The Great Western Steak and Hoagie Co....my way right away and Mike Tyson's too

1720 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 450-4545
Open everyday 10AM-midnightish

The cheesesteak. It is a deadly food sin that I personally love to commit. Sadly there aren't too many Philly style cheese steak places over here (at least any worth noting) . I look at this as one of the prime big-eater meals, not for weight or mass, but from the sheer way it weighs you down when you eat one. These sandwiches are designed for people with big arteries...so that there's more to fill. Great Western Steak and Hoagie Co. possibly has the cheesesteak in town to beat (don't worry...I'll keep looking) . Last time we went, the guy at the counter told me Mike Tyson had popped in that Monday for a big order. I think of Mike Tyson as man who eats a lot...sometimes he chews off more than he should, but that's another story.

This is a crown jewel of cheese steaks in LA. Oooey and gooey to the core and at the same time brimming with succulent meatstrips. The bread is a flaky roll that compliments this sandwich by soaking up the juices but not becoming soggy. A transcendent sandwich (if you've had this you know I'm not lying) , the stuff addictions are born from (and conveniently open late enough to be a just-before-midnight snack) . This specific specimen had grilled mushrooms and onions, american white, I added mayo and had them leave out the pizza sauce. There's many fixings you can request on it to completely customize your bad boy. Is it juicy? You bet. Is it big? Oh yeah. In fact, dare I say, it's so good you could make this a text book example.

Here's Celeste's cheeseburger...it's not pretty but tastes pretty good. The patty had a very steaky quality to it (maybe cause of all the steaks that have gone over that grill...but who knows) , the thin layer of cheese didn't puddle anywhere (thank you!) , the lettuce was crispy, the tomato was perky and the mayo/onions/pickles infused through the whole thing in a very juicy fashion. My only gripe, they used the same breadtype as they used on the cheesesteaks for the hamburger...and let's just face it, it would have been better on a traditional bun. So, it doesn't go down in the hall of fame of LA's complete package burgers, but if you're there and you find the size of the cheesesteaks intimidating it's an excellent option.

Great Western has been around for somewhere between 40 to 50 years (they quoted me this) . Though the place looks pretty beat up (couple of busted tables on the south side to eat at) you can tell that they put their money into the ingredients they get. They have a parking lot and like I said before, the hours are perfect for those night time cravings. I only suggest one thing, if you find yourself waiting in line with Mike Tyson...let him cut in front of you.

Free drink refills: No
Entree Price Ranges: Cheese Steaks are $6 ish and burgers are $2.50 to $3 ish.

India's Grill...hidden for 20 years (at least to me)

428 S. San Vicente
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310)659-3903
Mon-Fri 11AM-11PM
Sat-Sun 12PM-11PM

What a strenuous week this has been! My apologies for taking so long with this post but it was my 5 year anniversary on Friday and we just took off to the Santa Ynez for wine tasting and the whole "Sideways" experience. It was beautiful and we tasted a whole slew of wines. We got to collect a wonderful bunch of memories that a 5 year anniversary should be filled with. Once we got back we popped into a place by the name of India's Grill that my friend Hector recommended to us. He was taken there by a friend of his who absolutely loves Indian food and passed it on to us.

Located in an area that, unless you're waiting at a light, you would never see. It resides in the strip mall on the Northeast corner La Cienega/San Vicente "Bermuda Triangle" of traffic. It's a cool little spot with a... better than "community Indian" and just a little less than fine dining... comfort to it. Booths and tables and a smallish patio area make up the quaint location that surprisingly has been there for 20 years. I was so impressed when I found that out and instantly thought of Caffe Carrera, because they too have lasted an impressively long time on the Restaurant Row area of Los Angeles. Another great fact... India's Grill is under the same ownership as another great Indian food spot, Electric Lotus.

We popped in and got a booth seat by the window for privacy as well as good lighting for the pics. After perusing the menu we decided on doing things a little differently and had a good portion of vegetarian food included in our order (usually I'm a carnivore when it comes to Indian). We got the Mixed Tandoori Dinner as well as the Paneer Vindaloo Dinner. Both the dinners included sides of garbanzo and eggplant, a mound of naan, and your choice of Raita or salad (we decided on the raita cause Celeste liked the one over at Electric Lotus).

The naan was fluffy and had some serious substance to it. It was a real winner for us since we always feel like many other places are stingier with their naan. I mean come on...it's just bread.

The raita was great for both of our plates. It was just a little bit thinner than we're used to but it had plenty of onions and cucumber.

Both our plates, and I'm not exaggerating, were piled 2 and half to 3 inches high. Surely one dinner was good enough for two people, but we wanted to show you a what this place is all about. Shown above is the Paneer Vindaloo. This mound of goodness boasted their home made sauce as well as home made cheese. It was a balanced plate with flavors of the Paneer's savory sauce framing chunks of tomato and blending beautifully with the garbanzo beans and egg plant (which had touches of sweetness) changing the texture with each bite. Once again, let me reiterate, this was a ton of food and at $15 it's a really good deal.

Our second plate was the mixed Tandoori dinner. Piled high were the pieces of chicken tikka, lamb, tandoori chicken and jumbo shrimp. We doused the meat and shrimp with the lemon wedges provided and chowed...and chowed...and chowed. We had leftovers for the next day equivalent to a large lunch. Both types of chicken were the stars of this plate with the red char on the outside sealing in the juices beautifully. Overall this was a steal at $20 just for the fact that it was so tasty and abundant.

The wait staff were totally sweet, and though in a small strip mall, you completely forget that you're there once inside. I was floored when I found out they'd been doing business there for 20 years. But, seeing how good everything was and what solid service they provided, I quickly understood. And if that wasn't enough, to add to all this, they offer take-out, delivery and catering. Their lunch menu is a bargain with combination plates going from $6 to $9. Next time you find yourself waiting at the infamous La Cienega/San Vicente light you should hop on in and be sure to bring an appetite.

PS. You can only enter by being on San Vicente heading north. How's that for hidden?

Free Drink Refills: Nope (darn you cans of soda)
Entree Price Range: lunch plates are $6 to $9 and dinner ala carte plates range from $9 to $16 most of those being on the lower end of the spectrum. Dinner plates range $15 and up.