Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 25, 2013

10

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 25, 2013 


ROUNDS BURGER

There’s talk on the street; it sounds so familiar Great expectations, everybody’s watching 
you 

People you meet, they all seem to know you. Even your old friends treat you like you’re 
something new Johnny come lately, the new kid in town. Everybody loves you, so don’t let 
them down.

I am asked frequently, as I am sure that all of us who are asked to pen our restaurant 
experiences are asked, “how did you find this restaurant?” In the case of Rounds Restaurant 
on North Lake, my friend Robin Salzer of his namesake restaurant turned me on to it, and Mr. 
Joe Caiello of Nikki C’s seconded the motion 
that I needed to check out Rounds, the new 
kid in town, featuring of course hamburgers. 
Sorry if you are getting burgered out, but 
this one here is something special. 

Upon entering the restaurant one late Tuesday night, I was a little nervous that there wasn’t 
much going on. If this place is so hot where is everyone? It’s new, that’s for sure, so I guess 
it’s up to me to get the word out. The restaurant interior 
is very plain (maybe they like it that way or are waiting 
for the chandeliers to arrive?) there is a large screen TV 
in the back room, a few signs on the wall, and the menu 
board, but that is it!! Fortunately, I don’t write for Good 
Housekeeping; I am here for a burger. Self-service is fine by 
me, and the menu is right above the register and the choices 
are build your-own or choose from the house suggestions 
including the Western and The Commando. The motto is 
“anyway you like it” so I opted to create my own -- lean 
burger, medium rare, green chile, lettuce, and tomato. I 
asked if the fries fresh cut, and the answer was “everyday”!!! 
Now I am excited -- fresh cut fries and hand made patties, 
throw in a Stella Beer, and you are thinking this would fall 
into the $20 range? Nope, it was all under $13. I even had 
enough to throw my change in the bucket. Now, here are 
the challenges: Rounds just opened up, so you know they 
are still ironing out the kinks. I never said cheese, and I 
wanted my bread not toasted (it was remember build your own).

My name was called, “Peter your order is 
ready!” I could tell just by looking at the 
fries that they were fresh cut, and I was 
ready to grind on my burger. Oops, the 
bread was toasted, and there was cheese. 
I took it back (remember they weren’t 
busy), and in five minutes the new burger 
was ready. The fries were getting cold so I 
munched on them first – they were as good 
as Islands or In and Out, this tough fry fan 
says!!! You won’t believe it, but some how 
now there were blue cheese crumbles on my 
build your own burger. I didn’t say a word 
until one the staff asked how I liked it. We 
chatted for a few minutes and he scratched 
his head along side me wondering how they 
got the cheese part wrong. All and all, it was 
still one of the best values for a burger and 
fries combination I have ever had. Check 
out Rounds Burger it’s a winner!!

Rounds Premium Burgers 46 Lake Ave. 
Pasadena (626) 304-9810

Tune into Talk Radio 790 AM Sunday at 5 
PM Dining w/Dills

THE WINNING CHILI 
RECIPES

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

On Saturday, May 11th, the Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club held its 3rd Annual Chili Cook Off. Seven 
amateur local chefs showed off their culinary skills to a full house in the Sierra Madre Room. The 
contestants, Former Mayor Josh Moran, The Honorable Hattie Harris, Businessowner John Johnson, 
Senior Community Commissioner Amy Putnam, Laura Aguilar, Assistant to the City Manager, 
Jerrianne Latham representing the Lucky Baldwin crowd, and Yolanda Brisco, representing GEM 
Plumbing. Harris, Johnson, Putnam, Latham and Brisco have participated in previous years.

 The contestants were judged in two categories: The People’s Choice - based upon the votes of those 
in attendance and The Critic’s Choice as designated by Celebrity Food Critic, Peter Dills. 

 The winners were: 

 The Critics Choice: Hattie Harris’s Cincinnati Chili*

 Runner Up: Josh Moran - Shredded Beef Chili with Horseradish Topping

 The People’s Choice: Laura Aguilar’s Green Chili Beans*

 Runner Up: Jerrianne Latham’s Hot Stuff Chili

*Recipes submitted by the winners are below.

 The cook-off was part one of the Kiwanis Club’s annual fundraising events and raises money to support 
its charitable programs such as the Paul Megaris Mini-Grant program, and financial support 
for other programs that benefit children in the community. Joe Pergola was Chairman of the event.


Laura Aguilar, left and Hattie Harris proudly display their trophies. Photo by Bill Coburn


HATTIE’S CINCINNATI CHILI

Ingredients:

1 lb Chili Cut Ground Beef*

1 package dried red beans

Smoked turkey neck

6 cups water

1 can stewed tomatoes 

1 can tomato paste

2 cups beef broth

Garlic

2 Onions

1 pkg. Caroll Shelby’s Chili Kit

Chili Powder

Crushed Red Peppers

Salt

Pepper

1 Package of Spaghetti

Condiments:

 Chopped Green Onions

 Shreded Cheddar Cheese

 Sour Cream

 Jalapeno Peppers

Directions:

Soak beans in cold water overnight.

Put the turkey neck in a dutch oven and cover 
with water. Boil for about an hour. Drain beans 
and add them along with an onion cut into 
small pieces (not chopped). Let cook until the 
beans tender, about 2 hours.

Just before the beans are done, in a large frying 
pan, add a little oil and brown the ground beef 
and the remaining onion (chopped), along with 
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, salt and pepper to 
taste. Add chili seasoning and pepper from the 
Chili kit. DO NOT USE THE SALT IN THE 
KIT. Add the stewed tomatoes. Stir well. Set 
aside.

When the beans are done, by now the water 
should have boiled down until about half, add 
the meat mixture along with the beef broth and 
tomato paste. Stir and cook on medium heat 
for another 1/2 hour making sure you don’t let 
your chili stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add chili powder and crushed red peppers to 
your taste . If you really like it hot, add chopped 
habenro peppers.

While the chili is cooking, boil the spaghetti and 
drain. Rinse in cold water and set aside.

Make certain you don’t have too much or too 
little liquid. The chili should be the consistency 
of spaghetti sauce. IN THE EVENT YOUR 
CHILI IS TOO SOUPY, use the masa mix in the 
Chili Kit. It will save the day.

When ready to serve, put the spaghetti in the 
bottom of the bowl and generously ladle the 
chili on top. Garnish with peppers, cheese, 
onions and sour cream.

*Chili cut ground beef is a chunkier cut of hamburger 
and can be purchased from your grocer. It 
is generally not prepackaged. Try Taylor’s Meats 
in Sierra Madre. They will grind it while you 
wait.

LAURA’S RECIPE FOR GREEN 

CHILI BEANS

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

2-3 cloves garlic

Medium onion

1 can white or northern beans

1 Can of chicken broth

1 jar of salsa verde

Olive Oil

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Chop onion and garlic

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil

Season with salt and pepper 

Add ground pork and brown

Add the mixture to a crock pot

Add one can of white or northern beans

Add one can of ¾ can of chicken broth

Add one jar of salsa verde

Cook on low for 2-3 hours

Serving suggestion ~ Serve on a bed of rice

C:\Documents and Settings\laguilar\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\ED8EJ0E2\MC900022565[1].wmf
There is something spectacularly nostalgic about a homemade chocolate chip cookie. I don’t know if it 
is the gooey, buttery center, the crispy edges, or the chocolate surprises you bite into every so often, but 
there is nothing quite like it. Recently, I found myself craving the perfect cookie. To my astonishment, 
no one seemed capable of creating the cookie I held on the pedestal of my memory—

Then I found Hattie’s.

Lisa Chaney, the owner and baker at Hattie’s Sweet and Sinful Bakery, hand crafts every cookie that 
comes out of her kitchen. Every flavor has been tested and perfected through years of trial and tasting, 
producing recipes of precise balance. She has a gift for molding each dough into golden brown discs 
of cookie heaven. Her flavors range from a traditional chocolate chip cookie (like the ones your mama 
used to make), to a unique, tangy, ginger lemon cream sandwich cookie that you will find yourself 
craving regularly with your morning tea. 

Hattie’s delivers so much more than just pastries, however. Hattie’s delivers an entire experience. 
When you purchase a cookie from Lisa’s bakery, you will be greeted by a warm smile and individual 
attention that can only come from the biggest of hearts. Each cookie you enjoy is packed full of love 
and handled with the utmost of care. So if you ever are craving the perfect cookie, like I was, stop by 
Hattie’s and treat your taste buds to a fresh baked treat.

Want to create your very own Hattie’s experience? Catch us at a market!

Sierra Madre Wed 3pm - 8pm

222 West Sierra Madre Blvd Sierra Madre

Pershing Square Downtown Los Angeles Wed - 11am - 3pm

532 Olive St Los Angeles

Century City Thurs - 11am - 2pm

1800 Ave of the Stars Los Angeles

Bank of America Downtown Los Angeles Friday 11:00 - 3pm

333 Hope St Los Angeles

Agoura Hills Sun - 9am - 2pm

5835 Kanan Rd Agoura Hills

HALLELUJAH HATTIE’S (Not the same person as Sierra Madre’s Chili Winner Hattie)


SIERRA MADRE FARMERS 
MARKET 

 The Sierra Madre Farmer’s Market hours have changed 
to 3:00pm through 8:00pm every Wednesday in fall and 
winter. Vendors include Dry Dock which has fresh and 
wild caught fish, Rustic Loaf with artisan breads, Cutie 
Pie with fresh pies and much more!

 For those interested in being a vendor contact Melissa 
Farwell with Raw Inspirations at 818-591-8161 ext. 806.