Ameci Pizza & Pasta, Pizza and Pasta, Italian, Granada Hills, CA

Ameci Pizza & Pasta
16858 San Fernando Mission Blvd
Granada Hills, CA 91344
(818) 363-0484



Honestly Kelly and I ended up here because it was Sunday and that was when we realized that JeJe Chicken was closed, but Kelly had heard it was good, so we gave it a try.

The food was alright. Huge portions, but not that great, just alright, nothing I would care to try again.

I had a peperoni calzone, with Ricotta and Mozzarella and sauce on the side.
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It was decent, and tasty, but nothing too special. The marinara sauce didn't stand out, nor were there any spices that seemed special. Big, but just OK.

Kelly got a meatball sub sub with marinara.

Again, big portions, but nothing to make it stand out either.

Decent enough, but nothing I would seek out or try again.

Matt & Tony's Submarine Sandwiches, Sandwiches, Mission Hills, CA

Matt & Tony's Submarine Sandwiches
10710 Sepulveda Blvd
Mission Hills, CA 91345
(818) 365-2310



I do love subs, and Kelly and I were hungry and it was Sunday so Defranko's was closed, so we saw this place and decided to give it a try. It was alright, but nothing too special for the price, and likely would not go again.

It is a strange little place with a deli counter and some tables, but not much else.

I got the Pepper Steak on soft bread with everything (onions, tomatoes and pickles). The meat was the best part, tasty and not oily, but the sandwich needed something else.

Kelly got a turkey with mustard and it was much the same, not bad, but nothing special.

They also have a hard bread which we didn't try and should have.

OK, with a small selection of chips, and they were out of some of the soda in the soda fountain, and the place seemed a little sketchy. With strange parking in back, and not well lit, though it was clean.

Might be OK for a Sunday since DeFranko's is closed, but any other day I would hit the perfection that is DeFranko's.

Umami Burger, Hamburgers, Santa Monica and Various Locations, CA

Umami Burger
500 Broadway,
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-1300
Mon-Sat 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sun 12:00 PM - 10:00 PM



I am a huge burger guy, and have been my whole life. I just love a good burger, but my needs are pretty simple and many frou frou burgers leave me cold. There are of course exceptions, like the amazing Pug Burger at Hungry Cat, but Umami Burger is not an exception for me, as I was not at all impressed.

This Umami Burger is in Fred Segal in Santa Monica with ample parking and some outdoor seating.

I am not one for Cheese on my hamburger, as I am allergic, but I wanted to try it how it was supposed to be, so I went for the Manly Burger with beer-cheddar cheese, bacon lardons, smoked salt onion rings, house ketchup and mustard

And honestly I was not impressed. Between the cheese and the huge bacon chunks the burger was way too salty and I lost the taste of the burger itself. Not horrible, but not someone I would try again.

Kelly had the Truffle burger with Truffled Aoili, truffle cheese and truffle glaze.

And honestly to me the truffle oil completely overpowered the meat and made it taste to me like a portabello mushroom. Not bad, but not too burger-y!

The shoe string fries were good and I enjoyed the different ketchup and dips to try, though the ketchup seemed too sweet to me.

After all the hype I had heard I thought I would like it more, but I was not too impressed. Too frou frou for me.

Give me grilled onions, lettuce, dill pickles, ketchup and mustard and I would be happy (though a good guacamole burger is great sometimes).

JeJe Chicken, Mediteranian Food, Granada Hills, CA

JeJe Chicken
16970 San Fernando Mission Blvd, Suite C1
Granada Hills, CA 91344
(818) 832-5252
Mon-Sat 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM



I have been a huge fan of Zan Kou chicken for many years, and was so happy when one opened near me, but after eating at JeJe Chicken I will likely never eat at Zan Kou Chicken again. JeJe Chicken is that much better!

This place is fantastic in fact! Great food, just so darn tasty!

The first thing I tried was the Chicken Shawerma Plate ($11.99) which is what I always get at Zankou, and it was just so much better. The chicken was so moist, and I love their garlic sauce, and the salad.

Kelly got the Shish Kebob plate, which was also fantastic! The meat was juicy and perfectly spiced!

On my second trip I tried the JeHe Chicken Plate, which I had a second time with Kelly. It is awesome. The cilantro sauce is delicious, and even my cilantro hating wife like it, just lemony and good., and the bed of Pita chips, though they get soggy in the sauce work wonderfully well, and the chicken is so tasty.

On my next trip I went for the Chickan Kabob Plate, and wasn't dissapointed with the delicious chicken, huge and fresh pitas. Wow!

Kelly got a Fish Crisp with Fried Swai, tamarind Sauce, cabbage and tomato in a pita! Delicious!

We also tried their seasoned fries with home made ketchup and garlic sauce, and their tasty baklava.

You really can't go wrong on this place, and I like it so much I plan on trying everything on the menu! They also have lunch specials with wraps, salad and a drink and falafel wrap specials on wednesday and friday and fish crisp wrap specials on Tuesday and Thursday!

This place is a must try! It could not be better!

•••••••

Unfortunately JeJe's has been taken over by new management and my wife and I were not at all impressed. Nothing nearly as good as it was. Now I have already changed my review on yelp and the restaurant has recently contacted me to try out some free dishes to see what I think and if I will update my review. I have not gone and tried it again.

Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle Annex, Japanese Ramen, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Tsujita LA Artistan Noodle ANNEX
2050 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 231-0222
11am-12am (11:30 PM Last Order) 7 days a week


It has been years since  I have eaten on Japanese food on Sawtelle, and it sure has changed a whole lot. Kelly and I wanted to have something special for our wedding anniversary, so we wanted to try something great, and I kept reading reviews of Tsujita and especially of it's annex.

When you get there, neither will be hard to find as there are huge lines for both and they are across the street from each other. At the annex, it is in a little parking lot where they have setup chairs to wait. There are no reservations, no takeout and it is cash only. You put your name on a list, an they wait a while, then when they are getting ready they come over to you and take your order, then you wait some more and get brought in. We waited for a little over an hour, and people just kept coming, but some people do leave, so sometimes you will move up the list quickly!

The inside is quite small, though not packed, with a sushi style bar with the chefs behind it, and a couple of tables (which we sat at) and traditional Japanese music playing.

Kelly and I both wanted to try the Tsukemen, which is Ramen with the noodles cooked, but seperate for dipping into your bowl of delicious pork bone broth. We both got Tsukemen with Char siu (pork) though I got a large. You get the same sized boll with broth, which comes with garlic and Onikasu (red Spice, though you can get it without, and there is ample more at the table) and a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg. In the broth is some pork that is melty delicious, and some more cold pork in with the noodles that you put in the broth to heat up.

I was so excited to eat that I was late taking a picture, so this from their menu, and then after I had eaten quit a bit.

Prepare to get messy, as you could use a big with all the dipping and slurping, of which there will be a lot. The broth is fatty and salty and vinegary and delicious, and the Onikasu is not too spicy at all but perfect.

This will make you realize what is so special about Ramen. It is so damn good! Just incredible! This is absolutely amazing food!

Honestly my only complaint is it is a bit too salty for my pallet, but then post my heart surgery I really stay away from salt even more that I used to, and is so good it is worth the extra salt to try this delicious dish!

Man this place is good!

Horseless Carriage Restaurant @ Galpin, Diner, American, Breakfast, North Hills, CA

Horseless Carriage Restaurant
15505 Roscoe Blvd.
North Hills, CA 91343
(818) 892-3707
7am - 9 PM




Kelly and I had wanted to try this place for a long time, as we had heard good things, and we had tried before, but the parking is pretty limited, but we finally made our way here.

The place is tiny, with a counter and a row of booths and some seats outside, where we sat, as we didn't want to wait for a booth.

The service was good, and so was the food. Decent diner food.

I had a very decent diner hamburger, the Galpinburger which was a large 1/2 pound burger with fries, coleslaw, lettuce, tomato and pickles. A bit pricy at $10.95, but as I said a decent diner burger.

Kelly had some sort of crab eggs benedict, which was delicious and huge, and quite tasty.

And we got a hot fudge sunday for desert and they split it into 2 dishes for us, and it was heaped with fudge above and below the ice cream.

Enjoyable, though a pain to park with decent food and a huge menu.

Kountry Folks Restaurant, Breakfast, American, North HIlls, CA

8501 Sepulveda Blvd.
North Hills, CA 91343
(818) 895-2385
6:30 AM - 9:00 PM





My wife Kelly and I had passed this place many times, and since she loves breakfast we thought we should give it a try, and honestly I wish we had passed. The best thing I can say is it is really inexpensive, but the food was mediocre at best and so was the service.

Not only that, but the place is kind of dark and dingy. And we while the waitresses were very busy, we really waited a while to even have someone come by and take our orders.

As I said the best thing was price, as Kelly got a 2+2+2+2 special for $4.99 with 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon and 2 sausage links. She wasn't too hot on the pancakes which were not very fluffy and the eggs weren't too special.

I went for a hamburger with fried and a salad. The salad was basically iceberg lettuce with Italian dressing. The fries seemed previously frozen, and burger though a decent size was nothing special at all.

Overall I would skip this place completely, unless you really need a cheap breakfast and that is the only criteria.

Beeps Fast Food, Diner, Breakfast, Hamburger, Van Nuys, CA

Beeps Fast Food
16063 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 781-0830
7am - 9pm



My wife and I had passed this place quite a few times and always wanted to try it out, and finally did. It has very little parking, and even less space inside. Just a few booths by the counter you stand to order from, and a few seats outside. With some 50's albums hanging and playing.

We were very excited by the menu and cheap prices, but were not so impressed by the food or the service. We waited sat in cheap plastic chairs outside (no booths were available) and waited a long time for our food, though not nearly as long as the couple next to us who ordered before us.

I got a Steak and Cheese Sandwhich and fries, and was very unimpressed. Low quality and very very greasy meat that was not very tasty.

Kelly got an original breakfast special, 2 eggs, bacon, and sausage with toast and home fries for $4.99 and found it OK, but nothing special.

We were going to get some ice cream when we left, but we waited for a while in line and gave up and left.

We would not go here again.

Midori Sushi, All You Can Eat Sushi, Encino, CA

Midori Sushi
17047 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA 91316
(818) 995-0888



Kelly and I haven't had Sushi in a while, and she had never had All You Can Eat Sushi, so we saw good reviews for this place, and decided to try it and were pleasantly surprised by just how good it was.

It is $22.50 per person for lunch and includes 4 different specialty items you can try. Much of the sushi pieces seemed pre-cut, but the fish was fresh and tasty. And Kelly got to try Uni and sweet shrimp and other things she had never tried. The rolls were huge and tasty, and we got a lot of food fast.

I would go back here in a second, though maybe not with Kelly as she barely was able to eat her fill of All You Can Eat to make it worth it, though I easily exceeded the $22.50.

The place is very nice and clean, and the chefs were great. I recommend checking this place out.

Shin Woo Myun Oak, Korean, Northridge, CA

Shin Woo Myun Oak
10201 Reseda Blvd, Ste 101
San Fernando Valley, CA 91325
(818) 734 1717




Located in the food court of the Galleria Market in Northridge this amazing little stand has been open since 1948, and so far the food has been amazing!

I decided to try a Kim Chi and Beef Rice Bowl in a hot bowl.

As you can see you get a lot of food. Not only the hot rice bowl, but banchan (side dishes) which included some kim chi, pickled veggies, a sweet potato salad, cold noodles and a bowl of miso soup.

The Kim Chi and Beef Rice bowl was awesome! I loved the flavor. The egg melts into it and the hot bowl makes for hot crunchy rice wherever it touches the bowl. This was fabulous, and I will certainly try it again, and under $10!

I love this little food court, and Sin Woo Myun Oak was my favorite so far. Just delicious!

DeFranko's Submarines, Submarine Sandwiches, Van Nuys, CA

DeFranko's Submarines
7532 Woodley Ave
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 780-9556
Mon-Fr 10:30AM-7PM, Saturday 10:30AM-5:00PM



My wife Kelly and I had passed this place many times and decided to try and, and I for one am so glad that we did! Wow, this place is awesome!

This place is literally a shack with 5 bar stools inside and a picnic table outside, and a tiny little menu.

They have 3 sizes of Sub, and cold or hot subs, salads, hot dogs, chips and drinks, and that is it. And all the veggies and meat are hand cut.

My wife and I both got the Italian Cold Cut on Italian Bread (though you can also get a roll or wheat) with everything, which is mayo, mustard, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, Italian oil dressing, Italian herb seasonings, chopped red or white onions, chopped pickles and chopped ripe tomatoes, and it is piled high!

Check out these pics!

WOW! And so delicious! With some chips and drinks it was well over $20, so not cheap, but well worth it!

Next I want to try the hot pepper steak, then maybe Italian sausage!

This place is great at one thing, and they do it perfectly. These are great subs, and you can see why this place has been around so long (the mid seventies I believe).

I was blown away, want one right now!

••••

I keep going back and bringing more people. This place is just awesome and addicting! They could start a food truck and make a killing. I LOVE THESE SUBS! WOW!

Katsu Japanese Cutlet, Korean, Japanese Cutlet, Northridge, CA

10201 Reseda Blvd, Suite 105,
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 993-0088
10 AM till 9 PM

First off, how could I have lived in the valley for 5 years and not know that the Galleria Market on Reseda is an amazing and huge Korean Grocery store? And that it has a pretty impressive food court, with 3 Korean restaurants, this Katsu place and a Sushi place, and filled with Koreans (think I was the only white person there). I will be going back and trying the Korean places, but loving Chicken Katsu Curry form the curry house I had to see if there was something like it closer than downtown LA.

And there is, though not quite up to par with Curry House, though I love the sides, but great for so close to my house.

Kelly and I both got the Chicken Katsu Curry. And we got a device to tell us when to come back. Finding a seat was a bit of a fight as their could certainly be more seats, but you can find one, and they have people to come and clean what people have left.

As you can see the Kastu plate is huge for under $10, with a delicious cabbage salad, 2 pickled veggies, rice, Miso soup and the curry sauce. And the chicken is white meat, with a good breading (though dark meat always gives a little more flavor. My biggest complaint was the curry sauce, which while good, was just not strong enough, and with zero spice. Next time I might need to bring some hot oil to put in to kick the flavor up, and give me my spice level I like (and yes I will go back).

Quite good and tasty, though yes I could use a little stronger curry sauce.

Can't wait to get back to the Galleria food court and try some more food!

Lee's Sandwiches, Vietnamese Bahn Min Fast Food, Various Locations

Lee's Sandwiches

55 Locations, including many in Southern California

 

When my lovely wife and I went to get our new puppy east off the 60, we stoppee in a mall for lunch and decided to go with Lee's Sandwiches. This was a large and clean chain restaurant, with inexpensive Vietnamese Bahn Mi, as well as American sandwiches on fresh baked 10 inch French Bread. And did I mention cheap? Now the prices seem different between stores, but still run between $3 and $4 for the average sandwich!

Even better the sandwiches are delicious! So far we have tried the Grilled Pork and the Special with Jambon, headcheese and pate. Both are fantastic, with great crunch from the veggies, but the grilled pork is just fantastic! And seems to be the same between different stores!

Different stores have various different appetizers and foods. And they have delicious smoothies, and I recomend the passion fruit!

At the first store we looked up the place online, and were delighted to find there is a branch right near us in North Hills, as well as one in Lake Balboa. The prices are slightly higher in North Hills, but the same quality food with more appetizers, and various asian candies. And it looks like it is doing great! We could not be more delighted.

It may not be the best bahn mi in the world, but the quality is great and consistent, the taste is good and the prices are great! Why would I ever eat at Subway when I can have this?

La Brea Bakery, Cafe, Bakery and Pizza, Los Angeles, CA

La Brea Bakery
468 S. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-6813
7 am till 6 pm everyday



I have been eating La Brea Bakery bread for years, and had always wanted to eat there, so I was quite excited to finally get the chance, but was anything but excited by the results. This cafe and bakery is in the old Rita Flora space on La Brea, and they have ample parking in back, both valet and self park, and the service was quite good, but I was unimpressed by the food!

I went for the Turkey Avocado sandwich for $11.95. Getting into deli prices for a sandwich, but not Deli serving sizes for sure. A large piece of country wheat bread, but not a lot of meat, with arugula, chipotle mayo, and supposedly avocado, but I couldn't see it or taste it. Absolutely nothing special here. Not bad, but nothing impressive. I could have made much better at home. You get a free side, eitehr a Green Apple & Fennel Slaw or Farfalle Pasta Salad, and I went for the pasta, but it was not very good. Overly oniony, and just not a good taste. I mostly left this on the plate.

My wife had the House Tomato soup and enjoyed it, though I am not a fan so didn't try it and can't say.

We did enjoy the Bread Tasting for $4.95. A basket of different breads with ample portions of oil, olive tapenade and butter. And the bread was un-surprisingly good, with the exceptional being a fruit and nut bread, that unfortunately is $16 for a loaf.

Mostly I think I was disappointed in my sandwich. No interesting flavors, no avocado as far as I could tell and boring turkey that could easily have come from the grocery store. Honestly for $12 I want a special sandwich, and this was anything but.

Extraordinary Desserts, Desert and Lunch, San Diego, CA

Extraordinary Desserts
1430 Union Street
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 294-7991



My wife had read about this place when researching San Diego for our anniversary weekend, and we decided we just had to try it.

When you walk in there is a huge glass case filled with different desserts, all of which can change all the time, as soon as they sell out. There is also a bunch of sit down tables as they have sandwiches and tapas type foods as well, though we just got desert to go.

They gave us a a sheet of paper, and told us to write down our picks to take to the cashier, and to have backups because things go quick. We got what we wanted though.

And the depressing thing is that it was a mixed bag. Some absolutely amazing, and some actually bad!

First off Kelly got ice cream and I got sorbet. The ice cream was a strawberry, and was OK, though tasted like strawberry jam instead of fresh strawberries. So it was a bit too sweet, but pretty good. On the other hand I had a banana and passion fruit sorbet that was the best sorbet I have ever had. The taste was exquisite, and the texture soft and fluffy. Absolutely perfect! I should have gotten more! REALLY SPECTACULAR!

Then we each got something to take back to the hotel room.

I got a chocolate chip cookie with cherries, and it was awful! Dry as the desert, and hard as a rock. Just not good at all! Couldn't even taste the cherries either. Bleck!

Kelly meanwhile got a chocolate crossaint with strawberries on top, and it was unbelievably good. Great in fact! Wow. So tasty! We had just had dinner and ice cream and were going to have a bite, but quickly ate the whole thing!

So not sure what to say about this place. It was hit or miss.