Lou The French On The Block

Castaway Burbank

➤ 1250 East Harvard Road, Burbank, United States Of America

Carta • Wine • Full • American • Steakhouse

---

"This was the one of a few places that I expected excellence in almost everything but sadly this was not the case. I went for a Sunday Brunch, to celebrate my bday. I made reservations for 11am for 3. We were seated within 5 minutes but once we got seated we waited over 20 minutes for the server to come to our table and that was only after I got up to let the manager know that we have been waiting for a long time without even water being served. Once the server came to get our order we still waited about another 30 minutes for our drinks to be brought and it was just a mimosa and a plain coffee and again after I flagged down the manager. The food and drink itself were perfect. I wouldn't have minded so much the extra long wait if I've had my drinks early on since I did ordered bottomless mimosas. Sadly, I couldn't order as many since they came out at the same time as the food. The manager did come and apologized and said he would take care of us but other than him giving me his card he didn't do much, not even a free drink as an apology. My reservations did say we were celebrating my bday but nothing was said to me about it. I was quite disappointed especially bc of the type of restaurant this is and it wasn't busy when we got there. Four other parties were seated after us within the 30 minutes we sat waiting and waiting and they were all served and were already eating while we didn't even have water.. The view was amazing though."

Hill Street Cafe

➤ 3301 N Glenoaks Blvd, 91504, Burbank, United States

Carta • Cafe • American • North American • Delivery Services

---

"I hadn't been to this restaurant in over 10 years. When I walked in, I immediately wanted to leave, but we were meeting friends. The humidity inside was stuffy and uncomfortable, even worse than the heat outside. Despite being told the air conditioning was on, all we could see from our booth was an industrial size fan. The decor looked like it hadn't been updated since the restaurant first opened. Our booth was torn and the stuffing was visible. It was 6pm and the restaurant was fairly empty. We didn't have to wait long to order, but the food was just average, with the salad seeming like it came from a bag and the fries clearly frozen. The portion of fries was small, more like a child's serving. The employees were friendly, but we were surprised to see that the fountain drinks were $4.10 and refills weren't included. We could have gotten a drink for much cheaper across the street at 7-11. I prefer good diners, this one felt old and outdated. I won't be returning."

Gyu-Kaku

➤ 116 S San Fernando Blvd, 91502, Burbank, United States

Carta • Wine • Cafés • Asian • Japanese

---

"the service is bad. we have everything you can eat and 4 different people always our orders, but 30 min by no eating. they would bring only a few things and then someone else would ask if we wanted to eat more. I'd tell them we're still waiting for more food. but only for the case would order more items. Of course, half of what we ordered never appeared on the table. I wonder if this is the schnarchy strategy of the chain to save money. that was good. I would recommend this place."

Centanni

➤ 117 N. Victory Blvd, 91502, Burbank, United States

Carta • Wine • Soup • Steak • Italian

---

"As an Italian, I can confidently say that nothing about this place felt authentically Italian to me, aside from a slideshow on the television and the appealing decor. A true Italian restaurant welcomes guests with warmth and hospitality. Initially, the busboy informed me that he needed to check with his manager about seating me. After some time, she approached me and seated me, and the busboy promptly ensured I had water. However, things went downhill very quickly from there. The service was atrocious, with the staff being either curt or outright rude. The only exception was the busboy in the mask, who was genuinely sweet and considerate. I have allergies to alcohol and vinegar, and when I asked several questions, the manager, who was also my waitress, confidently assured me that the artichokes were fresh and grilled. She insisted that I had nothing to worry about regarding my allergies. Sadly, this turned out to be a complete lie. The artichokes were definitely not fresh; they tasted canned or jarred, and the claim that they were grilled was simply untrue. The moment I took a bite, I could tell there was vinegar in it, causing an itchy and burning sensation on the roof of my mouth. When I got up to find the waitress and express my concerns, I was met with defensiveness. The worst part was when she admitted she couldn’t comment on the artichokes because she didn’t eat them herself, and she couldn’t get clear answers from the cooks, only that they were imported. I felt extremely uncomfortable with her dismissive attitude and lack of knowledge. Ultimately, she offered to remove the dish from my bill but insisted that these were special imported artichokes. To me, this felt like being gaslit. I continued to stress the seriousness of my allergies after just one bite of the dish. I asked her why she would serve me an artichoke if she wasn’t sure about its marinade and why my questions weren’t being answered by the kitchen staff. I was left feeling frustrated and more than tempted to leave, but out of respect for my main dish order, I decided to stay, expecting my meal to arrive soon. I ordered chicken piccata and specifically requested that no wine be used due to my severe alcohol allergy. The waitress informed me that the cook wanted me to know it wouldn’t taste the same, which was fine with me. I saw other patrons who came in after me receiving their steaks and pastas, while I sat waiting for nearly an hour. Eventually, I asked a male waiter for an update on my dish, only to be told that it needed to cook. As if I didn’t already know that. When my chicken piccata finally arrived, I was starving. I wanted to scream! I had mentioned my hunger when I arrived, yet it seemed like they either didn’t serve bread or didn’t care to offer any. I had to get up to ask for Parmesan cheese since no one bothered to offer it to me like they did for the other tables. No one ever checked on how my meal was going; I had to approach the counter to pay. As I looked around, I couldn’t believe how generously everyone else was treated, while I felt completely ignored. As I write this review, I’m dealing with a painful stomach ache, rehashing the experience in my mind. I can't understand why I wasn't asked if I needed an appetizer or dessert, or if my allergies were worsening. Nothing! To add insult to injury, my waitress apologized for the long wait after bringing my chicken, claiming it was due to accommodating a larger party. I honestly can’t believe I left a tip. I’ve never been so relieved to leave a restaurant. I will never return to this place, and I recommend that you don’t either. UPDATE THE NEXT DAY: I confirmed there was indeed alcohol and/or vinegar in my food. An hour after writing my review, I was doubled over the toilet all night. This quickly escalated into dehydration and a severe migraine. My throat and nose started closing up, and I nearly had to use my EpiPen. With allergies, reactions can be immediate or delayed, and mine come on slowly but then escalate quickly. I am absolutely miserable today and had to call off work. I am changing my rating from two stars to one star."

Wild Carvery

➤ 150 East Olive Avenue, Burbank, 91502, United States Of America

Carta • Vegan • Healthy • American • Breakfast

---

"For my meal, I chose the breakfast veggie burger on a pretzel bun, and it certainly lived up to its name—and size! It was juicy, spicy, hearty, and definitely messy! The pretzel bun was delicious and moist, despite being dense. The sauce was creamy and just the right level of spice, and the fried egg was cooked perfectly. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors, although it was a bit challenging to eat. Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to use a fork for the rest of it! My husband ordered the roast beef panini, which was also very tasty! It was much neater to eat, which was a plus. Typically, I’m not a fan of roast beef, but they managed to balance all the flavors in the panini really well. I don’t recall the exact ingredients, but I remember it being quite enjoyable—I'd definitely consider it for myself next time. My mother-in-law had the tuna salad, which was okay. I’m not really a tuna salad lover, so I might be a bit biased. I can't remember what my brother-in-law and sister-in-law ordered, but they certainly didn’t express any complaints. My only issue with the place was that there were some inaccuracies with our orders. Three of us received dishes different from what we had requested. However, as I mentioned earlier, no one minded too much since everything was delicious. Still, if any of us had had allergies or specific dislikes, it could have been problematic."