Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Golden Road Pub


I've been known as a "jack-of-all-trades-master-of-nothing" kind of guy. I'm passionate about NFL and College Football, enjoy watching a UFC or WWE Pay Per View and have been to more than my fair share of sports bars. Driving around in Glendale, I noticed a giant building that said "Brewery", but didn't think much of it.

My favorite sports team would have to be the New Orleans Saints. Tonight, they were facing the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football and my friend Clay suggested I meet him up at Golden Road Pub for a nice chat and the game. I didn't make the connection until I pulled up in the parking lot. The building has loads of charm and the architecture was every bit as interesting as the menu and decor on the walls. The patio was wide open and ready for a few pints and a solid night of action.

Cleanliness : A
The outdoor patio was well maintained and the heat lamps were on full blast.

Food Quality : B-
Our waitress was attentive and great. I made the mistake of trying one of their red beers without a taster to see if I would like it. She was more than happy to switch out the beer for a nice frothy pint of their Golden Road Hefeweizen. Her recommendation of the pretzel appetizer was spot on and the pimento cheese spread was a nice alternative to the dijon mustard. This was a solid pairing with their craft beer.

The Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich wasn't memorable, just average. If you plan on going to this place for the food, you should reconsider. The atmosphere and sports vibe make the shortcomings of the food menu tolerable. The waitress was very helpful and friendly and a good time was had by all, even if the entree was subpar.

Atmosphere : Casual
The atmosphere was nice, except for the trains that ran by occasionally. I definitely plan on returning to Golden Road, but I think I will be opting for inside dining on my next visit. The atmosphere here is casual and laid back, a trait I crave in a sports bar.

Validation : Free Parking 
Their parking lot is a bit small, but between there and plenty of parking on the street, there was a no fuss/no muss scenario that was as refreshing as their beer.

Affordability : Appetizers = $4-12 / Entrees = $8-$12
I found the beer and food to be affordably priced and definitely worth a second trip. The pretzel appetizer, alone, was worth the trip for me. The ambience is decent, minus the occasional 15 second train drive by. You can get out of there for $20 or less on a good night.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Kabuki


Kabuki is a Japanese Restaurant chain, located throughout California. I had always wanted to try the place, so I went with a friend to the location in Old Town Pasadena. Because of its location on Colorado, I was a bit apprehensive, at first, because I try to avoid that street. It's close to football bowl season and the annual Tournament Of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl will bring a ridiculous amount of people here.

The locals try to avoid this area, during this time, because of the traffic congestion and glut of people camping out for the premium spot along the parade route. The weather was amazing and it ended up being a great patio night for dinner. The temperature was in the mid-70s and there wasn't much of a breeze, so we opted for the patio seating. Our first introduction to the cuisine was a bowl of edamame, served cold. While we snacked on that and chatted, the garlic edamame arrived. The garlic was not overbearing and provided some added zing to the dish.

I've been eating sushi for about 10 years and must admit that, for this occasion, I was not very adventurous. I took the simplistic approach and stuck to ordering 2 rolls. The Alaskan Roll was my first victim. There's not much fancy about this roll, as it's baked salmon, on top of a California Roll. The sauce they used for this roll was nice and tangy with only a mild sweetness. The flavor from the fish was nice.

(Alaskan Roll)

My second roll was a Smoky Philadelphia Roll. What can I say? I dig salmon. Unfortunately, this roll wasn't very good. It's pretty hard to mess up a Philly Roll because it just features salmon, cucumber and cream cheese. The problem with this roll was that there was more cream cheese than fish or cucumber.

(Smoked Philadelphia Roll)

Cleanliness : C
The patio area seemed fairly clean, the problem was that there wasn't enough room between chairs and our table was wobbly. A two-top table is already small. The area that has been set up for patio dining would work well, if there were fewer tables. The scenario plays out like they are strictly after a money grab and everything about the patio was uncomfortable. The chairs were hard and not conducive to a decent arrangement. The space was limited. The furniture was not functional. The weather was nice, which helped, but that's not something Kabuki can control.

Food Quality : C+
Both types of edamame were decent, but the Smoked Philly Roll was just not prepared well. The Alaska Roll was pretty solid. For the amount of money they charge, I expected a better experience. Friendliness : B+ Anthony was our server and while he was accomodating and friendly, he took the birthday voucher and didn't apply the reduction to the overall bill. Another server closed out our tab, but he should have made the arrangement.

Atmosphere : Dressy
Because this location is on Colorado, your customer base is predominantly shoppers, daters and people out and about for the evening. I did not see kids inside, so it's probably not an ideal situation for them. This is definitely a date night destination. Validation : NO There are 2 giant parking garages that are only a few blocks away, as well as parking meters in certain spots, throughout Old Town.

Affordability : Specialty Rolls = $8-$15 / Regular Rolls = $5-$10
All of the more interesting rolls and sashimi are north of $12, unfortunately. The amount of fish they use in the rolls is minimal for the amount of money they charge. I would have given their Sashimi a try, had I known the portions were light. If you go with a salad or non-sushi item, you can get your overall price down a bit, but if sushi is what you're after, expect to spend $20-$30 each.

Overall, the dining experience at Kabuki was less than enjoyable. There are Japanese restaurants on every corner here and while their decor, signage and aesthetic look nice, they've done nothing to stand out and be a spot that I would frequent again. In a never-ending sea of sushi, this restaurant was pedestrian, at best.

U2 AYCE Korean BBQ


A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a good friend's birthday party. He chose to have the gathering at a newer place, called U2 All You Can Eat (AYCE) Korean BBQ. If you haven't been to Koreatown, let me just say that the food is amazing and there are tons of different restaurants, specializing in Korean cuisine.

The beauty of living in Los Angeles is that there are communities that represent, seemingly every country on the planet. If I were in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I would not get to experience most of the food options available here, so I am thankful. I must say that I've only been to 2 other Korean BBQ joints, so far. Every outing has been a totally different style and experience, so I enjoyed the food, but had no idea what to expect, stylistically, for the evening.

As you walk into U2, you are greeted at the door by the hosting crew. All of the employees that work Front Of House (FOH) are wearing bright orange T-Shirts with a giant "U2" emblazoned on the back. The concept of this restaurant is not named after the popular rock band. U2 signifies "U Cook, U Eat".

Cleanliness : A+
The first thing that I noticed, upon arrival, was that the place was unbelievably clean. I mean, spotless. The staff were swirling around the patrons like buzzards, eager to put meat down on the mini grills at each table. I've only had service on this scale, but a few times in my life. So to say I was satisfied would be an understatement. Not wanting to gorge on just one type of menu item, I decided that I would only eat tiny portions of a variety of things to get a good feel for the place. The salad bar had some very interesting Cranberry Kimchi, Beef Sushi and several other tasty dishes.


(U2 AYCE - Salad Bar)

The ground rules for U2 are this : 
* You can order a maximum of 3 items at a time. 
* $10 All You Can Eat for Children Under 9. 
* $17 for the All You Can Eat "House Special". 
* $26 for the Premium All You Can Eat, which features calimari, octopus and prime sirloin. 

Food Quality : A-
Some of the items I ate were Beef Bulgolgi, Curly Beef Brisket, Pork Belly, Chicken and Spicy Golbi. All of the protein options I ate were solid. My least favorite would have to be the pork belly, due to the fatty content.

Friendliness : A+
The great thing about U2 is that there is plenty of seating, lots of cozy seating arrangements, high ceilings and many people on staff. The staff seemed glad to help us and were eager to get whatever we needed. It's nice to go out on a Saturday night (rare for me) and get the customer service we received.

Atmosphere : Hipster
The aesthetic of this restaurant is a bit upscale from, say a Zankhou-type of place. The lighting is modern and the decor is swanky. The customers at this restaurant, seemed to be getting ready for the evening and dressed the part. I definitely felt like I was going to this place for the event, as opposed to my normal routine of dressing however I feel like dressing and finding a place to try.

Validation : NO
My only complaint with this restaurant had to be in the parking department. $2 for parking is cheap and fine, but there are not enough parking spaces for their "valet" service and trying to leave the restaurant ended up being a 15 minute ordeal with people honking at each other for taking too long.

Affordability : $17 - $26
If you really want premium steak or seafood, you can go for the higher end of the spectrum and get the premium buffett. I opted for the budget AYCE option and thought I had plenty of options. Prices will also fluctuate, depending on what types of beverages you want. They have soda/tea/water and a full service bar, as well.