El Chavo Burritos - $

Now that my show is over, I can get back to eating.

Guest Dinette: Jooyun Lee, who is very adventurous when it comes to food, and didn't bat an eye when I told her where we were going.

El Chavo is a glorified burrito stand. Glorified because it's got seating. But, it only has 3.5 booths.
As soon as we walked in, Jooyun pointed out the spider hanging at eye level from the ceiling vent. I said, "We've come to the right place" and ordered the steak burrito, their most popular item. Hold the spider, please. The spider crawled back up to the filthy vent. Somehow, this place got an A-rating.

Free stuff: None.

Bathrooms: None! What the?! Negative points for that one. How can you serve spicy food and not have a bathroom?

Ambience: Mexican, with pictures of banditos on the wall, but still gringo friendly. i.e. the menu was in english.

Parking: There's a lot in back with 3 spots dedicated to El Chavo.

Food: The steak burrito is chock full of generous cuts of steak as well as beans, onions, and a spicy salsa. I was sweatin'. It was delish. I also drank a Tamarindo because it was new to me. It's hard to describe. Kinda sweet. Kinda not. Still yummy. Go order it and you'll see what I mean. 4 forks.

Jooyun had the 2 beef taco combo with rice and beans. The taco shells were handmade and held together really well. They didn't fall apart on the first bite. Full of beef, cheese, lettuce and fried shell flavor. But, the rice was a little mushy. Being Korean, she knows good rice, and that wasn't it. She still ate it. 4 forks.

Laurie: 1 chicken enchilada, 1 chicken taco combo with rice, beans and chips. Skimpy on the chips. I think she got 3 chips. The rice "didn't look appetizing" so she didn't eat it. It wasn't just your normal rice. It had tomatoes and onions in it. I mean, I could see what they were going for. "A" for effort. oh well. Maybe it'll be better when you go.

Laurie: "I didn't see the 'taquitos avocado' on the menu before. I would've ordered that."

Me: "You still can. There are only 2."

L: "I'm not that hungry. I'm ordering too much food as it is."

After she finished her combo plate, she ordered the taquitos.

When we saw "2 taquitos avocado", we thought it'd be something like a deep fried avocado roll. I don't know where we thought we were - PF Chang's?? I mean, we're at El Chavo, for cryin' out loud! This place ain't that progressive. Nope, these were regular ol' taquitos. Nothing to write home about. Unless you're blogging.

We're convinced that the Olsen twins never set foot in this place. Maybe the spiders scared them away. If they had eaten here, they wouldn't have picked Henry's-wannabe-supermarket-taco-shell tacos to be the best taco stand north of the border. El Chavo's has Henry's beat to a bloody pulp.

Overall: 3.5 stars. We'd totally come back.

Next up: The Port bar and grill.

Cedar House - Lebanese Cuisine $$

At Cedar House, there's live music every Fri. and Sat. night. I could hear it from the parking lot with their doors closed. They sang, "Those Were the Days" and got everyone clapping. Is that cliche enough for ya? The room was way too small for these guys. Or, should I say the room was way too small for their amp? If they were going for the intimate feel, they didn't need the mega speakers they had. But, what do I know? I'm no techie.

At 8:30, a belly dancer named Gia performed. Until then, I thought this was a family place. One of the musicians introduced her, "She's going to loosen you up." A silver haired grandma at a nearby table was the first to put a dollar in Gia's skirt. Then, in her bra. It was a little disturbing. Gia wiggled her way to a table where a family with small children were eating. The father encouraged his toddler son to put a buck in her skirt, which he gladly did. Daddy applauded. Hey, why not start 'em young. Next, they'll all be riding the bull at Saddleback for family time. Gia's there every Fri. and Sat. night. So, all you boys and grandmas out there better make your reservations.

Bathroom: Finally, a good one! It even smelled good. They've got a spritzer. Can we just hear it for automatic bathroom spritzers? I hope the inventor got a medal. 5 forks.

Ambience: Warm, inviting. On any other night, I'm sure it's rated G. On Fri. night with live music, and Gia, it's PG-13. 4 forks.

Food: We decided to get the "complete feast" for 2 because it had a little bit of everything for $24.95. It came with salad, hummus, babaganouj, tabouli, grape leaves, 3 kabobs - chicken, lamb and kafta, rice pilaf, meat turnover, and more pita than you can shake a stick at. We ain't messin' around here! The salad was fresh and crisp with a vinegrette. (Maybe ranch hasn't hit the mediterranean yet.) The hummus was rich with tahini, but yummy. The babaganouj was creamy. Laurie loved the grape leaves, which had a tomato puree mixed in with the rice. The whole appetizer plate tasted very lemony. I guess they like lemons over there. The skewers were fabulous. But, Laurie liked the meat turnover the best. She wanted me to tell you that she doesn't eat red meat, except for any meat prepared by mediterranean people - Greek, Lebanese, Armenian, etc. Food - 5 forks.

Service: When we got there, all the tables were taken. But, when one opened up, the waitress said, "A table is open. You can sit there." And then, she left without escorting us. 3 forks.

Overall rating: 4 forks.

Next up: El Chavo Burrito stand. I've been secretly wanting to go there! Very excited. Maybe I'll even find out what a chavo is.

Shameless plug

The Dinettes haven't eaten out in a little while because I've been busy with a play. So, here's a shameless, selfish plug. But, other than this, you won't be seeing anything else that's not food related.

Show: Dancing with my Father

Written by: US!

What: 5 women sharing stories about our dads. Think of it as 5 solo pieces except that we all come onstage more than once. It's real life, baby! But, it's not psychotherapy - in case you're wondering. It's hysterical, poignant, sad, and just plain beautiful. Come one, come all. We opened last night to rave reviews, and even got a standing ovation!

Where: Actor's Co-op, 1760 N. Gower St., off the 101. We're on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood - the big red brick church. Free, secured parking.

When: May 10, 13, 16-18, 23-25. All shows at 8p.m., except May 13 - 2:30p.m. May 13 is already sold out, but there's a waitlist. If you show up, you can probably get a seat since folks flake out all the time - they make reservations, but don't show. You know how it is. I'm sure YOU don't do that.

Cost: $8 - cheaper and better than any movie out there! I guarantee.

For reservations, call 323.462.8460

Running time: 1.5 hours, no intermission.

The cast went for drinks afterwards at a restaurant called "eat. on sunset." But, the kitchen was closed and we only DRANK at eat. The fu-fu martinis are good, the mojito was great, and the white wine sangria was fabulous. At least, what I could remember of it.

The Dinettes will be eating at Cedar House on Riverside this Friday around 7ish, in case you want to come and break pita with us. Otherwise, read about it here!

See ya at the theater!