No Chance of Ending Up in the Doghouse After Eating Here

Dog Haus

105 N. Hill Ave. #104

Pasadena, CA 91106

Now that I'm engaged, there's so much stuff to do. For the most part, I leave almost everything up to Katie and her family. Not that I don't care about stuff, but I'd just assume get married at the courthouse, or Vegas, but those ideas did not fly. So here we are having a large wedding, and getting farther and farther behind in planning it. My job right now for the most part has been to ask my five friends to be my groomsmen. I'm doing this all in person, so that's what brought us up to Pasadena on this afternoon.

The friend that I have known the longest, since kindergarten, is Ed, and he recently moved back here from the East Coast. I'm really glad he's a lot closer, but I'm also glad he moved to Pasadena, which has some pretty good restaurants. Might as well get some blogging done while we are up here, right? I had never heard of Dog Haus before, but they started following me on Twitter a few months ago, and it piqued my interest. After checking out their website, I liked what I saw, and I knew we would hit this restaurant up eventually, and that time is now.

Dog Haus first opened in Pasadena in 2010, and just four years later they now have four locations running, with four more coming soon, including one in our own backyard, at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana. From what I can gather, a group of three friends opened this place, which offers 100 percent all-beef skinless hot dogs, sausages, and black Angus burgers all served on King's Hawaiian rolls. They have a very aggressive franchise plan with 51 planned locations on the horizon, with some of those being in Utah and Colorado. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to eat here, and I guess to also ask Ed to be in my wedding. Let's see how everything worked out for us at Dog Haus.

We'll start with the man of the hour, Ed. He's a pretty light eater, so he just had the Frickin Chicken ($6.99). This was off of their sausage portion of the menu. This starts with chicken sausage, house-made marinara, melted mozzarella, and a basil leaf, which you can not see in this picture. Kind of an Italian sausage sandwich feels to it. Ed liked this sausage and finished it with no problem.

Dog Haus has a great option for those that do not want a full-sized hot dog, like Katie. This Hot Dog Slider ($1.69) was about a fourth of the regular size and topped with cheese sauce and bacon. Of course, this is not for everyone, as I could have finished this all in one bite, but Katie was happy with this slider.

Not the most photogenic burger shot of all time, Katie's main meal was this Little Mule Burger ($6.99). This burger comes on a King's Hawaiian Bread bun, then is topped with a fried egg, pepper jack cheese, tomatillo sauce, cilantro aioli, and sliced avocado. Usually, Katie likes a simpler burger, and she liked this burger but felt it was a little too rich. The beef got a little lost here with all of these toppings. The Hawaiian roll bun was a real highlight for Katie. She'd definitely go with a simpler burger on her next visit to Dog Haus.

Katie must have been real hungry on this afternoon, as she also had these Cheese Fries ($2.99). The fries here were just okay, and I was not really a big fan of their cheese sauce. It was a little too runny, and I'd rather have grated cheese melted on top of my fries. Not my favorite side item at Dog Haus.

These Tater Tots ($1.99) were much more to my liking. Tater tots always remind me of being a kid and having these at school. These were way better than the soggy ones we had in our school cafeteria. They had a good crunch to the outside, and the soft potato inside made these a winner. Hopefully, tater tots are making a comeback and will be featured on more menus.

I admit that I went a little overboard here, because I did not know when I was going to come back, and there were so many things I wanted to try on their menu. The first of my three things to have was this Little Leaguer Hot Dog ($5.99). Kind of like a Frito pie on a hot dog. The all-beef hot dog is topped with chili, shredded cheddar cheese, onion, and Frito's. This hot dog was pretty killer. The chili was good, but not a spicy chili. Good consistency, it added some moisture to this. I kind of missed the snap of the hot dog, but with everything else going on here, it made up for it. I also appreciated that the bun was toasted. Really a solid chili cheese dog.

In retrospect, I should have probably tried one of their sausages, but this Old Town Dog ($5.99) really caught my attention. It starts with a bacon-wrapped hot dog, then caramelized onions, sauteed jalapenos, chipotle mayo, and cotija cheese are added. Really big flavors here. The bacon-wrapped hot dog added a salty element, while the jalapenos and mayo added a bit of spice. The sweetness of the onion tried to balance things out. A good hot dog, but a little overshadowed by the toppings.

The last of my Dog Haus trifecta was the Holy Aioli Burger ($6.99). Now, this was a rich burger. Smoked bacon, white American cheese, caramelized onions, and just for good measure, some garlic aioli is included. A really strong burger. I liked the meatiness of the beef, the aioli was not slathered on, but there was enough of it on there that you could taste it, and the sweet bun helped break up the saltiness a bit.

Needless to say, I was pretty happy that Dog Haus started following me on Twitter, because it got me in here to try them out, and learn that they are coming to OC soon. I liked everything I had, even though I kind of overindulging. When they open up closer to us, I will have a little more self-control. I felt that the toppings on the hot dogs overshadowed the hot dog itself, and I think I might have even enjoyed their burgers a little bit better than their hot dogs. This is more of a casual spot, so service was not an issue, but it did take a while for the food to get ready, but that just insured that it was freshly made. Can't wait for Dog Haus to open at Main Place, it will help fill the void of the departure of Pee Wee's Hot Dogs and Game Day Hot Dogs in Orange, which both shuttered last year. Oh yeah, and for the record, Ed said yes to being in my wedding, so, that's one thing I can cross off of my list, so now we're making progress.

Out of five huskies, (because my beloved University of Washington Huskies has played in the Rose Bowl more than any other college that has a dog mascot), five being best to zero being worst, Dog Haus gets 3.5 huskies.

For more information about Dog Haus, go to their website here: https://doghaus.com/index.html

Going Old School at Pie 'N Burger

Pie 'N Burger 

913 E. California Blvd. 

Pasadena, CA 91106

Well it was another trip up to Katie's grandfather's house in Sunland. This time we would be having a garage sale to get rid of all his junk, oh sorry, I mean stuff. I am no fan of garage sales. I'm not too keen with the idea of people picking through your stuff, trying to get things for pennies on the dollar. I had a lady ask me how much a working wall clock was, and when I replied that it was a dollar, she shrugged her shoulders, and said it was too much. This is the kind of people we had to deal with all day. So when it was time to wrap up everything, and put a "free" sign on everything left, I was pretty hungry. Katie had promised to take me anywhere I wanted, so I made her take me to Pie "N Burger.

Pie 'N Burger is pretty much a Pasadena institution. They have been in business for 51 years, in this same location, just south of Lake, on California. Michael Osborn is the current owner of the place, and he started eating here as a nine year old boy, and started working at Pie "N Burger in 1972. It seems to be a theme here, as many of the employees have been here for as long as the customers can remember. There's a waitress that has been here since they opened, and they have had the same baker since 1971. Much like the people, not much has changed at Pie "N Burger, so I had a feeling we were in for a treat.

We got to Pie "N Burger just after three on a recent Saturday. There was a wait for the few tables that they have, but we got seated at their very long counter right away. A lot of people don't like sitting at the counter, but it was fun watching all of the employees getting the food out. The decor here is minimal. Wood paneling, many awards framed on the walls, and the infamous, and comfortable swivel chairs at the counter are all part of the old time feel here. The menu here is not going to blow you away with its diversity. They have a couple of daily specials, sandwiches, salads, and of course their legendary burger. We put in our order and out came our food in a timely manner.

Katie started things off for us with Pie 'N Burger's legendary Cheeseburger ($10.25 with a side). The burgers here come with a house made thousand island dressing, thick cut pickles, and lettuce, all on a toasted bun. This simple burger blew us away. It was clean tasting, the meat was really juicy, and the thousand island was one of the best ones I have had. This burger kind of reminded me of what Knowlwood's used to be like when I was a kid. I actually was sad I did not get this burger, but Katie did offer me two bites of it, such a giver. She opted for the potato salad as her side item. This was a pretty good version texture wise, as there were some decent chunks to it, but the flavor was a little too subtle for me. Katie liked the simplicity of it though.

Since Katie had gotten the burger, I went for what I thought would be the next best thing, the Patty Melt ($9.90). This was a traditional patty melt served on rye bread, with plenty of grilled onions and cheese inside. Not overly big, but the same great meat that was evident in the burger, was also on display on this patty melt. I wish the burger would have been equally split, as half of my sandwich was more melt, than patty. The fries here were nothing special, except that they reminded me of the ones at Bob's Big Boy.

Now let's talk about something that was pretty special, the pie at Pie 'N Burger. Most days they offer just under 20 different kinds of pie, all made early each morning. Katie went with a slice of Dutch Apple ($3.85 plus $1.75 for a generous scoop of ice cream). Quite simply, this was one of the most memorable pieces of pie we have had during the run of this blog. The crust was a great vessel for the nicely spiced, but not overly sweet apples. The crumb topping added just the right amount of crunch, and I was very pleased with the amount of ice cream served with this. This pie really rivaled the one we had at the Pie Hole awhile back. Well worth the trip.

I'm always a sucker for chocolate cream pies, but they only offered Chocolate Meringue ($3.85), so that is what I ordered for dessert here. I'm not usually a big fan of meringue, but this one did not get too much in the way of the very good chocolate cream underneath it. The chocolate was rich, but still light at the same time. A very hard balance to achieve. The crust held firm from the first bite to the last. Even though I really liked this pie, I would definitely have to go for the dutch apple on my next visit here.

Pie 'N Burger is worthy of all the hype that it receives. They are a traditional burger diner, doing things the way they have done them for decades, and they are not going to stop anytime soon. This is the same kind of burger that you can imagine your grandparents eating back in the day. A simple burger, where you do not even miss the inclusion of your beloved bacon. The pie is right up there with some of the best we have had. The only problem is that with so many different kinds, it's hard to choose which one to try. The service we experienced was spot on. The girl taking our order was very attentive, and filled our drinks regularly. Of course there was no getting away from us, as were sitting at the counter. Eating at Pie 'N Burger almost made it worth it to deal with all of those garage sale freaks. Almost.

Out of five Nobel Prize medals, (because this restaurant is a few blocks away from Cal Tech, which boasts 33 Nobel Prize winners from their alumni), five being best, to zero being worst, Pie 'N Burger gets 3.5 Nobel Prize medals.

For more information about Pie 'N Burger, go to their website here: http://pienburger.com/

Football Frenzy #7 Barney's Beanery

Barney's Beanery

99 East Colorado Blvd.

Pasadena, CA 91105

I know football season has been going on for awhile now, but we have not really gone anywhere new to watch the games. We have been lazy on Sundays, going to friends houses to watch, or maybe the real reason we have not done a football post this year yet is because my team has already thrown in the towel, and it is really painful to watch how bad they are. This particular Sunday we could not be lazy though. We were up in Pasadena for an event, so we took this opportunity to try one of the local favorites in the area to watch football, Barney's Beanery.

Barney's is older than dirt. The restaurant has been around since 1920, making this a local legend. It opened as a restaurant on historic Route 66, serving road weary travelers. Since that time Barney's has had a very colorful history. Janis Joplin had her last drink here, before her death, Jim Morrison got kicked out of the bar after urinating on it, and Quentin Tarantino wrote much of the movie, Pulp Fiction in one of his favorite booths.

Barney's Beanery now has five locations, all in LA county. I had never been to a Barney's before. The Pasadena location has a festive vibe to it, even early on this particular Sunday. Colored lights are all over, license plates hang everywhere, and the walls look like they could double for a garage sale with all of the stuff hanging on them. The best part of the decor though, were the TVs that were on every table. These could be tuned to any game that you wanted to watch, you could also flip channels as often as you would like. One of the best setups we have come across for watching football, but what about the food?

Starting off the eating festivities is Katie's choice, the French Toast with bacon and eggs. This breakfast platter  did little to win Katie's heart. She called this breakfast plate, "average, and nothing special". The French toast was a little too soggy for her, and the bacon was on the fatty side.

I went south of the border for my breakfast selection, the Machaca and Eggs. Three eggs mixed with shredded beef, onions, peppers, and cilantro, then topped with cheese sounds like a winning combination, but this plate was bland. Even the refried beans were pretty plain tasting. This dish was helped by hot sauce, but not enough to make it more than mediocre.

After our breakfast, we also ordered the Sweet and Spicy Asian Style Chicken Wings. These were served with a cucumber salad. The sauce had a good flavor, but the wings were lacking in the meat department. The price for these wings were a little on the high side. We got about ten wings, and that put the price per wing at just over a dollar a wing, not such a great deal.

I liked the atmosphere at Barney's Beanery way better than the food. The menu here is overwhelmingly big, so we might not have gotten the right things off of it. I should have skipped the breakfast, and maybe gone for their famous chili, or a burger. Barney's was not very boisterous for football, maybe that was because everyone had their own TVs at their own table. The place filled up rather quickly, so make sure you get here early enough to get a seat. The service was attentive, which can sometimes be a challenge during the three hour game. True to form my team lost while I was watching the game here, but I will not hold that against Barney's.

Out of five dinosaurs, (because who really can not hear the name Barney, and not think of that big purple guy?), five being best to zero being worst, Barney's Beanery gets 2 dinosaurs.

For more information on Barney's click here: http://barneysbeanery.com/index.php

Searching For the Best Breakfast Burrito!

Lucky Boy Drive-In Restaurant

640 S. Arroyo Pkwy

Pasadena, CA 91105

Breakfast burritos. I dream about them every morning. I know I should be working, but I can not get the thought of them out of my head. It has occurred to me that I live in an area devoid of great breakfast burritos. I have found passable ones, decent ones, and ones that I would not consider ever eating again. I just have not found one that has that WOW factor. That is until now.

I present to you Lucky Boy in Pasadena. I had heard about this place from my friend, Mike at work. He definitely knows food, and we have similar tastes when it comes to it. I had heard him mention this place before with such conviction that this was the best burrito he has ever had, so I put this on my list of places to try.

The perfect opportunity to swing by Lucky Boy was a night Katie and I were headed up to Burbank for an engagement party. We put the engagement party on hold, got off the freeway, and thanks to our GPS hopefully found our breakfast burrito bliss. Lucky Boy is a burger stand that appears to serve a little bit of everything you would expect, pastrami sandwiches, fish and chips, burgers, and chili fries. All of these sounded great, but we were here for one reason, and one reason only, breakfast burritos. They serve breakfast from 6 to 10:30 am, but the breakfast burrito is served all day long. Let's take a look at one.

Behold the power of the burrito. It looks heavy just sitting there. The burrito probably weighed in at about three quarters of a pound or more. I liked the grill marks on the tortilla. So what about the inside you ask, let's delve deeper into the burrito.

Yes, this burrito is definitely worth two pictures. Whole strips of bacon resting along side grated cheese, eggs, and very smooth potatoes. In fact it is very rare that bacon gets moved out of the spotlight, but these potatoes did that. They almost tasted like the inside of a twice baked potato. It had the right amount of potato to meat ratio, that many restaurants can get wrong. My only complaint about this was that there was not enough egg. Maybe with all of the other big flavors going on here it got lost in the shuffle. The green sauce that was served with this, added just enough flavor to remind you that you were eating a burrito.

So now I ask any of you out there, where can I find a great breakfast burrito in the OC? I know there has to be a place that I have missed, or at least I am hoping that I have just missed it because, I do not want to move up the 210 freeway to Pasadena.

Out of five leprechaun's, (because they are definitely lucky), five being best to zero being worst, Lucky Boy Drive-In receives 3.5 leprechaun's.

For more information on Lucky Boy, click here: http://www.luckyboyburgers.com/