EATS THAT CAN'T BE BEAT; TWO VALLEY RESTAURANTS TOP POLL.Byline: Jenifer Hanrahan and Keith Marder Daily News Staff Writers Lou Giannola doesn't mean any disrespect to the memory of his mother, but the meatloaf they make at Brent's Delicatessen and Restaurant might just be a match for his dearly departed mom's. ``She's been dead for 14 years,'' Giannola said as he savored a side order of mashed potatoes n. pl. 1. Potatoes which have been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency, usu. with sparing addition of milk, salt, butter, or other flavoring. It is a popular accompaniment to a meat course [U.S., 1900's], providing bulk and calories to a meal. and gravy Thursday. ``I haven't been able to find anything like her meatloaf until I came here.'' Giannola isn't the only one impressed with the down-home delicacies This is a List of national delicacies. This list is sorted from where the food originated from. Many of these dishes may be normal to one culture, however to other cultures may seem bizarre. A delicacy is a food that is particularly prized within a given culture. like corned beef, chopped liver Chopped liver is a spread from the Jewish cuisine. It is often made by sautéeing liver and onions in schmaltz (i.e., rendered animal fat); adding hard-boiled eggs, salt and pepper to the sautéed liver and onions, and grinding that mixture. and cheesecake at Brent's. Zagat's latest ``America's Best Meal Deals'' survey ranks the Northridge eatery as No. 1 for food and value in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Right on its heels is Yang yang (yang) [Chinese] in Chinese philosophy, the active, positive, masculine principle that is complementary to yin; see yin, under principle. Chow in Canoga Park, a Mandarin- and Szechwan-style restaurant with a specialty that bears the unlikely name of ``slippery shrimp.'' Not only has Yang Chow received a four-star review from Daily News restaurant critic Larry Lipson, it was named one of Los Angeles' top 100 restaurants in 1996 by the now-defunct Buzz magazine and was picked as the top Chinese restaurant See:
``We are so happy,'' said manager Anna Chan. ``If the food is not fresh, it's not good. So we only use fresh food, and we cook it fresh for each customer.'' Yang Chow's slippery shrimp ($11.25) are bathed in egg whites, wok-fried for crispness and served in a sauce made with ginger, minced garlic, tomato sauce, vinegar vinegar, sour liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, produced by the action of bacteria on dilute solutions of ethyl alcohol derived from previous yeast fermentation. , rice wine and sugar. ``It's excellent,'' said Stacy West of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, after lunch Thursday. ``Whenever my sister comes in from Arizona, we have to come and eat here. It's like a pilgrimage for her.'' Both restaurants are rated B by Los Angeles Department of Health inspectors A health inspector, or Environmental Health Specialist is a public employee who investigates health hazards in a wide variety of locations, then will take action to mitigate or eliminate the hazards. . During Thursday's lunch rush at Brent's, the line for tables extended out the door. Inside, a noisy crowd ordered bowls of salad so big they could be used as speed bumps and sandwiches piled so high that a table of four burly bur·ly adj. bur·li·er, bur·li·est Heavy, strong, and muscular; husky. See Synonyms at muscular. [Middle English burlich, from Old English *borlic, excellent; see construction workers could hardy get a handle on them. ``It's a monster,'' said Tom Lanski, 29, as he chomped down on a corned beef and rye that was almost as big as his biceps. Lanski, Giannola and two friends filled their bellies for $40.86, including drinks and tax. Ron Peskin has owned Brent's for nearly all of its 30-odd years in business in the minimall at Parthenia Street and Corbin Avenue. A native of Cleveland, he came to Los Angeles with his family after World War II, graduated from Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. in 1959 and went to work in his uncle's deli shortly thereafter. Peskin bought Brent's in 1969, choosing the location in a minimall for a simple reason. ``It's what I could afford,'' he said with a laugh. Not only that, the deli had the same name as his son, a coincidence Peskin figured was a good omen. Brent Peskin, now 33, and sister Carie, 30, manage the restaurant alongside their dad. Peskin's wife, Patricia, handles the books. Brent's made its Zagat debut on 1994's ``Best Bang for Your Buck'' list. The write-up called it the ``best deli this side of the Hudson,'' said one regular. It has made Zagat's ``best deli'' list in Los Angeles every year since. The key to his success, Peskin says, is more than just good food. ``It's owners and workers that care and put out nothing but the best we can,'' he said. That, and ``I showed up every day and worked real hard.'' Neil Bordofski of Agoura Hills has been a regular customer at Brent's for 25 years. He ordered his usual - ``chopped salad, tossed, no tomato, and dressing on the side.'' ``They always get it right,'' Bordofski said. ``This is one of the few places you can come alone and feel you're among friends.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (Color) Tom Lanski of Ventura tackles a huge corned-beef-and-rye sandwich Thursday at Brent's Delicatessen and Restaurant in Northridge, ranked No. 1 for food and value in Los Angeles by Zagat's latest ``America's Best Meal Deals'' survey. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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