Pasadena Sandwich Company's Turkey Supreme Does Not Suck

Sometimes when I find myself with a lot of keyboard pecking to do, I hop in the car and drive an hour or so to a special coffee shop. I won't disclose the special coffee shop because, well, it wouldn't be special if I did. There's something about it that brings out the most of my wordsmithing - and I don't want that to change. On my way home, I always try to stop in Pasadena to sample the local lunch fare since I am rarely out that way. These stops have introduced me to the likes of the delightful Slaw Dogs, amongst others. Up until yesterday though, I avoided Pasadena Sandwich Company. Always one of the first to pop up on a "Pasadena lunch" Google search, the pictures just didn't look promising. It appeared Ho-hum sandwiches at best. But yesterday after a reminder rec by Twitter friend CaliGRLnDC I found myself so hungry and PSC so conveniently located right off the 210, I just couldn't resist. And I am glad I finally took the plunge...

Look, I'm a turkey sandwich guy, but I've recently grown quite tired of the old standby bird. I mean, hell, how many Boars Head turkey sandwiches can a guy eat before he wants to blow his brains out? I'm literally staring right at you Bay Cities. Your bread is wonderful, how about you compliment it with a finer turkey? Anyway... that's what makes PSC so special. They make their turkey IN HOUSE (as well as their roast beef, and a few other of their meats). Very few, if any, of LA's top sandwich places roast their own turkeys. And there's such a difference. Like the morning after Thanksgiving, the turkey is fresh, moist and perfectly seasoned. I highly recommend the Turkey Supreme (jack cheese, tomato, lettuce and I substituted Beaver hot mustard for the usual mayo) - though not exactly sure how a sandwich with such basic ingredients is bestowed such a prestigious moniker. A delicious sandwich on a soft Kaiser roll.

The odd sandwich name and the wait (it took a good 20 minutes to get my sandwich) are really my only complaints. They were both worth it though and I certainly will return.

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Pasadena Sandwich Company
259 Sierra Madre Villa, Pasadena

LA Needs To Stop Ignoring Mao's Lunch Special

Many of you scoff at Mao's Kitchen. White people Chinese, you say. Well, guess what, ladies and gents, I am a white person and so are many of you. And while I enjoy the San Gabriel Valley spicy dark meat wonders from time to time, I often find myself at Mao's for three reasons: 1) Convenience, 2) It's consistently above average (verging on good, far from great, but ALWAYS above average) and 3) They offer the town's second best lunch special (nobody can beat Mozza's afternoon offering).

At both their Melrose and Venice Beach locations you get an absolute ton for a mere $7.50, yet my friends and I often find ourselves the solo afternoon patrons. Where else in these foot traffic-heavy areas are you going to get a better deal? My guess: no where. Nonetheless, the packed nightly Mao's remain rather vacant during the day. From time to time tourists will notice the sign out front and wander in, but even with them, it's just not enough. I fear almost every Mao's lunch visit will be my last because the restaurant will simply realize mid-day is not profitable enough. LET'S CHANGE THIS. YOU. ME. YOUR FRIENDS. YOUR ENEMIES. EVERYBODY. 

From 11 am - 5 pm (that practically makes it an early bird dinner special...) for your seven dollars and fiddy cents you get all of the following... 

Soup! (Hot & Sour shown, though the other option Great Harvest is recommended)

Egg roll! (a hefty-sized one at that)

Lunch-sized portion of ANY ENTREE! With rice! (that's the Orange Ginger Chicken)

In Conlusion: It's an awesome deal and I don't want it to go away, so please spread the word. Like the revolutionary Mao said himself, "Serve the People!"

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Mao's Kitchen Hollywood - 7313 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood

Mao's Kitchen Venice - 1512 Pacific Avenue, Venice

Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week: Spinach, Potatoes and Goat Cheese with Sunnyside Eggs (Huckleberry)

Week Of: 6/10/12 - 6/16/12

Restaurant: Huckleberry Cafe

Address: 1014 Wilshire Blvd.

The Kick Ass Thing: Sauteed Spinach & Weiser Farms' Roasted Potatoes With Two Sunny Side Up Eggs and Goat Cheese

Thoughts: My Huckleberry adoration is nothing new. They serve great sandwiches. And even pleasing salads. But due to my work schedule I rarely made it over there for breakfast. A few months back though I met a friend for a quick morning meal and ordered the Spinach, Potato, Goat Cheese and Sunnyside Egg, and, well, I've returned every week since for this delightful breakfast dish. Very simple, but expertly executed. The spinach sauteed perfectly, the eggs deftly sunny sided, not too much goat cheese (but just enough!), and the potatoes! Oh, the potatoes. I always rate breakfast spots based on their breakfast potatoes, and Huckleberry really excels in the department. Not too thin, not too thick, these Weiser Farms' roasted potato spheres are cooked to give a crunchy exterior and a chewy interior. With just a touch of seasoning, they are as good as breakfast potatoes get. ((I know, you can't even see the potatoes in my picture. My bad. Just take my word for it. They rock.))

Awesome: The Huckleberry pastry case could be in a Parisian art museum. 

Annoying: Can get very crowded, especially on the weekends.

The Little Door Offering $200 For Cocktail Recipe

Little Next Door is my favorite 3rd Street haunt. They make the city's most delectable French Dip sandwich (by a landslide). Honestly, if offered the chance, I would bathe in the sandwich's mustard horseradish dip/jus. It's that good. Same can be said for the brasserie's French onion soup, amongst other unique takes on French-Moroccan classics. While I've always wanted to try adjacent big sister restaurant, The Little Door, I'm just never able to silence my stomach's LND French Dip roars. Well, maybe now is the time we all check out The Little Door. To celebrate their recent full bar expansion, they are offering a $200 gift card for the most creative summer cocktail recipe. I most certainly will be giving it a shot (beer with beer with beer is summer-y, right?). Here are the contest details:

Submit an original cocktail recipe that embodies the experience of The Little Door, which will be judged based on the following criteria:
1) Originality/Creativity  2) Use of Farmer's Market inspired ingredients 3)Seasonality and Taste 4) Cocktail name 

Variations on classic or common cocktails will be accepted. 

Photographs of the drink submitted are encouraged. Entries must include: Name, phone number, email address and (of course) the recipe. Submissions due Friday, 6/22/12. Winner announced next Wednesday, 6/27/12. 

Email entries to: Office@TheLittleDoor.com

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The Little Door
8164 W. 3rd Street, LA

Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week: Classic Marble Layer Cake (SusieCakes)

Week Of: 6/3/12 - 6/9/12

Restaurant: SusieCakes

Address: 11708 San Vicente Blvd, Brentwood (amongst other locations)

The Kick Ass Thing: Classic Marble Layer Cake

Thoughts: The best birthday cake available in LA. I ask for it every year - and eat almost half of the thing. Probably gain a few pounds. But totally, totally worth it. Buttery, dense marbled cake with a really thick (mostly) chocolate frosting with the nice surprise of randomly placed chocolate chips. It's decadent the way a birthday cake should be.

Awesome: They always have samples. 

Annoying: Not cheap.

Most Kick Ass Thing I Ate Last Week: Glazed Blueberry and Maple Buttermilk (DK Donuts & Bakery)

Week Of: 5/27/12 - 6/2/12

Restaurant: DK Donuts & Bakery

Address: 1614 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica

The Kick Ass Thing: Glazed Blueberry Cake Donut and Maple Buttermilk Bar

Thoughts: Last Friday I made a deal with myself: Sure, it's National Doughnut Day, but this year you are not going to partake. You don't even like donuts that much, I told myself. Then I spent hour after agonizing hour on Twitter and the such viewing one beautiful donut picture after the next by my fellow food blogger contingent. By 9 pm, I had changed my mind. But it was too late to get a free one at Krispy Kreme. My girlfriend checked SK's on her way home from work. Nothing good left, she reported. So when she got home we made the trek to Westwood to try the famous Stan's. Completely sold out. Not one donut left. Some Googling then alerted me to DK Donuts & Bakery in Santa Monica. Maybe they'll have something left we thought, so we drove west to DK's... and were luckily greeted with a large selection (although they too, due to the holiday, were out of a lot of popular varieties). I settled for a Glazed Blueberry and my old high school standby, the Maple Buttermilk. Although I enjoyed the blueberry a lot (sort of like a highly sweetened blueberry muffin), the maple buttermilk was truly the star. A smooth and satisfying maple icing atop a perfectly crunchy and tasty buttermilk cake. I definitely will be back.

Awesome: A crazy massive donut selection. 

Annoying: Sort of a seedy shopping center, especially at 11 pm on a Friday.

New Short Order Summer Specials

Back in November I wrote some good things about Short Order, but did note it was rather pricey. Well, it appears S.O. was listening because today they introduced weekday lunch and late night specials...

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Short Order
6333 W. 3rd Street Stall #110, Original Farmer's Market, LA

List of Hundreds of Free Birthday Meals

In college my friends found it utterly hilarious to tell every restaurant we ate, "It's his birthday!" I ate more mediocre mud pies than you can ever imagine. But, hell, they were FREE mud pies. Restaurants love to give out stuff for birthdays. With this in mind, the people over at Freebie Depot compiled a list of hundreds of birthday food giveaways. You literally could eat a free hundred course meal on your special day! Sure, for a bunch of them you have to sign up for their email newsletter, but, dude, you get free food and beverage because of it! 

With my birth anniversary this Thursday, this is how I plan to eat for free:

• Coffee: FREE drink at Starbucks
• Breakfast: FREE pancakes at IHOP 
• Morning Snack: FREE bagel at Brueger's and/or FREE donut at Krispy Kreme
• Lunch: FREE burger at Johnny Rocket's
• Afternoon Snack: FREE ice cream scoop at Ben & Jerry's  
• Late Afternoon Snack: FREE wings at Hooter's 
• Dinner: $30 credit FREE to Benihana
• Dessert: FREE Pizookie at BJ's Restaurant
• Fun: FREE bowling at any AMF bowling alley.

Then I will immediately keel over and die and not live to the next birthday to do it all again. 

The full list of freebies can be found here.