Barb's Philly Cheesesteak

I saw a groupon for Barb's Philly Cheesesteak in Tarzana. The deal was $12 for two cheesesteaks with fries, two side items, two drinks, and two desserts of the day. Quite the deal, and it sounded good to me!

My good friend Leigha and I set off for Barb's and we made sure we were starving, since we were planning on chunking out, as my buddy Dave says.

Out front there was a little sign to advertise:

I'm guessing that they are fairly new, because the inside was pretty plain and not much was up in the way of decorations.

We presented our groupon and ordered our steaks. Leigha got her's plain with provolone. I got mine with peppers, onions and mushrooms. I remember thinking they did not have many cheese options, but I should have written it down, because now I can't remember exactly what those cheese options are. I believe it was only wiz or provolone. How do you not offer American cheese? Leigha ordered coleslaw for her side item, so I got the potato salad.

Our food came out quickly. I noticed right away on Leigha's steak that the cheese seemed very separate from the meat, like perhaps they just placed it on the roll?

Leigha said that there was way too much bread, not to mention that the bread wasn't very good. I also was not crazy about the bread.

We both thought that the meat had too much seasoning, almost too salty. The veggies on my steak somehow weren't that great...they didn't blend well with the meat and cheese, and the peppers seemed slightly undercooked.

I also thought that the meat was burnt and a tad dry. The wasn't enough cheese, and it didn't get very melty.

Leigha didn't like her coleslaw, she felt like it may have been old. My potato salad was just ok.

After I finished the first half of my sandwich, I honestly didn't care if I ate the second half or not. Leigha said she only ate all of her's because she was starving. We had pretty high hopes, but in the end felt disappointed.

Dessert came, and the dessert of the day was chocolate cupcakes that they made there. They were delicious! The highlight of the meal! They were moist and fluffy and we both devoured them.

This is another one of those situations when Leigha and I feel guilty for not liking the place, because the family running it was so nice. They also seemed so concerned that were enjoying our meals, and really wanted us to have a good experience. They asked a few times if everything was good, and we lied and said yes. What else do you do in that situation? I really can't stress enough how kind they were. I always wish I offer a little advice, but would never want someone to be insulted by it or take it the wrong way. I am curious to know why they chose Philly cheesesteaks as their business, but I hope that they continue to improve. I really hope that they are successful!

Barb's Philly Cheesesteak

18612 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, CA 91356

818-343-1818

OC Grill, Honda Center

So my home girl Maria and I set off to see the Flyers take on the Ducks.

We got our grub at the OC Grill.

I of course got the cheesesteak, Maria ordered a sausage sandwich. Of course the prices are ridiculous.

I looked over the counter and saw a vat of cheesewiz, and meat being prepared on the grill.

The wiz was placed on the roll, not my preferance but at least then its not too messy. The onions and bell peppers good, but didn't seem to blend with the steak so well. The meat was in large chunks, and not that good. Maria and I thought the bread was tasty, but I do feel that it was a roll more suited for sausage sandwiches. Maria enjoyed her sausage sandwich, I thought my cheesesteak was just a typical overpriced not that great stadium sandwich, definitely not worth the money. I would probably skip it next time and try something else.

The fries were so good and crispy and right out of the fryer. I said if I even dropped one I would be sad. So of course when I get to my seat I dump them on this guy in front of me:

Being a fellow Philly fan, he was cool about it. The guy next to me remarked how ironic it was that I got all the way around the stadium, and up to the very top without dropping a single fry, but then do it when I get to my seat. I know right?

We had a thrilling victory...Flyers were down 3-0 and came back to win 4-3 in overtime! The perfect end to a great night!

I dropped Maria off and right outside of her neighborhood I saw a steak place called Philadelphia Sanwiches. What what? Any connection to the one on Magnolia? To be continued...

Honda Center

2695 East Katella Ave.

Anaheim, CA 92806

714-704-2400

Harvey's Sandwich Shop

My buddy Chris and I set out for another cheesesteak. This time we decided to check out Harvey's Sandwich Shop.

Inside it was very tiny, but cute.

There was a nice little condiment station with peppers, pickles and sauces, and I actually thought the pickles were really good!

We both ordered the cheesesteak combo. I got mine with onions, Chris got his without. They serve their steaks with mayo, but we both skipped it.

The cheesesteaks came up pretty quick. The rolls were wide and flat, again, not what I am used to. But at least it held the steak pretty well. I noticed right away that the cheese was just thrown on the roll. Fortunately, most of the cheese melted.

Chris liked that the inside of the roll was toasted, he agreed that it was different, but he enjoyed it. His biggest issue was that there was not enough meat in his sandwich.

I felt like I had a decent amount of meat, and the onions were chopped and cooked well. There may have actually been more onions than meat. The meat wasn't bland, and actually had a good amount of pepper, it maybe could have used just a pinch more of salt.

We both thought that the fries were decent, and the steaks were alright. I don't think I would go back and go out of my way to eat a cheesesteak at Harvey's, but it certainly wasn't the worst that I have had. I might go back and try something else there if I happen to be in the neighborhood.

Harvey's Sandwich Shop

3503 Motor Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90034

310-558-7070

The Bazaar

Who say's cheesesteaks can't be fancy?

Sometimes, you just have to treat yourself to a really nice meal. And as Maria says, "Why work so hard if I can't eat some expensive ass food?" Maria, Chris and I decided to go the The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel to have their version of a cheesesteak. I have been to The Bazaar once before, and was excited for them to experience it.

When you first walk in, there is a lot to take in. There are a number of different rooms to sit in; one room is designated for desserts only. We were seated in a big room that I had not seen before, and there were chefs right behind our table!

The Bazaar serves tapas, and I always think the best way is to get a bunch of things and share. We had too many things for me to go into great detail about every single one, but know this: every single dish is extraordinary and packed with flavor.

Here are some of the delicious cocktails we enjoyed:

And here are some of the scrumptious dishes we had:

Sweet potato chips with a yogurt tamarind dipping sauce.

Eggplant Tempura with a foam dipping sauce.

Gazpacho made out of tomato, cucumber, sherry vinegar, and topped with little croutons. This is one of my favorite things at The Bazaar. I would go back just for this gazpacho! It is flavorful and refreshing.

Cauliflower "couscous" made out of cauliflower puree with crispy quinoa and pomegranate seeds.

Seared scallops. This was the one thing that we all agreed wasn't worth the price, and we wouldn't order again. There wasn't anything special about this dish, and one of the scallops actually seemed a bit raw.

Salty potatoes with a yummy green dipping sauce.

This is pork sausage with white means and mushrooms. I thought it was very good, but also surprisingly salty. Almost a bit too salty.

Grilled beef hanger steak with piquillo pepper confit. Chris and Maria said this was one of their favorites.

And now for the main course...

Their "Philly cheesesteak" is made out of air bread with Wagyu beef carpaccio on top. I also ordered a "hilly cheesesteak" which has thinly sliced mushrooms instead of beef.

The air bread is hollow, and when you bite into it, out rushes hot, melty cheddar cheese, which gives you a surprising burst of flavor.

The beef was tender and seasoned perfectly, and I have to say, the hilly cheesesteak was just as satisfying, I was really impressed!

Dessert time!! Our waitress escorted us to the dessert room, which is really quite beautiful. There is a whole area where you can walk up and pick out cookies and candies and order desserts to go.

Here is what we had:

Hot chocolate mousse with hazelnuts and pear sorbet.

I honestly can't remember what this is...Chris thinks its basically an expensive twinkie.

Salted caramels.

Chocolate pop rocks.

Chocolate pop rocks to go. I was nice and took them home to my roomie.

We ended up doing some serious damage:

If we decided to go back, I think we would really stick to the things we loved. For me, the gazpacho, for Chris and Maria the steak and pepper. And of course the cheesesteaks! We all agreed we could have done without any dessert, but we enjoyed having the full experience. I do think its hard not to spend a fortune on the first visit. It is easy to get caught up in all of it and keep ordering, but once you know what you really like, its definitely possible to get out of there without going broke. I think everyone should go at least once...and definitely order the cheesesteak!

Many thanks to my buddy Chris for the lovely pictures!

The Bazaar by José Andrés
465 S. La Cienega Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90048
Cross Street: San Vicente Blvd.
310-246-5555