Author Archives: Brian

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by | March 3, 2009 · 7:35 pm

Tacos and Road Rage!

by Brian

It’s not everyday that you get to witness attempted vehicular manslaughter, but that is exactly what I got to see today standing outside the most ghetto authentic Mexican restaurant in Simi Valley.  From what I could tell, this crazy lady was attempting to run down her male acquaintance right in front of me.  She even went after him, screaming out the window the whole time, when he crossed the street into another shopping center.  I am kicking myself for not getting to my camera faster, but here’s a pic of her BACKING INTO the shopping center to stalk her prey.

I wish I had video of this.

I wish I had video of this.

Anyway, next time I see an attempted crime in progress, I’ll try to do a better job of playing the paparazzi.  On to the review: Continue reading →

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Filed under Simi Valley, Ventura County

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by | March 2, 2009 · 8:16 pm

Your Introduction to PMS

Here at EatMeCalifornia we’ve decided that one man is not enough to truly judge a pizza.  Therefore, Mikey and I will be tag-teaming pizza joints all over the state to give you the best, and worst, pizza that California can dish up.  We’ll take on all challengers, thick crust or thin, deep dish or New York.  Bring on your cheesy, greasy, saucy, worst.  We’ll eat it, rate it, purge it, clean it up and do it all over again.

First up is a little family-owned spot next to Ventura College, called Santino’s.  Before we get into our review, we have to talk a little bit about Continue reading →

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Filed under Ventura, Ventura County

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by | March 1, 2009 · 12:20 am

It’s like musical chairs, but with hamburgers!

by Brian

As I start this post, I am at the edge of sleep.  Imagine, if you will, a man at a desk with eyes half closed and slow laborious breathing.  He is leaning backwards in his chair and yet his stomach is in full contact with the aforementioned desk.  Ladies and gentlemen, that man is me.

Tonight I had the privilege of eating at one of Los Angeles’ burger institutions.  It’s housed in a little building on Pico just east of the 405 freeway and across from the Westside Pavillion.  This is the joint that you hear about when people do their best of L.A. lists.  It’s small, it’s hot and you can’t park within a city block of the place.  It turns out all of those things are beneficial though, because without them the lines would be around the block instead of just past the door.  Here at EatMeCalifornia, we like to cut through the hype and tell it like it is.  So without further ado, I give you…

The Apple Pan – 10801 W. Pico, Los Angeles Continue reading →

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Filed under Los Angeles Area, Westside, Westwood

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by | February 27, 2009 · 7:21 pm

Aloha O’e, Aloha-owwww.

by Brian

Greetings from scenic Simi Valley.  For those of you following my adventures on Twitter you already know about my horrible toothache.  Well, I tried calling the dentist to get an appointment but they were already gone for the weekend.  So, I decided to do the next best thing… which is, of course, reviewing an ice cream shop.

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Tutu’s Hawaiian Ice Cream Shack – On Cochran St. in Simi

My initial idea today was to find a place where I could review a milkshake, and because I didn’t want to go to a Baskin-Robbins or Coldstone’s, I decided to give this place a try.  Come to find out, Tutu’s doesn’t have milkshakes (yet).  But you know how I roll.  I’m like freakin’ MacGyver when it comes to ice cream. Continue reading →

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Filed under Simi Valley, Ventura County

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by | February 25, 2009 · 11:57 pm

Working Title: Top Scallop

by Brian

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the lateness of this post, Mikey was having technical difficulties getting his latest review online, so I decided to step in with some thoughts regarding tonight’s Top Chef finale.

For those of you who have watched the show, you probably recognize the phrase that I used in this post’s title.  It was uttered by Fabio Viviani a few episodes back, referring to Jamie’s penchant for using scallops in every dish.  And you probably saw that for the first time ever, a former contestant (the aforementioned Fabio) was allowed to weigh in at the final meal.  Anyway, I’m pretty sure that Bravo is in development with Fabio on a new series (or at least they should be).  I’m setting the over/under on the first season of Top Scallop  [Honorable mention: Top Bunky Bed] at 6 months.  Get your Tivo ready now. Continue reading →

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by | February 23, 2009 · 5:25 pm

Kid Rock, a Boat in Koreatown & Awesome BBQ. -OR- How I Spent My Sunday.

by Brian

Sunday is a day of adventure, a day where I can get away from the trivial things in life like “getting a job” or “making something of myself,”   This Sunday was no different. It started off with a plan, a good plan too, but I accidentally left it at home.  Lucky for me I had a navigator.

The one thing I knew I wanted to do was get some culture at LACMA (L.A. County Museum of Art) which by my reasoning should be called LACMOA, but apparently the powers that be consider that less arty.  Anyway, they have an awesome exhibit until the end of the month called Vanity Fair Portraits 1913-2008.  Go see it.  I promise you’ll be happy you did.  Don’t spread this around, but they actually have a picture of Madonna where she doesn’t look like skeletor.  Also, on the drive down we ran into Kid Rock (or a member of his immediate family) in Koreatown.

Keep it real, Kid, keep it real!

Keep it real, Kid, keep it real!

Continue reading →

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Filed under Koreatown, Los Angeles Area, Pasadena, South Pasadena

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by | February 22, 2009 · 4:00 pm

8 oz. of Guilt

by Brian

8oz. Burger Bar – West Hollywood (near Melrose and Fairfax)

So… I’ve been trying to eat healthy lately, but that all went out the window Friday night.  I went out to this little restaurant that was formerly known as Table 8.  The head chef decided to turn the concept of a fine dining restaurant into a boutique burger bar (whatever that means).  Anyway, for those of you who know me, I love me some burgers.  And since I’ve tried going vegan, I’ve consistantly shown my willingness to break down and eat the bad stuff at least once a week.  (See my first post here)

The way I was manipulated this time was through the power of  Where Magazine which was magically sitting on my desk, folded to the page which contained a write-up on 8oz.  Because I really have no hope of being 100% vegan, I have decided that for the good of the blog that I will allow myself to cheat only if I write a post about it.  That means, no midnight Jack-in-the-Box runs, or casual flings with the Vons cake section.  I won’t bore you with all the details of all the healthy stuff I eat, because who wants to read that?

So I strolled into 8oz at about 11:30pm, knowing that the kitchen was closing at midnight.  Continue reading →

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Filed under Los Angeles Area, West Hollywood

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