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
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/
I’ve driven by this restaurant and its adjoining market every evening on my way home from work. Occasionally, I’ve seen smoke rising up from the building and recently made a mental note to check it out sometime soon.
I was actually attempting to try Asia Kitchen’s super cheap lunch special but despite the sign saying it was open at noonon Saturdays, the lights were off and the door was locked at 12:12.
I looked for cheap eats on Yelp and saw this place listed. I realized it was the market I had seen previously. I drove by and drove into the first residential street west of it and parked. I walked through the alley and made a quick turn right into the restaurant.
It has 4 four tops and 3 deuces and an aquarium and is immaculate. Since several yelpers raves about the carne asada, that’s what I ordered.
To say that this is the best carne asada I’ve eaten in my life is an understatement. The beef is so incredibly tender, lean and moist. The black beans and Spanish rice are the perfect accompaniment and though the portion is quite large, I somehow accidentally and yet deliberately ate all of it, except for the cactus salad because it seemed far too healthy. I did taste a bite of it and it had a slightly sour taste. Maybe when I’m feeling the need to eat a more balanced meal with greens, I’ll sample more of it. Right now all I’m focused on is the amazing quality of this beef which is now promoting me to visit the adjoining market to browse their offerings.
This place is definitely on my neighborhood gem list and I will be a frequent visitor going forward. Thanks for a delicious meal!
Don Felix Taqueria
3987 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Grace Gambin
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