Frisco’s Turkey Burger with cheddar cheese

Short Version: (from 1-10)

Food:6 Service:4 Ambiance:8

Price: reasonable

Cuisine: American, Greek… and Pizza

Long Version:

So Frisco’s Carhop Diner opened in Long Beach in 2006. As 1 of 2 Frisco’s locations and 1 of 6 restaurants owned by the owner, you’d think they would have it down by now. Alas, they are at about 65% of where they should be as an eatery, this includes service, food & ambiance. Not great.

Let’s start with service. The place was dead in the middle of the day on a Saturday and it still took a good minute for them to acknowledge that we had walked in the door. Once we were greeted (from across the room) it was still imperative for the bartender to wipe the empty bar down before she seated us. Of the entire empty restaurant we are seated right next to the obnoxious loud dance team coaches that were also eating there for lunch. By the time we left I could recite the routine they had been discussing (at high volume) for the duration of our meal. Aside from the bad seating placement, service was slow. Our waitress didn’t know what a Garden Burger was so she was unable to inform me that it had been taken off the menu (no veggie substitute for any of their burgers). My burger was ordered dry but it came drenched in condiments and the to-go boxes she brought us were WAY too small for our leftovers. She did switch my burger out with haste and she was nice, I’ll give her that.

Now let’s talk food. Eh. [does a so-so motion with the hand] I used to LOVE the food when the place opened in 2006. It was comfort all American food with the flavor profile of a Marie Calendars or a Mimi’s Cafe, though I feel their change in menu has caused the food to suffer. The side salad was a about a cup of iceberg lettuce BURRIED under coarsley chopped purple onions, bellpeppers and tomatoes. The croutons were old and hard and the tomatoes had a distinct mold flavor. I didn’t finish it. The burgers were good, moist and hearty. The fries were ok, though it was quite a feat to ditch the dark spots that obviously weren’t pre-cut out of the potatoes. We ordered plain ice tea but they brought us Passion Fruit because it was all that they offered. I thought it was palatable but Nicolle traded for diet Coke. The ranch was delish. The new menu has a few vegetarian options, a decent Happy Hour with a full bar and I learned as I left that the place’s claim to fame is their pizza. I may return to experience it… ehh [shrugs the shoulders].

The ambiance: this is why people come. The whole place is adorned in 50’s… EVERYTHING. Its jovial and interesting and helps the time pass while you wait for your food. There is a small stage with a vibrant red piano that is set up for live entertainment and plenty of TVs running sports for the lonely boozers that are seated at their small bar. The bathrooms are clean but slightly haggard. The toilets flush like a dream but the one I used shot water up from the pipes about 4 feet high when I flushed it. The waitresses are Frisco’s big hat trick. They are cuter than they are ugly, petite and they roller skate around in mini poodle skirt tutus and formfitting tops. This probably explains why the only other patrons there when we left were 3 pervy, past their primers drinking at the bar. The carhops also will roll out to your car with a tray designed to latch onto your vehicle, reminiscent of a 50’s drive through… cool idea, but it doesn’t seem like it’s often utilized. Why eat in your car in the sun when there is an air-conditioned booth inside calling your name?

All in all, it’s worth a shot. A place that spends all their effort on their kitchy theme often fails to deliver on flavor when it comes down to brass tacks, but the experience is not always about the food, or drinks… or service [scoffs].

This is a blog about food written through the eyes of two people who enjoy it.

 Most posts will exceed the occasional food reviews of course, due to the fact that both savory and unsavory things happen everyday and what good would a blog be if commentary wasn’t made on both. Allow this to marinate. We will talk soon.

Happy chewing.

Sarah