HoundDogz's Profile
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Ever go to Luigi Pizza in San Diego? Really great stuff. Giant slice too.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
I went back to give it a second go. The first time around I loved the pizza. The question was is it overpriced to some of you since it's $3 for half a slice other NY Style pizza places. For most it's fine but by no way did I think it was a bad pizza, it's great.
So second go at the Melrose location I felt the same about the pizza. Is incredibly delicious but still think the price for the size is a bit much. But it's great stuff anyway.
Curious do any of you make pizza at home from scratch? Specially NY Style Pie? If not NY, some other form? I do but I don't always want to make it so I go out and eat it at NY Style pizza joints.
What Are "Frying Tortillas"?
DiveFan, interesting you should mention the doubled 4.5 inch tortilla for soft tacos because my wife and I were just yesterday talking about how one of our fave mexican places does that. That they give you two tortillas with each one and how if you want you could separate both tortillas and separate the meat and make two tacos out of it or just leave it as one. I have done that before but prefer to leave it as one taco. You are right they do that so they don't fall apart with the liquid. That's pretty smart.
When you say the 10 inch burrito size flour tortilla. Is that a really big tortilla? I think they had really giant flour tortillas, bigger than I see in the stores and was wondering if that is the one you are referring to. Not sure how big the standard store sized ones are so wondering if the 10 inch is the mega one I saw at Costco Business Center.
I want to make really big burritos at home and want some of those really big tortillas to make them. Watching Diners, Drive Inns and Dives when Guy went to some Mexican place in Phoenix, they made a burrito out of a really big tortilla and ever since then I wanted to do that. I think that the Romero one would fit the bill.
What Are "Frying Tortillas"?
babette, that's exactly what I noticed that they were drier. I did not buy any but through the clear bag they are contained in I could clearly see they were drier and I could try to bend them a bit and they were drier. I was hoping these would be good for tacquitos because I want a thinner tortilla to make taquitos but I noticed they were so dry I was afraid they'd crack when I roll them into taquitos so I didn't buy them. I know you are supposed to heat them in the pan with some oil before rolling them but if they are super dry to start I don't even want to use them so I passed on them.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Finally their website is back up.
Just checked their menu and the pasta dishes are reasonably priced. I'd have to try them to see how big and how good they are though.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Tried to go to their web page to check out their menu to see the non-pizza items and their web page is down. Hopefully they did not go out of business because last time I spoke negatively about a restaurant they went out of business shortly their after but then again I am not superstitious either. I'm sure their site will be up soon and they are still in business. I do want to see their menu for the pasta dishes.
What Are "Frying Tortillas"?
The ones in question are made by Romero's Food Products in Santa Fe Springs. I just called to ask and they said that they are made specifically for making chips. That they are thinner. I already did notice that they were thinner when I looked at them closely through the clear plastic bag it was in and compared to the regular ones but the lady on the phone confirmed this with me. I asked if they are made to make taquitos she didn't say yes but said made to make flautas. I always thought that a flauta was made of flour tortilla and taquito was made of corn tortilla and these in question are corn not flour but she said people make flautas with these. So maybe I'm wrong or maybe the word is interchangeable.
But according to you tadao you have not found any significant difference. I mean even if the frying one is thinner it still is the same material and it's hardly much thinner so I could guess that I would not notice any big differences either.
http://romerosfood.com/faq.html
Thanks
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Based on your suggestion I will try their other dishes. Next time I'm in Silver Lake or Melrose I'll get the other dishes a try. I'm sure they are really good since their pizza is excellent. Thanks for the suggestions.
What Are "Frying Tortillas"?
Was at Costco Business Center and they had some tortillas. Some corn and some wheat. Of the corn they had two types, one was one with no special description but the other said "frying tortillas" and I was curious what that means. I mean I've fried with any tortillas that were corn but they have the "frying tortillas" and the regular kind. I searched the web for info on this and I have no idea what they mean by it. Can not find into.
Does anyone know what a special "frying tortilla" is and why it's a "frying tortilla"?
Thanks
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Funny you said exactly what I already said that I am not going to TPPJ because it's overpriced. I think you understood my point exactly. But with that said I am going one more time because I make pizza and the piece I had from them had the spider web effect in the rim of the pizza if you know what that is. I have to go back and see if the piece I order again has that or if it's hit or miss. It's a good piece of pie, don't get me wrong but I feel half the size for the same price of other NY Pie places is not for my liking. I am willing to pay to see if they get that spider web effect again though.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
I hold a business degree and in business. I know about cost and supply and all that, I mentioned that above already. But there is a point where how much of it is covering cost and making a much needed profit or crossing the line to greed. Other places have cost and need to make a profit but come on how bad would it be to give a reasonable size slice of pizza like other NY Style places? And yes it is probably more rent on Melrose than on Western but is it that much more? It really does not cost much to make pizza so if they gave a decent pizza sized slice they'd probably sell more anyway and make more moolah. But whatever it's a great pizza but still overpriced. I'll go where the commoner's go and go to KoNY Pizza on Western in Korea Town area.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
KoNY Pizza slice goes for anywhere between 2.00 and 2.75 a slice depending on where you go. If you don't like KoNY pizza that is not the point. It is good stuff and quality, not junk. It's just preference. We are not talking PJ or Domino here. Why can KoNY Pizza cost less per slice and be twice the size of the slice of Tomato Pizza Pie Joint?
Luigi in San Diego, another excellent NY style pizza for up to $2.75 a slice that is twice that at Tomato Pizza Pie Joint. Yes it's in SD not LA but so what, point is twice the pizza for more than half the price.
Could it just be the owner of Tomato Pizza Pie Joint is just a bit on the greedy side. It's an excellent pizza but over priced. Ingredients are ingredients. KoNY and Luigi excellent ingredients as well as TPPJ proves TPPJ is over priced.
Oh yeah add to that Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza in South Pas and Pas is about $3.00 too and check out Nonna's down the street too about that.
No matter how it's looked at you get half the slice for the same price as other really good NY pizza places. I'll go to Vito's and Joe's and see how it is one day.
Look, I don't want to sound like I'm against TPPJ and that I don't respect other's opinions. I do respect your opinions but just it's that you get half the slice of any other place for the same price so elsewhere you get more for your money and those other places mentioned are no slouches of a pizza joint, you know.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
PJ, Dominos and etc are not even on the same planet so one can't compare the pizza or price but there are other fine NY Style pie out there that the price is a lot better. I love KoNY (King of NY Pizza) on Western near Wilshire. Way better prices and as good of pie. A little different, can't expect all NY pizza places to taste the same just like not all Chinese restaurants taste the same or Mexican and so on. But with KoNY Pizza the price is way better. Why is a slice at Tomato Pizza Pie Joint half the size of a slice at KoNY or other NY Style pizza places? Rip off. Taste great but rip off.
Tomato Pizza Pie Joint
Was walking around with my niece down on Melrose. Ended up on the western end of it across the street from Fairfax High School. About a few months prior I was searching the internet for NY Style pizza places in the greater LA area and saw this place on the net. I had all the intentions of giving it a try one day but on the day we were walking on Melrose it was the furthest from my mind but because he stumbled upon it I knew it was my golden opportunity to try it.
First off the quality of the pizza is top notch. Great taste and great ingredients. Really enjoyed it but it's way overpriced. For a slice of pizza pie it's $3.00. Not bad right, that's the going rate, right? No. It's the going rate of normal sized slices of NY style pizza pie but these were half the size. There have been a lot of NY style pizza places popping up over the city that are really good and the prices for a slice are about $3.00 but the slices are very large. These are half the size. I know they have to make money but so do other places where they charge the same for a full size of NY Style pizza pie. As good as this is I won't go back because it's way overpriced. I know that it does not cost a lot to make a pizza. Yes they have overhead and all but so do other places that serve a real size NY Pizza pie slice for the same price. Over at Yelp most people give it really good reviews and say the price is good. I don't know where they have been eating at but it's not a good price. To get the equivalent of one real sized slice of NY Style pie you'll have to pay for two slices which would be $6. Way overpriced. I am not sure where these people are getting that the price is good when it's not. This truly is overpriced and not worth it even though it's good.
What's your take on this place?
Rolling Taquito Question
I buy them in the grocery store. Ralph's, Albertson's, and even some Mexican Grocery Stores. Actually I have purchased some by my house at a tortilla factory too in the past. Thanks.
Rolling Taquito Question
I have seen on TV some restaurants that make taquitos. They roll the corn tortilla into the taquito. At home I have to head up the tortilla to make it flexible enough to roll without it splitting. Then I put a tooth pick through it unless I put them in the freezer first to hold them together then no tooth pick required.
In videos of restaurants making them I see them having stacks of tortillas and just rolling them without any heating them up first and no tooth picks through them. It's as if they have specially made tortillas that are already flexible enough and also no need for tooth picks to hold them together.
A great example is if you watch "The Best Thing I Ever Ate", TV Personality and Chef, Aaron Sanchez goes to the tacquito fast food joint he went to as a kid and they show them rolling them. They have stacks of tortillas and the owner says they get these tortillas made for them specially every day. I wonder if they are made differently. They don't do any heating of the tortillas just pull them from the stack. They roll without cracking along the edges and they roll smoothly. Oh this place is called Chico's Tacos I think. It's in El Paso, TX.
Do you think these are specially made with higher oil content so they are not as dry therefore roll without heating them up first or cracking? I researched on the internet and found nothing on this.
Thanks
Where Can I Buy Exotic Red Pineapples and Other Exotic Pinapples?
I like pineapples and if you don't know it there are different breeds of pineapples in this world. The Maui Pineapple is great and hard to find. Sometimes they sell them at Costco but most the time not. These I think are actually Kona Sugarloaf or something, not technically a "Maui Pineapple". I think Maui Pineapple is just the company name.
I have purchased South African pineapples at Albertson's which are great but they are super small and expensive. Believe it or not at Smart & Final they used to have one from Mexico that was amazing. They don't have it anymore.
In Hawaii I once saw growing a red pineapple that I think is from the Philippines originally.
I know Melissa produce, an importer sells the South African but I think that is all.
Does anyone know where I can get some exotic pineapples, especially the red variety? Those are rare but cool. You'd think Bristol Farms or Whole Foods would but they don't. Normally they have your typical Costa Rican variety.
Thanks
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
I am glad that you and a few others notice the Taco Bell tacos don't taste the same any more. Some people who are too young don't know that. Some who are maybe not too young but some who are not very observant or did not eat there enough in the past don't notice. I think that the "healthy" taco line was the Taco Bell Light menu. I tried it when it came out and thought it was pretty bad so I went back to the regular one. Too bad they merged the two to make something not very good. For those of you who think it taste the same now as in the old days you are wrong. I posted this before but will again. My old co-worker once worked at Taco Bell back in the early to mid '80s and confirms that Taco Bell uses a different formula to make the meat as they did back then. Not only does it taste different but the process is way different. Yes they had secret ingredients back in the old days but the process is different and the taste is diff so he can tell the formula is different. As long as Taco Bell is making money they will not change back to the old formula as Coke did when they had the big backlash over new Coke. I think if I recall Coke started offering new Coke and Classic Coke. I don't know now if they offer both still or it's just the old Classic formula but point is no uproar over Taco Bell like Coke then Pepsi Co or whoever owns Taco Bell now won't change it back.
Because I don't like the way Taco Bell tacos taste anylonger I don't go often. I get a craving for Taco Bell every few months and decide to chance it and then leave wishing I had not gone. So last night I had a craving but decided to skip out on Taco Bell completely because I knew that it's not the same and every time I eat there now I regret it since it doesn't taste good. I guess my craving I get so often is just a hopeful one that it will be good but I know it's not.
I try at home to duplicate the old Taco Bell but no matter what I do I can not. It does not taste right.
Little Joe's Italian Restaurant in Chinatown, Info Requested
Craniel thanks for sharing your experiences at Little Joe's. Strangely enough the restaurant still stands yet was not knocked down or anything else built in it's place. Also down the street that old milling company from the late 1800s went out of operation about 15 years ago yet it still stands. Wonder about these places why they just didn't stay in business if no one bought the land to build something else.
I didn't go to Little Joe's as often as you so not familiar with the raviolis like you are but there is a great Italian restaurant that I love in Eagle Rock called Casa Bianca. You might try there and see if you love their ravioli if you have not tried yet. The wait is a long time but go there early on a Saturday when they open to beat the crowd and not have to wait.
I guess you can say CB is Chicago Italian. Don't know if there is a diff between Chicago Italian than say NY Italian or LA Italian but CB was opened by a Chicago transplant in 1955. I know Chicago thin crust is different than NY thin crust pizza or different than California style pizza but other Italian items not sure if there is a difference. The grand daughter runs it now with her husband and daughter. Check it out -
Casa Bianca -
http://casabiancapizza.com/
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
jgg13, yes I remember the s"healthier" version of the Taco Bell tacos. It might have been Taco Bell Lite or something like that. I remember being able to buy either one and I tried the healthier one it was not very good. I think Taco Bell was really good up to the mid '90s and you hit the nail on the head. They must have merged the two to make the regular ones more healthy and make the healthier ones taste better, in other words hybrid them. That's probably when it went down hill. They should have left things alone because plenty of people were buying Taco Bell without a concern for health.
Also about 10 years ago or a little less, the cheese they used used to be really fine shredded but they changed to a bigger shred of cheese. I don't think the cheese might taste so different but the texture is different and I prefer the finer shred of cheese too. So I call Taco Bell a few months after the change and talk to customer service and tell the lady that I don't like the change and ask why they changed the cheese to a thicker shred of cheese and she replies by saying no they did not change a thing and that it always has been the way it is now. That's so long. Either the lady in customer service was told to tell customers not to tell them it changed or this woman never ate at Taco Bell in her life yet is supporting their customer's inquiries.
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
No, not at all it taste many times different now than it did back then. It did. You should realize that's true because for one Pepsi Co bought out the original Taco Bell, which should be a red flag that they would probably change the formula for the meat just to cut cost and fill it with more junk.
How old are you fara? Did you have Taco Bell back in the '70s and early '80s?
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
Thanks for the info, did not know that. Next time I go I will ask them.
Making Tamales - Masa Harina vs Corn Kernals From Scratch
I gotta shift through the post then. I have read them before since I started this discussion but I forgot about reference to this. I will read it. Thanks much!
Making Tamales - Masa Harina vs Corn Kernals From Scratch
I thought it was something else because a lot of people who make tamales are home use Baking Powder so I thought at the tamale factories their commercial leavening would be some other chemical.
Thanks
Making Tamales - Masa Harina vs Corn Kernals From Scratch
Hi chefj, thanks for your input. Yes, I was thinking of fresh corn but I was hoping to buy in bulk but as you said I have never seen bulk fresh corn husks either. I wonder where these so-called gourmet places get them.
I don't find Me Gusta or Corn Maiden to be not very flavorful though. I think Me Gusta claims to use margarine believe it or not. Corn Maiden not sure but I think vegetable oil.
Could you give an example of what commercial leavening is?
I was thinking of buying some corn, strip the corn off the cob. Save the husks to wrap them in. Food process the corn into a paste and add some masa to that and see how the tamales would taste. I think those are referred to as green corn tamales or uchepos.
I also wonder if these gourmet type of places use a combination of fresh corn and masa as I want to make them. Maybe they buy tons of corn cobs for the fresh corn and the fresh husks because I don't know where they could buy their fresh husks separately.
Making Tamales - Masa Harina vs Corn Kernals From Scratch
Since I have done all this research and tried many tamales I cam getting to know what I do like or do not like about tamales. I love tamales but I mean what I like about certain manufactures of tamales and what I don't like about certain ones.
I love the so-called gourmet kind from Corn Maiden and from Me Gusta for example, all Los Angeles area made tamales. They don't use lard, but not sure if that's the big reason they taste the way they do. I love La Moscota in East LA and they use lard but theirs taste different.
Does anyone know how the so-called gourmet places make the taste and texture so light? Is it the margarine or butter or vegetable oil they use instead of lard or is it something else? Oh I know they use fresh corn husks, the green kind right off the corn, I wonder if that adds to the taste but I don't think it can add to the light texture and flavor. Also where do they get these husks, especially all year around?
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
The Chilito I did like. I am glad you remember that one. Most people don't. That one was one of the few recent Taco Bell items that I liked. That was not from the '70s/'80s or even '90s but from the 2000s. That stood for the Chili Cheese Burrito.
Where In LA Can I Buy Fresh Corn Husks?
I can buy dried corn husks anywhere but where can I buy fresh green corn husks in the LA area? I don't want to buy corn just for the husks. I can eat the corn, yes, but I want to buy corn husks that are green and fresh.
Thanks
Huli Huli Chicken Recipe
Thanks for the info. I want to try it out. I will check it out.
Taco Bell Pre-90s Was Good - Do You Notice the Difference Now?
Glad that you and some others who were around in the '70s and '80s remember how good Taco Bell was back then. Sure it was greasy but I don't go to fast food to be healthy. They try to make it healthier or try to cut back on ingredients to save on money but it ends up tasting like trash. So I venture to Taco Bell once every four months to chance it but end up having this horrible after taste in my mouth and regret eating there. Too bad it's not like it used to be. I won't go again even every four months.
