Dinerwood on the Road? Kind of? Little Green Onions in Riverside

Riverside...exotic Riverside.

I always imagined Riverside as being a city too far out of the way for me to ever end up going there; “The Bakersfield of the East.” I had no idea that it’s really not that far from Los Angeles. #1DinerWife had to go to Riverside for a weekend for a work event and I decided to go with her to check it out. During this weekend, I was able to try a few different diner joints which I think gave me a pretty good sense of what old school eating is like in Riverside.  

The first place I went was the interestingly named place "Little Green Onions." That just sounds like an adorable place to go. After experiencing the cutesy downtown area of Riverside, I was half-expecting some tiny storefront conversion with mismatched table-clothes and a cook with a pixie haircut.   

As I drove out of that cutesy downtown, I soon discovered that Riverside is rundown. Almost as if the whole of the outer rings of the city were made up of extras on "Breaking Bad." Now, don't get me wrong, I like rundown things. I'm not slighting the city for being a ****hole. I just didn't know. 

I was surprised and happy that Little Green Onions was actually in an old school googie building. 

It was a hectic morning at Little Green Onions and the joint was jam-packed. There were waiting families crowding the entry and not an empty table in sight. I saw a very low counter with some open space and I took my liberty. (I don't really know what that means, but it sounded cool when I first typed it out)  

The seats at the counter...were office chairs. 

Office. Chairs.

I am so on board with that weirdness. 

The fun part of sitting at the counter is the ability to observe the staff prepping and dancing around each other. Little Green Onions seemed far more chaotic than any other place I have had the pleasure to observe. A lot of "where's the-" and "has anyone seen?" and even a few "no, they ordered that not this."

The menu at Little Green Onions is pretty standard for a family restaurant. There was more of an emphasis on Mexican dishes, but I expected that with most of the interior decor being sombreros and maracas. Like I've talked about before; some diners really wish they were some other ethnic food, but they know they'll do better casting a wide net. 

An older gentleman took the rolling office chair next to me and ordered an oatmeal. The waitress asked if he wanted it made with milk or just water. I thought that was pretty cool. Sure, I wouldn't be surprised if it was instant oatmeal, but that is a nice option to give.

I went with a nice sounding pork chop breakfast combo. 

It was overall decent...except for my pork was very under-cooked. The first bite I thought "Mmm, juicy" and then in subsequent bites I realized "oh, I'm going to die."   

I really wish I had liked Little Green Onions more. Rather, I wish there was more to like about Little Green Onions other than the classic building and office chairs. The yelp reviews are all over the place, but I would assume that since the place really wants to be a Mexican restaurant, that would be the way to go next time. Not that there would really be a next time for me. I don't think I'd go back there. 

Food: Decent, save for the under-cooked pork. 

Service: Friendly but scattered.

Price: Cheap.

Pie: I don't think so.

Little Green Onions

6723 Brockton Ave.

Riverside CA 

Uncle John's Ham n' Eggs -- Downtown's Greasy Spoon and Chopstick

I never ate at the original location of Uncle John's Ham n' Eggs and after missing my window with "Jail Denny's" becoming Nibblers and now going back to "Jail Denny's," I didn't want to miss out again. The economy being what it is, places can disappear over night.

Now located next to and connected through the lobby of the Stillwell Hotel, I was surprised at how nice the interior was. I knew the reputation of Uncle John's as a greasy spoon and this did not match that. I hoped the new location had only changed the environment and not the content. Once the waitress handed me the menu my fears were allayed.



Uncle John's serves both American and Chinese food. The menu has Chinese dishes on one side and American ones (primarily breakfast but also some lunch items) on the other. Well, there is a little bit of bleed over from one side to the other. For example; most of the breakfasts have as an option either potatoes and toast or rice. The prices were very reasonable for a place known for large portions. Most of the entrees were hovering around $8 or $9.

Of course I had to try one of these...ugh, "fusions" for lack of a better word. I decided to go in a little bit different direction. I ordered the spicy fried pork chop (so spicy it had to have a chili pepper icon next to it on the menu) and eggs. I decided to go with the potatoes and toast option, rather than rice.



The pork chops were really good. Normally, I don't like breaded meats because the breading tends to be soggy and greasy, but surprisingly these were not like that at all. The breading was crisp and actually reminded me of chicken McNuggets (which is secretly my favorite fast food item). My eggs were undercooked and disappointing, though. The potatoes were pretty standard--not good, not bad.

I didn't find the portions to be anything out of the ordinary but I did wish everything had come out on a larger plate. It was just a big pile. I imagine the peppers went with the pork chop, but the scallions left me wondering. Were they part of the pork chop portion or were they supposed to be for the eggs? Maybe for the potatoes, since they needed a little something?

After finishing my meal I sat for awhile and enjoyed my coffee and--by god!--I paid for that full hour on the parking meter and I was going to use it. The staff kept my coffee full the whole time.

Uncle John's Ham n' Eggs is a decent greasy spoon with over a 30 year history. Not too long ago this was probably one of the few places in downtown that you could get a hearty breakfast that wasn't at a chain restaurant. I think it still services a need for folks who live and work down there. I mean, where else can you get some fried rice with your hotcakes?

Food: Decent
Service: Good
Price: $6-9
Pie: None.

Uncle John's Ham n' Eggs
433 W 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 623-3555



The original location.

Dinerwood on the Road: Las Vegas! Sunshine Cafe

I love "real people" Vegas. Sin City I can take or leave, but the real thing is something special. It's rusty and sun faded and weird. Each year I've tried to make if farther and farther away from the casinos to see just what the regular people eat because I know only the tourists and the desperate hit the buffet at Binions.

This year I conned my friends Edwin and Skylar into coming with me on my breakfast adventure. I really had no idea how far it was from where we were staying and I got us lost. In my defense, Las Vegas messes with my sense of direction.

You know how casinos don't have windows or clocks so you don't have any idea how long you've been there, gambling away your pension? I think when I'm outside of a casino in Vegas I have a bizarro reaction to the heat and the sun and have no idea in what direction I am going. However, once I got my bearings, we found The Original Sunshine Cafe.



The desolation implied by the sign above the mini-mall which houses Sunshine Cafe, belies how adorable it is on the outside.



This adorability carries over into a delightful homey-ness on the inside. It looks a lot like a grandma's living room.

We overheard a lot of "Long time no see!" and "Oh, what's good this week?" from other patrons. Yep, this was definitely a locals' place.



While we waited to be waited on, we entertained ourselves with the trivial pursuit questions box on the table--I think each table had one. I'm really good at random trivia and so is Skylar. Edwin was bored by our nerdiness.



Our waitress really pushed the home breaded chicken-fried steak, which is not fried, but actually grilled. Either way, it sounded a bit heavy for 9am. I now kind of wish I had gotten it because it did sound pretty interesting.



Edwin had the Ham and Eggs with a waffle on the side. The waffle had a really nice malt flavor.



Skylar ordered the eggs and pancakes breakfast with a side of potatoes. Her pancakes were chewy, but otherwise good.



I got the pork chops and eggs breakfast special. The pork chops were tiny, but were very good. They were nice cuts of meat with very little fat. The eggs and the potatoes tasted fine. The biscuit was standard, but the gravy was really special. I would highly recommend that.

Overall, we agreed that the food was okay, but pretty much tasted exactly how it would had we made it at home. It was really nice getting out into real people Vegas, and with the friendly non-grift vibe, it certainly was a pleasant experience. I probably wouldn't go back there, but I wouldn't tell dissuade anyone else from going, either.

Food: Okay.
Service: Friendly.
Price: $5-$8
Pie: No.

Sunshine Cafe
1581 N Decatur Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89108
(702) 646-4415



"Whipped Spread" sounds dirty.

Angel'Z- Yes.... a "Z"

Last Wednesday, I woke up and realized I had virtually no food in the house, just some fresh picked apples and a jar of alfredo sauce. This simply would not do. I have no recipes for apples with alfredo! I hustled through the morning shower and shave, tossed on my office attire and hit the streets. I thought of going to Millie’s again- a sort of return to that would be nice, then I remembered a place just three blocks from me. I always seem to miss their open hours but I felt confident that on a Wednesday at 8am, they would be open.

I was glad to see that Angel’Z on the corner of Hollywood and Western was open. The reason I always missed their open hours is because they close at 6 during the week and at 3:30 on weekends. They do open at 5:30 every day for you early risers.

Angel’Z, despite having the oddest name I could think of for a diner, is straight-up classic diner dining. This tiny place seems to be part of the Days Inn motel and shares a parking lot. I don’t know if it’s kosher to park in the Days Inn parking lot if you are just eating at Angel’Z, but my parents stayed there last time they were in town and their tv’s remote didn’t work so I figure the motel owes me something.

Booths are reserved for parties of two or more so I sat up at the counter. The kitchen area is completely open. You can see where they store their bread, the fridge with the meat and the massive grill where they do the cooking. For being only six booths, and twelve counter spots, they were well staffed with two waitresses, a busboy and the cook.

Angel’Z has probably the cheapest menu I have ever seen in a place without a drive-thru and a mascot. Most breakfasts are between five and six bucks. I ordered a porkchop and three eggs with hash browns and toast for 5.50. I hadn’t had a porkchop in years. My mom used to make them all the time on our electric griddle.

I loved watching the cook make my breakfast; cracking the eggs, flipping the hash browns, pressing the porkchop with a flat iron. When my toast popped up from the toaster he slathered it with butter. In a moment the waitress brought my breakfast sprawl out to me.

First of all the porkchop was delicious, juicy, seasoned and salty just like pork from a griddle should be. The eggs were a bit greasy but fine. The hash browns could have stood to be pressed on the heat a bit longer to get them crispier. Like I mentioned in the paragraph before the cook slathered the butter on the toast, which I could see some people not caring for. My doctor said my cholesterol is fine so slather away cook, slather away!

A minor note: I saw Mexican Coke in one of the display cases, so I assume you can order it. Mexican Coke is made with real cane sugar whereas Coke made in the states in made with High Fructose Corn Syrup. This interestingly comes from the whole “New Coke” fiasco from years ago. When regular Coke was brought back after New Coke failed, the formula for classic Coke was modified to include HFCS. Mexico never got New Coke so their Coke formula never went through a change.

Price: $5-$7
Food: Decent.
Service: Good. Could be faster on coffee refills though.
Pie: No. Packaged pastries is all you'll find.

At the intersection of Hollywood and Western.

UPDATE: Angel'z doesn't exist anymore, it's now called 54Twenty and looks pretty good -http://www.yelp.com/biz/54twenty-los-angeles-2