Duke's Cafe

Where: 8909 W Sunset Blvd, Right next to the Whiskey A Go-Go

What I had: Half sandwich (corned beef) half salad ($7 something with tax...)

Rave review: "Celebrity endorsements cover the walls, and tourists, musicians and actor/model regulars rub elbows at communal tables or the counter. The diner-staple menu features 60-odd sandwiches and burgers, plus meat loaf, salads and pork chops with applesauce. But it's breakfast that really sizzles: Omelettes come with multiculti fillings like kosher salami and chutney. Blintzes and corned beef hash are hefty and homemade, and health-conscious diners can opt for egg-white scrambles and fresh fruit." - City Search

Their rating: 9.1

My rating: 5

Why:

Okay, first of all, there were like 5 people in there and none of them looked like hung over movie stars to me. It was pretty dingy. And here's a question: why would you want to rub elbows with tourists, as advertised above?

Anyway, the corned beef itself was pretty good. Now let's discuss the bread. It is literally a slice of white bread. You know, like sliced bread, like Gardenia or Sunshine? Really not classy. And being only half a sandwich, it is 2 halves of a slice. This makes sandwich look pretty lame. There is also nothing in said sandwich other than the beef. No lettuce, no avocado, no tomato...

Then there's the side salad. It is a base of iceberg lettuce, my pet peeve, with some carrot slices, green pepper slices, and some gross red cabbage slices. And they threw a piece of cantaloupe in there for good measure, I guess, which I mistook for a cucumber.

PLUS, they use Styrofoam boxes, so they don't even get bonus points for being environmentally friendly or anything.

On the bright side, I love my internship. They give me a $10 stipend for lunch. Highest paid Hollywood job I've ever had, woot woot! Moving up in the world.