Reviews

5/3/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

A Swanky Burger at 25 Degrees

Normally, when you hear about a restaurant in a hotel, it is overpriced and pretentious, meant more for business people with an expense account than for the common man. So when I heard that the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel had a delicious restaurant called 25 Degrees, I was a bit skeptical. But then I heard more and more about the place until my buddy over at Burger Conquest told me it was his favorite burger in LA. That was quite a claim for a city filled with the likes of Umami, The Apple Pan and Hole in the Wall, so I took it seriously.

25 Degrees Beef Burgers Hamburgers Hollywood Hotel Roosevelt Los Angeles

4/26/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Steak and Fries at Cayenne (CLOSED)

On Friday night, I was lucky enough to be invited to an all-expenses-paid dinner courtesy of the Chulews. We headed to a place in a strange part of town that isn’t quite West Hollywood and isn’t quite Beverly Hills called Cayenne Cafe. Not to be confused with the pepper or vehicle, Cayenne was a sort of upscale Middle Eastern restaurant with a side of steakhouse. Being Passover, I was a little bit limited by the menu, because I couldn’t get anything with pita. Fortunately, there was that whole steakhouse thing going on and I could take advantage of that.

Cayenne Cafe Los Angeles Meat Mediterranean Middle-Eastern Restaurants Steak

4/22/2011 Reviews Hawthorne

Quesoing at Qdoba (CLOSED)

EDIT: This location is closed, but that’s just Manhattan Beach for you. You can find more Qdobas wherever, man.

On the fringes of the Mexican fast food world lies a restaurant chain called Qdoba, which I’m pretty sure is pronounced queue-doh-ba. Qdoba functions in an assembly-line vein similar to Chipotle and the food itself tastes pretty similar except for one special thing: queso. For those who understand the language Spanish, queso simply means cheese and it would be no surprise to you that cheese is on the menu of a Mexican restaurant. But, for those of you who are well-versed in the language of Qdoba, queso means so much more.

Burritos Chains Hawthorne Los Angeles Mexican Qdoba Restaurants

4/20/2011 Reviews Culver City

A Burger to Drink with at City Tavern

Warning: I did not take this picture sober.

Well, someone finally beat me to the punch. Ever since I moved to the west side of LA, I’ve thought that downtown Culver City has needed a real bar. Kay ‘n Dave’s and Rush Street are good places, but they are first and foremost restaurants. Finally, the guys behind Rush Street have pumped out City Tavern (in the location that formerly housed the Meltdown grilled cheese joint) and I don’t think I could have done it better myself. I arrived a solid 45 minutes before my friends, which gave me a chance to put our name on the list for a table and to sample the beers they were purveying.

Bar Food Bars Beer Burgers City Tavern Culver City Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat

4/19/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

A Sad Rain Forest Cafe (CLOSED)

Occupying the courtyard that formerly contained NoHo Royal Garden is a place called Rain Forest Cafe. While I’m not sure how they were able to get away with using that name, I do know that the rain forest referred to is that of Brazil, so it should definitely not be confused with the more mainstream Rainforest Cafe. Claiming to be a Brazilian Churrascaria, I was certainly interested in what would be offered.

Brazilian Churrascaria Los Angeles Middle-Eastern North Hollywood Rainforest Cafe Restaurants

4/15/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Mmmmm is for M Grill

Thanks to @DanJacobs81 for the guest blog. Follow him today!

Meat is a religion, and M Grill in Koreatown is the reason I’m anti-Semitic against vegetarians.

A friend of mine had an e-mailed discount from Yelp.com, and with this firmly entrenched in his soon-to-smell-like-meat hands, I went with him and another friend to the aforementioned all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrascaria. Authentic Brazilian food in K-Town? This I had to see taste.

BBQ Brazilian Churrascaria Fogo de Chao Koreatown Los Angeles M Grill Meat Restaurants

4/7/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Menuless at Gardens of Taxco

About a year ago, a coworker of mine walked up to my desk, slapped a golden matchbook on it and told me I had to go to this restaurant. The restaurant he spoke of was called Gardens of Taxco in West Hollywood and despite the strange-sounding name, he told me it was amazing. One year later he is no longer a coworker of mine, but a Living Social deal popped up for the place and I took it as a sign from the tax gods that it was time for me to pay the Gardens a visit.

Beef Carne Asada Gardens of Taxco Los Angeles Meat Mexican Mexico City-Style Restaurants West Hollywood

4/5/2011 Reviews Burbank

Vague and Tasty Meats at Pinocchio’s

Long before there was a Disney movie called Pinocchio, there was a classic Italian story featuring that classic wooden toy. Pinocchio’s (no relation) in Burbank is much more about those Italian roots than it is about the Disney story. And although that Disney classic has stood the test of time, there is one thing it certainly cannot do – feed you. That’s where Pinocchio’s comes in.

Burbank Cold Cuts Cured Meats Delis Italian Los Angeles Meat Pinocchio's Restaurants Sandwiches

4/1/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

A Big Time Lunch at Big Time

On the corner of Magnolia and Laurel Canyon in North Hollywood, there is a Taco Bell. Across from that Taco Bell sits Yum Yum Donuts. And just next to that Yum Yum Donuts is a burger joint called Big Time. Although it has the looks of a hole in the wall, Big Time occupies its own piece of real estate and has looked inviting to me ever since I began working in North Hollywood. Some of the best food in the world comes from places like this, so I was excited to find out if Big Time was one such place.

Bacon Beef Big Time Burgers Hamburgers Los Angeles North Hollywood Restaurants

3/30/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Home is Where the Slop is

Over in the land of Silver Lake on LA’s east side, my sister, girlfriend and family friend converged upon a restaurant called Home. The place looked nothing like my home and the menu items barely had some items I’ve ever seen at home, so I assumed the name was derived from some sort of Silver Lake hipster irony. We sat outside on a relatively cold Saturday for LA and I watched as the workers fumbled helplessly to try to keep the heat lamps lit while the women tried desperately to keep warm. It was unintentionally entertaining, to say the least, and I hoped the food would at least be half as good as said entertainment.

Beef Brunch Los Angeles Meat Pancakes Restaurants Sandwiches Silverlake Sloppy Joes

The Unvegan

Featured Reviews

Merging Cultures at Chino Bandido

Back to Asia with Taiwan Food Express

A Big Ass Burger at Roaring Fork

Damn Near Perfection at Tokyo Fried Chicken