El Gordito (El Monte)

El Gordito is Marlene's latest discovery. We can thank my car's recent loss of its head gasket; all this week, while the car has been in the shop, Marlene and her mom have come to pick me up from work. El Gordito is about a mile from the school, right next to Art's Burgers, on the north side of Valley, just east of Peck.
I've only had one meal from El Gordito, but it was notable--four very good carnitas tacos (if the fare from Tacos El Gordo of Tijuana/south San Diego fame is a 10 of 10, then these
were 7.5) and probably the best agua de pina I've ever had. The drink was sweet but not overly so, and had pineapple chunks to add to the flavor and feel.
Marlene says the burrito she had was good, too. I've had a coupon for a free torta from El Gordito for some time; it was part of the "swag bag" we received at the luncheon the City of El Monte gave for new teachers. It looks like it's time to redeem that coupon.
El Monte insider trivia: El Gordito is owned by Frank J. Aguirre, who recently mounted an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the board for the Mountain View School District.

Find El Gordito at 11665 Valley Blvd (Peck/I-10 and La Madera) in El Monte. 626-444-4912. Call for hours of operation.

Fortune Bakery

This little gem at the San Gabriel / Alhambra border has been Marlene's bakery of choice for years. Its simple, small storefront features a case with birthday cakes and other baked goods like sweet loaves and cupcakes. It also has several cases filled with figurines that serve as cake decorations.
Marlene got my chocolate birthday cake here (above), and it was delicious. Another standout is their strawberry sponge cake with a light whipped-cream frosting. They have delicious cookies as well, including their lemon cookies and their sugar-free rosebud cookies. Marlene's elementary-school teacher would buy Fortune Bakery's cookies as a treat for outstanding students. Finally, Marlene's friend Carmen loves their brownies, though we can't vouch for them ourselves.
You can call ahead to pre-order if you want to be sure that they'll have what you're looking for.

Find Fortune Bakery at 700 W. Las Tunas Dr (N. Franklin and Sycamore) in west San Gabriel. 626-576-0514.

Pepe's Finest Mexican Food (Temple City)

Pepe's Finest Mexican Food has locations in Alhambra and Covina as well as in Temple City. This blog refers to the Temple City location.

Pepe's is a very, very good taco shop, in business since 1964. It serves what you might call "old-school" taco shop fare--hearty food that's more mildly seasoned than the "street tacos" you might buy in Tijuana.
The hard-shell tacos may be the best thing on the menu. These are the real deal, full of tender shredded beef and cheese, tomato, and lettuce.
Their burritos are good, too, and packed-to-bursting with (for example) chile verde pork or seasoned eggs and potatoes.
Bill Coburn's San Gabriel Valley Menus website has a number of photos of Pepe's offerings along with his review of the Temple City location.

Find Pepe's Finest Mexican Food at 5829 N. Rosemead Blvd., at the corner of Hermosa and near Las Tunas. 626-286-3055. Sun-Thurs 9 am - 9:30 pm; Fri. and Sat. 9 am - 10:30 pm. Closed major holidays.

Transit options include Metro Bus 78 and Metro Bus 487. Montebello Bus 20 stops at San Gabriel Boulevard and Hermosa, about a mile west.

Chroni's Famous Sandwich Shop

This easy-to-miss-if-you're-not-looking-for-it shop on Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. makes some A-plus hot dogs. Mustard, ketchup, and onions is all they put on the dog, and these are really all the dog needs. It's very flavorful, and cooked so perfectly that, as Marlene points out, it snaps when you bite it.
Marlene has been going here for years with her mom and grandparents. Apparently, her grandfather took her mom and aunts for a tasty snack in the years when Marlene was just a glimmer in various eyes. The shop has been owned by the same family (we assume that their name is Chroni) since its inception; today Ron, a hulking, mustached descendant of the founders, mans the counter. He is polite, and likes people, as Marlene's mom puts it, but he'll pass you over and take the next customer's order if you don't know what you want. He also adds up all the totals in his head--no need for a cash register here.
We each ordered a dog, a hamburger, and a grape soda. $15 and change for both of us, which isn't the cheapest meal in town, but for such a delicious one, certainly a reasonable bill. The hamburger, though perhaps not worthy of a Huell Howser special as is the hot dog, was quite good, and the grape soda tasty--though next time I'll opt for that noble and long-neglected cola, Royal Crown.
Jonathan Gold of the L.A. Times has written elegantly of Chroni's pastrami sandwich and chili fries. Also according to Gold, Los Lobos gives the shop a shout-out in its liner notes.

Find Chroni's Famous Sandwich Shop at 5825 Whittier Boulevard, near Keenan, and between Atlantic and Garfield. 323-728-7806; closed on Sundays. Cash only (at least until Ron figures out how to swipe a credit card in his head).

To take public transit to Chroni's, catch the Metro Rapid Bus 720 on Whittier. The same line runs along Wilshire west of downtown.