Sunday, April 16, 2006

Spitz


Spitz (2506 Colorado Blvd.) hasn't even been open a week and already the news has spread through Eagle Rock like wildfire. It's been so popular, I've heard they've been selling out of all their food. Who would have thought ?! doner kebabs ?! I just had to make my way over there today to try one. The doner kebab is the kind of food that drunk college students in Europe shovel down their gobs after a night of drinking at the pub, so I was a bit skeptical about it at first.

I arrived at Spitz at 12:15 and there was already a line of wide-eyed, hungry customers. I ordered the "Classic" which is Spitz's signature sandwich. I was reminded of Arby's a little bit as I watched them shave paper thin strips of meat from the vertical rotisserie. They also do a chicken version which appeared to be the more popular option with customers. I had to wonder, though, as this place is so popular, are we really getting the full doner kebab experience ? I mean, doesn't that thick slab of minced Beef and Lamb have to spin around the doner rotisserie for weeks and weeks to get all goey and burnt ? You pot heads know what I'm talking about. If you are a stoner with a bad case of the munchies, eating that stuff is a transcendental experience.

Anyway, they put the shaved meat onto a toasted focaccia bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce and it was absolutely delicious. Halfway through my meal, I got the courage to pour on the hot chili sauce...now we're talkin! damned good. The sweet potato fries are amazing too. i even started dipping them in the chili sauce, too. fucking good stuff, my friends. Highly recommended. And I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but damn, those sandwiches would go down nicely with a couple o' icy cold ones, perhaps a couple bottles of San Miguel out on the patio. C'mon boys, let's get that beer and wine license in for the summer time.

13 Comments:

At 5:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for giving Eagle Rock the props it deserves. It's a great community, with great people, great restaurants, & shops. It's picking up and gaining its own uniqueness and style. Now, if we can only rally thee PO PO (police) to get the random winos and drunks from walking around like zombies scarying patrons neighbors from coming out and also getting rid of the wanna bee gangbangers that cruise around from neighboring cities... Eagle Rock would be even better. Thanks again for your reviews... I agree with you 100%!!! Keep posting!!! If I recognize you at the Chalet I'll buy you a drink!

Thanks again!

 
At 5:54 PM, Blogger DK said...

thanks for the support! though, that random wino walking around like a zombie is probably ME! : )

 
At 6:35 PM, Blogger Joseph said...

Spitz is great, although when I was there I think they had orders backed up, because it took nearly 20 minutes to get our food after we ordered. A place like that shouldn't take more than 5 to 10 minutes. Probably just opening week kinks.

 
At 3:27 PM, Blogger DK said...

I went back again to try the chicken doner. Though quite delicious, I think "the original" is far superior folks!

 
At 4:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does Spitz used the processed "mystery" meat stuff you find at gyro places in LA? Or is it unprocessed whole pieces of meat? I have been looking for a place in LA that makes these with real, unprocessed meats like the gyros they have in Greece.

 
At 10:16 AM, Blogger DK said...

I'm no butcher, but that huge hunk of rotating meat does not resemble any kind of cut of beef I have ever seen, so I'm gonna have to say that it is of the "unprocessed mystery meat" variety.

Now having said that, I'm addicted to their classic sandwich. It is delicious. I've been there three times already. It's absolutely delicious!

 
At 8:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi all! There is no mystery to Spitz's meat...it's simply lamb, beef, and seasonings and spices...made nightly in the restaurant itself. Spitz prides itself in making nearly all of its products by hand, using no preservatives or artifical ingredients. It's authentic as you can get, so rest easy and enjoy!

 
At 8:34 PM, Blogger JT Griffith said...

I was very excited when I first heard about Spitz and tried it out the other day. Not bad but I don't think I'll pick Spitz over Zankou which is less than a mile away. (The food seemed similar to me.) The food was better than fine and the service was very pleasant. I laughed when I looked at the two parking spaces but found one on the street. What bothered me a bit was that the prices were a bit higher than on the web site -- and the restaurant had JUST opened like a earlier. The food was tasty but a little over priced compared to Zankou and other food in the Eagle Rock/Highland Park area. I do wish Spitz well but I'm unlikely to go as often as I do to Zankou. (Do I mention Zankou too much?) I'll go back but I'm guessing not as much as I would have if it seemed like a better deal. Worth checking out definitely!

 
At 10:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wish they had pita bread instead of that super-thick foccacia bread. I think the bread really overwhelms the taste of everything else. But otherwise-- tasty. Has anyone tried the gelato?

 
At 11:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Guys,
Just want to leave my two cents on Spitz. I grew up in the UK and thus have spent a large portion of my life consuming donner kababs. I was really excited to hear that a kebab place was opening up in Eagle Rock. While it was enjoyable on the whole I have to agree with Vanessa that I found the foccacia bread to be a bit heavy and overpowering. If anyone out there is paying attention I would recommend letting the customer opt for the more traditional pita. The only other suggestion would be to offer a combo - half beef/lamb half chicken, which is personally my favorite way of enjoying a kabab.

 
At 1:26 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would have agreed with the previous comments regarding the focaccia bread, but I went back recently and learned that the owners had switched to a much lighter and thinner bread. I gave it a taste and wow...it's a world of difference. You can really taste what's between the bread now. I'll definitely be back.

 
At 4:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hope the spits guys read this... i dont mean to sound repetitive but i too strongly agree that maybe pita bread will better suit the meal. The other bread is a bit to crunchy and over powering... other than that my experience there was cool. The staff was extremely friendly and on top of things(something that is rare) in most restaurants nowadays. keep it up!!! and lets all support our restaurants and make Eagle Rock the place to be!!!

 
At 1:07 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spitz just added a Lavash bread Doner Wrap and its incredible. Although I really like the focaccia bread, the wrap is all about meat and flavor. I think they finally (sorta) listened to the pita people. Good job guys!

 

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