The Unvegan

Reviews

Finding Kansas City BBQ in LA

September 1st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

WTF Pickles!

A lot of places are known to have delicious BBQ. St. Louis and Memphis are both huge and Texas always claims to be the best, but I have always felt best about Kansas City BBQ. This affinity probably goes back to the only time I went to Kansas City and got some Gates Bar-B-Q in my pre-meat blog days. It was so good I left Kansas City with my very own bottle of sauce. When I started working in North Hollywood, I noticed a place called The Kansas City BBQ Company nearby, but having heard nothing about it I sort of forgot about it. But recently a co-worker claimed it was really good, so an outing was planned and we all took a stroll down Magnolia to see how good Kansas City could taste in North Hollywood.

Tags: BBQ, brisket, gates bar-b-q, kansas city, Los Angeles, meat, north hollywood, restaurants, the kansas city bbq company

1

Creative Naming at Hoagies and Wings

August 30th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

I like my wings glistening.

As a man spoiled by Buffalo Wild Wings, it is often difficult to try out new wing places. But going to a place where 50% of the name is Wings and the other 50% is Hoagies seems like a recipe for success. So even if Hoagies and Wings isn’t the most creatively named restaurant, it certainly makes clear what you will be offered. To be fair, they do offer some burgers and sides, but other than that, the menu is pretty much limited to the name.

Tags: buffalo wings, chicken, hoagies and wings, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, suicide

3

Cultural Devolution at Mao’s Kitchen

August 27th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Will this improve my vision?

After what feels like years of hearing about the deliciousness that dwells within Mao’s Kitchen in Venice, I finally found myself an opportunity to try the place out. A big perk of the place was that it was BYO, so I grabbed a sixer of tasty beer and brought it along to see if Mao’s could really be good Chinese food. Before delving into the meal itself, let’s take a moment to consider the name of Mao’s Kitchen. Honestly, I’m not so sure I would want to eat whatever Mao would have served. Most likely it would have involved mass atrocities and a side of untimely death. Cultural faux pas aside, I was still drawn in by their reputation for culinary goodness.

Tags: chicken, Chinese, kung pao, Los Angeles, mao's kitchen, meat, restaurants, Venice

0

King Taco, Not Nacho

August 19th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Red means hot.

In the mood for some authentic Los Angeles tacos, my buddies and I set off for King Taco near downtown in the McArthur Park area. Although this wasn’t the original location, we figured they still served up some pretty good tacos. I could tell it was pretty authentic because it was mostly filled with Hispanic people and everyone seemed to speak Spanish at the counter. By the time I figured out what I wanted, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to order in English, but luckily the cashiers turned out to be bilingual.

Tags: chains, Downtown LA, king taco, Los Angeles, mcarthur park, meat, Mexican, restaurants

2

Philadelphia Sandwiches Without the Philadelphia

August 18th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Enough with the bread already.

In North Hollywood there is a little sandwich place with a ’50s theme called Philadelphia Sandwiches. I’m not sure how Elvis and cheese steaks are related (unless it’s a fluffernutter cheese steak), but somehow they have managed to coexist since the sandwich shop was started in the ’80s. Specializing in Philly Cheese Steaks, I figured the place at least deserved a shot at meaty glory.

Tags: Los Angeles, meat, north hollywood, philadelpia sandwiches, philly cheese steak, restaurants, steak

0

Being Salty and Sweet at Uncle Bill’s

August 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Who would think?

For some breakfast in Manhattan Beach, I found myself at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. Just like all breakfast joints in LA, the place as a huge line on weekends, but luckily my step-dad went a little early to put the name in, so by the time I got there, there was only a few minutes left to wait. We sat down at their outdoor area, which had a great view of the ocean.

The menu was huge, and to be truthful, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted. Then, buried in the Waffles section, I found what had to be mine; the cheddar cheese and bacon waffle. I was filled with questions. Would the bacon and cheese be cooked into it or just on top? Could this be the new chicken and waffles? Or could this simply be the next step towards certain death? Either way, I was ready to find out.

Tags: bacon, Breakfast, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, meat, restaurants, uncle bill's pancake house

2

Getting Upscale at Pizzeria Mozza

August 10th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

How do you say Meat Lover's in Italian?

Pizzeria Mozza (not Matzah) is one of those restaurants in LA that just kind of nags at you until you realize you just kind of have to go. For starters, the head chef is some guy from the Food Network or Top Chef or something like that. Then, because of that, you have to get a reservation at least 30 days in advance, so you really have to want to go this place and know your schedule for the next 30 days. Just such a time came up recently when the parents were in town (and I knew more than 30 days ahead), so off to Pizzeria Mozza we went to see what it was all about.

Tags: bacon, Hollywood, Italian, Los Angeles, meat, Pizza, pizzeria mozza, restaurants

0

Chicken in The Kitchen

August 9th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Ahh tomato.

After a few days of burgers and wings, I decided I needed to have a meal kind of on the light side. To accomplish this, my buddy and I went to The Kitchen in Silverlake. The exterior of the place has a pretty cool mural and the interior has a nice vibe that is neither upscale, downscale or hipster. Basically, it’s the kind of place that should be in every neighborhood. At least by the looks. The menu was pretty simple and although their cheeseburger was tempting, I forced myself to order some chicken.

Tags: bacon, chicken, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, Sandwiches, silverlake, the kitchen

0

Avoiding Baked Goods at Corner Bakery

August 6th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Have spiral with my noodles.

For a quick lunch idea to please a few people, the girlfriend and I decided to pick up food from Corner Bakery. Although the place is pretty well-known for its sandwiches, I was in no mood for such food. Instead, I found that they had a little selection of pasta dishes that looked like a good lunch to me. Of these, the Pesto Cavatappi looked best to me.

Tags: chains, chicken, corner bakery, Italian, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, pasta, restaurants, Sandwiches

1

Burgering at The Golden State

August 5th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Smothered in cheesiness.

One fateful afternoon at Dodger Stadium, a raging drunk who had been told of my meat blog decided to proclaim their love of burgers at The Golden State. Never having heard of this restaurant, my girlfriend took the opportunity to look it up and plan a dinner there. The place itself is pretty small, with only about 8 or so tables and their menu is also pretty small. There’s only one real burger on it, with an additional turkey burger, veggie burger, sandwiches and hot dogs. Fortunately, the lone burger looked pretty tasty.

Tags: beef, Burgers, hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, the golden state

Heroes

Vikings: Unvegan Heroes

August 27th, 2010

Steak + Mjolnir = Stjolnir

As if there is any question about the manliness of Vikings, your favorite unvegan has uncovered one more reason why the Vikings just might be the coolest society of the past. Think of the word “steak.” The very word makes my mouth water. But if it weren’t for the Vikings, steak as we know it just wouldn’t exist.

Rants

Global Shrinking

August 27th, 2010

Is this the future unvegan?

As if we don’t have enough to worry about with global warming. What with the crazy 110 degree weather I’m experiencing in the hellish valley or dwindling glaciers, now we have to worry about shrinkage. Now, not that kind of shrinkage. That kind comes with the cold. No, the shrinkage I write of affects all unvegans, whether man, woman or beast.

Beer Me Some Bell’s Oberon

Look like summer to you?

It’s really not summer until you’ve had some Oberon. Sure, the weather may be warm, the grass may be green and the county may be forcing you to water your lawn only on odd-numbered days, but in truth, none of this matters until you get some Oberon in you. Now, you may be wondering, “What is Oberon?” If you turn to Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge), you will be lead to believe that Oberon is the king of the fairies. But this is just hogwash. In fact, Oberon is more likely to be a king of beers. No, not the king of beers…some brewery in St. Louis has that copyrighted.

The Unvegan

Reviews

Finding Kansas City BBQ in LA

Creative Naming at Hoagies and Wings

Cultural Devolution at Mao’s Kitchen

King Taco, Not Nacho

Philadelphia Sandwiches Without the Philadelphia

Being Salty and Sweet at Uncle Bill’s

Getting Upscale at Pizzeria Mozza

Chicken in The Kitchen

Avoiding Baked Goods at Corner Bakery

Burgering at The Golden State

Heroes

Vikings: Unvegan Heroes

Rants

Global Shrinking

Beer Me Some Bell’s Oberon

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