Summer Steak Watch: Stater's Top Sirloin $1.97 per LB

All summer whenever I see a good deal on steak I'll be passing it along. Today, Stater Bros. has Top Sirloin for 1.97 per lb. Not a bad deal. I picked up about 6 lbs today and that should last me a while. Now I just need to stock up on some Lawry's Beef Marinade.

Steak+Lawry's=MMMMM puts E=MC2 to shame. Even light speed would slow down for a good Porterhouse.

Let me know if you see any steak deals.

For more stories concerning Upland, see the Topic links over on the right---->
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There's a brewery in Upland?

Damn right! Dale Bros. Brewery to be exact and you can order up a bottle over at Lamppost Pizza. Check out this video then go get ripped.



Their website is here. Time to start your weekend.

For more stories concerning Upland, see the Topic links over on the right---->
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Cream Cheese Wontons, 25 cents each..Is it Christmas?

I picked up dinner at Pick Up Stix on Foothill and Euclid last night and noticed they had a Wednesday special. $.25 each for Cream Cheese Wontons every Wednesday. Of course I loaded up on them, I'm no fool.

If there is a bright side of the economic downturn it's that there are some tremendous deals out there, you just have to look for them. 2 for 1 coupons for Cold Stone seem to grow on trees these days.

It looks so good, I'm tempted to make the picture above "Picture of the week". Nah.

For more stories concerning Upland, see the Topic links over on the right---->
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Sign of the Times

People are getting laid off left and right. Hours are being slashed, stores are closing and homes are foreclosing. It's hard to find thriving businesses these day but I found one, the sign maker for MGR Property Management.

These signs are everywhere these days. MGR is based in Upland and I actually do some business with them and they do an fine job, however, I look forward to the day when I don't see as many of their signs out.

Off Topic: If anyone has any pictures of the old Sal's Pizza store front on Foothill and second let me know, I'm putting together a series of things that aren't here anymore. Mmmmmmmm, Calzone.

For more stories concerning Upland, see the Topic links over on the right---->
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What went down at Barbee's Pizza?

When I was a kid, in the eighties, living in Upland, there was one place to get the best pizza in town, Barro's Pizza. I still remember my dad and I driving home with a large pepperoni and me poking open one of the vent holes on the pizza box just to get a smell of that perfect pie.

Located on 16th and Mountain (another location on Baseline and Archibald), Barro's really had no competition for the best pizza in town. At some point, Barro's was sold to John Barbee, who changed the name to...duh, Barbee's. No big deal, pizza was the same and the name was close.

Everything was moving along swimmingly for Upland and Barbee's Pizza. I would frequently see John Barbee around town, in the store, or towing his boat. Things were great, in fact, he expanded. He bought the corner unit and built Loco Gringo. Still everything is cool...or so it seemed.

Then boom, Friday morning, July 10, 2004 the following happens...

Pizza Joint Busted (Ed. note: Nice headline Daily Bulletin)

UPLAND - The herb sold to certain customers by a local pizza restaurant over the past several months wasn't oregano, according to the Upland Police Department.

Officers from the Upland/Ontario Narcotics Task Force arrested John Barbee, 39, and Shaun Stacy, 19, both of Upland, and Andre Dennis, 25, of Hawthorne early Friday morning for selling marijuana out of a restaurant owned by Barbee.

Barbee owns Barbee's Pizza, 1667 N. Mountain Ave., and Loco Gringo, a nearby Mexican restaurant, Upland police said.

The narcotics task force began their investigation into possible marijuana sales out of the pizza business in March. Undercover narcotics officers made several marijuana purchases over the...

The website I found this at wants $200 to show me the rest of the article. No deal.

Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that the arrest went down "Cops style" and Barbee went running out the backdoor of his restaurant to evade police...allegedly.

I can't find out anything else about this story so if any of you have any other details let me know.

There is now another Pizza place there but I haven't tried it yet.

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Upland Picture Of The Week: Taco King

Taco King on Foothill west of Grove. Home of the Bean Special. What more needs to be said? ...Read more!

Buffalo Wing :Round Table Pizza

In case you haven't heard, I'm looking for the best plate of Buffalo wings in Upland. Well, our first entry was one of convenience. We went over to Round Table in the shopping center on the SE corner of Foothill and Campus to meet some friends for pizza and I skipped the pizza and got the wings instead.

First I want to say that this is a pretty cozy little restaurant. It has little nooks and rooms to dine in and it's a pretty cool atmosphere.

This is not the first time I've had wings from a Roundtable but first time at this location.

Here's the scorecard:

1. Sauce taste - 7.5 out of 10, good not great
   
2. Breaded or Non-Breaded - Non-Breaded ( I prefer breaded)
   
3. Price per wing - .62 each
   
4. Quality of Bleu Cheese - 5 out of 10, this is ok, on the plus side, there was a salad bar so I had all the Bleu Cheese I could eat.

Overall score is 7 out of 10
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WTF...Sizzlin' in Upland?...Where's my The Sizzler?

Look, I love Sizzler. I'm kind of a schmo though so I don't really count. Sizzler in has had a long run in Upland. The little restaurant near Chick's on Foothill has been a good neighbor. They served good food, at good prices and even sponsored Little League teams for many years. Unfortunately that run is over...kind of...

On the good side, as far as I can tell, the only thing that has changed is the two letters at the end. I didn't ask but I'm guessing that the franchise fee's had something to do with it. Hell, if the Bleu Cheese stays the same they can call that place Dumpster's and I'd still hit it.

"The" Sizzler is (apparently) a victim of it's own Salad/Dessert/appetizer Bar success. They started focusing too much on the Bar and lower the quality of the entree's. Who cares? Who orders a steak at La Sizzler (ummm Steakhouse) anyway? Not me, no one in my circle.

Unfortunately, due to my wife not being a big fan of The Sizz, I don't get over there often. I will make sure to support Sizzlin' this year.

Mmmm...Bleu Cheese on Baked Potato Skins. ...Read more!

Upland Hall of Fame: Frank Pastore

Back in 1986, I was looking at some of my baseball cards to see where some of the Pros lived. Irvine, close. Diamond Bar, closer. Upland! WTF?!. There it was, on the back of the 1986 Topps Traded (not the card pictured) Frank Pastore card.

Keep reading, it'll get good.

I had to go ask my mom to see if I was mistaken or maybe there was a whole bunch of Uplands in some other part of California where baseball players live on every corner. Nope, somehow my mom had even known this. This was at a time when I idolized baseball players. I knew every position player on every team and could give you a pretty close guess of each persons stats were so this new news blew me away.

I heard that he lived near 15th and Campus but I didn't dare roam over there for fear that look like some crazy fanatic.

I promise, keep reading

A few years later I met another Frank Pastore, it was the MLBers father and he was one of the coaches for the Upland Legion 15-16 year old team. Frank Sr. was also one of the old guys that would yell at you if you dared look at a blade of grass at the Memorial Park baseball field the wrong way.

Anyway, back to Frank Jr. Frank would later end up on the business end of a Steve Sax hit back up the box that would end his career. These days he's hosting a religious radio show out out of LA.

To me, and many others in this nation, it's not what Pastore did on the diamond or over the airwaves what makes him a legend. It's the feat that he accomplished in May of 1987 that makes him one of Upland's most important (former?) residents.

He completed the 72 oz. steak meal challenge at the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo, Texas in 9 1/2 minutes. Yikes! 72 oz. is 4 1/2 of meat plus a bread roll with butter, potato, ranch beans, shrimp cocktail, and salad.

His record stood for 21 frikin' years until it was broken by super stomach pro eater Joey Chestnut (the guy that finally beat Kobayashi in the July 4 Nathan's hot dog eating contest) in March of 2008. RINGER!!

As far as I am concerned, Chestnuts record should have an asterisk next to it due to his pro status. Pastore is still the champ.

Frank Pastore's eating prowess, All Things Upland's first Upland Hall of Fame member. ...Read more!

My New Year's Resolution: Find the best Buffalo Wings in Upland

In stark contrast to most New Year's Resolutions, this year I'll be searching Upland for the best Buffalo Wing's.

I generally prefer breaded wings served with Bleu Cheese dressing but given the right sauce, any wing can win it. Blue Cheese is a must though and points will be deducted if I get charged more for wings.

Here's the factors that I will consider when judging the wings in order of importance.

1. Sauce taste
2. Breaded or Non-Breaded (Breaded rates higher for me)
3. Price per wing
   
4. Quality of Bleu Cheese (Underrated factor)

Both local restaurants and national/regional chains will be eligible as long as they in Upland. The winner gets my patronage which is unfortunately for me, worth a lot.

Any suggestions? ...Read more!

Free food at Chick-fil-a

I received an email from Chick-fil-a today that they are giving away free food. Well, maybe not totally free but per the email.

Make any purchase on
January 1 (10:30 am to 6:00 pm)
and get a FREE chicken
biscuit on your next visit.

I'm in!

CFA is located in the Target shopping Center at the Colonies all the way on the east side of the parking lot
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WTF?....Bullwinkle's now Boomers!?

I remember having parties at the Bullwinkle's/Family Fun Center on 7th and Central when I was a kid and all of my memories are fond. I also remember spending time in the batting cages with my baseball teams and miniature golfing with friends. Again, all good. Since then I've grown up, moved away, moved back, had kids and B/FFC was bought by Boomers!.

With these memories in mind, I took my son down to Boomers! a few weeks ago to see what had changed and what was the same. Granted, I'm 25+ years older than my first visit, but the place just seemed smaller. As a kid, the Bullwinkle's building just seemed like a big fun maze. Now, the Log Cabin-y feel has been replaced by a bad 50's decor and the awesome stage puppet show of Rocky and Bullwinkle (+gang) has been replaced by a big fake jukebox....an no water show...bummer. Most of the games were either First Person Shooters or games where you roll your token in and hope to displace other tokens to win tickets. Even the tix were really cheap thermal printer paper rather than card stock.

The carnival setup in between the two buildings was OK but had a "Carny" look and there is a big structure in the middle made for misting in the summer that is all rusty. The go-cart track looked great and the people riding them were definitely having fun.

FFC again looked older and smaller and the games were more shooters and Sit-in car and cycle games. The mini-golf courses all looked good but I didn't play them. The inside east course is now a Cosmic-Black light theme.

Overall it was a real disappointment mainly due to the changes over at Bullwinkle's Restaurant. The only change for the good that was made was that they finally removed the spike strips at the exit. I never understood that. ...Read more!

Legends is Good

I've eaten a lot of food in my day, seriously, a lot. So I consider myself an expert in this field. Legends has very good food, from the huge Breakfast Burrito to the delicious Bacon Cheese Burger. But why are they Legendary? Two words... Chocolate Shake. Do yourself a favor and dig a few bucks out of the couch cushions and head on over to Mountain and Baseline and get one of these bad boys. Be warned, when you order a large...you get a large. This ain't your In n' Out sample sizer, it like 4 pounds of ice cream. I think it's 32 oz but I could be wrong.

Hands down, best shake I have ever had.
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Lets Dine Out...Minor IE Celebrity Sighting!

Lets Dine Out is a local PBS show that critiques IE restaurants that is hosted by Allan Borgen (pictured) and Jeff Williams. Borgen has been with the show since the beginning and Williams is his third co-host at least. I spotted Borgen and his first co-host on a cruise to Ensenada about 5 years ago and I asked him what he thought of Northwoods Steakhouse in Azusa and he told me everything there was too salty. Obviously I promptly removed his show from my Tivo Season Pass list. No one talks trash Northwoods and gets away with it. Just Kidding.

Anyway, on 12/9, I was stopped at the light at Grove and Foothill and who do I see talking to the "Smoker Operator" at The Red Hill BBQ? Mr. Salty himself. Twice in a decade, lucky me. Maybe he'll be talking a little bit about RHBBQ on their radio show on 590AM KTIE this weekend. I'll try to tune in and report back his take.

I'll save my review of RHBBQ for another post.
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