All About the Bread Makes a Better Meatball Sandwich Than Bay Cities

Comparable in many circles to Liverpudlians suggesting The Beatles may have been overrated, a Santa Monican speaking ill of Bay Cities is pretty much sacrilegious. You just don't do it. You may think it, you may even whisper it to your tight-lipped dog, but you DO NOT SAY IT ALOUD. 

Bay Cities is a great deli and market. I love the fucking place. They offer some wonderful Italian delicacies. A glorious deli salad display. They make a transcendent chicken parmesan sandwich. Their "special" Mac & Cheese is the city's best according to LA Weekly. But, we're on the Internet here, we're allowed to actually tell the truth, so let's admit it: Bay Cities has flaws. For one, the majority of their sandwiches come with the same deli meat Ralph's sells. Sure, they serve extraordinary bread, but shouldn't a great sandwich shop offer greatness outside and inside? Another myth we need to put to rest: Bay Cities' meatball sandwich is better than the competition. This is utter fiction, my friends. Like Andrew Bynum, the Bay Cities meatball sandwich surrounds itself with talent and thus finds itself considered superior to its actual talents. Once again, nothing can be that bad nestled between two slices of BC bread, but I often find their meatballs overcooked and rather bland.

On the other hand, Melrose's All About the Bread sells what I consider to be the city's best meatball sandwich. I don't think you know how hard it is for me to admit that. I loathed ABTB when it first opened. A shitty Bay Cities knock-off, I shouted (to myself). Then I gave the meatball sub a try. Not bad, I thought. Then I gave it a second try. Pretty solid. I still wasn't convinced though. That was about the time All About the Bread owner Albert Mizrahi decided -- despite recently having been named one of the city's best by LA Magazine -- to re-do the meatball recipe and make the sandwich even better. That's exactly what he did. Ever since, I can't get enough of this amazing meatball sub. Soft and garlicky meatballs and, unlike Bay Cities, always consistent. Add a few slices of provolone, a much softer bread and a side of sweet, less generic-tasting tomato sauce and you've got a winner. 

In no way am I saying ABTB as a whole is better than Bay Cities. It isn't. On their non-hot sandwiches they also use Ralph's-available deli meat, which is a total bummer. But, in the meatball sandwich department, it tops its more coastal counterpart. It also has one other thing BC doesn't: The Coke Freestyle machine, which is straight up bad ass because sometimes a gentleman feels like a half orange, half raspberry-flavored Coke Zero. And when that gentleman has that feeling, that gentleman deserves a half orange, half-raspberry Coke Zero!

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All About the Bread
7111 Melrose Avenue, LA 

Pinkberry: The 2nd Taste

Like an ugly and scrawny little brother, I hate on Pinkberry all the time.  Pinkberry sucks. Why would you ever want to go to Pinkberry? Why is it called Pinkberry? Pinkberry is such a stupid name. Pinkberry, you suck with girls. Yada, yada. But recently I realized something: I haven't actually been to Pinkberry since it first burst on the scene in 2005 at its original West Hollywood location. Back then I idiotically waited 45 minutes or so with the rest of the plebeians for this so-called "swirled masterpiece." I remember being impressed, but not blown away. Fast forward a year or two and there were top-notch frozen yogurt imitators dominating every LA block. With the likes of Yogurtland and Menchies, to name a few, it no longer seemed necessary to endure the Pinkberry lines, prices or product.

Now seven years later (shit, time has gone fast...), I no longer even consider Pinkberry when my weekly Sunday night "Amazing Race" fro-yo cravings set in. Thus, I didn't bat an eyelash when I first read that Google Wallet was giving away free Pinkberry. And trust me, here at U.E., when I hear free anything, I BAT ALL MY EYELASHES. SIMULTANEOUSLY. But as the freebie date drew nearer, I found myself contemplating if Pinkberry deserved a second tasting. I mean, fuck, it was free. And what else was I doing with my lazy Tuesday afternoon? After much deliberation, I decided to shed my pajamas at 3 pm, get dressed and walk over to my second least favorite place on Earth, The Third Street Promenade. (Least favorite place on Earth: the Universal Citywalk)

When I arrived at Pinkberry, I was pleasantly surprised to find only a medium-length line. Sometimes when you show up for these giveaways a massive crowd awaits (like Nate 'n Al's a while back). The next thing I noticed was the menu, which was both delightful and disappointing at the same time. First with the latter, in today's fro-yo world, I simply do not think you can only offer six flavors. Sure, Pinkberry started the craze and can do whatever they damn well please, but a big part of staying atop the heap is adjusting to your product's current landscape. Look at Starbucks, or even Sprinkles. When competition sprouted up all over the place, they expanded their respective menus to placate the customer. What is currently popular in frozen yogurt is choosing amongst double digit flavors, swirling your own servings and spooning your toppings yourself. Pinkberry offers none of the such.

On a better note, one of the six flavors offered (a so-called "seasonal" selection) was Salted Caramel. I love caramel... and love salted caramel even more. I am not a religious man, but I do truly believe on the 8th Day, the Big Man Upstairs created this holy and sweet combo.

I ordered the Salted Caramel with my fro-yo topping standby, yogurt chips. (Side question: what are yogurt chips?) On my first spoonful I was very pleased with the salted caramel taste. It reminded me of a slightly less sweet tasting version of Short Cake/Short Order/Single Origin's (heaven-on-Earth) Salted Caramel Latte. Unfortunately I grew more and more displeased with the fro-yo as the scoops went by. It was simply too thin of a yogurt. Part of what makes both Menchie's and Froyo Life's (horrible name, great yogurt) caramel frozen yogurts so good is their respective thicknesses. Even though it was barely 60 degrees outside, it honestly seemed like the Pinkberry yogurt would have melted in a matter of minutes if I didn't eat it. I did eat it though, so stop worrying.

Look, you can't really go wrong with salted caramel frozen yogurt with yogurt chips, especially when they are free. But with so many choices for frozen yogurt in LA now, wasting the calories at Pinkberry is just a misinformed life choice. You are much better off at Menchie's, Yogurtland, Froyo Life or my old standby, Malibu Yogurt. That said, thanks for the free fro-yo, Pinkberry! See you in another seven years...

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The city's best frozen yogurt:
Froyo Life -  Four Local Locations
Malibu Yogurt - 23755 Malibu Road #600, Malibu & 10912 Le Conte Ave., Westwood
Menchie's - Multiple Local Locations
Yogurtland - Multiple Local Locations

FREE FREE FREE: Sprinkles Today and Tomorrow

Offer valid at all Sprinkles locations on both 3/15/12 and 3/16/12 between 8-9 pm.

Pita Kitchen Makes LA's Best Chicken Pita

In my humble opinion there is only one meal worth the dreadful drive from Santa Monica to the Valley. Not a hole in the wall sushi joint. Not the burger at Laurel Tavern. Not Brent's Deli. Not even the blessed Black & Whites of Tarzana's Bea's Bakery. Nope, not worth it. 

The only reason to brave the 405 over the hill is Pita Kitchen's Chicken Shish Kebab Pita Wrap.

Know, I know what you're saying. "Drive all the way to the Valley for a fucking chicken wrap?" Or, "Dude, Pita Kitchen has a 4.5 Yelp score based on 400 reviews, tell me something I don't already know!" To both responses, I respond: SHUT UP. If you've never been, yes, it's worth it. If you've been there a hundred times, GO BACK. NOW.

Although it may be hard to believe -- due to U.E.'s major emphasis on pizza, burgers and sandwiches -- but Chicken Pitas are actually my favorite lunch. The only reason I don't post about them all the time is because I'm often disappointed by the local results. Sure, I adore Zankou and others, but nothing satisfies like Pita Kitchen. The kabob pita contains such a simple construction (chicken, sauce, maybe a veggie) yet very few excel at making it just right. Pita Kitchen, who bakes their own bread, makes it perfectly. Well seasoned kabob meat, fresh tahini sauce, fresh hummus, some lettuce and a little of their tomato and cucumber greek salad. That's it. Perfection.

You can get the smaller "pita" size for $6, but I recommend the larger $7 wrap size. No sides necessary, this wrap will easily stand in for an entire meal and then some.

NOTE: If you're heading from Santa Monica, please stop by Main Street and swoop me. Pita Kitchen is delicious, but gas is expensive these days...

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Pita Kitchen
14500 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks

LA's Best Vegetarian Sandwich?

What: Marinated Peppers & Burrata Sandwich
Where: Huckleberry (Santa Monica)
Why: Fresh pesto, perfectly marinated peppers & gooey Burrata all between Huckleberry's crunchy baguette - why not?!?


Note: Make it non-vegetarian by adding La Quercia prosciutto...