The Unvegan

‘Lake Nebagamon’

Attack of the Shake Shack

March 24th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Shake Shack? More like rain shack.

On a rainy Friday morning, I arrived in New York City for the first time as a meat blogger with one goal: to eat. Most importantly, I had to eat at the Shake Shack. I had heard much about the Shake Shack from the New York-centric food blog known as Serious Eats, yet there are plenty of good burgers in LA, so I never felt an overriding desire to get a burger at Shake Shack. Then I heard that Shake Shack was run by none other than Danny Meyer, the famous New York restaurateur. More importantly, though, is that Meyer is a fellow alum of Camp Nebagamon, the greatest place in the world (if you don’t believe me, read this). No doubt, his restaurant skills draw upon his experience at Nebagamon and I made sure to get to Shake Shack as early as possible to see what those skills had created. Continue Reading»

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Burgers, Camp Nebagamon, Danny Meyer, Duluth, hamburgers, Lake Nebagamon, manhattan, new york, shake shack, Travel, upper west side

Tastes of the Northwoods, Part IV: Pizza Fries

July 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

So good I just can't explain.

Bridge’s Tavern in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin has no kitchen. In a lot of bars this can be a problem if I get the drunken munchies. Not at Bridge’s though, because despite their kitchen handicap they make Pizza Fries.

Pizza Fries aren’t too different from pizza, and they’re not really even close to being fries aside from abstract similarities in shape. Yet, Pizza Fries is the name that has been chosen for them. The closest thing they resemble is cheesey breadsticks, but this isn’t some gimmick to get people to buy an already existent product like when Burger King started making “Chicken Fries” (chicken tenders). There is just something about Pizza Fries that transcends any other nomenclature. Continue Reading»

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Bridge's Tavern, food, Lake Nebagamon, northwoods, pizza fries, Wisconsin

Tastes of the Northwoods, Part I: The Waterfront Bar & Grill

July 6th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

It was going so well until the pickles.

The transition from eating in LA to eating in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Minnesota is pretty darn easy, especially for my tastes. While visiting the area recently, I found plenty of food (and beer) to make my tastebuds happy, while forking over a fraction of what I’ve been used to paying.

My first meal up there was at the Waterfront Bar & Grill in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. After ordering two pitchers of Leinenkugel’s (the best beer in the world) for $6 each, I took a look at their food menu. What stood out to me the most on their menu was the double bacon cheeseburger. At $6, it appeared to be the most expensive burger on the menu. Not too shabby. Continue Reading»

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Bar Food, Beer, Burgers, hamburgers, Lake Nebagamon, leinenkugel's, meat, northwoods, restaurants, Reviews, Wisconsin

Rants and Raves

Meat Hall of Fame

August 11th, 2009

Just when I thought hall of fames were becoming a tired concept (there’s a Robot Hall of Fame?!), I discovered the Meat Industry Hall of Fame. At first, I hoped this might be a place to showcase the best and most famous meats. Inductees could be the porterhouse steak or buffalo wings. But then I got scared. If this is anything like sports hall of fames, the meats would have to be retired and I would be stuck watching reruns of their greatest hits on Food Network Classic, rather than enjoying them on my plate. Fortunately for unvegans of the world, our favorite meats are safe. The Meat Industry Hall of Fame isn’t around to thank meats for feeding us, but to thank the people that help to bring those meats to our plates.

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.