Review: Savoy Kitchen's Baked Pork Chop Rice

Hey there happy people! Happy New Year! Long time no blog. :-P

Sorry for being away so long. I've just been extremely lazy, but hope to return to blogging on a more consistent basis in 2012. And for my first post of 2012, an actual baked pork chop rice review!

Savoy Kitchen has been in Alhambra, CA for many many years. But before they settled in Alhambra, Savoy was actually in Los Angeles' Chinatown for quite some time. I remember their beef curry being popular and quite tasty.

At their current location, Savoy is known for their Hainan Chicken rice (see the following pic from Yelper Tuan D). However, Savoy offers a different daily special and their Monday special is Baked Pork Chop Rice! I was so excited to find this out that I ventured to Savoy on a Monday holiday to try it out.

Here's what it looks like:

As a reminder, I judge baked pork chop rice on the following criteria:

• Tomatoeness
• Flavorful rice
• Lightly fried pork chops
• Amount of cheese
• Overall texture

Savoy Kitchen's Baked Pork Chop Rice:

• Very strong tomato flavor in the sauce. Quite frankly, it was quite overwhelming.
  
• The rice was typical fried rice with some mixed veggies and eggs.
  
• There was one large pork chop which was nicely fried. However, the pork chop was a bit tough. I wish it was more tender.
• Good amount of cheese melted on top, but not much cheese flavor. I'm not sure if that makes sense.
• Overall texture was quite dry. While there was some sauce on top of the pork chop, there wasn't enough sauce to mix into the rice.
  

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), I give Savoy Kitchen's Baked Pork Chop Rice a 2.5 rating. Maybe the New Years holiday weekend impacted the baked pork chop rice (such as the head chef being off), so I'm going to give them another shot in the future. For the time being, I'd recommend either the Hainan Chicken Rice or Curry dishes when eating at Savoy.

Review: Taco Bell's Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

Enough posts about work...they're depressing me. Let's get to a quickie review of Taco Bell's latest addition to their Value Menu, the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito.

If you've been watching any of the college football bowl games on TV, I'm sure you've caught the Taco Bell commercial for the beefy burrito. Well, I certainly have and as I'm a sucker for the marketing, I had to try it out.

The 5-layers consist of:

• Flour tortilla
• Nacho cheese sauce
• Seasoned ground beef
• Refried beans
• Sour Cream

The first bite was great. I had a great big helping of the seasoned beef, a ton of nacho cheese and a big dollop of the sour cream. Unfortunately, things went south from there. The next bite would turn out to be the last bite of beef and sour cream. After that, it was all beans and nacho cheese sauce. Yes, I realize that I should not be expecting much for $0.89, but the person who put my burrito together could have spread the beef, beans and sour cream more evenly. It was just very disappointing.

My verdict: skip the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito. You'd be better off with one of the tacos (either the soft or crunchy taco).

Review: Burrito from Tacos Tumbras a Tomas

Well, the wife and I had a craving for carne asada burritos today and I headed to Tacos Tumbras a Tomas to satisfy that urge.



Tacos Tumbras (located at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles) is known for their huge portions - be it for their tacos, tortas or burritos. It was near the end of the day when I strolled on in, so their portions get slightly bigger than usual. Check out this bad boy to see what I mean!



Yes, that is a 12oz can of soda (or in this case, a 12oz can of Chinese Lemon Ice Tea).



The burrito was generously filled with:

• 4 scoops of marinated carne asada
• 2-3 scoops of rice
• 1 scoop of beans
• Generous helping of chopped raw onions and cilantro
• 2 big spoonfuls of hot sauce (your choice of green or red sauce)
  

With the burrito (and almost everything else here), it's all about the meat and the amount they give you. As you see above, we're not talking Taco Bell sized burritos. The burrito literally requires a knife and folk to eat! The asada was very flavorful (as is their other meats - carnitas, cabeza, lengua, etc.) although a bit on the dry side today (probably the result of my going at the end of the day).

As you can see, I had no real complaint!



It was a good thing I was hungry, because on any other day, that would have been good for 2 meals. I'm stuffed...not bad for $5.50.

Tacos Tumbras a Tomas
317 S Broadway, Stall A5
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 620-1071
Mon-Sun, 9am - 6pm

Review: Class 302's Pork Chop Noodles

My wife and I were in Rowland Heights yesterday and decided to go to a small Taiwanese restaurant called Class 302 for lunch. If you're not familiar with Class 302, they're known for their Taiwanese Shaved Snow. I'm not much for shave ice, but shaved snow is a different story. I always order it here.



We decided to try their regular fare and I ended up ordering the Railroad Style Pork Chop Dry Noodle (with the name of Baked Pork Chop Goodness you know I had to order a pork dish).



The pork chop was fried but the coating was wet at the same time. The noodles were thick with a bit of sauce that had small pieces of pork. Mixed in were some chopped green scallions along with some lightly steamed cabbage.

I tried the pork chop first. The texture was gummy and the pork was bland. I then mixed everything together and it was better, but the dish was still rather bland. I ended up adding a ton of pepper to flavor the entire dish.

This was my first time having a Taiwanese dry pork chop noodle dish, so I'm not sure if the texture and flavor were authentic. However, it's not a fav, so I'd suggest just ordering the shaved snow.

Class 302
1015 S. Nogales St., #125
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 965-5809

Note: Class 302 is really small (hole in the wall small). If you go on the weekend for lunch, be prepared for a lengthy wait.

Review: JJ Cafe's Baked Pork Chop Rice

From an earlier baked pork chop rice review, a commenter asked if I tried JJ Cafe's Baked Pork Chop Rice. Well, I finally stopped by over the weekend and here's my review.

Per my first post on this blog, I judge baked pork chop rice on the following criteria:

• Tomatoeness
• Flavorful rice
• Lightly fried pork chops
  
• Amount of cheese
• Overall texture

JJ Cafe's Baked Pork Chop Rice:

• The sauce was very creamy - it had a tomato soup taste to it. Definitely not typical for baked pork chop rice. It wasn't bad, but not what I had expected.
  
• Fried rice base w/ eggs and some mixed veggies. Like Sunday Bistro, there were sliced mushrooms thrown in.
  
• There were 4 pork chops and each were fried with very heavy batter. I would have preferred that it have less batter as once the sauce soaked in, it became very soggy.
  
• Lots of cheese.
• Overall texture was good - ratio of sauce to rice was just right as it was neither soggy nor dry.
  

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), I give JJ Cafe's Baked Pork Chop Rice a 3 rating. I'll probably return to see if they put their own twist on other classic dishes.

Review: SensGard SG-31

Hearing protection is a must for anyone who owns firearms and want to get proficient with his firearms.

When I did my first Basic Handgun course, I had purchased a pair of cheap ear plugs from Walmart. The ear plugs were Winchester branded and rated for about 26dB. They were quickly put to the test as I had someone with a .45 to my left and a .40 to my right (both persons were about 3 feet away from me on each side). With the earplugs, my ears were ringing at the end of the class.

It was not a pleasant experience as my ears were still uncomfortable the following day. One of my friends who is into firearms suggested I wear the ear plugs AND over the ear hearing protection. I normally would have followed his advice, but since I wear prescription glasses, the over the ear protection can quickly become uncomfortable (with the ear muff pressing the side of my glasses onto the side of my head).

On one of the handgun forums I follow, more than a few people recommended SensGard hearing protection products. After doing some research on SensGard, I decided to try out their latest offering, the SensGard SG-31 which I purchased online.



At first glance, they don't look like they would be all that effective - there are no fancy electronics involved, they are very lightweight (unlike some over the ear type muffs), and they are made of plastic with just some foam pieces at the end; however, looks are definitely deceiving!

At my Basic Handgun 2 class, I again had someone with a .45 to my left and a .40 to my right (both were 3 feet away from me on each side). At the end of 3 hours and 200 rounds, I had no ringing in the ears. The SensGard muted the firing sounds, but I could still hear when the instructor yelled out directions or when I chatted with the other students.

Before I used the SensGard, I had my doubts. But after using them in class, I'm glad I got them. Not having the ringing in the ears was worth the price.

Basic Handgun 2 Class

I had the chance to take the Basic Handgun 2 Class with Greg Block on Sunday afternoon. Per the class description:

This is a great class if you have the basics and want to improve your accuracy and confidence to shoot well in a pressure situation. Emphasis is placed on improving the shooter's ability to make rapid multiple shots on both single and multiple targets at varying distances.

We spent the entire afternoon doing double taps on various targets. We started off on large silhouette targets then gradually moved onto smaller and smaller targets. When we were able to group our shots adequately, we were challenged with multiple 4"x6" targets (numbered 1 through 4) where we first had to identify the correct target (based on what the instructor yelled out), align our sights, then double tap that target.

Honestly, it was quite a challenge. Not only was I using the P99 for the very first time, but I was also using the Big Dot sights mentioned in the previous post. I shot fairly well, but noticed that I was shooting low. "Dotting the I" on the Big Dots can be tricky at first as I was trying to shoot too quickly without having truly "dotted the I." I'll need more practice, but once I get accustomed to targeting with the Big Dot sights, I should be fine.

As for the P99, it performed like a champ. The recoil was slight, the slide was smooth and the AS trigger is unlike any other that I've shot with. I think the P99 is one of the best semi-automatic handguns out there.

Near the end of the class, I was able to get side-by-side double taps - a first for me. The key was to keep my firing hand/arm fairly straight and to lean into my shot; by doing both, I was able to keep the gun steady in my hand and could fire the follow-up shot rapidly and accurately.

I have a few months to practice before I take Greg Block's Intermediate Handgun Class. I can't wait to hit the indoor range and improve my skills with both the P99 and P22.

Review: Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice

Had a chance to stop by Sunday Bistro and decided to give their Baked Pork Chop Rice another chance. The last time my wife and I had eaten at Sunday Bistro was years ago, so I was hoping that it was better this time around.

When the waitress brought the dish over, it certainly looked more promising than the previous time!



Per my first post on this blog, I judge baked pork chop rice on the following criteria:

• Tomatoeness
• Flavorful rice
• Lightly fried pork chops
  
• Amount of cheese
• Overall texture

Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice:

• Did not have enough tomato taste to the sauce.
  
• Fried rice base w/ eggs and some mixed veggies; in fact, there were some sliced mushrooms thrown in - definitely the first time I have seen mushrooms in this dish!
  
• Pork chops were lightly fried, pre-cut and plentiful.
  
• Good amount of cheese.
• Overall texture was a bit dry - ratio of sauce to rice was a bit off.
  

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), I give Sunday Bistro's Baked Pork Chop Rice a 4 rating. So far, this is the best in the San Gabriel Valley.

Review: Jack in the Box Mini Sirloin Burgers

Not exactly baked pork chop rice, but here's a food review for you.

If you've been watching the NBA playoffs on TNT, ESPN or ABC, you've undoubtedly seen the following commercial from Jack in the Box:



I don't know about you, but the commercial brings a smile to my face every time I see it.

Anyways, the other night, my wife and I didn't feel like cooking. We were hungry and wanted something fast & cheap. The first thing that came to mind was Jack and his Mini Sirloin Burgers.



I ordered the Mini Sirloin Burgers combo while the wife ordered the Sourdough Jack (her favorite). The Mini Sirloin Burgers come in a small container - 3 burgers in all (as pictured above). If you've ever had White Castle Slyders, the burgers are about that size. However, there's a lot more beef to the Mini Sirloin Burgers.

Overall, the burgers were good. The sirloin was tasty/flavorful, but a bit dry. The sirloin is definitely a step up from the beef found in the Jumbo Jack or Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. The grilled onions were sweet, the buns were nice & warm, and the burgers weren't drenched in ketchup. If the Mini Sirloin Burgers remain on the menu, I'll definitely be ordering them again especially since you can get a $1 off coupon for the Mini Sirloin Burgers (either the combo or just the burgers).

Review: SKB Gun Bags

For those of you who don't know, SKB is a company that makes bags and cases to protect items during travel and storage. SKB makes a wide variety of cases - from cases for musical instruments & pro audio equipment, optics, and sporting goods to case for industrial applications such as for the military.

I knew that SKB made pistol storage cases, but it wasn't until I went to Turner's to pickup my Walther P99 that I realized that SKB also made gun bags. I actually bought one from Turner's, but subsequently returned it as I couldn't justify spending $32 on a single gun bag. Luckily, I was able to find the SKB gun bag cheaper on Amazon.com. In fact, I bought two gun bags:

• SKB Dry-Tek 9" Handgun Bag
• SKB Dry-Tek 12" Handgun Bag
  

The total for both SKB gun bags was only $6 more than what the single bag from Turner's cost. To boot, I also received free shipping from Amazon. Well, the bags came in today, so I thought I'd share some pics.



Here's the 9" bag that's going to hold the P22:



Here's the 12" bag that will hold the P99:



The SKB gun bags are extremely high quality. The gun bag is made of Dry-Tek padding to keep your firearms dry and it is double-layered to protect them from damage if you should drop it. Each gun bag has large zippers and a slide-through system where you can padlock the bag (as required in the state of CA when you are transporting your firearm in a vehicle). In addition, there are two exterior pockets - one on each side of the bag - to hold magazines and other accessories.

Overall, I would say that the bags are well worth the money. Sure, you can get less expensive gun bags; but if you already spent hundreds of dollars on your firearms, why not spend a little bit more to properly store your gear and know that both your firearms and gun bags will last much longer.

Review: CCI Mini-Mag HP & CCI Stinger

As I posted previously, I put 250 rounds through my Walther P22 and the CCI Mini-Mag HP's & CCI Stingers performed flawlessly. No jams, no fail to fires, no fail to ejects. Being that this was a .22, I was concerned about potential FTF's and rounds not loading properly, but my P22 ate up the CCI ammunition.



I put 200 rounds of the Mini-Mag HP's and 50 rounds of the Stingers through the P22. I can tell you that the Stingers do have more 'kick' to them - the felt recoil was stronger when using the Stingers. I mixed the rounds in the mag and whenever a Stinger was shot, I could definitely feel it. You could see it too as the flash from the Stingers was definitely brighter.

Per CCI's website, the velocity generated by a Stinger vs the Mini-Mag HP:

• At muzzle - 1640 ft/sec vs 1260 ft/sec
  
• At 50 yards - 1292 ft/sec vs 1104 ft/sec
  

The energy generated by a Stinger vs the Mini-Mag HP:

• At muzzle - 191 ft-lbs vs 127 ft-lbs
  
• At 50 yards - 119 ft-lbs vs 97 ft-lbs
  

I realize these measured figures are probably for a rifle, so the numbers will differ for a handgun. However, I definitely felt a difference with the Stingers.

As one of the YouTube videos I embedded on a previous post about the ammo for the Walther P22 suggested, I'll be using the Stinger as a self-defense round only. The P22 is rated for high-velocity ammo, so the Mini-Mag HP is just right for consistent use at the range. The Stingers are "hypervelocity", so I'm going to assume that it packs a bit more powder. At this point, I'm not inclined to shorten the life of the P22 by putting too much pressure through it with the Stingers.

This works for me as 100 rounds of the CCI Mini-Mag HP's at Walmart cost about $6.47, while 50 rounds of the CCI Stingers run about $5.47. For $1 more, I'm getting 50 more rounds and that just means more fun at the range.

Review: Baccali's Baked Pork Chop Rice

A long time coming, but finally a baked pork chop rice review.

Baccali Cafe & Rotisserie in Alhambra, CA has been around for quite some time. I've had their baked pork chop rice before, but never got the chance to post the review. I tried it again tonight and can say that it's consistent.




Per an earlier post, I judge baked pork chop rice on the following criteria:

• Tomatoeness
• Flavorful rice
• Lightly fried pork chops
  
• Amount of cheese
• Overall texture

Baccali's Baked Pork Chop Rice:

• Did not have enough tomato taste to the sauce
• Fried rice base w/ eggs and mixed veggies; however, it was a bit wet/soggy
• Pork chops were plentiful, lightly fried
• Good amount of cheese
• Overall texture was okay

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), I give Baccali's Baked Pork Chop Rice a 3 rating.