annagranfors's Profile
Fish and Chips
A tentative +1 for Ye Olde King's Head, but I haven't been there in yonks, so I can't testify for their recent version. Their batter was wonderful, though, and the fish tasty, with serviceable chips. But unless you're starving, go for the "Queen-Size" instead of the "King-Size". The latter put me into a pleasurable food coma, it was so much.
Mexican in Highland Park?
My Taco's quite good, but the OP specifically asked for a place that had good beer, which they don't (or didn't...I haven't been in a while).
Actually, one of the two La Fuente restaurants might be alternatives–there's one on Colorado, one block west of Eagle Rock on the south side of the street in a minimall, and another that's just off Figueroa, about a mile south of York and a block west of Figueroa. Both are at least as good as either Chico's or My Taco, and have a reasonable number of beers available. (Sorry, no addresses, but Google's your friend.)
Mexican in Highland Park?
+1 for Chico's. They sometimes use a little too much salt for my tastes, but it's probably as close as you'll come to your parameters. And they're long on character...do a Google streetview for it and you'll see what I mean. The inside's completely charming, too.
Fish Fingers and Custard
Bear in mind that the scene took place when Amelia Pond was a child...the fish fingers were likely to be of Mrs. Paul's quality, not high-end Japanese fish, and the custard would probably be Tesco's (think Kroger's/Safeway). In other words, thoroughly disgusting...and the punchline to the Doctor being revolted by the much more sane things that Amelia gave him first.
I don't doubt that what you describe is probably very tasty, but it was certainly NOT what was on offer at young Amelia's place.
Fish Fingers and Custard
Yeah...I'm pretty sure that this was meant to show just how eccentric Eleven was going to be. Definitely NOT two great tastes that taste great together. Now, *bacon* and custard, maybe...or fish fingers and bacon...
God, I had great hopes for Moffat's Doctor–Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill are all superlative, but Moffat, though having written some of the greatest Who stories for Nine and Ten, simply isn't a good showrunner. (See "Coupling".) That having been said, "The Doctor's Wife" and "The Girl Who Waited" were two of the best Whostories ever. It's just a shame that Moffat's "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" tendencies have been the predominant feature of his run.
Neil Gaiman for showrunner, anyone? Barring that, Howard Overman (Misfits)? I just don't want Moffat anywhere near the Doctor's 50th anniversary.
What's your favorite bedtime snack?
Cheese. Taken immediately before bed, it provides superbizarre but enjoyable dreams. Cheddar's good, but for some reason, baby swiss works better.
I refer you to the great cartoonist Winsor McCay's "Dreams Of The Rarebit Fiend"...it was the cheese that was the psychoactive ingredient, I think.
McDonald's New McFish Bites...
One would have thought that somebody in marketing would have advised McD's that the product name could be interpreted as a declarative as well.
It *is* clever, though, that they've found a use for the small bits of both chicken and fish that've broken off from the larger pieces of McChickens and Filet O' Fishes.
where to buy "O" shaped pasta
I have to admit that I don't know my pastas all that well, but I wasn't aware there *was* such a thing outside of Spaghetti-O's...it put me in mind of an episode of The Gilmore Girls where Emily (Lorelei's mom and Rory's grandma) had one of her countless gourmet chefs make them homemade Spaghetti-O's, doubtless because she was trying to make up with them for having been a witch about something. Ah, I miss that show...
Stagg No Beans Chili the worst ever
Yeah, something happened to Stagg's...they were never great, but I'd usually get them over Dennison's or (yecch) Hormel. But I bought a few cans of their Silverado variety lately, and they were inedible.
Why, oh why, can someone not make good versions of chili in a can? (Actually, haven't been to Whole Paycheck for a while; they've probably got something, but priced so high that I'd just as soon go to a local eatery that makes it fresh.)
Canned/frozen foods are just yucky these days.
Dino's Burgers (Pico) Opens New Location in Pico Rivera
Wait...what about the one on Main in Lincoln Heights? The chicken tastes just like the Pico version to me, and I think they call it "Pollo Maniaco" too...
Trader Joe's - New Products You Want To See There
As someone who has no time to cook, I'd love to see them do better-quality versions of your basic TV dinners. You know, the classics: fried chicken/mashed potatoes/corn–the basic OG Swanson repertoire, but done better and at least not anti-nutritional like the ones in every frozen foods aisle in the major supermarkets. I know, I know...I *should* want something more veggie-oriented with tofu and broccoli and the like. But I'd love to get well-done versions of 60s/70s classics. Turkey/stuffing/gravy/mashed potatoes/peas.
I have the feeling that this might be grounds for expulsion from Chowhound, but hey...I bet there'd be a market for something like that. Idiots like me who just want stupid comfort food. We *exist*, dammit. ;)
Fuzzy's Tacos?
...okay, I've never even heard of this place, but can I just nominate it as Worst Restaurant Name Ever?
Most Divisive Restaurants?
...um, El Taurino...? Haven't seen too much negative about them...
Indian "easy" / microwave meals
There was a brand called "Tasty Bite" (vacuum-packed) that Trader Joe's stocked a while ago, and about half of them were fairly good and quite inexpensive.
These days, I'm addicted to Trader Joe's Butter Chicken (frozen)...made in Canada and reliably B+ quality...it seems more like a Tikka Masala to me, but the rice (Basmati) is good and the chicken better than anything I've found in America frozen foods of late.
Is A&W finally going out of business?
I've always insisted that if someone could actually bring A&W back to their roots, it'd be a goldmine. Mind you, that'd mean root beer with NO HFCS (yuk!) and the whole family of burgers–Papaburger, Mamaburger, Teenburger and Babyburger. And the tray hanging off of your window. I'd gladly pay premium (well, not $$$$, but $$) for the experience. Oh, and also? Gallons of root beer in glass bottles to go. God, I miss them. (I was a Detroiter--well, Ann Arborite--too, Fibber, and never went near their chilidogs...there were way too many other places that served up far better coney dogs.)
Childhood foods you would *totally* eat now...
Easy–the grade school version of Johnny Marzetti (sp?), with crispy crust and all. It was like Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, but awesome.
Is it me or has the store bread gone way down hill. National brands [moved from Boston board]
Problem is, there are a lot of us that don't *have* the bread to buy good bread. I went through a long stretch of unemployment, and Oroweat (California) is about as much as I can afford, and even there, I'll go for the variety that's on sale that week. And while it's okay, I sympathize with the OP--it ain't what it used to be. I dread thinking of what the many cheaper national brands taste like/are made from.
Any Carbonated Water Experts out there
I know this doesn't speak to the question, but isn't Tito's THE BOMB? I never liked vodka until I had Tito's, and it's become a regular in my liquor cabinet (err--top of the refrigerator, that is).
Your favorite cheese
Ohmigod...no mention of burrata yet??? I can't claim to have sampled many versions of it, but can testify for Gioia Cheese's version, found in the Los Angeles area. SOOO good.
Large Curd Cottage Cheese?
Yep, agree with raizans--every time I have a taste for it (lately, that batch of 90 degree days), Vons has always had it (under the Lucerne label, the Safeway house brand), and it's actually quite good. Better still with a little pepper.
Chico's!!!
I'd like them a lot more if they didn't use so much salt. The place itself is really cute, the people are nice, but I always feel like a box of Morton Salt after eating there.
Trader Joe's Burrata...thoughts?
Like sparkareno above, I bought it from my local (S. Pasadena) Bristol Farms, and what is my increasingly spotty memory is probably betraying me. It may well have been packed in liquid...I just didn't remember it that way. And I *definitely* used the wrong word when I said "dry"...it was very moist; I simply don't remember it packed in liquid. (In fairness to self, it's been some years since I'd had it...it was a luxury I couldn't afford during The Unemployment Years.)
Trader Joe's Burrata...thoughts?
I fell terminally in love with burrata with my first sample, a very fine version made by Gioia Cheese Co., a company in El Monte, CA and distributed (albeit not as widely as it should be) here in Los Angeles.
https://gioiacheeseinc.com/
So I was excited to see that TJ's had a 12 oz. portion of burrata for $5, but somewhat worried insofar as it came in a small tub with a fluid (perhaps as preservative?) when I saw it, whereas Gioia's version is shrinkwrapped "dry" if I remember correctly. But tried it anyway, and while it's not bad (I'd say 6 out of 10), it's not Gioia's, which remains my benchmark.
Anyone else had it, yet?
(PS--if you go to the Gioia page, you're greeted with a picture of the proprietor and a batch of burrata, which appears to be floating in a similar fluid, so perhaps that's not unusual.)
Gioia Cheese Co.... current factory prices for fresh handmade mozzarella, ricotta and burrata
I am SO tempted to call in sick and drive out to Gioia and buy a pound of burrata. Even buying it from Bristol Farms, it is *easily* one of the ten best things I have ever tasted. (And if I have to make a $24 quota, well, hell. Make it four pounds. I could live for four days on burrata.)
Can Spicy food be addicting?
Surely you jest! Three bites into my first hot Indian chicken curry many years ago, and I've never looked back since. Come hither, ye jalapeno temptresses! :)
Goodbye Del Taco at Santa Monica and Highland.
Although I've been fond of a Del Taco or two over the years, I still miss the Naugle's that was there before DT moved in. Not a *great* burger, but still better than most one can find these days (oh, Jay's Jayburger, why did you ever close...!), and my neighborhood burger joint in the 80s.
Any Chow-worthy lunch places around Slauson/405?
Thanks for all the nummy-looking recommendations...keep 'em coming! (My co-workers are loving them!)
Any Chow-worthy lunch places around Slauson/405?
My company just moved down here, and there's chains and Westfield mall-food galore, but any good places for relatively interesting/inexpensive lunch in the area? Thanks in advance!
Trader Joe's Frozen Macaroni & Cheese - Removed to be "Reformulated"?
Wow...surprised to see those last two negative reviews...maybe you two got the "new, reformulated" version already. I'm completely with the OP--it was one of my fave TJ's products. The version *I* had couldn't taste any LESS like Stouffer's, and I didn't think it oversalty. In fact, I'd usually add a little pepper just to spice it a bit.
Anyway, if it's true that it's being reformulated, I'm incredibly sad. That leaves exactly NO good frozen mac 'n' cheese, anywhere.
