Today, we barely went to Norm's. Not the chain diner- but a little joint started up by another guy with the same name. Presumably. Actually I think maybe it's called Norm's Hamburger #3??? I say barely, because Cory and I had what he called "our first fight" over where to go (I just thought we were discussing- but his discussion tolerance is clearly low), because we've both been having upset stomachs and were wondering if we should eat somewhere that was in no way boasting any health properties and which Cory was calling a "shady shack", and finally, because once we were there looking at the menu aside the B rating it was not seeming as exciting today as it may have been on another day. But like... I'd already parked and walked across a whole street... so we dove in. This time we remembered to order something for which the place felt it was famous. Things in big letters on the sign. This meant Cory ordering something that he didn't even necessarily think he'd like. Then I tried to get some help deciding from the nice lady (Norm?) running the joint, but she was merrily indifferent about my selection. So I just manned up and chose something. That's right. Cause I'm a grownup.
The basics: Well for lunch, which is our bag, they have many different burgers (and yes even a garden burger), various sandwiches, bowls, tacos and burritos, salads, fried sides and soft drinks. Yes. It's that kind of place. One that boasts Gyros and Mexican Gyros (tacos) on the same sign. If you are eating there, under the shadow of that mighty sign, you can sit inside or outside- and if you are lucky enough to snag the right table outside, you can have a conversation on a pay phone from your seat while you eat. Talk about convenience!!! Like literally- you could call someone and talk about the convenience.
Also Cory said "this doesn't look like the kind of place that takes debit cards," which could have been a deal breaker- but they do!
Alissa: So after my usual unnecessarily long period of deliberation, I decided on a chicken gyro and orange whipped drink. I was nervous- but the food came quickly so the fear didn't have time to build.
When it came out I thought "hey that doesn't look half bad." And it wasn't. I ate all of it. The chicken was just shy of dry (so not to be tough) and was seasoned in a gyro fashion. There weren't any nefarious textures, the tomatoes were not mush, and the tzatziki was honestly quite good.
Just to make sure I felt uncomfortable after lunch I drank all of that orange whipped drink which could probably be a meal in it of itself. If you want to stand up and feel orange flavored gurgles at the back of your throat, I totally recommend this.
I would eat that gyro again- this time without fear. I would even try something else off the menu. I think this is a good place to go with your buddies at lunch to prove you are not a complete wuss (when you feel choosing the Olive Garden has started to make you appear soft), without totally for sure getting food poisoning. We even saw a pretty hot lady in a nice executive-type outfit which matched her slick Lexus have lunch inside while we ate. She was by herself & I am hoping it is because this spot is a secret guilty pleasure for her.
Cory: After finally getting up the courage to throw caution to the wind & pull the trigger on this place, I dove right in & opted for the most prominently displayed item on the sign: the pastrami. Okay, so maybe it wasn't the *most* prominent, but it was the FIRST black bolded item up there. Plus, last week's decision to stick to "house specialties" meant that, per the sign, I really only had 3 choices: pastrami, gyros, or tacos. Strange bedfellows, and I really didn't feel like having either of the latter two.
Now, I'm not normally much of a pastrami fan because, frankly, I don't even know what the hell pastrami is. All I know is that it usually looks super fatty and it's usually pretty red. Like really REALLY red. In a weird off-putting sorta way. Upon ordering, I learned from the nice nameless lady that they serve their pastrami on a french roll. This was welcome news to me because, from what I gather, pastrami is generally served on rye. And I happen to think that rye bread is one of this world's most vile & evil substances. Evil averted, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my sandwich while Alissa took far too long to finally decide on her gyro.
(*we call this piece Pastrami Sandwich Boobs)
When the lady heaved my pastrami upon the table, I first noticed that it was indeed really really red. But in a good way. In a way that made me wanna scarf it down immediately. Which I totally would have done if only my sense of gentlemanliness didn't dictate that I wait for Alissa to get her food as well. Well her food arrived quickly & I was finally allowed to sample the goods. And good it was! The french roll provided a nice crusty element & the meat was cut thicker than I've seen in most pastrami situations. This thicker cut allowed for a sort of burnt end thing to happen with the meat. If you're familiar with real BBQ, you'll know that "burnt ends" are the hyper-browned bits of meat at the end of cut. They're thick, chewy, and extra flavorful. Well, this pastrami sandwich had those goin' on all over it and, for that, I was happy.
Like Alissa, I would also eat here again without *too* much fear of spending the night in the bathroom. Would I venture out on a limb to try something else on the menu? I'm not so sure...that pastrami might have its hooks in me. I did notice the word "Hamburger" on the sign though. Preceded by the words "Famous Charbroiled" even. I could maybe go for one of those...
Good bite? Or just totally bites?
A: I say it's a good bite. Not like HOLYCRAP THIS IS GOOD good, but good enough. I'm sure not everything on the menu is amazing- but I bet if you at least stick to that stuff on the sign, you'll get a decent lunch.
C: A good bite. Their food's not gonna save the world or anything, but it might just earn you some cred with your lunchable friends for suggesting it. Just be sure to look past the "B" sign on the front window...
(ps. from Alissa: I know some pretty "fancy" restaurants that have B's that I see celebs at all the time. You never know if it's actually cause of a violation or if they just won't pay off the inspectors properly.)
Info:
1201 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91506-1829
(818) 953-5050
Open Mon-Sat 6:30am-4pm; Sun 6:30am-2pm
**Our reports are based on one visit/meal- so we're far from experts on these joints! so if you have advice or experiences you'd like to share, please feel free to enlighten us & our readers! Our goal is to give enough info that someone might feel okay trying somewhere new (or know to avoid it!). Thanks for reading :)
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