NEWS: Top Chef is shooting in Dallas

As it should be with you, Top Chef is shooting it's new season in and around Dallas!  Since there are only three things to do in this town (shop, drink, and eat), this would be a natural fit for the show. 

Check out the article on the Dallas Observer City of Ate blog, which has some scathing news about how the show demands places to pay for them to shoot there.

Now I need to start driving around town and see if I can stalk Gail Simmons.

Yes, I love you too Chubby Kid

JOINTS: Engine Co. No. 28

One of the things about my job is that I sometimes get to go to neat places, but I never really get a chance to explore or appreciate the place I'm at.  It's usually a business trip where time is of the essence, so my food choices are limited to what's near where I'm at.  However, occasionally I find a little gem I didn't know about, and that was the case with Engine Co. No. 28 in downtown Los Angeles.

I was pressed for time, so I needed someplace within walking distance of where I was in downtown, and right across the street was this old firehouse that someone had turned into a restaurant.  I checked the reviews on Yelp and it looked like it had some decent reviews.  I walked over with a co-worker and found ourselves a table very quickly.

First off, the service was great.  The manager came up to us and got our drink orders and said that since we were in a hurry, our food would be at the top of the queue.  In no time, out came our sandwiches, and I tucked into my cold meatloaf sandwich and cup of firehouse chili.

The sandwich was really good, though I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been heated up just a bit.  It wasn't the normal kind of meatloaf that I was used to, but it was really good.  The chili took some getting used to.  I'm from Texas, and we're as proud of our chili as we are our barbeque, but this was more like a chili flavored soup with chunks of roast in it.  At first, I wasn't a big fan, but by the end of the cup, I was lapping up what remained with a chunk of bread.  The meal was done, we had our check paid for, and an enjoyable lunch was done in less than an hour on a busy Thursday afternoon.

The inside of the restaurant is gorgeous, and they've definitely kept the "old firehouse" feel to it...the pole is still there!  The waiters were friendly and efficient, the service was prompt but not rushed, and having the manager out there on the floor talking with us made us feel like we were big shots in the big city.

If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely be going back to this place...except next time, I'm going to get a bowl of the chili!

Engine Co. No. 28

644 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 624-6996
Fax: (213) 622-8780
Email: information@engineco.com
Web: www.engineco.com

JOINTS: California Chicken Cafe

After a killer travel day, I pulled into my hotel in Sherman Oaks and immediately hit up Yelp to try and find some food.  The only thing I had consumed all day was a McDonald's Bacon, Egg & Cheese biscuit earlier in the morning, and it seemed like everything was trying to prevent me from eating.  There were a couple of choices within walking distance of my hotel, but the only one that had 4 stars on Yelp and a lot of positive reviews was California Chicken Cafe.  What the heck, I thought, I like chicken.

I walked over to the restaurant and saw what looked like a West Coast version of Boston Market.  There were a lot of healthy things on the menu, but I had picked out a few that were recommended in reviews on Yelp.  I started off with the 3 piece rotisserie chicken plate, and since dinner was on my office, I went with three sides of hummus, potatoes, and Asian side salad.

To start off, the chicken was mediocre at best....Boston Market has these guys beat pants down when it comes to oven-roasted chicken.  The skin was sticky and kept getting stuck to the insides of my mouth, but the worst part was the taste!  It had none!  I tried picking at the smell pieces of chicken, but it was a lost cause.

Luckily, the sides were pretty decent.  The hummus had a pretty strong cumin flavor, but it was good...there was just SO MUCH OF IT.  Seriously, I could have shared that hummus with everyone in the restaurant and still had enough to snack on later.  And the two pieces of pita they gave me for it didn't help put a dent in it.  I finally had to start eating it with my fork, which was weird.

I followed the advice of the reviews on Yelp and ordered the Asian side salad, and that was pretty damn good...made me wish I had just ordered the chicken salad instead of the rotisserie.  I enjoyed the entire thing until I got down to the bottom of my cup and noticed the big black hair there.  Telling myself that it was probably just one of my hairs, I continued on to the potatoes, which were another highlight of the Yelp reviews.  They were tasty, a little rubbery, but pretty damn tasty with their sauteed onions.  Luckily, the pre-hair discovery Asian salad and potatoes made up for the mediocre chicken & cumin covered hummus.

My final opinion is that while California Chicken Cafe might be a healthier alternative to Boston Market, it is NOT a better one.  Next time I'm in the Sunshine State, I won't be heading there for lunch or dinner again.