Home cooking and pies and other Los Angeles, CA Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Marie Callender's

Every time we visit Grandma we end up going to one of the many Marie Callender locations near Los Angeles as it's her favorite restaurant. This time we visited the one on Lincoln in Marina del Rey. Marie Callender's first restaurant opened in 1964, it is now a chain of 150+ locations in the US and Mexico, mostly in western states.

Favorite Dish: The entrees here are very reasonably priced and while not gourmet food, it is good solid American fare such as chili, pot pies, country fried steak and meatloaf along with sandwiches, salads and pasta. I wasn't terribly hungry so I ordered french onion soup and a caesar salad, together was only around $8 and was more than enough food for me. Grandma had chili and cornbread and dad had beef stroganoff which he said was very good.

Be sure to save some room for dessert, there is a huge pie menu with many delicious options. I tried the big apple, an ice cream sundae with french apple pie and caramel and whipped cream. I couldn't possibly finish it, enough for 2 to split.

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Theme: American
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Website: http://www.mcpies.com/

Restaurant Name: Chart House

Last visit October 14, 2008

I've been to this Chart House in Marina Del Rey three times over the last few visits to Los Angeles, the food and service are consistently good. Make a reservation if you are going on a weekend, during the week it's not as busy. The service here is very good and quite pleasant, we all enjoyed our dinner here immensely.

The Chart House is located on the water in Marina del Rey, but your view is of the boats in the Marina. I like the view at the Chart House in Malibu much better. The restaurant is a little hard to find, make sure you print out directions.

Favorite Dish: We started off with a couple of appetizers, crab stuffed mushroom and fried calamari which were both good.

I had the lobster bisque which had a very nice flavor, I opted for an appetizer size portion of crabcakes because I wasn't very hungry, the crabcake was very tasty, real lump crabmeat in a light buttery caper sauce.

I usually love the chocolate lava cake with a warm oozing Godiva Chocolate Liqueur molten center, topped with vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce and Heath Bar Crunch. This time it just didn't seem that good, almost like it wasn't fully cooked, but I'll certainly give it another try on my next visit.

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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Address: 13950 Panay Way
Directions: Marina del Rey
Website: http://www.chart-house.com

Restaurant Name: International House of Pancakes

I LOVE breakfast food-pancakes, omelets, french toast-but rarely eat it at home. But when we travel in the US, I make sure to get to IHOP at least once for their awesome breakfasts. You can find IHOPs all throughout the US and a few in Canada in British Columbia.

We ate at two different IHOPs while in LA, one of them close to LAX, the other on the corner of Manchester and Hillcrest in Inglewood.

Most IHOPs can be spotted because of their blue pointy roof construction although some of the newer ones just incorporate the blue color into their decor.

Favorite Dish: Buttermilk pancakes are my favorite dish from IHOP, you can order them separately, a short stack is usually enough unless you are very hungry but they also come as a side dish for omelets and the new crepes.

I was a little disappointed with the ham and cheddar omelet I ordered at the one on Manchester (not very much filling) but it came with 3 buttermilk pancakes so I was more than satisfied.

On the second visit to the one near LAX I ordered bacon cheddar stuffed crepes which were delicious and came with 2 buttermilk pancakes, currently a special for only $5.99!

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Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Several Locations
Website: http://www.ihop.com/

Restaurant Name: Farmers Market

The Farmers Market dates back to 1934 when it was opened as a produce market for local farmers to see to local residents. These days the Farmer's Market is less about produce than it is about dining, my grandma was actually rather disappointed in our outing to the market, said it was nothing like what she remembered.

On weekends, parking can be tough, there are several pay lots near the market. Be sure to get your ticket validated to get the reduced rate (free for the first two hours with validation). Or you can park in the Grove shopping center garage which was free for the first hour, a couple of dollars if you stay longer.

Favorite Dish: I've tried the Gumbo Pot twice, most recently in October 2007, both times I ordered the fried oyster po'boy and both times the po'boy was good but too much bread for the small portion of oysters. I've tried both the gumbo ya ya and the seafood gumbo, I couldn't finish either because they were too spicy for me and didn't seem to have a lot of seafood so I don't think I'll be going back there.

The crepes from the French Crepe Company, however, are heavenly! I've ordered a banana nutella crepe from there twice, delicious! In April 2007, I stopped at Loteria Grill for some Mexican food, it was pretty good. In October 2007, I tried some donuts from Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts, an LA institution when it comes to donuts. My 1st was a chocolate frosted cake donut which was OK but the apple fritter was great.

There are all kinds of other delicious looking options-Turkish style pizzas, seafood, Korean, an old fashioned ice cream parlor, sandwiches, baked goods and Magee's Kitchen & Deli, the 1st restaurant to open at the Farmer's Market. My grandma said they have delicious corned beef. Grandma also likes the pot pies from DuPar's. Fodors recommends the BLT on sourdough at the Kokomo Cafe. Maybe next time!

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Theme: Other

Directions: Located at 3rd & Fairfax
Website: http://www.farmersmarketla.com/index.shtml

Restaurant Name: Grand Central Market

The Grand Central Market in downtown LA has a variety of international options for a quick snack or a full lunch. It's certainly not a fancy place to have lunch, some of the restaurants have counters, some don't even have that. Options include Chinese, Mexican, Thai, El Salvadoran, Argentinian, pizza, Japanese and seafood.

Favorite Dish: I stopped by El Gaucho, an Argentinian place right at the entrance to the market. I ordered a ham and cheese empanada and the server said "no that's boring" so I asked him what was good and we finally agreed on a meat empanada. The empanadas are 99 cents each and are snack size treats. The meat one was very good, a pastry with meat and a little spice but not too much. As I made my 2nd pass through, I stopped again and ordered a shrimp empanda which was good but not as good as the meat.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: 317 S. Broadway
Directions: downtown LA on Broadway between 3rd and 4th
Website: http://www.grandcentralsquare.com/

Restaurant Name: Arsenal

I was looking for a place to hook up with Hollie (Etoile2B), a former Chicagoan whom I never got to meet while she lived in my hometown. One of Hollie's suggestions was to try the Arsenal, a burger joint on Pico.

It was a little loud for conversation on a Friday night, Hollie said she normally went there on weeknights for dinner and it wasn't nearly as crowded or loud. It's a bar that serves food so it's also dark inside.

Parking is tough in the area, after circling around a few times looking for a spot on the street, I went with the valet option for $4.

Favorite Dish: I had a very good cheeseburger with onion rings, there were several other options you could get for sides. It's reasonably priced for LA, dinner for two was $25 with tax and tip.

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Theme: American
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 12012 Pico Boulevard

Restaurant Name: Randy's

During our 2005 visit we drove by the giant Randy's donut every day from our hotel to Grandma's apartment and I kept saying, I really have to stop there and get a donut just because of the huge donut. But the end of the week came and I just didn't have a chance to stop in. So after I came home, I was in a bookstore and glanced over at the travel rack and what do I see on the cover of one of the LA guide books? The giant Randy's donut!

So when we came back in 2006, I pulled in one morning when I wanted a quick breakfast and grabbed two donuts, one buttermilk and a bear claw. The buttermilk was dry and perhaps a bit stale but the bear claw was pretty yummy! I don't know that the donuts are worth going out of your way, not like those strawberry donuts from Donut Man in Glendora, for but if you're at the intersection of 405 and Manchester, you might pull in for a donut, you don't even need to get out of the car because there is a drive through!

In 2008, we gave Randy's another shot as we were late for church and needed to eat something and the giant donut was beckoning us. The apple fritter was really yummy and this time they got the buttermilk donut right. I may have to make this a semi annual stop since it's so close!


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Theme: Bakery
Comparison: least expensive

Address: 805 W. Manchester
Directions: Actually in Inglewood, not too far from the airport. From the Radisson LAX, we took Aviation Blvd. to Manchester and turned right
Website: http://www.randysdonuts.com/

Restaurant Name: Tommy Burger

When I was researching dining options for my 2006 visit to Los Angeles, I was amazed at the number of classic LA cheap dining options that I've never made it to. I barely made a dent even on this visit, I still have yet to sample an In-N-Out Burger, a hot dog from Pink's, an original French dip sandwich from Phillipe's, a juicy burger from Apple Pan.....

I was a little surprised that Tommy's didn't have any indoor seating and it's not a drive-in where you sit in your car and have someone come take your order, instead you either park, get out, order and eat in your car or stand up at counters on the exterior of the building with an absolute neccesity, napkin holders on the walls for when the chili gets out of control.

Favorite Dish: I did find a meal slot for a Tommy's burger at the original location at Beverly and Rampart. I was looking on the menu for a chili burger and then realized that all burgers come standard with their famous chili plus onions, mustard, pickles, and tomato, I ordered a double just to be sure the condiments didn't overpower the beef and, of course, eliminated the mustard, the most evil of condiments, and pickles (they are green and they are a vegetable).

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Theme: Local
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Multiple locations
Directions: Original location is at 2575 W. Beverly at Rampart
Website: http://www.originaltommys.com/

Restaurant Name: In-n-Out Burger

Last visit October, 2008

Californians are passionate about their In-N-Out Burger's, the drive thru is always stacked with cars, there is always a line inside with people waiting patiently for their orders. I finally got around to trying an In-N-Out Burger in April, 2007, first up near Oxnard where Kat lives, a 2nd time near LAX on Sepulveda and a 3rd time on a subsequent trip in October 2008 near LAX on Century.

Favorite Dish: Not the best hamburger I've ever had but it sure beats the burger chains we have in the Midwest except for Culver's which has really good butter burgers. I went for the double double, it comes with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and a special sauce and of course two beef patties. Fries are hand cut and a fairly substantial portion, the chocolate milkshakes, made with real ice cream, was the part of the meal I liked best.

The menu is very simple, you can get a double-double, a cheeseburger or a hamburger, fries, milkshakes and soft drinks. That's it. Well, except for the not so secret, secret menu And according to this website, employees will alter the standard menu in lots of different ways. Damn, I wish I had known about fries served animal style, those look pretty tasty!!!

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Theme: American
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Several Locations
Website: http://www.in-n-out.com/

Restaurant Name: Luz del Dia

There are a variety of sit down and take out Mexican places along the one block stretch of Olvera Street, the one I saw recommended by someone on chowhound and by LA Weekly food critic Jonathan Gold was Luz del Dia, the restaurant closest to the square. There was a line out the door when I arrived so I walked up and down the street but decided to come back and try this place.

After ordering and paying, a woman dressed in traditional Mexican costume grabbed my tray and led me outside to the patio which overlooks the square, the best place to eat your meal at the restaurant.

Favorite Dish: The tortillas are all handmade is what the guy standing in line in front of me said as I waited for about 15 minutes to place my order, everyone must stand in line to get served even if you are eating in.

The menu is pretty simple, you can order combination plates or a la carte which is what I did, a pork tamale, carnitas (pork) taco and piccadillo (Mexican beef stew) taco. I thought the food was good, not worth a special trip, but a good option if you are here already.

My meal with a soft drink was around $8. Cash only.

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Theme: Mexican
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Olvera Street