‘schwarma’


Rocking Falafel at Falafel Arax

March 20th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Strip mall eating!

As an unvegan, I usually shy away from falafel. It’s not veggie-based, but it’s also not meat and I would typically rather fill my stomach with schwarma when I have the opportunity. Yet, in heading out to Falafel Arax, I had heard they had the best falafel in the land of Los Angeles and I knew I would end up getting some. The place resides in a little corner strip mall in a strange part of town east of Hollywood that I usually wouldn’t find myself in, but the temptation of having amazing Lebanese falafel was enough to get me there. Oh, and before I go any further, I should mention they are cash only. With that said, let’s get on to the food. Continue Reading»


A Late Night with Kosher Grill on Wheels

December 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Does this look Kosher to you?

On my way home from the bar one night, I was unsurprisingly jonesing for some grub.  The trouble was that I was driving through the area of Pico and Robertson, which isn’t exactly known to be a late-night food hub.  But just when I thought my snack options were going to be limited to whatever leftovers I could find in my fridge, I saw a shiny beacon of hope that seemed to be a food truck.  When I pulled over to explore, I found that although not exactly a truck, I had stumbled upon some sort of mobile food purveyor.  It was called Kosher Grill on Wheels and a schwarma sounded like heaven to me (and with any luck, eating Kosher would bring me one step closer to that heaven). Continue Reading»


Going Mediterranean at Mezza

June 10th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Who thought onions were a good idea?

Since my buddy wanted to eat something healthy (foolish, I know), we thought we would try out some Mediterranean food nearby.  Since I’ve already hit up a few of the local places, we looked to Yelp to find something new and discovered a place called Mezza Grill in Culver City.  We sat down inside and were greeted by a mildly friendly waitress with bells hanging by her waist that must have some Mediterranean significance.  But considering she was blond and likely of some sort of Germanic or Scandinavian descent, the bell thingies came off as somewhat gimmicky.  Oh well, gimmick or not, I was ready to eat. Continue Reading»


Not Quite the Best of Mediterranean

November 18th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Get that green stuff out of here.

Get that green stuff out of here.

It was a night for delivery and looking through LAbite, we found a good-looking Mediterranean place to order from it was called Best of Mediterranean (BOM), which is quite a boast to be put in a name, even for a place in West Hollywood.  Obviously a place by that name had to be checked out.  I was too hungry for a schwarma sandwich, so I ordered the chicken schwarma dinner plate.  This came with hummos, tabouli, rice and garlic sauce.  Knowing that tabouli is some strange mix of greens, I tried to order without it, but the website wouldn’t allow me.  This was a big fail on the part of both LAbite and BOM, because many other restaurants allow you to customize dishes.  Unfortunately, I knew that vegetables would be dying for my sake that night and wouldn’t even have the pleasure of being digested. Continue Reading»


The Ultimate Shawarma at Sunnin Cafe

September 9th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit
Fit for a king.  Or sheik.  Or whatever.

Fit for a king. Or sheik. Or whatever.

In the quest to finally find some good schwarma in LA, I made my way to a little Lebanese place called Sunnin Cafe.  I have fond memories of delicious Lebanese food back in Michigan, so I hoped that this place would be at least a little awesome.  Getting there was a little confusing, though, as it appeared as though there were two Sunnins, right across the street from each other.  On further inspection, it looked like the larger of the two is unopened and the small place will be moving in there soon.

The inside of the little cafe gave the appearance of a generic diner.  There were seats

Mmm spinning meat.

Mmm spinning meat.

at a counter and no more than ten small tables.  The big difference, though, was the strong smell of the Middle East and the rotating spool of meat where a deep-fryer might typically belong.  I also loved that they made no effort to hide the fact that the cooks were Hispanic.  It’s a pretty widely known fact that kitchens of ethnic restaurants all over LA are filled with Hispanics, despite the fact that waiters and such fit into the ethnicity.  It was refreshing to see that Sunnin didn’t hide that aspect of their business.

We ordered some “hommos” (love the spelling) to start things off.  Continue Reading»


UNVEGAN FANS: HELP STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT DELICIOUS FOOD!

Future Foodies!

HYPE is a non-profit organization that works directly with low-income middle schoolers and their teachers to provide students with the guidance and resources needed to qualify for admission and succeed at top private schools in the Los Angeles area. We provide our students with engaging and unfamiliar experiences to broaden their horizons. A large part of building this cultural capital is by having our students try a wide variety of new foods. This pushes our students outside of their comfort zones and encourages them to take risks in a fun (and tasty!) way. Last summer, our students tried Ethiopian food, sushi, Korean BBQ, deli, and schwarma, just to provide some examples.

We want your help, Unvegan fans, to increase our students’ knowledge about the world around them by enhancing their culinary experiences. We greatly appreciate your support to provide a meal to our group of 15. With your donation, you will be opening delicious doors for an amazing group of students! Please click on the link below to contribute to your favorite cuisine to a great group of kids!

Ethiopian Food
Sushi
Korean BBQ
Deli
Schwarma
Seafood
Indian Food