Restaurant Review: Bobby's Coffee Shop

Is there a better feeling than eating a steak for breakfast? I don't think so. I mean, I love omelettes and breakfast burritos as much as the next guy....but steak.

Bobby's is a great breakfast diner that I go to frequently yet I can't get myself to order anything but the Steak and Eggs special, it is too on point. It comes with a surprisingly tender and good sized sirloin, mound of hash browns, two eggs and choice of toast.

Prices are decent but parking is difficult as it is always busy for breakfast, but if you are in the West San Fernando Valley it is definitely worth a stop.

Bobby's Coffee Shop
22821 Ventura Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Restaurant Review: The Apple Pan

The Apple Pan is an L.A. establishment since 1927. There are no tables just a U-Shaped counter in which you have to wait for someone to get up to grab a seat and you better move quick as they are hard to come by. It is cash only and they still use the old-school cash register.

In my opinion The Apple Pan has the best Egg-Salad Sandwhich in SoCal, it is a generous heap of egg salad and lettuce with pickle chips and olives on the side. The burgers are also solid, the Steakbuger comes with the Apple Pan sauce which is kind of a relishy ketchup sauce. The Hickoryburger comes doused in bbq sauce. The fries are great and you can finish it off with a fresh slice of apple or pecan pie. Drinks are served in snow cone style cups placed in a chilled metal holder. My boy Hector was running the counter last time I went and watching him operate with a generally grumpy attitude is a pleasure.

If you want classic L.A. you have to hit the Apple Pan. Burgers and sandwiches run from $6 - $8 which might be a little high but you are also paying for the experience.

The Apple Pan
10801 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064-2105
(310) 475-3585‎

Anyone Want To Invest In Real Estate Development?

Real Estate Tycoons Frank & Lynne Curtin are in a bit of hotwater again, this time judgment has been entered against them in Riverside County in the amount of 1.26 million for failure to repay "loans" made to them for real estate development investments.

The case is Mercury Manzano v. Frank Curtin, Lynne Curtin and Christopher Curtin, Riverside Superior Court Case No. RIC474089.

Manzano sued the Curtins for Breach of Contract; Common Counts and Fraud. Some of the allegations from the complaint:

- On May 31, 2005, Manzano lent Christopher Curtin $150,000, the loan was memorialized with a promissory note.

- On October 1 2005, Manzano lent Frank Curtin $500,000, the loan was memorialized with a promissory note.

- On January 1, 2006, Manzano lent Frank Curtin $200,000, the loan was memorialized with a promissory note.

- On September 1, 2006, Manzano lent Frank & Lynne Curtin $517,500, the loan was memorialized by a note and a deed of trust secured by property located at 2861 Chateau Way, Laguna Beach, CA.

- On September 1, 2006, Manzano lent Frank & Lynne Curtin $600,000, the loan was memorialized by a note and a deed of trust secured by property located at 21 Vista De La Luna, Laguna Beach, CA.

The Curtins failed to repay any of the notes and the Plaintiff was forced to foreclose the 2 Laguna Beach properties losing $150,000 on Chateau Way and $175,000 on Vista De La Luna.

So once the dust had settled the Curtins ran away with $1,175,000.

In the fraud claims the Plaintiff alleged that at the time the loans were made the Curtins never had any intention of repaying them and that they have engaged in similar fraudulent conduct in the past.

Another classic quote from the lawsuit "The Curtins held themselves out as experienced contractors and developers of residential properties."

Manzano won his lawsuit and now holds a 1.26 million dollar judgment against the Curtins. Lynne is going to have to sell a lot of cuffs to pay that back but it may not ever come to that as I smell a bankruptcy coming.....stay tuned.

The Eviction Queen

So we were all enthralled and saddened when poor Lynne Curtin of Real Housewives of Orange County was evicted from her beautiful Laguna Beach rental and we sympathized with her shock that her husband pulled this one over on her.

What she failed to mention is that this is not her first ride on the eviction train, in fact she has been evicted three times.

Eviction No. 1, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 00CC00902:

Filed January 13, 2000, and judgment entered against Lynne on March 2, 2001. I have to give her props, eviction proceedings in California are summary proceedings the process is supposed to go as follows:

1. After tenant is late on rent you post a 3 day notice to pay or quit the premises

2. If tenant does not pay or vacate you file an unlawful detainer (fancy legalese for eviction) complaint in Court

3. Tenant has 5 days to respond

4. If tenant does not respond then landlord can file a request to enter default judgment, if tenant responds then landlord must file a request to set case for trial

5. Court is obligated under California law to set the case for trial within 20 calendar days

Somehow Lynne was able to draw out the proceedings for well over a year, which means she didn't pay a dime of rent for at least 16 months. Well done. Well done.

The landlord's attorney was Dennis P. Block & Associates which is a well known eviction firm, but this was not their best effort letting this squatter hang around for more than a year.

Eviction No. 2, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 07SL00736; Mercury Manzano v. Lynne Curtin:

Filed 2/9/07, and judgment entered against Lynne on 3/5/07 after a Court Trial. Plaintiff's attorney was another well known eviction lawyer John Bouzane, who did a nice job obtaining judgment in less than a month.

Lynne and her husband Frank seem to have quite the relationship with this Mercury Manzano as another case was filed by, one Mercury Manzano, against them in Riverside County in which a judgment was obtained for failing to repay hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans. Let's just say I feel for Mercury Manzano. Either Lynne and her husband Frank are very convincing or Mercury is not exactly Warren Buffett.

Eviction No. 3, Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2009-00249269; Marianne J. Moy v. Lynne Curtin:

Filed 3/4/09, and judgment entered against Lynne on 4/22/09 in the amount of $13,480. This was the high profile eviction as televised on Bravo as Lynne's daughters were served with the eviction papers. Lynne put on a great display of shock as if she could not believe she could possibly be evicted, but as we see above it was quite an act.

Plaintiff's attorney was Kimball, Tirey & St. Johns yet another well known eviction firm. Lynne has now been sued by three of the main eviction firms in SoCal, all she needs is two more evictions by David Endres and Randall Naiman and she will officially have been evicted by all high-volume eviction attorneys in SoCal. Now that would be quite an achievement.

One word of advice to future landlords of the Curtins: PREPAY!