Morton's Key Lime Pie

As you might remember, I went to Morton’s Power Hour for the very first time last Thursday.  I liked it so much, that I went back on Friday!  I love the atmosphere in there.  It’s full of people having a good time and unwinding, which is perfect for a Friday evening.  I fulfilled by goal of checking out the Key Lime Pie in advance of the National Pi Day special (today!) and I can honestly report that it is awesome.  For $3.14 you can’t go wrong, people.  I hope you can make it over there today to check it out.  I ended up having dinner at Morton’s, so I took my slice of pie to-go and savored it at home later.

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But, let’s face it, any trip to Morton’s would be incomplete without some meat.  I have been yearning to try the $15 Morton’s Prime Burger for quite some time and this was my opportunity.  When it was brought to me at the bar, the couple next to me remarked, “Wow.  That is an insane burger.”  Yes.  It is.  It’s an awe inspiring sight to behold, I must admit.  I got mine configured with sauteed onions, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and of course, rare.  Dazzling.

This was probably one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long while.  Absolutely mouth watering.  The fries were great, too.  And, I just love the atmosphere at Morton’s.  Grab a friend and check it out tonight!

Fleming's Woodland Hills

After watching a day worth of glutinous food programming on the Travel Channel I was really hungry for something big, delicious, and if at all possible, greasy.  I remember that I had a $20 gift card for Fleming’s that I acquired during the holidays.  I also remembered that they do a seven-days-a-week happy hour special in their bar area called 5 for $6 ’til 7.  That’s 5 cocktails, 5 appetizers, and five wines by the glass for $6 each.  They also offer their Prime Burger for $6.00.  That’s an amazing deal.  Check it out:

5 COCKTAILS
WHITE COSMO, Ketel One Vodka
APPLETINI, Grey Goose Vodka
FLEMING’S CLASSIC, Ketel One Vodka
MARGATINI, Gran Centenario Anejo Tequila
TROPICAL MARTINI, Malibu Coconut Rum

5 WINES BY THE GLASS*
PINOT GRIGIO, Redbank, Australia
CHARDONNAY, Glen Carlou, South Africa
PINOT NOIR, Mark West, California
PETITE SIRAH, Vinum, California
CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 14 Hands, Washington

5 APPETIZERS
TENDERLOIN CARPACCIO, Creole Mustard Sauce
SWEET CHILI CALAMARI
WICKED CAJUN BARBECUE SHRIMP
SEARED AHI TUNA, Spicy Mustard Sauce
JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKES, Red Pepper Sauce

NEW FLEMING’S PRIME BURGER, Cheese and Bacon

Each Selection $6. Served Nightly Until 7PM.

Available 7 nights a week at all Fleming’s except where prohibited by law.
Hours and offerings subject to change in compliance with local or state liquor laws.

So, appetite in tow I headed over to Fleming’s (6373 Topanga Canyon Blvd.) at around 5pm.  Keep it mind that it’s a Sunday, however the place was surprisingly busy, but not packed.  I was however, easily able to get a seat at the bar.  It really picked up about 30 minutes after I got there and the bar got full.

Fleming's Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

I usually only drink when I plan to get fully obliterated, so I didn’t partake of any cocktail specials.  I did, however, order the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes.  They were flavorful, huge, and contained lots of crab meat.  I will be back for more of these, that you can guarantee.

Fleming's Prime Burger

Next up, they delivered my Prime Burger – 8 oz. of prime beef (cooked rare and bleeding, by my command) with bacon, bleu cheese, “Served with a Mini Wedge and Fleming’s Signature Onion Rings.” Honestly, this burger was awesome.  It was juicy, and just greasy enough to really satisfy that urge that has been boiling inside me.  There are several cheeses you can get it with, but my selection of bleu cheese allowed me to evaluate it against the Bleu Cheeseburger at Gaucho Grill.  And, to be honest, it definitely gives Gaucho’s offering a run for it’s money.  And, hello, it’s $6.00 people.  That’s AMAZING.  Those onion rings were pretty good too, but after devouring the burger I only had room for one of them.

Fleming's Walnut Turtle Pie

Simply put the 5 for $6 ’til 7 deal has to be one of the best happy hours in the West Valley. I had a few bucks left on my $20 gift card, and rather than letting it go to waste I picked up a delicious slice of Walnut Turtle Pie (homemade caramel, walnuts and chocolate baked in a chocolate pie crust) to take home.  I’m still buzzing from the sugar high.

BJ's Brunch Menu

This past weekend one of my friends suggested that a group of us meet at 10am at BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse in Woodland Hills to watch the Miami Dolphins’ final game of the season.  I was more than game for it since I haven’t been to BJ’s in a long time, and I figured if they were open at 10AM on weekends it must mean they serve breakfast.

I was happy to learn that BJ’s opens every Saturday and Sunday at 10AM and serves a special brunch menu from 10AM to 1PM.  Their regular menu is also available.  I’m always on the hunt on the hunt for new breakfast places in the West Valley so I was more than happy to give BJ’s a try.

BJ's French Toast Combo W/Ham and Swiss Cheese (upgrade)

Interestingly, pretty much everyone at the table was drawn to the French Toast Combo (pictured above with Swiss cheese melted on the eggs at my request).  From the menu:

FRENCH TOAST COMBO – Two pieces of thick, “OLD-FASHIONED” bread grilled golden brown, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served with three scrambled eggs and your choice of Applewood smoked bacon, grilled ham or country sausage links on grilled sourdough bread.  Served with seasoned country potatoes.  $7.95

First of all, the price is great.  Second of all, so is the French Toast.  Wow, it was so good without being outrageously over done.  It was like a the french toast your mom would make, just good.  Everyone at the table enjoyed it immensely.  A friend of ours also had the Baked Italian Omelette (not pictured, but later reviewed) and said it was very good.  I plan to go back soon and try something else from the brunch menu, and I’ll let you know when I do.

BJ's Huge Turkey Burger

My friend Jim waited a bit to order food and decided to order from the lunch menu.  He shuns red meat and is a huge Turkey Burger fan.  At BJ’s you can make any of their burgers a turkey burger at no additional cost, and they use a 7 oz all white meat patty.  Jim elected to get the Sourdough Burger (turkey version) and got Monterrey Jack cheese instead of the default Cheddar.

SOURDOUGH BURGER*
A juicy Angus burger served on Parmesan grilled sourdough bread with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and 1000 Island dressing. Very messy but very good! Available with Applewood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese.

BJ's Turkey Burger (Ketchup Added)

It really was a monstrous Turkey Burger and Jim reported that it was delicious.  The deliciousness of which, however, did little to quell the pain of the Dolphins being eliminated from NFL Playoff contention.

Side Garden Salad

Lastly instead of fries and the variety of other items that BJ’s offers as sides, Jim elected to have a side garden salad which he also reported as being very good.

So if you’re looking for a great breastfast/brunch on the weekends, don’t forget about BJs from 10AM to 1PM!

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As part of my ongoing Best Burger roundup, many people have tossed out the name Fatburger to me as having great burgers.  I have been to Fatburger once or twice in the past, and I do remember the burgers being good.  However, I also remember the prices being pretty high for ‘fast food’ burgers.

That being said, I’ll do anything for the blog so I headed over to the Fatburger in Gateway Plaza (21911 Ventura Blvd.) to check out the offerings.  I even ate inside, which I normally never do in Gateway Plaza as every establishment there is typically filled with various forms of drug addicted homeless degenerate scum.

I mozied up to the register and ordered myself a “Large” Fatburger A/K/A Kingburger with the optional cheese upgrade.  “Large” yields you an 8 oz burger, on par with others that I’ve ordered to review here.  And while 8 oz is certainly larger than most fast food burgers, it does come with a slightly larger price tag at $5.49.  Tack on $0.99 for cheese and you end up with a  total for your burger of $6.48.

Price aside, the burger they deliver up is actually pretty darn delicious.  I got it with “The Works” which includes “Mayo, Mustard, Relish, Lettuce, Pickle ,Tomato, and Onions).  I have to say I love the flavor of the pickles and the relish was pretty good, too.

I think I could definitely find myself craving another Fatburger in the future.  Although, I might order ahead and take it home as they do take a pretty long while to cook up their burgers, and like I said, Gateway Plaza is full of degenerates.

The Stand Woodland Hills

I have been to The Stand’s location in Woodland Hills (5780 Canoga Ave) before, but it was over a year ago and I barely remember it.  So, with a fresh mind I headed in to try it again for the first time.  I figured I’d try a burger there to see if their offerings are up to par.

On my list of burgers to eventually try is the “Double Char Burger with Avocado” at The Habit, which I am told is awesome (and probably 1500 calories).  In honor of that eventually taste test, I decided to get The Stand’s ABC Burger (Avocado, Bacon & Cheddar Cheese with Ranch Dressing) for $8.75.  I upgraded my side item to fries for an additional $1.00.

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This time around I got the burger medium rare, just to be a little more conservative than normal.  Thankfully, it still came out pretty rare.  And very delicious.  This burger actually exceeded my expectations and was delicious bite after bite.  It was super juicy and I’d definitely have it again.  Man, I’m getting hungry for another one of these again just writing the review.  and the fries were also very good.  And, I wouldn’t lie about that because some fries (for instance at In-N-Out) suck.

I have been told, however, that I will receive a severe beating if I don’t get a whole wheat bun next time.

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Ever since Soup’s Sports Grill opened in 2007 I have been meaning to stop by, but haven’t for one reason or another.  I’d say really it boils down to two reasons.  First, they have an outdoor seating area in the front, and it always looks dead.  It just didn’t seem like a happening place to go.  Also, they – at least in the evenings -  seemed to always have valet parking.  I’ll be honest – I’m a purist – I don’t want or need valet parking at a sports bar.

It seems as of my recent drive-bys that the valet parking may be gone or reduced.  That is a good thing.  There is parking on Ventura Blvd. and the restaurant has a smallish lot in the back.

So, this past Saturday I decided to finally stop in an give Soup’s a try.  It’s owned by a guy named Jeff Suppan, a Major League Baseball veteran pitcher who currently plays for the Milwaukee Brewers.  That’s pretty neat.

So, the first thing that strikes you when you enter the place is that despite the dead appearance of the exterior there’s a bunch of people inside and it’s really busy.  It’s striking.  I’d suggest they figure out a way to make the places exterior look less sterile and do something to convey the fact that people do indeed actually go to this place.

Saturday is of course college football gameday, and the place was filled with people watching the games.  There were still a few tables available, so that was nice and I was quickly seated.  I was impressed with how bright and airy the place is.  It was a very nice, wholesome establishment with families and a clean cut crowd of sports fans there having drinks, eating food, and watching the games.

I checked out two items  from the menu.  The first was the Buffalo Chicken Wings ($7.95).  I am from the East Coast, where chicken wings are practically one of the major food groups.  In LA, it’s hard to find good chicken wings.  Oddly enough, I find myself going to Friday’s when I’m really itching for wings, as I find they do them pretty well.

Sadly though, I was unimpressed with the wings at Soup’s as it appears they came from the chickens at Karen Carpenter’s house.  As you can see in the picture, no one on Earth would be wowed by that wings presentation.

The other menu item I tried was the Barbary Coast Burger ($9.95).  Since I’ve been trying burgers area town I figured I’d continue the trend here, too.  The menu describes it as:

1/2 lb. Angus ground beef with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato & thousand island dressing served on grilled parmesan bread

So, much like the burger I tried yesterday at Gaucho Grill this is an 8-oz burger, which I also ordered rare.  I also upgraded for $1.00 from the fries to the onion rings.  First, I’ll say that the onion rings were really good, so I was definitely impressed with them.  And, the burger was pretty damn good too.  The bun was buttery and delicious, and was definitely a highlight.  But the meat itself was flavorful and juicy.  Definitely a good burger.  I don’t think it’s probably going to end up on the list of Best Burgers in Woodland Hills, but definitely makes honorable mention status.

I think what ultimately makes Soup’s a winner is the fair prices and nice atmosphere.  It’s definitely one of the better places in Woodland Hills to catch a game on one or more of it’s many flat screen TVs.  Check it out soon, if you haven’t already.  They also have a full liquor bar with many beers to choose from, too.

Also, during college football and NFL football seasons (hint: now) they open at 9:00AM on Saturdays and Sundays – and serve breakfast! (See that menu here)

Happy Hour is Mon-Fri from 3pm to 7pm, features $2 bud bottles, and appetizer specials. (See Happy Hour menu here)

Post your comments and let me know what you think.

I suggest you cover the eyes of anyone in the room who may love animals. A couple weeks back in my Best Burger in Woodland Hills post I mentioned the Bleu Cheeseburger at Gaucho Grill ($11).  It comes topped with caramelized onions and a scorched, delicious layer of bleu cheese.  It’s actually be about a year since I had once of these, and I figure it’s only a matter of time before they close down this location of Gaucho Grill too, so I better get one while it’s still available.  So today after work, I dropped on in.

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To use the parlance of our times – “This burger is off da chain, yo!”  Wow.  Of course, like any burger connoisseur I got the beast rare.  Look at how drippy, bloody, bleu-cheesy, and oniony this thing is.  The only thing I can really short them on is that it’s an 8 ounce burger, which seems like “wow that’s a half pound of meat,” but for some reason it didn’t seem super meaty.  But ya know what, it was delicious.  Look at the pics and you’re cattle slaughtering mouth will water.

If you are into burgers I really do suggest you partake of this treat.

I’ve been busy with work since Saturday so I’ve got a bunch of stuff to put online over the next couple of days in order to catch up.  Readers have been very good about commenting on stories, sending me e-mail comments and tips, and also posting on our Facebook page.  Thanks for your contributions!

In response to our best burger in Woodland Hills post, Michael K. writes on Facebook:

Would love the answer to that question. It definitely used to be the ‘Wimpy’ burger at Gorikee. Why oh why did it have to go? (sniff)

And “The Man From Tallahassee” writes in:

I had the cheeseburger at Kate’s (Mantilini) last week.  It’s mighty tasty juicy big crisp bun with beer battered fries

In response to my article about the prevalence of the Po Po in Woodland Hills over the weekend, Cheryl D. writes on Facebook:

When are there NOT traffic stops? The police have been relentless with ticketing for the last 6 months or so. I’m all for patrolling every now and then but it seems that they’re trying to building up the state’s budget, one ticket at a time. I wish more resources would go into neighborhood patrolling against robberies, car break-ins, etc. which has been so rampant lately!

It looks like Cheryl’s comments were right on point, with the arrest of two burgling degenerates over the weekend.  And Michael K., I never did make it over to Gorikee and now I am very sad that I will never be able to try the ‘Wimpy.’ 

How long til Gaucho Grill closes shop?

After mentioning their delicious Bleu Cheese Burger in a post yesterday I was reminded about an article a friend sent me regarding the closing of yet another Gaucho Grill.  This time the one in Third Street Promenade bit the dust.  It got me wondering if the one is Woodland Hills is next?

Eater writes:

Yet another Gaucho Grill has called it quits, this time the location to shutter is at the 3rd Street promenade. It’s been a slow melt for the Argentinian grilled meat mini-chain that once had locations citywide in West Hollywood, Pasadena, and Studio City, alas no more. So, that leaves the Brentwood outpost as the lone survivor…for now. [EaterWire]

Apparently Eater doesn’t consider the west valley and Woodland Hills to exist.  But the basic fact remains that Gaucho Grill is probably going bye-bye.  Definitely a bad sign since it appears that they lost their domain name GauchoGrillRestaurant.com to domain poachers.  Pretty embarrassing.

A friend of mine My BFF was telling me about a great burger place in the town where she lives (the arctic tundra of Michigan) and it got me thinking.  Where is the best burger in Woodland Hills? Or perhaps more appropriately, “What is the best burger in Woodland Hills?”

I did a quick survey of my friends and coworkers and they confirmed what I was already had on my list: The Bleu Cheese Burger (with Caramelized Onions) at Gaucho Grill and the Great Kate’s Cheeseburger (available with bacon) at Kate Mantilini in Warner Center.

Both are excellent when served rare (my preference) and the Kate’s burger in particular is not a cheap one, but it is delicious.

I’d love to hear your comments on this, as it’s impossible for me to go around sampling every burger in the area or I’d be dead of a heart attack by next week.  Feel free to categorize your pics by “Best Value Burger” (burgers under $5) – “Best Burger for Your Money” ($5 to $12) and “Most Overpriced Burger” ($12 +).  And overpriced doesn’t necessarily have to mean it’s bad!  Let your wheels spin on this and post some comments, and hopefully I can go and sample them for myself!