The Unvegan

On the Water at Brophy Bros.

September 22nd, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Very bro-like

Walking into Brophy Bros. in Santa Barbara, based on the name, I expected some sort of frat house with waiters walking around with sweaters tied around their shoulders and referring to everyone as “Bro,” “Brah,” and “Brosef.” Instead, I found a seafood restaurant. Not sure which I would have preferred, as I seem to be finding myself at seafood places quite often lately, and I am not enjoying the pattern. Nonetheless, I rapidly found the most unhealthy dish on the menu, Fish ‘n’ Chips. Continue Reading»

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British, Brophy Bros., Brophy Brothers, California, fish, fish 'n' chips, food, restaurants, Reviews, Santa Barbara, Seafood

Getting Cheesy at Mad Dogs

September 18th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Nothing green here.

After a long day of drinking in Santa Barbara, I stumbled upon a little hole in the wall joint called Mad Dogs. Hot dogs were their specialty, which was perfect for me to soak up the remains of the day.

They had a variety of hot dog choices to please anyone, and I decided to do a little custom thing. I ordered a bacon and cheese dog with a side of cheese fries. Apparently I am not afraid of destroying my arteries in one sitting. Continue Reading»

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Bacon, California, Cheese, food, fries, hot dog, Hot Dogs, mad dogs, meat, restaurants, Reviews, Santa Barbara

The Original Rinaldi’s Italian Deli

March 11th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A sandwich of dreams

Conveniently located on Main Street in sunny downtown El Segundo is The Original Rinaldi’s Italian Deli. From the outside, you see that Rinaldi’s is a no-frills, old school deli.

Inside it’s no different, with plastic chairs and seemingly foldable tables. The menu on the wall has enough unvegan delicacies to delight even the most casual carnivore. Steak, turkey, bacon, sausage and more adorn the various sandwich descriptions, making it hard to decide the appropriate meat for the moment. As soon as I saw the Fatboy, though, I knew it had to be mine. The ingredients were sausage, beef meatballs, pepperoni, marinara sauce and (provolone) cheese. I ordered the 10″ rather than the mildly girlish 6″. Continue Reading»

3 Comments

Delis, El Segundo, food, Italian, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara

When Vegetables Attack: Foraging

March 10th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Touch, but don't eat.

The forest looks like a starving man’s dreamland; a virtual cornucopia of food. Greenery and growth is everywhere. It is so alive, and seemingly so edible. Sure, there are plants in the forest that can be eaten and potentially digested, but the taste alone should be enough to drive anyone away.

Now there is even more cause to fear wild plants: death. According to the AP, a man recently passed away after eating wild (amanita ocreata) mushrooms in Santa Barbara.

While tragic, this just goes to show that vegetables are out to kill. To make matters worse, he had picked the mushrooms so he could eat them with a steak. This certainly ruined what could have been a perfectly good (and safe) meal.

In the wild, as in the real world, vegetables must be considered a dangerous threat. How many more lives do they have to take before we all join together and say “Enough!”?

One Comment

Amanita Ocreata, Danger, foraging, mushrooms, Rants, Santa Barbara

The Hitching Post II

February 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

It's not BBQ, but it sure is a steak.

Hidden away in the city of Buellton in Santa Barbara County is popular little restaurant called The Hitching Post II. This, of course, is the sequel to The Hitching Post I. I don’t know when restaurants started getting sequels, but I hoped this sequel was more along the lines of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze than Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

They claim to have the world’s best BBQ, which I had my doubts about, having eaten BBQ in Kansas City. Nonetheless, I ordered the 10 oz. Prime Top Sirloin Steak, cooked medium, which is from Cornfed Midwestern Beef (does this make the meat eerily similar to corned beef?). The steak came with a choice of rice pilaf, mashed potatoes and french fries. I went with the fries because of of the winos from nearby Los Olivos recommended them. Next was the tricky part, because it also came with a choice of soup, salad and shrimp cocktail (I got to choose two). Continue Reading»

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American, BBQ, food, meat, restaurants, Santa Barbara, Steaks

Rants and Raves

Just Meat, Please

May 19th, 2011

I accept your diet suggestion, thank you.

An article in Popular Science recently posed the all-important question of our time. Namely, “What Would Happen if I Ate Nothing but Meat?” The answer might be surprising to you. For starters, it won’t kill you.

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.