I was impressed that Church and State could thrive in a far-eastern downtown location where there are mainly old, rundown warehouses–and nowhere to park. I was also impressed by the ambience of the place (pictured). So if one considers the physical attributes of the restaurant as the Church part, kudos–the place is fabulous. But how fares the State part, the food?

I’ll praise the menu for one feature, which is sorely lacking at most establishments. You can order appetizer-size portions of most of the main items (but not the cassoulet, which I really wanted to try). This was a good thing because the sea bass I ordered tasted fishy and not particularly appetizing, and my wife’s chicken was so bland that she had to salt it to give it any flavor. Bottom line–let’s separate Church and State and see about improving the tastiness of the menu items. (Granted, we sampled only two, but we also ordered french fries, which, compared to McDonald’s, didn’t even rate a star.)

Would I return? Probably not. If I worked downtown and Church and State had a bigger bar (it sports maybe 10 seats at most), I’d drop in occasionally for a glass of wine and a small plate, but I don’t work downtown, so if I’m going to drive 20-plus miles to a restaurant, I’ll try a different one.

In fact, even if I did work downtown, I think I’d spend my drinking dollars across the street (which is aptly named Industrial Street) at the Irish pub I spotted on the way out called Royal Clayton’s (pictured below). This place had great ambience too–plus Guinness and all that great Irish grub. Yum–and for less than half the price!

You gotta love a restaurant that breaks out in brawls every night–at least when you’re there at lunchtime.

When I first read that the Planning Commission of the city of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was on the verge of revoking an entertainment license for local brewpub-restaurant Omaha Jack’s, I figured I’d better check it out before the curtain finally falls.

So I stopped by a lunch for a draft and a BLT–nothing wrong with the food–but I could immediately see why nighttimes could be a problem. Happy Hour starts at 3 p.m. and features lots of food and drink specials. Then three nights a week, a band is brought in, and on other nights you can karaoke your lungs away.

To top it off, the place stays open after hours. Naughty, naughty.

I guess the Planning Commission scare wasn’t enough. The full City Council is scheduled to review the restaurant and its operations on March 17.

Stop by for one last St. Patrick’s Day at Omaha Jack’s come March 17. There may never be another.

Therefore, a salute to the spicy sauce Tabasco, which turns 142 years old in 2010, is in order.

Tabasco originated–and is still made–on Avery Island, Louisiana. Though it comes in six variations, the classic original is still the best seller.

Pictured are a modern bottle next to the original container.

Read “142 Years and Still Hot.”

I guess I should offer my congrats, but I’ve always looked upon Padma as a beautiful woman but one who is basically a gold digger.

More interesting news comes out of Taipei, Taiwan, where the third in a string of themed restaurants called Ninja has opened.

At the restaurant, customers must navigate over a moat to enter the dining area, where they’re greeted by red-and-black-clad ninja warrior babes (wait staff), who are also known to use flames to their advantage.

Sounds like fun to me.

Read more and ogle below:

That got me doing research on the Web. Sadly, the place is gone in favor of a Starbuck’s (some progress, eh?) and a supermarket. However, I found one story about the restaurant and bar–a double slaying one night after closing–which story included a rendering of what the place looked like. I also found, as the only remnant of the restaurant, a recipe for Woody and Eddy’s Peanut Butter Pie. I guess it was a signature dessert of the place’s.

Anyway, I made the pie as close to the recipe as possible, but I substituted store-bought Oreo Cookie Crust for the handmade chocolate Graham Cracker crust called for in the recipe. That was probably a mistake as the crust crumbled when I took the completed pie out of the baking pan. If I make one again, I’ll use a more durable crust and I’ll also use more Cool Whip in the pie filling. Mine came out too dense.

At any rate, it was a blast from the past well worth the time and effort.

What gives?

I’m not quite sure, but a coworker told me when he was a teenie bopper, he and a friend strolled by the location in the deepest, weirdest recesses of already-weird City of Industy, Calif., and crews were filming a McD’s commercial there. They ingratiated themselves and got some free grub out of the shoot.

I must say the place is pretty weird looking. It almost looks like a fire station with Golden Arches festooned around the building and garage doors ready to swing open–and serve Big Macs! LOL

Anybody knowing anything about this should leave a comment immediately. I’m curious.

Food journalist Kelly Choi returns as series host, alongside renowned restaurant critic Gael Greene, culinary expert James Oseland and food critic Jay Rayner who are back on the Critic’s Table. Top Chef series judge Gail Simmons will also serve as a judge this season.

Each episode of Top Chef Masters holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a quickfire challenge which tests their basic abilities and will be judged by a blind taste test and a five-star system, similar to fine dining reviews. The second challenge – is a more involved elimination challenge – designed to test the versatility and invention of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for demanding clients.

The food will be tasted and evaluated by the judges and a wide range of tasters for whom the challenge is aimed, whether patrons at a five-star restaurant or a room full of hungry kids – the food has to appeal to the diner as well as the critics for the chefs to survive.

Alas, it was not to be so.

Squeeze Inn shuttered itself this past Saturday and is looking to relocate to an ADA-compliant site by Feb. 15.

Thinking that the place would remain at its historic location, I skipped a trip up north during the summer. Now I wish I had gone. The diner’s Squeezeburger, featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, will no doubt survive, but the charm of the old building will regrettably be gone.

So sad.

I’m speaking here of Juancho’s in Ontario, Calif., which shares a parking lot with a San Antonio Winery tasting room, whose parent is the oldest (and only still-operating) winery in Los Angeles proper.

On my first visit, on a rainy Friday, I ordered up a Pescado platter–filets of white fish with beans, rice, salad and guacamole. Yum, a divine delight.

On my second, I enjoyed a more traditional Tex-Mex plate of Chilaquiles with fried eggs, rice and beans. Still good, but not the same culinary level as the fish.

All in all, I’d give Juancho’s three out of four Guy Fieris for value, comfort, food and down-home-iness.