Restaurant Review: All of Them

A TALE OF TWO RESTAURANTS
Above are summaries of two L.A. County Department of Public Health[1] inspections of restaurants in Santa Clarita. Both inspections occurred less than four months ago and were recently posted on the Health Dept. website for public perusal. The similarities, as you can see, end there. One restaurant scored 100% (A grade) and has no listed violations. The other received an 80% (B grade) for violations like “Disease Transmission” and “Risk for Contamination”. One of these restaurants is BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery in the Valencia Town Center, and the other is the Burrito Factory in Newhall. I’ll tell you which is which at the end of this article.

BACKGROUND
Summaries of inspections just like the ones above are available for every restaurant, market, and food vendor in the Clarita on the LA County Department of Public Health Facility Rating List[2]. Every establishment that sells food—from the Pavilions Sushi Bar (100%) to the Way Station (93%) to Blockbuster Video (98%)—has been evaluated by the Health Inspectors. Indeed, there are numbers and reasons behind those colored letters you see in eatery windows.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, going beyond simple As and Bs can help restaurants. For example, a café might get docked for a number of little, forgivable violations like improper lighting or a greasy fume hood, and reading the inspection online can convey this information. The cleanest restaurants are helped too; businesses that get very high scores show potential customers that every detail is being attended to. And in a city where most restaurants receive As, the paranoid demand to know which are 100s and which are 90s.

Obviously the system has some limitations. Restaurants have off-days. Inspectors—only human—are not always the most impartial judges. Even this potential for variance, though, is allowed for and acknowledged. The date of the most recent inspection is given alongside dates/grades of past inspections (if applicable) so diners can see if the current score is a fluke or the norm.

HUNGRY YET?
While I somehow managed to escape working in the restaurant industry, I’ve had plenty of friends share their horror stories with me. Food has been lifted off the floor, rinsed, nuked, and then put onto a plate. Despite doors and traps, mice sometimes find their way into a kitchen. I’ve personally witnessed a case where the same person handling money proceeded to handle food. Still, a search of 91355 and surrounding zip codes yielded no grades below 80%; you’d have to travel to Sylmar before seeing a restaurant with a C in its window.

If you heart SCV as much as I do, though, you should suspect something diseased and sinister beneath this apparently healthful façade. And, indeed, your suspicions would be well supported. A search of “Recent Closures”[3] on the Health Department website showed that vermin- and rodent-related violations have caused temporary closures of A & B Chinese Express, Dr. Donuts, Moon Wok, and Yama Sushi within the past three-month period[4]. Thankfully, all of these restaurants responded and have shown that even the most distasteful violations can be overcome. A & B Chinese Express, for one, scored a 91% six days after reopening.

PARTICULARS
Below are details for a few restaurants in Santa Clarita. Grades are current as of August 24, 2007, and I recommend that you go here to re-examine scores as they can be updated as often as every five or six months.

Restaurants Opening This Year:
Garden Spot – A (95%) on 6/26/2007
Rosie’s BBQ & Grillery – A (93%) on 4/23/2007
Rio Rio Churrascaria – A (90%) on 4/16/2007

Nicer Spots:
Hyatt Vines Restaurant – A (94%) on 2/15/2007
Le Chene – A (93%) on 3/01/2007
Mojito – A (90%) on 5/15/2007
Salt Creek Grille – A (90%) on 11/21/2006

Highest-scoring Super-Market:
Ralph’s Grocery Store in Castaic got a 100% this May

.

Barely Bs--Restaurants Scoring 80:

Asian Garden Buffet, as of 8/24/2006

BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, as of 6/26/2007

Kaori's Kitchen, as of 6/05/2007

Little Quiapo Asian Restaurant, as of 6/26/2007

THOSE TWO RESTAURANTS, REVISITED

As the astute will have noticed, it was BJ’s that received the 80%, and the Burrito Factory that had a flawless inspection. During three inspections in 2006, however, BJ's scored in the low 90s. Thus, the precipitous drop appears to be more deviation than norm. Still, I wonder whether the change from Blue A to Green B has given anyone pause as they enter that ever-popular SCV eatery.


[1]The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
[2]Begin your foray into the world of inspections here http://ph.lacounty.gov/rating/
[3]Recent closures are listed on the Food Facility Closure List

[4]To be precise, A & B Chinese Express closed from July 5-7 for “vermin harborage”; Dr. Donuts from June 6-8 for “prevention of entrance and harborage of rodents; rodent infestation”; Moon Wok from June 27–July 2 for “prevention of entrance and harborage of rodents; rodent infestation”; and Yama Sushi from June 27-29 for “prevention of entrance and harborage of rodents’ rodent infestation.” Quoted from here.

Happenings: Henry Mayo "Revises" Expansion Plan

Your days are numbered, Community Holiday Tree. Pending approval of the newly revised Master Plan for Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital (HMNMH[1]), Parking Structure 4 will soon occupy the land to which your roots cling. More than 130 of your brethren shall also be required to not-exist-anymore to make way for three new Medical Office Buildings, four new parking structures, and a new Inpatient Building on the Henry Mayo campus[2].

Cross the annual tree lighting off the community calendar if the expansion of Henry Mayo is approved; faux picket fences offer little protection against Master Plans.

While few Claritans would willingly go to Henry Mayo Hospital with Holy Cross and UCLA less than an hour away, most agree that bringing more medical offices and hospital space to SCV is a good thing. After all, the community is growing. We need places to treat those who O.D. on meth in Canyon Country or get shanked in Newhall, and Henry Mayo will do just fine in a pinch.

What people don’t agree upon is how appropriate such a massive building project is at the present hospital site. There are residential neighborhoods immediately abutting HMNMH that might not be thrilled with multi-level parking structures and noisy medical copters replacing the quiet bank of trees they presently enjoy. Furthermore, McBean Parkway would become even more congested with traffic than it is at present with the doubling of hospital/office square footage proposed under the revised Master Plan[3]. At what stage in that plan the hospital makes itself more attractive to local residents I’m not entirely sure.

The revised Master Plan—shown below—hasn’t made (m)any local residents’ concerns go away. It’s essentially just focused on improving parking and ease of entry/exit at the hospital. Whether enough has changed to allay the fears of the City Council remains to be seen.

Try not to be distracted by the green vs. gray tree paradigm. The things that have really changed between the old (left) and revised (right) Master Plans are the location of structures in the lower right-hand corner and the alignment of McBean Parkway. These are available here on the City Website.

The expansion plan has, predictably, been the cause of a considerable amount of turmoil in the City. All the big names are coming out and calling out. The Newhalls, for example, have actually joined protests in front of Henry Mayo. This June, members of City Planning were publicly accused of colluding with the hospital[4]. All the while, Lynne Plambeck is in overdrive writing letters to set the City straight[5].

No one, however, has stood out more than Council Member Frank Ferry. In July, he memorably bellowed “You don’t attack city staff who has [sic] given their life for this community! You kill me, dude.” This was in response to fellow Council Member Tim Ben Boydston’s suggestion of inappropriate cooperation between hospital officials and the City[6]. But the quotable Ferry doesn’t stop there. Showcasing typical brilliance, he said of homes near the hospital "I would bet the home values of the nearby homes would increase, not decrease”[7] . The always possible escape of Pitchess Detention Center inmates from the hospital, however, might slow Frank’s anticipated rise in property value. (In 2004, one area man was rewarded for his proximity to Henry Mayo by being beaten with a steel barbecue brush wielded by an escaped maximum-security inmate wearing only flip flops and a hospital gown[8].) It’s hard to say if Ferry’s ignorance is willful or natural, but regardless, it seems that he might just be a little bit pro-expansion.

If one stays well away from the distracting minutiae of the hospital project, it’s really not that complicated of a problem. Determining an ideal solution, however, is impossibly complicated. It requires striking a balance between the hospital’s profit motives, the need to serve the community, and impacts on residents, traffic flow, and the environment. This, of course, means that the expansion plan will win out in the end.

The community will need a lot of healing after the dust has settled on Henry Mayo’s Master Plan. Luckily, the new HMNMH comes equipped with a healing garden—I imagine it’s being installed to prove that Henry Mayo is not entirely anti-vegetation. I’ll leave you to admire an artist’s rendering of the garden. Note that it includes two people very much in need of healing having both, by the looks of things, suffered third degree burns and lost their feet.

Also from the Planning Section of the City Hall website. Go there.

[1]That’s a palindromic acronym! Interestingly, the acronym for the phrase “a palindromic acronym” (APA) is a palindromic acronym itself! I’ll stop now.
[2]The Master Plan is summarized in this PDF
[3]See No. 2
[4]From a June 14, 2007 Signal article by Kristopher Daams, "Hospital Plan Stalls in Council"

[5]Plambeck's clear, reasonable arguments against the expansion can be read in this PDF, for starters. Look at the other Background Documents provided by the City if interested in the hospital issue.

[6]Jeff at SCVTalk provides the quotation and coverage here; also note that he obtained copies of the emails at the heart of the issue. Even though this happened a while ago, it's not at all a forgotten issue.

[7] From a June 13, 2007 Signal article by Kristopher Daams, Residents Flood City Hall for Henry Mayo Hearing

[8] Details here

Happenings: A Business is Blessed

Julie Mair, flanked by husband and progeny, looks for approval from shopgirl before delivering the coup de grâce to the ribbon. I've shamelessly borrowed this and other photos of the event from accomplished photographer Jeff Lowe (Julie's brother) whose excellent work can be viewed here and here.

Those who bemoan a lack of ceremony in these secular times of ours have clearly not attended a store opening in SCV. They are, for all intents and purposes, modern-day baptisms, one of the sacraments of commerce. Thursday past I had the good fortune of going to the grand opening of Julie Mair’s Rooms to Roam[1]. While Julie is atypical of SCV (being genuinely nice and friendly[2]) the ceremony spoke volumes about business-as-usual in the Clarita.

First, one noted that there were two kinds of people at the event. The first were family and friends of Julie and local business owners. The second kind were the de facto clergy, people I shall call GBs (“Gold Badges”; I’ll explain soon enough). Clad not in robes and rosaries but in suits and slacks, an aura of importance surrounded them. This was due in no small part to their highly conspicuous gold badges, tokens of their undying loyalty to the Chamber of Commerce (reverentially, “the Chamber”[3]).

The gold badge gives its wearer the ability to determine anyone's net worth instantly.

I managed to talk to one real life GB. She mentioned how wonderful the store looked. I agreed and noted how nice it was that the cool streak in weather had held out for the opening. Alas, she chose to go get food (catered by StoneFire Grill) rather than continue the conversation. My chance to network was over before it had begun. It’s not that I really needed to network, but I wanted to try it at least once.

The event itself was befitting of a home store. The shop was perfectly put together and even the desserts[3] matched the chocolate brown and light blue color scheme[4]. The service provided by the store, incidentally, is essential to valley homeowners. Indeed, it offers an assortment of all the things needed to furnish the 4,000 square-foot estate we now call “a single family home”. From candle holders to ceramics to exceptionally large clocks, it's all there.

Offerings to the consumer include sources of light both medieval (candle-based) and modern (electrical); plates in colors that show both daring and taste; and martini glasses one woman referred to as "themed but not themey."

Anyhow, after a half-hour of mingling a call went out for those tightly associated with the business to enter the store. Priestess of Profit Traci Pontecorvo noted that the “party part” was going to pause for a moment so that the “ceremony part”[5] might begin. Reminded of the task at hand, people filed out from the latticed arena of tables and chairs set up for lounging/grazing and headed for the store.

What happened next is, appropriately, shrouded in mystery (i.e., I was not in the store for the central ceremony). I saw the GBs enter, along with Julie’s family and friends, and a large pair of scissors[6]. Cheers were heard from inside the store as (presumably) certificates of recognition and membership plaques—physical symbols of the blessing bestowed by the Chamber—were offered and accepted. A ribbon red as the debt feared by Chamber members was cut by Julie with the hallowed, over-sized instrument of severance. To be more precise, the ribbon was symbollically cut; the scissors were non-functional.

To thank her guests for gobbling up all the food she’d had catered[5], Julie then raffled away several gift baskets. Naturally, Little Miss Canyon Country pulled the names of winners. It seems Little Miss Corner of McBean and Old Orchard had a prior engagement. With that, the festivities continued and the store gleamed under the attention of a doting Chamber. As a sign that “all was well”, Tony and Rena Newhall (yes, as in that Newhall) stopped by to offer congratulations to their own store’s neighbor.

Rooms to Roam, anointed with a plaque and blessed by the Chamber, now stands ready to do its sacred duty: earn money for the City (and, perhaps, the storeowner too).

[1] The store is located at 23300 Cinema Drive and can be reached at 661-259-7890.
[2]Even if you don’t know her, how can you not like someone who puts out a frozen Margarita machine and gourmet dessert bites for her store's grand opening? This is a decidedly better way to go than handing out grand opening balloons.
[3]Dare ye enter The Chamber?
[4] The desserts were created by Babe's Dessert Bar and I can thoroughly endorse all of them. I found the Baby Bostons, Denise Kane’s artful homage to the Boston Cream Pie, a fully realized attempt to make perfection edible.
[5] Her words, and she’s actually the Membership Director.
[6] I was considering going with a circumcision motif—scissors, cutting and all, but thought better of it (though, apparently, not better enough of it to forego a mention).

Happenings: 4.5 Quake Responsibility of Blogger

I’m sorry, everyone. The ~4.5 magnitude earthquake felt just before 1am last night was my fault. I was about to retire for the evening but had crept into the kitchen to eat some leftover chicken instead. Minutes after this dietary transgression, just as I was drifting to sleep, I was punished from Above. Obviously, I felt pretty embarrassed.

The news stories are a bit vague, but to me it felt like the shaking lasted for a little over ten seconds. It rattled free-standing crap but didn't knock anything over. At this point, every piece of furniture in California is bolted to a wall in ten different places, so this tremor definitely fell into the category of moderate refresher quake. I went to Wikipedia[1] and discovered that an earthquake in the 4s[2] is classified as "light" and dissipates energy equivalent to that in a small atomic bomb, perhaps the sort the blew up fictional-Valencia in 24.

Unfortunately, the site had no table for psychological impacts. I wonder whether little ones like this are more frightening to those who've been through a big one before--the people who know how they can escalate--or to earthquake newbies feeling the planet beneath them move for the first time.

[1] Link here
[2]If someone reading this works at the Signal please note how that plural was formed. In an otherwise enjoyable John Boston piece today, there are two acronyms that read "F.B.T's" and "NFT's". Neither is possessive, so the apostrophes aren't needed, and I believe that it would be best to be consistent in the assignment of periods to the constituent letters of the acronym. If you need a reminder, just recall that it's written "DUIs" in the LA Times, not "D.U.I's".

Happenings: M-80s Perform and the Claritans Danced

Concert from afar (left), and one-half of the M-80s (right)

In the last installment of Westfield’s “Hot Summer Nights Concert Series[1]” (do four concerts a series make?), Claritans delighted in the musical meanderings of 80s cover band the M-80s[2]. I was among the delighted Claritans, my five-and-a-half year stint in the Me Decade apparently enough to ensure eternal devotion to its music.

As mentioned, Westfield was site of and sponsor to the event, and its P.R. machine was out in force. Brand saturation was complete, the name Westfield as omnipresent as the name Kim Jung Il must be in Korea. We got mini-fans to keep ourselves cool (manufactured in Westfield red and emblazoned with the logo), there were glowing Westfield pendants, those clad in Westfield-branded shirts abounded, Westfield was on all the signs, and free drinks were passed out under the banner of Westfield. “They loved Big Westfield”, to adapt the line.

This isn’t to say that other companies weren’t getting in on the action. Many local shops and eateries donated goods that were given away in a raffle benefiting Single Mothers Outreach of Santa Clarita[3]. In all, forty prizes were given away with sponsor information provided for every single prize, right down to the two free scoops of ice cream.

Here, a check representing money from raffle ticket sales is presented to Single Mothers Outreach of SC

Truly, though, the highlight of the concert (apart from the music) was someone we called “Dancing Boy.” Rocking a bob of platinum blonde hair, a black-and-white striped hoodie, skinny jeans, and a glittering choker, it was clear he wanted to be noticed. And what dividends he paid for out attention: he dance-walked the entire perimeter of the stage and seating area drawing smiles, screams, and at least a few heads shakes of quiet consternation. My friend was too awed by the spectacle to focus the camera, so even our best shot can hardly do “Dancing Boy” justice.

Dancing Boy dances!

While D.B. was the most conspicuous dancer, he was certainly not the only one. The dance floor was packed in front of the stage for the duration of the concert. 80s music is highly danceable, after all. Despite an absence of booze, even middle-aged white men were dancing. Most just moved their shoulders back and fourth almost, but never quite, in time with the music. You could see the relief on their faces when dances with instructions arose (e.g., "wave your hands in the air" and other moves that suggest participation while requiring minimal rhythmic ability).

I had a thoroughly tolerable time at the concert, but I forgot to bring along the must have accessory: a kid. From personal experience, I can tell you that anyone who moves to SCV will be married with two children in less than a month after their arrival. I guarantee it. And, indeed, these children were evident, toted along to the show by the dozen. The band was generally great with them, even allowing several on stage to dance with the special sort of energetic fury only one-digit-year-olds can muster. Then the band got around to singing “Like a Virgin.” Obviously, “Mommy, what’s a virgin?” and “What do they mean ‘touched for the very first time?’”s followed. Dancing Boy, incidentally, seemed to love the homage to Madonna.

M-80s perform "Like a Virgin", always a big hit with the 4-feet-and-under crowd

There was a certain amount of corny showmanship, but the M-80s gave an excellent show overall . They picked the kind of songs that got people to look at one other in knowing, gleeful anticipation after the first few notes, and the lead singer’s voice was suited to all of them. The musicians were equally capable. If 80s music is “your thing”, you can watch them perform at The VU Ultra Bar[4] in Newhall every Thursday at ten. But Claritans beware: “Ultra” is a relative term in Newhall.

While this concert series has ended, the other few are continuing for at least a week longer (Tuesday night Jazz & Blues, Saturday Night Concerts in Central Park, Valencia Marketplace Summer Sunset Concerts). A subtly different group of Claritans attend each one, depending on such factors as marital status and tolerance of sobriety. Choose the one that best suits your needs.

[1]Did somebody say Westfield?
[2]Their myspace page here
[3]I couldn’t find a website for the group, but its founder was interviewed in 2006
[4]It’s pronounced “voo”, as in the last syllable of Rendezvous, the space’s former identity. Their myspace

Restaurant Review: Rosie's BBQ & Grillery

Despite the setting—Valencia Town Center at 7pm on a Friday night—Rosie’s BBQ and Grillery[1] was only about 2/3 full. The tween crowd was focused on the BJ's/Theater region, and the 40-somethings were pretending to appreciate outdoor jazz down the road. My friend and I, then, were happy to be seated immediately and begin our appraisal of the relatively new restaurant.

Layout and Décor: Upon entering, you’ll notice the large bar to your left with plenty of small tables. In the main dining area booths are abundant, and the designer has spaced them to give just the right amount of privacy. That is, I could easily zone out the party next to me amongst the background noise, but it wouldn’t be impossibly hard to eavesdrop on them were they talking about something more interesting than being blessed—sorry, “so blessed”--in seemingly all aspects of their lives.

The tables outdoors, though few, are couched in a very nice space with a fireplace, potted plants, and view of passersby.

When it comes to creating ambience, Rosie is not a subtle gal. She likes her wood stained dark and varnished. Booths are adorned with western motifs writ large in iron, walls with saddles and lanterns where we’d expect to find sconces and flowers in more demure eateries.

Potables: Drink prices are pretty standard. For example, it's $8 for a Pomegranate Martini, one of many -tini variations offered, and $10 for a top-shelf Cadillac Margarita. The wine list isn’t extensive with a handful each of Cabs and Chards, but I didn't see anyone going thirsty.

Soft drinks are served in frosty Ball Jars—I always read it “Bell”, looking for a miniature Esther Greenwood inside—as one of many reminders that Rosie’s is indeed Rattler’s-based.

Edibles: The menu aims to please many. While most items are grill-centric and of animal origin, there are plenty of salads and even smaller portions for what Rosie’s calls “Seasoned Wranglers”. It would be nice, though, if the restaurant offered a few non-fried starters. Out of eight options, only the Spinach Artichoke Dip isn’t prepared via immersion in boiling oil[2].

We tried eight items with the following reactions:

-*Rosie’s Famous Shreddies: crispy, sweet, none-too-greasy onions
-Dinner Rolls: our basket had rolls that were coarse and dry, something like what Russian peasants once ate
-BBQ Sauce: one-dimensional (that dimension being sweet)
-*Tri-tip: excellent; wonderfully tender, cooked exactly as ordered (medium), good crust
-BBQ Chicken Breast: tough, a characteristic cooks tried to conceal beneath an ample coat of house BBQ sauce
-Vegetables: broccoli and cauliflower waterlogged, carrots mealy; all cooked using a minimalist approach of steam only; oh what a little salt or a quick run through a sauté pan could have done
-Mashed Potatoes: comforting in their bland familiarity

Overall, Rosie’s seems to have the meat and potatoes down and would do well to give a little more attention to some of its menu’s supporting players. We give it a 3 out of 5.



[1]Their website can be found here. Note that you can also have food delivered or catered. In the name of accuracy, the "and" should be an ampersand, but that character is verboten by Blogger.
[2] The so-called "Grillman's Platter" has fried onions, fried potatoes, and fried chicken. To be fair, I agree that "Grillman's" does sound more appealing than "Deep Fryerman's".

Happenings: Buck Backs a Bill

Congressman Buck McKeon[1], representin' for all his 25th District peeps, has recently taken bold legislative action.

No, I'm not talking about his plea to give the town of Bishop $50,000 for a mule museum ("They are an integral part of the development of this country."[2]) but about something even more sweeping and necessary. House Resolution 3245 will change the name of NASA's nearby “Dryden Flight Research Center” to the “Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center”[3]. (Take a moment to regain your composure.) But don’t feel too bad for Dryden: if the legislation passes, the “Western Aeronautical Test Range” will become the “Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range”. Of course, one doesn't introduce something of this magnitude by oneself: House Representatives Calvert, McCarthy, and Schiff were there to help.

In a time where many are totally preoccupied with Iraq and illegal immigration, I'm glad that issues like this one aren't going unnoticed. As Rep. McKeon observed, "Neil Armstrong and Dr. Hugh Dryden embody the innovative spirit that continues to move NASA forward, inspiring the next generation of aerospace pioneers and advancing our legacy as the global leader in space exploration.[4]" Clearly, a vote for HR 3245 will be a vote to inspire those NASA scientists now yearning desperately for a boost in morale, a vote that might bring us back to the moon.

[1]Meet Buck
[2]The press release I'm quoting is available here
[3]My writing is informed by Jim Skeen's "NASA center may get Armstrong name" in the August 1st edition of the LA Daily News. He managed to limit himself to only 656 words on the story.
[4]That press release is here