We went to Musashi in Porter Ranch for a birthday celebration. We haven’t eaten at a teppan Japanese restaurant in a couple of years. I like to watch the chef cook the food. My favorite is the onion volcano. I had the chicken and shrimp dinner. The fried rice with the cooked mushrooms was delicious. I enjoyed the meal but, like everything these days, it was very expensive. I would think the restaurant business would be a very hard nowadays but the center where Musashi is has three new eating places opening soon. Maybe the rent has come down. Anyway, I highly recommend it.

This restaurant was a former Italian restaurant which my wife knew the owner and taught his kids. The place now is owned by a former high school football coach who coached my friend’s kids. That is how we found the place. It has a full bar with tv’s on every wall. The food is good and service is quick despite having only one waitress. We had a couple of appetizers, the chicken quesadilla and bacon potato skins. The burgers were made on sourdough bread. The salad was made with glazed salmon. This place is located on a dead end, not on the beaten path. Make sure you put the right address in your GPS.

We are down in San Diego awaiting the birth of our 6th grandkid, a girl. Her due date is past, she doesn’t want to come out! We went to Oggi’s, the technically a pizza place but it has a full menu. It was a beautiful evening so we sat outside. I had the pizza with all the toppings while the kids split a pepperoni pizza. The dough and topping were good but the sauce is mild, kinda bland. The other stuff looked really good. There was the Cuban sandwich, veggie flatbread and pulled pork sliders. Everyone said all those items were really good. The waitress was great. We will be back on a Tuesday since kids eat free and soon there will be 4 of them. Plus the dessert menu includes a pizookie type with hot cookie and ice cream. I ordered a big sundae and split it with all the kids. Great place for the family.

This place is technically in Santa Clarita but it seems to be in the middle of nowhere. I actually missed the entrance and had to turn around. This restaurant is located in a trailer park. It has a creek that runs through it and because of all the rain we had there was actually water running through it. There were many trailers there with families playing in a makeshift pool area. As for the food it wasn’t bad. They cook their briskets in an outdoor oven. I had the cheeseburger which was good. Their menu had a nice selection of bbq type fare. Check out the pictures. There was also an outdoor stage and a patio. The bad part were the flies buzzing around. They should put up bug zappers. If you’re into off the beaten path places to eat you should check it out.

Pam and I had our 29th wedding anniversary dinner here at Morton’s. Very expensive but good food. I had the salmon with loaded bake potato. I forget what Pam had, but if you can tell from the pictures that is what she had. Then we shared an anniversary lava cake and ice cream.

Took the grandkids to the Baked Bear after a day in the pool. The can make an ice dream sandwich out of the cookies they bake and any ice cream you want. I decided to have a hot fudge sundae instead. The kids got all those funky colored ice cream with funny names. Good way to end the day.

The Coast Guard family has transferred to San Diego so we drove down to visit them. We had dinner at the Pacific Beach Alehouse, and as the banner says it’s right on the beach. We ate out on the patio and it was a cool breezy night. We started with a ahi tuna nacho appetizer. The girls had the flatbread pizza. Chris ate the Burris tacos. I had your basic American dish, the cheeseburger. The cabinets with the bottles are in the staircase leading up to the sunroof. As you can see from the pictures it has a huge dining room with the requisite big screens. I don’t drink anymore but I’ll assume the many beers they have are delicious. It had a decent crowd for a Sunday evening. By the way the food was very good.

If you live in L.A. then you’ve heard about Eggslut. Crate and Barrel on the show “Bosch” would eat there. They have 4 locations now but the main one is at the Grand Market on Broadway in downtown L.A. it is mainly a breakfast place but they do sell hamburgers for the lunch crowd. We ate at the Glendale location. I had the egg, Turkey sausage and chess on a brioche bun. Not crazy about brioche buns because the buttery buns make my hands slimy. But the sandwich was good. I would recommend this place if you are at the Grand Market. There are a lot of things to do there. It’s more touristy. But definitely for breakfast or brunch.

We received a gift card so we decided to visit on a Sunday afternoon. This place is huge, two stories. It’s located in the Topanga Mall, which is undergoing a renaissance. New stores and new ideas going in. This is located in the south end next to the food court. It has two banquet rooms and a ten lane bowling alley. The rent must be crazy. The food is nicely presented. Pam had the salmon and I had the chicken club sandwich. Both orders came with fries. My fries were garnished with garlic. The food was very good. There are many tv’s set up around the place. They put the hockey game on for us on the one near our table. I wouldn’t mind coming one evening for a bowling night. Looks like fun.

I went to this place in San Fernando because I was on jury duty. This is a block from the courthouse. We have an hour and a half for lunch, which works for this place. The food took 25 minutes to get to my table. So if you are in a hurry this is not the place. I labeled it Mexican but it’s more of a burger place with a Mexican flavor. The menu has burgers, fries and also refried beans and items like the jalapeño burger. You can check the menu on the photo I posted to get and idea of what they serve. Once the food arrived it was real good. They are very generous with the fries. The burger was thick and juicy. And it was under $20. As far as the trial, we convicted the defendant of 1st degree murder with special circumstances. He brutally stabbed his soon to be ex-wife to death. 32 stab wounds. This is a person who doesn’t deserve to walk amongst us ever again. I’m sure he will appeal but I hope smarter minds prevail and he never gets to taste freedom again. UPDATE! This place is now closed as of the end of July, 2024.

Pam and I are involved with Krav Maga, a self defense system based on Israeli hand to hand combat. There was a seminar nearby so we stopped to eat lunch at this cafe. You walk up to order from a huge menu behind the cashier. They had a big selection. Pam had the chicken panini. She was really impressed with it. It comes with a side salad. I had the chicken burrito with the same side salad. Once you order they give you a number and find a place to sit. It’s kind of cafeteria like, with some ambience. There is also an outside patio but it was rather cool and breezy that day, so we stayed inside. I believe there are a few Crave Cafes around so if you can’t find one hire Jim Rockford to help you locate it. He’s on the case!

This is actually Tootsie’s at the Nashville airport. The food was good and it comes out fast! Not kidding, under two minutes from order to table. The airport terminal is like a shopping mall. So many stores and restaurants. They had a lounge singer also. If you have a layover and an hour this place serves fast.

This was a nice place. Similar to a Chili’s type with the local cuisine. I had the Jambalaya pasta with chicken, shrimp and sausage. Pam had the crab bisque with sweet cream sauce. The appetizer was crawfish flatbread. Also had Buffalo spring roll with a spicy dip sauce. It also had a bakery. We had dessert at home do we passed on it but the carrot cake looked awesome. So did the turtle slice. Don’t know what it is exactly but it looked chocolatey. This place is in a suburb of New Orleans so it’s not in a tourist area. It’s more of a local restaurant. If you are visiting someone you may give it a try but if you are on vacation you can find great food in the Quarter.

This place is a dump. But good pizza. That’s usually the case. Just on the outskirts of the French Quarter, it’s on the corner and you can easily walk by it and miss it. The equipment looks like it came when the troglodytes settle the area. But it all works and if you’re just looking for a light snack between breakfast and dinner this place works.

The Market Cafe in the French Quarter. Nice outdoor seating with live music. I had the alligator sausage po-boy. I’ve developed a taste for alligator. There is something about the poboy brrad that I like. It’s light and fluffy. It came with a romalaide sauce. Pam had a salad and our grandson Dezi had the fried alligator nuggets. It was a nice afternoon lunch.

Beignets, Louisiana’s answer to donuts. Pam loves them. I had the cookie. You find beignets shops all over New Orleans. Too powdery sugar for me but Pam is crazy about them. So I give it three thumbs up.

This restaurant is a fun place. Very loud, TVs all over, a mini grandstand with a huge video screen on front for whatever the big game is that night. What my wife liked about it is breakfast is served all day. She is the one who ordered the pancakes. I’ve never been to the original one in West L.A. so I can’t compare. But the food was good and if you’re into having a loud fun night I would highly recommend the Burbank location.

Our last night in Spokane. We met my cousin and his wife at their favorite restaurant. It’s owned by friends of theirs. They have your typical brewpub food. They brew their own beer plus have beer from local breweries in the area. It’s like a “Cheers” bar where everyone knows each other. Family friendly with TVs all around playing the local sports. Very enjoyable evening with family and friends.

This place is call Dicks’s Hamburgers. The sign says “ Buy the Bagful” I call it Dicks’s bag of burgers. It’s a takeout place and people told us they have good burgers. Since we decided to stay in I went to pick it up. Now the burgers were ok, the fries were good and a real good milk shake. That being said there was a significant downside. It seems to be the center for the homeless population in Spokane. I barely parked the car when I had a homeless guy standing in front of the car waiting for me to get out. Now this is Spokane in the middle of winter. It’s 40 degrees and the guy is wearing a WET t-shirt. I waved him off. As I got out of the car I was approached by another homeless guy. I just walked right by him. I ordered my food and as I waited I made sure I had my head on a swivel. There were several more homeless under the sign. I picked up my food. My hands were full. I briskly walked to my car since I felt defenseless. As I opened the door to set the food down I was approached by a 3rd homeless man who asked if I had any spare change. What a gauntlet I had to walk through to order food. I told him I had no change and got in the car. Needless to say that will be the last time I go there. I feel bad for the restaurant since the food is decent. But why endanger myself or my family when there are alternatives.

This diner is a train car. It has that 1890’s feel to it. Really clean and a tight aisle like a real train. The food was good and filled the plate. I had the jalapeño burger with avocado. Pam had the chicken pot pie in a bread bowl. Big chunks of chicken, felt like home made. The grandkids had pancakes, breakfast anytime! The chocolate shake I had was nice and creamy. I saw another Frank’s Diner railcar in another part of town. I think there are several in Washington state. Worth the visit if you see it.

I liked the motif and atmosphere. The greeter was nice and we had a table by the window. However, the service was slow and the food was cold when it got to us. I almost asked them if they could microwave it but I have a thing about sending food back. I use to be in the food service business and I’ve heard too many stories about how the back room people would screw with your food if it was sent back. I use to go to lunch with my cousin and he was notorious for sending food back. I finally told him to stop doing that. He asked why and I told him he’s probably swallowed more saliva than his whole family put together. Anyway, maybe they were having a bad day. I hope so.

We are in Seattle. We are going to the Kings-Kraken tonight. My cousin Mark recommended this place. We had lunch at Duke’s on Alki. Pam had the clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. She practically ate the whole thing, which is unlike her. She said it was delicious. I had a salmon sandwich in rosemary bread. It was loaded with bacon, tomatoes and avocados. It had a aioli sauce on it. The side of fries came with a ranch sauce for dipping. It was made fresh and had a different taste. To be honest not to crazy about it. Otherwise this was a nice place with a seafood motif that was very pleasant.

A little take out place in Lancaster. I had to go to the bathroom. In order to use the bathroom I had to buy something. I ordered a chicken quesadilla. After I did my business I picked up my order. It was surprisingly good. I’d go there again.

We stopped at this place after a day of shooting in the desert. The place was nice and had a separate bar area. This is not a place I would drive to for dinner. It’s a place to stop on the way home. The food was ok, not great. After playing in the desert you get pretty hungry so it’s good to satiate an appetite. So if you are driving south on the 14 through Rosamond towards Los Angeles and you’re hungry give this place a try.

After complaining about the corporate Mexican food at El Torito we go to this little place that seems like a mom & pop place and the food was terrific. The enchilada suiza was tasty, spicy with chunks of chicken, not shredded. Loved it. Can’t wait to go back.