Dinerwood: Los Angeles Diner Reviews: Hungry like a fox! The Hungry Fox

We first saw it on television. Only a brief establishing shot of the exterior before we cut inside to Pam and Roy sharing a cup of coffee. Would they get back together? What about Jim? He’s with Karen now! But Roy’s really changed! Or has he? We’d soon learn that he hadn’t really. For that brief moment inside the “Hungry Fox” we were unsure of where things might be going for our favorite receptionist.

This is THE table that they sat at.

Thanks to NBC’s “The Office”, the Hungry Fox established itself on my radar. I had no idea it was even local until a google search revealed its North Hollywood location. The first time out there, I was surprised not only at the off-putting hotel pastel coloring of the interior but by the presence of Thai icons and art (and waitstaff- but it feels racist pointing out the ethnicity of a restaurant's employees, so keep that mum).

Hungry Fox looks like a Holiday Inn and your favorite Thai Bistro vomited on each other or had a baby-whichever scenario is more baffling to you. [This baby was born with an ill-placed claw machine in the middle of the rear dining room.]
The menu is pretty typical with a little bit of everything- not too many omelets, not too many types of bread. The thing that really shines at Hungry Fox are the homemade jams. The pumpkin jam is really spectacular and available for purchase at only 4.99. That is the best deal you’ll find there. I won’t say Hungry Fox is pricey-- it certainly isn't when compared to an Eat Well or Doughboys-- but you definitely feel it for what you get. The meals are well-proportioned but are priced in a way that I expect to be debating whether or not to force those last two bites of hash browns down or go for the second slice of toast that I haven’t even touched yet.

What can I say? I felt adventurous this morning. My eyes kept being drawn to the mysteriously named "Flipping Rice". Scrambled eggs with cheese and chunks of turkey served on a bed of rice. Sounds gross right? Sounds kind of good also though, right? Am I crazy? I went ahead and ordered. I ordered some flippin' rice.

Due to the proximity of the dish to the "Mexican Favorites" on the menu, I assumed the rice would be spainish style. I wasn't expecting white rice. That sort of killed it for me. I was having two different meals here-- A turkey scramble and a plate of plain rice. Neither really satisfied me.

Near the entrance is a poster, seemingly not specific to the Hungry Fox, extolling the deliciousness of the Belgian Waffle. I guess it was put out by the ABWAC (American Belgian Waffle Ad Council) because who else would make a poster for a waffle. The poster worked because Antoinette ordered the waffle breakfast.

The waffle didn't have much flavor and required a lot of jam to make it good. The bacon was decent, being more crispy than greasy. The eggs were "Eh-ggs".

We had been there a couple of times and the food was just never better than "decent". Here's some pictures from a previous visit.

Remember my biscuits and gravy phase?

It is kind of cute the way each tiny Pillsbury biscuit gets a dollop of gravy. The large round object at the bottom of the plate.... I can't even remember what that was- A sausage patty probably.. kind of looks like a really toasted english muffin.

Those hash browns were pretty crispy....or like dog food.... You decide!

I really want to like the Hungry Fox. It's one of those places you want to tell someone else about. The same way I heard about the Delores, I want to say to some stranger at a party, "Hey have you been to that diner in the valley that's run by Thais?" I don't think it deserves it though. Other than the pumpkin jam there's nothing there that I can recommend. The jam you can just walk in and buy and walk out. No reason to even sit. Well, you may want to sit. Sometimes it can take them awhile to fetch the jam from the back. Maybe they have to win it from the claw machine? God, I wish I had taken a picture of that damn claw machine. Seriously, it is right in the center of the rear dining room.

Funny tidbit- Our first time there, a crying baby could be heard from the back of the restaurant. One of the waitresses said fairly loudly "Will someone shut that baby up?"

Price: $7-$14
Food: Decent
Service: Attentive
Pie: Yes.

13359 Sherman Way
North Hollywood, CA, 91605
(818) 765-7111

PS
Hungry Fox has another location in Arizona. If you are ever going to Tucson- and oh my lord, why would you?- try that location. Antoinette has actually eaten there and can recommend it a bit more than our local one.