La Bamba

As you might guess, Cory and I have been super swamped at work. Mostly eating over our keyboards. I saw Cory eat in the kitchen one day actually, which I have never seen before. It was only because the paint fumes in our suite were so strong that we were all dizzy and gagging. If I hadn't already felt like fainting, I would have fainted from seeing Cory eat in the kitchen. Anyhow, I can say quite assuredly that it bites eating at our desks. So, there's that.

Anyhow- this adventure took us to a place called LA BAMBA. Cory chose this place- I don't know how we got to where we are choosing the places that the other person will have to write about, but personally I would like to turn that around. I like to write about my own success or failure in selection. In this case, Cory's selection was based on seeing a sign outside this joint that read:

We're a restaurant! Try us! We don't want to close!


Cory- kindhearted Cory came back and told me we were going to help save this restaurant. And when we finally got a chance, there we went to try them.


Upon initial viewing I thought DANGGGG that patio looks great! This place looks festive! And also- What a weird place for a restaurant in this residential neighborhood! Perhaps, I thought, that was why there was an attendance issue- as it sort of blends in with the homes. It very well could be, but ultimately I think Cory and I had to agree... that might not be the only reason.

The Basics:
The food at La Bamba is basically "island" or "Carribean" cuisine. This means lots of ajillo. You know- GARLIC. It also means lots of seafood, beans, rice, fries and even yuca and plantains. They have a big list of soft drinks, beer + wine. Liquids a-plenty. The seating is on a covered patio- so grab a table and watch cars cruise through the neighborhood. ?


Alissa:
Uhhhh what the hell did I get? This is why I need to write my report right after I go. Let me look at the menu... Okay. I think I got a Garlic Avocado Shrimp burrito. That sounds right. Anyhow, it had everything it said it was going to have in it- shrimp in garlic sauce, diced avocado, cheese, rice but hold the pico de gallo. All in a flour tortilla. I think partially the reason I forget is because I tried to forget.

I admit it- I was disappointed. I really tried to enjoy it- but the shrimp was not really my fave, and there was cilantro stuck with the avocado or in the sauce, and the whole thing just sort of opened up and limply fell apart in front of me.

I tried to eat it with a fork- but then got disheartened and just quit. I supplemented my meal by stealing garlic fries from Cory... but god they just had so much chunks of garlic. So much chunks. My mouth was suddenly just an unholy hole of stinky garlic. You know how sometimes the garlicky thing was so good you are like... proud of your breath? Well I just felt shame. 13 dollar fall-apart-burrito shame.

The only thing saving me here from disappointment and burning mouth was a TWO DOLLA BUDWEISER! Which I guess is available at that price always. That is great. And the patio is pretty great. I bet it looks really nice with those lil lights on when the sun starts going down. Ambiance CITY.

I mean... if you are within walking distance this would be the BOMB - I mean- LA BAMBA. Wait. No. La BOMBA. That pun works better out loud. Sorry. Anyhow- 1.95 beer. Yeah. I was at El Cid in Silverlake last week and Budweisers are SEVEN DOLLARS. God. How could you purposely drink a Bud for 7 dollars. 2 dollars? Okay. Yes. That has hints of sanity.


Cory:
You know...I was really really really REALLY ready to love this place the moment I accidentally stumbled across it while driving aimlessly around Burbank. Sure it was in a bizarre location, but it looked quaint. It even looked like it had the potential to be fairly festive.

And, considering that it specialized in Mexican-ish food, I could only assume that it would at least be decent. I mean, how hard could it possibly be to make a decent burrito? Well, as Alissa already mentioned, it's apparently next to impossible for these guys. Her burrito managed to rapidly unravel right in front of my very eyes, distracting me from enjoying the terrible carne asada grilled cheese I'd ordered.

Yes, I said carne asada grilled cheese. Sounds good, right? Nay, sounds GREAT! Well, it wasn't. It was strangely seasoned - a little too sweet & tangy, and way too tough for my teeths.

I actually had to add all the cilantro-laden salsa (which was actually AWESOME, btw) & cholula within arms reach just to make it palatable. I'd write more for you about this, but it honestly doesn't deserve the wear & tear my fingertips have already given it...

Thankfully, the crappiness was quelled by the wonderful $1.95 Bud Lights.
There. I'm done. Sorry this was crappy, but so was the food.

Good bite? Or just totally bites?
A: Uhhhh well. I guess there could be amazing things on the menu. But they are not the thing I ordered. I would give this a 'Good place to sip a 2 dollar beer on a patio.' And our waitress was really nice.

C: Boooooo! If you can't build a burrito that won't completely unravel & fall to pieces onto the plates of you patrons, maybe you don't deserve to be a restaurant! Or, at the very least, you should take burritos off them menu. And, if that's not an option, how about putting some food that actually tastes good inside there? Skip the food, drink the beer. Maybe they'll get the hint & either step up the food or just become a bar. A bar that I'd totally hang out at, btw...


Info:
2600 North Glenoaks Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91504
(818) 846-3358

Sexy Cory Pose
**Our reports are based on one visit/meal- so we're far from experts on these joints! 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 :)

The Hollywood Way

Hola! And Holla! Yes, it's my turn (Cory) to write the bulk of the blog this week, and that usually means that readers have to wait extra long for me to get things together & get this posted. Well, let this week be no exception. The work has piled high over the past several days, but I'm finally able to see the light, and thus, the blog shall be written.
Last week's lunch outing found us parked on a back street behind The Hollywood Way on, well...Hollywood Way. There, near the intersection of Hollywood Way & Burbank Blvd, lies the shell of for the former Mr. B's. A ramshackle roadside watering hole which was, in its day, a fine establishment favored by the locals for steak, lobster, and other dining delights. Apparently it was around for over 50 years and time took its toll on gool ol' Mr B's.



The once popular bar/restaurant slowly lost the "restaurant" part & became just another bar. Another crappy looking bar, from what I could tell. The kind of bar where it wouldn't be completely unreasonable to imagine yourself being stabbed in the parking lot. And that's *kinda* what I felt like as Alissa & I approached from the rear...
Luckily, the new owners of the old Mr. B's have been working hard to scrape away the dirt & dilapidation, creating for us a new (at least in my opinion) Mecca for Burbank meat-eating beer drinkers. The facade is completely renovated & welcoming...



the inside is spacious, neat, and clean...



the taps are sufficiently stocked with an ample selection of beers, and the menu caused me to have wet dreams for a week. Seriously. My sheets are a mess...



The Basics:
The Hollywood Way puts the "bar" in "barbeque"...or, perhaps adds the "beque" to the "bar." Either way, you're gonna find all the BBQ you're likely to desire in your lunch, along with some good beers to boot. Giant burgers, racks of ribs, & mounds of pulled pork are accompanied by classic BBQ sides such as baked beans, onion straws, and mac & cheese. There's even a decent array of salads for those lunchers who may be looking for something less meat-ish.


Alissa:
Immediately after eating this lunch I came back to my desk and wrote something. I wanted to capture the way I felt at the time. This is what I wrote then:
As I write this, I am near vomiting or passing out and maybe both. I attribute it to the meal I had at The Hollywood Way. There was a lot of swearing during this meal- as we saw the food for the first time, as we took the first bite... as we re-realized how crazy or good what we were eating was- as we tried to finish the giant meals before us... as we sat there trying to concentrate on not puking it all back up. That being said- I thought it was TOTALLY AWESOME. No, really. I was expecting a decent meal. Though I got nervous as we approached- something felt dangerous to me. But once inside, I have no idea why I thought that. I think there were probably serious alcoholics that haunted the bar that they took over & I was sensing their gin soaked spirits.



Ah yes. I remember writing that. And I think I am finally not totally full from that lunch, many days later. Anyhoo- as far as what I ate, I laid eyes upon the pulled pork sandwich, and was instantly sold. I barely know what's on the rest of the menu- because I was like- who cares. I am obviously eating this. So I ordered it with a side of mac & cheese and a Flying Dog IPA. I accidentally thought I liked that IPA after tasting it, but after several sips I found it is not one of the guys I like. Some IPAs are sneaky and have too many complex spicy flavors and I'm like EWWWWWWW. I don't want no Belgium nonsense up in this beer! But whatever. I drank it. I pray that after they are there a while, they get some cooler microbrews. It would really raise the stock. I would be glad to advise.

My pulled pork sandwich tasted as beautiful as it looked. Gosh it really, really did. They come in at 6am and hand pull stuff that has smoked all night or something. I was really trying to remember the exact details that Sonia, our friendly bartender was telling us, but I kept being distracted by the deliciousness of my food. Cory and I were not expecting much from the mac & cheese. You know how that goes- mac & cheese sides are pretty disappointing usually. But I had no problem with this stuff. It wasn't so crazy that you were thinking "EFF I should have just ordered this- it's a meal in itself" but just cheesy and creamy enough not to be a sad clump no one cares about next to their food. Which is saying a lot because THE PULLED PORK SANDWICH on brioche bun with chipotle mayo was freaking great. As far as the meat goes- chewing was totally optional. I chose to chew, but you can make your own decision. In any case, it's just what I wanted it to taste like & was better than expected.

Cory and I loudly cursed at our food throughout the meal, while a guy who was pretty much a younger version of The Dude sang selected lines from the 80s & 90s songs Jack FM was supplying. I'm guessing this would be a good place to catch sports on their multiple TVs AND there is free wi-fi, which I used during our meal. I was really sad when I saw this BBQ place down a couple blocks pop up and soon realized sold BBQs, not BBQ'd food. I witnessed Cory spotting it and had to be the one to break the bad news to him. BUT FINALLY there is a place we (I mean not just Cory & I, but you as well!) can go to get some sweet barbecued meat! Your vegetarian friend can come too- there are options, but I feel it is unnecessary to mention them at this juncture. I don't eat a lot of meat, but if I feel like devouring some- this is gonna be a top pick.

And hey, Cory: gross about your sheets. God. This is supposed to be appetizing.



Cory:

Dear The Hollywood Way,

It's not often that a person, place, or experience provokes me to write in letter form. Almost never, actually. I thought about simply sending you a text, but that wouldn't suffice. There's just so much to say. So many thoughts whizzing around in my brain. So many flavors that I'm still savoring. Oh, Hollywood Way, I must admit that my expectations were perhaps a little on the low side for this lunching. But now, having sampled your goods, I feel ashamed of my initial skepticism. Yes, the walk in was a tad shady; and yes, I did half-expect to get my ass kicked by a gang of bikers once inside; but I was wrong, Hollywood Way. I was wrong and I'm sorry. Instead, you welcomed us into your dark, woody, loving arms. You greeted us warmly & presented us with the greatest bar menu I have ever seen in all my days.



(actually, that picture - like most of them on here today - is terrible, so just look at this...)
The Hollywood Way - MENU

Everything freshly made from scratch, with love & attention to detail. The burger hand-pattied, the pork tenderly pulled, the mac creamily cheesed, and the beans barbequed-ly baked.
You undoubtedly remember this, Hollywood Way, because - let's face it, we had a connection. But, for the sake of others, I'll recount my meal. I was having a very hard time deciding on just one thing as I perused your menu. Those burgers sure looked great, but shouldn't I get the BBQ? And then I laid my eyes on a miracle. The baby jesus of bar food. The Memphis Burger. To quote your menu, "How about a juicy 1/2 pound burger piled high with Carolina pulled pork, cheddar cheese, bacon, and onion straws, topped with Hollywood’s BBQ sauce. Served on a toasted brioche bun." How about it, indeed!
It arrived standing nearly as tall as a pint glass. It was one of those times where I really wasn't quite sure where to start, so I just kinda mashed it all down & had at it. The burger itself was massive & really well-seasoned. Just enough salt & pepper to really make it work. And the pulled pork portion was mind-bendingly awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I nearly forgot about the accompanying ingredients: the hunk of bacon & the mountain of onion straws. Honestly, there wasn't a single part of that burger that I don't think could stand alone. The whole thing is JUST THAT GOOD.
Then, to top it off, you served it up with a side BBQ baked beans. Beans with chunks of pulled pork hidden within. Beans with just right amount of kick. Beans that all other beans should aspire to be(an). I would seriously go back just to get a bucket of these things.



Good bite? Or just totally bites?
A: BITE IT. BITE IT NOW. I honestly ate everything except for this last little teeny bite. And I do believe I almost fell into a coma- or crashed the car on the 2 block drive back due to food-drunkness. But I encourage you to do the same.

C: To say this was a "good" bite would be grossly understating the complete & utter awesomeness of this place. Go! Eat! Drink! And maybe stay 'til the next morning...



Info:
1333 N. Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
(818) 845-4400
Open Mon-Wed 11am-12am; Thu-Fri 11am-2am; Sat 10am-2am; Sun 9:30am-10pm



**Our reports are based on one visit/meal- so we're far from experts on these joints! 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 :)