Harley Dogs on Vermont Street off Manchester Boulevard was a small hot dog stand run by Earl. He calls it Harley Dogs because he loves Harley Davidson motorcycles. It was a very rainy day and cold as hell . I stood under Earl's umbrella waiting to be what seemed like forever. Finally after a while longer of complaining about the cold rain and wind Harley told me to wait in his truck since I was without an umbrella. Earl is a fine man, a gentleman indeed.
I liked his dog dripping in condiments of mustard, ketchup and relish oozing out of the end of the bun. Sadly, I went back to see Earl on several occassions but to no avail, no Harley hot dog cart and no Earl. Good things never seem to last!

A Different Taco

The Calbi Taco Truck was fantastic! I stopped and tried it as I was walking to the bank on Wilshire Blvd. I got more bang for my buck with this korean style taco than none other. The taco's meat portion was surprisingly plentiful. The taco was very flavorful overall.
The Korean style marinade was spicy hot and most delicious. I remember the meticulous dressing on the top, with perfectly shredded white cabbage. I took some hot sauce to go but found the taco to be temptingly hot, not needing the sauce.
I enoyed it very much but since then I find myself following the news to see where they are located, wanting another Calbi taco.
I love all of those diferent style food trucks, like the grilled cheese truck and the nomi nomi truck.

Carolyn's Soul Food Restaurant on Manchester, around Central is worth the bang for your buck if you do it right. The yams are yummy, with alot of brown sugar. The mashed potatos are deliciously rich, filled with plenty of butter and a hint of garlic. The wings that I had today were smoothed in gravy, yet fatty. I enjoyed my meal none the less. I enjoyed the corn bread muffins, again, with alota butta. Things go a lt'l slow here but hey, isn't that how good soul food is prepared, simmerin along the way? I really appreciated they food but they needed to pump it up a knotch.

I'm back!

I found out what held those buildings together was the walls with graffitti showing the city's dignity, respect and hope. Virgin de Guadalupe, Cesear Chavez, and alike have all shown their faces on these walls in South Central Los Angeles, giving hope to the city.
Going to "All Star Fish"on Avalon and 85th Street has been an "ethnic experience", all and of it's own. Crossing the street with my food I was chased away for taking a photograph of Cesear Chavez on the adjacent wall, shortly after it's tagging. I agreed with the young man and quickly drove away to find yet another confrontation with the Deviant mortorcyle club on Avalon for photographing their red entrance door. I quickly drove away with my driver door still ajar as they came down the sidewalk to see what I was up to, in their territory. I soon realized that the open public streets were not our's after all, but their's, creating a re-newed sense of respect. So much for the fish, although it is good, and I especially like the cole slaw. The portions are small for the cost, but it is fresh fish!

Just by accident I found Clifton Gourmet Barb-B-Que at the farmer's market on Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles. At first I stood in the front looking around but then found myself standing behind it all, up a few stairs. The smell of barbeque was wafting through the air. It smelled terrific, and my curiosity was peaked. I saw a man open the barbeque pit and begin to tend to the meat as I ran down the stairs to watch him. There was loud music being perfomed on a stage so it was hard to talk to whom I thought to be Clifton. As he turned and arranged the meat on the grill I could see how tender and moist the chicken was, with a newly carmelized glaze glistening on the skin. I told Clifton of my new found love of barbecue and how I most recently tried J R's on La Cienega Boulevard. Sealester on Compton Boulevard was the best and most memorable that I had tasted, including the side dishes. I mentioned that I saw him use French's sauce and asked if he mixes his sauce. He said "yes, but barbeque is not about the sauce but about the meat". I agreed. I told Clifton that I had a website about food and that I would write about his barbeque today even though I hadn't tried it yet. As his daughter brought me a pen Clifton handed me a rib. I could see by just looking at it that it was done to perfection. I took one nibble of the rib and told Clifton that this was now the best ribs that I have had. He reminded me that it was without the sauce. I said that the meat was moist, flavorful and carmelized. I told him that I heard that you know when the meat is done when you can pull it off the bone with some resistance. He agreed. This was the tastiest q that I've tasted, and without the sauce, imagine that! Clifton then said that the tri-tip is very good with some fat on it to give it good flavor. I wished that I had brought more money with me and said that I would be back next week for my barb-b-que. As I left I told him my name was Tina Turner and he laughed.

Ho Sai Kai Chinese Restaurant is on 37th Street and Western Boulevard.
Today was my second visit. The first experience was good clean food with a clean open space. There are traditional decorative art pieces that they sell in their restaurant. The restaurant is owned by a very nice man and his wife. The food at Ho Sai Kai is fresh and clean without an overabundance of oil. The shrimp fried rice can be ordered with either small or large shrimp, a two dollar difference. The dish had good character with fresh scallion onions. I even got a fortune cookie at the end of my meal, knowing that I was going to eat ice cream after this. I am admired by a blue eyed man!
Later that day on Western and 76th Street I visited Gwen's Double Dip Ice Cream Shop. I was taking a picture of the store front when a young man asked if I was buying the place. I answered "no" and he replied that the new modern style car wash was his. They were out of vanilla so I ordered the pecan praline. The first bite I knew it was good, but it got better when the ice cream began to melt. I tasted the richness of the flavor, then, plenty of pralines. I had to keep the ice cream from melting when I entered my car on Western. I blew the a/c as I drove off, back to work at PIC. I got to the end, the ice cream cone was gone yet I found the cone to be stale. The ice cream was so good that I will go back to Gwen's soon to try their bubble gum ice cream and maybe order the waffle cone instead.

Mariscos Las Palma De Colima on Compton and 120th street had the best fish tacos that I have ever tasted. When I first entered the restaurant it was open with many tables. I felt uncomfortable being the only other table there in a big room. A woman made me feel comfortable as I complained about the dirty tables. To my left, at the front of the restaurant it looked like they just celebrated a wedding, with colored paper mache covering the floor. It has a large restaurant front but is not easily seen from the street. The woman cleaned my table, then methodically cleaned the others. She brought the fish and shrinp tacos. The batter was light and tasty, cooked golden brown. You could taste the fish and it didn't get lost in the shell or toppings. It was done to perfection. I especially enjoyed the cabbage slaw topping. I preferred the fish over the shrimp taco, for pure flavor's sake. I then began to melt into the large space and felt like I was in Mexico again!