The menu is loaded with Hawaiian and Asian dishes, I decided to try the Hawaiian Rice Bowl. The "small" bowl had beef and Portuguese sausage strips mixed with shredded carrots and broccoli florets on top of white rice. On the table was soy and teriyaki sauces. The meal was great, the teriyaki sauce added to the flavor of the rice and although it was a small bowl it was a lot of food!
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My "small" Hawaiian Rice Bowl
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A few days later I would return to Rutt's with some co-workers, the place was not nearly as busy as on my first visit. I decided to try the Rutt's fish dinner, which was served as a traditional Hawaiian meal with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad on the side. The white fish was blackened although it was not spicy. Rutt's came through again! Big meal and little price!
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| My Rutt's Fish dinner, traditional Hawaiian with rice and Mac Salad |
My second stop was in the Westwood area of Los Angeles near the UCLA campus. "Fat Sal's Deli" is a stand where they serve huge sandwiches and was opened by a bunch of friends from the New York City including Jerry Ferrera who starred in the HBO show "Entourage". I looked over the menu and decided to go basic with a Cheeseburger, the the sandwiches were way too big for me!
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| Fat Sal's Deli - A sandwich stand in Westwood near UCLA where they make big and bigger sandwiches |
I received my burger and it was pretty big, with cheese, onions and lettuce and topped with "Fat" sauce. It was really good and as I ate t I could taste the sauce that gave it a huge heat kick. I think I made the right decision as all of the other sandwiches were much more than I could have eaten, they were definitely sharable or take home portions!
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| My Fat Sal's burger |
From Fat Sal's I headed up to the city of Ventura about 90 minutes north to a place that is open only for breakfast and lunch. "Pete's Breakfast House" is in the old town area of this sea side city and wasn't too busy, but I arrived shortly before they closed for the day. I am sure it had been a very busy Sunday morning! I was seated at a tale near the open kitchen and for some reason i ad a hankering for some pancakes so I chose the short stack.
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| Pete' Breakfast House in Ventura, California |
The pancakes were really good, although there were preserves and syrup on the table, the cakes were so tasty that they really didn't need them! The other really cool thing was that the plates they use have "Pete's Breakfast House" on one side of the oval plate and "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives - 2011" on the other.
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| My Short Stack at Pete's |
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| Love the customized plates! |
I got to meet one of the owner's of Pete's and she told me all about their episode and the filming. Her and her husband bought the place and kept the name because that is her husband's name. As we finished out chat she told me that the meal was on her! A great meal and FREE, what could be better!
After work one night I got an Uber and headed with se co-workers to a place not far from the airport and the hotel I was staying at. "Gloria's Cafe" is a small place that specializes in Mexican and Salvadoran food. When we arrived about 6p the place was empty, by the time we left an hour later it was packed some were waiting for seats! Gloria, the owner was in and greeting just about everyone who came in. Her place is decorated with brightly painted art on the walls. My co-worker's ordered Shrimp based meals and I decided to try the flat steak dish.
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| Gloria's Cafe near LAX |
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| The colorful artwork at Gloria's |
Our meals arrived and they were accompanied with flour tortillas, seasoned rice, lettuce, and refried beans. Everyone raved about their meals and I really enjoyed mine and it was quite filling. The flat steak was very tasy and the beans were really good.
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| One of my co-workers shrimp platter |
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| My Gloria's Flat Steak meal |
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| Another Gloria's Shrimp meal |
Before we left I got to meet Gloria and had her sign my book. She was very nice but seemed taken aback by the request, she timidly signed her name, I guess she wasn't too sure about the crazy request!
At the end of the week of work at LAX I decided to stay a few days in Southern California since the next week I was scheduled to work in Denver. I decided to rent a car and drive up to Bakersfield where Guy had visited 9 places. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get to all 9 but hoped to try to get to 6. The drive from LA took about 2 hours and it was fast and pleasant after getting out of the LA area. The drive took me through several mountain passes, it was a pretty drive despite the very arid scenery. As I entered the town, there were oil derricks all over the place, Bakersfield is a very oil driven place.
My first stop was at a place in a small strip mall on the western side of the town. "Athena's Greek Cafe and Bakery" is a small place with 5 or 6 tables with a large menu of Greek specialties: full meals, sandwiches, appetizers and Greek pastries and sweets.
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| Athena's Greek Cafe and Bakery in Bakersfield, California |
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| Cool Mascot |
I decided to get an appetizer, knowing that I would be trying a couple more places later. I chose the Greek meatball appetizer wit a side of white pita slices. The appetizer was really big and very good. They served me 5 lamb and beef meat balls with a side of Taziki Sauce and 8 slices of pita. The sauce had a hint of mint and went very well with the meat balls. I made little sliders with the pita.
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| My Athena meal |
From Athena's I headed to my next stop which was only about a mile away. "Salty's BBQ and Catering" is a small shack with their huge smoker out in front. I love their slogan, "We serve both Smoked and Grilled foods!"
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| A True BBQ Shack! |
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| The big smoker out front, where the magic happens! |
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| Guy Ate Here! |
I decided to try the Brisket Sandwich with a side of Potato Salad. The potato salad was ok, nothing special and the brisket was pretty good but what made the sandwich great was the locally made Pyrenees's sub roll. They grilled the roll with butter and pepper and it was so tasty that the side of barbecue sauce was almost unnecessary! I would go back just for the roll!
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| Salty's Brisket Sandwich and potato salad with the delicious roll |
I headed out to check in to my hotel and get settled in before heading back out to try a couple more places. "KC Steakhouse" in downtown Bakersfield is a throwback to a bygone era. The entrance is two large wood doors and a you enter it is dark, with a sunken bar. The tables vary in size and the chairs are wood based with red leather padding. I almost was expecting Sinatra and rest of the rat pack to come in for dinner!
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| KC Steakhouse a downtown Bakersfield restaurant throwback to another era |
I looked over the menu and decided to try one of the meals that Guy tried during his Triple D visit here, the Lobster Mac and Cheese. They served me a large bowl of Clam Chowder along with fresh baked bread with butter and home made salsa. The soup was probably the thickest soup I have ever had and had large chunks of potato and clams. My meal came and it was a huge. The dish was not too cheesy which I really liked and topped with panko bread crumbs. I must admit that the lobster was chopped a bit too small, it was hard to make out the lobster from the mac. The meal had 4 grilled slices of garlic toast on the side. It was a very filling meal. The staff was super friendly and the waitresses were dressed in white blouses and black dresses another throwback to a bygone era! I had a really good first day in Bakersfield!
My last day in Southern California started in Bakersfield. I got up and headed out to 3 more places, 2 in Bakersfield and then one in Valley Glen just outside Burbank in the San Fernando Valley. I drove to the east side of the city, which is very industrial. "Pyrenees Restaurant and Lounge" is an interesting place, there is a huge bar that was doing a big business both with food and drinks, which was interesting considering I arrived about 830a. I noticed that as I entered, through a side door, many looked at me probably wondering who this stranger was as most of the patrons seemed to know each other and the staff. I took a seat at the bar and looked over the menu. I was warmly greeted by Jen, and after she took my order, Bacon-stuffed pancakes, she noticed my Triple D book and asked me about it. I told her about my travels and asked if I could get it signed. She told me absolutely told me she would get the owner, who ironically sitting just a few stools down!
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| Pyrenees Restaurant and Lounge in Bakersfield, California |
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| Pyrenees side, front door |
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| First time I've ever seen a Jack and Tito's Tap! |
We had a great conversation and while he was signing my book, my meal arrived. The pancakes were large and loaded with shredded bacon. The syrup was served warm in a large cup. The cakes were really good. I found it great that the staff not only served everyone but made sure that everyone was satisfied with the service, it made me feel like I was part of the family. I was getting ready to leave I got a picture with the staff. This is a fun place and worth a visit if you are in the Bakersfield area.
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| Love the stylized galsses |
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| Me with the Pyrenees owner and staff |
I headed out to my last Bakersfield place. "The 24th Street Cafe" is in the downtown area and was packed when I arrived. I was told the wait for a table would be about 15 minutes but I could take an open seat at the counter in the middle of the restaurant. I squeezed into the corner seat. I was still pretty full from the pancakes I decided to try something I thought to be a bit lighter.
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| 24th Street Cafe in downtown Bakersfield |
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| In the Western US Diners are known as Coffee Shops |
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| Inside the 24th Street Diner |
I chose the Cinnamon Bun, thinking that it would be small, boy was I wrong! The warm bun was the size of a regular dinner plate with cinnamon, melted butter and icing.
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| 24th Street Diner's huge Cinnamon Bun |
It was really good and filling, so big that I couldn't finish it! This huge sweet roll was under 5 bucks, can't get that at Cinnabon!
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| I fought the bun and the bun won! |
I headed out of Bakersfield for the 90 minute drive back to the LA area. The drive was nice taking me through numerous canyons and hills. I also passed the area where the Magic Mountain (now called Six Flags California) theme park is, even under the rare overcast skies I could see the rides in full operation.
I arrived in the Valley Glen area of the San Fernando Valley, which is next to Burbank. I arrived at "Barrone's Famous Italian Restaurant" looks like it could be a German spot as the building looks like a German Chalet, but just like KC's in Bakersfield, it is a throw back to a bygone era. Barrone's has been a Valley Glen staple for about 50 years! There is a huge bar along with half circular booths and tables adorned with red leather seats. I got there just after it opened and was surprised that there were a lot of people waiting.
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| Barrone's Famous Italian in Valley Glen, California |
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| The large bar area |
On their episode they featured their Lasagna and pizza. I decided to try the pizza, with sausage and meat balls. The pizza came with a layer of cheese covering the meat filling, which covered the crust from edge to edge. The cheese created almost a full topping, I just took it off and ate it separately, yes I like to play with my food! The crust was just slightly undercooked, which may not sound good, but it really was!
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| My Barrone's pizza lunch |
Barrone's would be my last Triple D place on this Southern California trip. From Valley Glen I got back into the notorious LA traffic on the 405 to go to my hotel for the night before moving on to my next week of work in Denver. All in all I was able to get to 11 new places and have some really good meals. I flew out with my Triple D count at 621!
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