‘Coachella Valley’

Le Dinner at Le Basil

February 25th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Le Pad See You

In the hotbed of food culture known as Palm Desert, California, we went off to dinner with my aunt and uncle, who were craving some Thai food.  After some extensive searching using the newfangled interwebs, we found a place called Le Basil.  Rather than being confined to Thai food, Le Basil expanded to another area of Southeast Asia and integrated Vietnamese food into their menu.  Although this only covered 2 of the 11 sovereign nations of Southeast Asia, it was enough for Le Basil’s menu to claim Southeast Asian cuisine (come on, where’s the balut?). Continue Reading»

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Steak Night at Outback

April 30th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Steak heaven.

Since there appears to be no Outback Steakhouse in LA (seriously LA?!), the last time I was in Palm Desert I managed to convince my grandparents to take me to Outback.  Of course, I have had Outback in the past, but not since I’ve been writing my glorious meat blog.  I’ve never had a bad experience at Outback and I hoped this one would be no different.

The place was set up just like any other Outback and although there was a short wait, we were seated soon and ready to order some beef.  Of the delicious-sounding steaks, the Outback Special looked especially tasty.  This special cut of steak, that I think is a sirloin, comes in 7 or 9 ounce cuts.  It also comes with a choice of two sides.  I went with the larger of the cuts and then decided to load up on carbs for my sides.  I chose both the garlic mashed potatoes and the dressed baked potato.  I’m sure this meal was an accurate reflection of the typical Australian diet. Continue Reading»

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Overly Nutty at Lotus Chinese Restaurant

April 14th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Any chicken in there?

For a little dinner break on the way back from Arizona, we stopped in Rancho Mirage to hit up the grandparents for a meal.  They thought Chinese food sounded good, so we headed to Lotus Chinese Restaurant to see what they had to offer.  The place was pretty full when we arrived, so I assumed it must be pretty good despite being in the middle of a desert.  We grabbed our seats and got a look at the menu, which was pretty typical American Chinese fare. Continue Reading»

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Memories of the Elephant Bar

February 5th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Made with real elephant. Wait. No.

As a child of 13, I went to the Elephant Bar in Palm Desert and loved the perpetually moving straw fans on the ceiling.  Of course, that was all it took for me to like a restaurant at the age of 13.  Now things are a little different.  Those fans still cater to my easily distracted mind, but my taste buds require something more.  A quick look at the menu made me feel like the Elephant Bar was suffering from mild schizophrenia.  While most of the menu was filled with American fare, for some reason a whole page was devoted to Asian stir-fry-esque meals.  This threw me off and made me feel like this place wasn’t made for Asian food.  I flipped back to the American comfort zone and found what I wanted. Continue Reading»

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Being Seasonal at Mimi’s Cafe

February 4th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Brie-tacular.

Recently I paid a visit to the desert, aka Rancho Mirage, to visit my grandparents.  For dinner one night we headed to Mimi’s Cafe, which is apparently a chain that I had never heard of and was very appropriate for a meal with the grandparents.  This was all new to me, though, so I was excited to see an entirely new menu of good food.  It was obviously prepared with the health-conscious in mind, since it had its own little healthy section.  Some of this section was even unvegan, but I was not in the mood for health.  Instead, I found my way to their seasonal menu and their Brie Chicken. Continue Reading»

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The Appropriately Named Thai Smile

June 17th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
It would look much better if it weren't for those vegetables.

It would look much better if it weren't for those vegetables.

One of the nights that I was visiting my grandparents in Rancho Mirage, we went to a restaurant called Thai Smile.  There was a 20 minute wait, but I was assured that it would be worth it.  Besides, I really had nothing better to do.

While waiting, we checked out the menu so we could order as soon as we got our table.  It really took me a long time to decide what to order because the Chicken Spicy Peanut Sauce looked great except that it had green beans and peppers, while I could just create my own dish, but none of the customizable items looked as good as the chicken dish. Continue Reading»

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A Wholesome Breakfast at Palms Cafe

June 16th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Looks good enough to eat.

Looks good enough to eat.

While visiting my grandparents in Rancho Mirage, they took me to a great little breakfast place called Palms Cafe in Palm Desert.  Knowing my grandparents would never lead me astray, I was pretty excited.

We took a seat outside and perused the menu.  As most cafes go, they had a pretty good collection of food, but I sought out my favorite breakfast food, the omelet.  Since I don’t think I had ever seen turkey offered in an omelet before, I ordered one with turkey and cheese.  I also got some bacon on the side.

It came out pretty quickly and was one of the most interesting omelets I’ve ever seen.  Continue Reading»

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UNVEGAN FANS: HELP STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DELICIOUS FOOD!

Future Foodies!

HYPE is a non-profit organization that works directly with low-income middle schoolers and their teachers to provide students with the guidance and resources needed to qualify for admission and succeed at top private schools in the Los Angeles area. We provide our students with engaging and unfamiliar experiences to broaden their horizons. A large part of building this cultural capital is by having our students try a wide variety of new foods. This pushes our students outside of their comfort zones and encourages them to take risks in a fun (and tasty!) way. Last summer, our students tried Ethiopian food, sushi, Korean BBQ, deli, and schwarma, just to provide some examples.

We want your help, Unvegan fans, to increase our students’ knowledge about the world around them by enhancing their culinary experiences. We greatly appreciate your support to provide a meal to our group of 15. With your donation, you will be opening delicious doors for an amazing group of students! Please click on the link below to contribute to your favorite cuisine to a great group of kids!

Ethiopian Food
Sushi
Korean BBQ
Deli
Schwarma
Seafood
Indian Food

Couldn't just bring the whole cow?

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Unvegan Friends