Panera Bread

Panera Bread

4910 Telephone Road  Ventura, CA 93003

Today I venture over to Panera Bread for the first time.   They've been open a few years here in Ventura, I just never had the chance to go there..  I decided on today because they are doing a fundraiser where a portion of your bill goes to support The Kingdom Center, a transitional housing complex to help the homeless get on their feet.

When I walked in for lunch, I immediately noticed they have a pretty expansive menu of specialty items.  When I told the cashier it was my first time there she suggested I order the "Pick 2" combo in which you get two half portions of just about anything on the menu.  Good idea!  

For my selections I ordered a Tuna Salad Sandwich and the All-Natural Sonoma Chicken Stew.   

The Tuna Salad Sandwich is described as a sandwich using their special recipe tuna salad, leaf lettuce, tomatoes and red onions and salt and pepper on a whole grain bread that is sweetened with honey.  

I was pleasantly surprised with the sandwich!   The tuna tasted freshly made, it sure didn't taste like it came from a package or it was left over from the day before.  It was cold, crisp and refreshing.  I was also impressed with the produce on the sandwich.  The lettuce, tomato and onion all seemed fresh and of high quality.  

The Sonoma Chicken Stew is described as a creamy chicken stew with carrots, peas, leeks, red potatoes with sweet cream and thyme topped with a jack cheese biscuit.   

A simple way of describing this stew is a chicken pot pie in a bowl with a biscuit on top.  I was kinda expecting more from this item flavor wise.  I wanted something to explode in my mouth and say, "wow! that was good" but it really didn't happen.  The chicken itself was tasty, but it seemed minimal.  I'd say only about 3 bites had chicken on it.  The base of the stew was more creamy than soupy (which is why I compared it to a pot pie) and the base seemed like it needed more spices.  The jack cheese biscuit on top was good.  It made for a nice ending to this dish.

The meal included a baguette, apple or a bag of potato chips.  I chose the baguette and was not disappointed   It had a firm crust and the inside the nice and fluffy.  

Overall I enjoyed the experience.  The employees were very friendly and attentive.  The food seemed of high quality and carefully prepared.  I really enjoyed the tuna sandwich and the breads.   I'd pass on the chicken stew next time, but I'd be curious to try something else off of their expansive menu.

Pizza Chief

Pizza Chief
7770 Telegraph Road
Ventura
(805) 647-8888


Pizza night!   I'd guess we order pizza out about once a week or so..  We try not to do it any more often than that.  Tonight we visit Pizza Chief and order one of their specialties,  the Dudley Do Right.  This pizza is topped with Canadian style bacon and mushrooms.

I don't think I would have picked this combination, but it worked really well!  Pizza Chief's crust seems to be a typical dough that you might get at any chain pizza joint.  It was nice and chewy and held the pizza toppings just fine.  They use a pretty standard pizza sauce which works for us.   Really, how hard is it to mess up pizza?   The Canadian bacon tasted good and they sure didn't skimp on the mushrooms!

Overall - we enjoyed this pie.. It was nice having a pizza that didn't have greasy toppings.   We didn't feel full  and yucky after eating one too many slices..

Carl's Jr

Carl's Jr.
1745 S Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA


Today we venture to our local Carl's Jr to try their new Memphis BBQ Burger.  The ad's look so good (what Carl Jr's ad's don't?) and since it seemed like a burger that we would enjoy - this is where we ended up for lunch today.

The Memphis BBQ Burger is described as having a charbroiled all-beef burger, pulled pork, bbq sauce, crispy onion strings on a sesame seed bun.   Here's the photo from their website:

Looks pretty good to me!


Now they always show a Six Dollar Burger version of their promotions, so I ordered a Six Dollar version of the Memphis BBQ Burger.   Here's what mine looked like:

Notice the similarities?   Maybe it was the lighting or the lack of a quality camera.   After all, I did use my cell phone camera to take the picture..  I never assume fast food will come out the way it's pictured.  I've watched TV shows that show how they prep the food for the camera.  

Looks aside, this burger turned out pretty good.  Despite what you might be thinking, "Where's the pork?" I'd have to say I think it had just the right amount of pork on it.  I really enjoy the taste of the beef in Carl's Jr's $6 burger and I thought that if there was any more pork on there then it would take away from the burger.  If you want pork, go somewhere and get a pulled pork sandwich.  I'm here for a burger.    I also like the BBQ sauce and the amount.  Again, it wasn't overwhelming, but it sure was flavorful.  It added a nice sweetness to it..   

Also on this trip, I decided I was in the mood for chili cheese fries.  The menu describes them as natural cut french fries smothered in chili and shredded melted jack and cheddar cheese.   Here's what they say they should look like:  


Lookin' pretty good again....   


I know I said looks aren't everything when eating at a fast food restaurant, but these looked pitiful compared to the advertisement:






Now, Carl's Jr's fries have never been all that great, but they've been decent enough not to avoid them.  These fries were wimpy and couldn't hold up to the chili and cheese.  The chili didn't have any kick to it at all.  I don't even know if I'd describe the beef as seasoned.  It was just plain.   The only nod they get is using actual shredded cheese and not cheese sauce.  I like shredded much better.   Although when I got mine the cheese was already all melted into one glob.   

Overall - I liked the Memphis BBQ Burger..  I wouldn't get the chili cheese fries again.

Procento's Pizzeria

Procento's Pizzeria
105 Franklin St
Galena, IL

You're not gonna believe this... But we opted to try another pizza while on our Chicago trip..  This time it was something on their menu that caught our eye.   A double decker pizza...   We ordered Procento's Double Decker Special.   It's described on their menu as two thin crust pizza's layered on top of one another and brought together by hand rolling the crust of the top and bottom together.  This one was topped with sausage, mushroom, green pepper and chopped tomatoes.

On the surface this pizza looked pretty good.   Procento's advertises that they are the home to the buttery crust.  Indeed the ends of the crust were buttery however they didn't do much for the consistency of the dough.  The crust was crisp on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside.  It just wasn't easy to chew threw two layers of pizza dough.  With sausage being the only meat on this pizza I would have expected more of it.  The pieces of sausage that I did have had a decent flavor however it was only sparsely scattered across the pizza.

Overall this was a pretty plain tasting pizza.   In my opinion it's a novelty pizza and certainly not my favorite.  I wouldn't order it again, it just wasn't that tasty.

Campeche

Campeche
230 North Commerce Street
Galena, Illinois 61036


As I mentioned in a previous post, it really is hard to get good authentic Mexican food the farther away from California that we get.   However, after being away from home for a week we still get cravings and we give in and see what the locals come up with.   That brings us to Campeche.

After checking out the menu, we decide on the Nachos Supremas.  The menu describes them as their original nachos topped with lettuce, tomato, guacamole and sour creme.   Served with your choice of beef, chicken or chorizo.

We go for the beef nachos and above is a picture of what we received.  I wasn't real impressed with the presentation but then again, we're not here for that.  We want good tasting food..

First of all, the chips were soggy.   Nothing like limp, soggy chips for your nachos.  I like places that have decent chips that stand up to the toppings so you don't have to use a fork to eat them.   I like nachos where I can grab a chip covered in the toppings and the toppings don't fall off.   The ground beef was simple, seemed to be seasoned with a premixed taco seasoning mix.   It was good, but not great.   I'll tell you what was really good here was the side of pico de gallo.   It really packed a punch and had a lot of flavors working well together.  They also served jalapenos on the side and they were pretty generous with the amount too.   Adding the jalapenos to the nachos made it pleasantly spicy...

If I were to judge the restaurant by the nachos alone, I probably wouldn't come back.   I might give them another chance if I was in the area only because their menu seems pretty expansive and has some pretty good sounding items on it.

Union Dairy

Union Dairy

126 E Douglas St
Freeport, IL 61032

(815) 232-7099


Our adventures on this day had us stop at Union Dairy for their wide variety of burgers.  From my research on the internet the actual name of the business is Alber's Ice Cream Parlor, however they are in the historical Union Dairy building, and they left the Union Dairy sign on the building.

Their menu consists of over 15 different burger varieties.    Raging from a Hawaiian Burger to a Taco Burger, a Pizza Burger and then some of the more normal types such as a Western Burger, a Chili Cheese Burger and then of course just a plan hamburger or cheeseburger.

On the day we visited we noticed they had recently added a Popper Burger.   It was described as their standard burger topped with creme cheese filled jalapeño poppers and their home made spicy sauce.  They also use their spicy sauce on their Heated Debate Burger.  

First bite into this burger made my mouth sweat!   It was spicy!   in a good way..  The jalapeños tasted fresh not frozen.   The cream cheese helped cool it down a little bit, not much.  My mouth was on fire for a while!  The dense bun they serve the burger on was perfect as you need a little breading to take the sting away from your mouth.   The homemade potato chips were rather flavorless.   Actually, they tasted like the oil in their fryer hasn't been changed in a while.

I really enjoyed this burger and if in the area again, I would come back to try some of their other creations.

Roots Handmade Pizza

Roots Handmade Pizza
1924 West Chicago Avenue Chicago, IL 60622‎

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(773) 645-4949

Roots seemed like a nice comfortable place to enjoy a pizza...  The atmosphere just seemed like a nice causal place with TV's and the type of place you might see adult sports teams come to celebrate their latest victory with pizza and beer.


Speaking of beer, Roots makes and bottles their own root beer!    I had to try some since the likelihood me making it back to this city kinda slim...

For bottled root beer, admittedly  I don't have much to compare it to other than IBC or Henry Weinhards.   Comparing this to IBC it doesn't go down as smoothly, but it's overall taste is more appealing.    Give and take some I guess.    It was good for a one time try, but at $3 a bottle I don't think I'd go for it again.

For our pizza selection today, we opted for the Taco Pizza.   Now we've had some pretty poor experiences with Mexican food the father away from California that we were.  So we didn't have high hopes, but I did read somewhere on-line that the Taco Pizza was one of their specialties   

Their menu describes the pizza as: A Quad-Cities Original:  a taco-seasoned house made crumbled sausage with Quad Cities Mozzarella blend and cheddar cheese.  Topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and taco-seasoned chips.  Here's the picture of what we received:

Honestly, I thought this was kinda cheesy looking.   But hey, if it's one of their specialities I'll roll with it.    The Doritios style chips kinda mostly fall off when taking bites of the pizza, but they did add a nice crunch.  I would say nothing really stood out individually about this pizza, but all the toppings worked together really well and and tasted delicious.   From their website and menu I could tell that Roots takes pride in their pizza crust... and it was good...  The sausage on the pizza was seasoned really well..  I wasn't sure how "taco seasoned sausage" would taste as I've only had taco seasoned beef and turkey.  Since sausage seems to be the topping of choice for pizza in Chicago I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Overall - the pizza was really good..  It doesn't hit the favorite mark in my book, nevertheless it is a really good tasting pizza.

Top Notch Beefburgers

Top Notch Beefburgers
2116 West 95th Street Chicago, IL 60643‎

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(773) 445-7218

Ok, we didn't eat pizza at every meal while in Chicago.   Although I probably could have!   Now we visit a place that I heard the burgers here pretty good....    better than good, I heard they were Top Notch.

For our burger experience, I opted for a patty melt..  Not just any patty melt, I went big.   I really wanted to taste the quality beef.    I went with a 3/4lb beef patty melt...

Sorry for the poor photo, I think we were kinda hungry (which is why I ordered the 3/4lb version) and just snapped a quick photo before diving in...

Bad photography aside, this patty melt was delicious.  The rye bread it was served had a distinct buttery taste to it - just like it was buttered for the grill.   The beef was really tasty and cooked well-done  which normally makes it a little bit dry.   However, they must have pulled it off as soon as the pink disappeared because it didn't taste like a well done or overcooked burger.  It was juicy and flavorful.  Grilled onions on top of the patty gave a nice depth to the flavor and the cheddar cheese oozed out the sides.  They served sliced pickles on the side, but I threw them into the mix as well and enjoyed every bite of this burger.

I also had a banana milkshake.  It was very thick, but not too think that it couldn't be slurped up through a straw.  They used fresh bananas that tasted ripe and delicious.   Sometimes from other places I order a banana shake and either the banana flavor is a syrup or the banana's they use aren't ripe enough and don't produce enough flavor.  This one was perfect..

Overall - I highly recommend Top Notch Beefburgers for their Top Notch food..

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

439 North Wells Street

Chicago, IL 60654

(312) 828-9800

Next up on our Chicago pizza excursions is Lou Malnati's....  They claim to have the best pizza in Chicago... Actually  I think all the places we went to make that claim....   I guess each person has their own favorite, just as do I...

Our pizza on this day was "Lou's Special" which is what seems to be a Chicago pizza staple... It's a deep dish sausage pizza pie heavy on the mozzarella and tomato sauce.

The sausage that they use on their pie is shaped into a large round patty and is one of the layers on the pizza. Overall, the pizza just good, but not great.    I really liked the sauce and the tomatoes.   They had some really good Italian seasonings that otherwise would have made the pizza kinda tasteless.  For some reason the cheese on this pizza caught my attention.  It was really good!  The disappointing party of the pizza, which in the end made the pie just "alright" in my book, was the sausage patty.  There really was no flavor to it.  I'd almost have to compare it to a mild breakfast sausage..   I'd be happier with the same pizza with just the cheese and tomatoes.   That's how good the sauce and cheese were... By themselves, it would have been a winner..

Although the pizza was a disappointment in my book, dessert caught my attention.   A chocolate chip pizza...   Normally chocolate doesn't grab my attention, but in pizza form?   This I had to see...

The menu describes the pizza as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie prepared in a deep dish pizza pan, topped with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream.  Let me tell you... The cookie was warm and delicious.   It was nice and soft...  The ice cream was obviously high quality vanilla bean ice cream.  This wasn't your typical Thrifty or cheaper ice cream.  Something about the creamy goodness that made this ice cream and warm cookie probably the best part of our meal here.

Max's Take Out

Max's Take Out
20 East Adams Street  Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 553-0170




Spending a week in Chicago and eating only pizza sounds like a dream come true...  However, there are times when you need to cleanse your palate so that you can fully appreciate the next pizza pie...    So we stopped in at Max's Take Out for some Chicago style Italian Beef...

I came here for the Italian Burger...    A double cheeseburger with sliced mozzarella and then topped with Max's famous Italian seasoned roast beef, marinara sauce and your choice of sweet or hot peppers.  Here's how it came out:

Visually, this burger looked like a monster.  Who would have piled all that roast beef on top of two beef patties?      I'm glad Max did....

After taking the picture and smashed the burger down a bit to make it fit into my mouth and took a bite....   My immediate response was......  a smile....   This was good....  I could taste the homemade marinara sauce and all the italian seasonings working together to make a masterpiece.  Beyond the marinara sauce I was compelete in awe of the roast beef that just made the entire sandwich.  I'm sure this beef was marinated for a long time before seeing the grill.   It was very thin and tender and bursting with flavor.    The hot peppers weren't really all that hot..   I prefer spicy to sweet, so that why I opted for them...  I'd say they didn't add or take away from the overall experience...

You might think I forgot to mention the beef patties?    Well, to be honest, they were kinda forgotten in the burger..   The cook didn't forget them, it's just the two beef patties didn't really offer much flavor or addition to the burger....       Next time I eat here, I'd probably order what my wife ordered:

Just their standard Italian beef sandwich..    No need for the extra filler of the beef patties since they didn't really add much to the sandwich except calories and a fuller stomach..

Two forks up for Max's Take Out....   I'd definitely recommend the beef here!

Pequod's Pizza

Pequod's Pizza
2207 North Clybourn Avenue  Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 327-1512


I'm just gonna come right out and say it without any fanfare or further description.    Pequod's Pizza was by far the best pizza that we had while we were in Chicago area.

The menu self proclaims that they have "the best pizza in the universe."   I'd pretty much agree!   I still think my hometown favorite, Vincenzo's Pizza, is still my favorite all time, but Pequod's has a pie that even challenges that.  

We ordered a simple deep dish sausage with extra cheese and extra sauce.

First off, doesn't that picture look delicious?   Obviously not a pick up and fold pizza, definitely need a knife and fork..    Although it may be hard to see, let me tell you about the crust...   They cook their pan pizzas in a cast iron pan that has been seasoned for years.   The crust is caramelized and has a nice crispy darkened edge.  A tasty buttery crispy bottom, but yet the dough itself was chewy throughout.   Just perfect....

I'm sure it's hard to tell from the photos, but the cheese was abundant!  When you tell them extra cheese and extra sauce, there's no mistake on whether they forgot to add more cheese and sauce..   The cheese was perfectly melted and stringy just like pizza should be right out of the oven...

Now, there are two things that made this our favorite pizza...  #1 - the crust..  I already raved about the crust.....   #2 - the sausage.    To keep our reviews fair, we tried to order the same type of pizza at each pizza joint (deep dish sausage and cheese)..   This sausage was by far the most flavorful pork that I've had on any pizza.  I don't know much about how they make it, but when you bite in to it there is just an explosion of flavor in your mouth.  Not spicy hot, but it has distinct spices they dance on your tastebuds.   A good mix of Italian seasonings that just work together perfectly.  

I can't say enough about how delicious this pizza was and I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area....  

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria

Spacca Napoli Pizzeria
1769 West Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-2420

Our next top for pizza while in Chicago was Spacca.        Here we didn't find the usual Chicago deep dish or thin crust pizza.   It was a true Italian pizza inspired by Naples.       We decided on the Diavola pizza...

Diavola Pizza

This pizza is described as being topped with mozzarella di bufala, spicy salami, red pepper flakes and basil.

To say this pizza was quickly made is an understatement.    This pie came out in less than 5 minutes after we ordered.   Don't be worried about doneness, this pizza was perfectly done....  charred a bit, but not burnt.   

This pizza was definitely a winner.   The spicy salami was very tasty and had a really good kick to it.  The red pepper was just enough to let you know it was there but not overwhelming.   Based on looks and tastes alone, this pizza was just about perfect...

The only issue that I had with this pie is that the bottom crust was very thin and flimsy.  This made keeping the toppings on the pizza a little bit of a challenge.    We practically had to eat the pizza New York style and fold the crust, but the crisp edges of the crust didn't fold too easily.   

And if you're looking for a soda to whet your whistle while you're here, I'd get a soda before or after visiting.  The soda came in an 8oz bottle..  Kinda small and more expensive than I like to spend on soda..  I'm a fan of fountain drinks, especially with free refills.

Pat's Pizza

Pat's Pizza
2679 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 248-0168

Up next, another pizza place we visited while touring Chicago.  

When I think of Chicago style pizza, I'm thinking deep dish...  Who would have thought that one of my favorite pizza's in Chicago specializes in thin crust?

Meet Pat's Pizza....    More specifically, Pat's Special:

Pats special is described as having sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and onions....    You'll see in the picture that the green bell peppers were not an after thought....   This pizza looked good.

First bite into the pizza we taste the tomato sauce...  Rich with basil, it was very tasty..  This sauce is a perfect base for this pizza....     The next flavor that fills my palate with joy is the sausage..   They must have a special recipe for their sausage.  There was so much going on flavor wise that this was one of the best sausage on a pizza that I can remember.  If you want to wow your taste buds, get a pie with sausage from Pat's..   It's that good!  The bell peppers were crispy and crunchy, just the way they should be...   I don't like wimpy after thought bell peppers on my pizzas.. I like thick crunchy flavorful bell peppers.   This fit the bill perfectly...

Overall, I'd say Pat's Pizza was one of our favorite pizza places in Chicago!  

Fusion Burgers

Fusion Burgers
5933 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90042
(323) 257-8705

Hours:    Mon - Sun: 3:00 pm-10:00 pm


We thought we'd try a new burger joint on the way to the Dodger game, and Fusion Burgers seemed to have some unique burgers on their menu.   So off we went....

Let me tell you that driving down York Blvd to get here is not one of the most pleasant drives.   It seems like a pretty rough neighborhood.... at least compared to what I'm used to..   Bars on the windows to almost every business, graffiti in all forms is abundant.    Nothing specific made me feel unsafe, as it's not the worst neighborhood I've visited for a meal, but just the atmosphere outside had me questioning myself - Is there a place for a $10 burger (fries and drink not included) in this neighborhood?   That's what we were here to find out....

The locations is on a corner of a two main streets in a small strip mall with very little parking.   I'd say the parking lot had about 10 spots, maybe 12.   I parked in the last available spot in front of the UniSex Hair Cut business (which also sold Mexican insurance.)   There is street parking as well, but it seemed crowded as well.

We walked into the burger place and were taken back by the prestige of a nice restaurant.  Nothing fancy, just nice.   We were greeted immediately and asked if we were there for pick up or dine in.  The server seated us next to a window seat with a view of York Blvd (if you could look past the graffiti etched into the glass.)   The interior is really well done.

Onto the menu.   For those loyal readers, you know that I'm a glutton for spicy (pain!) and anything along those lines grab my attention immediately.  I quickly focus on Dan's Inferno Burger.  Described as ground chicken and turkey mixed patty, Dan's Inferno sauce, 1000 Island, pepper cheese, roasted peppers, and onion ringlets.  I wasn't too sure about the chicken/turkey combo patty as I came here for a burger, but the description was calling my name.  I also had to try their chili cheese fries and the Cheese Tosos (tater tots.)

The food is definitely made fresh here, it took a little while for our food to arrive..  Don't come here in a rush, I would say it took between 10-15 minutes to get our food.. This isn't fast food...

The food comes presented very elegantly on nice plates.  They are sure trying to impress in this neighborhood.   Now for the food.....

The chili fries were good.   Nothing special, but decent.  It tasted home made and not your fast food chili.  However nothing stuck out on my palate about the chili.  It was just chili on fries with a slice of cheese melted on the top.

The cheese tosos were pretty good, and if I were to come back I would get these over the fries.  The fries (assuming they're the same fries by them selves as the ones in the chili cheese fries) just had no real flavoring or seasoning to them.  The cheese tosos were basically hash browns and cheddar cheese shaped into jumbo sized tater tots and deep fried.   Really good...  They were cooked perfectly and the cheese didn't really overpower the fried potato taste.   I liked 'em!

And now.... the main attraction....  The burger...    My first bite into the burger I was focusing on the flavor of the patty, because that was my biggest concern.   Oh yeah.....  They must add some seasoning.  This patty would make a great burger substitute in any burger..  Then.....  Dan's Inferno sauce kicked in..  It kinda had a habañero flavor to it, but it didn't have the heat I would have expected from the flavor.  Don't get me wrong, it was hot...... but not habañero hot.   I'm guessing the sauce had a very very small concentrate of habañero to give the flavor but not all the heat..    I couldn't really taste the the pepper cheese as described on the burger.   It must have been a very very mild pepper jack..  I think this is where the burger could have used some improvement.  If it was me, I might have substituted a more flavorful or sharper cheese.   Oh... The onion ringlets.   Annoying....  They just seemed to get in the way while eating the burger and provided no help with the mixing of the flavors.   I would have liked to have seen just a few unfried onion slices on the burger..  Maybe raw onion to bring out the flavor...

One more thing.. I'd be remiss to not mention the jalapeño dip they serve with the sides.   It was awesome!  Not really spicy, but had a mild ranch flavor with dill and some jalapeno flavors.  The fries that weren't covered in chili I dipped into here and they were good!   If I were to come back, I might just get the fries just to dip them into this dip..

Would I come back?   Well, the burgers were good..   If I were in the area with no other lunch plans I'd probably come back.  For me, it's not a special trip worthy of a place...  The food is good, but I can't say memorable...

800 Degrees

800 Degrees Westwood Village
10889 Lindbrook Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90024
424-239-5010

Hours:
11am-2am 7 days a week

I've been wanting to come here since I read about this place late last year....    Customizable Neapolitan pizza's that cook in 60 seconds and that are actually good?      Well, I figured I'd try them out....

My wife and I were in the area about a month ago, and decided to come here for dinner.  Not only was parking scarce, the line was out the door and down the block to the corner!    At the time we were going to a show in Hollywood, so we decided we didn't have time to wait in line.     But today, my work sent me close to this area so I figured I'd give it a shot again during lunch time.

I arrived at 11am sharp, found parking on the street just a couple doors down... and guess what?  Somebody left an hour on the parking meter!   My lucky day...  I knew this was a good idea...

I walked into the restaurant and it was empty...  There was one lady ordering in front of me and I believe I was just the second customer of the day...    By the time I left after eating, there were about 15 people eating and  another 15 in line to order...  I came at the right time!




First off, I walk up to this "Chipotle" style ordering counter where you meet a guy tossing pizza dough...   He hands the freshly tossed dough to the guy next to him who asks which pizza would I like..   I could just make my own creation, but I figured for a first timer - I'd order one of their specialty pizza's..

Being that spicy always calls my name, I opt for the pizza titled Piccante.  This pie is topped with soppressata, garlic & Calabrian chilies...   Soppressata is spicy air-dried salami...     Sounds right up my alley...

I walk with my pizza down the line as they make it, and was offered to add a salad when I was towards the end of the food line..   I opted for a small caesar salad.....        Including a fountain drink, my pizza and the salad it was about $15 including tax.   Not too bad...

I watched my pizza get placed into a wood burning oven...   Supposedly heated to 800 degrees (doh?) so your pizza is fully cooked in about 60 seconds...   I thought mine was closer to 2 minutes, but I really wasn't watching the clock..   Maybe it was my hunger that was slowing time down for me...

First - the caesar salad.   It was really fresh..   The lettuce was dark green and the croutons tasted and had the texture of home made.   Like they baked them in their own 800 degree oven.  Really tasty.    The caesar dressing wasn't over powering.  For me, it was probably just right.  I couldn't really taste it unless I stopped to think about it.   I know it was tossed with the salad, but it was just so light..     Thumbs up for their caesar salad.

Now - What you've been waiting for....  The pizza...   The pie comes sliced into 6 slices.   With the salad, I'd say it would easily pass for two people - but I was by myself and being that I'm not a leftovers guy - I did eat the whole thing..

I picked up a slice and noted how flimsy the bottom crust was.   If you're not careful, the toppings could easily slide off on to your plate.  It seemed a little greasy, maybe that's the olive oil they layer onto the dough before they add any toppings?    The first bite.....  has a nice spiciness to it..    For those who aren't into spicy, this wasn't jalapeno or serrano chile spicy.   Think what the next step up from a pepperoni would be.. That's about where it was.    And there was plenty of fresh tomato sauce...  They make their own sauce here with fresh tomatoes and seasonings, and it was good!      The chile's on the pizza seemed no spicer than red pepper flakes.. They worked really nice with the soppressata...    The end crust was crispy on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside...

Greasy

Well - I'd say this would be worthy of another visit!    I'd definitely come back here if I was in the area..  I'm eager to try some of their other pizza's they have..

Happy Joes

Happy Joe's
9919 Route 20
Galena, IL 61036
815-777-1830

Do you ever wake up in the morning and just crave pizza?   You look in your fridge and then remember you ate all the pizza last night for dinner.   Man, what would I give for some hot, fresh breakfast pizza?

Well, Happy Joe's has solved your dilemma!   They make breakfast pizza's that are pretty darn good!     They'll even deliver in the morning too!

We ordered the Denver Omelet Pizza which was described as pan style crust pizza topped with eggs, cheese and Green peppers, onions, tomatoes and diced bacon.  Sounds good to me!   Here's what we received:

This was a fantastic pizza!   The crust seemed fluffy/chewy (in a good way) however it was crisp  on the bottom.    The cheese and eggs really had a lot of flavor.   And the veggies!  Wow, the bell pepper still had crunch!  All the veggie's seemed to be really fresh.   Overall, this was a really well done pizza.   I've never had a breakfast pizza like this and I wouldn't hesitate to get it again!   If I'm ever back in this area, maybe I'd try the Bacon & Bacon Breakfast pizza or the Three Meat Breakfast pizza.   Two forks up on my plate for this one!

Lucky's Sandwich Company

Lucky's Sandwich Company
3472 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
 
(773) 549-0665




My wife and I were in Chicago a few weeks ago and ate really well!   So many places to eat at.   So many that I've read about or seen on TV.  I finally got a little of bit of time to write and post some photos of the places we ate at...    Keep an eye on the blog for the next few weeks...

I saw this place on Man vs Food and figured it should be pretty good..    The Challenge at this place was to eat three of their sandwiches in less than an hour.    According to their stats, less than 7% of the people who attempt it are able to finish all three....    This challenge wasn't for me, so I just went to enjoy the food..

All of their sandwiches are topped with Tomatoes, Fries and Seasoned Coleslaw.    Sounds good to me!   I opted for the Two Bagger.   A sandwich with Roast Beef and Pastrami with Provolone Cheese.   Here's a picture of what I received:

Whoa!  This looks good!    I'm all about stuffing anything you can on a sandwich...  At $7.50 a sandwich, you definately get your moneys worth in food!    But how did it taste?  

The bread was very soft and fluffy.   It worked really well and tasted freshly baked.  The coleslaw, however, was too vinegary.   I like coleslaw, but to me it just tasted like vinegar soaked cabbage with no other seasonings.   I really didn't like it at all.  The fries were seasoned and were good.  With the rest of the sandwich being drowned out by the coleslaw, there really was too little meat to taste.  Eaten separately, the meat tasted fine, but nothing special.   The fries and coleslaw drowned out the meat.  A sandwich loaded with as much as this one is, there really needs to be more meat to balance the taste out.

My wife ordered a bacon and cheese sandwich..    She took the coleslaw off the second half before eating it and it was a really good sandwich!   Fries, bacon and cheese on some really good bread.   Can't go wrong there!

Although this wasn't a place I'd return to, it was busy at lunchtime.  Within 10 minutes of our arrival the place was packed solid!


Bottom line:  Skip this one.   Nothing special to see/eat here.

Jack in the Box - Bacon Shake

Jack In The Box

2115 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA  93003
(805) 658-1723


Ever since I read on the internet that you could get a bacon flavored ice cream shake from Jack In The Box, I was game!   I salivated for this shake for several weeks before I had an opportunity to try it.

We pull into the drive through and I tell the guy that I would like a Bacon Milkshake.   I could just about hear the smile in his voice as he asked, Regular or Large size?    I opted for the regular as I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this new creation, however in the back of my mind I already knew I would enjoy it.  

As I pull up to the window, the car in front of me gets handed a shake and speeds away.   Two employees greet me at the drive-through window and ask how we heard about the bacon shake.  I said, "The internet, of course!"   They laughed and told me that the car in front of me also just ordered one.  I guess their "secret" menu item isn't so secret anymore.  It's not on their menu board, but I did see it on their website.

The bacon shake is described as, "Made with real vanilla ice cream, bacon flavored syrup, whipped topping and a maraschino cherry."   I don't remember ours having a cherry on top, but maybe my wife ate it before I saw it..   I can't say.   Also important to note...  No real pigs were killed in the making of this shake.   No real bacon or imitation bacon bits on or in the shake.  Just bacon flavored syrup.

The first sip....   Wow...   My mouth was immediately immersed in a smokey, maybe some maple, flavored bacon and then the vanilla ice cream kicked in.  I smiled...   Who would have thought such a combination would have brought so much pleasure to my palate.  My wife also seemed to enjoy the first sip or two but then later recanted and said she wouldn't order it again. I do admit, the flavor will either grow on you or you'll be repulsed by it.   After more than half the shake is gone, my mouth almost grew tired of the flavor.  But it didn't and I finished it off with a proud grin, knowing that I was able to finally taste a truly new creation.

I would definitely order this again, since it is a limited time product, and just fact that we can order something so odd off of a secret menu.   I will stick with a regular size though, as a large would be too much...    Maybe I'll ask them to crumble some real back on top?   I'm sure they've been asked to do that already.

Service - 9/10

Food - 8/10

Overall - 8/10

Spencer Makenzie's Fish Company

Spencer Makenzie's Fish Company

806 East Thompson Boulevard
Ventura, CA  93001
(805) 643-TACO

Famous for their fish tacos, this probably wouldn't be a place I'd race to.  I'm not a big seafood lover.  If I eat fish, usually it has to be breaded and lots of sauce on it so the flavor is disguised.   Never the less, we had a coupon for this place and thus, we ended up here.

We pull up to what appears to be an old mobile home style dining car which has been retrofitted to look like a fishing boat.  The exterior looks old but not run-down.  Usually places with visual character tend to have pretty good food.

Although the fish tacos were all the rave, we both opted for the 3 piece fish and chips.    The menu describes it as "Three grilled or tempura pieces served with our Spencer Sauce & Coleslaw.  $9.50"  We also ordered some of their homemade chips and salsa for an additional $2.95.

The service here was top notch for the environment.   Our drinks were kept full and the server explained the menu very well and answered our questions confidently.  He checked in with us to make sure the food was as we expected and just was an all around friendly guy.

The tortilla chips were obviously made right there at the restaurant, although they weren't fresh out of the fryer.  They keep what appeared to be about 6-8 orders of chips underneath a heat lamp waiting for people to line up and order them.   Since we came just before the usual dinner time (4pm), perhaps they were expecting a dinner time rush of chips and wanted to have them ready.  Who knows how long they've been sitting underneath the lamp.   The salsa was delicious!   It really wasn't too spicy hot, but it definitely had a lot of flavor.  I cleaned out the small cup of salsa before we ran out of chips.  The salsa gets an A- on my report card.

After the chips and salsa were devoured, the fish and chips were delivered to the table.  We both ordered the tempura battered fish and it came out as three large pieces of fish sitting atop of mountain of french fries and a side of the Spencer Sauce and coleslaw.  The coleslaw was nothing special, I'm not too much of a coleslaw fan.   The Spencer Sauce was surprisingly good!   It basically is their own version of a tartar sauce.  The fish was perfectly crisp on the outside and very moist on the inside.  I'd say they know what they are doing here.

Another feature of the restaurant is that they make their own hot sauces for your fish.  I tried the 3 they had sitting on the table.  I first tried the Mean Green Sauce.   I like verde sauces, but it seems that I'm pretty selective of which ones I like.  There have been many times where a simple verde sauce is messed up and tastes awful.   This is one of those times.  I would steer clear of the verde sauce here.  The next up was the Caribbean Blaze Sauce.  I'm not fond of sweet sauces and this is one of those sweet n spicy sauces.  I'd say if you like sweet n spicy type sauces, you'd probably like this sauce.  By far my favorite, as expected, was the Habanero Sauce.  You can only put a little bit on each bite because it is HOT!   I put this sauce on two of my fish pieces and they really enhanced the flavor.

Nothing special to write about the french fries except they give you a mountain full of them.  We didn't even finish all of them.  

Overall, I'd say this was a good place for fish!  If I were to come back, I'd probably try their famous fish tacos with the Habanero sauce.  Come here if you're craving fish, they do a pretty decent job at it!

First Impression - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Menu - 8/10

Food - 8/10

Overall - 8/10


Sorry for no photos in this post.  We were kinda hungry and didn't remember to take any pictures until it was too late!

Lienzo Charro

Lienzo Charro

29000 Old Town Front St Ste A
Temecula, CA  92590
(951) 699-2500

Mexican food.    I'd have to say that Mexican food is probably my all time favorite food.    Pizza is high on the list, but I think I enjoy the spices and creativity that goes into Mexican food.   So here we are out wine tasting in the Temecula Valley and decide to stop in for some Mexican Food.

We walk into the restaurant sometime between lunch and dinner.   I could see only one other table occupied.   The bartender comes out from behind the bar and offers to seat us.   So far, I'm not impressed.   Don't get me wrong, the restaurant looks clean and decorated in your typical Mexican restaurant.   I'm thinking if the food was that great, there'd be more people here....   We shall see...

What is a mexican food restaurant without chips and salsa on the table?    The chips here were warm, probably sitting in a heated drawer awaiting our arrival, but they did not taste stale.    The salsa had a really nice flavor and spice to it.   Definitely a fresh made salsa with fresh and hot jalapeños.    Oh yeah!   I'd give the salsa two sombreros up.

Looking over the menu, it really is no different from any other full service Mexican food restaurant.   It has a little something for everyone.  Taco's, burritos, fajitas, combination plates and hamburgers ...     As in all restaurants that I've never visited before, when I see a section on the menu labeled Specialities de la Casa (House Specialties), I'm intrigued..    If they are to have something unique or something they believe they are good and preparing, these are the things I like to choose from.

The Burro Diablo immediately catches my eye..   If you know me, I like spicy foods.   I'm always in for something that is spicy, but also tastes good..   When I see Diablo on a menu, I think "spicy".

Burro Diablo ($10.95) - Chunky pork sutéed in a tangy tomatillo sauce with strips of green chiles, wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with rice and beans.

That sounds delicious to me!   Here's the picture of what I received:

Whoa!   It was huge!   And smothered with a verde sauce!    The pork inside was perfectly tender and just melted in my mouth with the verde salsa that was inside the burrito.     For  some reason, I really enjoy pork mexican food dishes.   I really don't eat pork any other time unless it's mexican food.   The green chili strips inside did not over power any of the flavor, they just added to it.   And of course, the cheese covered over the top just made it heavenly.    The rice was your typical side of rice, nothing special there.   I did enjoy the beans and cheese though!   Two things I usually base my return to a mexican food restaurant on:   Salsa and refried beans.   If they can't get those two things right, they got problems in the kitchen.   This place got both right.

My wife ordered the chimichanga ($11.95) and it too was so tasty.    She had her choice of chicken or beef, so she opted for the chicken.    I was able to sneak a few bites in and boy was it good.  The tortilla wasn't super crunchy or overly done, it tasted like it was just droped in the deep frier for a just a minute or less.    It was perfect...

Over all - I'd recommend this place!    The food was great and service was really good!

First Impression - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Menu - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Overall - 9/10

Mo's Restaurant

Mo's Restaurant

4301 W Riverside Dr

Burbank, CA  91505

(818) 845-3009

Mo's Fine Foods is the latest adventure that we set upon looking for great burgers.  I learned about Mo's from a list of places that had an unusual burger.   I'd have to say, the burger we set out to try today was most definitely unusual and not something you'd see on most burger menu's.   

We enter the restaurant which is dimly lit, but kinda on the elegant, romantic side.    We were warmly greeted by the host who showed us to our table.   After pondering the menu, knowing what we came for, we ordered.

The Foggy Bottom Burger ($12.50)

A signature Mo's burger topped with peanut butter and sour plum jam.    Really?    Did you say "peanut butter and jelly" on a hamburger?   Yes I did..   Not just any jelly either.   Sour plum jelly...

I ordered the Foggy Bottom Burger prepared medium.    When our burgers were ready, the server came to the table and informed us that he would meet us at the "Burger Bar".    This is a great idea.    We walked over to the Burger Bar and took our plates from the server which had only the burger on them.  The Burger Bar has the traditional condiments such as mustard, ketchup, a salsa and also a variety of very fresh produce.   The pickles were very thickly sliced and the the tomatoes looked perfectly ripe.  Also on the Burger Bar are a variety of side salads, including pasta salad, german potato salad, a black bean salad and a few other tasty looking salads.

Getting back to the table, I took a good look at my plate.  I was surprised the peanut butter and jelly came on the side.   I was expecting them to already be spread on the burger.    I guess this is idea for those who want to control how much extra flavor they wanted to add to the burger.   We dished the entire portions of each onto the burger and then dove in.

The first bite...  Cautious...  I wasn't sure about the combination.    I don't care for sour foods particularly.  I knew I liked (love!) peanut butter, so I wasn't too concerned about that.  Peanut butter goes well with anything...   even eggs...       

and then.....          Wow!     The peanut butter and jelly really worked perfectly with the Angus beef burger.    Sour plum jelly really wasn't that sour at all, it really complemented the flavor    Thinking back, I'm glad it wasn't anything like strawberry or similar because that might not have gone over too well.   The beef was perfectly pink in the middle.   All of the flavors were a delight in my mouth at the same time.

Overall - I'd order it again!     Although, they have quite a selection of unique burgers that on our next trip to Mo's, I'd have to try a different one.     The Rose Street Burger (blue cheese & carmelized onions), Nelly Burger (creamed horseradish and bacon), and about 5 others that just sound so tempting.

First Impression - 8/10

Service - 9/10

Menu - 9/10

Food - 9/10

Overall - 9/10