Kat's 9 Lives

My coworker kept raving about Dog Haus and I finally drove by one while I was in San Gabriel Valley.  I decided that Ms. Lin Guide and I needed to stop for a bite just so I can see what it is all about.
You have to enjoy the irony that they are located next to LA Fitness.  Either work hard and burn off all the extra calories you get after eating there or think about the unhealthy snack while exercising since you walk by this place on the way to the gym.
Everyone there was very friendly and had a very laid back vibe.  The sun was strong that day and beating down on us.  I would recommend sitting somewhere shaded as the light can be blinding.  Since it was our first time, we debated on what to get and this place was a snack interim so we needed to save room.  The people there recommended "The Fonz".  It's a spicy Italian link, hot pastrami, and melted mozzarella in a grilled King's Hawaiian roll.
Was this anything special?  I thought it was decent but nothing I would drive so far for.  Maybe I just ordered the wrong sausage.  They put a generous layer of pastrami but there wasn't any oomph or pow in the flavor.  There is a sauce bar where you can try all the different dipping sauces and add a real kick to the flavor.  They also have a lot of accompaniments for you to layer the 'dog'.
For our side, I wanted to get Tater Tots.  Who doesn't love fried tater tots?  It was nicely fried and crisp but nothing too special.
The best thing I have to say was my Root Beer Float! It's a little pricey IMHO when I first ordered it but the root beer they used was great.  They used Sprecher root beer and this was my first time trying it but it was very well made.  I would definitely recommend getting their root beer and maybe a tub of ice cream to enjoy at home! We guzzled that drink down and they actually give you a pretty hearty portion so in the end it was sort of worth the price.  They use local ice cream nearby.
All in all it was not bad but I don't know if it was anything that special that I would crave for.  I would be willing to come back for snack the next time I have some downtime and maybe find another sausage to satisfy the craving.
Dog Haus
410 E Main St 
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-4287

While we were in Monterey Park, we had a lot of time to spare... so what to do? Why not stop by Claro's Italian Market. Since Tofu adores his Italian background, I looked up some Italian places and this market popped up. He said there is one in Tustin as well, but since were here and had nothing else to do then why not. It was a sweltering day and browsing in an Italian market to kill time sounded great. ^_^
Apparently they are usually very busy because there were signs everywhere to tell you where to move the line to place your order. They offer free coffee near the side entrance for shoppers to sip and enjoy while shopping. The vibe you get while shopping is very homely and friendly.
There is a deli/meat station in the back. That's where I picked up my 5lbs. + "sweet" Italian sausage. When they say sweet, I guess they just mean not spicy. Tofu explained this to me. Normally when you buy sweet Chinese sausages they are actually sweet. At first I was not that big of a fan, but the more I eat the more I like. I guess that could also be because I sautéed chopped onions and sliced sausages together. This really brought out the sweetness of the onions and the flavor of the sausage. Of course you have to add some extra flavors while cooking to enhance it all! ^_-
Near the exit they have a small section dedicated to wines. Tofu found it funny that antacids were conveniently placed there as well. Since I was in an Italian market, then what better place to look for my beloved Moscato d'Asti! ^_^ They only had two kinds there. Once was a brand that you could easily buy at BevMo for cheaper, so I didn't get that one. They were out of the red one, so I picked up the bottle that the guy there recommended. I will let you know if it tastes good when I finally crack it open. The guy there was super friendly.
While there I picked up the Mini Cannoli, which was definitely not worth the price. It's the same price as the regular sized one, $1.70. Tofu told me the regular ones he got were not good. The mini ones I had were pretty bad as well. It was WAY too sweet and buttery, not in a good way! I could barely eat it. >=P The crust was good, it's nuts glued together by sugar. How can you go wrong with that?
They had a wide variety of cookies. When you asked them about the cookies, they were very nice and gave you one to try. Since I am a sucker for people who are nice to me, whenever I receive free food I feel obligated to reciprocate the favor. SIGH! I decided to buy some cookies for my Aunt and I. It was a bad idea to let them choose the cookies, because they probably picked the biggest ones. They are all done by weight, $11.99 a lb. Eep! Somehow I ended spending $15 on cookies, which was not worth it. Next time I will stick with the sausages! ^_-

Sounds yummy to me!! ^_^ I know you feel me Burumun! Ms. Lin and I couldn't decide what to eat for dinner today so I did a bunch of research. I was just looking for some delicious cheap eats, more bang for the buck. While I was searching around on the internet, I found Rosamunde Sausage Grill in SF. They aren't really a "cheap eats" place, but good enough for me in SF. They range about $4.25 to $5 for a sausage in a sesame bun and two sides on top. It's a very small shop located on Haight St. I went in to order and they grilled it all fresh so it took about 6-10 minutes to make. They were extremely friendly, but there was little space for you to stand.The first sausage that attracted my attention was the Duck Sausage with Fig. How does that not sound tempting? =9 **drool drool** The sausage was actually pretty flavorful. I think there were two links in there. At first I thought it was one cut in half, but now that I look at the pictures it should be two. Ms. Lin commented that the grilled onions weren't good, I sort of agree. I liked the grilled bun a lot and the sausage was great. It was flavorful and not dry at all.I have to confess that I LOVE wild boar, especially at La Fondue. Yum Yum! They offered a Wild Boar with Apple & Spice. They flavor was good, it tasted a little bit similar to the duck sausage. Nonetheless it was good with a sweet flavor and tender. This was not the case with the last sausage I got, the Andouille Sausage with Cajun Smoked Spicy Pork. The sausage was cooked nicely and plump, but the flavor... BLEH! It tastes like medicine! I think it tastes like Salon Pas. All the Asians out there know what I am talking about. It's a very bitter and pungent medicine, imagine THAT lingering in your mouth! EWWW! Alright, I admit I am evil. I left Ms. Lin to eat the whole thing, but in trade I went to pick up the second part of our meal. O=PAll in all I liked this place. The whole time I was standing there, I kept looking at all the different sausages and thought about buying it all! I controlled my urges because I hadn't tried their sausages and it would be bad to buy a lot if they are even tasty. Now I regret that I didn't buy some!! GRR! lol I will have to convince someone to take me back. =9 I recommend buying them individually to take home, although I did like the bun. Still it's $2 per sausage if you buy them raw, versus the $4+ you pay to get so-so onions and a yummy bun. I am a carnivore and I can always forgo the carbs! Still if it's your first time, I'd recommend you eating a few there and then order some for home! ^_-

Rosamunde Sausage Grill
545 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 437-6851

Goodness, I don't know why I am up so early today! Being up at 9AM is unholy for me, so I thought maybe I should post something then ^_^. I have been here before with my ex-coworkers and they loved it. For me, I have only thought this place was mediocre. I mean Pink's was good, but I don't think I am a big hot dog fan. What sold me at Pink's was their Jalapeño Sausage it's so delicious. I decided to give Jerry's Dogs a second try. The service was friendly as usual and the place was clean. For Orange County, this is not a bad place. This time around I have a buy one get one free coupon too!
I wanted to try their Chili Cheese Fries. To my surprise, I actually really liked it. The fries were crispy and drenched in chili, I only wished they put more cheese on it. It was really good and I would recommend this, but I don't know if it's worth $3.50 when you can get a similar thing at other fast food places for like a $1.29
Since I really love the Jalapeño sausage at Pink's, I wanted to give this place a try. It's a Texas style lean pork with Tex-Mex spices then smoked with jalapeño. The specialty of this place is that you get to choose an endless amount of toppings on your dog. There was so much that you can't even see the picture of the sausage. I got the mushrooms, bacon bits, white onions, red onions, and sautéed onions. The spicy flavor was subtle, not as big of a pow wow like Pink's. It was decent, but I don't think I will order this again.
We also decided to try the Smokey Joe's Kielbasa sausage. This was actually really good! I got the same toppings, but after a while you get tired of the toppings because I can't even take a full bite of everything at once. Eventually I gave up and just ate the sausage. This was packed full of flavor, unlike the jalapeño sausage. The texture and snap was just right.
All in all this place was alright. I am still not impressed. Service was friendly as usual. The best part of the meal was the fries I think, although the Kielbasa was a close second. There's still some coupons left for me to use, but I don't know if I'd come back to use them. If you like hot dogs or sausages and can't or won't go to Pink's in LA, then I guess this is a good 2nd choice. Whoever wants to try this place and wants coupons, let me know I still have two of them.