BBQ at Hutchs in Pasadena

Still here

I last went to Hutch's BBQ at least 10 years ago. In fact, the last time I went there I was there for breakfast, which I don't believe they serve at Hutch's any longer.

Anyway, needed a pulled pork sandwich, so I thought I'd give Hutch's a try. The pulled pork sandwich wasn't bad, but the bread was not anything special. In fact, I'd skip the bread at Hutch's and just stick with the meat.

Also tried the chicken jerk sandwich. Again, the bread made this sandwich less than it could have been, and the jerk needed a bit more jerking.

Finally, tried some BBQ chicken and some baby back ribs. The BBQ chicken wasn't bad, although all of the chicken just seemed a bit bland. Not sure if that is because I'm just not that into chicken, or if it is something with their cooking process.

Last, but certainly not least, I had a rib. The rib meat easily fell of the bone and offered a real deep smokey flavor. By far the ribs were the best thing I tasted.

The service at Hutch's was extremely friendly, so I might give it another tree before another decade passes. Still, I'd definitely stick to the ribs, or try the oxtail - something Hutch's, according to our waitress, is well known for serving.

Monkey Brain lunch at Blue Fish in Pasadena

Same sushi chefs, different name

While the Blue Fish might be the newest sushi restaurant in Old Town Pasadena, it isn't really that new. The sushi chefs are still the same as have been at the last few sushi restaurants at this same location.

Today, I stopped by the Blue Fish for lunch, my first visit to this reincarnated Japanese restaurant. The layout of the restaurant is the same, but the decor has been updated to simple, clean lines and a totally modern feel. Moreover, the lunch menu has been completely updated with many new offerings and extremely fair pricing. $8.00 for a two-item combo, including a salad and miso soup, or $11.00 for a three-item combo.

Immediately, I was impressed with the salad. Instead of just some iceberg lettuce with Chinese chicken salad dressing, the new salad is filled with fresh greens, tomatoes and avocados and a slightly spicy vinaigrette. And the miso soup was also tasty, but how can you really screw up miso soup?

I started with the friend monkey brains, a concoction of spicy tuna and mushrooms, batter-fried into a crunchy ball. Pretty tasty, but I would have preferred a little more spice. Next I had the spicy tuna takaa bowl - a healthy sharing of spicy tuna and a few cherry tomatoes over a bowl of rice. Not bad, and the serving size is surprisingly large.

I had also ordered the sushi - 4 pieces of sushi - but some how my order wasn't taken correctly. Sadly, it took a while to resolve this with my waiter as he was missing in action for some time. Nonetheless, I didn't really need the extra food and it was subtracted from my bill without question.

Overall, I was impressed with the lunch special portions, selection and pricing. And, if the lunch specials aren't to your liking, a full sushi bar and Japanese food menu is also available.

Unfortunately, the service was underwhelming. Nevertheless, I'll be back to try a few more items on their very interesting lunch special menu.

50 cent wings at Buffalo Wild Wings in Burbank, CA

Getting my wing on at Burbank's Buffalo Wild Wings

As a big fan of buffalo wings, I consider myself an expert on this great bar food. Consequently, I have pretty high expectations for a restaurant built on the appetizer that made Buffalo, NY famous. Unfortunately, I don't think Buffalo Wild Wings could survive in Buffalo.

As it's Tuesday, wings are just 50 cents apiece. Not bad. Even better, I arrived after 4:00 and before 7:00 - happy hour - and all 23 ounce drafts were a dollar cheaper. So far so good.

I like my wings hot, so I sampled the 4 hottest sauces on my wings. None really stood out in terms of flavor. Sure, the sauces had zip, but I'm not a fan of just hot wings, I want hot and tasty wings. Unfortunately, these wings just weren't that tasty.

Service, however, was fast and friendly.

Thus, if I go back, I'm going back on Wednesday for $2.00 domestic beers. After a few cheap drinks I'm sure the wings will taste better.

Lunch at Rock'n Fish at LA Live

I love me some fish fry

So, I was downtown this morning. By the time I finished my business it was lunch. Last week, while attending the LA Auto Show, Rock'NFish caught my attention.

See, I'm a I fish fry freak. Sometimes there is nothing better in the world then a good piece of batter-fried fish. Fisk and chips, mate, is just one of my guilty pleasures.

Sat at the bar at the Rock'nFish at LA Live craving some good fish. Very nice selection of beer. So, I was off to a good start. Even better my order came fast. That was also good, otherwise I would scoffed down the warmed half loaf of bread provided on request. On second thought, maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing!

Excitedly I ate my first piece of piece. The batter was soooo lame, almost soggy with no crunch at all, and I've had better tartar sauce at IHOP. Even the french fries were lame. The coleslaw, on the other hand, wasn't bad, but coleslaw shouldn't have been the best item on the plate. Big disappointment.

Perhaps Rock'nFish only specializes in grilled or broiled fish - I'll probably never know, as I doubt I'll ever return. Sure, Rock'nFish didn't suck. It was very OK, but for a place with Fish in the name, I expect a lot more, especially considering the prices at Rock'nFish.

In a nutshell, for the money, I'd have been happier with a fish sandwich and fries from McDonalds.