Rate-A-Restaurant #195: Pann’s

Restaurant: Pann’s

Location: 6710 LaTijera Blvd. (Ladera Heights)

Type of restaurant: Diner

We stipulated: After a quick trip to see my family — and celebrate my Dad’s 60th — I flew back into LAX on the Monday morning following Christmas. Maria and Blogger Preschooler were there to pick me up — and our thoughts immediately turned to a late breakfast. I’ve been wanting to try Pann’s for years — having passed by it on past trips to the airport. I pushed hard — but it didn’t take much to convince the BP, once I mentioned pancakes.

They stipulated: Besides its Googie architecture, Pann’s is known for its biscuits. Baked fresh every 15 minutes, the biscuits — named the best in L.A. last year by Los Angeles Magazine — are popular enough that Pann’s is starting to sell them throughout the day.

What we ordered: Fried chicken wings (4) with biscuits, $9.95; “Good Morning Special”: Two Extra Large Fresh Ranch Eggs, with three bacon strips and biscuits, $8.15; kids’ pancakes.

High point: The biscuits were, indeed, pretty damn good. The people — both the employees and the other patrons — were friendly. And the Googie style building cool inside.

Low point: The place was so packed — it was the holiday week, after all — that we settled for the covered patio seating. So we didn’t quite get the full experience.

Overall impression: When it comes to classic diners, this is the real deal. It’s not cheesy, or living in the past. It’s a living, breathing diner with a large menu and an active clientele. That’s exciting.

Chance we’ll go back: We don’t make it out to that part of town too often, so there’d have to be a reason. Future LAX run?

For a complete list of our more than 190 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

FlyAway For a Few Bucks More

Our favorite way to hit LAX — when we don’t feel like plopping down $10/day (if we’re lucky) for parking or $65 for a taxi (don’t even mention the SuperShuttle, too many bad experiences) — has become the FlyAway bus at Union Station.

According to Zach Behrens over at LAist, that’s about to get a tad more pricey:

LA Board of Airport Commissioners today were scheduled to vote on increasing FlyAway fares a couple of dollars. Citing rising fuel costs, Van Nuys and Union Station routes increased from $4 to $6 and Westwood from $4 to $5 beginning Jan. 1, 2009. The board also voted a new discount fare of $4 for persons age 65 or over, disabled, or on Medicare (proof must be shown).

Hey, it’s still an economic alternative (just make sure someone drops you off at the station, or if you’re lucky enough to be Gold or Red Line adjacent, you know what to do — or suddenly it’s a lot less economic). For Blogger Preschooler, the bus ride is just as exciting (if not more so) than the plane ride. For me, it’s a chance to get a great glimpse of the city from a high vantage point on the 110, something I can’t normally do while driving.

Maria’s Thursday Three

Shell, Glendale, 1927. Photograph by Edward Weston. (From huntington.org.)

1. Must See: A tribute to the work of world-renowned photographer Edward Weston at the Glendale Central Library next Thursday, September 27, at 7 pm. There will be a film about Weston’s life and work and this event, sponsored by the Glendale Historical Society and the Friends of the Glendale Public Library, is free. The Glendale connection? Weston opened his first photography studio on Brand Boulevard in 1911.

2. The Hollywood Bowl, still a really good thing to do in Los Angeles. You don’t even need to get the pricier box seats, it’s pretty fun in the nosebleed section. Bring a great picnic, some wine and don’t forget dessert. With the stars above and the performance below, I still marvel at the experience everytime I’m there. Too bad Mike is hatin’ on Rufus.

3. We recently tried the Flyaway Bus from Union Station to LAX and the ride went pretty smooth as a good alternative way to get to the airport. Just don’t stand in the wrong area at LAX when you’re trying to catch it back to Union Station ’cause you’ll be very sad when it ignores you… waiting there for a half-hour… with your bags… and a toddler who was a good sport about it. So sad. Also, please note that the buses are located at the very back of Union Station so have your friend or the taxi drop you off there instead of you having to lug everything back there.

Maria’s Thursday Three

Shell, Glendale, 1927. Photograph by Edward Weston. (From huntington.org.)

1. Must See: A tribute to the work of world-renowned photographer Edward Weston at the Glendale Central Library next Thursday, September 27, at 7 pm. There will be a film about Weston’s life and work and this event, sponsored by the Glendale Historical Society and the Friends of the Glendale Public Library, is free. The Glendale connection? Weston opened his first photography studio on Brand Boulevard in 1911.

2. The Hollywood Bowl, still a really good thing to do in Los Angeles. You don’t even need to get the pricier box seats, it’s pretty fun in the nosebleed section. Bring a great picnic, some wine and don’t forget dessert. With the stars above and the performance below, I still marvel at the experience everytime I’m there. Too bad Mike is hatin’ on Rufus.

3. We recently tried the Flyaway Bus from Union Station to LAX and the ride went pretty smooth as a good alternative way to get to the airport. Just don’t stand in the wrong area at LAX when you’re trying to catch it back to Union Station ’cause you’ll be very sad when it ignores you… waiting there for a half-hour… with your bags… and a toddler who was a good sport about it. So sad. Also, please note that the buses are located at the very back of Union Station so have your friend or the taxi drop you off there instead of you having to lug everything back there.

Superjumbo Makes a Super Splash

The mega-sized Airbus A380 — the largest passenger airliner in the world (beating out the Boeing 747) — makes its inaugural landing in Los Angeles on Monday morning.

So far no U.S. passenger carrier has purchased the plane, which can hold 555 passengers — or, holy crap, 853 people, if entirely in economy class mode.

Qantas is conducting the test, in conjunction with LA World Airports and Airbus, to “test airport function and compatibility in anticipation of Qantas’ A380 passenger service at LAX, which is scheduled to begin in 2008,” according to this press release.

The landing will take place Monday at 9:30 a.m. on Runway 24R; another A380 is also slated to land at JFK in New York the same day.

Will Campbell writes at blogging.la that he plans to wing it over to LAX on Monday morning to witness the A380′s U.S. debut:

I’m usually not one to get all ga-ga over stuff like this, but in this case I’m actually uber-goober enough to plan on being stationed on a small knoll along Sepulveda, the better for the thing to pass a hundred feet or so directly over my head on its way to landing on Runway 24R…

The Airbus 380 has a wingspan of 261 feet and a length of 239 feet. The phrase “big ass jet airliner” comes to mind, and just I can’t shake the urge I have to see her come to town.

A ceremony will follow the landing — featuring speeches from the likes of Mayor Villaraigosa. The A380 will then depart on Tuesday morning.

Southern California, Home to Two of the Nation’s Most Dangeous Airports

Congrats to Los Angeles International, named fifth-most dangerous airport in the country, according to Forbes.com research.

Even more dangerous: Long Beach/Daugherty Field. TravelMole covers the Forbes story:

(Ranked first,) North Las Vegas, known as Northtown, had 63 runway incursions since 2001 resulting in six deaths. It is followed in the rankings by Long Beach/Dougherty Field, the scene of 78 incidents and no fatalities. In these cases, it was congestion and high flight volumes that led to the large numbers, said the report.

Busy Los Angeles International reported 95 serious incidents or collisions since 2001, giving it a No. 5 ranking on the list. The nation’s fourth busiest airport had 128 runway incidents since 1997.

The Forbes article notes that travelers face more danger on the ground than on the air. Forbes.com editors examined 452 airports the size of the facility, the numbers of takeoffs and landings, and the severity of the incidents as categorized by the FAA.