Tag Archives: chicken

by | July 30, 2009 · 11:17 pm

Galletto – The Last Supper

by Brian

Today was a momentous day for me.  For the first time, a woman actually took me to lunch.  Sure, it was my boss.  And sure, she was only doing it because she was so happy to be getting rid of me.  But still, I must say, it felt nice.

We decided on a little place in Westlake that I’d always wanted to try, but had never seemed to make room for.  It’s called Galletto and its specialty is Brazilian food.  Which is a lot of meat.  Think BBQ meets Italian with some Latin flavor thrown in.

Galleto – Next to Natural Café at the intersection of Townsgate and Westlake Blvd, in Westlake Village

galletto

We arrived around 11:30am for an early lunch.  They were just opening and there were only a couple other tables that were occupied.  It was a nice day so we decided to sit out on the patio.  The first thing I noticed was that the chairs were very awkward.  Instead of allowing you to sit back, the high backed chairs forced you forward toward the table.  This was fine once the food arrived, but it deprived me of one of my favorite things while dining out: sitting back and enjoying a little conversation.

While looking over the menu, I asked my boss what she had eaten here previously.  She let me know that the Brazilian chicken was excellent and that ended up being the dish she ordered.  I kept flipping through the menu and was stopped by the sandwich section.  They have a sandwich called the Braziribs sandwich, which they claim was voted one of the Top 5 sandwiches in L.A. by Los Angeles Magazine.  Talk about a “you had me at hello” moment.  From then on it was all I could think about. Continue reading →

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by | July 29, 2009 · 10:48 pm

Bondi – Australian for BBQ

by Brian

I recently got the opportunity to check out a nice little BBQ place in Venice.  My buddy Jason told me about Bondi BBQ and graciously offered to help me eat their food last weekend.  I also got the chance to meet his awesome fiance, Angelica, and I must say that as far as girls go, she’s pretty rad.

Bondi BBQ – On Windward Ave. right by the beach in Venice

Bondi BBQ

Because this place came so highly recommended, I had high expectations going into the meal.  This was also my first trip to Venice as an adult, so I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect.  Turns out that it’s pretty much the same as it was when I was a kid, with plenty of awesome people watching to be had.

The restaurant, itself, is not very impressive.  It’s pretty much all bench seating and the tables you see out front are where we ended up eating.  The weather is usually pretty good down there, so sitting outside is a great option because it can get a little stuffy inside.  They also have a back patio, but when we sat down back there, to look at the menus, we quickly noticed that there were way too many flies hovering around to risk eating there.  I really hope they get that sorted out, because if it were a little cleaner, it would have been a nice place to enjoy the meal.

We ended up ordering a combo meal called the Tail Gator, which included one pound of tri-tip, one BBQ chicken, a full rack of ribs, two sides and two loaves of garlic bread.  The total, with soft drinks and tax, came out to about 90 bucks.  So it’s obviously not super cheap, but considering the amount of food we got, I thought it was fair.  They say that the Tail Gator serves 3-5 people, but I think you’re probably stretching it a bit to feed 5. Continue reading →

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by | July 24, 2009 · 6:05 pm

Dominick’s Italian Restaurant

by Mikey

B and I wanted to get in on some Italian food so we headed to Dominick’s in Oxnard.  They have been in business for quite a long time and have always been a great place to take the family for some great Italian food.  After what has seemed like weeks of BBQ, Mexican, and Sushi I was definitely looking forward to it.

Dominick’s – Oxnard off of Oxnard Blvd

Dom’s is one of those places that you have to keep a sharp eye out for.  They are right up against Oxnard Blvd and have no front parking.  You need to take a side street and attack it from the rear.  It’s a good sized place.  It’s just got horrible parking. You almost feel like you’re parking to make a drug deal.  You park where you can, even if it’s next to a dumpster or light pole.  I’ve been to Dom’s a few times now and never had any issues, but then again I always seem to go in the daytime before the chupacabras come out to play.  I’m sure it’s perfectly safe.  It’s also just a block from Wins, which is a great place for Tacos.

Everyone is really nice, from server, to busser, to management, they treat you like you’re back at home, minus the chonies on the lamp shade and the loud neighbor who only plays Motley Crue songs.  Like I said before, the place is pretty big and they can easily cater to large parties.

They give you fresh bread when you sit down and get you any drinks or appetizers very quickly.  The only bad part about their seating is that all the windows give you a fantastic view of the fabulous Oxnard Blvd.  Unless you like traffic, train tracks and sides of buildings, there is no pressing need to rush to get a window seat.

B went with the Chicken parm with minestrone soup and I went with the Manicotti with a side of meatballs thrown on top. We also ordered fried zucchini to get a feel for their appetizers. Continue reading →

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by | July 6, 2009 · 6:15 pm

Sex, Lies, and the Subway Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

by Mikey

When it comes to marketing product Subway and Jared put a lot of cash into catchy jingles and big product pictures.  When it comes down to it though, I’ve always felt this need to punch Jared in the kidney and that damn five dollar foot long song makes me want to go to the mall and trip old people.  Subway has always been one of those places that are everywhere and I’m sure most of you have experienced a sandwich there.  I grabbed one of their Tuscan chicken sandwiches because its being pushed to the public, but I think we can all agree that any sandwich Subway has ever promoted has been a disappointment.

Subway – Tuscan Chicken Sandwich

My first issue with Subway is that they must not tell their employees how to construct one.  I’m guessin’ the employees would much rather have you go in there and tell them exactly what you want and how to make it, rather then just say, “give me the Tuscan chicken sandwich.”  This is probably they third time I’ve requested a marketed sandwich that the employee asked me a question on every part of construction.  I keep saying give me the Tuscan Chicken that you advertise in the window and they keep asking me, what kind of bread, what kind of cheese, what kind of veg?  Can you imagine Olive Garden having a new pasta dish and then taking you to the kitchen to tell the chef what you want in it?  If it’s on the menu you should kinda know what’s in it if someone requests the exact sandwich.

subway comparison

Continue reading →

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by | July 1, 2009 · 7:33 pm

The Ventura BBQ Wars Continue – JD’s Louisiana BBQ

by Brian

As most of you know, I had an absolutely horrendous BBQ experience a short while back at CJ’s in Oxnard.  Honestly, it had more to do with the service than the quality of the food.  But still, who wants to give their hard earned cash to a bunch of jerks, right?  Right.

Well another Ventura county BBQ-er managed to get wind of that post and comment on the site.  Here’s a slightly edited version of what he wrote:

Hello Brian…

I checked out your review of CJ’s BBQ and I think that you are a guy that tells the truth…  I want you to check out JD’s Louisiana BBQ and let me know what you think…. I will guarantee you that you will be treated well and fed the best BBQ in this town!!!! You don’t even have to tell me when you come… All I want is a honest and fair review…  JD’S LOUISIANA BBQ CO.

Now, since I love BBQ and also the crushing of my enemies, I thought, what better way to get even with CJ’s than to review every barbeque restaurant in the area?  Thus Ventura BBQ Wars was born.  Of course, Mikey and I are sworn to remain fair, impartial and dedicated to bringing you the god’s honest BBQ truth.  Here we go…

JD’s Louisiana BBQ – On the corner of Patterson Rd. and Wooley Rd. in Oxnard

outsidejds

I’m just gonna come out and say it.  The only thing CJ’s has on JD’s is a larger selection.  But I think there’s something to be said for doing less and doing it better.  I mean seriously, since I got my iPhone, I’ve learned that I can twitter (@EatMeCalifornia), check the Dodgers score, adopt a Rwandan orphan and buy Mikey’s fossilized chest hair on Ebay, all from the comfort of my local starbucks.  It’s almost too much to bear.  Sometimes, simple is better. Continue reading →

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by | June 26, 2009 · 7:33 pm

Greek at the Harbor – Get your Opa on!

by Brian

After my awesome time at the Ventura County Greek Festival, I was itching to try an authentic Greek restaurant.  After careful consideration, I settled on the Greek at the Harbor, mainly because I enjoy spending time down by the beach, but also because there always seems to be a pretty good crowd eating their food.

I made Mikey come along with me on this grand adventure, so we met up after work and headed down to Ventura Harbor in search of a little Opa!

The Greek at The Harbor – Ventura Harbor in (you guessed it) Ventura, CA

view

We got to the restaurant about 10 minutes before our 7 o’clock reservation.  Wednesday nights are “wine flight” nights at the greek and they have a special section all cordoned off just for the wine drinkers.  Mikey and I faked them out though and got them to seat us in the wine patio, which is where I snapped this nice little picture of the harbor view.

Mikey and I didn’t end up drinking the wine, but basically, a wine “flight” is a 1/2 glass of 3 different wines.  The have a red flight and a white one and accompany them with a nice little tapas menu for you to order from.  Since Mike and I were looking for the quintessential Greek experience, we just ordered off the dinner menu.  Just because we didn’t drink wine, doesn’t mean that we still don’t know how to party.  We chose to start the night off right with a couple of Greek beers. Continue reading →

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by | June 22, 2009 · 6:14 pm

Wasting Away at Margarita Villa

by Mikey

Any trip to Ventura should always include a trip to the Harbor.  There are a lot of restaurants to choose from, so over the next few months EatMeCalifornia will try to get you a good idea of where to go for the best views and the best food.  We’ve already given you the Seafood Broiler.  Now it’s time to spend some time at Margarita Villa.

Margarita Villa – Ventura Harbor

Margarita Villa is on the top deck, right above the carousel.  They have one of the best views of the Harbor and a great deck to eat and enjoy the view. Like most of the restaurants in the harbor, it has the hand painted walls, lots of windows and a full bar.  There are a few TVs to catch a game and they have a live band a few nights a week.  On this particular night there was a band and for the most part they played cover songs.  All I remember of the talent is a horrible rendition of Johnny Be Good.  I hoped the food would be better then the music, because I think I saw Chuck Berry crouched in a corner, ready to hit the lead singer with his guitar. Continue reading →

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