Rate-A-Restaurant #198: Blue Fish Sushi

Restaurant: Blue Fish

Location:2261 Honolulu Ave (Montrose)

Type of restaurant: Sushi

We stipulated: It was an overcast day, and we were looking to get out of the house — but not stray too far from Franklin Avenue HQ. Glendale’s Montrose district — particularly Honolulu Ave., which has been dubbed Glendale’s “Old Town,” is a nice stroll on a lazy afternoon. There’s bakeries, a kids’ bookstore, a good old fashioned toy store, coffee shops, etc. And restaurants. Maria had a craving for shrimp tempura — and we hadn’t done sushi in a while. Montrose has several low-cost sushi joints; Blue Fish is a tad pricier than those, but the ambience was probably worth a few extra bucks.

They stipulated: Blue Fish is semi-kid friendly, offering up two non-sushi alternatives for picky kids.

What we ordered: Shrimp tempura roll ($9.95); Dynamite (Baked scallops, lobster, mushrooms and onion on a California roll, $11.95); Spicy tuna rolls ($5.95); California roll ($5.95); Chicken teriyaki bowl for kids ($5.95)

High point: We liked the nice space, and appreciated the price, given the amount of food we received. And let’s face it, any sushi joint that’s also kid-friendly is OK by me. We’re not overly adventurous sushi orderers, since we’re (ahem) cheap — so we usually judge by the spicy tuna roll. And this one was pretty good.

Low point: We ordered way too much, as there was no guidance on the menu. And the Dynamite was way too goopy, unfortunately.

Overall impression: It’s strange that we keep over-ordering lately. We seem to always be assuming that we haven’t chosen enough food — and then we overcompensate. The waitress at Blue Fish didn’t help: When we were finished with our initial, and very large order, she asked us “Is that it?” — in a tone that made it sound like we hadn’t ordered nearly enough.

Chance we’ll go back: It could be a good, quickie way to get sushi when we’re feeling lazy but want to go out to a restaurant. But I don’t see it become one of our regular rotations.

For a complete list of our nearly 200 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #158 in a series

Restaurant: India’s Flavor

Location: 3303 N. Verdugo (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: Indian

We stipulated: For lunchtime on a semi-dreary Saturday, we wanted something warm and hearty, and not too far away. I decided to type “Glendale” into Chowhound to check out what everyone’s talking about at the moment. India’s Flavor came up a few times.

What we ordered: Chicken Tikka (tender boneless chicken breasts subtly marinated with yogurt spices and barbecued on skewers in tandoor, $10.95); Bengan Bhartha (a puree of tandoor baked eggplant, sauteed onions, fresh tomatoes and ginger, $7.95); plain naan (classic leavened bread made with white wheat flour and baked in the tandoor, $1.50).

High point: What a nice surprise. We’re constantly looking for decent Indian closeby, and there just aren’t many. The chicken tikka had a nice tang too it, without being too spicy. And the bhartha — the standard by which we judge all Indian eateries — was the best we’ve had in a long time.

Low point: The environment isn’t much; it’s pretty much what you’d expect for a small eatery found in a strip mall. More annoyingly, it was FREEZING in there.

Overall impression: We love neighborhood eateries that offer something special. No one’s going to say India’s Flavor reps the best Indian meal in L.A. But that’s not the point. It’s tasty food served by people who know your name. (As we dined, another family walked it, and was warmly welcomed.)

Chance we will go back: Definitely — not only is it in the Montrose portion of Glendale (our favorite Glendale spot) — but it’s by another one of our faves, La Cabanita.

For a complete list of our over 150 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

All I Want For Christmas Is A Play Figure In A Full-Body Cast

Here are a few real Playmobil toys we spotted at Tom’s Toys in Montrose the other week. Not sure they scream “fun,” but they definitely would make for some bizarre play sessions (imagine your toddler gently nursing his imaginary preemie baby back to health).

I’m not sure which is weirder: The seriously injured girl with multiple casts, or the premature baby stuck in an incubator.

She may be paralyzed from the waist down, but she still sports a smile!

Check out the facial expression on that evil nurse. Don’t trust her, Beardface!

Rate-A-Restaurant, #141 in a series

Restaurant: La Cabanita

Location: 3447 N Verdugo Rd., Glendale (Montrose)

Type of restaurant: Mexican

We stipulated: Exploring northeast Glendale (as we checked out the campus of Glendale Community College), we decided to keep driving north on Verdugo. We hit Montrose around lunchtime… and Maria remembered a friend raving about La Cabanita. It didn’t take much convincing; even if the food wasn’t going to be great, I could use a margarita.

What we ordered: I ordered the combination plate that included a chicken mole enchilada, a carnitas taco, rice and black beans. Maria got the frijolito enchilada; Evan, the chicken soup. And yes, I got that margarita, rocks and salt.

(Flickr pic by Ilpo’s Sojourn.)

High point: First off, what a straight-forward, neighborhoody, awesome place. The chicken mole deep, rich and hearty. The chicken soup, so good that I was stealing bites from my own son. Margarita, a little more average. But overall, the food is well worth driving up to Montrose (not a difficult thing to do if you’re in Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park, just hop on the 2. Westsiders, it’s still worth the trip). One of the area’s better Mexican restaurants.

Low point: The ambience is quite odd — from the outside, it looks dark and filled with atmosphere. Walk inside, and it’s bright and a little less special. But it doesn’t matter when you’re chowing on that chicken mole enchilada.

Overall impression: La Cabanita, we’ve lived so close to you for so long, yet it’s taken too many years to finally visit. That has changed.

Chance we will go back: Yup, we’ll definitely be back again soon.

(For our list of over 140 restaurants, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site here.)

Rate-A-Restaurant, #141 in a series

Restaurant: La Cabanita

Location: 3447 N Verdugo Rd., Glendale (Montrose)

Type of restaurant: Mexican

We stipulated: Exploring northeast Glendale (as we checked out the campus of Glendale Community College), we decided to keep driving north on Verdugo. We hit Montrose around lunchtime… and Maria remembered a friend raving about La Cabanita. It didn’t take much convincing; even if the food wasn’t going to be great, I could use a margarita.

What we ordered: I ordered the combination plate that included a chicken mole enchilada, a carnitas taco, rice and black beans. Maria got the frijolito enchilada; Evan, the chicken soup. And yes, I got that margarita, rocks and salt.

(Flickr pic by Ilpo’s Sojourn.)

High point: First off, what a straight-forward, neighborhoody, awesome place. The chicken mole deep, rich and hearty. The chicken soup, so good that I was stealing bites from my own son. Margarita, a little more average. But overall, the food is well worth driving up to Montrose (not a difficult thing to do if you’re in Los Feliz/Silver Lake/Echo Park, just hop on the 2. Westsiders, it’s still worth the trip). One of the area’s better Mexican restaurants.

Low point: The ambience is quite odd — from the outside, it looks dark and filled with atmosphere. Walk inside, and it’s bright and a little less special. But it doesn’t matter when you’re chowing on that chicken mole enchilada.

Overall impression: La Cabanita, we’ve lived so close to you for so long, yet it’s taken too many years to finally visit. That has changed.

Chance we will go back: Yup, we’ll definitely be back again soon.

(For our list of over 140 restaurants, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site here.)

Blogger Toddler and the Broken Ceramic Horse Wolf

Of all the things in the world for Evan to break in a story, it had to be this thing. An incredibly ugly, blue, paint-splattered (’80s style!) ceramic horse wolf. That costs, believe it or not, $18.99.

My big mistake: Taking Evan inside that crappy Critters store in Montrose. Blogger Toddler loves riding the mechanical horse and race car in front of the shop — and at 25 cents, they’re the best deal on store amusement rides around.

But this time, we ventured inside. It’s truly a collection of the kind of ugly tsotchkes like, well, a blue, paint-splattered ceramic horse. Evan grabbed three or four animals, and started galloping them on the floor before I had a chance to stop him. Then, as I told him to stop, he hit one hard on the floor.

You guess it — the blue, paint-splattered one. The foot came off.

I thought fast. And I know some of you are gonna judge, so go ahead, judge. But I put it back on the shelf and hoped no one would see.

Don’t worry, the fates intervened. And indeed, the Critters clerk did see. And demanded that I come over to the register, where she scolded me for trying to hide the evidence.

$20 later, I’m now the proud owner of a blue, paint-splattered ceramic horse wolf. It’s already the front runner for this year’s Christmas white elephant gift.

As for Critters, they shouldn’t be too upset. Yeah, that was pretty rude of me. But they ultimately sold a crappy $20 trinket they would have never sold otherwise! (Considering its a store geared in part toward kids, why put such fragile and crappy stuff so close to the ground anyway? If I were a conspiracy theorist, I’d argue they want toddlers to come in and break the otherwise unsaleable crap!)

Mirthala Salinas: The Younger, Short-Haired, Mexican Restaurant-Eating Days

What once was just another headshot from another random local TV news personality is suddenly a collectors’ item! Here, a younger Mirthala — now Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s honey — resides on the wall of La Cabanita restaurant in Montrose.

The Best Mechanical Kiddie Ride in Town… and One of the Worst

Speaking of Target (see the post below), one of the reasons why we dread the Eagle Rock location is the collection of kiddie rides in the Eagle Rock Plaza right outside the indoor downstairs Target entrance. The rides are expensive, short and don’t do much. Yet Evan gets excited whenever we mention Target, because he knows he’s about to climb aboard the Bob the Builder ride.

“Bob the Builder! Bob the Builder!” he shrieked over and over again this afternoon, as we hit both Target and Seafood City inside the mall. The ride ain’t that great. The Bob song pops on (Evan knows all the words) and the tractor he climbs into gently sways from side to side. Granted, that’s a roller coaster ride for a 2-year-old. But I know there are better rides out there.

For my money — literally — I’ll take the horse and the race car outside Critters in Montrose (see above). The rides are both just a quarter, and last a long time. They’re even photo op friendly.

Those rides are just two of the reasons Honolulu Ave. in Montrose is one of the most kid-friendly streets in the region. (Get ready for a future post as we dive deeper into that topic — I’ve already written extensively about the corner of Colorado and Eagle Rock Blvds. in Eagle Rock).

We were in Montrose on Saturday to meet some friends at Zeke’s… and also walked around the neighborhood’s annual crafts festival. I must admit, it was pretty disappointing. The crafts were only so-so — we personally like the Farmers’ Market, usually held on the street on Sundays. The Farmers’ Market offers a better and more interesting mix of businesses.

But either way, Evan rode the mechanical horse twice — and the race car once. For him, it was a great day.