This is, without question, one of mine and my boy's favorite burgers in LA (and burgers are my ultimate jam). Because of this burger, we can never eat plain PB&J again. We always mix Sriracha into the jelly first. Honestly, this combo is ADDICTIVE. Try it at home.
And they always cook the bacon perfectly on that burg, too. Long live Grill 'Em All!
Porto's. Is. The. BEST BAKERY. In LA. But I prefer the P-Balls on their own. You can't top the Medianoche sandwich in my book...as far as their sammies go. But I never make it out of Porto's without several potato balls, meat pies (that sweet glaze!), cheese rolls, and pastel de guyabas...
The mousse for sure looks unfortunate, but man, I have to throw props to that Beeramisu. Made it last year and it went in five minutes. Planning on making it again. It's *perfect*, maybe the best dessert I've ever made.
Torn. I love Southern cooking, but this place bought up my previous favorite restaurant in LA (Henry's Hat), purposefully ran it into the ground (check the Yelp reviews; there's a clear line of demarcation indicating when the new owner took over), and then opened this place. I mean...why? Why not just close Henry's Hat and move forward? Why purposefully change everything the customers were coming in for (no more games, most of the food was gone, and they were QUITE snotty on the FB page when people questioned what was going on) just to shut it down? The whole episode left a very bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to say goodbye to Henry's as it used to be. I don't have interest in supporting someone who buys up a property just to shit on the memory before bulldozing it.
@Capt. Dan - Right on!! At the same time, they also had Breakfast Sandwich. Does anyone remember those? They were literally bacon, egg, cheese, and biscuit-flavored. I am sorry to say, I actually liked them. Even with the WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD fake egg, the flavor of breakfasts from the frozen food aisle.
Was truly shocked that neither the Ghiradelli Double Chocolate nor the Trader Joe's varieties made it into the tasting, I come down here, and here...here are my people. :-) (Also try the new Blondie mix from TJ's, it's great! I also enjoy using the TJ's Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix to make a reeeally easy bread pudding.)
I agree, why not the cake rounds? MUST make this!!
Oh man, THE reason I love Weiland is their incredible Happy Hour specials. Those four house beers on tap for like $3 a pint? UNHEARD OF elsewhere in LA (and the Hef is particularly delish!)
And those garlic fries are literally the best garlic fries I've ever had.
This is a great place to take people when you want cheap beers, a table to sit at, and want to spend a night out in a bar where you can actually hear your companions talk.
I like both Koala's March AND Hello Panda, but you know what the best of the best is?
The milk flavor of Hello Panda. Oh. Man. Have you had it?
As a kid, my FAVORITE pizza was topped with corn. We found the recipe in a children's cook book (this one!: http://www.amazon.com/My-First-Cookbook-Angela-Wilkes/dp/0394804279). The crust was AWESOME, very biscuit-flakey and included cheese mixed in with the flour and butter. So tender.
But yeah, corn and ham on that baby. Yum.
Chicago to LA transplant here, and I just want to jump in and vouch for this pizza. The "landmark" comment was spot-on: I'm more of a Gino's girl (despite eating Lou's every Friday growing up...bleh), and this pizza absolutely bears a similarity to that slice of home. Yay Hollywood Pies!!! Now if only we could get a decent Italian beef out here (besides driving all the way to Buena Park for Portillo's)...
Leandraaaaaaa I am POUNDING my way through my second box of Peanut Butter Toast Crunch in a week. It. Is. Divine. Peanut butter is my favoritest favorite of all favorites, and I truly think this cereal is even better than Reese's Puffs (I cannot believe I said that, and yet, here we are.) I noted the pleasing saltiness and the Golden Graham texture upon my first bite, and those are the things that make this work. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is incredible, but Golden Grahams stays crunchy FOREVER in milk, and boy do I appreciate that in this cereal. A+, please never die.
I third the "missing Chantico" comments. That stuff was gold, I wonder why they stopped selling it (maybe confused people were put off by the small size? As if you could drink any more! So rich.)
And I've had the salted caramel variety discussed here, it's not bad. Not as good as Trader Joe's hot chocolate, though, which is truly the gold standard of instant mixes.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! I've been waiting for it to drop in here! So excited. And excited to get the secret Strawberry-Nutter Butter shake I first found out about here :-)
Awesome! Wow, just in 2011. Alright, that would explain why I just noticed the price drop this year. Yay on that CEO, that's how to do business.
@illone - Did you eat one or just look at it? Because the quality is way, WAAAAAAY superior to McDonald's. It truly is shocking they don't charge more for these delicious beauties.
I actually went to a Steak 'N Shake (bless celebrating Christmas in Chicago! SnS is WAY better than InO, in this humble LA resident's opinion) and ordered this burger after reading this review. It was truly phenomenal, I could barely restrain myself from making out with it.
But regarding the pricing, does anyone remember Steak 'n Shake used to charge quite a bit more for their food? My mom and I SWEAR the prices dropped significantly sometime within the past ten years, because we remember a time they were charging an extra ten cents for a slice of tomato and railing against how offputtingly penny-pinching that was. I would never bat an eye at an extra ten cents for a tomato slice when paying only $5 for a double cheeseburger with specialty toppings AND fries. I swear this meal would have cost closer to $7 or even $8 at some point.
I made a basil-rosemary-mint simple syrup for sodas before. True, the simple syrup involved sugar (naturally), but the herbal qualities really made me think of it as more of a savory soda. It was also great to mix the syrup with iced tea.
I look forward to returning to Illinois every Christmas from LA in order to grab the white chocolate milk shake. Rarely does ice cream products do white chocolate's subtle flavor justice. This one does.
LOL, Boston Otter. Thank you. No need for ridiculous hyperbole.
I'm just a PIIIIIIE, BOOOOY!/I need no sympathy...
"Are you serious? I died."
That is- EXACTLY- what went through my mind when I saw that picture. Thank you, Dennis!!! Sorry it kinda sucked, though. Big disappointment. :-(
I love- LOVE- cauliflower crust pizza. Sometimes we change it up by adding cheddar instead of mozzarella cheese and seasoning with cumin and a touch of cayenne for a Southwest spin. We slice these up into "breadsticks" and dip it (gently, they're fragile) into tomato soup.
Totally agree with @FredipusRex about Lou Malnati's. My parents used to make us eat it every Friday night when I was growing up. Didn't think it was all that back then, and can barely stand the stuff now.
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Combining cocoa, sweet ancho, spicy, smoky chipotle and toasty, fried almonds results in an earthy, slightly sweet flavor palette. This salsa is a bit on the thick side, which makes it perfect as a chip dip, or to slather onto tacos or quesadillas. I would probably even eat it on toast topped with a gooey fried egg. More
I grew up with grits. Whether they were instant with extra salt, slow-cooked with chunks of cheddar, or tented with a Kraft Single and a puddle of Tabasco (a la Waffle House), I'd eat them every which way. And I'd still eat them every morning if I didn't have to mail-order a good bag. Even though menus today are replete with Southern-inflected versions of the Bible Belt breakfast staple, it is still surprisingly difficult to find a bag of white ground corn labeled "grits" above the Mason-Dixon line. It's a good thing Sarah Simmons's recipe for Creamy Parmesan Grits from Food and Wine's new book America's Greatest New Cooks still works with "polenta." More
Crisp-shelled, marshmallow-chewy meringues are layered with lightly sweetened butter into a cloudy white cake that's an unexpected surprise. More
See which menu items from familiar Mexican, or Mexican-leaning, chains—including Taco Bell, Rubio's, Qdoba, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, Wahoo's, Del Taco, Green Burrito, and El Pollo Loco—are actually worth ordering. More
As much as we love PB&Js, it's time to think outside the sandwich. There are so many interesting and creative ways to enjoy peanut butter. Here are 18 to get us started: PB cinnamon rolls, PB sushi, PB hummus, and plenty more. More
How many times have you read that in a book or heard a TV chef say it? "It squeezes the juices out!" they cry. "It turns your lunch into a hockey puck!"they scream. Sometimes they'll try and appeal to your compassionate side. "Certainly there are some things that deserve crushing. Evil grapes. T-800 model Terminators. Rebel scum trapped in trash disposals. But what has that poor, defenseless little burger ever done to you to deserve such a fate?"
You've heard it so many times you can't help but believe it's true, right? Not so fast—some of my favorite burgers are smashed, and smashed hard. What gives?
MoreA recent trip to Albuquerque presented plenty of opportunities to eat green chile. In addition to the oldies, like chile relleno and enchiladas, you'll find green chile mac and cheese, green chile BLTs, green chile apple pie, and more! More
Let's look past the bean & cheese. Obama may not have mentioned this in his DNC speech, but as a nation it is imperative that we move past the bean & cheese as the only available option for vegetarians at our taco chains. The B&C has its place, of course, but we were looking for more than just sloppy pinto beans and greasy cheese in this tasting. Taco Bell, Del Taco, Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Rubios and Wahoos battle it out for the title of best vegetarian burrito. More
Can Robyn somehow be food-related? "Ja" (that's "yes" in Swedish) is the answer. Here's a menu to fuel your next dance party with the Swedish pop star: We Dance to the Beet Salad, Gravlax, and a Stars 4-Ever Sangria. More
If you're like me, tasting a Lay's BLT for the first time left you reeling from a mix of raw emotions. I had questions. Should I be angry? Was it something I said? Wait, is Lay's mad at me? When my head finally stopped spinning, I took pause and reflected on all of the times that I'd hit a bump in the road or a low point and Lay's chips had been there for me. So I decided to fix them. More
Like the entire state of Idaho, Boise too often flies so far below the radar that it's practically skimming the ground. But a great fast food-style burger and a sampling of six different varieties of fries at the Boise Fry Company made me realize I haven't been giving the Gem State a fair shake. BFC advertises their fries first and foremost, as evidenced by their motto: "Burgers on the side." More
Smokey, sweet, spicy, and tangy, esquites are the off-the-cob version of elotes—grilled Mexican street corn slathered with creamy, cheesy, lime-scented, chili-flecked sauce. In this version, we char the corn on the stovetop, though a trip to the grill wouldn't hurt. More
About the author: María del Mar Sacasa is a recipe developer, food stylist, and author of the food blog High Heels & Frijoles. Behind her girly façade lurks a truck driver's appetite. Read about her cravings and suffer through her... More
When the hot summer days roll around, we've got one thing on our minds when it comes to drinks: fresh lemonade. If store-bought is your thing (and frankly, on hot, lazy, summer days, a good fresh store-bought lemonade made from real lemons can be a life saver), then check out our Guide to the Best Ready-To-Drink Lemonade. But if you've got a good juicer and 15 minutes, adding a bit of elbow grease to making your own fresh homemade lemonade will make it taste all the sweeter. More
This recipe has easy written all over it. The noodles cook in a pot of boiling water and are then drained in a colander. Meanwhile, the sauce is mixed together in less than a minute in the food processor. Combine the two, along with a some sliced cucumbers, and you're done. More
The first time around, we ventured from the original Rummy Bear with Negroni Bears and even Old-Fashioned Penguins. But it's time to delve deeper into the gummi menagerie and we're wondering: what other boozy gummies would you like to see? More
Creamy, cheesy polenta is delicious, but in the summer it can be a bit heavy. Instead, satisfy your polenta craving with these fluffy yet crispy polenta cakes. More
Do you remember hearing last year about the kids getting drunk in class on vodka-soaked Gummi Bears? It was a real problem in some schools, especially in parts of California, where bear-boozled kids were sent home. We're not endorsing this illicit activity; kids, stay in school. But if you're of age, want to eat Gummi Bears and drink alcohol at the same time, then keep reading. Bring these to a party and you'll be everyone's hero. More
I have a love affair with icebox cakes. A tower of cookies layered with whipped cream or custard sits overnight in the fridge. After the stint, the cookies have absorbed the moisture, turning into a cakey consistency. Hands down, it's one of the simplest ways to create a cake, which comes in handy after a holiday season full of frenzied baking. And since I add a blast of heat to everything, the whipped cream for this chocolate icebox cake is flavored with cocoa powder, New Mexican chile powder and cayenne. The result is a chocolate-chile slice of heaven that has never been easier to create. More
Whether it's a lazy afternoon at the park or a backyard barbeque, this strawberry basil lemonade is sure to please everyone. More
No ice cream maker? No problem! This frozen chocolate granita is the perfect dessert to cool you down and settle that chocolate fix. More
[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt] Note: Harissa is a Tunisian spice pasted made from piri-piri peppers. It can be found in cans or bottles in most major supermarkets or specialty grocers. About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative... More
Ambrosia is a recipe that pops up in most of my Southern cookbooks as well as in my grandmother's chicken-scratched notebooks. A Southern staple since the late 19th century, the term ambrosia means—according to Greek mythology—"food of the gods." Its avatar is a bit more pedestrian: though variations exist, at its most basic the dessert is made up of fresh fruits (often sliced oranges) sprinkled with sugar, topped with grated coconut, and sometimes, splashed with a little booze. More
Planning on whipping up some hummus but don't have any tahini on hand? Let peanut butter come to your rescue! More
There are people in this world who eat their oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins on top, then carry on about their lives, and that's fine. The fact that they're eating oatmeal is a good thing, but how sad for them. What a missed opportunity! Oatmeal can, and should, be treated as a canvas for all sorts of inventive toppings, both savory and sweet. More
Yeah that link is still broken...