Hash House A Go Go!!!

How can I describe Hash House a Go Go? Hmmmm…Okay…How bout this:

You take breakfast…Quadruple the portions…Use the freshest of farm food and twist it up…Add a punk rock attitude with the music to go along with it…And then you get Hash House a Go Go!!!

http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/

3628 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 298-4646

6800 West Sahara Ave, Las Vegas NV 89146 (702) 804-4646

I’ve been to the San Diego and one of the Las Vegas locations recently.

The San Diego location is in the quaint neighborhood called Hillcrest.  Hillcrest is known for its tolerance, diversity, and numerous locally-owned businesses, including restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs, trendy thrift-stores, and other independent specialty stores. Hillcrest has a large and active lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. So basically it’s the most fun of SD’s boroughs!

The Las Vegas location I went to was off-strip. It’s in West Las Vegas on the corner of Sahara & Rainbow.  West Las Vegas is basically suburbia on crack in the middle of phuckin sand.  Sprinkle in some really, really small bar/casino’s with leather skinned retirees dumping the SSI money into video poker machines at the bar…Add a few car dealers…And you get WLV.  

Frankly we sought the refuge of neon & booze on zee strip and opted for this location...Let’s just say my boy’s bachelor party caused my liver to file a restraining order on me.  Didn’t work…But I digress.

So let’s give you an overview on Food Porn Nirvana…First up…Sage Fried Chicken stacked with the Famous Bacon Waffle, hot Maple Caramel Reduction and Crowned with Fried Leeks:

OMFG…Even I couldn’t finish this entire plate!!!  The slight flavor of Sage comes through when you take your first bite of delicious Fried Chicken.  It completely compliments the super decadent Bacon Waffle and with every bite of Chicken & Waffle you have a slight tart sweetness provided by the Maple Caramel Reduction.  The Fried Leeks were a pleasant surprise and added a welcome salty component to the palate…This is the must have on the menu!!!

Feeling traditional?  How about the Tractor Driver Combo? That’s Two Eggs w/ bacon sausage or potatoes with 1 HH signature flapjack! Sounds pretty normal…Right? Wrong (See cell for size comparison):

Feeling healthy?  How about the House Smoked Fresh Salmon, cream cheese and scallions? Normal sounding once again…But it’s not:

And if you’re in the mood for lunch…Try my favorite sandwich…The BBBLT…Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato:

The bar is pretty amazing…Great assortment of beers & specialty drinks.  My favorite is the Bacon Bloody Mary (For obvious reasons):

But I did like the Beer in a Whino Bag w/Side of Bacon…Nom nom nom:

All in all I think all my followers of Food Porn will find something that will please the palate.  Hash House a Go Go is very family friendly and would be a great place to take even yer momma for a special dinner.  Price is low to moderate…But the portions could make for two meals so take that into consideration.  They do not accept reservations but the wait at the off-strip HHAGG is pretty small.  Now a warning if you plan to go to the SD/Hillcrest location!  Parking sucks balls…But it’s worth it!  And the wait on a Sunny Sunday will be around 45-60 minutes at the minimum.

So what rating does this house of excessive portions and out of this world flavor get?

Four Jamón Ibérico’s out of Four!!!

Hitching Post II in Buellton, CA

Today’s review is a road trip edition…All the way from Buellton, CA…The Hitching Post II

Click Here For Their Website

This steak house was made famous for the wine loving movie “Sideways”

The dining room is quaint.

The grill modest.

The Steak…Holy Shiet…Amazing.

The “Magic Dust” they apply liberally to the steak has to be laced with crack…Since I actually bought some and took it home to use on my own steaks.

The deserts are out of this world amazing.

And it by far is now one of my favorite steak houses of all time. Thanks to Darin & Melissa Biamonte for turning me on to this fine steakhouse. I’m sure Dana & I will be making the trip up the 101 a regular thing.

I give Hitching PostII Four out of Four Jamons!!!

Taqueria Zamora in Santa Ana

Today’s blog will be about a place I have come to LOVE in the last year or so…Taqueria Zamora!

Click Here For Their Website

This fine establishment is fiercely authentic.  It is run by a family that employs everyone from Abuelita to all the ninos in running of my favorite Taqueria.

My Favorite dish is the Carne Asada Sopes.

These amazing bundles of yummy goodness are mouth watering good.  The handmade sope is formed by the loving hands of Abuelita.  It is fried just long enough to get a crispy outside and a moist and amazing soft center. The beans are perfect, the Carne Asada flavorful, the lettuce fresh & the queso cotija lends a perfect salty cheese flavor to round up the combo.  I always add the spicy green sauce w/hints of tomatillo.  This is by far the best damn sope I have ever had in my entire life.

Best part is they have a HUGE assortment of authentic Mexican beer...Even that piss water called Corona.

Taqueria Zamora is located on Main Street in Santa Ana in between Alton & Dyer.  If you want to have the very best in authentic Comida Mexicana…Then Zamora is for you!

I give Taqueria Zamora Four Jamons out of Four Jamons!

Adanus Mediterranean Grill in Foothill Ranch

My better half & I are huge proponents of supporting the local guy. Provided the food is good of course! This past weekend we found a place that not only fills this description…It exceeds it.  Located by a failing auto center in Foothill Ranch is Adanus Mediterranean Grill. 

And let me assure you there is zero failure associated with this fine establishment! The place is super packed on Fridays with live music & belly dancer.  We went on a night with a live music straight from 94.7 The Wave…Very Chill.  Now on to the Food Porn!

The first thing we ordered was the Homemade Lentil Soup.  This was very well balanced with many different flavors.  The Lentils were creamy and the paprika was a perfect complement to the citrus highlights!

Next we ordered the AWESOME Lahmajun (Turkish Pizza) and all I can say is HOLY CRAP this good.  The thin crust was savory and was a perfect pairing to seasoned chopped beef & chopped peppers and onions.  This is a perfect meal but we ordered it as an appetizer.

My main course was Adanus Kebab and it did not disappoint.  The meat was perfection and lean.  It’s flavors mixed perfectly with the bed of rice it rested upon.  The vegetables that came with the Kebab were a pleasant surprise, figuring I’m a tenacious carnivore.

We had the pleasure of meeting the proprietor of Adanus…A Turkish gentleman who goes by the name of Luigi.  He’s obviously doing this as a labor of love…And that makes the experience all the better.

If you’re looking for a Mediterranean restaurant that give you a delicious tour of the flavors of the region…Then Adanus is for you.  If you’re a pompous, arrogant, stuffy douchelord who is a stickler for exactness & authenticity…Then you need to stay away.  I’m a fan of a great meal…If the chef needs to take some liberties with the ingredients to present something new and savory…So Be it!

Rating

Adanus gets FOUR get’s FOUR Jamón’s out of Four!!!

Slater's 50/50 in Anaheim Hills

The time has come to write a review for a personal favorite of mine…This place is the innovator of the single most important invention of our time…The 50/50 hamburger patty…That’s right…It’s Slater’s 50/50 in Anaheim Hills!!!

I’ve been to Slater’s about a dozen times in the last year or so. The main reason I wanted to try this place out was the 50/50 hamburger.  The 50/50 refers to the unique combination of Ground Beef & Ground BACON…Yes…BACON!!!  The combination lends to a moist and pink appearance to the succulent burger patty regardless of cooking time.

I’ve tried some amazing burgers on the menu and I will give you my take on my 3 favorites:

1.       The Hawaiian Burger: 50/50 Burger, Grilled Pineapple, Fried Egg (I asked for mine without egg), American Cheese and BACONnaise!  Holy Crap was this an amazing burger! The pineapple was cut into sections and then grilled which gave it a more caramelized nature. But the star of this burger is the house special sauce called BACONnaise.  This amazing condiment mixed well with the 50/50 burgers bacon flavor…Once the smoky pineapple was introduced it was a flavorgasim…MUST TRY!!!

2.       Peanut Butter and Jellousy: Sterling Silver Ground Beef (Although I opted for the 50/50 Burger) THICK cut BACON, Creamy Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly.  This is the punk rock of flavor paring…A dichotomy if you will. It shouldn’t taste good…But it’s a foodie’s nirvana.  The way the juicy 50/50 burger joined with the salty Bacon/Peanut Butter and the Sweet Strawberry Jelly…I seriously thought I was going to pass out from delight!   

3.       The Caprese Burger: Sterling Silver Ground Beef (Although I once again opted for the 50/50 Burger) Mozzarella, Tomato, Olive Tapinade and Balsamic Vinaigrette. It was delicious and so savory.  The homage to Italian flavors lends to the suppleness of the 50/50 burger!

The ability to make the burger to your specific request is a good alternative to those who do not like to try preordained pairings.  The appetizers are insanely good…I’ve tried the Fried Dill Pickle Chips, Beer Battered Onion Strings and Fried Macaroni & Cheese…So decadently good.  My better half is a HUGE fan of the Greek Salad w/Grilled Chicken. I’ll take her word for it since I’m a carnivore…But it did look amazing.

The bar selection is out of this world.  They have stuff on tap which you can’t find at most “bars” and this makes it a very unique burger joint.  In fact they just opened a bar side to cater to people wanting to watch a game with an ice cold one.  

If you’re not in the mood to wait an hour for a table…You can stalk the bar side and grab a seat and a burger.  My better half & I do it all the time.

Like I said…The wait is pretty long on the weekend no matter when you go.  But here’s a good tip…Go to OpenTable.com and make a reservation…Worth the time saved.

RATING:

So with Slater’s I launch my new rating scale!  Since as you can tell I am a HUGE fan of PORK…And the Holy Grail of Pork is Pata Negra/Jamón ibérico from Spain…I will give ratings based on a scale of Jamón’s with Four being the best and one being the worst. So…Without further ado…

Slaters get’s FOUR Jamón’s out of Four!!!

Lucha Libre Taco Shop in San Diego

A huge shout out to my boy Adam from Man vs. Food for turning me on to this taco joint!

So my lil brother had a day off from the car biz…Which is rare.  He wanted to hang and I wanted to eat…What’s new?  So I decided to take him to my favorite BBQ joint Phil’s BBQ (Which I will review later) and found it empty…Closed on Mondays…Crap.  But not to fear!  I remembered that right down the street was a place I was dying to try out.  LUCHA LIBRE TACO SHOP!!!

We had to park down the block and walk about a ¼ mile to get to the shop.  The wait was about 20-25 minutes on this Monday…Way longer on the weekends.  I saw a huge cross section of San Diegoians (Navy, Transvestites, White, Mexican, Businessmen and students) enjoying a vast variety of amazing looking food.

My brother and I opted for the Surf & Turf Taco. It has delicious Carne Asada & Grilled Shrimp with Avocado & a special Chipotle Sauce.  

Not only were they huge…They were AMAZING!!! I finished my delicious tacos with an ice cold Dos X’s…Stay thirsty my friends. The other food looked delicious and I can’t wait to return to sample and review them!

I give it 4 Stars out of 4…Place is that good!!!

Blue Dog Tavern in Sherman Oaks

So my first review is about Blue Dog Tavern in Sherman Oaks.  

I visited this amazing local gem with my podcast co-host Mike, his girl Stacie and my better half.  The first thing that struck me was its versatility as a restaurant. Meaning, you could go as a first date, guys or girls night out, with the family or good friends. In fact our friends Mike & Stacie use it as their regular hang out and stay entire night. 

Although the menu changes from time to time, you can be sure to get a great burger anytime you visit. For this visit I choose the Summit Burger which consists of Onions, Bacon and Sharp Cheddar Cheese. 

The amazing thing about the Onions & Bacon was that they were INSIDE the hand formed hamburger patty!  The way the onions caramelized inside with the Bacon lent an amazing flavor to the delicious beef.  The burger was moist which makes for and amazing burger! 

Blue dog has an extremely friendly and helpful staff which you will need when choosing that perfect beer for you. I as you will soon find out am a HUGE fan of authentic cider.  I choose the only authentic English Pear Cider available in the United States…Sir Perry Pear Cider.  

It is without a doubt a very well refined cider.  It is not overly sweet and overflowing with a wonderful pallet.  This is my new favorite…Too bad I’ve only found it at Blue Dog Tavern.  I guess we’ll have to visit our friends more often!

Bottom Line…The one thing you can count on when you go to Blue Dog is you will have had great service, great meal and an excellent beer selection.


I give Blue Dog 3 Stars out 4...This is a must try for all you foodies!!!