For many years, I had driven by Marty’s Hamburger Stand and had seen the tiny blue stand with people hovering around it, ordering or waiting for their food. A week or so ago, after running a lunchtime errand in the area, I told myself that if I could easily find parking, I would finally stop by and try their burger and fries. Lo and behold, there was a metered parking space right in front! Taking the cue from the universe, I parked and ordered my first meal.
I had a hankering for a double bacon burger lettuce wrap and was torn between tater tots and curly fries. It was a good omen when I was told I could get both. I watched as the burger patties were grilled and as the bag of packaged fresh lettuce wraps were brought from the back of the stand.
Everything came out perfectly. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, the burger patties were juicy and lightly seasoned and the bacon was crispy but not oily.
The tots had a fluffiness and lightness to them while the curly fries were enveloped in a delicious seasoning coating each curl.
It wasn’t the cheapest casual meal but considering the quality, it was totally worth the cost. I can’t believe it’s taken me 20 years to try out Marty’s Hamburger Stand, but if it makes things right, I’ll definitely be coming back for the next 20!
Marty’s Hamburger Stand
10558 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
https://www.restaurantji.com/ca/los-angeles/martys-hamburger-stand-/
When I heard about a reasonably priced casual eats opening in Venice, I was hopeful that it would at least be decent in flavor and quality. We chose Easter Sunday to try it out. We initially headed to Astro Doughnuts but they were completely sold out of the PB&J doughnuts and had no fried chicken left so we ventured 7 minutes south to American Beauty.
We parked in the residential neighborhood and walked over to the corner lot. There are only plastic stools and benches for seating and makeshift tables. You order at the window and minutes later, they call your name.
In planning out my order a few weeks prior, I had decided to get a cheeseburger patty on top of the fried chicken patty to capture the best of both worlds. My husband ordered a double cheeseburger and we shared an order of the kale salad and fries.
The kale salad was quite delicious. It probably had a bit more dressing than I would have liked but it was light and the lemon vin was the perfect accompaniment to the crispy croutons and the pecorino cheese interspersed throughout.
My husband thoroughly enjoyed his burger. What made their burger patty unique is the onion mix added to the beef so it gives it an added dimension of flavor and depth.
My double patty, the double turf which I am coining the ggfoodie, was the perfect combination. I had the melted cheesy goodness layered on top of the onion meaty patty sitting atop a crispy breaded chicken breast with the house sauce sitting as a dip at the bottom of the double patty. That was a winning combination. I didn’t bother with the bun because I eat my carbs in fries.
The cole slaw wasn’t our favorite because it was a bit oily and greasy but everything else definitely worked for us.
The Win-Dow at American Beauty is definitely a solid winner and we will be frequenting this casual and cheap eats for many years to come.
The Win-Dow at American Beauty
425 Rose Avenue
Venice, CA 90291
http://americanbeauty.la/menu.html
After a very grueling TRX/Pilates combo class, I was beyond famished and was thinking of healthier eats so as not to complete negate my morning workout. I remembered that California Fish Grill was just around the corner from Yogaworks so off I went.
My favorite is their swai with brown rice, French fry split and grilled zucchini. The garlic butter sauce adds an added layer of fat and flavor which is acceptable in light of my workout. The fish is always cooked perfectly, slightly charred and yet moist. The rice is fluffy and the fries are crispy. The grilled zucchini rounds out the meal which bumps up the health factor a bit.
For a total of $10.17, it’s definitely a bargain on this side of town and is a very well rounded meal where one does not feel deprived. For a healthy budget friendly meal, one can’t go wrong at California Fish Grill.
California Fish Grill
730 S. Allied Way
El Segundo, CA 90245
https://www.cafishgrill.com/
I came upon Rasselbock on Yelp as a New & Noteworthy restaurant in close proximity to our neighborhood. I waited a bit until we were in the right mood for the German treats that it had to offer. I made the reservation through Yelp and lucky for us that we did, because on arrival for our 8 pm Friday night dinner reservation, we overheard that there was an hour wait.
Our server came over to take our drink order shortly after we were seated. We quickly ordered our dinner entrees after our drinks arrived at approximately around 8:15. We didn’t get our food until around 30-35 minutes later which seemed excessive for what we ordered except the other tables around us had also not been served their dinners so I would recommend more kitchen staff for weekend evenings, space permitting.
The food was actually quite delicious. I ordered the Jager schnitzel with Brussels sprouts and spicy green beans. The fried chicken breast was perfectly crispy and breaded on the outside and was quite juicy and tender on the inside. The mushroom sauce coating the top was really quite exquisite, giving it just a bit of umph to take it to the next level. The Brussels sprouts were perfectly cooked and dense, very subtly seasoned. The spicy green beans had a bit of kick but even I could tolerate it with my sensitive tummy. My husband ordered the Rasselbock burger with perfectly crispy seasoned fries. He said it was a solid burger.
All in all for a total of $76 with tax and tip, it was a very reasonable Friday dinner out. The clientele was ethnically diverse but not overly eclectic. It was a very lively scene with a few TV’s up for the sports enthusiasts. Even though the kitchen took a while, we would definitely be back to just chill out, take in the scenery and eat some really solid relatively inexpensive German specialties.
Rasselbock
3817 Grand View Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
https://www.rasselbocklb.com/
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