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and again, places that I consider my standbys. So without further ado, here goes! After I arrived at LAX and my mom drove me home, I called up an old partner-in-crime - The Original P - who you might remember from such adventures as "This Cook's Tour: Roadtrip to Las Vegas" and "Arcadia's Very Own Time Machine". I called him to ask him to join me for my very first meal back in town at In-N-Out Burger in Pasadena. Now, on this point I'm very opinionated: If you're a native of SoCal living elsewhere in the big, big world, your first (and last) meal upon returning (departing) MUST be at In-N-Out. No ifs, ands, or buts. There is something about the flavor, feeling, satisfaction, and viscerality of In-N-Out that is unique to the expanding chain of burger stands. And until they open in Chicago and NYC, there is no other alternative: you HAVE to pay homage once you step off the plane from loserville. On a related subject, I REALLY don't get those deluded folks out there that say Five Guys is the "best". They are truly brain-dead! The god of this world has put the blinders on them! Anyone with taste buds must admit that In-N-Out makes a vastly superior burger. What I Ate  Double-Double with French fries and a Coke (around 6 USD). Double-Double. The classic. The beef patty is absolutely moreish, the veggies crisp and delicious, the spread adds zing!, and the buns are pillowy. Altogether, the sum is stupendously great because of its parts. This is the best fast food burger in America, folks. (Not to mention, better than the burgers at most sit down restaurants as well.) I always say that McDonald's has the best Coke, however, In-N-Out's Coke is pretty much there as well. I'm glad I shared this meal with you, OG P :) Parking: Parking at the Pasadena location is on the bad side. If you park in the miniscule lot (something like four spaces), you'll get blocked in by d-bags. I recommend you park on the north side of Foothill (forget about the south side) or on another side street, like Craig Avenue. The Bill: Around 13 USD for two Double-Doubles, two fries, and two Cokes. My Rating:  out
of four stars (outstanding on every level). The BEST fast food burger
in America. Open Sunday to Thursday,
10:30 AM to 1 AM, and Friday and Saturday, 10:30 AM to 1:30 AM. Credit
cards accepted. www.in-n-out.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early the next morning, I rousted The Original P out of bed. We had to get ourselves to L.A. for a meet and greet, but before that I wanted to get something in OG P's belly and revisit a restaurant that I've frequented since high school: Lucky Boy in Pasadena. What I Ate  Ooh! Look at the gooey cheese! Breakfast Burrito with bacon and an Orange Bang! (under 10 USD): Bacon, eggs, hash browns, and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla and grilled. Served with salsa verde. This burrito is HUGE: I recommend sharing a half with a buddy (that would make him or her a "burrito buddy", I guess, ha ha). This behemoth is probably the best I've encountered. I think what makes this burrito is the final step of preparation: the cook grills the wrapped burrito over open flame, which leaves grill marks and a slight flavor of char. I also recommend a side of ranch dressing so that you can hit each bite with a shot of ranch in addition to salsa verde. Mmm, mmm, good :d Parking: Parking in Lucky Boy's lot is fine. If, however, there is no parking, try the side street (Pico Street) in between Trader Joe's and Lucky Boy. My Rating: out
of four stars (outstanding on every level). Open every day, 6 AM to 2
AM. Breakfast is served from 6 AM to 10:30 AM. (For you latecomers,
they're strict about limiting orders for breakfast burritos to before
10:30 AM. Believe me, I've tried ordering after the cutoff time and
have been sadly dismissed before.) CASH ONLY (ATM on
premises). www.luckyboyburgers.com * Lucky Boy has opened/reopened a new/old location at the former Amy's on Walnut Street at the campus of Fuller Seminary. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After our "abbreviated" breakfast at Lucky Boy, The Original P and I headed down to K-town to meet one of my oldest friends, LT S. LT S and his missus were in L.A. for the weekend and so he called me to join them for lunch at Ham Ji Park on 6th Street for a Korean pork fest. What I Ate  1. Gam Ja Tang: Braised pork spine and potato served in a spicy soup. Gam Ja Tang is one of Ham Ji Park's specialties and the restaurant is well-known for it. (Heck, I've even seen pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio devouring the stuff gracing the walls of the restaurant.) I loved how LT S's missus served it up at the table so deftly and prettily. She definitely added an extra dimension of enjoyment to the meal.  2. Daeji Galbi: Korean spicy pork ribs. Daeji galbi is another house specialty which Ham Ji Park is renowned for. I thought the flavor was good, however, the ribs were on the dry side, which was a shame. Sorry, no pictures of the bevy of banchan that was provided with this meal :( The Bill: I think it came out to around 50 USD. That's pretty good for filling up four people. Thank you, LT S for buying us lunch :) My Rating: 
out
of four stars (good). Open for lunch and dinner. (Also open for
late-night dining, i.e., after clubbing hours, I believe. Wait, is it
open twenty-four?) Call for hours of
operation. Credit cards
accepted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
About a week after I arrived back home, my parents and I drove out to Knott's Berry Farm to visit a special restaurant for our family - Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. What I Ate My Mom, Dad, and I each ordered the full version of Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner (about 17 USD per person, extra cost applies for all-white meat dinner).  1. Boysenberry Punch (3-4 USD). I thought the punch was unusually sweet. After one sip, I had to ask our server for water so that I could dilute my drink. Tasted like ... boysenberry.  2. Salad with Ranch dressing and Knott's Rhubarb. I never liked the fact that the kitchen drowns their salad in dressing: lighten that hand! The rhubarb is usually awfully sweet, too. I get the rhubarb out of habit (as opposed to the other option, which I forget). Not my favorite courses of the meal.  3. Knott's Buttermilk Biscuits. These biscuits beckon me from afar. I'm usually prejudiced against biscuits that aren't made with butter (the recipe calls for shortening, I think), but Knott's Buttermilk Biscuits are so tasty and special that I make an exception. I always spread my biscuits with the butter provided (good quality) anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. I love the textural variation between the hard crust of the crown and the fluffy, hot softness of the biscuit's innards. You have got to try these!  4. Knott's Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cabbage with ham. After the biscuits, I think Knott's Fried Chicken is my favorite. They're fried much the same as broasted chicken, although, whether or not Knott's uses the broasting method, I have no idea. The mashed potatoes are fine for the most part, however, the gravy is vital to making them palatable. The cabbage with ham is another favorite of mine. It's simple but it has a depth of flavor to it that I appreciate.  And finally dessert - 5. Boysenberry Pie. Did I say I liked the fried chicken second-best? Maybe I'll have to revise that because Knott's Boysenberry Pie is no joke. The crust is solid and moist while the berry mixture is packed with boysenberry flavor that I think is sweetened to the right degree. Parking: As you enter the traffic lanes for Knott's Berry Farm, STAY TO THE RIGHT. You don't want to get stuck making a left immediately before the pedestrian crossing, which will take you to the parking lot for the amusement park (a big fee applies). There are parking spaces in front of the restaurant (very limited in number) and a large parking lot to the left before you drive under the wooden rollercoaster. The Bill: Around 60 USD for my Mom, Dad, and I. My Rating: out
of four stars (outstanding on every level). Open every day of the year
except Christmas. Visit the website for exact hours. Credit cards
accepted. www.knotts.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Last Word ... Next time on Woo!Food, my dinner with the folks at a new location of one of my old La-La-Land standbys.  blog comments powered by Disqus |
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