Village Coffee Shop--Over and Under

The Village Coffee Shop is located in the shadow of the Hollywood sign in the closed-circuit neighborhood of Beachwood Canyon. You actually drive through a stone archway to enter the neighborhood. It's very fancy but yet, also somehow modest. It is like an idyllic oasis with a small town feel. The residents are served by a small grocery store and the only restaurant--the Village Coffee Shop.



I hadn't been to Village Coffee Shop in years; it was definitely pre-Dinerwood. It was never my regular spot or anything, but I'd find myself there every few months and I don't really know why. It was never good--literally nothing there was ever good. Decent, sure, but never good. Also, it's kind of expensive. You can't forget that, for as homey as the area feels, it is still in the Hollywood Hills, and that means they can get away with charging a bit more.

After all these years, I decided to go back and drag my friends Matt and Paul with me.



Village Coffee Shop is definitely decorated in the "Grandma's House" style. You do feel very comfortable there. It's about as un-LA a place I have ever been to. The wallpaper and decor made Paul angry. He lives in Hollywood, so I think anything that reminds him that life can be more than homeless people and parking tickets just makes him mad.



Paul had the tuna melt which was served with a slice of American cheese. It was a decent sized sandwich and had a decent amount of french fries. It was about nine bucks.



I got a beef melt with fries. For some reason my sandwich was cut into thirds. I also got nearly twice the fries that Paul did. My sandwich was a little bit more expensive than Paul's. It must have been the extra fries.



I ordered a side of ranch for my fries. It tasted watered down. I was at least hoping for a nice thick restaurant style ranch, but this was like low-fat dressing and just depressing.



Matt ordered an egg cream (milk, chocolate syrup and soda water) because, why not? Not a lot of places serve true soda fountain drinks. This was odd because the soda water was served on the side for no apparent reason.



He also ordered the ham and cheese sandwich, mostly because he was curious what a $9 ham and cheese was like. When it also came out with Swiss and American cheese he said "American cheese is just lazy!"

Overall, our opinion was that everything was decent but underwhelming. The french fries were cripsy on the outside but mealy on the inside. The sandwiches all tasted like what we'd make at home if we bothered to put a minimal amount of effort into it. It was also overpriced for the quality and portions. The neighborhood is what sets the prices. I think many more years will pass before I ever go back there.

When we left, Matt said "Okay, now where are we going for lunch?"

Food: Decent.
Price: $8-$17
Service: Decent.
Pie: Yes.

Village Coffee Shop
2695 N. Beachwood Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90068

Pete's Burgers Family Restaurant.- Burger stand or more?

We had driven past it several times. It says 'family restaurant,' looks like a burger place, but also touts its eggs and bacon breakfast and fried chicken dinners...but it looks like a burger place! Mysterious? #1DC insists that it must have been an old Long John Silvers with the bell tower and widow's walk on the roof. I maintain that it looks like a haunted Kentucky Fried Chicken thanks to the rundown and tattered look of the exterior and the red and white color scheme.



We finally decided to to try it out for lunch one day. When we walked inside, it was pretty squarely a burger joint: all booths, ordering at the counter, one giant ketchup tub dispenser, with no public restrooms to top it all off. I don't normally review places like this, but since we were here, I soldiered on.



I'm glad we did, but not because it proved to be a magical experience or anything. There was more to Pete's than just how it looked on the outside. It has a pretty extensive menu for what looks like a divey burger shack. They have omelets, burritos, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, pastrami, salads, and a selection of dinner specials.



While in line to order, I snapped this shot of the kitchen staff. Although most reviews of Pete's that I've seen have referenced its being cash only, I saw a credit card machine by the register. Maybe it is decorative? Or perhaps it's a haunted credit card machine that they don't like to use because of the y'know, haunting.



Antoinette says that all that she remembers about the tuna melt was that it was crunchy. Not good, not bad, just crunchy.



My hamburger looked nice and thick when I first unwrapped it. I then saw that this was because of the hunk of iceberg lettuce in the middle. The burger patty was a decent size, but the bun was toasted a bit more on the burnt side than it should have been. It tasted alright.



We agreed that the fries were the only really noteworthy part of our visit to Pete's. They were pretty good, came seasoned, and were just a little soggy.

So in conclusion, Pete's is a burger shack that also happens to have other kinds of food--much like Jumbo's Clown Room is a bar that happens to also have strippers. I can't imagine you'd want to specifically seek this place out, but if you are stuck in the area and need some variety, Pete's can supply it.

Food: Okay
Service- Serve yourself.
Price $4-7
Pie- No pie, but they do have milkshakes.

Pete's Burgers
2400 S. Hoover St.
Los Angeles CA 90007
6:00am-11:00pm

Corky's, Where Life Goes On

UPDATED 5/30! Check out the end.



Corky's is a unique place. Off the 210 out in the sticks of Rancho Cucamonga, it is a locally owned and newly opened 24-hour diner. I've been to Corky's several times now: breakfast and dinner and late night hungry time. According to a waitress I spoke to, the owner saw the need for a good home cooking place to compete with Denny's.

Corky's has a lot going for it. Convenient location... I mean relatively. Clearly not convenient if you live in Santa Monica or...well anywhere other than Rancho Cucamonga. It is right off the 210 though, so on your way to or back from Vegas, it would be right there. It has wonderful homey decor. It looks like what you wish your grandmother's house looked like, instead of a pine box in the ground...or maybe that's just me. They bake their cookies and pie right there. It has just one problem: the food is pretty, but taste-wise can only be described as "meh."

Most recently, I had the Chicken and Dumplings, as it was the one item Diner Companion Antoinette recommended from her previous time there. She said after she sent it back the first time because of the still frozen dumplings, and it came back with unfrozen dumplings, it was the best thing she had had there. Well, I didn't have that problem because no dumplings were to be found at all in mine. I had the Chicken and Nothlings. The mashed potatoes were homemade and the brown gravy was pretty decent, though

.

Antoinette got the Pea Soup in a bread bowl. Some people can't stand pea soup, sometimes because of the "Exorcist," sometimes because it's kind of gross in theory. It's peas...mushed up...and made soupy. We both appreciated that that they included the scooped out piece of bread as a "sopper" and the soup itself wasn't half bad.

So overall this trip was mediocre at best. I really wanted some dumplings with my chicken. That would have been really nice.

A busy Sunday morning found us again at Corky's counter for breakfast. Sitting there, we were able to see some of the whirling dancing of the waitresses. A half dozen waitresses were busy shuffling around orders, slathering butter on toast, TWICE,once before it goes in the toaster and once after.

I wasn't all that hungry, so I ordered the oatmeal.




That's a lot of good fixings for oatmeal, which is great because you definitely need them; the oatmeal was mushy and bland.

Corky's was so busy that morning that food began to pile up at the kitchen window. Without heat lamps, the food just sat there cooling down. I did get to hear one choice gem from one waitress to the other:
Waitress 1 to pregnant waitress: How are you holding up? I was so horny when I was pregnant.

Antoinette got the eggs breakfast, the home fries were overly salty. The eggs were adequate.

On our first trip there, I ordered the Meat Loaf Sandwich. The meatloaf was too moist and tasted like meaty water. It also had green peppers, which overpowered the dish entirely.

The rest of the food was, well..... "meh."

The one saving grace for Corky's is their pie.

Apple pie, thin crust and packed full of apples that still taste like apples and not apple pie filling.



Eggnog Cream Pie. I love eggnog. Even without booze, I love eggnog. Now put it in pie form? That is good eating. I don't give a damn if it's near Christmas or not. I am firmly Pro-Eggnog.

Chocolate cream pie that had a smooth chocolate flavor with the only flaw being a rather bland crust that tasted like a store bought frozen one.


German chocolate cream pie that was nearly s good as House of Pies. And pumpkin pie that just punched your mom's pumpkin pie in the face.



I cannot, in good faith, recommend Corky's for anything other than these delicious pies. The food looks so good. It's presented beautifully, but it just fails to deliver on taste.

Corky's Bakery and Kitchen

6403 Haven Ave, Alta Loma, CA

(909) 941-8655


UPDATE-

A few weeks ago I received a very nice email from Mike, the owner of Corky's. He apologized that we hadn't been completely satisfied with our food and asked us if we would come back and give them another try. Trusted Official #1 Diner Companion, Antoinette, and I went back there last week.


The verdict?

The food was GOOD!



I had the Polish Sausage Skillet and it was freakin' delicious. Best way to describe it was "fresh."


Antoinette had the tuna melt on wheat, which was also good.

The best thing though, and I knew it would be, the new Mocha Toffee Swirl Cream Pie. Go call your mom and tell her that everything she's ever done for you has mattered not one goddamn bit because she never made you this pie. This pie is simply amazing.

So now I'll say, enthusiastically: try out Corky's.

A Tale of Two Diners – One City

SPECIAL SAN DIEGO REPORT!

Taking a long weekend trip to San Diego a few weeks ago, I decided to hit not one, but two of the area's better known diners.


Rudford’s Restaurant had all the indications of being a great place to eat this kind of food; old timey sign, sketch neighborhood (a strip club and a restaurant named "Lips" are just down the street), open 24 hours, and the elderly dining inside. Unfortunately this turned out to be quite the disappointing experience.

Three of us walked in on a Sunday morning around 10:30. There was only “a short waiting list”, the bubbly pregnant girl at the counter informed us. At the end of the counter we saw three empty spots. I told her we’d take the counter seats and was told in that sing-songy way that only a pregnant woman should be able to get away with that we could not. We were handed menus so we could spend our time wisely.

It wasn’t too long before we were called up and led, past the still empty counter seats mind you, to our booth. The booth itself was large and comfy with a nice window view of the apartment construction next door.

We were then greeted by Mean Ol’ Lady Madge. I don’t know her real name but MOLM was to be our waitress and she was as old as cantankery itself. This is the kind of waitress you want at a diner usually, she had character. You want to get a sense that underneath the mean ol’ ladyness is a heart of gold there to serve you lunch. Madge had no heart of gold; she had a heart of rusty sheet metal, which had been rusted by years of hobo piss.

When Patrick, one of my companions, asked if he could get the garden burger with a side of half french-fries and half cottage cheese, her reaction was priceless. Granted, that is an odd request, she, however, took it to a whole new level. “No!” she snapped, with a look of sheer incredulity. “The kitchen would toss me out into the street.” Geez, if the kitchen staff is so cruel, how could we expect our waitress to not be withered by such an environment?


Antoinette ordered the tuna melt with potato salad and I took a chance on ordering the Eggs Benedict with a side of home fries. I also warned MOLM that I’d order pie after we ate our lunch.

Then we waited. And then we waited some more. A couple who was seated after us, who didn’t have MOLM as a waitress, got their food. Then we waited.

Then Mean Ol’ Lady Madge finally brought out our food. The review of that food goes like this:

“My eggs are cold.”


“So is my tuna melt.”


“How’s your burger?”

“It’s not great.”


“These potatoes are cold too.”

“My potato salad is nothing but relish.”

So cold food, not so great garden burger (but really, how good is a garden burger going to be anyway?) and potato salad that was nothing but relish. We hadn’t eaten breakfast before heading out and by now it was almost noon, so we did a good job of cleaning our plates. This was more out of necessity than choice.

Eventually, after another glacial age, MOLM dropped off our check without saying a word and disappeared into an AARP limbo. I would have liked to have tried their pie. They seemed like they’d maybe have a good selection. And hey--Jello was on the menu too.


Since this whole excursion was my idea, I felt responsible for our all-around disappointment. I decided I wasn't going to let us wait any longer for MOLM to come back and take our money. We took the check up to the front, again passing the three empty seats at the counter. I left an 8% tip and we skeedadled.

I do not recommend Rudford’s.

On the other hand, I can recommend the Studio Diner in northern San Diego.



I was a little nervous finding this place. I was going this one solo and was using badly transcribed directions from the restaurant information booth at the San Diego Convention Center. The ladies at the booth went above and beyond the call of duty to get me directions to this place. When it was oddly missing from the phone book, they called the studio next door (from which the diner gets its name) to find out how to get there.

I drove through a deserted industrial park looking for this place. I almost missed it on account of the distraction of the Jack in the Box Product Development Center being located across the street. [I once carried on a torrid online romance with a girl who worked at the Taco Bell PDC. The chalupa was based on an old family recipe of hers- I digress] You may recognize this place if you were a fan of the late, (I heard it was-) great Veronica Mars, where the Studio Diner was used for filming.

This is a diner done in the traditional East Coast diner style. That pretty much means long and narrow with lots of shiny metal. Check out the interior- That's shiny! They also boast an East Coast specific section of the menu with crab cakes and clam chowder.
The friendly waitstaff of college-aged brunettes (I swear to G-d, they were all brunettes) greeted me and were sweetly attentive, like in some school boy's dream. The girl who wasn't my waitress but still in the same section would stop by and check in with me from time to time. I ordered a diet coke and I swear everytime I was setting down an empty glass, a fresh glass was being set on my table.

The Studio Diner plays up its "studio" theme by having things like the "Grip Burger" (it's just a burger, seriously), the "Crew Sliders" (which are four mini-burgers) and the "Studio Toast" (Texas toast topped with powdered sugar). The ladies at the restaurant information booth heard that the fish and chips was the best thing there. I rarely feel like fish and chips but I decided to just go for it. Live a little, y'know.

Here's what the fish and chips looks like on the Studio Diner website.


And this is what I got-



Check that out! Despite the murky lighting, I would say that what I was actually served looks better than the promotional shot. That's a whole freakin' cod, minus the gross parts with eyes and fins. This fish was delicious, probably one of the best deep fried cods I've ever had. Not greasy at all and still maintained the flavor and flakiness of the cod, where often the fish just turns to mush. The fries were thin-cut and there was just the perfect amount of them. The tartar sauce was either homemade or the best store bought tartar sauce I've ever tried. The little dish of coleslaw was a curiousity. It was only about three of four fork fulls so I was left feeling- "Well, um gee thanks." The meal was filling. I left a good 1/4 of the fish on the plate and could not take another bite.

I was somewhat relieved by my fullness, because I was still jonsing for some pie since Rudford's robbed me of the pleasure. The pie at Studio Diner is rather pricey. 6 bucks for a slice! Egads! That would have put my diner dinner at over 20$.
That apple pie did tempt me though. It rested on the counter under a glass dome like Snow White waiting for a kiss- or rather large bite- from me. In the end I declined.



And now for the stats.

Rudford's Restaurant

Price: $5-$14
Food: Not so great.
Service: Dreadful
Pie: Yes.

2900 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA

The Studio Diner

Price: $9-$16
Food: Great
Service: Amazing
Pie: Yes, but pricey.

4701 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 715-6400