Tuesday, January 29, 2008

EAT: Tonny's

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, the huevos rancheros served up at Tonny's was amazing. Huevos rancheros is my favorite Mexican dish, and if it's on the menu, I almost always order it. It's been a long time since I enjoyed huevos rancheros this yummy.

The eggs were smothered with a red sauce that did not disappoint, but tasted just right. Usually the red sauce is where most HR dishes fail. The mexican rice was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right to complement the beans. At most places I go the mexican rice is a letdown or mediocre at best. I don't like it when restaurants treat side dishes as an afterthought.

The chile verde (carnitas stir-fried in green sauce) comes well recommended. My friend ordered it and reported it was yummy.

Make sure to ask for corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas, as they are handmade. The tortillas come hot and soft and delicious. The complimentary chips and salsa, however, are nothing to write home about.

In addition to Mexican cuisine, Tonny's menu includes typical breakfast fare, sandwiches, and burgers.

Tonny's
843 E Orange Grove Blvd. (west of Lake Ave.)
Pasadena, CA 91104
626-797-0866


::4.5 stars::

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

EAT: Pure Luck Restaurant and Scoops

Going to Pure Luck was my first venture into vegan cuisine, and even as a semi-vegetarian I couldn’t help but be a bit apprehensive about how the food would taste. However, my fears were quelled at first bite. I was quite impressed by how flavorful the food was, and I ended up being very satisfied with my meal. I ordered the torta, a big mess of an open-faced sandwich that comes with jackfruit “carnitas,” beans, sliced tomatoes and avocado. The “carnitas” really did resemble pork, but more importantly it had a robust flavor that did not give off a strong “fake pork” taste (which would have grossed me out). The best parts of the sandwich were the bread and the vegan mayo. They were the tastiest bread and the tastiest mayo I have ever enjoyed. For the side, I chose the sweet potato fries, which unfortunately were disappointingly bland. I think next time I’ll get the French fries instead.

My friend ordered the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, also made up of jackfruit “carnitas” topped with BBQ sauce, pickles, and vegan mayo. It looked awesome, and I’ll have to try it next time.

Other dishes I’d like to try are a couple of the appetizers: the Caesar rolls and the fried gnocchi.

Another reason to go to Pure Luck is the cheap beer. They have ten beers on tap, all microbrews, and a pint only costs $4. No wonder this joint is so popular. It’s a tiny place and fills up quickly for dinner so be ready to wait. And the service can be incredibly slow when it gets busy.

Pure Luck is a vegan restaurant that even meat lovers would like, along with semi-vegetarians like me. I was mighty impressed.

After dinner, we went across the street to Scoops, a truly innovative gelateria. The gelato is made daily in small batches with the most creative combination of flavors I ever did see, and the offerings change every day. You can even make suggestions of flavor combinations and, you never know, one of them may just be there next time you go. I chose the avocado vanilla and blueberry brandy. I wanted to try the peanut butter Oreo, but not surprisingly they were completely out. Also, for gelato it’s dirt cheap. The smallest size costs $2.50 and you get two generous scoops of any two flavors. I couldn’t even finish mine and I rarely ever throw away ice cream, especially gelato.

Can’t wait to go back to both these establishments.

Pure Luck Restaurant
707 N Heliotrope Dr. (@Melrose Ave.)
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 660-5993
Mon-Sat 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.


::4.5 stars

Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 906-2649
Mon-Sat 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.


::5 stars::