the open kitchen got Tummy excited, the menu was rather simple with the usual Mexican tacos, burritos and such, the usual meat and side accompaniments were listed.  Tummy and Brother Charles got one beef burrito to share and ten beef tacos for three of us. 

Tacos were the usual small size on corn tortillas topped with chopped onion and cilantro and served with sides of green and red salsa and sadly, juiceless lime.

To my dismay the tacos were dry and needed a considerate amount of salsa to cover the dry chopped beef sitting on the tortillas.  I couldn't help but notice that though the ingredients looked fresh it was all very bland, the taste of the cilantro and onions were muted, the limes had no juice in them and after trying to juice one lime over the taco to no avail I decided it helpless and went without.  And the dryness of the meat took away all the flavor that could have been, this I washed down with Horchata, which was as you'd expect... bland.

Compared to the tacos the burrito was great, but this isn't to say that it actually was "great", after gnawing through dry taco meets and bland onions and cilantro anything would taste good- Tummy was very disappointed.  The burrito contained rice, onions, cilantro, our choice of meet and red sauce.  The red sauce was rolled in with the burrito accompaniments and me thinks that this is the reason the burrito was so much better as it had much more moisture which in effect brought out a little more flavor.

The suggestion here, if ever you find yourself in Fullerton, California looking for authentic mexican food, stay away from Taqueria De Anda.  And if you can't seem to help yourself and must check it out my suggestion is to go to another location, as they have 7 different locations your only hope would be that another location serves better.

1 Burrito

10 Tacos

2 Horchatas

The Damage:  $20.00 +/-

Taqueria De Anda

308 West Valencia Drive

Fullerton, CA 92832

(714) 871.4211

Le Petit Greek, My Heaven! Heaven! Heaven!

Mr. Borscht and Tummy have a favorite restaurant, a restaurant that goes by the names of Le Petit Greek, serving... yes, the best Greek food in town... actually to be honest, the best Greek food Tummy and Mr. Borscht has ever had.

Lets get formalities out of the way shall we?  The food is always perfection, the service nearly perfection, the Arnold Palmer too is nearly perfection, the atmosphere grade A and the bill?  Well the bill is the bill, but when Tummy and Mr. Borscht considers everything they're paying for what usually goes through their mind is, 'totally fair, maybe we even got the upper hand'. 

With all that out of the way lets gets down to business... FOOD!

Mr. Borscht and Tummy always orders appetizers, this is their unspoken rule to a well-rounded and fulfilling Greek meal, plus caviar dip is their favorite appetizer food.  Therefore, like every other time Tummy and Mr. Borscht visit Le Petit Greek they once again ordered the Caviar and Eggplant Dip, this of course is served with warm, soft pita bread that evens out the saltiness of the caviar dip and adds a nice soft texture to the bitsy chopped eggplant dip.

99% of the time Mr. Borscht orders some kind of Gyro, today Mr. Borscht went for a lamb sausage gyro (Gyro Me Loukaniko) with all it's usual inner trimmings of sliced red onion, cucumber/tzatziki yogurt sauce, tomatoes and spices, the plate heartily comes with a side of Greek salad and very lemon-licious potatoes.  Needless to say, everything on the plate is absolutely delicious.

Tummy can never decide on just one thing and so usually orders a couple of sides, this is Tummy's greedy way of getting most out of one visit but Tummy always, ALWAYS gets a side of Patates.  It's a mystery how the potatoes got to be so yummy but Tummy has it's own ideas on the 'how': first boiled, then tossed in most possibly a lemon vinaigrette (definitely some kind of lemon-sauce) and then broiled... this is the idea of the 'how' that Tummy has on Le Petit Greek Patates.  Tummy figures that it explains the softness, yet gooey outside with the bits of scorch and the lemon-licious flavor.

Today Tummy orders it's usual, a side of lemon-licious Patates and also something new, the Batzaria, boiled variety of beets that were chopped then tossed in some kind of light marinade/sauce, served on top of what looked to be cucumber/tzatziki sauce and sprinkled moderately with dill.  Tummy thought it absolutely divine and eye-opening having never had anything like it before, the combination of flavors though simple were completely new to Tummy's senses.  The beets tasted like beets but were also the sweetest beets Tummy had ever tasted, served on top of the yogurt there was a definite freshness to the plate, the dill added a step-up allowing the flavors to taste layered to the senses, and bites of masculine cucumber flavor every now and then were a treat to experience.  

If there was one plate that could be dubbed "winner of the month" on Tummy's Adventures it would hands-down be Le Petit Greek's Batzaria, and so if one ventures to Le Petit Greek with an adventurous appetite the Batzaria comes highly recommended.

And of course every bit of morsel was eaten, except the Patates that Tummy always takes home for later.

1 Arnold Palmer

1 (2-Item) Appetizer combo

1 Batzaria

1 Patates

1 Gyro Me Loukaniko

The Damage: $47.74

Le Petit Greek
127 N. Larchmont Blvd
LA CA 90004
(323) 464.5160