heart's - van nuys , ca
heart's is just about as seedy as it gets . located at the armpit of the (ohmigawd) valley , run by a chinese family , think "mel's diner" from the old tv show "alice" . this place looks like its been around fer forty years . most people miss it behind the del taco in a commercial / industrial block , but , be sure to stop .
ive been here many times , i always get the same thing , i tip about thirty percent , and still i get the distinct impression that the lady behind the counter would prefer that i went to coco's around the corner .
walking in : be prepared to be stared at . its just the way it is . heart's serves mostly the over forty , permanently disgruntled , crowd . plus the standard attachment of cops lookin fer freebies .
the food is always good , stick to yer innards kinda stuff . the chicken fried steak is a wee bit tough sometimes , but damn theres no forgetting : thats a real steak of some kind there . real home made feel here . beef gravy is a welcome change , though its obviously the supermarket packet sort . potatoes are frozen and then grilled up nicely and the english muffin has to be asked for , they just wont offer it ( that just smacks of boxer rebellion backlash , i think ) . and of course the coffee sould stand to be stronger .
some people have complained of stomach pains after i've taken them to heart's . i dunno what to tell ya . i've always liked this place . its best after a long night of drowning sorrows .
hearts : not fer the weak of heart
( or stomach )
