To walk around in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans is a delight, especially when it is 18 degrees here in NY. I visit family often in Los Angeles and usually do some of the tourist things. You know - visiting Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Holllywood walk of fame. The best part of my trips is always the food. Now, I haven't been there in a bit, but the last time I was there it didn't disappoint.
On one day my wife, son (now I have two boys by the way) and myself had lunch at a great Thai BBQ restaurant on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. I cannot remember the name for the life of me, but from what I understand it is no longer there. The food was perfectly prepared and delivered to our table within a reasonable time frame. I ordered a spicy noodle dish that should have melted the roof of my mouth off, but instead was a very pleasant eating experience. It was the perfect combination meat, flat noodle, broccoli and spices. It was delicious. Two large dishes and a generous portion of chicken satay only cost $35 before tip. It was a great experience.
The next night we stayed in at my brother’s home in Sherman Oaks. We decided to order in dinner. There was a choice in food styles, but the consensus was Indian. The order was placed for an Indian café, also on Ventura Blvd, called Bollywood Café. Let me just say that again, the food was prepared perfectly. There wasn’t and overpowering curry smell or taste in anything that was ordered. The experience was one that has topped all restaurants in NYC. Yes I said it. Sometimes New York indian restaurants are about heat and spice, not so much flavor. I hope that I get to change that by finding a comparable place back home in the city that never sleeps.
It was a short trip, only a few days, but we tried to make the most of it. Finally, during my “tourist” activities, my wife wanted to go to the infamous Pink’s Hot Dogs. Featured on Food Network, Pink’s Hot dogs was the be all end all of hot dog stands. Now being a native New Yorker, I find it hard to believe that there is a city that has better hot dogs than my illustrious city. From the Dirty Water Dogs to Gray’s Papaya, NYC is notorious for hot dogs (and pizza). The end result was, Pink’s Hot dogs is highly overrated. $10 for 2 hot dogs and a can of soda. That is just wrong. Not to mention it wasn’t that tasty. Needless to say, I got that experience out of my system and will probably not venture there again. Waiting on line for 15 minutes and to be disappointed is not really my cup of tea. I think it is an experience everyone should have. I can now say that I had a Pink’s Hot dog. Ok I said it. Next!
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