Funk and Wolfgang Puck

As you may, or may not, know, I’ve been in sort of a funk these days. I can’t really put it into words, it’s just something feels like it’s missing. And I hate to say this, but I think it might be a someONE that’s missing. But, I choose to just go with the flow, see who comes along, and just have fun, I mean it’s second semester already, and I won’t be sticking around for much longer anyways. And honestly, it’s not like i’m SAD, it’s just… I’m just so sluggish and uninterested in everything. Bad bad bad, Jesus help me. Yep, I realized a while ago that I shouldn’t fill these voids with girls, but with God. God > girls.

Most of my posts, I’ve realized, have to do with food or restaurant reviews. And I don’t know if I said it on my other posts or not, but I think I would like to do it as a job haha. Anyways, all of the places I wrote about were new joints that I had never tried before. Well, the one I have for you today is a classic. For all you valley-dwellers, I’m sure you all know where the Northridge Mall is, and if you do, you should know about the other plaza across the street from the movie theater. There is a Rubio’s [great restaurant by the way], Jamba Juice, Starbucks, etc etc. There is also a Gelson’s Market, and within the Gelson’s, there is a Wolfgang Puck To-Go counter. From appearances and the menu, it doesn’t look too promising, but the food is actually really good. I remember when my brother first brought it home, I was pleasantly surprised. They have salads, pizzas, and pastas, but I’ve only tried the Chicken Caesar Sandwich and the Rigatoni Bolognese. The chicken sandwich comes with bread, roasted chicken, pesto, melted cheese, tomato, red onions and some caesar salad. All the ingredients are fresh, the sandwich is made when you order it, but the kicker is the bread. They actually bake it in an open oven, fresh for every sandwich. The bread may not seem like a very significant ingredient, but when it’s fresh baked, it’s crispy on the outside, and light and moist on the inside; perfect.

The rigatoni bolognese was not as impressive. The pasta was a bit under cooked, it was kind of tough and chewy, and the sauce was a little too bitter for my liking. Nothing much else to say.

So overall, I’d say that Wolfgang Puck’s is a pretty sound choice. The only downside is that the prices might be a little too high, pastas, salads and sandwiches are all about $9. If you’re going for the first time, I highly recommend the chicken caesar sandwich! If I hadn’t tried the rigatoni, the score might have been a bit higher, but I give it a 7/10.

Side note: I realized I put more time, effort, and passion into writing these stupid blogs than I put into writing my articles for the school paper. Yup, that’s how much you blogging means to me. I need a life, or a girlfriend.

The proxy/firewall on my school computer system is down, so what do I do? I blog. I don’t really have much to say now either except I came across a realization: moving on means leaving some things behind. Because if you take every single thing and person with you, then it’s not really moving on. I might be right, I might be wrong, but that’s the way I feel right now. Another short post, take care guys.

bleh

A lot happened this past week and I actually have a lot of thoughts and stuff I'd like to blog about, but right now, I just don't feel like it, don't really feel like doing much actually. Hm yeah maybe I will later on, but for now, goodbye.

Food Fit for a King

So as all of you valley-dwellers should know, we've been hit with heavy rainfall, an uncommon occurrence. I honestly don't know the last time I saw this much precipitation in the San Fernando Valley. But then, in an instant, the clouds dispersed, the rain ceased, and sunshine once again flooded the skies. Strange weather California has.


After school, my friends and I had time to burn before the basketball game, so we decided to eat at King's Burgers. This joint has been around the valley for a while now, located on Reseda, and I always wanted to try it, but never got to until today. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was there freaking huge menu. They serve everything, from pancakes to sandwiches to salads to even gyros and sushi, and of course, much much more. I am a pretty big fan of gyros, so I ordered their beef gyro, no tomatoes. My friends ordered the King Special, Chicken Teriyaki plate, a Philly Cheesesteak, and a double bacon cheeseburger. The food came out relatively fast, surprising since King's isn't a fast food place [it's more dive-styled]. My gyro was delicious. The pita was perfectly soft and warm, there was a satisfying portion of beef, which was delicious as well. The Tzatziki sauce was great too, enough flavor to make me savor every bite. And the onions offered a nice crunch and texture to the whole sandwich.

Likewise, everybody else was pleased. The King's Special is a burger with a juicy beef patty and a heaping pile of pastrami, and lettuce and tomatoes. The chicken teriyaki plate also came with a generous portion of meat, rice, and veggies [salad included]. The other half of our group was sitting at a table, so I didn't really get to see the Philly or double bacon up close, but from what I saw and heard, they were both pleasing.

Of course the food is the most important part of a restaurant, but what really got me, was the prices. Everything that we got was around $4-5. For a high school student, that's a great deal. So in conclusion, I guess the total ranking I'd give King's is a solid 8/10. It's a great place to eat, so if you haven't already, I suggest you go!

Los Toros and Gangs

On this rainy MLK Day, I headed to Arthur’s house until the rest of the guys got there. Soon, we were playing Mario Kart on the Wii, but we all got hungry. After a short discussion, we agreed on my suggestion: Los Toros. I personally had never gone, nobody in our group did, but people at my school raved about the place, so I thought it was a good candidate. The place is located on Devonshire and Topanga Canyon, in Chatsworth. When we got there, the place looked pretty big on the outside, and the inside was dimly lit with the usual Mexican decor. The A La Carta menu was comprised of burritos, enchiladas, and tostadas, all for around $5-6. The chips, bean dip, and salsa they offered as a service were good, and they gave me high hopes for the service and entrees. We went with a group total of 9 people. 4 people ordered the beef and bean burrito, 3 people ordered the pork and bean burrito, 1 person ordered the chicken burrito, and 1 person ordered the enchilada plate. The first thing I, and I’m sure the others did too, was that my burrito was LITERALLY a beef and bean burrito. It was tortilla, beef, and bean; no joke. The beef was very tender, which is a good thing, but after the first couple of bites, I got sick of it. The other beef-and-bean people agreed with me. I think the pork burrito may have been better because it at least had a green sauce, but the chicken burrito person, Sam, said that it was horrible and was a pain to consume. Now, at first, the waiters seemed nice, prompt, and knowledgeable, but as the meal progressed, they weren’t so nice or prompt. Another pro is that the burritos came out within 5 minutes, but the other service was disrespectful and slow. When we asked for hot sauce, the first waiter didn’t bring it, so we had to ask a second time. And when we asked for another batch of chips and dip, the waiter did so with a great amount of attitude. So overall, I’d say I was disappointed. Overall rating: 6/10. The best part was the bean dip; it’s said, I know.

Los Toros’ main entrance is in the rear, so the only way in or out is through an alley way. After our meal, our group headed towards the cars. And this is what happened:

A black Honda CRV pulls up.

Passenger opens the window, and says: Excuse me.

We all turn around.

Passenger: Hey, you guys bang?

Us: Uh, no.

“Gangster”: Mutters some inaudible threats and claims to be part of some gang.

Car drives off.

Needless to say, we were all confused about what had just taken place. But after reality kicked in, some of us got a bit flustered, while the rest of us joked at the stupidity of the series of events. I know I don’t know what it’s like to be in a gang and I am in no way a professional on these matters, but I find it extremely annoying and stupid that these people would randomly ask us that, with the intentions of fighting. What a way to ruin a perfectly good night. With that, I will close this entry. Thanks for reading guys [even though I really have no way of telling if anybody did or didn’t].

Girls, Barbecue, and Senioritis

First topic: girls.

So, yes, girls have been, are, and always will be very perplexing, confusing, vexing, unfathomable, unpredictable, frustrating individuals. Just when you think you have them figured out, you come across another wall that they set up. Can’t live with them, but can’t live without them. I know I only have 5 or so months left in the valley, and I’m going to go off to college. And of course it is impractical to say that I want to get in a long-term relationship, for as naive as I am, I know that it wouldn’t last. But I can’t get over the, giggly, warm-and-fuzzy, tingly, can’t help but smile sensation that she makes me feel. Be strong Jon, don’t get your hopes up, and heed the advice of your peers.

Second Topic: barbecue.

If you have read my previous posts, you will know that I’ve recently developed a mini-obsession for good BBQ. I’ve tried Outdoor Grill [not as great as expected], and I took a look at Bear Pit’s menu and it was too expensive for my unemployed budget. So, that being said, I guess the next best option is to do it myself. I’ve always attempted, and enjoyed, cooking. And I hosted a barbecue for my friends before, it was a good time of hanging out, but I must say, I was a bit disappointed with how my burgers and steaks turned out [it’s pretty hard to mess up a hot dog]. So, I’ve decided to host another one to redeem myself, don’t know when, but yeah. And if you’ve hung out with me a lot, you’ll know that I make up puns [hopefully they’re not unbearably lame] at the spur of the moment, and I just thought of one right now.

What did the boy rib say to the girl rib he met at the grill?

Hey babe, you’re barbeCUTE.

Lame, yes, but I pride myself in my jokes, no matter how un-funny they are.

Third topic: senioritis.

I think I first started off with junioritis, as my grades in the eleventh grade dropped, in comparison to previous years. But boy, they weren’t kidding when they said senioritis hits hard. Even though first semester still counts, I totally DGAF’ed and did no homework or any intense studying. Once second semester rolled around, I think I got into the final and worst stages of it. I absolutely have no concern with school whatsoever. And now, I find myself at home after school with nothing to do and oodles [yes, oodles] of free time at my disposal. So, I am declaring on the internet so that you, my readers, may keep me accountable, that I will begin exercising and lifting. Also, I will apply to the following places for a part time job:

Toys ‘R Us

CVS Pharmacy

Subway

Whole Foods Market

Donut Shop

Target

Hallmark

So yes, my plan is to apply by the end of next week, and see who calls me back and what not.

I know this has been a long post, I’m sorry, but I guess this is a result of topic #3.