Grilled Chicken Kabob Wrap

If we don't count people, the thing I miss the most about living in Brooklyn is no longer having a yard and, more specifically, a grill. So while in Southern California I've been grilling plenty. The other day I picked up two chicken kabobs at Taylor's in Sierra Madre: chunks of chicken and veggies soaked in their "St. Augustine" marinade of white wine, citrus, and a couple other things.

After searing them for a minute on each side, I grilled them over a lower, indirect heat for about twenty minutes.

I cooked some Spanish rice and spread it out on a tortilla.

Then added the chicken and veggies.

I mixed up a sauce of orange marmalade, rice vinegar, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and fresh chopped cilantro.

Some red cabbage salad and a ladling of the sauce went onto the chicken.

It was delicious, and probably tasted even better after the work I'd put into it.

Fast Food Review: Carl's Jr. Jim Beam Bourbon Six Dollar Burger

I've never been a big fan of Carl's Jr. I don't have disdain for the place like I do a couple of fast food companies, but I do not enjoy their burgers. However, as I have written many times over the years, the words whiskey, boneless, or chipotle always grab my attention. "Bourbon" is close enough, so Carl's Jr.'s new "Jim Beam Bourbon Burger" sounded decent enough to try.

I ordered the Six Dollar version, and as usually happens these days, it was more than six dollars. (Remember when they came out with the burger? The whole point was that it cost $3.95 but tasted as good as a burger for which you would pay six dollars in a restaurant. Eventually, I imagine they will be charging eight bucks for these; I hope they keep the name.)

I'm not going to go into detail about how I didn't like the burger overall. What's the point; I've already told you I don't enjoy their burgers. Instead, I'll tell you what I did like about it: the bacon was actually crispy and I liked the crispy onion strings.

I felt the sauce was too sweet initially, but there was definitely some spiciness appearing after a few seconds. (I'm staying at my parents' house while in California, and I gave a small bite to my mom, who immediately proclaimed it "much too spicy.") Overall I did not think it enhanced the flavor of the burger. I wouldn't mind trying the sauce again on a chicken sandwich and I would encourage Carl's to offer it that way. 

Guy Fieri Flavortown Foods

A few months back, longtime reader Michelle emailed to ask if I would be trying Guy Fieri's frozen foods. I had no idea about what she was speaking; I'd tried his sauces (one of which I really liked) and his salsas (which I didn't) but I had not heard of his frozen foods. A quick Google uncovered something called a "S'mores Indoors Pizza" and some of the worst reviews you will ever see. And it turned out that Walmart is the only place around Brooklyn where they were available, and even then it required more than an hour on the subway. So I told her no, unfortunately I will not be trying them. 

But now that I have access to a car, I figured I could swing by a local Walmart and pick up a couple of things. So I did... two things called "Old Skool Pepperoni Pizza Eggrolls" and "Crispy Cheeseburger Ravioli Bites."

Look, I'm not going to rip on Guy Fieri. I've said some things about him in the past - all of which I meant and still believe - but there is no sport or originality in it anymore. You can form your own opinion on the guy. Lord knows there is enough evidence. 

Pepperoni pizza is one of my favorite foods in the world but I don't think it had ever occurred to me to put it in egg roll form. These could have been decent if the sodium had been cut by 90%, but unfortunately all I could taste in each bite was an overpowering saltiness. I don't know who at the company tried these and said "Oh, nice, we have a winner here."

The egg rolls were gourmet compared to the cheeseburger ravioli. This was one of the worst things I have eaten all year, probably one of the worst things I have ever eaten. The flavorless breading enveloped an indeterminate mush. And indeterminate, flavorless mush. I put a slice of pickle and dollop of ketchup and mustard on one of them just to see if it could match "the cheeseburger flavor you remember as a kid," but it did not. 

(I'm wondering if Michelle asked me to try these things just to see if I would actually do it. If that is the case, well played.) If I can be your canary in the coal mine, that's fine with me. Out of 1136 posts, I can think of two, maybe three things that I enjoyed less than these. 

The Village Vault

My mom was going to a nursery in Glendora and asked if I wanted to go; it happened that I needed flowers for something, so I did. We stopped in downtown Glendora to get a bite to eat. I'd never been to (or heard of) the Village Vault but it looked clean and welcoming. I wondered if perhaps it used to be a bank; I didn't ask but with the "food you can bank on" slogan and the names of all the menu items, it seems safe to guess yes.

There was carpet and a salad bar and though the place was packed I was the youngest person in there (who wasn't an employee). If it looks like the kind of place that has dinner specials starting at 4 PM, that's because it is.

My mom had "The Manager": roast beef on grilled sourdough with avocado and Swiss.

For me it was "The Broker" - turkey with bacon and Swiss on grilled sourdough with 1000 Island. The sandwiches were very good. I imagine the place keeps busy enough that everything for the sandwiches is fresh. (Though I did see a couple of breakfast plates go by to the table next to us, and it did not look very good, just basic greasy spoon stuff.) The turkey was great, the bacon crispy and the bread nicely toasted. I didn't like the fries but I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a diner's fries.

Service was great - my soda was refilled three times - and lunch for the two of us pre-tip was 22 bucks. Even if I didn't live on the other side of the country I doubt I'd return, but if you're looking for a friendly diner in the area, I can recommend this place.

Souvenirs & Tacos