Sausage & Fries & Boba

I pass through the intersection of First Ave and Foothill Blvd in Arcadia quite often.  The businesses on the southeast corner of the intersection have been pretty steady.  There's a Subway sandwich place, a beauty salon, a doughnut shop that I like to go to when treating myself or my co-workers, a dry cleaner that hasn't been there very long, and a tobacco shop.  There used to be a place that sold Chinese food that I liked but didn't go to a lot.  It closed a little while ago.  Actually the dry cleaner wasn't there until recently, but I don't remember what it was.  Somehow whatever was there before and the old Chinese food place had done some rearranging or something different and became what's there today. 

A few months ago, I noticed a new sign where the Chinese food place used to be that said "Sausage & Fries."  Painted on the window was the word in bubbly letters: "BOBA," and a neon sign that said "Chinese Food."  Now, when the heck did *that* happen?  And when did Chinese Food include Fries?  I was confused.

About a month ago, one of my friends had just had a manicure, and it turned out that she had it done at her usual place, which is the beauty shop by my doughnut place.  I asked her if she ever went into that Sausage & Fries place.  She said, "Yes, I get Chinese Food there whenever I go to the beauty salon."  I told her that I used to get food there sometimes, too, but hadn't been there for a long time.  I asked her, "Do they have sausage & fries?"  She said no.  I didn't understand.  She said that she thinks that there was supposed to be a new place there but it didn't actually happen, but the sign was still there.  Oh, OK.  I still wanted to try their TCB sometime.

So today I had a craving for TCB, and also wanted to get some lunch, so I thought of Sausage & Fries or whatever it's supposed to be called.  I arrived at the restaurant at about 2:30 p.m., and there was no Chinese food.  APPARENTLY, it was too late in the day to have the food sitting out, and too early to cook for dinner.  But lo and behold, on the menu on the wall above were a whole bunch of types of sausage!  OK, so my friend, obviously blinded by the Chinese food whenever she went there, never noticed the menu above the cashier's head.  I can't blame her.  I find that I don't look up a lot myself, and tend to miss stuff.  Never mind that she's taller than me.

Anyway, I got excited about the sausage menu, and due to the absence of Chinese food, I forgot all about it.  They have all different kiinds of sausages, from "Old Fashioned Hot Dog" to Hot Links to Andouille.  They have corn dogs, chili dogs, burgers, and different types of fries.  One of the types caught my eye: Garlic Fries.  They also have "Meat Balls Fries,"  which I didn't ask about, but you can get them made of beef, tendon beef, pork, and fish.  They only have one type of soup, which is clam chowder.  

So I ordered a Santa Fe Turkey Sausage w/Jalapenos & Jack Cheese, some Garlic Fries, and a Thai Tea w/TCB.  I talked to the gal who took my order, and I guess that she's the owner.  She said that they are not the same people that owned the Chinese food place before.  She asked if I was going to eat there, but I asked for it To Go.  As I was waiting and watching Hawaii Five-O, I drank my refreshing tea.  A guy came into the restaurant, trying to sell a camera in a camera case as well as an i-pod.  I said no thanks, and thought to myself, "I should have asked him if he had a bag."  Then I texted Liz because I was giggling at my thought and needed to share it with her.  It's her fault, you know.

When my order was ready, I noted that the garlic fries smelled REALLY good.  She asked me to taste one before she packed my food.  YUM.  She was going to give me a fork, and was concerned that I wasn't going to eat them all right away and the fries would get soft, but I assured her that I lived close by and would hurry home to eat them.  It was nice of her to be concerned, though.  She said she'd see me again.  No, she didn't ask.  She knew I'd be back.  I should have told her to add Sweet Potato Fries, and I'd be back immediately.

The sausage tasted good, too.  The bread of the bun was nice and soft, and the sausage was topped with bell peppers and onions.  The seasoning of jalapenos and jack cheese was actually inside the sausage.  I didn't really need all of the onions, as the sausage itself had plenty of flavoring.  I did enjoy my food, and recommend it if you're looking for a good hot dog.  I definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for garlic fries.  The garlic is abundant, and it is mixed with parsley (I think.  It was green, and I don't remember it having the taste of cilantro, but there was a LOT of garlic, so I was concentrating on that, I guess).

Maybe one day I'll go for the Chinese food.

Sausage & Fries

106 E Foothill Blvd

Arcadia, CA  91006

(626)373-6530

Open 7 days a week, 10AM - 10PM