Kat's 9 Lives

OC is my home and will always be. Yes, it can get quite boring but I like the tranquility and the option to drive to metropolitan areas. Even though I live so close to The Hat, I have never been. After having the pastrami at Pink's I have been on this quest for great pastrami. It was a glimpse of heaven because it was as crisp and delicious as bacon! So after hearing all the rave reviews about The Hat being the ultimate pastrami place, I had to finally give it a try. Walking through the doors made me feel like I walked into a whole new world. Ms. Lin and I commented that it felt like we were back the Waffle House in TN where we were so out of place and people kept staring at us. At least they didn't stare, but I felt like we were in an old school nostalgic diner.
As I was waiting in line to order my eyes were fixated upon the menu... they have ... ORANGE BANG! OMG! I turned around immediately and told Ms. Lin that I had to get me the biggest cup possible and that we will have to eat some of the food here instead of take out so that I can get more Bang! lol She immediately asked me to get her a drink and agreed to grubbing here a little bit before leaving. They have the machine right by the soda machine and they have a sign clearly advising customers to use ice. Be sure to put lots of ice or the drink will be too sweet and not cold. We took this chance to try Piña Colada Bang that was very tasty and super sweet. Still, my heart belongs to Orange Bang! For that sole reason, I'd go back! ^_-
Everyone talks about their Chili Cheese Fries and the enormous portion. It is true, you can't really finish this alone unless this is your main meal... if even that. The menu says Chili Fries but I didn't even notice and said Chili Cheese Fries when I ordered. It's only 50 cents extra to get a glob of shredded cheese that is well worth it. The chili was not bad but not really my type. I am not sure if there are mashed up beans in it, but it has that mushy thick flavor. Thank goodness they don't have the calorie count posted because I could feel my heart clogging as I was eating this, which didn't stop me. O=9 Since I can't really see the evil beans and there was enough gooey melted cheese atop the massive pile of freshly fried fries... I was willing to overlook it all and just dig in!
Now onto the main dish that they are so well known for... The World Famous Pastrami Dip Sandwich for $6.99. Maybe Pink's misled me, but this was not what I signed up for. The meat was just tiny shreds piled in a sandwich and layered with mustard. I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt and kept eating, but nothing stood out. The bread was plain, the pastrami wasn't that flavorful, and I was left sitting there wondering why I spent $6.99 + taxes on this. I know that a lot of people might not agree with me and maybe this is what real pastrami tastes like, but I don't like it. What I had at Pink's was slices of pastrami that actually looked like meat and not shreds of meat that looks like an ordinary cold cut meat. You would think that it being a dip there were sauces or au jus to use with the sandwich, but nothing. =*(
All in all this place is only aiight in my book. I might come back for the fries and definitely for the Orange BANG! lol Next time I will try some of their different sandwiches out, but no thanks for pastrami. Our drink cups say that they are celebrating their 25th anniversary but it's been waaaaay past the anniversary date and they are still using them. We joked that they must not have met their goal by a lot and had tons of left over inventory to get rid of. lol =9 The original The Hat is in Alhambra on Valley Blvd and it is still standing there. Maybe one day I will give the original location a go too.

The Hat