The Good and The Bad

That last couple of years we have not been focusing on restaurant reviews as much as we did in the beginning.  Surprise, surprise, I have two for you today.  This is for the Los Angeles Folks as both are in the LA area. 

I'll get the first out of the way, since it was a disappointment. The new Cafe 50's on Ventura has all the potential for a family favorite.  Diner style food in a kitschy atmosphere, friendly attentive waitstaff, reasonable prices, what's not to like?  The food, mainly.  Cafe 50's has never blown me away, but when they were on Van Nuys, I could always count on a fair bit of American fare, but the meal I had last week was really bland.  I had the chili. I am not one for a super spicy chili, but this was ridiculous, it tasted like spices had never come near the pot.  The meals my compatriots had were no more impressive. 

I rarely give bad reviews, but in this case it is more of an intervention, I really like this place and want to see it thrive. Cafe 50's has been a long time Valley staple. The new location is so inviting and clean; it would be sad for its improved location to languish because of the quality of the food.  Step it up chefs, you have the potential for a classic.

Cafe 50's 
15045 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

The next review is for something much more pleasing to the palate.  I had a terrific meal at The Curry House on Sawtelle in West LA.  It has been years since I've gone to a Japanese curry house, but ever since the chicken curry on top of spaghetti, I have been craving a another trip.  There is a rich complex flavor to everything tasted which also included the salad dressing and the Curry Pan, a fried dough wrapped  around curried meat and veggies.

If you have never tried Japanese curry, it is much more mild than an Indian curry, so if you like it hot, order it one or two steps above what you would normally get.  I highly recommend an excursion to one of the many locations of the Curry House.  The Sawtelle location of Curry House can be found on the Family of Food Map, at the link below.

Curry House
2130 Sawtelle Blvd # 200
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-8477