The Unvegan

The Unvegan Joins Grill ‘Em All on Eat Street

June 24th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh just a little production still.

Don’t think I’m a qualified food blogger? Think my reviews suck? I know you naysayers are out there, but that didn’t stop Eat Street (a program airing on the Canadian Food Network and American Cooking Channel) from contacting me about appearing on their show. Not only did they want me on the show, they even referred to me as a “Food Expert.” Boo-yah!

So I answered the call and a few months ago I headed out to the Grill ‘Em All truck to give Eat Street my opinion of their burgers. I had tried them once before and delighted in their Behemoth, so I was excited to experience Grill ‘Em All again. At the truck I met fellow burger lover, Rev, and we instantly bonded over our disdain for pickles and our mighty Michigan roots. Rev not only manages Grill ‘Em All, but is always conquering burgers for his blog, Burger Conquest.

I also got to meet Chef Ryan, his burger partner, Matt, and the rest of the crew working for Grill ‘Em All and Eat Street. They were all fans of Unvegan (obviously) and they were all cool to hang out with. When it came down to eating, I wound up with their Molly Hatchet. Made with seared fennel sausage gravy, maple syrup and bacon, it was a perfect unvegan burger that didn’t even require a special order. But how was it?

Tune into the Cooking Channel at 8:00 on July 5th to find out!

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Burgers, Cooking Channel, eat street, food network, grill 'em all, hamburgers

Filled Up on Ford’s Filling Station

June 13th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Did someone say bacon?

Evoking images of an old fashioned gas station for Ford cars, Ford’s Filling Station in downtown Culver City actually has no actual relation to Henry Ford. It also has no relation to Gerald Ford, the former US President from the great state of Michigan. It does, however, have a relation to another Ford, Harrison. You see, Ford’s is owned by Benjamin Ford, Harrison’s son, and he also happens to be the executive chef. Last time I went to Ford’s, which was before the unvegan blog came into existence, Benjamin himself actually came out to our table to tell us the specials. It was like the foodie version of meeting Harrison Ford. Continue Reading»

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Bacon, Beef, Burgers, Culver City, gastropubs, hamburgers, Los Angeles, restaurants

Halo Burger: The In-N-Out of Flint

June 8th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A sign of good times.

With two of my parents hailing from the once mighty city of Flint, Michigan, I spent much of my upbringing in Flint and hearing about the mighty Halo Burger. My step-dad even celebrated his 60th at Halo Burger (although I was out of the country at the time). Yet, until my return home to Michigan last weekend, I had never once set foot into one of these fabled local fast food joints. But enter I finally did and was impressed by what I found. Continue Reading»

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Bill Thomas, Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, flint, halo burger, hamburgers, meat, michigan, Travel

Down in the Valley at the Ahwahnee

June 3rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

This is an old lodge.

Opened in 1927 at the center of the Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, the Ahwahnee Hotel is a national park staple. The room prices are outrageous, but whether you are staying there or not, the place is certainly worth a visit for historical perspective of the park. Plus, for anyone in need of a good meal, the Ahwahnee has a bit of dining room. The lunch prices are a bit much, but nothing compared to the prices for dinner, so before setting out on an afternoon trek from the valley floor, we sat down to a meal at the Ahwahnee. Continue Reading»

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Ahwahnee, Burgers, hamburgers, meat, restaurants, Travel, yosemite

Triple Meating at Ducey’s

May 31st, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Ahhhh get that crap outta my burger.

Up near Yosemite National Park is a place called Bass Lake. Bass Lake has itself a little village, and this village is dominated by a huge lodge called The Pines Resort. Inside this resort is a fancy restaurant called Ducey’s on the Lake. We wanted no part of this, so we found Ducey’s Bar and Grill, with a swanky patio and a much more reasonable and fun menu. We grabbed a table outside and sorted out what to eat. I had sworn a couple days off of burgers after tackling a couple bad ones in the last couple days, but there was a burger on this menu calling out the unvegan name and I couldn’t resist. Continue Reading»

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Bar Food, Bass Lake, Burgers, California, ducey's, hamburgers, meat, restaurants, sausage, the pines resort, Travel, yosemite

Der Decent at Wienerschnitzel

May 24th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Just look at those colors.

Wienerschnitzel and the concept of a hot dog chain restaurant has always intrigued me. Since I was a little kid, I have loved me some hot dogs, and finally I got the opportunity to check out Wienerschnitzel when the bright yellow and red a-frame restaurant in Valley Village called my name loud enough. I had some strange expectations for this place, because it’s really hard to mess up a hot dog, but they can be messed up and it doesn’t matter what ingredients you toss on top if the dogs can’t hold their own. Continue Reading»

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Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, wienerschnitzel

Snacking at Astro Burger

May 23rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Yes, you are tasty. Thanks for asking.

Countless times I have driven through West Hollywood and passed Astro Burger. In just about all of these situations, I have muttered to myself or to anyone in my car that I just need to try that place. Finally, after one of my rare drinking nights in West Hollywood, I had a golden opportunity to see what was inside Astro Burger. Continue Reading»

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Astro Burger, Bacon, Burgers, Fast Food, hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, west hollywood

A Swanky Burger at 25 Degrees

May 3rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

SHINE!

Normally, when you hear about a restaurant in a hotel, it is overpriced and pretentious, meant more for business people with an expense account than for the common man. So when I heard that the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel had a delicious restaurant called 25 Degrees, I was a bit skeptical. But then I heard more and more about the place until my buddy over at Burger Conquest told me it was his favorite burger in LA. That was quite a claim for a city filled with the likes of Umami, The Apple Pan and Hole in the Wall, so I took it seriously. Continue Reading»

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25 Degrees, Beef, Burgers, hamburgers, Hollywood, hotel roosevelt, Los Angeles

Ron Swanson: Unvegan Hero

April 28th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

How can you not be heroic with that mustache?!

Many of you out there have wondered whether a fictional character can be an Unvegan Hero and I am finally ready to answer that question with a resounding, “Yes!” But it isn’t easy – unless you’re Ron Swanson. Continue Reading»

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Burgers, hamburgers, meat, parks and recreation, ron swanson, turkey

A Burger to Drink with at City Tavern

April 20th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Warning: I did not take this picture sober.

Well, someone finally beat me to the punch. Ever since I moved to the west side of LA, I’ve thought that downtown Culver City has needed a real bar. Kay ‘n Dave’s and Rush Street are good places, but they are first and foremost restaurants. Finally, the guys behind Rush Street have pumped out City Tavern (in the location that formerly housed the Meltdown grilled cheese joint) and I don’t think I could have done it better myself. I arrived a solid 45 minutes before my friends, which gave me a chance to put our name on the list for a table and to sample the beers they were purveying. Continue Reading»

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Bar Food, Bars, Beer, Burgers, City Tavern, Culver City, hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat

Rants and Raves

Meat Doping

October 4th, 2010

Tastes like doped meat.

There is no question that meat is performance enhancing. The protein helps build muscles, the iron helps the blood flow and the vitamins of the B variety just generally keep the body functioning. Try getting all that from a vegan salad. But even though meat clearly enhances performance, there is only one man who has claimed it as a drug: Alberto Contador.

Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

‘hamburgers’

The Unvegan Joins Grill ‘Em All on Eat Street

Filled Up on Ford’s Filling Station

Halo Burger: The In-N-Out of Flint

Down in the Valley at the Ahwahnee

Triple Meating at Ducey’s

Der Decent at Wienerschnitzel

Snacking at Astro Burger

A Swanky Burger at 25 Degrees

Ron Swanson: Unvegan Hero

A Burger to Drink with at City Tavern

Rants and Raves

Meat Doping

Going Global at Plan Check

What is this?»

Unvegan Friends