Mountain Views News          Saturday, December 6, 2014

7

FOOD AND DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, December 6, 2014 


You are hungry and you want something different, and this writer tells you to go to ROBIN’S 
WOODFIRE BBQ on Rosemead and you say, “ I have driven by that place a thousand times and I 
thought it was just a coffee shop”1

Do you have kids? I do. Anyone need one until the economy picks up again? Are they well 
mannered? Just kidding honey, but I will need that iPhone back, with the receipt. 

A certifiable winner on every Wednesday and Sunday Night is Robin's where the Kids eat for free!! 
I have a feeling we can all afford that one. With each adult entrée your child can eat for free from 
the kids menu. No kids, you say, well they also offer all you can eat Rib Tips for ($13.95). Wow!!! 

Now let's review an American favorite!!! It is also one of my personal favorites, BBQ, not the oven 
roasted version which Tony Roma's panders. No, Barbeque is made low and slow. Low heat and 
slowly cooked. There is only one authentic BBQ 
in The San Gabriel Valley; you guessed it, Robin's 
Woodfire BBQ and Grill in Hastings Ranch.

Owner and head politician Robin Salzer has 
perfected the BBQ at his name sake. Robin, will 
readily admit it took a few months to perfect the 
BBQ at Robin's. Robin hails from Milwaukee 
and opened Robin's 33 years ago this month. The 
original menu had everything from breakfast, to 
pizza, nachos and little bit of the BBQ. About ten 
years ago Robin made the decision to go strictly 
BBQ. "Everyone in the neighborhood, thought I 
was crazy," Robin recalled. But, "I decided to stay 
the course". The result is some of the best BBQ in 
all of Southern California. The awards in the past 
five years include: Best of City Search, numerous 
Best of Awards by local newspapers, write ups in 
the LA Times and a feature in Westways Magazine. 

Depending on the meat, each entrée is cooked 
between 4 to 6 hours on wood. The sauce is then 
put on the meat about twenty seconds before meat is done. This is done to avoid burning the outside 
skin of the meat. 

Prices range from ($8.95) for salads to ($35.95) for the 
ultimate Garbage Can Combo. Check out my food blog for 
pictures www.peterdillstumblr.com The combo includes 
chicken, beef ribs, tri tip, baby back, spare ribs and a beef 
link. The garbage combo is big enough for two people

What to order: The Beef Ribs are a must!! Four rib dinner 
($19.95) and the six Rib dinner is ($29.95). Robin tells me 
the ribs are notched, thus insuring extra meat. For dessert 
order the peach cobbler, its house made.

What to avoid: Mondays & Tuesday, the restaurant is 
closed. They don't take reservations on the weekends, so I 
suggest making the visit on a Thursday Night. No separate 
checks. 

Four Stars. Worth the drive from anywhere in Los Angeles. 
Check out the website. Robinsmenu.com for updated prices 
and hours. 395 N. Rosemead Pasadena. (626) 351-8885

SAUSAGE AND 

BROCCOLINI RISOTTO

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bunch broccolini, roughly chopped (about 8 ounces)

12 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 cup arborio rice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 14 -ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup grated fontina cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a Dutch oven or ovenproof pot over 
high heat. Add the broccolini and stir-fry until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate using 
a slotted spoon. Add the sausage, onion and carrot to the pot and cook, breaking up the meat, until 
browned, about 5 more minutes. Add the rice and garlic and cook, stirring, 1 more minute.

Add the wine to the pot and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, 
tomatoes and 1 cup water; cover and bring to a boil. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the 
rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven. (Don’t worry if the risotto seems wet; it will thicken when you add 
the cheese.) Vigorously stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the cheese until creamy, 1 to 
2 minutes. Stir in the broccolini and divide among bowls.


ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT


Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

SMASHING PUMPKINS

MORIARTY 

by Anthony Horowitz 

The game is once again afoot in this thrilling mystery 
from the bestselling author of The House of Silk, 
sanctioned by the Conan Doyle estate.Internationally 
bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s nail-biting 
new novel plunges us back into the dark and complex 
world of detective Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty - 
dubbed ‘’the Napoleon of crime’’ by Holmes - in the 
aftermath of their fateful struggle at the Reichenbach 
Falls.Days after the encounter at the Swiss waterfall, 
Pinkerton detective agent Frederick Chase arrives 
in Europe from New York. Moriarty’s death has left 
an immediate, poisonous vacuum in the criminal 
underworld, and there is no shortage of candidates 
to take his place - including one particularly fiendish 
criminal mastermind.Chase and Scotland Yard 
Inspector Athelney Jones, a devoted student of 
Holmes’ methods of investigation and deduction 
originally introduced by Conan Doyle in The Sign of 
Four, must forge a path through the darkest corners of 
England’s capital - from the elegant squares of Mayfair 
to the shadowy wharfs and alleyways of the London 
Docks - in pursuit of this sinister figure, a man much 
feared but seldom seen, who is determined to stake 
his claim as Moriarty’s successor.A riveting, deeply 
atmospheric tale of murder and menace from the only 
writer to earn the seal of approval from Conan Doyle’s 
estate, Moriarty breathes life into Holmes’ dark and 
fascinating world.

OPERATION SEA LION by Leo McKinstry 

In the summer of 1940, the Nazi war machine was 
at its zenith. France, Denmark, Norway and the Low 
Countries were all under occupation. Only Britain 
stood in the way of the complete triumph, and Hitler 
planned a two-pronged offensive—a blistering aerial 
bombardment followed by a land invasion—to 
subdue his final enemy. But for the first time in the 
war, Hitler did not prevail.As Leo McKinstry details 
in this fascinating new history, the British were far 

more ruthless and proficient than is usually 

recognized. The brilliance of the RAF in the Battle 
of Britain was not an exception but part of a pattern 
of magnificent organization that thwarted Hitler’s 
armies at every turn. Using a wealth of archival and 
primary source materials, Leo McKinstry provides 
a groundbreaking new assessment of the six fateful 
months in mid-1940 when Operation Sea Lion was 
all that stood between the Nazis and total victory. 

OPHELIA AND THE MARVELOUS BOY 

by Karen Foxlee 

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

A luminous retelling of 
the Snow Queen, this 
is the story of unlikely 
heroine Ophelia Jane 
Worthington-Whittard 
who doesn’t believe in 
anything that can’t be 
proven by science. She 
and her sister Alice are 
still grieving for their 
dead mother when 
their father takes a job 
in a strange museum in 
a city where it always 
snows. 

On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers 
a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a 
prisoner of Her Majesty, the Snow Queen. And he has 
been waiting for Ophelia’s help.As Ophelia embarks 
on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything 
that she believes will be tested. Along the way she 
learns more and more about the boy’s own remarkable 
journey to reach her and save the world.A story within 
a story, this a modern day fairytale about the power of 
friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

By Sean Kayden

The Smashing Pumpkins 
long standing career is 
sort of an anomaly. They 
are currently on a second 
wind (possible third if 
you consider another new 
set of members with the exception of guitarist Jeff 
Schroeder who came on board in 2007). Tommy Lee 
even lends a helping hand on drums. Billy Corgan 
and his latest troops are back at it with “Monuments 
to an Elegy.” It’s the penultimate record in a huge 
long-running album cycle entitled “Teargarden by 
Kaleidyscope.” Next year they will grace us with the 
final installment, “Day For Night.” It started back in 
2009, but it didn’t catch momentum until the release 
of the Oceania LP in 2012. “Monuments to an Elegy” 
may be the Pumpkins’ most grounded work in recent 
time. It’s only 9 songs at less than 33 minutes long. 
It’s not as epic as anything like Corgan was known 
for in the 90s. Those days are long gone, however, this 
record is not a throwaway. 

In fact, it’s a concise album hitting the 80s, 90s, 
and contemporary rock sounds. The record is loud, 
guitar-driven, and touches on some synth-pop. 
No Pumpkin’s album of this era will ever match, 
“Siamese Dream,” or “Mellon Collie and The Infinite 
Sadness,” but that’s okay. Corgan isn’t resting on 
laurels. I completely understand not wanting to 
touch base on songs that are 20+ years old. The music 
scene has changed, the current listener has changed, 
and Corgan most definitely has changed. Whether 
you believe for better or worse is entirely up to the 
listener. As for right now at this very moment in time, 
the current sound of Corgan & company isn’t half 
bad. Actually, it’s pretty good. 

 “Tiberius” kicks off the album with a heavy guitar 
progression and hard rocking drums. Corgan’s 
crooning vocals are present and it’s one of the most 
boisterous tracks found on the record. “Being Beige” 
is a nice addition of the Pumpkin’s catalogue. It’s 
reminiscent of something from their earlier days 
and may be the best track here. It’s a delicate pop 
song with buoyant electronics and melodies. “One 
and All” has a huge wall of sound. It leans more 
toward the vibe of “Tiberius” as it’s hard hitting. 
Then of course there’s the Corgan signature touch 
in the final stretch with a guitar solo and pulsating 
drums to boot. I’ve never been a fan of their “hard” 
material, but this is the only case where I’m actually 
digging it tahan being turned off by it. Perhaps 
I’ve also become the different listener I mentioned 
earlier. “Run2Me” has 80s written all over it with 
the synthesizers, but quickly turns into something 
much more current with terrific guitar work and 
Corgan’s distinctive vocals. “Monuments (the track, 
in this case) is another loud jam, but has a very 
dreamy pop feel it in the chorus section. This is the 
most I’ve heard Corgan use electronics unless you 
count his solo album, Future Embrace (2004). For 
what it’s worth, it works and works well. 

 “Dorian” is a rad spacey pop song. Beautiful guitar 
work, tons of reverb and great harmonies, it’s my 
favorite song off the record. The closing track, “Anti-
Hero” just really didn’t do it for me. It’s another hard 
rock song that hardly struck a chord with me. It’s 
not difficult to listen to, but feels a bit flat. “Drum 
+ Fife” was just okay, nothing too special. With a 
few misguided turns, “Monuments to an Elegy” is 
still a better than average outing. I wouldn’t rank 
it up there with Corgan’s top three records, but it 
certainly doesn’t sit with the bottom three either. 
However, something that’s middle of the road for 
The Smashing Pumpkins is still far superior to what 
most mainstream rock albums sound like today. 

Grade: 7 out of 10

Key Tracks: “Being Beige,” “Monuments,” “Dorian”