Friday, August 19, 2005

Fred's name sake in Los Angeles...

...not worth going out of the way for

Fred 62, 1850 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027, (323) 667-0062
photograph picture of Fred 62 diner in loz feliz with restaurant review


When we were in LA the other weekend, we went for brunch at Fred 62 in Loz Feliz. It wasn't so much a predetermined choice, more the closest place to where my friend lives and she hadn't yet tried it. If you fancy a smoke and a drink, this isn't the place for you. Sit outside and you can smoke, but not drink any alcohol. Sit inside - and you can drink but, obviously, not smoke.

It was furiously hot for us delicate San Franciscans more used to Summers that look grey rather than blue so we ventured inside where we scored a comfy air-conditioned booth. As it turns out, the drinks menu was laughable. They made a big song and dance show (they had their own plastic stand-up menu) about their Soju cocktails so we each decided we'd try a Soju 'Mojito'.

Blaech! They arrived in pint glasses, tasting of cheap, heavily sweetened lemonade with too much ice. They were undrinkable so we sent them back. The only other drink choices were beer and mimosas so we opted for those instead. If you want a 'real' drink at Fred 62, don't worry about where you sit, just bring a hip flask instead.

The menu was pages long. A typical 'diner' menu. I ordered eggs benedict, Fred had scrambled eggs and my friend had a tofu dish. All of it was unexceptional verging on unedible. My dish tasted particularly awful because they had used some kind of cheap tasting fat, which I suspect was animal-based margarine, to spread on the muffin before assembling the benedicts. Why anyone needs to add even more fat to this dish than is necessary, beats me. It was so bad I couldn't eat my English muffins. Me - not eating my muffins? Muffins are one of those things you can't go far wrong with. They are usually a safe choice, but Fred 62 managed to successfully mess them up.

Our waitress was lovely, charming and friendly. The staff wear cute little orange and green uniforms. They all look very stylish. I was taking some pictures inside, but this guy came rushing over with a horrified look on his face. "Why are you taking those pictures?" I just smiled sweetly and told him "I was just being a tourist". I was taking pictures of the diner, not the food, folks. Believe me, the food wasn't worth photographing. Anyway, I know that original American diners are sensitive about pictures of their interiors getting in to the wrong hands, so even though I have a nice selection, I will refrain from sharing them with you here.



PS This review was a .


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Fred's name sake in Los Angeles...

12 Comments:

  • At 19/8/05 08:41, Blogger Rachael Narins said…

    You've got to watch out for that Soju stuff. Most people in LA are on to it by now. (everyone seems to have had a weird watery martini at this point) Its a big marketing coup, because its really sake, which falls in the "beer and wine" catagory, making it legal to sell in places that dont have full liquor licenses.

    Im sad you didnt like Fred 62 though, its a favorite of mine for sure. Oh well.

    :-)

     
  • At 19/8/05 09:11, Blogger Monkey Gland said…

    I know the yanks are very sensitive about smoking, something soon to be true of the UK, but not allowing drinks to be served outside seems a touch peverse...

     
  • At 19/8/05 09:14, Blogger Sam said…

    hey rachael - this was just a first impression - the menu was SO HUGE there could easily have been some good choices on it too. maybe we just all chose bad.

    I noticed they had a selection of local farmers market fruit which is what I should have tried given the eat local challenge. But i find it diffucult to resist trying any new rendition of eggs benedict I come across.

    we have a few places in SF that get round the alcohol licences issue with the soju / sake cocktails too. But I've never had one quite that undrinkable before.

     
  • At 19/8/05 09:15, Blogger Sam said…

    Monkey Gland - its crazy here - you can't even really take a bottle of the wine to the park or the beach! Drinking in public isnt the done thing. Not legal.
    Imagine how hard it is for us Europeans!

     
  • At 19/8/05 10:13, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It used to be better. Hope you find better eats here in LA. I find whenever a place becomes too "hip," the quality declines.

     
  • At 19/8/05 11:36, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    aw, sam, that sucks! i have not yet been to fred 62, but i am sort of lazy and doubt i would drive that far from the westside, lol!

    i agree with racahel as far as wathing out for soju. however, it is actually VERY different from sake. soju is of korean origin, and is absolutely HORRIBLE - rush distilled, made from rice and/or sweet potatoes. i think there are some varieties of soju in japanese called "shochu" which might be better, but i think in general, the stuff is rubbing alcohol. the only alcohol that gives me a headache no matter what tiny droplet of it i drink is soju. sake, on the other hand, is way more refined, and i could drink ice cold bottles of sake like water. :)

    saketini - not too bad when it's the only thing available, but then i'd rather drink straight soju anyway. sojutini? never. lol!

     
  • At 19/8/05 12:15, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    It's been a while since I've lived in L.A., but when I did Fred 62 was one of my favorite late night *read: drunk* stops soley for the mac&cheese and the onion rings. They are serioulsy two of the best things I've ever eaten in my life.

     
  • At 19/8/05 12:21, Blogger Sam said…

    ha ha - seems Fred 62's is a lot better through the 'beer goggles' huh !!

     
  • At 19/8/05 12:31, Blogger cookiecrumb said…

    Speaking of sake (over-the-top local nutball weighing in here), Takara Sake is brewed in Berkeley with Sacramento Valley rice!

     
  • At 19/8/05 16:48, Blogger Rachael Narins said…

    LOL. I forgot to mention I too usually eat there after a few bevs. (Or in the morning, when I may still be a touch, um, under the influence.)

    AND, there are places in the US you can drink outside! Let's see...New Orleans, Datona Beach and most of southern Missouri and, you know, Memphis. All very rockin' places, I'm sure. (wink)

     
  • At 19/8/05 16:54, Blogger Sam said…

    In SF at least we can drink outside at cafe tables.
    And it looked like they could at Figaro.
    but really - Fred's is not worth worrying about not being able to drink their attempt at serving alcohol anyhow.

     
  • At 22/8/05 14:37, Blogger Guy said…

    Hmmm, Denny's or Fred 62? Ahh, the late night choices. I thought Tamales were late night food?

    Biggles

     

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