Restaurant Review – The Hangry Life

Is it Okay to Smoke at a Restaurant?

November 12, 2017November 12, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Restaurant Review

If you answered yes to this question, please explain why in the comment section below. Clearly, if your answer was yes, I do not know about your culture or society and I’d love to learn more about it. It’s important for us to realize how ignorant we all are, but bringing us back on track, my answer is an emphatic, no!

Obviously, you can break this question down to make it a lot more specific. What do you mean by okay? What exactly are you smoking? Where in or around the restaurant are you smoking? No matter what loophole you want to try to pull, however, the answer is still no.

A restaurant is a place where meals are served. People pay for their food, and no matter how they got their money or why they are eating at that restaurant, they deserve to enjoy that meal. Except you if you’re smoking or having a greater negative than positive impact. By smoking anything, you’re most likely having a negative impact on their and everyone else’s experience, but let’s get even more back on track.

In the picture above, these two individuals stood up and walked away from their table to smoke (what I believe were cigarettes) in the corner of the deck/patio where our table also was. This was at a high(er) end Italian restaurant called Ferro in Idyllwild, CA. The servers and staff did not say anything to stop them, so we politely asked to sit in the back of the restaurant instead.

I’m not knowledgeable of the laws in Idyllwild, but I’m fairly certain you can’t smoke within 50 feet of the building, by law. If you have any manners whatsoever, you wouldn’t smoke within a distance that could carry the smoke via wind to where people are eating.

But they clearly lacked manners, common sense, or are from a cave in a very isolated part of the world. I love smoked food, but I prefer applewood to cigarettes. Thanks for taking care of these guys, Ferro! Also, thanks for taking care of the party of eight screaming throughout our whole meal in the back patio. Great customer service.

Don’t be a jerk at a restaurant. If you’re going to be a jerk, invite your jerk friends over instead and don’t grace us with your miserable presence. Cigarettes, ugh.

Why Delivery Shouldn’t Exist

June 22, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Food, Restaurant Review

With the only possible exception of pizza. If you think about, there’s something seriously wrong with the idea of ordering delivery. Chefs take pride in the food they make. In a restaurant, the kitchen staff plans exactly when food should be delivered to the table so that it’s not too hot or cold. It impacts the texture and flavor; it creates a complete eating experience.

Delivery destroys their ability to create that experience. Nowadays, the restaurant staff isn’t even delivering the food thanks to all of these new apps. Do you think the drivers for these services care about the reputation of the the eateries? Most of them probably don’t and they certainly don’t take timing into consideration because, even if they did, there isn’t much they can do about it.

Obviously some foods do better than others. Pizza is that one food that can really stand up to delivery well, but even that isn’t always the case. We received the worst pizza we’ve ever eaten from a place that has 4 stars on Yelp. Why? It was the equivalent of a sponge when it arrived. All of the heat created condensation that then dripped back on to the pizza. Disgusting.

Now, there are some restaurants that don’t do delivery. They aren’t willing to provide a bad meal. They aren’t willing to sacrifice quality for business. Money isn’t always everything, especially to a passionate chef. With all that being said, make us one promise. If you’re eating somewhere for the first time, eat there. Sit down and eat the food fresh, like it’s meant to be eaten… unless its pizza.

Oh, and yes, the pictures are from a delivery meal that was awful. It was mostly awful because the food didn’t travel well. Soggy fries, etc.

Jamaican Me Hungry

May 29, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Restaurant Review

This is a review of Natraliart in LA and Jamaican food in general. The need for this came when my co-worker said she’d never eaten Jamaican food. You mean you’ve never had jerk chicken? Crazy, right?

I made sure to order some classics and highlight what they do better than anyone else. Obviously, the jerk seasoning can’t be beat in Jamaica. Also… you need to try ackee with some kind of salt fish. Here we had cod. Plantains are a must, as well as some good greens. Throw in a Jamaican beef patty and it’s a complete meal. Oh, but don’t forget to wash it down with some ginger beer.

Enjoy the pictures and always remember to try different cuisines! Oh, and they do a good job here… especially with the plantains, oxtails and jerk chicken.

Amandine Review (Los Angeles)

May 26, 2017May 26, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Restaurant Review

No, this is not by any means a full review of what Amandine does. I can’t do that since I’ve never been there, but I can tell a lot about what they from the four or five dishes we ordered via delivery.

Here’s what I know.

They don’t know what bread to filling ratio is. As you can see in all of the pictures below (and above) there is way too much bread with far too little in between. This might not be an issue if the bread was better or even toasted, but that’s not the case.

This leads to overwhelming sense of blandness.

The egg salad had some nice, potent flavor but there weren’t many other high-notes when it comes to flavor in the meal. The salad dressing was far too caustic and the béchamel fell flat, or was just lost in the bread.

So, remember how important it is when selecting bread for a sandwich. It can impact everything and throw off the balance of the dish in a major way.

50 Shades of Food Reviews

May 23, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Restaurant Review

First of all, I apologize for the title. I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea, but I need to take responsibility for my actions… so it’s not going anywhere! But, to bring a little more clarity, this is more like 3-5 shades of food reviews.

You might know us as the team who brought you the Hungry & Fit blog, which covers food, fitness, and trying to create a healthy lifestyle for different kinds of folks. You might not. Either way, think of this blog as the bastard child of our first child.

What’s that mean? Well, to get to the point, it means that we have written over 500 or so restaurant reviews, if you’d call them that. The thing is… they’re shared over different platforms. Why? Because they’re all meant to serve a different purpose, and not, to get us more views… although we never mind that consequence.

If you see us post something about food on Instagram, we probably loved it, but if you read the caption you’ll know for sure.. If you see us post something about food on Twitter, we probably hated it and want to shame whoever made it. (Okay, maybe that’s extreme.) Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. are all NOT a part of our little food network.

The Hungry & Fit blog is where we publish our legitimate restaurant reviews. They typically have pictures. They’re in-depth. They’re intelligently written from the point of view of a critic, even though we’re not professionals. When we review a restaurant, we order differently. We’ll generally choose one dish and let the server choose the other. We’ll do that for appetizers, entrees, and dessert. We’ll get their signature drinks as well. We will give them a fair and fighting chance to show us what they can do.

The Hangry Life blog is a vehicle we use (and plan to use more) to well… be hangry, kind of… sort of. (Who gets that Worst Cooks in America reference?) I wouldn’t say we use it for rants, but we post our more critical reviews here. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them reviews. We basically highlight a more significant theme in food that we experience and try to… educate people with it. We also use it to try to get a message across to help a restaurant or eatery that might need some help, whether they want it or not.

The Yelp account has nearly 500 reviews and this platform is used to help people using Yelp to find the right place to eat when they’re traveling or curious. We don’t write anything long or emotional on it. We, more or less, use a template in order to address certain issues that might attract or defer possible customers, based on our experience and observations.

And with that, hopefully, you have a better idea about what to expect. Why is this relevant? Because I’m about to write a review about Amandine Patisserie in the Santa Monica/West LA area. I always debate which platform is the correct choice for each review and this one will as all others go on Yelp, but it will also go on here because they have a major flaw in their execution of something they do a lot!

Stay hangry!

Comparing McConnell’s Ice Cream

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Food, Restaurant Review, Uncategorized

A few words after recently sampling the newest McConnell’s location near Los Feliz, on Hollywood Blvd. What are we comparing it to… itself, of course. McConnell’s is McConnell’s biggest competition.

Why? What are they trying to accomplish in opening this one?

The one downtown is a tiny spot that allows you to have some of their flavors. It was their non-retail store opportunity to become public and it worked. GCM is a hub for these places.

The main location on State Street has everything. It’s a huge space… well, it’s a decent size but they highlight all of their products.

Why would you open a brand new location with such limited selection? It’s beautiful. It’s charming. It’s an enjoyable place to enjoy your ice cream, which is possibly the best pre-packaged product in the world. The problem is, I’d rather enjoy the ice cream sitting on a garbage can. Give up seating to allow the interior to host all the products you create.

I just don’t get it. Make it your flagship LA store. It only competes with the one in GCM, but it should obliterate it. It doesn’t even come close to State Street. If you’re going to drop that much capital, go the extra mile. In this case, go the extra dozen flavors and cookies.

And I won’t forget the original location, which is a landmark. It will, but it should never, change.

Very hangry.

The top picture shows the far from perfect sandwich at the new LA location, while the second showcases what you can get at State Street. The third is the beautiful, but unnecessary outdoor seating area at the new location.

Hangry or Not? Fork-In Aussie Pie Kitchen (Santa Monica, CA)

March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 by hungryandfit, posted in Food, Restaurant Review

To be hangry or not to be hangry, that is the question. Did I leave hangry or not? Well, the bottom line is that I left Aussie Pie HANGRY, and this why!

Fork-In Aussie Pie specializes in pies specializes in pies. The kind of pies that you’d get in… well… Australia. Now, I’ve been to New Zealand and Bermuda, where I’ve devoured dozens of pies. I’ve also had my fair share of pies in British, Scottish, and Irish establishments, so there’s something to compare this fare to.

At the end of the day, I had three issues with Aussie Pie. Here they are:

The wait. A sign outside said they take three days to make and 30 seconds to re-make. That wasn’t the case. We went when it was slow and still waited about 10 minutes for our order. I don’t mind waiting for good food, but manage the expectations of your patrons. Be honest.
The value wasn’t quite there. At $8-9 a pie, they could afford to give you more filling. The ratio of crust to what was inside was just off and the reason that bothered me was not just for the value, but also for…
The top crust was not as good as the bottom crust. Now, the problem is that their bottom crust is so damn good that you can’t help but expect the same for the top. When it fall short of those expectations, you’re disappointed. I’d much rather have it open, without the top crust and with more of the filling, because all five of the different pies that I tried had great filling.

So the good news is that the filling and bottom crust are well done. The texture provided by the crisp and flaky lower crust contrast beautifully with the soft center, whether it’s made with meat or vegetable based. Also, the flavors are vibrant. Their use of alcohol in their cooking process is masterful.

Aussie Pie would win my heart if they kept their price point while improving their top crust and adding more filling. Otherwise they can lower the price point of the current pies they offer and I’d still return.

Still, I left hangry and I’d love to see some minor changes made here because with those adjustments I know I would leave not-so-hangry!

P.S. – The gravy that comes with the takeout lacks flavor and doesn’t feel like the flour has been totally cooked down. It’s grainy and the flavor in the pies themselves outshine it completely.

With that being said, their packaging for to-go orders is excellent and their marketing on the sidewalk is both clever and amusing. Good work! Here are some images for you to enjoy…. Australian food porn, if you will.