Saturday Morning Cartoon: Plane Daffy

I love cartoons made during World War Two.   Rather than fighting the usual antagonists like Elmer Fudd or Yosemite Sam, the cartoon characters were fighting the real-live threats that the country was facing at the time.   The studios were all at the top of their game, particularly Warner Bros., who had just hit their stride.  At this point they were producing one great cartoon after another, and introducing a slew of new characters that would carry them through the next several years.   Here's a great cartoon from 1944:  Plane Daffy, directed by Frank Tashlin.   It's a little unusual, as the first half of the cartoon has very dark, black humor, and Daffy Duck doesn't appear until the cartoon is half over.   Enjoy!

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Ormie

Nothing fancy today...   Just a simple cartoon about a pig, some cookies and a refrigerator:  Ormie.

Ormie from Ormie Pig on Vimeo.

Saturday Morning Cartoon: Daffy Duck for President

A few months back, I posted the (argueably) rarest Bugs Bunny cartoon...   Now, here's the rarest Daffy Duck cartoon.   "Daffy Duck for President"  is based on a children's book Chuck Jones had written and illustrated before his death in 2002.   In 2004, Warneer Bros. commissioned a 4-minute short based on the book, and had planned to release the cartoon worldwide.   However, it never happened, and the cartoon ended up as an extra on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 DVD set.   The cartoon is well-animated and keeps with Jones' style quite well.   Enjoy!

Great Moments in Non-PC advertising

I'm sorry, but to this day I can't listen to the classic Mexican folk song "Cielito Lindo" without these classic lyrics running through my head...

The Frito Bandito was the mascot for Fritos Corn Chips from 1967 through 1971. Originally, he was more of a caricature of a Mexican bandit, with gold tooth and stubble. A cleaning up of his appearance did nothing to endear him to the hearts of the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamination Committee, and he was retired soon after. Here's one of the original commercials...

Great Super Bowl Commercial

I had to post this upcoming Super Bowl commercial before the big game.   I am somewhat proud to admit I can name every character in this thing...

Restaurant Review #7: The Chicken Box

 This is part two in a continuing series on Fried Chicken.   Collect them all!
In my humble opinion, the best way to cook fried chicken is broasting.   Broasting is actually a trademarked name, referring to a method of cooking chicken in a pressure fryer, usually with seasonings and breading.  Broasting was invented in 1950 by L.A.M. Phelm and marketed by the Broaster Company of Beliot, Wisconsin.   Restaurants that boast they serve broasted chicken have bought equipment from the Wisconsin company and are obligated to following certain procedures and are certified regularly.   Broasting chicken seals in the natural juices, resulting in chicken that is crisp on the outside, but tender and moist on the inside.  It also cooks must faster than regular deep fried chicken.

Today, we'll cover two places that serve great broasted chicken, one in La Habra and one in West Covina.  They both have the same name:  The Chicken Box.  The were originally owned by the same person, but in subsequent years they were sold off.  However, the menus are still very similar, enough that I can cover them both in the same review.

Let's start with the most burning question:   is there a giant chicken on the roof?   Well, no, but the La Habra location has a picture of a cartoon chicken, dressed nattily in a top hat, cane and monocle, on the top of the sign.   That's something.   You might say the chicken is all dressed for dinner.   Well, OK, you might not say that, but there is a very good chance I would say that.  That's why I have to go out to eat by myself.

Both locations are very small, with only a couple of tables for eating in.   They both also have patio dining, which is nice on a warm evening.  Most of the business here is take-out, hence the name "box."
The locations offer a varied menu of chicken strips, ribs, fish and shrimp.   Yeah, right.  We're not going to talk about those, because you're here for CHICKEN, darn it.  

Let's just get to it:  the chicken is fabulous.   Just as it should be, crisp and flavorful on the outside, moist and tender on the inside.   Not as greasy as you would expect.   No unexpected flavors - just good, old fashioned chicken.   Mmmmm.

The side dishes are a treat here as well.  The broasted potatoes are cooked in the same fryer as the chicken and have the same crisp / tender adjectives that the chicken is assigned.  The mashed potatoes are the real thing - deliciously good, and not a taste of potato flakes among them.  Corn on the cob is extra, but is good as well.  The only disappointment was the cole slaw...   not recommended.  Say what you will about KFC, but they still produce a darn good cole slaw.

The locations used to offer boysenberry punch, but West Covina has recently discontinued it.   I am hoping the La Habra location still serves it. 

Overall, I give this fried chicken my heartiest endorsement.
Here is how the Chicken Box makes out on my scale (1-10, with 10 as the best):

Giant Chicken on Roof:  Sort of...
Ambiance of restaurant:    7
Taste of Chicken:    9
Side Dishes:     8
Something besides Coke to drink: 8
Mashed Potatoes:   10
Gravy:   7
Overall rating:   8.5

Restaurant Review #6: Donahoo's Golden Chicken

Let's talk Chicken.   Chickens are meant to be fried.   That is their purpose in life.   Oh, I know that many of you think that they serve another purpose, that of producing eggs.   I say rubbish.  Ducks produce eggs that work just as well as chicken eggs, and yet, no one eats fried duck.  Besides, most of you know my opinion of eggs (they were originally cooked to feed prisoners of war in order to get them to surrender quicker.  True fact.), so you can understand my feelings about chickens. 

There is another school of thought that says that chickens do not have to be fried.   They can be baked, or grilled, or even sauteed.   This hypothesis is so ridiculous I will not even respect it with a discussion.   Chickens are meant to be fried.  Skin on, by the way.

Lately I've been trying a few fried chicken joints, searching for the best.   I thought I'd start a small series of "Great Places to get Fried Chicken" and this is the first entry in that series.   We're starting with an above-average place here in Pomona:   Donahoo's. 

A great chicken joint needs a few things to guarantee it success.  Obviously, they need deep fryers, a good coating recipe, good sides, and - most important - a giant statue of a chicken on the roof.   Donahoo's does indeed have the giant chicken, perched high above Garey Avenue, threatening anyone who happens to park under him.   I have spotted the giant chicken for several months now, and finally couldn't pass him by any longer.  

Donahoo's was once a small chain of chicken take-out restaurants in the area. Today there are still three restaurants existing: one in Pomona, one in Riverside and one in Ontario, all owned by different people. The blogs say the Pomona location is the best of the bunch, having changed the least since the family sold the restaurants.  This one is run by a family, and you can see the entire family working together in the kitchen during the busy times.

The restaurant serves take-out only, with each meal packaged in it's own take-out box.   The serve chicken, chicken fingers, and giblets.   You can get an entire meal of chicken giblets, although why you would want to do that is beyond me.  I ordered chicken.  

The chicken is breaded, fried, and packaged while you wait.   Fries, rolls, and salads are the only sides available.  I got fries.

The chicken here tastes homemade, which is a big selling point to me.   The spices are good, but nothing out of the ordinary.   Flour is a big percentage of the mix.  The skin is golden and crunchy, while the meat underneath is moist, as good fried chicken should be.  The steakfries are typical.   The rolls have the butter baked into them, saving me eating time, which I always appreciate.
Overall, Donahoo's is a great place for a quick fried chicken fix.   Here is my rundown on Donahoo's  (scales are from 1-10):

Giant Chicken on Roof:  Yes
Ambiance of restaurant:    5
Taste of Chicken:    8
Side Dishes:     3
Something besides Coke to drink:     5
Mashed Potatoes:   N/A
Gravy:   N/A
Overall rating:   6