‘lamb’

Dining in Cooks County

January 18th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Say cheese!

You may think that as a meat blogger I am constantly defining which restaurants my girlfriend and I eat at.  Often that is the case, and for no other reason than that people are constantly giving me suggestions, but this weekend we reversed the trend and she took me out to dinner at a place from her own to-eat list.  The place was Cooks County in Mid-City and although a quick Google search will reveal no county named Cooks, there is certainly at least one Cook County (in Illinois), which may be some sort of basis for the naming of this restaurant. Continue Reading»

No Comments

, , , , , ,

Down in Mexico With Red O

August 5th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Wait, is this China?

Rick Bayless is apparently a pretty big deal, and not just because he got his PhD at the University of Michigan.  No, he is actually a famous chef who specializes in Mexican food.  Now, when I headed off to dinner at Red O, I was entirely unaware of both the existence of man named Rick Bayless and the fact the Red O’s kitchen was run by him that he was Red O’s consulting chef.  Clearly this was not going to be an everyday ordinary Mexican meal.  The exterior had a design reminiscent of the Bird’s Nest in Beijing.  The interior wasn’t too shabby either, but this style came at a price.  One of our party was sporting khaki shorts and was nearly denied entry, despite everyone else in the restaurant wearing shorts.  This almost knocked the place down a notch to me, but I was willing to forgive if they could deliver some amazing food. Continue Reading»

No Comments

, , , , , , , ,

Meating Out at Fogo de Chao

October 21st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

This is a calling card to unvegans the world over.

Ever since beginning my meat blog, Fogo de Chao in Beverly Hills has been in my sights.  I’ve eaten Brazilian food before, but I have been told over and over again that Fogo is the king of meatiness.  But it’s expensive.  Like a fixed price of $56.50 expensive.  But when Restaurant Week comes to town, that ridicu-price drops down to a more reasonable $44 bucks, including dessert.  So for my first Fogo experience, I made sure to go during Restaurant Week and was amazed with what that price bought me. Continue Reading»

One Comment

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Getting Handsy at Meals By Genet

February 11th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Here is my beer, short and stout.

As someone who has never eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant (insert politically incorrect joke about Ethiopians not actually being able to eat here), I decided to have my first time in style on a date night with the girlfriend.  In the terribly trafficked part of Fairfax called Little Ethiopia, I found the perfect place, called Meals By Genet.  This upscale Ethiopian joint would be my first dive into that crazy finger food so I hoped it would set me on a good path.

We were greeted by an incredibly passionate waitress as soon as we took our seats.  Although clearly not Ethiopian, she really knew what she was talking about.  She recommended a beer for me called Hakim Stout, which turned out to be pretty great and didn’t have the nasty coffee-like taste that some stouts tend to have.  This was slightly ironic considering coffee is originally from from Ethiopia.  See, you learn something new every day! Continue Reading»

One Comment

, , , , , , ,

Fighting for Frankies at India Jones

February 1st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Hello Frankie.

I visited the India Jones truck at good old First Fridays evening on Abbot Kinney.  The area was pretty packed, but I had been following India Jones on Twitter and was eager to try them out.  When I got there, Mr. Jones himself was dealing with a horrible skater punk who had decided to steal a can of Pellegrino.  It was an uncomfortable situation, because the skater guy was obviously a terrible person, and luckily someone stepped in and grabbed the can to return to Jones.  One of his idiot friends decided to hit the truck with his skateboard and ran away, because he was like a child, and although Jones chased after him, it was to no avail, the buffoon had gotten away.  After seeing this, my hunger for some food from this truck grew even more.  Jones was willing to defend his truck and fight against dumb hooligans, so I was happy to support.  And by support I mean order food. Continue Reading»

One Comment

, , , , , , , , ,

Eating Raw at 8 oz. Burger Bar

January 13th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Not sliders, but they look pretty.

The 8 oz. Burger Bar in Melrose has intrigued me for a long time.  It combines two of my favorite things, burgers and bars, into one, so I knew eventually I would have to see how well that combination works.  I recently got my chance and even went online to check their menu before going.  On that menu I saw something that made me want to go even more:  Fried Wisconsin Cheese Curds.  Cheese curds are one of my favorite things in the world and although I prefer them un-fried, I will eat them anytime I see them offered.  Excited about these curds, I stepped into 8 oz. Burger Bar.

Then I looked at their menu and almost cried. Continue Reading»

3 Comments

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Strange Meats: Mongolian Mutton

November 5th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
They have no idea what's coming.

They have no idea what's coming.

Some of you may be wondering where I got that amazing picture of a sheep in the back of a car.  The answer lies in this entry.

Now, mutton isn’t inherently a strange meat.  Lamb chops, lamb gyros and lamb meatballs can be found all over the USA.  It’s most definitely one of the top meats consumed in the USA, but the mutton I ate in the far east wasn’t normal by any means.

My day in Inner Mongolia, China, began just as any other.  My Chinese friend was cracking jokes as he always does, but this time he made a joke about how we Americans would be catching our own dinner that night.  This was a scary thought, but as we embarked on our journey for the day, I forgot about it while lost in thought in the Inner Mongolian countryside.  Now and then, we would pass flocks of sheep, walking around and eating everything they could see.  Then, we stopped at one of the flocks.

“It’s time,” my friend said. Continue Reading»

2 Comments

, , , , , , , ,

Finally, Some Indian Food at Gate of India

August 10th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
This vindaloo is making me thirsty.

This vindaloo is making me thirsty.

Ok, yes I know I sort of reviewed some Indian food last week from Tara’s, but that was really Himalayan.  So when I went to Gate of India in Hollywood, it was essentially my first time getting some full-on Indian food since moving to LA.

A buddy of mine took me to the place because it was the best Indian he had yet found in LA.  Although he is Jewish, I took his work for it.  Gate of India isn’t exactly what you would imagine for a place in Hollywood.  It’s in a nondescript little row of shops on a street corner.  The interior conveys a sense of a banquet hall more than an ethnic restaurant, but fortunately the prices weren’t so painful, with just about everything on the menu coming in under 10 bucks.

According to my research, somewhere between 20-40% of the population of India are vegetarian.  This would be enough to frighten away many meat eaters from Indian restaurants, but not me.  That means the majority is still of the meat-eating persuasion.  The menu at Gate of India reflected this, because while a majority of the food was meat-laden, there was still a pretty extensive vegetarian section. Continue Reading»

One Comment

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue Reading»

Mmm marbly.

What is this?»

Unvegan Friends