Katie O'Brien, Enjoy!
TUJUNGA -- BJ's Family Restaurant has been what one might call an
institution of Tujunga offering excellent food, fast service and
reasonable prices for more than 40 years.
BJ's advertised weekly specials are the Dinner Special featuring
steak, soup or salad and dessert for $5.49, and served from 4 to 9 p.m.
and the Breakfast Special of two eggs and bacon or sausage, hash browns,
toast and coffee for $3.25, served between 6 and 11 a.m.
I visited BJ's on the weekend with my family and ordered the Sunday
special of roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, choice of potatoes, soup or
salad, corn, garlic bread and dessert for $6.25.
We were waited on immediately and the food was in front of me within
seven minutes of ordering. The lamb was succulent, melt-in-your-mouth
delicious, cooked so that it softly splintered when cut. The green salad
was served fresh and crispy, smothered with my choice of ranch dressing.
The mashed potatoes were well-prepared and served hot with gravy
and/or butter. Dessert options were tapioca, chocolate pudding or Jell-O.
What surprised me most was the prices of wine -- probably the lowest
offered in the foothill area. A glass of wine is only $1.35; a half-liter
can be enjoyed for $3.25 and a full liter is yours for $5.65. Beer, by
the bottle, is $2.10.
I couldn't resist returning the following evening for the steak
special and found the service just as fast as the night before. The large
12-ounce steak was grilled exactly the way I requested. This time I chose
hash browns for my potato choice and was pleasantly surprised. They were
not like ordinary stringy hash browns, they resembled home fries, served
piping hot, thin, round and savory.
A small dish of corn was accompanied by an unopened pack of butter. I
opted for the tasty garlic bread over the dinner roll.
BJ's seems pretty open to serving things my way, but they do charge 25
cents extra for substituting cottage cheese or sliced tomatoes for
potatoes. One of my favorite a la carte items is a bowl of soup of the
day and mixed green salad for $3.65.
My whole family was thrilled with the food and the service, and
although we've had breakfast, lunch and brunch there before, everyone
agreed we must eat dinner there more often.
KATIE O'BRIEN is this week's candidate for our restaurant critic
position. The Tujunga resident is an administrative assistant at the
Montrose Chamber of Commerce.
IF YOU GO
* WHERE: BJ's Family Restaurant, 7577 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.
* PHONE: 352-6049.
* LIQUOR: Wine and beer.
* HOURS: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
* PRICES: Breakfast $2.95 to $5.85; lunch and dinner: hamburgers,
sandwiches and entrees $3.75 to $9.95; children's menu $3.90 to 4.95; and
Waist Watchers $5.85 to $8.95.
