Tiny's Prime Rib Rice Plate From Chego!

Tiny's Prime Rib Rice Plate From Chego!, originally uploaded by ~db~.

After discovering the new Chego! in Chinatown last week, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would be back. So it's no surprise I returned today, driving instead of taking the Metro.

I ordered Tiny's Prime Rib Rice Plate which, along with the beef and rice, includes crunchy water spinach and Chinese broccoli, a very nice creamed horseradish, some roasted garlic paste, and shallots. Everything is topped with a fried egg, this time done perfectly so the yolk would drip down and mix with the rice and veggies. That shoyu, or whatever it is, on the rice is absolutely fantastic. The meat was cooked right, though I wish the two big pieces were cut into four or six smaller pieces. While not quite as fantastic as last week's pork belly, this is still real good. Prime rib plate, about $11.

The Good Saint

The Good Saint, originally uploaded by ~db~.

One of my favorites from Vicious Dogs. The Good Saint has a nice meaty andouille sausage, grilled onions and tomatoes, some peppers for just enough heat, all topped with lots of cheese and melted into a poppy seed bun. Yum. Hot dog and small onion rings, about $9.

Return To Ricky's

Return To Ricky's, originally uploaded by ~db~.

I've mentioned my delight in finding the new Chego! had moved into Chinatown, but there was another wonderful culinary surprise that day. Ricky's Fish Tacos is a perennial favorite in L.A. I had visited its location in a parking lot on Virgil a few times, but was unaware that it had been shut down, perhaps by a jealous competitor. Blissful in my ignorance, I thankfully didn't have to bear the burden of thinking I'll never taste another of Ricky's creations.

So it was by chance that I discovered that Ricky's has found a new home, at least for now, in the parking lot of LAX-C market near Chinatown. Just a block and a half from the Gold-Line's Chinatown station, it's even easier to get to than the old location.

And yes, the taco. Still delicious. Still cheap. A bit saltier than I remember, but not too much. This time I drenched it with everything: creama, verde, and rojo sauces. Simple and good. Real good. Fish taco, about $3.

Chego's Chubby Pork Belly

Chego's Chubby Pork Belly, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Once there was a restaurant called B's Wonton Noodle House. It was special. And now it's gone.

So imagine my surprised pleasure when, on my way to get some duck at Kim Chuy, I found that Roy Choi has moved his brick and mortar restaurant Chego into the place formerly occupied by my beloved B's. I quickly abandoned my plans for duck.

Gone are the tables, replaced by stools and a counter wrapping around the wall. The place was full when I arrived, populated by a considerably younger crowd than during the building's previous incarnations. And despite the occasional odd looks from old-timers, this is a good thing.

Also good was the service. Everybody was very pleasant, and after the place cleared out and settled down a bit, I was able to talk to Barry, the person who brought my food, and had a nice conversation about the place and its move from the Westside. They had just opened the new place on the previous Saturday and are still getting used to it. But judging by what I saw, there shouldn't be a problem with drawing the customers. Even better if they are folk who normally don't come to the area.

But the best thing is the food itself, which was pretty great! Well, at least the Chubby Pork Belly I ordered. It's a "kochujang-laquered Korobuta rice bowl w/ fried egg, pickled radishes, water spinach Chinese broccoli, cotija, and peanuts." It was full of texture and very flavorful. The chunks of pork were as generous as they were unctuous. It had just enough heat and the peanuts gave a very complimentary roundness to the vegetables' crunch. The only minor issue I had was the egg was fried hard. It would have been nice if it was fried easy, so the yolk could have run out and mixed in with everything else. Other than that small quibble, it was a fantastic lunch and I'm sure to be back. Chubby Pork Belly, about $10.

The Built Burger

The Built Burger, originally uploaded by ~db~.

I was at the LA Times Festival of Books at USC last weekend and, instead of waiting in long lines for one of the food trucks, I headed across the street to Built Custom Burgers. It's an assembly-line setup, where you choose your protein, then bun, then toppings... You get the idea.

This is a beef burger on a regular bun. I got Swiss cheese, fresh onions, lettuce, and grilled red peppers. It was a very good burger. My only issue was that the grind of the meat was a bit too coarse, meaning there was the occasional chunk of cartilage one needed to deal with. That's not an uncommon problem with burgers, and doesn't ruin the meal, but it's not wonderful biting into one of those chunks. Also not wonderful were the (overpriced) sweet potato fries. The potatoes had good flavor, but were undercooked and flaccid. Plus a large part of the order were little 1 or 2 inch bits. So, a good meal but next time I'll go with a different side. Burger and sweet potato fries, about $12.

Chiu Chow Salted Duck & Pork Kidneys

Chiu Chow Salted Duck & Pork Kidneys, originally uploaded by ~db~.

I've been on the lookout for duck lately. This is much more difficult than it should be. Duck should be a common item in restaurants throughout our megalopolis. But alas this is not to be. The good news is that duck is available all over LA's Chinatown, both in markets and in restaurants, making it just a Metro ride (and a couple blocks walk) away. Yay!

Of the few places I've tried so far, the Chiu Chow Salted Duck at Kim Chuy is my favorite. It's pretty straightforward, with no frills. Let's call it rustic. A half duck chopped into big pieces served with steamed cabbage and carrots. The skin is cooked well, though I do wish it was just a little bit crispier. The meat is cooked well but is still moist. There's lots of bones, so be prepared to work for it. While I'm still looking for my transcendent duck, this will do for now.

This time I also got an order of pork kidneys. The good news is that they were cooked perfectly. Like much offal, poorly cooked kidneys can become inedible balls of rubber. Not here. Very tender. Also, the scallions were very nice, with a good amount of fresh ginger. Now the bad news. The kidneys had no flavor whatsoever. None. I'd say they tasted like clay, but at least clay tastes like dirt. I'm not sure how the chef did it, but he completely removed the taste of kidney, leaving only the, admittedly good, sauce to flavor the dish. Not inedible, but not so good if you're looking for kidneys.

So I'll be back for the duck, if not the kidneys. This lunch, along with steamed rice and hot tea, was about $14.

The Goomba Returns

The Goomba Returns, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Willie had it back on as a special yesterday. It was even better the second time. It's like a little Italian sausage sandwich. Dog and onion rings, about $9.

Vicious Pappy El Guapo

Vicious Pappy El Guapo, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Another really good hot hot dog from Vicious Dogs. The Pappy El Guapo is a bacon wrapped jalapeno cheddar link with chipotle sauce, pico do gallo, and a little chopped jalapeno, all in a poppy seed bun. It's my go-to dog when I want some heat. Enough to make me sweat, but not so much as to overpower everything else. Hot dog and onion rings, about $8.

Samster II

Samster II, originally uploaded by ~db~.

The Samster has become a new favorites of mine at Vicious Dogs. The way the mango salsa keeps everything moist under the melted cheese is real nice. Plus, that salsa offers a cool balance to the spicy (bacon wrapped) jalapeno link. The only thing different from the last time is a regular, rather than a poppy seed bun. My mistake. The poppy seed buns rule. Hot dog and onion rings, about $8.

Cupid's Chili Dog

Cupid's Chili Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Cupid's Hot Dogs is another Los Angeles institution. Yet I don't remember the last time I had eaten there. But when I drove by one of their locations the other day, and hungry for lunch, I decided it was a good time to reacquaint myself.

This dog is simple. It's a frank in a bun, with optional toppings of onions, mustard, and chili. I took all three. The frank itself it probably the best hot dog I've had in a long time. Maybe a bit small, but that's not bad. It had an excellent snap and nice consistency. The chili was fine for what it was and, unsurprisingly, overpowered the flavor of the dog. But the sharpness of yellow mustard and fresh onions did cut through and offered a good contrast. The bun is very soft and had pretty much disintegrated by the time I was finished. The fries were edible, but too soft. I suspect they were only fried once since there was no bite at all. Fine, but meh.

This ain't gourmet. And it's not supposed to be. It's a good, cheap hot dog, which you get fast and eat fast. Just as it should be. Dog and fries, about $5.

Tommy's Chili Dog

Tommy's Chili Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

One thing that sets apart the best hot dogs is how carefully they are constructed. This is especially true when the volume of the ingredients is substantial. And that's where Tommy's chili dog fails.

It's a mess, and not just because it's served open-faced. First, look at the size of the bun compared to everything else. There's no way it's big enough to contain anything beyond the frank. So instead of a chili dog, it ends up being a chili coated dog with a big puddle of chili on the plate to be mopped up later. And what in the hell am I supposed to do with that huge tomato slice and those pickles? It's as if the person who put this together thought it was fine to just plop down each item on their 6-ingredient checklist, one on top of the other, without regards to how it's actually supposed to be eaten. So indeed, I treated it as what it was, and open-faced sandwich, and dug into it with a knife and fork.

First, the chili flavor smothered everything. But as a person who grew up eating at Tommy's, that was expected. The Cantella's beef frank is dense and chewy with little discernible snap, but good flavor. The tomato was a bit soft, leaving me chewing a long thin string of tomato peel. None of it was bad, but none of it was great. In the end I left half of the grease-soaked bun and a couple pickle slices behind on the plate. It was an okay hot dog, as long as you like Tommy's chili, but nothing I plan on ordering again. A bigger bun and more care in its assembly might have changed that. Chili dog, about $2.50.

NABS Crabcake Sandwich

Crabcake Sandwich, originally uploaded by ~db~.

The crabcake sandwich at Not a Burger Stand was one of the few things on the menu that I had yet to try. When I asked Super-Waitress Melissa about it she told me she hadn't tried it but customers said it was "A-May-Zing!" While I'm not a crabcake aficionado, I like crab a lot. So I ordered the sandwich with everything, along with a side of sweet potato fries.

The sandwich was fairly simple, as it should be. A crabcake topped by lettuce with thinly sliced tomato and onion, all set inside a toasted bun. The toppings were fresh and added a nice crunch with every bite. The crabcake was good and I admit to uttering one of those ooooohhhhh groans after my first big chomp. The only real downside was most of the crabcake smushed out after a couple bites and I ended up shoveling much of it back into the sandwich, and ultimately just ate about half of it off the plate. So not a bad thing, just messy. Tasty and messy.

The sweet potato fries were wonderful, as usual here. Well done on the outside, nearly crunchy, and pillowy soft on the inside with a ton of flavor.

It was a nice lunch with fantastic service on a beautiful afternoon. You can't beat that. Crabcake sandwich and sweet potato fries, about $14.

The Goomba

The Goomba, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Willie calls this the Goomba. It's a chicken, mozzarella, roasted tomato, basil sausage, topped with mozzarella cheese, a chopped chicken tender, marinara sauce, and parmesan cheese. That's all baked until the cheese gets melty. I think of it as the Vicious Dogs version of an Italian sausage sandwich. It very much has that taste. The chopped chicken tender adds a very nice crunch. The sausage is grilled before things are assembled, so it too has a nice snap with each bite. The sauce was a bit acidic and the parmesan reminded me of stuff that comes in a green can, but it's not pretending to be more than it is, and it was a good filling meal. Dog and garlic fries, about $9.

The Skooby's Dog

The Skooby's Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Skooby's Original Hot Dog is a seven inch natural-casing beef frank served bare inside three King's Hawaiian original sweet dinner rolls which have been toasted and split down the middle. I chose to add a little relish, mustard, and onions. The dog has a nice snap when you bite, which is offset by the pillow-soft bun. Also, unlike my experience with their Street Dog, the dog retains its juice. It's simple. It's good. Go get one. Heck, it's only $3, so get two.

Hop Woo Pork Skewer

Hop Woo Pork Skewer, originally uploaded by ~db~.

Arriving in Chinatown for the New Year's celebrations, I was hungry after a long subway ride. Walking by Hop Woo on Broadway, I was considering getting one of the pot stickers on display, when out come a batch of pork skewers fresh from the kitchen. I couldn't pass it up. The pork itself was a bit dry, but full of flavor. The onion, carrot, and broccoli were perfect. It was an excellent way to begin the afternoon. Pork skewer, $1.50.

The Fab Dog

The Fab Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

For some unknown reason, it has been years since I last visited Fab Dogs in Reseda. It's been so long in fact that's they've now moved to a new place in the corner of a shopping center not too far from the old place. It's my loss since they have a lot of different dogs I've never tried. This time I went to the top of the list.

Here is their signature offering. The Fab Dog is a charred beef dog topped with their Fab tomato relish, mustard, bacon, and onions, served in a standard bun. It's a good dog. The thinner frank is something I prefer and, while it was charred, it wasn't overcooked.

The garlic fries were also quite good, with enough garlic, but not too much. And somehow they were able to properly cook these thin fries so they had a bite yet remained pillowy soft on the inside. My only quibble overall was that the bread was a bit stale, and I couldn't help but wonder how long those big stacks of plastic-wrapped buns I saw had been sitting there. Still, a lot of flavor and certainly good enough to get me back a lot quicker than last time. Dog and garlic fries, about $8.

Vicious Dogs Good Saint

Vicious Dogs Good Saint, originally uploaded by ~db~.

One of my favorites from Vicious Dogs. The Good Saint is a three pepper andouille sausage, grilled onions, tomatoes, and peppers in a poppy seed bun, topped with two cheeses. Then baked. Very very nice. Dog and garlic fries, about $9.

The Slaw Dogs' Street Dog

The Slaw Dogs' Street Dog, originally uploaded by ~db~.

It's The Slaw Dogs version of the classic L.A. Street Dog. This one is a 1/4 lb Vienna bacon wrapped beef dog, grilled bell peppers and onions, garlic mayo, and pico de gallo, all in their big, soft bun. A lot of flavor, the bacon is cooked crisp while not completely overcooking the dog itself. Of course it's so overstuffed I ended eating most of the toppings with a fork out of the bottom of the basket, but that's not such a bad thing. The fries were well cooked, as usual. It's all good. Dog and small fries, about $8.

Oysters & Hush Puppies

Oysters & Hush Puppies, originally uploaded by ~db~.

I walked through Farmers Market the other day and stopped at The Gumbo Pot for a quick bite of oysters with a side of hush puppies. The oysters were good, if a little small. As for the hush puppies, I don't know why I keep ordering them from this place. They are consistently dry and dense. Next time I promise to order the fried pickles instead. Oysters and hush puppies, about $5.