The Hidden Burger Gem That is The Market Grill in Monrovia

Today, I was in the mood for a burger and all the burger options in Duarte were basically all about fast food and that wasn't going to do. In-n-Out was also a possibility since it was just a 10-15 minute drive, but my picky palate said no because it was craving a new burger experience.  In the back of  mind, I remembered hearing about a restaurant in Monrovia called The Market Grill that is supposed to be known for their burgers so off I went.

The Market Grill is actually not a stand-alone restaurant. You'll find it inside the Monrovia Market, but as you pass the restaurant window, take note of the housemade burger buns that are on cooling trays. Once you walk inside, go down a few steps to your left to the restaurant itself where you'll see a counter in front of you where you can place your order and tables to your right that will seat about 12 people total. Yes, it's a small place, but there's also additional counter seating by the window for a few more people.

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Inside the restaurant, there's are vintage food signs on the wall and also a shelf of really fun salt and pepper shakers like kissing pigs, frogs and more. Apparently, owner Alex Ramirez, would put these character salt and pepper shakers on the table and customers caught on and started donating some of their old ones to the restaurant.  Currently, the customer donated shakers are just for display, but as one of the table ones are broken, they're replaced by a display one. I thought that was a cute side story.

So now it's burger time and for lunch that day, I went with a 1/3 lb. Bacon Burger with with whole leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and a swipe of housemade Thousand Island. I had a choice of Provolone, cheddar or Swiss and decided to keep it classic with cheddar cheese.  For a side, I opted out of the French fry route and instead went for their Minted Lemon Potato Salad.  One thing that I liked about their side choices is that you could also choose Fresh fruit instead of the fries or potato salad for those of you trying to lessen your carb load. Another plus is that they actually ask you how you want your meat cooked and Medium was the answer from me.

Before I talk about the burger, I just want to mention a couple of other things.  First, they make a Minted Lemonade, which I absolutely loved.  Not that I don't mind tart lemonade, but some places take it overboard.  With their Minted Lemonade, I still get the tart, but it's softened and rounded with the mint flavors.  Mint-lemon must be their thing since they also have Minted Lemon Potato Salad, but it is awesome. I liked the fact that the lemon wasn't overwhelming, that the salad had a smooth texture plus the addition of fresh mint added a nice hit of freshness to the salad.

As for the burger, it hit the spot and then some. The burger meat was cooked perfectly and perfectly pink and it was deliciously juicy. One thing to add is that they also grind their own meats.  Kudos to them! Generous with their bacon, you got two thick slices of smoky goodness and I think that more burgers should use red onions as opposed to white or yellow onion. It added a nice little hit of sweetness that I enjoyed,

The market freshness of all the vegetables really reinforced to me that the Market Grill cares about what they feed their customers.  Although the housemade burger bun was soft and even a bit fluffy, it held its own considering the amount of food between the two buns.  One little nitpit is that burger meat itself needed a bit more seasoning, a dash more salt and/or pepper, but still it was pretty darn good.

The Market Grill also has daily desserts, which are all baked by Tracy Ramirez's Mother. Tracy is the wife of Alex's Ramirez and the co-owner of The Market Grill. I certainly enjoyed my Butterscotch Cookies after my burger main event.  Apparently, on Wednesday, they have bacon cookies. Guess where I'm going to be next Wednesday?

Overall, I really, really enjoyed my meal at The Market Grill and I look forward to returning and trying more items from their menu, especially their New England Hot Dogs, which I read about on the foodies:  a southern california food blog. Be sure to click that link because it's definitely unlike a classic American hot dog that you're used to seeing.

The Market Grill
525 South Shamrock Avenue
Monrovia, California 91016
(626) 303-4314
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The Bloom Hasn't Worn Off at Mediterranean Garden Grill

Generally, when I write about a restaurant, it's based on a one-time experience. Even if I like it or love it, I may not go back for a variety of reasons. It may be too far or my pocketbook can only handle a yearly visit. Usually, it's because I love eating out and checking out other eateries so much that I'd rather concentrate on new finds as opposed to re-visiting old haunts. However, if a restaurant scores the double whammy of serving delicious food and being close to where I live, than I will take the opportunity to re-visit it. Such is the case with the Mediterranean Garden Grill in Monrovia.

Before I go any further, I want to mention that it's an interesting restaurant space. My first visit there was during lunch time and the dining room had an enclosed patio kind of feel with the windows open to let the air in, but at a later dinner visit, they closed up all the windows and it felt like a regular indoor restaurant.

As mentioned, my first meal there was for lunch. Wanting something a little tart, I started with the beautifully pink pickle plate. Silly question, but why are those pickles pink and are they actually cucumbers or a different pickled vegetable altogether? I've always wanted to know.


While I was perusing the menu, an appetizer caught my eye, so I decided to order the Mouhamana, which is chopped walnuts with spicy red peppers and pomegranate juice. I loved the mixture of flavors that included nutty, sweet, tangy and with a little kick. I could have easily just eaten that with the pita bread or even just crackers and I would have been happy, but soon enough, my lule kebab arrived.

Lule Kebab is lean ground beef mixed with onions and spices, seasoned, skewered and grilled, served with rice, grilled vegetables and a pita bread. Taking my first look at it, I really could see all the seasonings embedded in the meat and with just my first bite, I could taste all the great flavors the seasonings imparted. Surprisingly, even though the ground beef was lean, meaning less fat, the lule kebab still had a little juiciness to it and of course, I loved the texture of its charred surface.

I wasn't even considering dessert, but an enticing photo of their Ashta dessert was just too irresistible. Ashta is sheramoya fruit mixed with whipped cream and rose water and sprinkled with crushed pistachios and honey and this tasty mixture is placed on top of fresh cut bananas. Wow, what an awesome dessert. I'd go back just for this. It was a light and refreshing dessert, absolutely perfect anytime, but maybe even more so on a warmer day.

My first visit was definitely a hit, so much so that I went back a few days later and unfortunately, that was not a good experience. I was seated, got a glass of water, perused the menu and made my choices and than proceeded to wait and wait and wait. The restaurant wasn't that busy. There was only one large group on the other side of the room and me. Granted, I could have waved someone over, but come on. My menu was down and there were waiters walking back and forth in front of my table. One of them could have stopped to ask me if I was ready to order. I decided to clock how long it would take for a waiter and after 10 minutes, I just walked out.

I wasn't sure if a third visit would be imminent, but I really enjoyed the food so I thought I'd give it another try. This time, I brought a friend for dinner a couple of weeks later. I'm not sure if they had remembered me walking out or perhaps, the wait staff was just more attentive that evening, but this time around, the service was much better.

For my second meal there, my friend and I shared the marinated and seasoned black and green olives as well as the Baba Ghanouj, which is basically BBQ eggplant and sesame paste. What I liked about the Baba Ghanouj was that it was full of chunky eggplant goodness and not pureed down to the point that you're not even sure if there's eggplant in the dish.

As for my entree, I ordered the Beef Shawarma, which is basically seasoned and marinated pan flamed beef brochettes served with tahini sauce, rice and hummus. I actually preferred the lule kebab that I had at my first visit. The beef was a little chewier than I would have liked and needed a little more flavor. I did get a chance to sample my friend's Chicken Shawarma and thought the chicken was nicely seasoned and was even tender and juicy. This time, no room for dessert. It wasn't as stellar a meal as at my first visit, but still pretty good.

The very last time I visited, I was in the mood for soup and ordered their Swiss Char Lentil Soup, which is vegetarian. The ingredients for this soup are whole lentils cooked with Swiss char and roasted garlic and the flavor is both tangy and lemony, flavors near and dear to my Filipino palate.

Except for that one major hiccup on my second visit, I really enjoy dining at the Mediterranean Garden Grill and with it being only a few miles away, I can always give in to my Ashta and Swiss Char and Lentil Soup craving whenever I'd like, or at least when the restaurant is open.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157610169651215/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157612218331081/

Mediterranean Garden Grill
335 W. Foothill Blvd.
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 301-0555
http://www.mediterraneangardengrill.com/

One Dish Quickie at El Zarape

My one dish quickie at El Zarape was the Beef Chile Colorado with rice and beans. Although I did have chips and salsa beforehand, I don't count that as an entree, so we'll skip over that and go straight to my main dish. First, let's talk about the sides. While I tend to avoid refried beans, the addition of the cheese definitely gave it more appeal, so thumbs up! The Mexican rice was a little dry and didn't have much flavor, so thumbs down!

As for the Beef Chile Colorado itself, there were definite positives. The red chili sauce was wonderful. It had lots of flavor and just the right amount of heat. The meat was tender and moist. Overall, it would have been a real hit, except for one thing. It was just a tad salty, not so salty that it was inedible, but just enough that kept me from enjoying my eating experience wholeheartedly.

So what's the verdict? Based on just one dish, I wouldn't say that El Zarape is a place I'd go out of my way to visit, but if I were in the neighborhood, I might be willing to give it another try and this time, I'd ask for a lighter touch with the salt.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157604628446993/

El Zarape Grill
1601 S. Mountain Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
626-599-8680
www.elzarapemonrovia.com

Tom's Drive-In No. 19

One day, I was really longing for a burger, but didn't want to visit the usual suspects like McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Jr, etc. You get the picture. So I decided to visit this burger joint on Foothill Boulevard that I've been driving by for over 20 years, but have never stopped in.

I walked into a space with fake leather and wooden booths, a tiled floor that has seen better days and an eclectic menu that included everything from a variety of burger and sandwich choices to Mexican offerings like burritos and tacos to steak and shrimp dinner plates. There was something for everyone, but I just wanted a burger.

So I went ahead and ordered a burger with chili cheese fries. Soon my plate arrived. I found it interesting that the cheese on my fries wasn't already melted, but later on I actually appreciated it. But first, the burger. Looking at it, it seemed like a good size, but that was mainly because of the big hunk of lettuce that was in that bun.

Sometimes I wonder if burger places think that by making the burger look bigger that it somehow adds value or gives more of a wow factor to this simple food. Personally, less lettuce and more burger would be more up my alley. Anyway, I took a bite. Was it burger bliss? Nope. But it's a classic burger with no pretensions and no fancy trimmings and sometimes that's all you really want.

I have to say that I really, really enjoyed the chili cheese fries. As mentioned earlier, I was surprised that the cheese wasn't already melted, but as I mixed that cheese with the chili, stringy gooey goodness happened. What was even better was that the fries still retained most of its crispness. The temperature of the chili itself melted the cheese and that's why the fries didn't turn to mush. I also really liked the chili itself. It had good flavor and even a little bit of heat, which was quite appealing.

Tom's is definitely not a destination burger joint, but if you need a break from fast food and you're in the neighborhood, check Tom's out, if nothing else, for their yummy chili cheese fries.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602204855390/

Tom's Drive-In No 19

880 W Foothill Blvd
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 303-0533

Wraps 360

With everyone always in a hurry, drive thru eating/beverage establishments are now the norm, from McDonald's, In-N-Out, Starbucks, Baskin-Robbins and even Krispy Kreme. In the little town of Monrovia, you can now add Wraps 360 to the mix where the dining options are definitely much more healthy than what you would get at your local burger joint.

As the name of this food stand suggests, the menu consists primarily of different wraps, but there also sandwich and salad options as well. If you have a thirst, the beverage choices include soft drinks, teas, juices, smoothies and various coffee concoctions.

For my first time lunch there, I went for the Mango Smoothie and their Club Wrap. When I ordered the Mango Smoothie, I was asked if I preferred it blended with milk or juice. I thought it was cool that you had a choice and that way, those of you who are lactose intolerant can still enjoy a fruit smoothie without any problems.

When my Club Wrap arrived, it was a thing of beauty. Everything looked really fresh. The lettuce was crisp. There was no "browning" on the avocado. The tomatoes looked beautifully red and juicy. Other ingredients included grilled chicken, a house cream dressing, swiss cheese and turkey bacon wrapped in a tomato basil tortilla. You can choose either fruit or salad as your side and I chose fruit.

What was also interesting is the way the ingredients were wrapped in the tortilla. It was almost like a funnel shape where the food was "fanned out" on one end and the other end was narrow. This funnel shape made it easier to hold the wrap and I noticed that less food fell out when I bit into it.


As for how it tasted, I really enjoyed every bite. Fresh ingredients mean better flavor; however, there are two things that I didn't like. First, while the grilled chicken was moist and tender, it was a little salty, not so salty that I stopped eating it, but enough that it bugged me.

Second, after I came home and looked at the menu, I noticed that in the Club Wrap description, there were two ingredients listed that were missing in my wrap and those were pineapple and sprouts. I honestly didn't miss either of those ingredients because what I had was filling enough, but if you're going list ingredients for a dish, you should follow through with all of them.

To end, except for those two things I mentioned above, I'd say that my meal was there was pretty good. I'm actually not normally a sandwich/wrap kind of person, but whenever I'm in the mood, I'd give Wraps 360 another try.

Wraps 360
127 West Foothill Blvd.
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 358-4540
http://www.wraps360.com/

To see pics, go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157601461421190/

Le Roy's the Original

Le Roy's has been a Monrovia landmark for as long as I remember. Weekends are packed with customers lining up outside and even weekdays are amazingly busy. What makes Le Roy's really stand out for me is that it's a wonderful neighborhood diner that other than having increased menu prices over time has remained remarkably unchanged.

Inside, you'll see a linoleum floor that has seen better days and wooden booths that are clean, though a little worn down over time. But if you look past all that, what you'll experience is the wonderful vibe of the place.

As soon as you enter Le Roy's, you're met with smiles. Once you're seated, your waiter or waitress comes right away to bring you a glass of water and pour you a cup of coffee and always with a friendly greeting. The staff is always so welcoming and I've always really appreciated their great service. I've been going to Le Roy's on and off for 20+ years and I've never had bad service.

Even today, I ordered a side of bacon and for whatever reason, it was taking its time to get to me. Our waitress came back a couple of times to both apologize and give me a bacon status. Unfortunately, it arrived towards the end of the meal and the waitress simply took it off the bill and comped me for it. Now that's what I call good customer service. I've had a couple similar situations happen to me at high-end restaurants with more negative results.

Since I've only gone for breakfast, I can't speak for their lunch menu. What I can say about their breakfasts is that it's good, hearty fare. No fancy ingredients needed when the food is tasty and definitely filling. I've never left there hungry.

When you look around, you'll see everyone from families to guys in fancy suits, from seniors to young couples, etc. There are just people there from all walks of life. Being able to bring together such a diverse group of people really says something about Le Roy's. Simply, when there's good food and good service, people will definitely come, which speaks well for Le Roy's continued longevity.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600444680780/

Le Roy's the Original
523 W Huntington Dr
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 357-5076

Canadian Cafe or My Love Affair with Poutine - CLOSED

I've in love with Poutine. Sounds almost pornographic, huh? But damn, I really am in love, in lust, in everything that is downright delectable about the food known as Poutine.

So you may be asking, what has me so hot and bothered? Simply, poutine is a French-Canadian food that consists of brown gravy poured over French fries and white cheddar cheese curds. No processed cheese or cheese sauce here!

Your senses already come alive as soon you see the waitress walking your way with your Poutine basket. Listen in anticipation to the basket as it softly lands on the tabletop before you. Feast your eyes on the small curl-edged chunks of the cheese curd as it starts to melt onto the surface of the golden French Fries. As the cheese melts more, feel the French Fry stretch its ooey-gooey cheesy way as you pull it from the basket to your mouth.

Taste the crispness of the fry that's partially cloaked with melted cheese that's still hanging off the fry's edge as you're biting into it as well as the subtle, rich "meaty" flavor of the brown gravy that coats both fry and cheese together. Finally, hear yourself give a sigh of utter joy, not only because you just devoured something tasty, but also because you get to do it over and over again until you're completely satisfied.

Wow. I think I need a cigarette and I don't even smoke!

I wish that the "foreplay" I experienced with the Poutine was a sign of even more exciting things to come from my meal, but alas that wasn't to be. Perhaps, anything one eats after Poutine would just be too anticlimactic anyway to enjoy, but I did try.

Unfortunately, the burger in my Canadian Bacon Cheeseburger was overcooked, dry and overall, a real buzz kill. The pastry of my Butter Tart was buttery, but not very flaky. At least the golden raisin filling was fairly tasty.

It's too bad that the lunch that started off with a BANG! ended with a whimper. Trying out other items at a later visit may get me better results, but for now, my relationship with the Poutine is the start of a great love affair. Perhaps, it can be for you as well?

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594558975889/

Canadian Cafe
125 East Colorado Blvd
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 303-2303

Lunch at Teri & Yaki

I've been going to Teri & Yaki in the city of Monrovia off and on for a couple of years now, but after having lunch there this past Saturday, I finally decided to give it a review and share some photos of the food.

Teri & Yaki originally positioned itself as a chicken only teriyaki house. Now they also serve beef teriyaki, but for me, it's all about the chicken whenever I eat there. Normally, I'm not much of a teriyaki person. Whenever I've ordered any kind of teriyaki dish, I've always found the sauce to be overly sweet, so I pretty much gave up on teriyaki sauce as a whole.

However, when I first tried the chicken teriyaki at Teri & Yaki awhile back, I finally found the teriyaki sauce of my dreams. The sauce still had some sweetness to it, but not overly so and there was also that hint of soy sauce saltiness that balanced it all out for me. To this day, the only time I'll eat teriyaki anything is at Teri-Yaki. It also didn't hurt that the chicken even the white meat is moist.

What I also really like are the various side dishes you can order with your chicken teriyaki. I can never decide so I usually end up getting 3 sides of either the spicy slaw, spicy cucumber, cold bean sprouts or the seasoned spinach and end up taking home leftovers. The vegetables always seem really fresh to me regardless of what time of day that I have my meal there.

Although I don't find the spicy slaw or spicy cucumber that spicy, I still like that tang and hint of hotness of whatever chili sauce they use for those two sides and the bean sprouts usually have a nice crunchy nutty taste to them which I always enjoy. With all these particular sides being cold, I can appreciate the flavors differently from the teriyaki chicken.

Overall, Teri-Yaki may not necessarily be a destination place, but I enjoy it time after time, because the food is consistently good, fresh and then of course, there's my favorite teriyaki sauce.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594322306140/

Teri & Yaki
106 S. Myrtle Avenue
Monrovia, CA 91016
(626) 256-6705
http://www.teriandyaki.com/