‘American’

2

Consuming Mojo at Shakey’s Pizza

July 21st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Just like the olden days.

Shakey’s Pizza and I have a long history, dating all the way back to when I lived in Japan.  I discovered Shakey’s in Kyoto and found it to have the best pizza in Japan, at least at that time.  They had a modestly priced buffet and although they still served crazy Japanese-style pizza with mayonnaise and corn, they also had good old fashioned pepperoni and cheese.  Plus they had delicious fried potatoes and Melon Fanta.  Needless to say, every trip to Kyoto came with a stop at Shakey’s.  Little did I know at the time that Shakey’s was not just some Japanese anomaly, but had begun in the US.  At one point it was a pretty big deal in the US, but now there are more of them in Asia than in the US.  Yet, it wasn’t until I moved to LA that I realized I could enjoy the Shakey’s goodness without a plane trip to Asia.  Although I knew of Shakey’s in LA for awhile, I finally got the chance to check it out myself and see if it could live up to my memories.

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Thinking Outside the Box at Village Grille

July 9th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pizza! Nachos!

Although I grew up in Michigan, I can’t remember ever setting foot in Grosse Pointe.  I guess it was just too far outside the bubble of Farmington Hills/West Bloomfield.  Fortunately, my buddy decided to marry a Grosse Point native, giving me my first chance to see what food was like on the other side of Detroit.  We headed to the nice little downtown area of Grosse Point and got ourselves a table at the Village Grille.

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The Unvegan Ate at EAT

July 1st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Nothing unruly in here.

When you name a restaurant EAT, you better be prepared to have some good food and you better be ready to feed some hungry eaters.  One day I was hungry and was looking for something to eat, so I was really hoping that EAT would deliver on their name.  My coworker and I took a seat outside and then took a look at the menu.  They had some specials that gave my fancy quite a tickle, but when he asked the waitress what some of the best dishes were, she pointed out The 76ER and I knew it belonged in my belly.  Well, at least most of it.  You see, it was one of those sandwiches where you slowly read the ingredients and get more and more excited, until you find something terrible and your sandwich fantasy comes crashing down.  On this sandwich, that destructive entity was the tomato and the fantastical elements were grilled chicken breast, cheddar and swiss cheese, bacon and avocado on sourdough bread.  Fortunately, I saw the tomato in the list and ordered my meal without it.  Then I got some fries with that.

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Waking Up to Ram’s Horn

June 18th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

This is a good way to wake up.

For an early breakfast after my favorite LAX-DTW red-eye, my parents took me to Ram’s Horn in Farmington Hills.  Ram’s Horn is one of those restaurants that every town just needs.  They have no specialty and they definitely don’t excel at anything.  It’s typical American fare that you can count on at a good price.  And it will never leave you disappointed.  Or at least that had always been my experience, but this was my first breakfast visit to the place.

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3

Thanksgiving Come Early at Capriotti’s

May 28th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Only half the story.

It isn’t too often that my buddy, Joel, repeatedly requests that I go to a restaurant with him, so when he does I try to listen.  After asking me to go to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Beverly Hills with him a couple times, I gave in and went.  I’m not sure what I was expecting when I walked in, but the place kind of had the air of an upscale Subway.  But aside from that and the general shape of the sandwiches they served, to compare this place to Subway would be a severe disservice.

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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.

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