Remembering Col. Sanders

An interesting story I read today posted at the Woodcuttingfool blog about Colonel Harland David Sanders.  After reading it, I also checked out the Wikipedia page on Col. Sanders.  I am sure the trash-can chicken served by KFC today is nothing like the original served by the man himself.

The KFC brand is owned by Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM), along with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and WingStreet.  David C. Novak is the current Chairman/President/CEO.  He previously worked at PepsiCo and is a director of JP Morgan and Bank One.  Yum! Brands is a spin-off from PepsiCo.

At Last! 5 Guys comes to the SFV!

It had to happen! 5 Guys has reached the Sam Fernando Valley. While arguing on the merits of 5 Guys versus In And Out with World Famous Webmaster Eddiebomber of Eddiecam.com. We are on distinct opposite sides. I love the looser grind of the 5 Guys Burger and the unadorned taste of the beef. Eddiebomber is strictly on the side of In And Out in terms of taste. Either way both franchises are in the same Costco shopping center in Northridge. Check them both out and do your own side by side comparo and let us know what you think.

In-N-Out of sub shops to invade Orange County

How exciting! I didn't even know there was an "In-N-Out of sub shops," but I am glad to hear that there is and I am excited about finding out about it. Article doesn't mention where exactly it will be opening nor does it cite a source link.

Source: Fast Food Maven

More info on Capriotti's can be found here.

Trader Joe's Homemade Pizza

Tonight, we decided to make some homemade pizza for dinner with ingredients that I picked up at Trader Joe's. Not knowing how it would turn out, I was hoping that it would be edible. Fortunately, it worked out quite nicely.

As usual, my sous chef was ready to guide me with orders. While eating a cookie, he told me how much sauce and cheese to add to the dough. After we put the pizza in the oven, he decided to run around, drink some water, and exclaim "MMMM, Water!" over and over.

After about 20-minutes, I pulled the pizza from the oven and cut it up for the boss. Thankfully, it was quite tasty. The garlic and herb crust added a nice zest to the pizza. The sauce was rather bland and I learned that we should use shredded cheese if we try it again. Overall, I'd say it wasn't up to Village Pizzeria quality, but I would put it above other delivery pizzas. John ate about 3/4 of his pizza, so that made me happy. Nicholas tried a little piece, but he didn't really give any indication if he liked it or not. He just eats anything you give him.

For the record, I used provolone and mozzarella on the pizza.

The Pershing Square Special

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having lunch at the Yorkshire Grill in downtown Los Angeles with some of my associaties. The Yorkshire Grill is a traditional deli on 6th street with very reasonable prices. I was going to order the burger and fries (under $6), but I did my normal look through the menu. Some may know that I am quite particular when it comes to eating so I don't normally break form and order something different. That day, I did. I ordered the Pershing Square Special and boy was I ever pleased. Chicken Fried asked me to get photos, so I had to order it again.

As you can see from the menu, it's a peanut butter, bacon, and lettuce sandwich on any type of bread. I ordered it without the lettuce as I am not a fan of anything green. Anywho, as you can see from the photo, it came with lettuce. That was easy enough to correct by removing it. I was a little dismayed at the amount of bacon on my sandwich yesterday. When I first tried the sandwich two weeks ago, there was a mountain of bacon. Yesterday, there were a hill of bacon, but a mountain of lettuce. My guess is that the lettuce took the place of my extra bacon. Oh well, life goes on.

How does it taste? Pretty darned good. The bacon was a perfect crispness. There's nothing like really crisp bacon. It's quite stunning really. Anywho, the first flavor you get from the sandwich is the sweetness of the peanut butter. Two seconds later, you get the salty goodness of the bacon. It was sheer bliss. If you are at the Yorkshire Grill and like salty/sweet, I'd recommend this sandwich.

On a side note, their french fries are really good and crisp. They remind me of the french fries you'd get at any Greek diner. The fries at those diners are ALWAYS good and crisp much like the Yorkshire Grill.

And, prices are VERY REASONABLE!! That's the best part. You get a mountain of food, but you only pay a small bit.

It's FAB and it's HOT DOGS!

Where in the SFV can you get great Hot Dogs? Do you trudge through all the the Christmas snow to Hollywood to get your Pink's fix? Well this is what I have been doing for years until a friend of mine suggested I try out Fab Hot Dogs (www.fabhotdogs.com)

I've known about the place for years, but never went despite people telling me about it. I guess it was comfortability or lack of motivation to try something new. However I did try it out last month and now I make Fab Hot Dog's a weekly pilgrimage. Why did I ever wait?!!

Some of my favorite dogs include, The Ripper, which is an Oh-So-Good FRIED Hot Dog just barely exploding out of it's natural casing. I'm also partial to the LA Street Dog, which is a Bacon wrapped all-beef dog topped with grilled peppers & onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, jalapeños & fresh tomato. The benefit from getting this at Fab is that you never have to worry about the sketchy hygiene of getting it off the makeshift carts in LA. All the benefit, none of the worries. The Texas Burrito Dog is another favorite of mine, just don't expect to have seconds with this large dog.

There are literally dozens of different dogs you can try out over at Fab's and they will customize the dog for you. Service is extra fast, and your in and out within 5-7 minutes tops. The restaurant is clean and has seating. Expect there to be a bit of a line though even late at night.

Fab Hot Dogs has been featured in various media including The Food Network on their Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives show. Joe Fabrocini is not just the man behind the TV Appearances, he is also the owner and the man behind the counter. A couple of weeks ago, Baby Chicken Fried and I went to get our dogs, Joe was really friendly and chatted with Baby Chicken Fried as she picked up our order.

You can get your Hot Dog fix locally at Fab Hot Dogs.
19417 Victory Blvd. Reseda, CA 91335 818-344-4336

Gourmet Food Truck Obsession

Long before it became common with the Food Network crowd, I have been obsessed with the LA Gourmet Food Truck scene. My first experience was a few years ago with the Kogi BBQ Truck which served the then unheard of Korean BBQ Tacos. Oh yes, it is one of those serendipitous combinations that seem logical but why didn't anyone ever invent it until now.


Kogi BBQ Truck created by Chef Roy at(Kogibbq.com) have 5 Trucks which make daily lunch and dinner runs all throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. I am lucky to be able to get my Kogi Korean BBQ Tacos and Burritos at the very least of once a week as they are in the SFV for lunch and dinner 1-2 times a week. Their website lists the schedule of where and when their trucks will be. If you get there on time, you will most likely experience an hour wait, so get their early. My favorite is of course the Tacos, which you can get in Short Rib, Chicken, Spicy Pork, or Tofu. These are marinated in a special Korean BBQ Marinade very similar to a Bul-Gogi spice. The meat is carmelized and when combined with the marinade is extremely addicting. Check out their website or subscribe to their tweets to find out when the Kogi Truck is nearby.




Another truck I like going to is the Nom Nom Truck (www.nomnomtruck.com). Owned and created by Misa and Jen. They have only 1 truck at this time, and a second one is on it's way in the new year. These guys were featured on the Food Networks, Great Food Truck Race and were the runners up for the competition. IMHO, I think they should have been the winners as they dominated the entire competition. This truck serves up Vietnamese Sandwiches called Banh Mi with a twist. They use their own special blend of marinades and spices and have created something unique. The french bread is freshly baked, and the ingredients are fresh. It has a very similar but different taste to regular Banh Mi, and it is an outstanding sandwich. Mrs. Chicken Fried and I ditched a restaurant we were sitting in because the Nom Nom Truck happened to be in the SFV that day and we had to get it. The sandwiches range in toppings from Grilled Pork, Lemongrass Chicken, Tofu and a Deli Special. Mmm... what I wouldn't do to have a party catered by these guys. Alas they are also in the SFV only once a week, so I need to plan my week by catching up with their tweets.


These happen to be my favorites, and I'll be posting more of the other gourmet food trucks that I like to frequent.

Carl's Jr. Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders

I am sure one of you has tried these. Please post a review!



If you haven't tried it yet...

Here's a coupon!
Free Small Beverage with purchase

KFC Grilled Chicken? Anyone?

WHAT? Nobody has tried the grilled chicken from KFC yet?

Trader Joe's Chicken Stix: Highly Recommended

I tried these for the first time a few weeks ago and they are fantastic! I need to try dipping sauces with them though so let me know what your suggestions are if you have tried them. I am going to try the Red Thai Curry sauce and the Goyza sauce that I read about on traderjoesfan.com.

I also tried the Lemongrass and they are excellent as well. I don't know where the chicken comes from and how it was grown/fed, but it tastes good.

I cook them in the InfraWave oven, which, if I haven't posted about it already, is great for heating up frozen/leftovers. It makes things crispy like they should be, works quickly and saves energy compared to conventional and microwave ovens. QuickFoods,+,+,Start gets you pretty well cooked Chicken Stix in just 9 minutes. Overall, less time than if you had to wait for your conventional oven to preheat. Microwave of course will do a quicker job but who wants soggy Chicken Stix?

Highly recommended.