Puebla Tacos No. 3 Pasadena

Puebla Tacos III‎
2057 N Los Robles Ave
Pasadena, CA‎
(626) 296-3390‎

I believe this is the closest restaurant to our house. We could probably walk there,eat and walk back home comfortably. We haven't done that yet. But we have gotten their food to go several times. It's good!
They make chicken similar to El Pollo Loco. It is as good if not better and to boot, it doesn't glow yellow-orange. It's regular chicken-colored chicken.
Even better is their fresh salsa. It is not too oniony, something I appreciate. It isn't pureed or mashed up in anyway. You can see every single ingredient and everything is FRESH. Lots of tomatoes and just enough cilantro. I believe they make a mild as well as spicy version.
So far, so good. Now to the best thing I've tasted ANYWHERE in a long time: The Torta de Milanesa. A torta is Mexico's version of a sandwich. The difference is, the bread is not sliced, it's on a large oblong roll that is slightly crusty on the outside and very soft on the inside. And milanesa is the same as chicken fried steak or breaded thin steak. Puebla lightly grills the bread with a little butter, then there is mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion and the meat. I ordered mine without onion and added avocado but the torta is SO good it doesn't need the extra flavor from the avocado.
I remember my husband bringing home lunch last week and opening the styrofoam box to find a giant sandwich wrapped in yellow paper and thinking, "this looks ok, I guess." Then I took my first bite and said, "Whoa, this is so good!" Ask my husband, it's true! He got himself the Torta de Al Pastor (not sure if I said that right). Al Pastor is marinated pork, so it's very juicy, kinda saucy, like bbq. He contends the Al Pastor is better than the Milanesa but I am sticking with the Milanesa. Oh yeah, he went back and brought home the same thing for lunch the next day. Needless to say, I was not on my diet for the week of Christmas. Boy was it fun.
About the service at Puebla, it is professional and surprisingly fast. The restaurant is small but has about 10 tables inside and its clean. The parking situation is kind of a doozy as there is only one in-or-out driveway and the parking lot gets very narrow in front of Puebla. Only confident, skilled parkers should park in that area. The prices are alright, not the cheapest, pretty mid-range. They can accomodate very large orders and catering.
Go there. Bring me some salsa on your way home.

Everest Burger in Altadena

Everest Burger

2314 Lake Ave

Altadena, CA 91001

(626) 797-820

My husband brought home Everest burgers today with some fries and fried zucchini. He got the pastrami burger and I got the cheeseburger. I was really in the mood for one and I hardly ever eat them anymore, which might be why I have such high expectations.

The cheeseburger looked pretty good, except for the patty which was sadly anorexic. I liked the thousand island dressing on it. That makes it taste like a real old-fashioned burger. The bun didn't taste fresh. The burger was O.K. but not the grand feast of juicy charbroiledness I was anticipating.

The biggest disappointment was the fries. They're really thin-cut, which wouldn't be a bad thing except I couldn't taste anything but oil. They were bubbly, too. Maybe they were left overs and they refried them? Not good. Actually pretty bad.

My husband always gets their fried zucchini and thinks it is delicious. I disagree. Thank goodness it comes with ranch dressing. The batter is crunchy, which is good, but haven't they ever heard of spices? It has no flavor at all.

I didn't get to taste the pastrami burger but it looked good. It had the same thin patty as the cheeseburger and a nice healthy pile of pastrami. Hubby said, "Mmm" at least twice whilst munching his lunch.

I'm new to this area and would be very grateful if someone could point me in the direction of a better burger than Everest.

photo from flickr.com

B-Man's Teriyaki & Burgers Pasadena

B-Man's Teriyaki & Burgers
(626) 568-0386
3007 Huntington Dr
Pasadena, CA 91107

Arriving at this restaurant on the Northeast corner of Huntington and San Gabriel you'd think you were actually in ritzy San Marino but you're not. Though you can see the Welcome to San Marino sign accross the intersection, you're not there. You're in East Pasadena. The edge.

B-Man's became familiar to me after working next door to the establishment for a couple of years. It is always busy. The owner is almost always there, cooking and expediting orders. And for such a typical-looking fast food joint its menu offers more variety than you might expect.
B-Man's is known for its teriyaki and burgers but they also have curry fries, spam musubi and tofu skewers to name a few unexpected selections.

My last visit was in November 2008. My daughter and I shared chili fries with cheese (costs extra) and a combo bowl of teriyaki beef and chicken with avocado on top (also costs extra but definitely worth it). The chili is made with big chunks of chicken, a welcome healthy alternative to your normal beef chili. It has some kind of sweetness to it, like it's laced with their teriyaki sauce. I asked the manager if that's what's in it but he said it wasn't. Whatever it is, it is delicious. Their fries are thick,top-notch and go best with just some salt. I would say ordering them with chili and cheese is just going overboard but sometimes ya gotta splurge, right?

The combo bowl is huge. The teriyaki sauce has the perfect flavor and thick consistency I look for in fast food teriyaki. The chicken and beef are good quality, meaning, they leave out the gristle. They really pile it on, too. I get mine with avocado on top. To me the creaminess of the avocado dovetails perfectly with the other flavors in the bowl and I aim to get "the perfect bite" with each fork-full.

I did something different this time. I ordered the bowl with brown rice. I had never noticed it on the menu before that day and I can't tell you how happy it made me! I no longer have to feel guilty and/or cheat on my diet when I go there. Brown rice is in my diet but white rice is not. I wish more rice-y restaurants would offer brown rice. Thank you, B-Man's!

On previous visits I have had the Avocado & Sprouts Sandwich. It rivals their teriyaki, it is so good. And I'm a self-proclaimed carnivore! Even a meat eater like myself cannot resist crispy fresh produce on a soft french roll. Try it and don't hold the onions.

The prices at B-Man's could be lower. That is my only little complaint. It's not a big enough gripe that I won't go back. I've been back again and again. But I keep ordering the same thing! When I find a good thing I stick to it. I haven't even scratched the surface at B-Man's!