12215 Hawthorne Blvd
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 675-2253
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rosys-bakery-and-cuban-cafe-hawthorne
Rating: 4.5 stars
Typical cost for lunch: $ ($5.50 - 9)
What was ordered: Sandwich Cubano, Fricase de Pollo, Sopa de Pollo, Sopa de Frijole Garbonzo
Date of visit: 23 February 2011 (1st visit)
Review: Chris Cognac, from the Food Network’s Hungry Detective, has a theory: “The shittier the location + the longer it’s been there = how good it is”. I bring that up for two reasons: 1) it is a perfect description for Rosy’s Bakery and Cuban Café and 2) while we were enjoying our meal, Chris Cognac came in for lunch. Rosy’s is in a rundown strip mall right next to the Hawthorne Police Department. We almost walked right by it because the wedding cake in the window doesn’t exactly proclaim: “Cuban Café”.
I ordered the Cubano and received a giant pressed sandwich with layers of two kinds of ham, cheese, mustard, and pickles. A big pile of French fries were on the side. At $5.50 it is a heck of a deal. A great sandwich starts with great bread and that is where the “…Bakery & Café” part of Rosy’s name becomes important. The sandwich was made with a giant Cuban roll that was soft and chewy and had obviously been baked that morning. The cheese was gooey and the ham was sliced thin and piled thick. This is a spectacular sandwich. I recently picked up the 2011 Eat: Los Angeles – the Food Lover’s Guide to LA, and they suggested going to Havana Sandwich Co. in downtown El Segundo. They got it wrong; Rosy’s Cuban sandwich is ten times better and just over half the price.
My friend ordered the Fricase de Pollo combination plate. It was a big pile of mildly seasoned boneless, skinless chicken fresh from the grill. It came with a big scoop rice, maduros (fried plantains), salad, garlic bread, and a cup of black beans. It was an awful lot of food for $9 and the chicken was perfectly cooked with nice char lines. I have mentioned in the past that I am not a fan of fried plantains. They are usually too greasy for me, but these were great. They were still fried in oil, but the oil was left in the fryer and the plantains had a nice, slightly crispy exterior.
In the spirit of trying to properly evaluate the restaurant, we both ordered a small bowl of soup. I got the chicken soup (Sopa de Pollo) and it was good, but not nearly as tasty as my sandwich. It had noodles, big chunks of carrots and a whole, bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh. It was a little work separating the meat from the chaff, but worth the effort. My friend ordered the Garbanzo bean soup. It had an excellent flavor with onions and garlic. The broth had a red tinge to it. I’m not sure if that was due to the presence of tomato paste or red spices (paprika/red chillis). Unfortunately, ordering the soup left us too full to try any of the Cuban bakery piled up in the display cases. I am not too concerned… we’ll be back (and will probably up their rating to 5 stars). 4.5 stars.
-Ben
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Front Page Jamaican Grille
1117 W Manchester Blvd #C
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 216-9521
www.frontpagejamaicangrille.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/front-page-jamaican-grille-inglewood
Rating: 4.5 stars
Typical cost for lunch: $$-$$$ ($7-12)
What was ordered: Oxtails, Jerk Chicken, Homemade Ginger Beer
Date of visit: 2 February 2011 (1st visit)
Review: A hole-in-the-wall restaurant, serving ethnic cuisine, in a strip mall, in a rough part of town, sporting a 4.5 star rating on Yelp… now that is a recipe for culinary excellence! Don’t go to Front Page if ambiance is important to you; don’t go to Front Page if you can’t handle spicy food; don’t go to Front Page if you constantly worry about your car being stolen; but everyone else get over to Front Page as soon as you can.
I was feeling adventurous and hungry so I got a large order of Oxtails and a homemade Ginger Beer. Before I knew it a big pile spicy, meaty, boney stewed oxtails was brought to my table. What is an oxtail? I don’t know… the tail of an ox I guess. They certainly aren’t health food but these were delicious. They were served over an even larger pile of rice and beans. Mixed steamed vegetables and fried plantains were on the side. The rice and beans were slowly cooked and full of flavor. I’d guess large quantities of garlic and some form of animal fat was used in their preparation. The mixed vegetables were mostly cabbage and some green leaf (maybe collard greens?) and had a similar flavor as the rice and beans. I’m not usually a fan of fried plantains but these were pretty good (still a little too oily and sweet for me).
My friend ordered their signature dish, the Jerk Chicken and it did not disappoint. For a buck more he got all breast meat and that’s quite a deal for how much breast meat was on his plate. The chicken was tender and juicy and the marinade definitely involved some habaneras. The homemade ginger beer we each ordered was sweet, delicious, and made with so much fresh ginger (from the root not a powder) that I could only finish a quarter of the cup with lunch. The guy behind the counter added some ice for me and I timidly sipped it the rest of the day.
If you show up and Front Page Jamaican Grille is closed just go to Los Taquitos further back in the same strip mall. Front Page holds somewhat odd hours which thwarted us on our first attempt to come on a Monday. Lucky for us that is how we discovered the great Mexican restaurant Los Taquitos. As is my normal procedure, I will refrain from giving them 5 stars based on one visit. 4.5 stars.
-Ben
Monday, February 14, 2011
Al-Hamra Halal Café
2515 Artesia Blvd
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
(310) 371-5919
http://www.yelp.com/biz/al-hamra-halal-cafe-redondo-beach
Rating: 4 stars
Typical cost for lunch: $$ ($6-9)
What was ordered: Chicken Shawerma, Kofta, Gyros, Beef Schawerma, Lentil Soup
Date of visit: 10 February 2011 (1st visit)
Review: Yelp calls Al-Hamra a Greek place but it is actually Mediterranean with an emphasis on Middle Eastern and North African food. That puts Al-Hamra in direct competition with Chicken Dijon (literally next door). You might want to be sure you don’t accidently turn into Chicken Dijon as with 200 reviews and 4.5 stars on Yelp, Al-Hamra seems to be the more highly regarded of the two.
Our group of four all ordered pita sandwiches. At around $7 they are a pretty good deal considering you get fries or a garden salad on the side. The pitas themselves were expertly assembled with fresh ingredients and tasty meat. Someone in our group thought the pita in their sandwich was overly grilled, but mine tasted fine. The Beef Schawerma was slow roasted and thinly shaved, the Chicken Schawerma was lean and juicy, and the Kofta and Gyro meat were well seasoned. All of the sauces (tahini, garlic, tzatziki, and a spicy red pepper sauce) used in the various dishes were delicious. They don’t give you too many French fries on the side, but they were good. One person in our group asked for a cup of Lentil soup on the side instead of the normal options. The owner, Naseem, happily accommodated the request for an extra $2. It is very nice to see restaurateurs going the extra mile to make their guests happy. Unfortunately my friend reported the soup tasted stale and sour.
Al-Hamra uses top notch ingredients so the sandwiches were well worth what we paid for them, but the lunch did not fill me up. I didn’t see any real options to beef-up the offerings. Maybe next time I will order one of the dinner plates (approximately $10-12), but they don’t seem like standard lunch faire. I wish I could have ordered a bigger sandwich with a larger pile of fries for a couple bucks more. 4 stars.
-Ben
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Chicken Shack
1030 Aviation Boulevard,
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 372-1522
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-chicken-shack-hermosa-beach
Rating: 3 stars
Typical cost for lunch: $$ - $$$ ($7-14)
What was ordered: The Classic Cut, Saltado de Pollo
Date of visit: 11 February 2011 (1st visit)
Review: When you are looking for a place to eat lunch the brightly painted red and yellow Chicken Shack naturally draws you in like a moth to light. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this place is a Peruvian restaurant. We here at the Aerolunch Blog are big fans of Peruvian food. In fact we refer to El Pollo Inca (just down the street from the Chicken Shack) as “the Standard”.
Perusing the menu, the Shack’s main focus seems to be on their rotisserie chicken, so I ordered the Classic Cut for $9, which is half a rotisserie chicken with two sides and two sauces. I got garlic rice (based on the server’s recommendation) and mixed vegetables on the side but could have alternatively chosen golden fries, potato salad, or garden salad. The chicken was excellent but not significantly better than most rotisserie chicken I have had. The garlic rice was good, but the vegetables were excellent. They were a steamed mixture of carrots, broccoli, and green beans and came with an Italian type dressing to give them some flavor. They were not over-cooked and maintained a slight crunch.
My compatriot ordered the Saltado de Pollo for $14. This is a classic Peruvian dish of stir-fried chicken breast and onions served over fries and a scoop of garlic rice on the side. The chicken was expertly cooked and well seasoned. The fries were not really incorporated into the dish as I am used to in a saltado. Instead of absorbing the delicious sauce they were an independent part of the meal. The saltado also came with two sauces.
The Chicken shack has three sauces to choose from: 1) the classic Peruvian green sauce made from jalapenos and lettuce, 2) yellow sauce made with Aji de Amarillo (a yellow Peruvian chill pepper), and 3) white sauce, a non-spicy yogurt sauce. The green sauce is the normal sauce you get in every Peruvian restaurant. The yellow sauce was spicier and creamier (due to the presence of yogurt). I thought the yellow sauce had great flavor and highly recommend it. We didn’t try the white sauce. My friend was disturbed by the fact that you don’t get a big bottle of the green sauce here. Each meal comes with two little cups of sauce and if you want more they are $0.50/each. It was enough sauce for me, but not him.
The food here was excellent; I would call it 4 stars. My main gripe with the Chicken Shack is the cost. The rotisserie chicken was several dollars more than their competitors and might be able to be justified with the steamed vegetables and delightful yellow sauce. The Saltado de Pollo however is twice the cost of El Pollo Inca just down the street and El Pollo Inca throws in a cup of cilantro, chicken, and rice soup. They might be nominally better than El Pollo Inca, but the cost/benefit is just not there. 3 stars.
-Ben
Monday, February 7, 2011
Los Taquitos
1120 West Florence Avenue
Inglewood, CA 90301-1572
(310) 215-0535
http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-taquitos-inglewood
Rating: 4.5 stars
Typical cost for lunch: $ ($5-9)
What was ordered: Machaca Burrito, Chicken Fajitas, Orchata
Date of visit: 31 January 2011 (1st visit)
Review: We were heading to the Front Page Jamaican Grill, but they were closed…. So we decided to try the hole-in-the-wall Mexican place in the back side of the strip mall. That is how we found Los Taquitos and are ever so happy we did!
Los Taquitos is a small unassuming joint tucked into a rundown strip mall. It seems like the perfect place to find delicious authentic Mexican food and that’s what you find. When we sat down, chips and salsa were brought out. The salsa was great though I tend to prefer my salsa a little thinner than they serve it here (though by no means is it chunky). I have a theory that great salsa starts with dried whole chili peppers and I’m pretty sure that’s what I was eating with this salsa.
The Machaca burrito was sublime: shredded beef fried with eggs, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes all wrapped up in a tortilla. I recommend you get it “wet” which means it comes bathed in delicious, spicy enchilada sauce. You can pay a buck more for rice and beans on the side, but with the chips and salsa, the burrito alone was enough to fill up my hearty appetite. The Fajitas were a show stopper: strips of chicken, green pepper, and onion sizzling away on a cast iron pan brought right from the cook-top to your table. A pool of tasty marinade was on the bottom of the pan bubbling up and around the chicken and veggies. Beans, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and warm tortillas were served on the side ready to be assembled into a scrumptious meal.
The fajitas are a $$ ($7-9) lunch and are an excellent deal. I put Los Taquitos in the $ bin because I consider the burritos more of a typical lunch time order. Either way you look at it Los Taquitos is a great meal at a ridiculously cheap price. 4.5 stars, I’ll have to go back a few more times before I am willing to give them the full 5 stars.
-Ben
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