The Unvegan

Subpar-BQ at Barbie’s Q

January 25th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The Q stands for quixotic.

So for my final truck on the Haiti Fundraiser day, I decided to visit an old truck that I still haven’t gotten the chance to try out. This was Barbie’s Q, “A Rollin’ BBQ Joint.” The idea of getting BBQ from a truck has always sounded kind of suspect, but my buddy told me it was pretty good, so I trusted him. I also trusted the looks of the man taking orders outside the truck that looked like he had just walked out of a Willie Nelson concert or a shootout at the OK Corral. Or both. Continue Reading»

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Barbie's Q, BBQ, Beef, food trucks, fundraiser, haiti earthquake, Los Angeles, meat, Mobile, t-lofts, West LA

Further Fusion at Kabob Express

January 25th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Not flashy

Joining the flashy and stylish trucks at the Haiti Fundraiser was an old-fashioned looking truck called Kabob Express. Fusion is a pretty big part of these trucks and Kabob Express has embraced that with their Mexi-Terranean fusion. Mexican and Mediterranean food is kind of a fusion match made in food heaven. Schwarma is awesome and that succulent meat can be thrown in pretty much anything to make it taste better. Kabob Express knew that and took advantage of it by offering schwarma in tacos and burritos. Hoping to save room for more food, I ordered myself a Mexi-Terranean taco. Continue Reading»

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food trucks, fundraiser, haiti earthquake, meat, Mediterranean, mexi-terranean, Mexican, t-lofts, tacos, West LA

Getting Balls with the Vesuvio Truck

January 25th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Oh this is a new one.

So first off, I had never even heard of a food truck called Vesuvio. Aside from raising money, this Haiti fundraiser at T-Lofts was awesome for introducing me to some new trucks like this one. I decided to try this place out first, since my buddy was grabbing some pizza from the Slice truck right next door. The Vesuvio truck offered some Italian-style sandwiches, but I was looking for something less filling so I could eat from more trucks. Luckily, they had a solution, called Arancini. Continue Reading»

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Arancini, food trucks, fundraiser, haiti earthquake, Italian, Los Angeles, Mobile, t-lofts, vesuvio, West LA

Food Trucking for Haiti

January 25th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The Unvegan supports Haiti. With food!

As everyone knows, almost two weeks ago, Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake. Other than donating by text message or contributing in other small ways, a bunch of the food trucks of LA banded together for a huge fundraiser at T-Lofts in West LA. I headed out there with a buddy on Saturday to check them all out and to do our part to help the Haitian cause. Continue Reading»

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Buttermilk Truck, don chow tacos, flying pig truck, fundraiser, grilled cheese truck, haiti earthquake, nom nom truck, south philly experience, t-lofts, West LA

Missing Something at the California Chicken Cafe

December 2nd, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Did something fall out of this box?

As a pleasant surprise, my girlfriend decided to pick me up some dinner from the California Chicken Cafe. They were supposed to have some great rotisserie chicken, so before she picked up, I took a look at the menu to figure out what to order. Since just about everything on the menu began with the word “chicken,” I was pretty happy. I decided to go with the 1/4 chicken (breast and wing) plus one side. Picking out a side was probably the easiest thing I’ve done since graduating elementary school. Of the 12 sides, only two were unvegan-friendly. These were the mashed potatoes and the fresh fruit salad. Feeling in a strongly savory mood, I decided on the mashed potatoes. Continue Reading»

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California Chicken Cafe, Carry-Out, Chicken, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, rotisserie, West LA

A Late-Night Mess at Norm’s Diner

July 17th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Which part of the Mignon is this filet from?

A long night of drinking compelled me to head to Norm’s Diner in West LA. Of course, this decision wasn’t the best I’ve ever made, but my decision of what to eat at Norm’s was a far worse one.

When I walked in the door, their specialty of the night/morning was on display and even a long look at their long menu couldn’t take my mind off of it. The special was a Filet Mignon, with eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Yes, pancakes. Whoever thought of this one was clearly on something that made him happy and delirious. Best of all, it was a whopping 10 bucks. Continue Reading»

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Breakfast, diners, eggs, food, Late-Night, Los Angeles, meat, norm's, pancakes, restaurants, Steaks, West Coast Chains, West LA

Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku

July 14th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A beautiful display of meats.

In my never-ending quest for the perfect happy hour in LA, I wound up at Gyu-Kaku in West LA for Japanese BBQ. With five minutes left in their Happy Hour, we arrived and were told there was a ten minute wait. Discouraged, we still decided to make the best of it and took our seats after the wait. Our zealous waiter checked his watch as he arrived at the table and disappointedly reminded us that we had just missed happy hour. We told him that we knew, but we had tried to arrive on time and had to wait. Quickly thinking, he told us he was actually a manager and he would give us happy hour prices for our first round of ordering. Score! Continue Reading»

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Asian, BBQ, Beer, Cooking, food, happy hour, Japanese, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, Reviews, sukiyaki, West LA, yakiniku

The Road Less Traveled at Teddy’s Cafe

June 12th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

That's some sneaky little lettuce under there...

On my way to Taco Bell one night, I saw a beacon of flourescence with the name “Teddy’s Cafe” on it. In a bold move, I decided I had to try the place out. On the outside it doesn’t look like much, and the inside is equally plain. Although it was around 9:00 on a Sunday night, the place was totally empty except for me and my eating companions.

A look at the menu showed a wide variety of products, all for an incredibly cheap price. Hoping to have an experience like I did at Mandy’s and possibly attempting to relive Thanksgiving, I ordered the Hot Turkey Sandwich, which came with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Continue Reading»

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Cafes, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, Reviews, Sandwiches, turkey, West LA

A Very Happy Hour at Islands

May 21st, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

People just seem to think carrots and celery belong with wings...

The never-ending search for a great happy hour in LA led me to Islands, a burger chain out in the west that reminds me a bit of Applebees with an island theme (what island that is, I cannot tell).

For their happy hour, they offer a great discount on drinks, as well as half-priced apps. They had some good-looking unvegan apps like Tiki (Chicken) Tenders and Cheddar Fries, but when places offer half apps, there’s really only one food I have in mind: Buffalo Wings!

With the knowledge that the wings came with carrots and celery, I made a great personal sacrifice and allowed the dish to come with them so my girlfriend could eat them. I know that makes me look soft, but at least I had spicy wings and beer. Continue Reading»

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American, Bar Food, happy hour, Los Angeles, meat, restaurants, West Coast Chains, West LA

Attacked by Lettuce at Don Antonio’s

May 18th, 2009 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

There is an overwhelming amount of green on that plate.

By recommendation, I went to Don Antonio’s in West LA for some nicer Mexican food. Of the possible unvegan burritos, I decided on the Chimichanga, which was simply beans cheese and my choice of meat. I went with beef. To make sure there wouldn’t be any vegetables inside, I asked the waiter, who told me there weren’t, but that there was guacamole and sour cream on the side. While waiting, I snacked on their chips and salsa, which were really good and boded well for my forthcoming meal.

When my food came, he was right and there weren’t any vegetables in my chimichanga, instead, I was dealt something almost as bad. It arrived on a bed of lettuce, which not only intermingled with my guacamole, but also stuck to the crusty shell of my chimichanga. Continue Reading»

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Fast Food, food, Los Angeles, meat, Mexican, West LA

Rants and Raves

Terrorists Hate Meat

January 21st, 2010

No don't harm the hot dogs!

In the aftermath of the botched terrorist attempt over Christmas, airports have beefed up security. This has made flying more inconvenient, which is fine because I would rather be inconvenienced and be safe than move fast through the lines and feel like I am in danger. When it comes to eating meat, though, this is more than just an inconvenience.

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.

‘West LA’

Subpar-BQ at Barbie’s Q

Further Fusion at Kabob Express

Getting Balls with the Vesuvio Truck

Food Trucking for Haiti

Missing Something at the California Chicken Cafe

A Late-Night Mess at Norm’s Diner

Happy Hour Meats at Gyu-Kaku

The Road Less Traveled at Teddy’s Cafe

A Very Happy Hour at Islands

Attacked by Lettuce at Don Antonio’s

Rants and Raves

Terrorists Hate Meat

Going Global at Plan Check

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Unvegan Friends