‘Burgers’

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Hinano Cafe: The Diviest Cafe of Them All

January 17th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Which came first?

Ever walk into a “pizza parlor” that actually functions as more of a full-on Italian restaurant?  Or how about a “Japanese place” that only serves sushi?  We are constantly being misled into restaurants that either offer a lot more than expected or a lot less.  And then there is Hinano Cafe in Venice, which only a crackhead would consider to be a cafe.  You see, Hinano is pretty much the definition of a dive bar.  Sawdust coats the floor, there are maybe five real tables and the two guys behind the bar take turns dishing out beer or flipping burgers on the lone griddle in the middle of the bar. Continue Reading»

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Old Western Eating in Temecula

January 13th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Like all those Old West burger places you hear about.

Temecula is a strange part of California.  Somewhere between LA, San Diego and Palm Springs, it’s essentially the middle of nowhere.  Except it’s not.  It’s wine country, it’s gated communities and it is the Old West.  Nowhere is the latter felt more than Old Town Temecula, which is a blend of truly old buildings and new buildings made to look like cowboys once had shootouts inside.  Front Street Bar & Grill sits in Old Town, but doesn’t try to look like a cowboy outpost.  Instead, it has the looks of colonial mansion, with a great outdoor patio. Continue Reading»

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Going to Hell with Lucky Devils

November 21st, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The devil is in arugula.

Deep in the heart of the Hollywood Strip is a burger that rivals Umami Burger.  Or so a coworker told me once upon a time.  That once upon a time may have been over a year ago, but I never forgot, so when I had the chance to meet some buddies for dinner in Hollywood, Lucky Devils crept into my mind (and it didn’t hurt that it has been sitting on my to-eat list).  What we found was a neat space with a great and enthusiastic server who was happy to tell us of their current specials, some awesome beers on tap and help us out with anything on the menu.  Even though I had sworn not to drink, his description of their special black IPA on tap almost had my mouth watering enough to break the promise I made to myself. Continue Reading»

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Jimmy’s Super Lunch to the Rescue

November 16th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Super, thanks for asking!

More than once, my work has taken me into the bowels of Glendale, past a little hole-in-the-wall called Jimmy’s Super Lunch.  On the outside, it appears to be your average burger shack, but a quick look at the menu and at those working inside tells a different story.  Jimmy’s appears to be a part of the trend of old burger places that are now run by Asians (family or otherwise) that now double as teriyaki chicken shacks.  I encountered this with Irv’s, Twin Castle and Crown Burger and I’m now suspecting this is more of the norm than some sort of trend. Continue Reading»

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The Thrill of Far Bar

November 11th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

These drinks could kill me softly.

A month or so ago, Thrillist Rewards made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  For $29, it included one half-pound burger, unlimited wasabi fries, unlimited wings and two flights of delicious beers at a place called Far Bar in Little Tokyo.  A few of us capitalized on this deal and finally made our way there to indulge.  But finding it wasn’t exactly easy, as it required a walk through a strange alley.  In fact, I walked into the restaurant next door by accident, but a guy there walked me over to the actual bar.  Upon arrival, my friends who had gotten there first thrust a basket of fries and wings in my face and I knew I was home. Continue Reading»

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A Late Lunch at Roadhouse

October 27th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Just like Patrick Swayze.

Little-known fact: restaurants in Rarotonga generally close their lunch doors after 2:00 pm.  This fact would have been great to know before the girlfriend and I rode our motor scooter around half of the island in search of a late lunch.  Just when we had given up hope, I recalled a place called Roadhouse that we had passed many a time on our way from our hotel to Avarua.  If they were closed, we were just going to have to snack ourselves away until dinner time.  Fortunately, Roadhouse was open (from 11 am to 2 am every day) and sadly devoid of Patrick Swayze (RIP). Continue Reading»

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Local Fast Food at Palace Takeaways

October 25th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Rush hour.

One amazing thing about Rarotonga in the Cook Islands is the lack of chains.  No Starbucks.  No Subway.  No McDonald’s.  It’s enough to make a coffee-loving, fast food-devouring American feel dizzy.  Fortunately, I don’t care for coffee and this also doesn’t mean Rarotonga doesn’t have fast food.  Yes, even this slow-paced island that runs on even slower-paced “island time” is not without its fast food, but this fast food is local.

Our awesome bartender/sample-giver from the Cooks Lager Brewery, Wendy, recommended Palace Takeaways.  Situated on the outskirts of Avarua, this little shack served burgers, fish and chips and not much else.  Wendy told us they were the best burgers in town, so I had to find out for myself. Continue Reading»

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Staying Savory at the Sugar Factory

October 6th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Shine on you crazy burger.

Out in Vegas for a buddy’s 30th (yes, he is that old), we had a bit of a group birthday to celebrate.  Ordinarily, this might be cause for someone to expect to drop much more money than they want to.  But he chose a place called the Sugar Factory in the Paris and a quick look at the menu revealed something quite reasonable, especially by Vegas standards.

Connected to a candy shop, both sweets and their bar serve as a good waiting area before getting seated.  In fact, you can combine the two, as the Sugar Factory has a bunch of sharkbowl-esque drinks, with one even filled with shark gummies.  But enough about the sweets and the awesome race we had on each side of the table to see who could finish their massive goblet first.  That matters little to an unvegan. Continue Reading»

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Sonic Good is Just Pretty Good

October 3rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

So this is what all those commercials were about...

About 10 or so years ago, the world began to see commercials for a fast food burger place called Sonic.  These commercials were often both funny and hunger-inducing.  Unfortunately, though, Sonics were only in select locations throughout the country.  Yes it was annoying, but it was also genius, because it whet the appetite for Sonic with people who had never even seen the place.  The idea was that when they would finally see one, whether in travel or with a new one being built, they would want nothing more than to devour their burgers.  And it worked, at least on me.  When I saw my first Sonic years ago while driving through Independence, Missouri, I just had to try it.  I remember it being good, but this was pre-meat blog and in the middle of a cross-country road trip, so the memory is mostly blur filled with the knowledge that the meal kept my internal fuel running just as long as I needed it to. Continue Reading»

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Doubling Down at Townhouse

September 28th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Not in my Townhouse.

After seeing the frontrunner for Most Gratuitously Violent Movie of the Year (Drive, which is great by the way), some people might not have much of an appetite.  Those people, though, are not unvegan and the sight of so much blood made me crave some meat.  As we had seen the movie in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, my local valley friends took me to a place called Townhouse Kitchen + Bar.  I knew little of what to expect, except that football would be on TV and this was a good start. Continue Reading»

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Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State.  No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries.  While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery.  The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

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Couldn't just bring the whole cow?

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