The Unvegan

Somehow amongst the chain restaurants in Orlando, Havana’s Cuban Cuisine has managed to carve out a spot to give people a taste of the communist nation just south of Florida. With some great reviews, we had some high expectations for the place and these expectations were almost immediately met when they brought us out some complimentary crisp, savory and oiled up plantains.

When in Diagon Alley, there is really just one place to grab a bite to eat. This is both a very real situation and a fantastical situation in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In the real world, The Leaky Cauldron can be found in Universal Studios, Orlando and it is quite a site to behold. Designed like the interior of some sort of medieval castle, the food is all Potter-themed (resembling British Pub fare) and ranges from theme park expensive to holy crap that was a lot of galleons.

Upon arriving in Orlando we made our way to a neighborhood called Winter Park, far beyond the land of chain restaurants that dominate the parks area. In that neighborhood is an Italian place called Pannullo’s. Like many Italian places, the menu was sizable, including pizzas, pastas and even grill foods like steak and burgers.

When I visited a couple of friends in Ypsilanti, Michigan, they recommend we head to The Wurst Bar, which is a pun-filled name only made better by the fact that this is right next door. There is a massive amount of beer to choose from, but since I was about to embark on a drive to Pittsburgh, I didn’t think any of that was a good idea. Instead, I focused on which brat to order, and this, too, was a large list to choose from.

EDIT: While this location is now closed, FUB can still be found up in Flint.

Once upon a time on Orchard Lake Road between 13 Mile and 12 Mile in Farmington Hills there existed a Burger King. It was a source of joy in my childhood, not just for the food, but for the magician that sometimes appeared for birthdays and such. Yet, at some point that Burger King lost its purpose and was recently replaced with the second rendition of Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers (the first rendition being located in beautiful Flint).

On the way to the Palace of Auburn Hills there wis very little good food to be had. I can usually count on the Moose Preserve, which is at least relatively close. On my last visit, however, a snowstorm ruined any chance we had of taking the time to get to that lovely restaurant. Instead, we ended up at The Lodge in Keego Harbor. It had been at least a decade since my last appearance at The Lodge and pool tables seemed to have been exchanged for regular eating tables, making it easy to find one.

For a long, long time I have heard of the legend of Vincent’s Pizza Park. It’s out in Forest Hills, so not an area that’s easy to get to when you’re in the bubble of Shadyside. Yet, with a little free time available, I made it out with a few guys to get a famed Vinnie Pie. It wasn’t too crowded when we got in, so we took a quick look at the menu, ordered a pitcher of Yuengling and perused the pies.

In need of a quick bite, wandering the streets of East Liberty and craving pizza, Pizza Sola appeared ahead like a shiny beacon of hope. The place is pretty big, but seems to cater more to the pizza-by-the-slice crowd than to the dine-in types. I was somewhat torn, but then when I saw just how big the slices were I felt fine with just grabbing a couple.

Independent Brewing Company opened up in Squirrel Hill earlier this year to little fanfare. Yet, it has been on my list of places to visit for no reason other than that I love independent beer. Then, when I heard they had food to go with that beer I was sold. Then when I saw how little food was actually on the menu I was unsold. But then when I saw the menu would get expanded on Tuesdays I was sold again. It was a real roller coaster ride.