John S.'s Profile
Roscoe's fries?
They're a resounding EHHHH when you taste 'em. Nothing special. While I've never been a fan of their waffles the fries give me a chance to eat their somewhat-above-average overpriced chicken with something else.
Any rec's for a great dinner in Brea, Ca?
If you go to Mammalucco's on Imperial Hwy and Kramer (head east on Imperial Hwy, just a bit past the 57fwy, it's closeby) you'll be surprised to find a place that makes fantastic pizza and almost as noteworthy pasta dishes (I recommend spinach napolitan if you love a heavy, creamy dish, or a lemon chicken sauce pasta dish, the name I can't recall, for lighter far. The owner John there is great and a real nice guy, and he serves a great NY style pizza.
One of the things I love about the place though, is they do the simple things just right, hence all the other flavors if you so wish to add fall right into place. Still my favorite hands down in Orange County for a plain cheese pizza or a light lunch of garlic bread and salad w/homemade italian dressing.
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Mammalucco's
2500 E Imperial Hwy, Brea, CA 92821
South Pas Pizza Battle Royale: Mamma vs. Nonna
Yeah, problem is Casa Bianca pies seem to come already too well done anyway and it tastes like a crackery mess of tangible fail. Any more cooking and I'd be able to play frisbee with it. If you want to play the card of oversimplifying Nonna's being indistinguishable from CPK, then I find a cooled slice of Casa Bianca pizza indistinguishable from Tombstone. I know for sure I'm not the only one who's critical of CB's crap-cker crust.
I've stubbornly tried Casa Bianca several times, and I don't understand all the glorious hype and praise they receive. Granted, I don't think it's horrible but don't find it great. The kind of pizza it is seems to be a unique variety all its own, not like the NY style that Nonna's and Mamma's serves. I can understand some people may like that cracker crust, but I'm not a huge fan of it and the only decent topping is sausage. Also, getting a good plain cheese pizza at CB's seems to be downright impossible. Why's it always burnt?
Tommy's Chili Breakfast Burrito's?
I tried one this morning and thought it was mediocre and bland. It's a decent value though, at $2.75 plus tax. Despite the chili filling inside I felt it lacked spices and flavoring, although that's not surprising considering I've always thought Tommy's chili was mediocre anyway. They chop in two eggs, some cheese, chop up one of their super processed McDonald's style hashbrowns, and a sliced patty of sausage.The bland chili overpowered everything. Also, be careful, these things are super hot and actually would be better if ordered from the drivethru and cooled down on the trip home instead of eating it piping fresh. It's hot like scald your mouth and your gums start peeling hot.
I live in Pasadena, and there are MUUUCH better breakfast burritos available in the vicinity for me to ever even come close to eating at Tommy's ever again. Lucky Boys and Tops have got me a little biased.
restaurant near UC RIVERSIDE FROM 1-4 PM
Wow, Victoria Gardens is a FAAAR drive. At least a good 25 miles from UCR. I recall only driving there once because that was where the closest Yardhouse was. Now there's one in the Tyler Galleria (damn, too late, too little you jerks!). If anything when friends came around I don't recall ever having the problem of entertaining them as there was always a party Monday-Thursday (weekends were reserved for obligatory trips to LA) as us UCRejects are famous for.
University Cafe's food is like Boba Cafe across the street and Tapioca Express around Blaine and Watkins. All serve cheap Chinese-like junky comfort food, and I personally always liked going to Boba Cafe for their beef chow fan. One thing I vividly remember is Uni. Cafe's green tea being unreasonably bitter and just nasty, and I love bitter green teas.
Fredo's Cheesesteaks New Management
I do remember seeing the sign, and that was what Dan said to me himself. He was there as of Aug. 8th. I remember him mentioning even last year that the location he was in was difficult to work with and that he could do much better. If he told the OP he was going to sell his half, I'd assume that's about as good as the place shutting down unless the other owner picks up the slack and whatever shortcomings the location has. I didn't pry into specifics, just wished him best of luck.
Fredo's Cheesesteaks New Management
You probably just had a real unlucky bummer night. Dan is still there, and he said he's closing down Fredo's Phillys sometime next month (he told me within 30 days when I went there last week) because the place he's leasing from is such a pain. It's a shame, because the cheesesteak was awesome just like the first time I had it. He says he's gonna open up a catering truck for the Occidental students. Sucks for us in Pasadena.
restaurant near UC RIVERSIDE FROM 1-4 PM
First post here. I went to UCR for 5 years, know the restaurants around there pretty well.
One thing I hope you'll understand is a lot of the UCR folks there are simply forced to drive around a whole lot. You can drive down to Moreno Valley and there's a Portillo's on Day Street, Red Robin is in the area, a Mimi's, and a couple of other chain restaurants. There is also an Olive Garden further down the 215/60 east, that you can see right from the freeway. I think it was in between the Frederick and Day St exits?
Near campus there's Getaway Cafe, which serves decent junk food (pizza and beer type place) and is actually very quiet and pleasant in the summer and midday. It's a college hangout restaurant, but in the summer and early afternoon it was literally one of my favorite getaways. Problem is, parking is limited to an hour there, and the owner of The Sub Station goes out of his way to report cars that park there beyond the limit and also students in a rush who can't find parking when Lot 30 is over packed beyond its multi-thousand car capacity and every pay-parking spot is filled and the threat of flunking a class over one missed term paper is imminent (ask me how I know this).
Just around Blaine and Watkins (just north of the campus) there is a small shopping plaza with a Boba cafe that serves cheap asian food to go, a mediocre sushi place that isn't quite good but doesn't taste bad, and also at the end is another pizza and beer type parlor.
Also check out the UV, which I'm surprised you haven't. You can find a variety of average food places there, and just relax and read a book and have coffee at Starbucks or bring a laptop and use the free UCR wi-fi there (ask your daughter for her wi-fi login, it's her UCR webmail and password/permpin). I've had to visit the area a few times this summer (as recent as a week and a half ago) and the entire lot seems to be currently free from charges.
Also last rec, just drive around a bit. You've got 3 hours to kill. Just be wary driving towards downtown via University Ave, it gets real ghetto.
