Restaurant Review #158: Organic To Go, Museum Square

Roasted Veggie Sandwich

This review is a little different from my others in that I was invited to try Organic To Go by their PR firm and they paid for my meal. Despite this, you can still count on Foodie Universe to stand by our policy of providing unbiased reviews--I explained to them that I would only do the review if I could maintain my usual standards, and they agreed.

My order was placed

Restaurant Review #157: Mezbaan Indian Cuisine, Pasadena

Mixed tandoori grill

You're in Pasadena and you can't stand the thought of waiting for two hours until the Cheesecake Factory's plastic buzzer goes off, inducing simultaneous panic and joy with its spastic flashing and buzzing. Staring at Buca di Beppo's cluttered walls is bound to worsen your hunger headache. You're so over paying $7 for a roll at Sushi Roku. Ingesting miniscule portions of

Restaurant Review #156: Taqueria Emanuel, Van Nuys

Carnitas tacos

Taqueria Emanuel is currently my favorite taco shop. Not only is the food delicious and cheap (tacos are just $1, and a burrito with the works is only $5), the service is excellent as well. They take the time to make sure they have your order just right, no matter how convoluted it may be. The restaurant is very small, but it's also very clean and brightly colored. If you want

Restaurant Review #155: Champagne French Bakery Cafe, West LA

Chicken pesto sandwich

I've never had much interest in trying Champagne--I've always had an attachment to Panera, so on the rare occasion that I'm in the mood for a sandwich, that's where I go. But when you're in a hurry and Champagne is the best and fastest option available, that's where you end up. It had to be better than Baja Fresh or airport food, I figured.

I tried the garlic chicken

Restaurant Review #154: Mi Casita Salvadorena, Van Nuys

Empanadas

Salvadoran food is not very familiar to me--I've only had it one other time, at La Curva in east LA. At La Curva, I got an introduction to the types of seafood dishes that are commonly eaten on the coast, but I had yet to try the most well-known of Salvadoran dishes--the pupusa.

Our meal started with thick, crispy tortilla chips and a rather bland salsa, but I didn't despair over

Visiting Restaurants Multiple Times

If I were a "real" food critic, there is no way I would write a review of a restaurant after only visiting it once. "Real" food critics, or those who by enough good fortune or groveling have found their way into printed publications, are compelled to try a restaurant at least twice (if not three times) to make sure they're able to give a restaurant a fair assessment.The thing is, most people in

Restaurant Review #153: Donuts and Delites, Van Nuys

Donuts and Delites sells the best donuts I have ever eaten. While their ordinary donuts are nothing to get excited about, the ridged donuts you see here taste like they're made from a completely different batter. Either the batter or the shape of this donut is responsible for a treat that is more moist, more gooey, and somehow simultaneously both denser and lighter than an ordinary donut.