Our second trip to Los Angeles started from San Diego and we pulled into Fountain Valley for some food at Paul’s Coffee Shop.  It was late morning and we didn’t know if we’d rather have breakfast or lunch.  Given that the vibe of the place reminded me of Hawaii, I decided to order the loco moco which is a hamburger patty over rice topped with gravy and fried eggs.  We shared.

I went back to wash my hands.  I had to wait for the bathroom, which gave me the time to read some humorous Marine Corps Rules which were interesting.  Rule 5:  Be polite.  Be professional.  But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.  Rule 6:  Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a “4”.  Fun stuff.

To make a long story short.  The food wasn’t very good and the service was even worse, bordering on rudeness. I guess it’s a great spot for regulars, but no one else. Who knows?

Following that, we drove around the harbor to San Pedro and settled into a nice booth at the Gaffey Street Diner. Continue reading →

Monday, March 5, 2012:

Hodad’s Ocean Beach
World’s Best Burgers

Of all the DDD places ever featured on the show, our number one all-time favorite has got to be Hodad’s.  Of course Guy himself is funny and highly entertaining; and Mike Hardin (HoDaddy) is the coolest guy in the world and has a brilliant sense of humor.  Put the two of them together and look out.  That’s to say nothing of the killer burgers and shakes.  It’s kind of a fluke that we didn’t get to San Diego sooner than we did, but Hodad’s was always the place we wanted to visit the most.  The undisputed Mecca of hamburger greatness at a cool little spot where the ocean meets the shore, on Seaside Eats (Episode 206). Continue reading →

Denver was our last DDD destination for this trip and we were looking forward to some great food.  The timing of our visit corresponded with the dispute between Page Productions and the Food Network.  I never got the particulars, but some of the places in Denver hadn’t aired yet (but all have since then as far as I know).

Our first day was more of a sampling menu, beginning with Lauer Krauts.  I picked up a few of the Kraut Burgers and a bowl of soup and brought them back to our motel.  They were good and it made for a nice breakfast.

Anna in front of Bang

We next headed over to Bang, and split a breakfast of bacon and eggs with biscuits and gravy.  We got a nice table on the back patio and were served by the owner, Chris, who took great care of us.  He told us about the house made ketchup and gave us a sample of that too.  I’m sure it would be great on the meatloaf (which looked good on the episode).  The food was great and we wished them lots of luck. Continue reading →

Sunday, May 29 2011

It was Memorial Day weekend and we were planning to spend the day enjoying the water parks at the Wisconsin Dells.  Unfortunately it was rainy and stormy, so we rolled into the twin cities a day early.  I always imagined that Minneapolis and St. Paul would be good looking cities and indeed they are.

Dari-ette in St. Paul

Our first stop in St. Paul was at the Dari-ette for an Italiano Sandwich which is basically an Italian sausage sandwich with red sauce and melted cheese on sliced bread.  The service was fast.

After getting settled into a motel room by the airport, we headed out for a beer at the Bryant-Lake Bowl.  The place was packed, every seat filled.  We didn’t have to wait too long for a table.  We ordered beer and an order of nachos.  The service was bad and the food was even worse.  I’ve had better nachos at a gas station. Continue reading →

Meat Lover Omelet
at White Palace Grill

We arrived at my Aunt’s house and hunkered down for three days in Chicago.  Our first morning driving into the city, we stopped at White Palace Grill for a breakfast.  There was no parking lot, but you can leave your car at the curb for 30 minutes or less provided that you leave on your emergency flashers. (Go figure)  We went in and found a comfortable booth where we could keep an eye on the car.  We ordered a meat lover’s omelet with toast and hash browns.  Our waitress was friendly, and efficient.  The food came right out and it was surprisingly delicious.  I was expecting a boring, run of the mill coffee shop breakfast, but this was clearly a step above.  The place was immaculately clean too and they had some great art work.  We always love it when we are pleasantly surprised and get more than what we were expecting.

Buckingham Fountain in Chicago

After a bit of time downtown, we drove up Lake Shore Drive where we found some free parking at a park (Lincoln Park?) and got out to walk around.  The wind blowing off Lake Michigan chilled to the bone, but we hung out there as long as we could stand it.  The bathrooms had heaters, but we couldn’t go in one together and give people the wrong impression. Continue reading →