JohnS43's Profile
Sprouts in Pasadena Aug. 4
I've never been to a Sprouts, but from what I've read they seem to be essentially the same as Henry's. Any appreciable differences? The Henry's in Monrovia is a lot closer for me than the Sprouts in Pasadena.
Fresh or Frozen Boysenberries - SGV?
Does anyone know of a source for fresh (when in season) or frozen (year-round) boysenberries in the San Gabriel Valley? I think Trader Joe's used to carry them, but no longer.
Costco - Mexico coke
The Costco in Azusa still has it -- I've bought the 24-bottle cases there twice in the past couple of months. I also saw individual bottles at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Baldwin Park.
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Wal-Mart
, Barstow, CA 92311
ISO BBQ Pork Steamed Buns (dim sum style) at night?
I hope this isn't heresy, but Vons/Pavilions has a good store-brand frozen cha siu bao. They come in a resealable bag, and you only have to take out as many as you want. They microwave up fast and are not bad at all.
Fresh & Easy coming in Pasadena
The Duarte location is opening on 2/16/09. It's at Huntington and Mt. Olive (near the 210/605 intersection.)
where to go in Monrovia for dinner?
As I posted here http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/508972, La Parisienne is (1) not in Duarte, but rather Monrovia, and (2) now called "3Cs."
La Parisienne--new owners! Great food and a fun night
First of all, La Parisienne was never in Duarte. The north side of Huntington Drive east of Mountain is in Monrovia until you get almost to the Ralphs shopping center.
Second, as you can tell from my use of the past tense, La Parisienne no longer exists. It's now called "Three Cs: California Cuisine and Cocktails." I've never eaten there (in either of its incarnations) so I can't provide any more information. Here's their website: http://www.threecsrestaurant.com/
Merengue in Monrovia
It's on Colorado just east of Myrtle in Old Town. Here's their website www.merenguebakery.com
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Merengue Bakery and Cafe
110 E Colorado Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016
loteria goes hollywood
I don't know ... I took the Red Line. But it's a fairly easy walk from Hollywood/Highland, where there's parking. I was there in the afternoon, and there was no sign of a valet, but maybe they offer it at night.
loteria goes hollywood
I ate there last Sunday, pre-Pantages. I had the "Probaditas" platter, and a pineapple agua fresca. The "Probaditas" is a plate with 12 very tiny (about 1.5" in diameter) soft tacos, one of each of the varieties they serve in the larger version. It was quite good, but I wish they'd included some sort of guide so that one would know which was which. Perhaps I should've kept the menu to refer to while eating. The agua fresca was almost flavorless-- I would've been hard-pressed to identify it as pineapple. The service was very erratic. I was seated for around 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged my presence, and then only to bring me chips and salsa-- no one asked about a drink order. I think I dealt with four different people until I ordered my food, then it was the same server for the remainder of the meal.
Bananas in Duarte - Anyone know of another place like it?
I believe you misread the post ... BANANAS is closed, not La Mich.
And on a related note, I was at The Green Onion today (adjacent to Bananas); they had signs in several places indicating that the Bananas menu (or at least some of it) would be available at the Green Onion beginning on 12/15.
Bananas in Duarte - Anyone know of another place like it?
I believe you're referring to La Mich Paleteria. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/366357
Bananas - Mexican Beverage Shop (review+pics)
This place closed several weeks ago and has now reopened as something called "Joe's Place." I don't know what they serve, but all of the Bananas decor is gone.
TESCO Fresh and Easy
I stopped by the Arcadia location (former Vons on Foothill just east of Santa Anita) tonight around 6:30, and my impressions are similar to yours. However, there is ample parking there (it's in a shopping center with a RiteAid and several smaller stores), and although the parking lot looked crowded, the store itself was not any worse than my local Trader Joe's (Monrovia) is on your typical weekend afternoon. There were a lot of gaps in the refrigerated shelves, so I think they may have sold out of some of the products, but it generally seemed well-stocked to me. Prices on some items are cheaper than TJ's (butter is $2.08/lb., bananas are $.18/each). Lots and LOTS of store brands. I guess they're planning to be here for the long haul. One thing I didn't like-- they don't take American Express cards-- which was also a problem at TJ's until recently. I would say that I probably would choose to shop at TJ's over Fresh & Easy; however they do have a lot of "basic" supermarket items that TJ's doesn't carry, so I think this might fill a niche. It's certainly many steps above a 7-11!
Variations on Chili Cheese Fries
I must admit, after having grown up in the Bay Area in the 50s and 60s, and living in the DC area for most of the 80s, I was not very familiar with french fries being served with any kind of topping (other than poutine, which I'd eaten in Canada.) When I moved to this area in 1987, I was introduced to the ubiquity of chili cheese fries, and the less common wet fries (fries topped with brown gravy.) I've often ordered the chili cheese fries as a lunch entrée at The Hat, only to be unable to finish them (and I'm a big eater.)
Anyway, I went to a place called "Flames Express" at Santa Anita and Lower Azusa in El Monte a while back, and they had a unique (to me) variation on the traditional chili cheese fries-- a concoction they called a "DUI" (I'm not sure what it's meant to stand for in this context): chili cheese fries topped with pastrami, then topped again with carne asada. A "small" was more the enough for lunch. Has anyone run across this version of chili cheese fries, or other unusual fries toppings?
Takeout or "Fast Casual" Dim Sum in the SGV?
Sometimes I have a craving for dim sum (mostly bao, egg custards, siu mai, har gow, etc.) but don't want to go to a restaurant (especially if I'm by myself.) And I don't always want the quantity of items that comes in a typical serving. Is there a place in the central SGV (say, between the 60 and the 210, five miles or so east or west of the 605 where I could get either takeout dim sum, or order from a counter then eat in a "no table service" atmosphere? I'm hesitant about some of the bakeries that carry dim sum, because they don't seem to keep items that might spoil easily (e.g., things with meat or seafood fillings) at a proper temperature (either warm or cold.) I did try a self-serve Chinese bakery in Toronto once and lived to tell about it, but I'm less adventuresome these days.
I've gotten carryout dim sum at Grandview Palace in Pasadena and at some little shack on Atlantic in Monterey Park, but I'd prefer something a little closer to home. Another type of place I've seen elsewhere (specifically the Ronald Reagan Bldg. food court in DC) is a fast food dim sum "buffet" where you choose your own items and pay by the weight of the plate. I've never seen anything like that around here.
