The Unvegan

B is for Blessed

April 26th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Everything that isn't fluorescent in this picture is a winner.

Jury duty, while one of the fundamental principles of the American judicial system, is a pain. You have to miss work, you have to sit around for hours or even days and all you have to show for it at the end of the day is 15 bucks. Yet, in my case I took my jury duty as an opportunity. More specifically, a food opportunity. As opposed to most LA jury duty, which is in downtown LA, mine took my to Inglewood. Although I spent a lot of time in El Segundo in my previous life, it is amazing how different that was from Inglewood. Continue Reading»

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Chicken, Hollywood Park, Inglewood, Jamaican, Los Angeles, restaurants

Burger Aid at Salt’s Cure

April 24th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Why are there pickles on this plate?

My continued quest for amazing burgers took me to a place called Salt’s Cure in West Hollywood. At this particular intersection, only one of the corners lacks burgers, as the other two are populated by Fatburger and Astro Burger. And while Salt’s Cure isn’t strictly a burger place, a quick look at the high priced menu on the wall when I walked in all but guaranteed I would be eating their burger. Continue Reading»

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Bacon, Burgers, Cheese, hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat, pork, restaurants, Salt's Cure, west hollywood

Weighing in at Libra

April 23rd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Dem bones, dem bones.

I have a confession and this may come as a surprise to all of you: I love Brazilian BBQ. Yes, I know it’s shocking that a menagerie of meat such as Brazilian BBQ could be one of my loves, but it’s true. Unfortunately, this isn’t an easy love. Firstly, it ain’t cheap like Korean BBQ, which is equally meaty. Secondly, I can’t go without eating an insane amount of food. Sorry, it’s just how I work at such things, which means my body usually needs a fair amount of recovery time before going back. But, when I saw a sweet Travelzoo deal for Libra in Culver City, at least my first problem with Brazilian BBQ was taken care of. Continue Reading»

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BBQ, Brazilian, Buffets, Churrascaria, Culver City, Libra, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, steak

Letting it Rip at Fab Hot Dogs

April 19th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Fablurry

Over in New Jersey, they like to deep fry their hot dogs. When I found out about this I first thanked the heavens that the state has contributed something to the world besides Jersey Shore. Then I bided my time until I could make the journey out to Reseda to try one of these deep fried “rippers.” You see, Reseda is home to Fab Hot Dogs, where they ship their rippers straight from New Jersey. These rippers are specially made for deep frying and no normal dog will suffice. Of course, Fab Hot Dogs serves tube steaks from other regions of the country (conspicuously missing Detroit Coney Dogs), but on my first time I needed a ripper. Continue Reading»

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Fab Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs, Los Angeles, meat, New Jersey, pastrami, Reseda, restaurants, Rippers

Mozzarella Time at Obika

April 9th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Lotsa mozza!

While the Century City food court is always a winner, there is another restaurant within that mall that has been intriguing me for a while. It’s called Obika and calls itself a mozzarella bar. While I love me some mozzarella, I think I’ve stayed away simply because I didn’t think mozzarella alone was cheese enough to sustain a bar. But now that Obika has been around for a while, it has proven its staying power and I knew it was worth checking out. Continue Reading»

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Century City, Cheese, Italian, Los Angeles, mac and cheese, meat, Mozzarella Bar, Obika, prosciutto, restaurants

A Grand Grilled Cheese at Grand Lux

April 5th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Mmm, grilled meat sandwich.

Sometimes you are so hungry you’ll eat anywhere. Well not just anywhere, but the place closest to you that seems to have good food. Such was the case when I found myself eating at the Grand Lux Cafe in Beverly Hills. This is not meant to knock the place, but simply to say that this place has never been on my to-eat list and I probably never would have sought it out. To tell you the truth, the name simply sounded like an overpriced fancy restaurant and not what it truly is – a Cheesecake Factory with a different name. Continue Reading»

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Beverly Hills, Chains, Grand Lux Cafe, grilled cheese, Los Angeles, restaurants, Sandwiches, short ribs, the cheesecake factory

Kid Stuff at Hostaria del Piccolo

April 3rd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

You take a hot dog, put it on a pizza...

Being a kid was pretty cool. No responsibilities. No money. No rent/mortgage/car payment. And you got kids menus. You know that awesome set of options that were simply meant as a cheaper alternative to the regular menu, but turned out to have the best stuff on it anyway. Things like grilled cheese, chicken fingers and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were mainstays always a hit. Yet growing up can be tough, and not just because of those silly responsibilities, but also because you can’t quite get away with order PB and J at age 27. Fortunately, all is not lost. Burgers have taken a gourmet turn. Hot dogs are still popular for people of all ages. And then there is a little restaurant in Santa Monica called Hostaria del Piccolo. Continue Reading»

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Hostaria del Piccolo, Hot Dogs, Italian, Los Angeles, Pizza, restaurants, Santa Monica

Pickled by The Greasy Wiener

April 2nd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Hot dogs lurk in this Brisk truck.

On the way to basketball one night, I stumbled upon what appeared to be a food truck festival in a high school parking lot. I am nothing if not a man who takes advantage of such opportunities, so I pulled up and saw what they had to offer. A few of the trucks I had seen and eaten before, but some were new to me. One of these, freakishly painted as a Brisk iced tea ad, had just what I was looking for. Called The Greasy Wiener, this trucked dished out…well…hot dogs, with a side of sexual innuendo. Continue Reading»

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Bacon, Chili, food trucks, Hot Dogs, lake balboa, Los Angeles, Mobile

800 Degrees of Separation

March 27th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Not quite bianca anymore.

As the Umami Empire continued to grow, to me it seemed only inevitable that it would eventually take on pizza. Enter 800 Degrees in Westwood, a Neapolitan style pizza place where customized pizza is king. They offer specialty pizzas, but the key to the place in my mind was to order a basic pizza (between 5.15 and 6.45) and load on the toppings for $1 each. This was the route I took. Continue Reading»

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800 Degrees, Italian, Los Angeles, Pizza, restaurants, umami burger, westwood

Eating the Old West at Tinhorn Flats

March 26th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

But really, it's not gimmicky.

There’s something about a gimmick that alienates people. You go to Hooters and while they have good wings, a small part of you feels dirty because it was a gimmick that brought you in in the first place. Many times I drove by Tinhorn Flats in Burbank and wrote it off because it looked like an Old Western saloon, which to me screams out gimmick. Little did I know that Tinhorn had been around since 1939, which makes it one of the oldest things in LA. If it was simply a gimmick, it never would have lasted these 70+ years. So when my coworker encouraged me to check it out, I roped in the troops at work to head east on Magnolia – straight for the Old West. Continue Reading»

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Bacon, Bar Food, Bars, Burbank, Burgers, hamburgers, Los Angeles, meat

Rants and Raves

Man-Made Meat

December 2nd, 2009

I think it went something like this...

This has been a big week in the world of meat-eating. Scientists in Holland or the Netherlands or whatever you call it have grown the first piece of in-vitro meat. In layman’s terms, they grew meat in a lab without killing any animals.

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.

‘Los Angeles’

B is for Blessed

Burger Aid at Salt’s Cure

Weighing in at Libra

Letting it Rip at Fab Hot Dogs

Mozzarella Time at Obika

A Grand Grilled Cheese at Grand Lux

Kid Stuff at Hostaria del Piccolo

Pickled by The Greasy Wiener

800 Degrees of Separation

Eating the Old West at Tinhorn Flats

Rants and Raves

Man-Made Meat

Going Global at Plan Check

What is this?»

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