Iguanas, San Jose, CA

Iguanas

330 S 3rd St

San Jose, CA 95112

http://www.burritozilla.com

Hit this place about 8pm on a Wednesday night in April 2013

It is in a semi-urban middle of the road area in San Jose.  Parking was tough, took a couple laps.  The area was busy and there were lots of young people around.  The place was filled with what looked like college kids.  The food was pretty cheap.  We got a Carne Asada burrito, nacho fries and a chipotle chicken regular taco.   We didn't eat it all, which is rare.  That and two drinks was $20.   Tables are plain, the place is bare, mostly clean but not fancy.   Like I said, geared to feed college kids.   You order at the counter and get your food after 10 minutes or so.  There were some seats outdoors but it was too cold to sit there.  We sat inside.  We didn't have to wait in line and there were plenty of tables.

My son liked it more than I did.  Plenty of food, not bad, but not thrilling.

Henry's Hi-Life, San Jose California

301 W St John St, San Jose, CA 95110
http://www.henryshilife.com/

Went on a Monday night around 8pm in April 2013.
This place was in semi urban San Jose, near an underpass.  Neighborhood looked perfectly safe.  Places to park on the street all around so didn't stray too far.   It was half sports bar and half restaurant.  It looked clean and thriving.  Better than most of the Man v Food locations for sure.   Clientele were middle class of all ethnicity.   This place is kind of pricey so no wonder the customers were not homeless.    Strangely you order by the doorway below, then wait in the bar.   After a while they call you and you sit down to your salad and bread.  It still took a while for the entree to come.  Food was quite good, we had baby back ribs and chicken combo.  Plenty to eat, brought home leftovers.  Spent $65 for two meals and two sodas, granted we ordered one of the more expensive things on the menu.     I'd go back and recommend it to others.

Chaps Pit Beef, Baltimore, MD

5801 Pulaski Hwy  Baltimore, MD 21205

www.chapspitbeef.com




Hit this place about 6pm on a Sunday night in March 2013

The neighborhood is an industrial working class area in eastern Baltimore. A little rough around the edges, with an adult entertainment bar right across the highway.   Chaps is a tiny place in the parking lot, smaller than I thought it would be.   It is nothing fancy but it was clean and well cared for.  Seemed totally safe in the daytime. It was busy and a line of 3 to 6 people was steady at the window.  You order your food from a window, and they call it out from another window.  It took about 10 minutes to get our food.  They had a grill and were cooking and slicing the meat right where you could see them. Staff was polite and obviously very familiar with their fare.   This is a very casual place, doing a lot of both takeout and eat here business.  No wait staff.  Styrofoam containers, do it yourself.   They had some tables and picnic tables inside and some outside seating (too cold for that in March).   Staff and clientele was people of all shapes, sizes, ages and races.  No place is integrated as well as Baltimore.  People are just people and you respect them all.

Order from this window

Kitchen window hands you your food

We had the "Richwich" which was an Adam Richman themed sandwich with beef/corned beef/ turkey and sausage.   The meat was well cooked and good tasting, but needed sauce or horseradish which was set up at various pumping stations.   Cheese fries were a bit soggy and overly cheesy flavored, but still good.  Rice pudding for desert was yummy.

I recommend this place for very casual dining or takeout.  Prices were good for meat that was way better than fast food. It is clean, fast, and friendly.  Paid cash, not sure they take cards.

Sorry about the lousy photo, forgot to take an outside photo until we were driving away.

Fran's Hamburgers, Austin, TX

South Congress Ave, Austin TX

Authentic looking original drive in, with some Austin flair.  Nothing fancy.  The building and furniture were pretty low budget and time worn. It was way past time for them to mop the floors.   Definitely a little under clean.

Lunch on a Friday in late Feb 2013.  It was about 1100 to 1130 and the lunch rush was just starting.  The place went from just about empty to full while we were there.   The clientele was mostly guys of all ages.  Looked like a working class, regular guy clientele who probably ate there regularly.   Stand in line and order the burger at the counter and they call your number in a couple minutes.

Had a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings.  My son had a cheeseburger and fries.  The bacon cheeseburger was all the way with mustard.   The lettuce and tomato were good, the burger was dripping with "juice" and was quite good.   You could say it was kind of greasy.   The onion rings were good but tasted a bit like it was time to change the fryer oil.  The two of us spent $16 total and got more food than we could eat.  Burgers come in three sizes and we got mediums.



Looks like a drive up, but the roof is just parking spaces now.




Inside is pretty time worn and hamburger jointy.

Stepping Stone Cafe - Portland, OR

2390 NW Quimby St  Portland, OR 9721

Went for breakfast in Feb 2013



Located in a nice residential neighborhood on the edge of Portland.
This was a diner style place.   It was busy but we didn't have to wait.

It was much cleaner and newer than many of the dives that show up on this show, but it was definitely a home brew decorated diner.   Staff was very friendly and attentive.  I'd recommend it.

We got the "mancakes" that were on the show.  They were good pancakes, and very large.  Full stack was $8.  But they were just pancakes and there was a lot of better and more interesting things on the menu.

Voodoo Donuts - Porland, OR

Visited in Feb 2013.

Very funky and local.  Busy with young people buying donuts.  We got a voodoo dozen for 12 which included some of the most unique donuts I've ever seen.  Fruit loops and oreos.    The donuts were excellent, very sweet though.

Neighborhood had some strip joints and homeless people around.   The donut shop has lots of double entendre signs up.  Open 24 hours and only takes cash.  No place inside to eat, but some tables were outside.  If you like eating in the rain.   A fun experience, recommend it.

We went twice, and the second time carried the donuts back on the plane.  People stopped us and asked to see the donuts and we saw others carrying them too.  Voodoo donuts are a big deal.

BUNK sandwiches - Portland, OR

211 SW 6th Ave

Visited at lunchtime in Feb 2013, about 2pm.

This place is tiny.  A lunch counter and cash register and maybe 10 seats wedged in.  It is a bit funky and local.   How do I say it, it is "homey".   Most of the place is the food prep area.  Not fancy at all.

Staff was very nice and chatted as they prepped the food.  It was not busy when we were there, which was late for lunch.  They are only open to 3pm.  We ordered at the counter, paid and got our sandwiches within 10 minutes total.   The neighborhood is downtown and I had to pay to park in the garage next door for $9.75.    We walked a few blocks afterwards and the neighborhood seems a bit dodgy.

Had the pork cubano sandwich.  It was excellent.  The sandwich was not huge but it was big enough.