Everything Glendale

Filed Under: American Cuisine, Coldstone Creamery, Food, Middle-Eastern Cuisine, Restaurant Reviews, Rotisserie Chicken, Sidewalk Cafe, Zankou Chicken

When I saw that a new Trader Joe's was opening a mere four minutes away from my home, I didn't scream quite as loudly as I did when I saw the new large red sign at the corner of Glenoaks and Highland. "Zankou Chicken is going in at Sidewalk Café!," I interrupted my best friend's story to yelp. She wasn't nearly as annoyed as I would have been had she interrupted me (what are best friends for?). Instead, she joined my excitement: "I know! Isn't that great? Too bad we're probably going to have to wait a while for it to open."

I know I could drive up to their fancy new location in Burbank or even to their second original location right here in Glendale, but this new Zankou Chicken is opening ("sometime next week," according to an employee) inside one of my favorite spots.

Sidewalk Café is a great place to meet friends for lunch, bring the family for a full dinner, or just grab coffee and read for hours. It has undergone various transformations over the years, but most have been for the better.

Coldstone Creamery (and its silly signage) disappeared. The gelato bar came and then sadly went, but the crepes stayed. New management has improved the service, built a new corner with comfy leather couches for lounging, and updated the menu my new favorite item: creamy vegetable lasagna. They also tried a kebab bar in the Coldstone location, but I never got the chance to try it. It seemed that all I had to do was blink, and it was gone.

Now enter Zankou Chicken. If you've never tasted their amazing rotisserie chickens, then you cannot call yourself an Angeleno (or Glendaleno?). But don't feel bad if you haven't discovered them yet; it took me six years before I did. I'm so happy that I'll be able to return to my favorite spot and order my favorite chicken. Or wait, the vegetable lasagna? Now, I don't know what to do.

Sidewalk Café/Zankou Chicken
901 Glenoaks Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91202
818.246.1000
www.sidewalkcafe.biz

Average Entree:
$8-$11

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Zankou Chicken
1415 E. Colorado Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91205
818.244.2237
www.zankouchicken.com

Average Entree:
$5-$9

Hours:
Monday-Sunday: 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

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Filed Under: American Cuisine, Food, Patrick's Cafe, Restaurant Reviews

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn't you like to get away? 


Sometimes you want to go 



Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same 

You wanna be where everybody knows 

Your name

—Cheers theme song

A few years back, my husband announced that he wanted to find a restaurant where he could become a "regular." He wanted to find a place where, when he walked in the door, they would say, "Hello, Matthew. Nice to see you."

I was all for the idea. I grew up in my parents' restaurant in downtown Chicago. I was almost quite literally born in a booth. My mother told me that when I was born, before heading home from the hospital, they took me to the restaurant first.

Going out to eat is one of my great joys of life. But as we surveyed our mental roster of local eating establishments, we couldn't think of any that we wanted to call "home."

Our favorite place to go was Patrick's, a quiet café in a strip mall, just off San Fernando and Sonora. It was a great place to grab a quick sandwich or to sit and study for a few hours. The owner, Rogel Aragon, always gave a warm reception, and he even remembered our names.

But, alas, our ideal restaurant would be full-service, and, best of all, it would serve our favorite meal of the day, a full breakfast, complete with French toast, hot pancakes, massive omelets, steaming bacon, the works.

Imagine our excitement when Rogel announced that he would be opening a full-service restaurant just down the road. We became stalkers, peering into windows, driving through the alley, knocking on the door. A few weeks before the grand opening, Rogel was kind enough to give us an exclusive tour, highlighting the beautiful design: the striking artwork, the swanky dark wood, the alfresco dining areas. Rogel had an eye for detail, and I loved that he made a concerted effort to pay homage to the original Googie design, keeping the 1950s boomerang detail of the front counter and overhangs.

The new location opened in September 2006, and my husband and I are proud to be "regulars." The food is indeed as splendid as the design. When we're feeling indulgent, we get the breakfast sandwich or the steak and eggs. A healthier but still satisfying option is the oatmeal, served with hot milk, sliced apples, cinnamon, raisins, and granola. For lunch, my standard favorite is the tuna sandwich, while Matthew loves the burgers, which are always served hot and fresh. I also love the Carnivore, a roast beef and boursin cheese sandwich, but you might also want to try your hand at creating your own with their nifty little order sheets.

When leaving the hospital after our daughter was born, we went to Patrick's first and then home. We went partly because I had to get my hands on a tuna sandwich after nine months of living without, but it was mostly because we wanted to introduce everyone to our daughter. And tell them her name.

Patrick’s Café
6720 San Fernando Road
Glendale, CA 91201
818.291.0025

Average Entree:
$8 - $12

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

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