What a nice little wine shop this is. Just perfect for the neighborhood. Staff is happy to make recommendations and they host frequent (and very hip) tastings. Prices are good at the low-end, and just a bit high at the high-end of their selection. A few cult wines can be found here, like Williams-Selyem, Kosta Browne, etc, but you'll pay for the privilege.

Tucked away in an industrial park in Glendale, Topline is the insider's choice for fantastic selection of American, French and Italian wines, amazing prices and a friendly and well-informed staff. No fancy tasting bar, no caviar for sale at the counter--heck, they don't really have a front door. But selection and pricing is pretty amazing.

If you're having trouble finding them, give a call and they'll help you out. And once you've found them, you'll go back again and again.

So it's an English pub that's run by Belgians, or at least Belgian-beer and food-loving English. But that's good news for us. Because not only do they have fine British pub food (sausage and mash, a ploughman's with better-than-average cheese, good fish and chips), they also have a very cosmopolitan beer menu. Tons of great Belgian Ales, many on draft, and my favorite beer in the world--the German Weizenbock (dark wheat beer) called Aventinus--also on draft.

On top of that the Belgian food is good, at least the big dish of mussels I had, with some kind of tomato coulis--really, really great with a cold beer.

Atmosphere is great, service is fine, it's just a nice place to hang out. Come to think of it, why aren't you there right now?

Pretty good for a dive-y lunch break. I generally go for the Chile Colorado, the Carne Asada or one of the macho burritos, including the fish. Tortas are also pretty good, as are the two house salsas, served with the chips.

Not the most charming spot in the world (on the ground floor of an office building at the dull end of Brand Blvd.), Milanos is a real surprise. Great staff, decent (cheap) wine, a good kid's menu and the food is really quite good. Prices are moderate and you won't leave hungry. I've had a nice bisteca fiorentina here, nice gnocchi and good salads. My kids like the Pizza.

I guess the average John and Pete's customer has money to burn on wine, because everything I looked at here was way more than I would pay elsewhere. Even so, some nice bottles.

Prices are a bit high and I find the selection to be generally a bit on the obvious side, but there are occassional gems here. Also, they buy a lot of private cellars and sell those vintage wines in the shop. These are often the best things in the store, IMO.

I'd shop at Wine House more if it were more convenient to me. That said, they have a good selection, nice staff, decent prices, a good gourmet food section and a wine bar/restaurant upstairs.

This is a great little neighborhood burger joint. They are owned by the owners of the better-known Pie N' Burger, and while the burgers are somehow not quite the same as that Pasadena landmark, they do have excellent onion rings, served in a massive heap--get some and share with two or three friends and you'll still bust a gut trying to finish them. Pretty good turkey burger, too.

This is a big, thick, yellow-paper wrapped burger. The meat isn't anything special, but the whole package is nicely greasy and filling. I hear their breakfast burrito is good, but I've never had it.

I've been eating at the Apple Pan for 25 years. When their menu boasts "Quality Forever", they ain't kidding. Burgers are perfectly cooked on the griddle, the fries are to perfection (and to order, they will do them extra crispy, if you like). The pie is hit or miss for me, but I do like a slice of the apple pie with their classic coffee shop coffee, however. And personally, I think the BBQ sauce on the hickory burger is great--tangy and sweet.

Cassells is famous for their double-sided broiler, but I love their sides--house-made potato salad and ketchup. Fries are really great, too. And don't forget the cottage cheese and cling peaches...

The first couple of times you head over to Charlie's Trio, you're going to wind up with pizza and pasta and the like. Most are decent, served up in this friendly neighborhood restaurant at a reasonable price. But sooner or later, you're going to opt for the broasted chicken and you're going to like it...a lot. Crispy, like fried chicken, but without the batter, this salty/greasy/crunchy chicken is pretty habit-forming. Tip: order some to share--it's hard to make a meal of it without OD-ing on grease.

We love to come to Ikea for dinnner. I don't know why, but we do. The Manager's special is awesome and they now even have a twenty meatball plate. Tip: they will substitute some tasty steamed vegetables for the potatoes, if you ask. And be sure to get extra lingonberry jam.

A film lover's video store. Cult movies, lots of foreign flicks, great service.

Also pate, dried salamis, olives, sandwiches made to order, some wine, cooking supplies--Nicole's has a little of everything. Swing by on Thursday afternoons while the South Pas Farmer's Market is on.

Firefly is a great neighborhood spot. Thursday night Tapas (during the Souh Pas Farmer's market) is a great idea.

Say what you will about commercial bread, sometimes you need something to hold the P, B & J. And the kids like their whole grain white bread. And it really is half-price.

The owners couldn't be nicer--he runs the front of the house and she's the baker. They make great cakes and apple pie, a few artisianal breads and some pretty great pastries. Sandwiches are good, too. Sometimes they have red velvet cupcakes that are every bit as good as Sprinkles.

Well, the old CS of SL knows their cheese. And they'll let you try stuff, just ask. I love the Montgomery's cheddar, and the Mimolette, and a Swiss washed rind soft cheese called Le Marechal. And you can get Epoisses, and Cowgirl Creamery. And they have a nice selection of salumi. And then there's the wine. If you're looking for cult wines that you can't find elsewhere, at prices that are not inflated, you need to stop by. Among the labels they carry: Behrens & Hitchcock, Scholium, Hundred Acre, Robert Foley, Surh Luchtel, and on and on. There's even a couple of bottles of Sine Qua Non, if you feel like dropping a few bills.