Gloria’s – Arlington, Texas

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Found a new spot while Christmas shopping this week in Arlington, Texas. A fancy but not too fancy El Salvadorean slash Mexican restaurant where everything is flavorful. Started with nicely salted chips and salsa and ended up getting their Steak Ranchera which was spicy and delicious. Chicken Enchiladas were solid. Bean dip and queso were terrific with the chips too. Price was a little high but for perfectly made Mexican food it’s alright. 9 other locations in the Metroplex. I still say Metroplex because it’s still fun to say!

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Chicken Enchiladas

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Steak Ranchera

Might check out Saturday club nights.
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Culichi Town – Bell – Los Angeles

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Checked out Culichi Town, a Mexican Sushi spot on the East side of LA with other locations outside of LA near Riverside and Pomona.

Very excited for the idea of Mexican Sushi.  In my mind, a blend of Japanese sushi and Mexican ingredients. Apparently Philadelphia Cream Cheese was made in Mexico because that shit was in every roll.

imageI mean most of the rolls had a little bit of fish, chopped up shrimp and crab with cream cheese wrap. Presentation was nice, but every roll was disappointing.

imageThe Salmoncitto roll had promise of only I could taste the salmon over the cream cheese and spongy rice.

The Ceviche de Pescado was good though. Not the greatest but definitely not bad. It was good enough that I took the picture a while after we started eating it. I mean it was piled pretty high and the best deal for $6.99. image

This spot is safer than its namesake in Sinaloa, Mexico but if you happen to be near one, play it safe and stick to the Mexican food.

Gaby’s Meditteranean – Venice and Motor – Culver City

imageJust wanted to share an old fave. A standard Greek Mediterranean joint. Solid hummus. Good portions. Chill atmosphere and a large cozy outdoor dining room.

 

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I got the Schwarma combo, marinated beef and chicken.

Lots of rice and a salad. As you can tell they don’t hold back on rice on any of their plates.

I consider this location to be the flagship in the chain. Plus it’s  always a safe bet for good Lebanese slash Mediterranean food.

 

Jim’s Steaks on South St – Philadelphia

imageRight in the heart of Philly. 4th and South St neighborhood.  Cash Only. ATM inside.

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Got the cheese steak with provolone, onions and peppers. No wiz, I know. The legendary local beer Yuengling  and some chips. The sandwhich was good. Went down fast. Good beef, decent onions. Thought it would be more savory, but I ate it in seconds.

Yuengling is the most hyped up average lager I’ve ever had. It’s fine. Just a cheap lager.

Hash House A Go Go – Hillcrest San Diego

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This is a spot with a diner type feel to it. It’s always crowded especially on weekends. They take a break between lunch and dinner. Probably to get ready for the huge portions of food they serve. I had the Biscuits and Sausage Gravy with Mashed Potatoes and Eggs. Added in the Sage Chicken Fried Steak just to try it out. Whew! I’m a big guy and I couldn’t make a dent ! Good stuff, though. Pricing was about $12-$15 a head. Not counting my Chicken Fried Steak. Be warned the portions are monstrous. If you wanted to the pancakes could be a sunhat.

Also notable, it’s street parking and the weekend wait I’m told clicks up to 2 hours.

All ‘n All a safe place to eat as long as you bring a friend to roll you out at the end.

Ramen! At Manichi – Little Tokyo Downtown

IMG_4795 New Lil Tokyo spot with a big clean space. All black decor including the chopsticks. Ramen is kind of mashup of styles with Black Garlic Oil, Tonkotsu heavy broth and Spicy Red Chili Oil. Kind of dug the mashup but the Black Garlic was touch too much for me. Noodles were solid too. IMG_4797All in all. A safe spot to default to when that Daikokuya line, 2 doors down, gets waaay too long.