Tops!

My car took me to Tops recently in Pasadena and I just had to post my discoveries. There is a growing debate amongst my family between The Hat or Tops and after this experience, I am siding with the Tops contingent. Let me explain why.

Kobe beef dip sandwich. If you like french dip sandwiches, what happens when you substitute the beef with kobe beef? You get a sandwich with kobe beef! That’s what. No vegetables, no fancy condiments, just straight forward bread, kobe, and dipping sauce. The portion was a pretty decent size. Not huge, but there wasn’t any rabbit food to waste stomach space so it was pretty dense. The aus jus was nice and went well with the tender slow cooked beef (10 hours). If you feel like meat, this is a pretty safe bet to satisfy that hunger. I would have finished but my body was weary after having some of the other dishes on the menu to follow…


Both Tops and The Hat are known for their pastrami sandwiches and I’ll be honest, for me, they are neck and neck in that area. This sandwich was quite larger than the kobe beef dip. They do put cole slaw in the sandwich which is a good addition and helps make it more manageable. The sheer amount of meat would otherwise be pretty hard to consume bite after bite without something to balance all that salt. I’d say try them both yourself and see what you think. I like pastrami, but the next item on the menu is what I’m dreaming about if I’m lucky.


Chili cheese fries!!! Yes you read correctly. Please inspect this picture I posted very closely and feel the warmth that radiates from your screen as you gaze upon pure incredible food perfection. It wasn’t the pastrami that was so utterly amazing and better at Tops that makes me want to go back over and over again, but it was this, the chili cheese fries. They pile on the chili so each bite has the perfect amount of chili reserved for your enjoyment. The two cheese blend of jack and cheddar was melted just right. The fries had just the right crisp and didn’t lose its fluffy potato texture that results in either too much time in the fryer or too thin of a cut. The amount was also ginormous. I would not change one thing with these. If you want to experience a party in your mouth I suggest you find out when Tops opens or closes and make sure you go there the next time you get a chance. You will not be disappointed.


Tops
3838 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 449-4412
http://www.theoriginaltops.com/

Tops on Urbanspoon

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About Darren

Fooood! I love it if you can't tell already. I love everything about it. The taste, the smell, the look, the feel, the satisfaction, the gratification, and ultimately: the fun! I've been in San Diego for about 10 years now and it amazes me that there are still places to uncover. Traveling, eating, and taking pictures of food has always been a hobby of mine. So naturally Michael and I thought it made sense to share what we found with all of you. I tend to side with the savory but never shy away from a knock out dessert. If you have a place you think we haven't tried let us know! We're always on the lookout...

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2 Comments on “Tops!”

  1. My boyfriend and I (hailing from San Diego) have tried The Hat and loved it so much that we made sure to fit it into our road trip out to Vegas last week. Haven't been here though, but next time I'm in LA I'll have to put it on my "to-do" list. The chili cheese fries do looks really awesome! And cheesy!

  2. The chili cheese fries do look good, but I gotta say the Pastrami at the Hat wins my vote hands down. Tops or the Hat people? You have to love a great debate! Look for my post soon on The Hat and you can decide for yourself… better yet, got try both. =)

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