A Slice of NYC in LA

 Prince Street Pizza

827 East 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Some of NYC's most famous restaurants and foods have ventured out west in the past few months. LA is now home to several locations of the ever-popular Shake Shack, Grimaldi's Pizza, Magnolia Bakery is hawking its baked goods and famous banana pudding to us left-coasters, and Levain Bakery, which sells the best cookie on the planet, just opened on the day I am writing this review. We were going to be in LA for a White Coat Ceremony, so we tried another Big Apple export, Prince Street Pizza. 

My Instagram feed has shown me plenty of slices of pizza recently. Most are from other parts of the country, but one has consistently been featured, and upon closer inspection, I found out that Prince Street Pizza had opened in LA. In fact, four locations are currently operating in LA: Venice, West Hollywood, West LA, and the one we were visiting in Downtown LA. That makes four places to get a slice in LA and only one in NYC. It's more than likely due to the urban sprawl of LA. 

Prince Street Pizza opened for business in 2012 in the Nolita section of Manhattan. They are most known for their Sicilian-style pizza slices, which are closely related to Detroit-style pizza, served as squares, but the Sicilian style has a lighter, more airy crust that is more bread-like. PSP also offers Neopolitan pizza, the polar opposite of their Sicilian. It has a very thin crust baked in a round pan and cut into triangular slices, which is what people expect when eating pizza. 

Both pizza styles are available by the slice, but most people opt for the Sicilian-style slices. We arrived at the Arts District just before 5pm on a Saturday. We found some parking about a block away and entered PSP. Ordering is done from behind the glass case housing the pizzas available. After selecting the slices you want, the pizza is whisked into the awaiting oven to be finished off while you pay at the register and then wait for your slices. The whole process took less than five minutes. We then found some seating at the communal tables in front of the restaurant and settled in to eat our bounty. 

Yes, we were more than likely going to be having food after the White Coat ceremony we were in LA for, but we had no idea when we would be back up this way, and we felt a duty to you to try as many types of PSP pizza as we could. We went with the Meat Lovers ($6.50), Spicy Spring ($6.50), Four Cheese ($6.25), and the Mercer Margherita ($6.25). 

The slices featured a crispy, spongy crust that melded nicely with the pizza toppings and cheese. Predictably, my favorite of this quartet was the Meat Lovers, which came with spicy pepperoni cups, sausage, marinara sauce, mozzarella, and romano cheeses, with a touch of garlic. Our slice also appeared to have a sprinkle of crumbled bacon, which is not listed as an option on their menu. The pepperoni cups crisped up nicely, providing a crunch, while the sauce and cheese were delightful. A killer slice that had me going back for more to take home. 

My second favorite was the spicy spring, with pepperoni, a fra diavolo sauce, and mozzarella. The sauce had a little kick, but it was not over-the-top spicy. The heat hung out on the back end of each bite but did not overwhelm me. The end crust was good, but with four slices to finish, I discarded it as I ate more. The four-cheese slice was good, but it should be renamed three cheese because they count fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella as two of the cheeses, which joins whipped ricotta and pecorino romano to make up this slice. This is an excellent option for people who prefer something other than meat on their pizza. The Margherita pizza was Katie's choice, and I found it okay, but it lacked the flavor punch of the other three. Katie liked it way more than I did, so maybe it's just that I'm not that into Margherita pizza. 

I am into Prince Street Pizza, though. Their pizza was less greasy and heavy than I was expecting. It still had a good flavor profile and satisfied us through the white coat ceremony we were going to next. It's easy to see why they are so popular, and I'd like to try their round pizza the next time we are up this way. The $6 price point was not awful, and the guys behind the counter were all pretty cool. It's another success story for an NYC restaurant moving to LA. 

Out of five duels (because also on Prince Street in NYC is the former site of the estate of Aaron Burr, who had a famous duel with Alexander Hamilton), five being best to zero being worst, Prince Street Pizza gets 3.5 duels. 

For more information about Prince Street Pizza, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.princestreetpizza.com/

Hitting the Mark at the Local Spot

 The Local Spot

6200 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite B

Long Beach, CA 90803

5K number ten was in the books, and we needed to celebrate. Since last July, Katie and I have done one race a month. It sounds more impressive than it really is, except if you take into account getting Katie up and out the door before 7am on a Sunday. A true miracle and something that rarely ever happens, even on her typical workday. We also have not broken the one-hour mark on any of these 3.1-mile races, but at least we are out bright and early, getting some fresh air, and as is the case on this morning, getting a chance to eat at a new place for us, The Local Spot in Long Beach. 

The Local Spot has been around since 2011 and comes to us from the McKee family, who also operates Eggs Etc., which has been serving breakfast to the people of Long Beach since 1977. The Local Spot started as a barbecue restaurant only open for lunch and dinner but transitioned to a breakfast and lunch spot sometime along the way. That change worked as they have an impressive four-and-a-half-star rating on Yelp with over 1,400 reviews. 

We arrived here before 9am on a recent Sunday and immediately got a table. It was a different story when we left, as waiting to be seated is typical on weekends. We were seated on their patio, and although it was a bit chilly, we made the best of it. The Local Spot menu is broken into sections of omelets, egg dishes, benedicts, griddle items, a trio of south-of-the-border offerings, and a smattering of healthier breakfast options. The prices are modest, with nothing above the $15 price point. Very reasonable. Let's check out what we had to eat after our grueling 3-mile race. 

Up first was the Country Mix ($14) that Katie selected. This consisted of three scrambled eggs, bacon, onions, and home fries. This usually comes with ham, but Katie asked to substitute bacon instead, and they kindly obliged, and there was no upcharge due to the substitution. That is not always the case at most restaurants. She really enjoyed this scramble. Plenty of bacon, the potatoes were tender, and the red salsa provided a nice flavor boost. With this, you also choose toast, tortillas, a pancake, or, as Katie got, a biscuit with gravy. The gravy here was nice and thick, but I would have liked it to be more peppery. The biscuit was good, not too mushy. Katie was pleased with her breakfast choice. 

I did not even have to turn one page of the menu at the Local Spot because this Farmer's Favorite ($14) was listed on the front of the menu under House Specials. This came with a layer of home fries on the bottom and then was topped with two fried eggs, ranchero sauce, plenty of cheese, and diced sausage, bacon, and ham. This was one of the better breakfast dishes I've had in a while. There was plenty of cheese and breakfast meats, but another egg would have taken this to the next level by giving it more balance. The ranchero sauce did not overwhelm but added just enough to make it noticeable. I went with a pancake for my side item and added chocolate chips, a $2 upcharge. I liked this pancake because it was thinner than most, and they gave me plenty of maple syrup to go along with it. It might not look like it in the picture above, but plenty of chocolate chips were on the other side of the pancake. 

The Local Spot definitely hit the spot after our 5k. They got us in quick, the service was friendly and cordial, and the food was not lacking. As is the case with about 90 percent of breakfasts that I've reviewed on this blog, it's probably not drive-worthy from more than fifteen miles, but if you live in the area or find yourself running a 5k and need a place to refuel for breakfast, The Local Spot is where you should head. 

Out of five Olympic medals (because there have been 51 Olympians born in Long Beach, and I'm sure some of them have won medals), five being best to zero being worst, The Local Spot gets a very solid 3 Olympic medals. 

The Local Spot does not have an active website, so head to their Yelp page for more information about them by clicking here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-local-spot-long-beach

Hoping Felix’s Will Provide Some Righty-O BBQ

 Felix's BBQ With Soul

3613 Ocean Ranch Blvd. 

Oceanside, CA 92056

If you are new to the blog or just like to look at the pictures of the places we eat, you might not know I'm a bit of a reader. I should qualify that statement. I'm really into audiobooks, which is different from reading, but it makes me sound more intelligent than I actually am. Not wanting to add another subscription service, I decided to get all of my audiobooks from public libraries. 

I've obtained library cards from OC and LA, San Diego, and other local libraries to increase my ability to get books. I signed up online for a temporary card from the Carlsbad Library during the pandemic. Now that the pandemic is behind us, they wanted people to come in and apply for a permanent card. This would also be an excellent opportunity to try one of the restaurants on my restaurant wishlist in the area. That's how I came to visit Felix's BBQ with Soul. 

Felix's caught my attention because they have an inspiring four-and-a-half rating on Yelp with over 2,400 reviews. This firmly cements them in the upper echelon of places to eat in Oceanside, and now that fellow barbecue restaurant, That Boy Good has announced that they are closing at the end of this month, it just might make them the number one destination for barbecue in Oceanside. At least, I was hoping that would be the case. 

After getting my library card, I drove about ten minutes to Felix's in Oceanside. This was the first of their locations opened 15 years ago. Since then, Felix Berry has opened three more spots in Lake Elsinore, Carlsbad, and San Marcos. Felix worked in a bbq restaurant in his teen years in Alabama before college. After completing his schooling, he opened other businesses, but a barbecue restaurant was always on his mind. So he decided to move forward with his dream of providing quality barbecue with a dash of southern charm to the people of North San Diego County. 

Not merely just a barbecue restaurant, Felix's southern roots are well represented on his extensive menu. Along with bbq meats, fried green tomatoes, gumbo, hush puppies, fried okra, chitlins, oxtails, and catfish are featured prominently here. Stuff that you only see on a few menus in Southern California. I had studied the menu before I had left home, so when I arrived at Felix's, I quickly ordered at the counter. Within ten minutes, I was handed my bag and was on my way back home with the aroma of barbecue wafting from my backseat. 

As soon as I saw the first item on the menu, I knew what I'd be having. As is my custom when eating anywhere for the first time, and since I pay for almost all of my meals, I veer towards getting combo plates if they are available. This BBQ Sampler ($35) allows you to try 4 types of meat and four sides and is meant to feed 2 easily. There are 14 kinds of protein to choose from and 20 sides to narrow down to 4 selections. 

I went with Pulled Pork, Brisket, Baby Back Ribs, and Beef Ribs for my meats. It's between both of the ribs for my favorite of the four. The baby backs had a good amount of meat, and the pork underneath was tender and flavorful. The beef rib also had plenty of meat and pulled away nicely from the bone. The pulled pork, for the most part, was delicious, but I did have a bite or two that were a little on the dry side. The brisket was not for me. Not awful, but not something I'd order here again. It was very lean and tough. It would have been better if it had had a ribbon of fat running through it. Next time I'd substitute the catfish or tri-tip for the brisket. 

I selected Mac and Cheese, Red Beans and Rice, Potato Salad, and Baked Beans for my four sides. Undoubtedly, the Mac and Cheese was the clear winner this afternoon. It's made with five cheeses and baked, so the cheese clings nicely to each piece of macaroni. An excellent flavor; I had a hard time saving some of this for Katie to try when she got home from work. Do not miss it. The red beans and rice were another hit. The kidney beans absorbed a great deal of flavor, and even though the rice got lost here, I enjoyed the slight spiciness included in each forkful. The potato salad tasted freshly made and reminded me of the version that my mom used to make. It had a mustard tinge to it, and the potatoes were tender. I also enjoyed that each bite had a different textural element to it. Nicely done. The clunker of the bunch was the baked beans. It was too watery, and even though the menu claims that these are made with real bacon, it was impossible to taste because of the abundance of liquid in our portion. 

Felix's offers Lunch Box Specials every day until 4pm. There are nine different ones to choose from, including french fries and coleslaw as sides, but you can substitute sides for anywhere between fifty cents to a dollar fifty. I went with the Hot Link Sandwich Lunch Box ($12 plus .50 cents for subbing the fries for Collard Greens). The sandwich did not look like much, but it was made much better when I added the provided barbecue sauce. The sausage had a lovely kick of spice, and the casing was very snappy. The coleslaw was fresh, and they added plenty of their sweet and tangy dressing to the shredded carrots and cabbage. The collard greens were traditional and tasted hearty, with some lovely bursts of garlic. I also received two individual-sized pieces of cornbread, which had a bit of sweetness to them, but I'm not the world's biggest cornbread fan, so I saved the other one for Katie. 

Based on this visit to Felix's, there were a few slight misses for me, but nothing that would prevent me from visiting again when in the area. I really enjoyed all the meat I had, except for the brisket. The sides were delicious, and I still can't get that fantastic mac and cheese out of my head. Overall the food here is better than most barbecue restaurants, and the value for the money is also better than other barbecue joints. With such an extensive and varied menu, I'd like to explore more of their southern specialties. Their customer service was good, as they had my food out to me in less than ten minutes, and it was wrapped up nicely for my 45-minute drive back home. It was a very good day off. I added another library card to my collection and had some delicious barbecue for lunch and dinner. 

Out of five bags of tricks (because when I was a little kid, I used to watch Felix the Cat, and he possessed a satchel that could be transformed into anything he wanted), five being best to zero being worst, Felix's BBQ With Soul gets 3.5 bags of tricks. 

For more information about Felix's BBQ with Soul, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.felixsbbq.com/

A Hidden Gem of a Pastrami Sandwich in Fullerton

 Gem Gourmet Meats and Produce

3125 Yorba Linda Blvd. 

Fullerton, CA 92831

It might make me sound like one of those elderly guys in the Pepperidge Farms commercials from back in the day, but restaurant blogging had changed a lot from when I started 14 years ago. Then, I would usually get restaurant tips from other blogs I read almost religiously. Only a few of us are still left writing restaurant reviews in blog form. Only a few are active blogs on my blogroll, which you can find on the right-hand side of this webpage. Most people stopped writing well before the pandemic and have not written a review in six months or more.   

With the tips from my fellow bloggers dried up, I have had to consult other sources. It was print media for a while, but once the OC Register put up a paywall, their restaurant critic left, and OC Weekly ceased publication, I was left with just Orange Coast Magazine. So I mainly rely on Instagram, my research, and the occasional tip from a reader for my restaurant tips. It was Instagram that brought me to where I will review today. 

In the last few months, I began following Grub with Greg. Greg does videos on the restaurants that he visits. I have considered starting to do this, but my audiobook obsession and finding the time to write this blog have prevented me from moving forward with this idea. Maybe someday. Greg does a great job showing off the food at the restaurants he visits. I recently had the pleasure of meeting him at an event, and I'm happy to report that he's just as lovely in person as in his videos. I want to credit him for inspiring me to visit Gem Gourmet Meats and Produce. 

Gem is located in the same shopping plaza as the stalwart Vendome Liquor, Mr. Katsu, and other proprietors alongside Yorba Linda Boulevard, just to the east of where it crosses Placentia Avenue. This was primarily a butcher shop with assorted produce and some dairy products for sale until recently. They have been in business for 50 years but have had more than one owner. 

You order the sandwiches at the meat counter, just to the left of the entrance. Their hot sandwich menu consists of four options, and they also make a variety of cold sandwiches which feature Boar's Head meats. The sandwiches come with macaroni salad, coleslaw, or potato salad. I perused the small store while my sandwiches were being prepared, less than five minutes. I paid at the front of the store and headed home. They did have one table outside the store if you chose to eat your sandwich on the premises. Let's see if this one tip that was worth following up on. 

I'm a sucker for a Hot Pastrami Sandwich ($13), and this is the sandwich I saw on Grub with Greg, which got me up here. The half pound of pastrami is steamed and placed on rye bread with Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, deli mustard, coleslaw, and Russian dressing. I really liked this sandwich, which was great value for the price. I'd get this without the mustard and pickles next time, as they overpowered the pastrami and the rest of the sandwich. Still solid, I enjoyed the sweet coleslaw, which contrasted nicely with the pastrami and the rest of the sandwich. I got potato salad with this which was fine but still not as good as the one from Mario's Butcher Shop in Newport. That one is still the benchmark for potato salads that I've had as of now. 

Who knew when I'd be back this way so, of course, I needed another sandwich. That sandwich would be the Hot Meatball Sub ($10). The meatballs are cradled in a French roll and joined by some provolone cheese and marinara sauce. I enjoyed that each bite included at least a part of a meatball. This sandwich had at least 5 of them. The meatballs were more dense than I would have liked, and their flavor was underwhelming. The plentiful provolone cheese did help elevate this sandwich, but it would have been better with more marinara. I upgraded my salad option to pasta salad. This was one of the better ones I have had. The penne pasta was seasoned well and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and sliced onions for an even more flavor boost. 

The pastrami sandwich at Gem Gourment is probably in my top ten pastrami sandwiches in OC, especially considering the relatively modest price compared to others on my list. The meatball sandwich could have been better, but if you are in the mood for one, this one will satisfy your craving. The sides were solid, and it's nice that they are included to round out your meal. I'll be trying the French Dip on my next visit here. Thanks for the tip about this spot Greg, and if you have any suggestions on places we should hit up, please let me know. 

Out of five Tanzanite gemstones (because this gem is the rarest and most expensive gem in the world today), five being best to zero being worst, Gem Gourmet Meats and Produce gets 3 Tanzanite gemstones.  

For more information about Gem Gourmet Meats and Produce, head to their website by clicking here:https://gemmeatsandproduce.com/