‘michigan’


The Redcoat Tavern is Coming!

September 16th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Wait, this doesn't seem dangerous at all.

Once upon a time, Paul Revere rode through the streets of Boston, warning all patriots by shouting, “The redcoats are coming!”  These redcoats, of course, were the British soldiers and the Americans knew that danger was coming.  But when Redcoat Tavern came to West Bloomfield, Michigan, the people did not sense danger.  No, they embraced it.  That’s because the original Redcoat Tavern in Royal Oak had been serving up some of the most delicious food in metro Detroit for years.  Yet, while I embraced the branching out of Redcoat Tavern, like the Founding Fathers, I also prepared to do battle against its famous burger. Continue Reading»


A True Detroit Experience at Coney Dog

June 20th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

At home on the Sunset Strip.

We Detroiters (or metro-Detroiters in my case) are adamantly defensive and passionate about our Detroit roots.  Ask one of the thousands of Detroit expats what they miss most about their homeland and they will give you answers ranging from the lakes to the sports to awesome summers.  But there is one thing just about all of us can agree upon: we miss coney.  In LA, we are about as far from Detroit as possible in the lower 48 and absence truly makes the heart grow fonder.  Just about every conversation I’ve had with a former Detroiter in the 3-plus years I’ve lived in LA has led to a “wouldn’t it be awesome if we opened a coney restaurant out here?” moment.  Yet, while all these conversations were taking place, a few people were making it happen. Continue Reading»


Deep Dishing at CJ’s Brewing Company

June 10th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The unthinkable.

Many times I have lamented the lack of a microbrewery in LA.  Sure, I’ve heard there’s one in Eagle Rock, but in 3+ years of living in LA I haven’t set foot in Eagle Rock and probably couldn’t point it out on a map.  Plus, that’s one (allegedly good) brewery for a city with a metropolitan area of just under 18 million.  Blech.  But Michigan is another story, with plentiful great microbreweries.  One of these is CJ’s Brewing Company in Commerce.  And while I’ve had some delicious beers there, as with most microbreweries, the food is just as good. Continue Reading»


Eating Old School at The Whitney

June 9th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A historic meal.

While Detroit may be experiencing some of a resurgence (perhaps wishful thinking), it is still a rough city with a small number of little islands of brightness.  One of these islands, which has been afloat since 1890, is The Whitney.  This former residence of David Whitney, Jr. was converted from a mansion to a restaurant in 1986 and has flourished ever since with some of the best food Detroit has to offer.  In Detroit, The Whitney is not exactly an everyday type of restaurant.  The prices are pretty steep for the local standards, but are they worthwhile for the food or simply the price you pay for getting to eat in a Michigan Registered Historical Site? Continue Reading»


Halo Burger: The In-N-Out of Flint

June 8th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A sign of good times.

With two of my parents hailing from the once mighty city of Flint, Michigan, I spent much of my upbringing in Flint and hearing about the mighty Halo Burger.  My step-dad even celebrated his 60th at Halo Burger (although I was out of the country at the time).  Yet, until my return home to Michigan last weekend, I had never once set foot into one of these fabled local fast food joints.  But enter I finally did and was impressed by what I found. Continue Reading»


Alice Cooper: Unvegan Hero

January 4th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

I think he might eat Miss Piggy.

Born in the great state of Michigan, the man called Alice Cooper already had my support.  But on top of that, his music like “School’s Out” and “I’m Eighteen” really hit the spot during certain periods in my life.  Now that I am basking in the meat-filled period of my life, Alice Cooper has done one more thing to earn my support. Continue Reading»


A Taste of Home at Upper Deck

October 27th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

If you hail from the great state of Michigan, you know why I took a picture of this.

A couple weeks ago I headed to Phoenix with the girlfriend for a wedding.  But this wasn’t just any weekend, it happened to be the weekend of the Michigan-Michigan State game.  It’s usually a pretty big game, but with both teams undefeated (at the time), it was a game I couldn’t miss.  Fortunately, said girlfriend found an interesting bar for me to watch it at in Old Town Scottsdale.  It was called Upper Deck Sports Grille and was dedicated to Michigan and Michigan State fans.  You would think Phoenix would be big enough to host ex-Michiganders at more than one bar, but you would be wrong. Continue Reading»


Drying Buffalo at Carson’s

September 22nd, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh no pickle!

After an awesome Michigan Football game, I was a happy and hungry unvegan.  Fortunately I had dinner plans outside of normal Ann Arbor at a restaurant called Carson’s American Bistro.  Although it was still in Ann Arbor, it was far enough from the Big House that it wasn’t hard to get a table.  The name, Carson’s, evoked thoughts of some sort of a cowboy steakhouse, but when I walked in, I found it was anything but.  Also, there is no such thing as a cowboy steakhouse in southeastern Michigan.  It was actually a pretty upscale place with a nice selection of food.  I wasn’t exactly ready for something huge (having partaken in some cheap pizza while leaving the stadium), so I looked to the burgers. Continue Reading»


The Original Coney Dog at Lafayette Coney Island

September 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The Original?

Just 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 Reddit

The Original?

Just 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»


Unvegan Top 20 for 2011

‘Tis the season for “Best of the Year” lists, so I thought I would join the party and put in my top 20 new restaurants from 2011.  By the way, this means the restaurants were new to me, not new to LA.  Please note that I am only including meals in the Los Angeles area.  As much as I loved the food on my travels, you can check any of those places out pretty quickly by clicking here.  So, without further caveat, here’s the best that 2011 had to offer for the unvegan:

20.  Cobras and Matadors

This tapas place in Mid-City is everything tapas should be.  From bacon-wrapped dates to a variety of cheeses, there is really something for anyone looking for a delicious meal.  Just beware, while tapas can be kept to a moderate price, when you throw a big group in with small plates, there are bound to be some people who don’t get their money’s worth.  But keep the group small and Cobras and Matadors will send you home full and happy.

19.  Steingarten

Dishing out delicious sausages, including a few of the exotic variety, Steingarten also offers up a pretty stellar beer selection.  If you’ve ever wanted to eat alligator in sausage form, Steingarten won’t disappoint, but they also serve a wider range of foods, including some pretty delicious burgers.  Their sausage execution, though, could use a bit of improvement, which pushed another sausage joint further up on the list.

Continue Reading»