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Mario de la Torre and his brothers have been fixtures in Boyle Heights for a generation. They have local knowledge of East LA. If you're looking at a potentially good investment (2005), Boyle...
Mario de la Torre and his brothers have been fixtures in Boyle Heights for a generation. They have local knowledge of East LA. If you're looking at a potentially good investment (2005), Boyle Heights is about to blow up with the coming of light rail in 2009.
Mario handles real estate transactions from small to commercial. He also is a practising real estate attorney, so he knows the business inside and out.
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I had such a nasty time dealing with contractors I found in the phone book. Unfortunately, I struck out several times - with my first plumber, the electrician, the security system guy, etc. But my...
I had such a nasty time dealing with contractors I found in the phone book. Unfortunately, I struck out several times - with my first plumber, the electrician, the security system guy, etc. But my A/C guy, Emilio Medina, was a superstar!
Sears has a dirty secret they don't want you to know about. You walk into a Sears and tell them to install A/C in your house (or windows, or exterior panelling). They say OK and then charge you twice as much and then subcontract it to a local guy you could have found in the phone book. Medina is one of those subcontractors who installs for Sears. But we went direct to him.
He works with all the best brands - Carrier, Trane, etc. And unlike almost everybody else I worked with, he started and finished on the dates he said he would.
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Mr. Avila is a friendly man, bilingual, very experienced. He has run his shop for quite a long time, doing jobs big and small. But he took me for a ride.
I have no complaints with the quality of...
Mr. Avila is a friendly man, bilingual, very experienced. He has run his shop for quite a long time, doing jobs big and small. But he took me for a ride.
I have no complaints with the quality of his work. Remodelling our home, he was on time and did the work okay (although some of our switches are a little crooked). But he overcharged me by over 25%! We argued about it quite a while and I still feel like he was dishonest about this.
Stay away.
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Home Depot and Lowes are destroying local hardware stores. There are a lot of benefits to that - lower prices, more selection. But you miss out on places like Tak's Hardware.
It's run by a...
Home Depot and Lowes are destroying local hardware stores. There are a lot of benefits to that - lower prices, more selection. But you miss out on places like Tak's Hardware.
It's run by a Japanese family who has served the South Central community for decades. It is a modest shop, but still manages to supply everything you would need for some serious remodelling. They stock a full selection of plumbing supplies, as well as everything a gardener would need.
They are also very friendly people and are glad to give you tips on how to fix things. They even extend tabs to people they know.
Support your local business!
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Ed and his father have run this dental office for decades. They run the operation with the warmth of a family, but as professionals.
Ed is extremely honest and tries to work with your insurance...
Ed and his father have run this dental office for decades. They run the operation with the warmth of a family, but as professionals.
Ed is extremely honest and tries to work with your insurance or income limitations. And he limits his practice, so that he can provide personal care. He is one of the few dentists left in LA who still do their own cleanings!
Ed is a great dentist for cleanings, checkups, fillings, root canals, etc.
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A-1 Auto
Category:
Auto Repair & Service
2245 S Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, California 90064
(310) 914-3295
Doyle Sharp runs this shop and he knows everything there is to know about Honda and Acuras. In fact, his shop only does these cars. I've heard of him taking a VW or Toyota for long-time friends, but...
Doyle Sharp runs this shop and he knows everything there is to know about Honda and Acuras. In fact, his shop only does these cars. I've heard of him taking a VW or Toyota for long-time friends, but pretty much he'll only take your Honda or Acura. That's because Doyle is specially trained by Honda and ran a dealership shop for years before striking out on his own.
You'll get exactly the same level of service you would at a dealer at half the cost. He's not the cheapest, but he's very honest and thorough. Doyle never tries to gouge you and is upfront about your options. There's noone else I'd rather take my Civic to!
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My tow truck driver was amazed and said that Kerechuk was the cleanest auto shop he had ever seen. For a novice like me that didn't mean much. But for insiders, that reflects a level of...
My tow truck driver was amazed and said that Kerechuk was the cleanest auto shop he had ever seen. For a novice like me that didn't mean much. But for insiders, that reflects a level of professionalism and care that is unmistakeable.
This is not the cheapest place to go, but still much cheaper than a dealer. They specialize in Honda/Acura repairs and other Japanese makes. Getting a 30/60/90K mile service is the same here as at the dealer, but at about 2/3 the price. There's not much room to haggle.
They are always busy, so it's the kind of place you want to just drop by. But a good place to make your regular repair shop.
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Dr. Chen reverses many of the HMO stereotypes. She works at a small medical building in the Monterey Park area with her husband and father-in-law. She spends a lot of time asking questions, going...
Dr. Chen reverses many of the HMO stereotypes. She works at a small medical building in the Monterey Park area with her husband and father-in-law. She spends a lot of time asking questions, going beyond just what you came in for. She communicates concerns and everything very well.
She also doesn't hesitate to refer you to specialists or for lab work.
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La Parilla
Category:
Restaurants
2126 E Cesar E Chavez Ave
Los Angeles, California 90033
(323) 262-3434
There aren't a lot of restaurants in East LA I would take my parents, though I love East LA. Most of my favorites are holes in the wall that concentrate on food, not fun. La Parilla is a welcome...
There aren't a lot of restaurants in East LA I would take my parents, though I love East LA. Most of my favorites are holes in the wall that concentrate on food, not fun. La Parilla is a welcome exception.
Situated right in the middle of Avenida Cesar Chavez in Boyle Heights, La Parilla has historic roots in this heart of East LA. Strolling down this commercial strip, you'll realize the distance from LA to Mexico City is pretty small. Enjoy walking around during the day (it gets a little dicey at night) and seeing the fresh fruit vendors, people selling stuff on the street, cowboy boots in the windows, and the thumping ranchera music blasting from cars.
You can tell La Parilla is the jewel of the block. The waitresses bustle about in folklorico dresses, the booths are filled with cops and local businessmen on lunch breaks, and the walls are bursting with kitschy rural Mexican trinkets. They are not taken aback to the see the occasional gringo, and speak English and Spanish well.
The first sign that the food is great is that they have an old brick stove that is used for making fresh real handmade tortillas. If you have never had real tortillas, you don't know what you're missing. This is not a burrito/taco place (although I think they are on the menu). You order real Mexican classics. They have menudo on the weekends, chile rellenos, enchiladas, bistec, dorados, etc. I recommend their carne asada plate - a simple meal of Mexican rice, beans, a grilled green onion, and the perfect tender grilled flank steak. It's served with some fresh tortillas and homemade salsa. Unbelievable.
Enjoy the best of Boyle Heights!
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There's nothing fancy about this place. It's located on Whittier Blvd in the heart of one of the commercial centers of East LA. The place is painted a garish green and yellow, and there are cheap...
There's nothing fancy about this place. It's located on Whittier Blvd in the heart of one of the commercial centers of East LA. The place is painted a garish green and yellow, and there are cheap cafeteria-type plastic tables/benches inside. But wait till you get your food.
It all begins and ends with the fish taco. You can see them battering and deep-frying the fish all day long. I think they do it when you order, so the fried coating is always fresh when you get it. Two soft corn tortillas hug a couple of large hunks of white fish, deep fried in batter. They add chopped cabbage so you don't feel like it's a complete nutritional wasteland and top it off with the most excellent crema I've ever had. Absolutely mouth-watering. Ignore the fact that you have hastened the onset of coronary failure, and order three with an horchata. That will ring you up to less than $6.
On Wednesdays, the fish tacos are only 99 cents (usually $1.49). It can get crowded on weekends and during lunch, but it's worth the wait. There's plenty of parking on in the parking lot in back and on the nearby streets. This is a relatively safe area of East LA, so don't fret.
Don't get distracted by the other menu items. We made the mistake or ordering a carne asada burrito once. It may have been an average burrito somewhere else; but sitting next to magnificent fish tacos it tasted like a waste of time.
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