The Unvegan

Street Food Spotlight: Xi’an Skewer Sandwich

November 15th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Just try to name those meats.

After Shanghai, we headed to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors. We landed at night and although it was pretty late, I was a hungry unvegan. I remembered Xi’an having some great late-night street food, but after four years so much had changed in China and I hoped this was not one of them. I took a quick stroll just south of the Bell Tower and found just what I was looking for. While Shanghai had some good street skewer food (none of which I actually had on this trip), it was nothing compared to what could be found in Xi’an. Continue Reading»

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China, Chinese, Late-Night, meat, Sandwiches, skewers, street food, Travel, xi'an

Tasting the Other Side at Artichoke

April 1st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh no green.

On stop two of our late-night food binge (after Pommes Frites), we headed to a little pizza shop called Artichoke. Here they specialized in, wait for it, artichoke pizza. Apparently therseI felt uncomfortable just being there, but I was told that this was some of the best pizza in New York. That it quite a claim, and after a stern talking-to, I was convinced to try some of the artichoke pizza, even against my better unvegan instincts. Continue Reading»

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Artichoke, Italian, Late-Night, manhattan, new york, Pizza, restaurants, Travel

Almost Canadian at Pommes Frites

March 30th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oooh curds.

After a few drinks, our tour guide (aka the girlfriend’s bro) took us to a little hole in the wall called Pommes Frites. Here, they specialized in cones of Belgian fries served with some crazy sauces like Pomegranate Teriyaki Mayo, Irish Curry and more. These seemed all good and well, but I saw something on the menu that tickled my fancy even more: Poutine.

For the uninitiated and un-Canadian, poutine (pronounced pooh-teen) is a gloriously unvegan treat consisting of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. This combination creates something spectacular, yet rarely found south of the Great White North. It had been a long time since I was in Canada and I was with a couple poutine virgins, so we ordered a large one to split for six bucks. Continue Reading»

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Canada, fries, Late-Night, manhattan, new york, pommes frites, poutine, restaurants, Travel

The Unvegan Goes to White Castle

December 14th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Much easier to find than previously thought.

In an area saturated with delicious sliders like Greene’s Hamburgers, I never felt any need to visit White Castle in Michigan. Yet, somehow, on my last visit to my homeland I was convinced to take a drive out to Grand River and 8 Mile Road (yeah the same one that Eminem is from) in Farmington Hills to pay a visit to White Castle. The adventure getting there wasn’t worthy of creating an entire film, but still felt like a hike. Continue Reading»

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8 Mile, Burgers, Chains, farmington hills, greene's hamburgers, hamburgers, Late-Night, meat, michigan, sliders, white castle

A Late-Night Feast at Johnnie’s Pastrami

November 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Unvegan paradise.

Every once in a while, it’s good that the Taco Bell nearest to me isn’t 24-hours. If it weren’t for that, I never would have gone to Johnnie’s Pastrami and found one of the greatest sandwiches in the world. Located in Culver City, Johnnie’s is open 24 hours and ready to serve a hungry clientele.

I entered with a group of five and we squeezed into a four-person booth. The not-exactly friendly waitress handed us our menus, but I already knew I would be getting the French Dip Pastrami that is featured in Johnnie’s neon sign. I really only looked at the menu to see the price, which was a surprising $10.50 for the sandwich. I guess breaking out of the Taco Bell comfort zone also risks spending more money. I asked the waitress if the sandwich was just the meat and bread, and she said yes. Not even onions. Perhaps I had died and gone to heaven. Continue Reading»

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Au Jus, Culver City, french dip, johnnie's pastrami, Late-Night, meat, pastrami, restaurants, Sandwiches

More Food Trucking with Don Chow Tacos

October 30th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Not quite as shiny as the other trucks...

Although the Grilled Cheese Truck is the newest member of LA’s fleet of food trucks, Don Chow has already been roaming the streets in search of hungry night life for months.

The truck isn’t nearly as shiny as Kogi or Nom Nom, but I’ve never felt the need to be served from a shiny establishment. In fact, when I did catch up with the Don Chow truck in Venice, the cheap sign had fallen off and it looked like any other generic taco truck. Good thing my girlfriend noticed a small sign on the front of the truck ensuring us it was Don Chow. Continue Reading»

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Burritos, don chow tacos, food trucks, kung pao chicken, Late-Night, Los Angeles, meat, Mobile, taco trucks, Venice

A Late-Night Mess at Norm’s Diner

July 17th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Which part of the Mignon is this filet from?

A long night of drinking compelled me to head to Norm’s Diner in West LA. Of course, this decision wasn’t the best I’ve ever made, but my decision of what to eat at Norm’s was a far worse one.

When I walked in the door, their specialty of the night/morning was on display and even a long look at their long menu couldn’t take my mind off of it. The special was a Filet Mignon, with eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Yes, pancakes. Whoever thought of this one was clearly on something that made him happy and delirious. Best of all, it was a whopping 10 bucks. Continue Reading»

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Breakfast, diners, eggs, food, Late-Night, Los Angeles, meat, norm's, pancakes, restaurants, Steaks, West Coast Chains, West LA

Sliders Done Right at Greene’s Hamburgers

June 2nd, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Those are what I call sliders.

The Metro Detroit area seems to have been blessed with a number of great slider joints. Although Hunter House in Birmingham seems to get the most public acclaim, Greene’s Hamburgers in Farmington is no less worthy, if only for the fact that they are open 24 hours a day.

Greene’s resides in a little unassuming porcelain tile-covered building with the words Greene’s Hamburgers written in a basic black font, with the emphasis on Hamburgers. Inside, the place smells like burger heaven, with no large number of stools placed around the counter and against the windows. The menu barely contains more than hamburgers and fries, but there’s really no need to look beyond those items, because they are the real reason people come to Greene’s. Continue Reading»

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Burgers, detroit, farmington hills, food, fries, greene's, hamburgers, Late-Night, meat, michigan, restaurants, sliders, vegan, vegetarian

The Authentic Experience at the Original Tommy’s

May 7th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

What part of this could be unhealthy?

When I first moved to LA, a friend of mine told me a story about Tommy’s Burgers. Apparently the success of the original Tommy’s spawned a multitude of strange chili cheeseburger places with various spellings of the word Tom or Tommy. In all this confusion, I didn’t know where to find the place that started it all, until my friend enlightened me to the location of an Original Tommy’s in Santa Monica. Now, even though it is called Original Tommy’s, the true Original Tommy’s is on LA’s east side. Confused? I was too. At least until I got to Tommy’s.

Once I got there, everything became clear to me. Having just finished a game of tennis, I found the way to reproduce all the calories I had incidentally burned, the Mega Combo. This combo featured a triple chili cheese burger and chili cheese fries, with a drink bigger than my office’s water cooler. This Mega Combo is not just a meal, it’s a gamble that you’ll survive eating it long enough to look back on it with pride, like storming the beaches of Normandy. I had to make it mine. Continue Reading»

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American, Burgers, Fast Food, Late-Night, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, Santa Monica, West Coast Chains

Free Eats at Jack in the Box

March 20th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Hard to go wrong with free fries...

While not one of my preferred restaurants, Jack in the Box recently had a promotion for free medium curly fries, so I took a ride down Sepulveda to take advantage.

Knowing the fries wouldn’t be enough, I got myself a few extra items from the menu. The first choice ws two tacos for 99 cents. The value in this is unbelievable, even though I had to get them without lettuce. The meat is certainly not of the highest quality and they use melted American cheese, but still, 99 cents.

On top of that, I got the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. Another great value. Trying to mix up the meats, I added a chicken sandwich to the load, completing my multi-ethnic, multi-meat meal. The chicken sandwich usually comes with lettuce, so I had to make a special arrangement to get it without. Continue Reading»

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Burgers, Fast Food, Franchises, Late-Night, meat, restaurants, West Coast Chains

Rants and Raves

Living Dangerously

October 12th, 2009

Apparently Russian roulette isn’t the only way to live dangerously. In fact, eating that side salad that came with your meal is like playing Russian roulette with your stomach. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, leafy greens are the most dangerous food you can eat. This has been determined by how often they cause outbreaks, which apparently is a lot. And the greens aren’t alone. They are joined by vegetable cohorts like tomatoes and sprouts in the top ten list.

Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

The taste of skiing?

Colorado is definitely a beer state, and not just because Coors comes from the Rocky Mountain State. No, it is also home to New Belgium (of Fat Tire fame) and seemingly countless other micro and craft breweries. While in Breckenridge for a ski weekend, I decided I had to at least try one of these, and because it turned out to be the only one available at dinner, my choice happened to come from the creatively named Breckenridge Brewery. The brewery, by the way, is actually no longer in Breckenridge, having expanded and moved to Denver in 1992.

‘Late-Night’

Street Food Spotlight: Xi’an Skewer Sandwich

Tasting the Other Side at Artichoke

Almost Canadian at Pommes Frites

The Unvegan Goes to White Castle

A Late-Night Feast at Johnnie’s Pastrami

More Food Trucking with Don Chow Tacos

A Late-Night Mess at Norm’s Diner

Sliders Done Right at Greene’s Hamburgers

The Authentic Experience at the Original Tommy’s

Free Eats at Jack in the Box

Rants and Raves

Living Dangerously

Beer Me Some Breckenridge Agave Wheat

What is this?»

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