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This seems like an established hangout for some people in this community. Last time I went, they had a big council member election campaign banner. Inside there are lots of old folks as expected....
This seems like an established hangout for some people in this community. Last time I went, they had a big council member election campaign banner. Inside there are lots of old folks as expected. The diner food seems to be a mixture of mexican food and american food. They serve menudo with all the fixings, which I liked. I think it was during the holidays so I assumed that the cd-r (or aol disc) decoration on the orange walls were some king of festive touch. There was a bunch of christmas decorations. Actually, I think it was not during the holidays. Food was cheap and good, and the service was very nice. However, the atmosphere was a little cluttered and orange, so I never actually wanted to go back again. But it was very interesting nevertheless.
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I think this place might be a mutation of the hong kong style cafes that populate the san gabriel valley. I don't really know. They do serve pasta and pizza, all very very good. Compared to Italian...
I think this place might be a mutation of the hong kong style cafes that populate the san gabriel valley. I don't really know. They do serve pasta and pizza, all very very good. Compared to Italian places, I'd say the "Italian" fare here are a bit more spiced up and heavier in taste. Actually, even more importantly, this place serves probably the best hainam rice and chicken (a singaporean dish, I think) in town. They also serve a few curry dishes, sangria grape soda, and creme brulee. The place is quite small and bustling, and while there is usually a line, you usually don't have to wait an obscene amount of time which is surprising considering how popular this place is.
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If you want that casual cafe feeling, but still have your japanese food then this is the place. It's really cozy, has lots of broiled/grilled fish dinners to have along with your beer. I really like...
If you want that casual cafe feeling, but still have your japanese food then this is the place. It's really cozy, has lots of broiled/grilled fish dinners to have along with your beer. I really like that it feels like a local hangout (in downtown LA). When I went, they had a big chalkboard menu of various types of fish that are broiled or grilled and the prices ranged from maybe $5 to $12.
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Man, it looks like a rip off of starbucks, but it is really very comparable if not occasionally better. It serves Illy brand coffee and uses dreyer's ice cream. It's really just a mom and pop shop...
Man, it looks like a rip off of starbucks, but it is really very comparable if not occasionally better. It serves Illy brand coffee and uses dreyer's ice cream. It's really just a mom and pop shop so there's non of that monobranding thing going on (though starbucks is still my favorite location during Christmas). What's good about this is that you get more random things on the menu, like the taro and redbean ice creams, or fresh fruit desserts and drinks. Their blender ice cream coffee drinks comes in any variety you want: caramel, mocha, vanilla, etc, basically anything that will come out of a flavor pump, along with the dreyers ice cream of course. It's nice to just invent your own on the spot and they happily make it for you. Starbucks frappucino's these days don't come near these drinks. Anyway, the Illy coffee is pretty good and I've seen them sold at specialty italian shops. It doesn't have that starbucks taste to it, so definitely come here if you need a change. Maybe in a college town these types of places are a dime a dozen, but here an alternative to starbucks is golden.
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I have always seen this place while driving down the Huntington blvd "freeway" lanes, and on a lark we just decided to stop in one evening. We all predicted coming in here that this place would be...
I have always seen this place while driving down the Huntington blvd "freeway" lanes, and on a lark we just decided to stop in one evening. We all predicted coming in here that this place would be filled with a slightly older crowd. Actually, it turned out to be true. But I was quickly impressed by the service and food here, especially for the very reasonable prices. It's a traditional american style diner (i.e. Norms or Denny's style) but NICE. It felt classy, the waiters were classy and helpful. At the same time it was casual and homey. There is a breakfast counter. They sell Elvis memorabilia. The food was great! This place gives me the warm fuzzies. I had fun.
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Okay, so everyone seems to get their birthday cakes here. All I can say is that I have never had any problems with their cakes. Always tastes fresh and has a lighter touch in terms of the sweetness...
Okay, so everyone seems to get their birthday cakes here. All I can say is that I have never had any problems with their cakes. Always tastes fresh and has a lighter touch in terms of the sweetness than with western bakeries. Try the mango cake, but any old cake is good. I'm sure there are plenty of places to go for good birthday cakes (i.e. the corner Regent Cafe on Garfield and Valley), but you can't go wrong with Cathy's.
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I think the king of all Asian desserts is the egg custard, especially at Jim's Bakery. I've always heard good things about it from my grandma and the 'connoisseur' at work swears by it. Basically,...
I think the king of all Asian desserts is the egg custard, especially at Jim's Bakery. I've always heard good things about it from my grandma and the 'connoisseur' at work swears by it. Basically, if you can get egg custards from this place while they just come out of the oven, you're in for a very delicious treat. It's somehow perfect. Buttery, soft eggy, not overly greasy, and it's warm like a kripy kreme donut. You can practically inhale it. I haven't tried anything else there. I'd probably get a birthday cake somewhere else though. And the thing about it is, you can probably eat just one and be happy for the rest of the day without eating another one.
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It's kind of lower wattage combination of Giant Robot and Kid Robot. While it's nice to have something like those stores in this area, I don't feel it's got the same vibrant and unique personality...
It's kind of lower wattage combination of Giant Robot and Kid Robot. While it's nice to have something like those stores in this area, I don't feel it's got the same vibrant and unique personality of the other stores. It's not too bad. They have monthly art shows that are getting better and better. It's mostly an outlet for their art center illustration pals or whatnot, but then, most art center students come out with strong stuff these days anyway. Wheat and chaff. I also like that they've got a magazine rack. Makes me wish there was a small bookstore in the area with the same kind of sensibility. Music, designer toys, video (Pennylane), and graphics, but no books (the traditional text kind, not the graphical ones or the art books). Maybe books are outdated.
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While it doesn't look it on the outside, this place is actually relatively unique for the area Chiu Chao (Teochow) style noodle restaurant. Your best bets are the My Huang soup noodles (rice noodle...
While it doesn't look it on the outside, this place is actually relatively unique for the area Chiu Chao (Teochow) style noodle restaurant. Your best bets are the My Huang soup noodles (rice noodle and egg noodle with shrimp and pork), any of their noodle dishes (to your taste, you can customize), their vietnamese pho (in many variations), the Man Chong Chicken & Rice (comes with really delicious sweet and salty soy sauce mixture), the cubed filet mignon with red rice, and the rice/turnip cakes. The food here is kind of greasy, but it is certainly not anemic. I would describe it as savory and flavorful, and they make for pretty good comfort food.
Also, not everything here is necessarily as good as may be expected. I've noticed that the more traditional chinese dishes they have are not as good as their noodles, aside from the few standout ones that I mentioned above. You just have to order the right stuff, and they do serve a large variety of dishes.
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There are several Tapioca Expresses in this area (along with the Lollicups, Quickly, and miscellaneous), so it's hard to tell the difference between the various ones. I like this one because they...
There are several Tapioca Expresses in this area (along with the Lollicups, Quickly, and miscellaneous), so it's hard to tell the difference between the various ones. I like this one because they don't overly sweeten the drinks, though don't expect the drinks to be bland. It is still basically sugared liquid in various forms, but they have just the right amount. Just try it if that's what you're looking for. It's mostly a humble little alley hole in the wall next to Hong Kong Supermarket, but they never seem to mess up my drinks and they seem to put more attention into the drinks. I don't know, just a feeling. The small snacks are good, including the green onion pie, but mostly because it's got all of that evil buttery, greasy, spicy goodness to them. They also have a grass jelly drink, but that tends to be a little sweet for my taste. Try the barley drink too. Anyway, they have a great variety that'll keep your beverage experience mostly unconventional. They also have vietnamese sandwiches, wireless internet access, and a coupla sitdown arcade machines. No ikea influenced furniture, but cozy.
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