Chicken Fried Steak at the Blue Star

[Vaya Con Carne]

I'm going to let the photo speak for itself - it was the real deal, and it was good.

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Blue Star
2200 E 15th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021

[crt]

While that cetainly looks good, the proof is in the taste, texture of coating, thickness and taste of the gravy, and a moist 'no gristle' meat inside. I'm sure it was delicious all around or you wouldn't have wasted your time posting a picture of it here.

I'm in Orange County. The best chicken fried steak (CFS) I've ever had/have at any restaurant my entire life is Benjie's Deli in Tustin. So tender you don't need the steak knife they give you to cut it with. Not one piece, let alone fleck, of gristle in it. Together with an almost wet moistness to it, little chewing is necessary as it almost melts away in your mouth. And don't get me started on the gravy. Just the right thickness. If you like CFS and you're ever in the area I HIGHLY recommend Benjie's Deli. A family owned restaurant in business for over 40 years. The saying goes beyond 'they must be doing something right', more like, 'they do it right'.

http://www.benjiesdeli.com/

[Servorg]

Vaya - Your review and the photo of the CFS you had now have me planning on stopping by for breakfast at Blue Star the next time I'm down there picking up fabric for my wife.

If you are a regular in that area (?) have you ever eaten at the totally divey looking Korean BBQ place on the (IIRC) NE corner of E Washington and Soto St? (it might be on the NE corner of E Washington and Santa Fe).

[Vaya Con Carne]

I'm actually not a regular in the area, but "divey" and "Korean bbq" are enough to make me want to explore!

In addition to the CFS, the four other breakfasts eaten by my companions all got top reviews. I believe there was a scramble involving smoked salmon, a hangtown fry, a bacon-spinach-cheese omelette, and a basic plate of sausage and eggs. Everyone left happy and full.

[monku]

Looks good.
What kind of place is this Blue Star? I looked on the map and I'm somewhat familiar with the area....is it a truck stop place?

[Servorg]

Gotta be a "truck stop" down there, monku. All I see are semi's going through there and local businesses trucking their goods around the area, which is totally industrial. (I pick up material for my wife's business just a couple of miles from there in Commerce and when I come back to the freeway I cut right through there on 15th, driving by Blue Star in the process, so I don't have to make the left off of Alameda to get back on the 10 heading west)

[Vaya Con Carne]

That's a perfect description of the area. I'd describe the Blue Star as a "modern truck stop" - it's an old dive that was given new life a couple years ago with new ownership and higher quality ingredients (and accordingly, higher prices, but what can you do...)

There's a bit more info on the website:
http://bluestarrocks.com/page1.htm

[monku]

Those aren't "truck stop" prices.....$10.50 for the country fried steak and eggs. Half the "Breakfast" items are $10.50 and all the "Omelettes" are $10.50.
http://bluestarrocks.com/menu1.htm

I'll give it a try next week. SO been buggin' me to take her to those rag joints.

[Servorg]

If you consider diesel prices these days the "truck stop" costs for the food are in line with the fuel to get to breakfast.

[monku]

No, diesel fuel is in line with gas right now, but food costs haven't dropped. Their website said the clientele is along the fashion district and loft types.

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu...

[Servorg]

Fuel prices are down. But business must be down as well if you have a business in that area which is dependent on the truck crowd. It was very sad, and a bit scary, on my last trip there a couple of months ago.

Where I had to wait through at least 5 changes of the light at Alameda and Washington to make the left onto Washington on every previous trip, I made it on the first light this time.

There were hardly any big rigs on the streets by comparison to every other trip to this time, and the wharehouse guy who got the fabric for me said that business was the very worst that he has seen it, ever in his 18 years there.

[monku]

Other night I had the Tommy Lasorda special at Paul's Kitchen downtown. $10.25/person and more food than you can eat.
Yes, Tommy Lagorda eats there...he showed up one night last summer when I was there.
No recession there....place was full of Hispanic families.

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Paul's Kitchen
1012 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

[Servorg]

You sound like you're a regular in the area, monku. I guess the name of the deep-dive Korean BBQ place I notice on my trips down there is Mo Mo (or MoMo), and it is on the NE corner of E Washington and Soto St. Have you ever tried it (or even noticed it)?

[monku]

I usually don't get further east than Alameda in that area, but give me a review of the Korean BBQ place, sounds like my kind of place.
Now that you've mentioned it, is that the place that looks like it was an old McDonalds's, but wasn't.

SO just decided to go the rag joints this morning (free street parking on Sunday), so have to wait on the Blue Star (closed Sundays).

Today sounds like a day for Dino's fried chicken !

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Dino's Chicken and Burgers
2575 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006, USA

[nosh]

Dino's crazy chicken special is flame-grilled, not fried. Served with that wonderful garlicky, vinegary turmeric marinade "sauce." Are you mistaken or do you know something I don't?

[monku]

Chicken "fried" steak on the brain.

You think they use a "marinade" on the chicken....when I looked today they brought out a tray full of chicken to be grilled and it the orange stuff, tumeric (if that's what they use) was dry...maybe they're using a "rub"?

[Servorg]

It looks more like a "spray booth" application of a high gloss enamel. ;-D

[nosh]

Boy, I bet Dino's could turn out the best fried chicken in town if they put their minds to it and had the space and time. Their thin fries are excellent -- I've heard rumors there is lard in the frying oil. When I talk about the marinade or "sauce" I was assuming they soaked the chicken in it -- there is a yellow/orange/red tinge -- but it is also the thin flavoring they splash over the chicken and fries. Years (and years) ago they'd give me some extra in a dish to dunk my chicken and fries, but then they insisted on just pouring more over the chicken, which eventually sogs the fries. Still worth it for the flavor hit -- I separate as many fries as I can to keep them crisp, and the flavor-logged soaked ones go into the tortilla along with torn-off strips of chicken. My gosh I'm making myself hungry...

[monku]

I've seen many people get the Dino's chicken deep fried at the Main Street Dino's location.

[WildSwede]

Dino's is FAN-TAS-TIC. I crave it like crazy! So glad they opened in Azusa which is closer to me!!

[Foodandwine]

Monku,

actually Pauls Kitchen is a great spot in my opinion. I like the wor wonton and chinese chicken salad as well Olde school and very tasty. Yes, the Tommy Lasorda menu on the front as you described is allot of food and its two meals for two.. Regarding the BlueStar.. The Fashion Industry people are always looking for a place to drive to for lunch. This place attracts the Vernon crowd as well. The Korean Place is across the street from Mikes Hockey Burger..

[monku]

That's what I like about the TL Special....you get the wor won ton soup with it which is a meal in itself and costs $6.75 by itself.
Talk about how much food you get....I asked the Richard the waiter if there were 3 of us if we could order it for 2 and he said no problem (you don't get the shrimp with lobster sauce...for the 3rd person). He said they used to tack on $2 to do it, but don't anymore.

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Paul's Kitchen
1012 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

[monku]

F&W,
Who are the "Vernon" crowd? Trying to figure out when I go to the Blue Star where I fit in.
Mike's Hockey Burger sounds like a hoot.....whats the story there?

[ChinoWayne]

Vernon crowd = people who work at one of the businesses in nearby Vernon, which is all industrial.

[Foodandwine]

Monku,

Mikes Hockey Burger is:

a basic burger with a polish sasuage on top. It has a cult following though.. Its a fast food kinda place busy at lunch. They do have a good tuna sandwich as well.. along with the normal Burger Place type of offerings.

[monku]

That makes 3 places in that neighborhood to keep on my " food-dar".
I've never even had pastrami on a burger, but a Polish sausage and burger have the best of both worlds in one sandwich.

[Servorg]

Portugese Sausage or Louisiana Hot Link and Beef patty - ala the Shackburger in Playa del Rey and Santa Monica.

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The Shack
185 Culver Blvd, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293

[monku]

You're killing me!!!

[Burger Boy]

The Shack Burger is for amateurs. Now this is a BURGER!
The Hawkins Burger!
http://chowhound.chow.com/photos/41903

[ChinoWayne]

You had to go pull out the food porn, you bad boy. ;-) How do you eat a Hawkins Burger?

[Servorg]

"How do you eat a Hawkins Burger?"

With a Cherry Picker ;-D>

[Burger Boy]

CHino, you been around CH as long as I have, if not longer, would you expect anything less from THE BURGER BOY ! ! ! Hey Chino, have not seen you post as much, is everything good with you?

[Burger Boy]

Deconstruct it and use a knife and fork, one would want to be proper when eating the HAWKINS BURGER!

[ChinoWayne]

Gotcha, BB, carefully separate components then DEMOLISH it. In one your posts on another thread you say that the Hawkins Burger comes with Italian sausage, is that an option? The picture looks more like hot links, and hot links would seem more "authentic" coming from a soulful kitchen.

Circling back to the OP, is that pepper gravy on the chicken fried steak, VCC? It looks like a generous portion, so given the current cost of commodities, about $10 might be reasonable. How were the potatoes, they are so easy to do wrong, too often country fries seem to come out of restaurant kitchens limp and lifeless, instead of crisp and savory.

(Thanks for asking BB, don't get out these days, only occasional take out, but I'm lurking here.)

[Vaya Con Carne]

Yes indeed, pepper gravy. The potatoes were above average - I'm not huge on potatoes unless they are well done, though, so next time I'd probably order them extra crispy.

And yes, this portion was gigantic - I couldn't finish it and probably shared a good third of it with a couple of my dining companions. Even the semi-vegetarian 12 year old I was with couldn't resist :)

[Burger Boy]

I hear that, trying watch the eating out fund and doing more in house. I was lucky enough to have a great friend take me for sushi the other night at Sushi Gen, what a treat. As far as the sausage, who knows, not sure. Hey, it was pork in a tube with seasoning.......LOL

[Burger Boy]

Long live the CH OG V1...........The Road Dogs..........Chino, I always enjoyed your posts.

[nosh]

Mike's Hockey Burger is a great place -- family owned, filled with hockey and boxing memorabilia, and very clean. Very good burgers, order the fries welldone, they also serve a variation of an Italian beef sandwich with the meat swimming in liquid on a variation of flatbread. Good breakfast dishes too. Well worth checking out -- on the N/W corner of Washington and Soto.

[JAB]

Mike's also has good breakfast items, chili fries and roast beef sandwiches either on armenian bread or a french roll. Also, good pickles.

[trolley]

monku believe it or not quite a few in the vernon crowd are fashion/apparel people. i've worked in apparel for 10 yrs and 5 or so of those years were spent in vernon. it's mostly a lunch crowd mixed with the industrial big rig guys. there's a thai place on in the shopping center on soto right before washington going south. it used to knock my socks off until they changed ownership. mike's hockey burger is great. they serve cut up hot dogs on a hamburger bun.

[Vaya Con Carne]

Yeah, no kidding. The workers in the area don't frequent the place precisely because of that - clientele is more along the lines of fashion district types and loft dwellers. I'm willing to overlook this touch of inauthenticity in order to get a decent breakfast once in a while.