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»
‘Hot Dogs’
A Cart Full of Corn Dogs
February 23rd, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditJust off of Main Street in Disneyland, there is a little cart that sells corn dogs. But these are not just any corn dogs, these are dogs of corn that personify the Disney difference. Where another theme park might be content to boil up some prepackaged corn dogs, the corn dogs of this stand are battered and boiled in-cart. Although a typical corn dog isn’t nearly enough to fill up this unvegan, I was told these were some heavy dogs and took my chances on just one. Continue Reading»
The Original Coney Dog at Lafayette Coney Island
September 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditJust before my last visit to my Detroit homeland, I happened to watch a TV show called Food Wars. This show goes all around the country and pits local restaurants against one another. In this particular episode, Detroit’s Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island faced off. The two Coneys were founded in the early 1900s by brothers from Greece and both claim to be the originator of the Coney Dog, a Detroit staple. On the show, American (powered by their sweet Vidalia onions) edged out Lafayette by a vote of 3-2. But how would they fare with the Unvegan? Fortunately an impromptu tour of Detroit with a last-minute visitor brought me to the corner of Lafayette and Michigan Avenue. Wondering which Coney Dog was the unvegan king, I stepped into Lafayette Coney Island. Continue Reading»
The Original Coney Dog at American Coney Island
September 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditJust before my last visit to my Detroit homeland, I happened to watch a TV show called Food Wars. This show goes all around the country and pits local restaurants against one another. In this particular episode, Detroit’s Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island faced off. The two Coneys were founded in the early 1900s by brothers from Greece and both claim to be the originator of the Coney Dog, a Detroit staple. On the show, American (powered by their sweet Vidalia onions) edged out Lafayette by a vote of 3-2. But how would they fare with the Unvegan? Fortunately an impromptu tour of Detroit with a last-minute visitor brought me to the corner of Lafayette and Michigan Avenue. Wondering which Coney Dog was the unvegan king, I stepped into American Coney Island. Continue Reading»
Getting Chili on Top at Lulu’s Coney Island
July 13th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditWith nearly every visit back to Michigan (time permitting), there is a requisite stop at a Coney Island. You can’t drive more than a few miles in the metro Detroit area without hitting a Coney, and I’m pretty sure they are all awesome. My go-to Coney growing up was Leo’s, but sometimes convenience outweighs loyalty. So last time I was back in the homeland, we went to Lulu’s Coney Island in Walled Lake. Continue Reading»
Too Much Green at the Green Truck
May 18th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditWhile trying to be environmentally conscious, my office invited environmentally-friendly Green Truck over for some lunch. At first I was frightened by this, since the term “green” has taken on a pretty anti-meat connotation. It’s a damn shame, too, since green is the second-best color in the world. The best, of course, being orange. But I digress, back to some truckery. Despite the frightening name, the Green Truck did have some unvegan choices, including hot dogs and hamburgers. Even before heading out to the truck, I checked out the menu and decided I wanted one of their hot dogs. What’s more environmentally friendly than hot dogs? Well I guess since they are Niman Beef, they are quite advantageous for the environment. Continue Reading»
Clogging Arteries at Vicious Dogs
May 13th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditSo apparently my blog was listed as an attacker page on Google because some sneaky bastard figured out a way to hack me and install malware. That was no good, but luckily it has all been cleared up. The only thing my blog is intended to attack is arteries, and few places attack arteries quite like Vicious Dogs, a wonderful little hot dog joint in North Hollywood. Some places you can tell are going to be good just by taking a look at their facade. This facade was pretty amazing, sporting a 10 foot plastic hot dog, and although this hot dog was loaded with veggies, it was a very good sign. I walked on in and was surprised to find that Vicious Dogs also doubled as a cupcake shop. It was a strange mix of foods, but I had no time to deal with cupcakery, I was here to eat something vicious and dog-like. Continue Reading»
The Oki Dog of Destiny
March 22nd, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditFrom the moment my buddy told me about Oki Dog months ago, I knew that this incredible hot dog concoction would make its way into my belly. After months of driving by the sketchy part of the west side (so close to West Hollywood, yet a world away) in which Oki Dog resides, I finally got my opportunity to consume this behemoth. It happened on one fateful night when an old pal of mine decided he was going to eat his way through Jonathan Gold’s 99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die. Eating through that list is likely to cause death anyway, especially if it is populated by foods like Oki Dog. Continue Reading»
Getting Loose at Leo’s Coney Island
December 17th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditThe phenomenon of the Coney Island is one of the greatest aspects of eating out in the Detroit area in Michigan. Completely unrelated to the actual Coney Island in New York, these restaurants are a result of the mixing of Greek and American foods, with the addition of the famous Coney Dog. Everyone has their favorite Coney Island, and sometimes the favorite one is just around the corner. I grew up with Farmington Coney Island half a mile away and would go at least once a week. Continue Reading»
Dogs on a Truck from Dogtown Dogs
December 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble RedditNo, this isn’t LA’s new mobile petshop, although that is a genius idea that someone should really get on. Instead, it is another one of LA’s constantly expanding collection of mobile food trucks. Dogtown Dogs specializes in hot dogs, which isn’t entirely creative considering the existence of Let’s Be Frank. Despite this, I tracked them down one night after hearing some pretty good things about their dogs. As with most mobile eateries, I ended up finding them parked near the Brig on Abbot Kinney. Continue Reading»
Rants and Raves
IronWorkz
December 14th, 2009Continue Reading»
I really have no idea where this video came from, although I do believe there is a British accent involved. Nonetheless, this awesome video features a faux band called IronWorkz and this band helps tell the tale of why red meat is so important to the diet. It’s refreshing to see an entertaining ad like this in a world flooded with tasteless and really unfunny PETA ads. Check it out below, and be entertained.
Going Global at Plan Check
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.
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