‘Travel’

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No True Food of Mine

February 26th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

False Food!

Friends, Romans, unvegans…what is true food to you? Is it gluten-free? Is it meaty? Is it kale? The answer is likely all of the above, because true food is what you make of it. Yet, a growing restaurant chain is trying to change all that. Calling itself True Food, it already has an air of pretension about itself. True Food tries to follow Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet, which actually isn’t as bad as it sounds. Yes, it mistakenly loads a ton of vegetables into foods, but at least the menu at True Food had some remotely meaty options, even a Bison Burger. Continue Reading»

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British Fusion at The Rose and Crown

February 24th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Britine?

Situated right across the walking street from Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix, one has to wonder how many patrons of The Rose and Crown are people who tired of waiting for Pizzeria Bianco and decided to eat at the next closest place. We ended up in a similar situation, in which a reservation miscommunication led to us without ample room at the pizzeria. So off we went to The Rose and Crown for some British Pub food. A quick look at the menu revealed that this was no ordinary British Pub and it actually had some unique-looking options. Continue Reading»

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Tonto and the Lone Burger

February 13th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

What's that you say, Kemo Sabe?

One benefit of getting married is the tastings. Not so much tasting food that the guests will eat, but traveling back and forth between Arizona and LA to plan things, and knowing there will be food in need of eating. On my most recent foray into the Grand Canyon state, we went out to dinner at a place called Tonto Bar & Grill in Cave Creek. Tonto is quite the popular place, with an outdoor patio looking out onto a golf course and an old Western eclectic interior. The menu ranges from some fancy salads to super fancy steaks, but somewhere in the middle there is burgers. And having gone at least a couple days without crushing a burger, I felt it was time. Continue Reading»

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A Scenic Dinner at Tilted Kilt

February 10th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Dipping at the Kilt.

Somewhere along the way, someone figured out that sex sells.  I don’t know when this time came, but I’m pretty sure everyone in the room looked at each other and nodded in agreement without a word.  In the ’80s, Hooters took that genius concept to the restaurant industry and became a household name.  And while Hooters is still going strong, the look has become a bit dated.  Enter Tilted Kilt, which has taken the Hooters concept, splashed it with Scotch and trimmed the uniforms significantly so that even flat girls have cleavage and they all show some midriff.  In other words, the girls at Hooters almost look like nuns in comparison.  Yet, while Hooters is gimmicky, they still have pretty tasty wings.  Would Tilted Kilt have good fare to offer with their good looks? Continue Reading»

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Winter Grilling at Coppertop

February 9th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Just like out back.

In dire need of lunch at the base of Breckenridge, I skied on over to Coppertop Bar & Grill to meet up with the fiancee while she was on a little break from ski school.  Realistically, very little is expected of ski mountain food.  The restaurants have a captive audience, jack up the prices and provide more warming and high energy foods than truly good food.  So when I moseyed on over to the food area at Coppertop, my expectations were quite low.  But wait…did I just see a dude walk by with curly fries covered in cheese sauce? Scratch that, my expectations hit the roof. Continue Reading»

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Dehydrated Deep Dish at Giampietro

February 7th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Sicilians (if they are real) are not happy about this.

For those of you unfamiliar with places of high altitude, allow me to explain the results of finding yourself far above sea level. The first thing you’ll notice is a shortness of breath, when a short walk up the stairs leaves you breathless. Next, you’ll find yourself in a constant quest for water, as the altitude saps the water from your body and leaves you dehydrated.  Such is the case in Breckenridge, Colorado, sitting at 9600 feet above sea level.  While I had previously thought such altitude issues only applied to humans, a pizza from Giampietro taught me this was just not the case. Continue Reading»

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An Engaging Dinner at Michael’s

February 3rd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

I did it for the ziti!

Well, you must have known the day was gonna come eventually.  You know, the one where that lady I often refer to as “the girlfriend” in my reviews becomes “the fiancee.”  Yes, I’m sorry for not consulting you wonderful readers of mine ahead of time, but it was something that had to be done.  So, while in Breckenridge, Colorado for a bit of a ski trip with the family, my parents decided to take everyone out to dinner to celebrate the engagement.  We picked out a mid-range Italian place called Michael’s, thinking it would be a great place to make everyone happy. Continue Reading»

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Old Western Eating at Front Street

January 13th, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Like all those Old West burger places you hear about.

Temecula is a strange part of California.  Somewhere between LA, San Diego and Palm Springs, it’s essentially the middle of nowhere.  Except it’s not.  It’s wine country, it’s gated communities and it is the Old West.  Nowhere is the latter felt more than Old Town Temecula, which is a blend of truly old buildings and new buildings made to look like cowboys once had shootouts inside.  Front Street Bar & Grill sits in Old Town, but doesn’t try to look like a cowboy outpost.  Instead, it has the looks of colonial mansion, with a great outdoor patio. Continue Reading»

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An Explosion of Flavor at C4

January 2nd, 2012 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh Arizona.

Remember playing Cowboys and Indians as a kid?  Thankfully, there is a place in the world where that fantasyland still exists.  It’s called Arizona, and while not everyone runs around with a gun or bow and arrow, there are places you could picture saddling up a horse just as easily as stopping by in a hybrid.  One such place is the Cave Creek Coffee Company, affectionately known as C4 by locals.  The facade is reminiscent of Tombstone, but the interior is pure class (not that Tombstone was lacking in class…). Continue Reading»

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Giordano’s, for Real This Time

December 21st, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Thanks for the memories.

A long, long time ago, I was a fledgling meat blogger just getting his bearings.  In a desperate attempt to eat Giordano’s and get it on the blog, I bought a half-baked pie in Chicago, packed it in ice and brought it back to LA to finish the baking myself.  The result was delicious, and while I reviewed it, I always felt that it was unfair to judge a restaurant in which much of the cooking was up to me.  Since those, very little has changed, but my desire for Giordano’s has only grown stronger.  So on my last visit to Chicago, I made sure to hit Giordano’s for real, or to at least have some of my family pick it up for me in Evanston. Continue Reading»

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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.

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It doesn't taste like wool.

What is this?»

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