The Unvegan

Before departing the land of Los Angeles, I had a couple of restaurants to knock off of my to-eat list mixed in with the number of restaurants I had to eat because I knew I would miss them. One from the former category was Night + Market, a Thai restaurant that wasn’t just your ordinary Thai restaurant. With an air of authenticity, I heard Night + Market boasts some spicy food, and while that wouldn’t be in the cards due to some mild white people I was with, I was still eager to see the flavors they had to offer.

A long, long time ago, some friend of mine told me of Cole’s (click this link only if you want to see how awesomely bad my writing was in 2008). At the time, they were having a 100th anniversary/reopening party and dishing out French Dips for 100 cents. They also claimed to be the “originator of the French Dip,” which is no small claim. Shortly after, however, I learned that this claim might not be true. As is often the case with something wildly successful, more than one entity claims to be first (ever see The Social Network?). It seemed that Philippe the Original felt they were the…achem…original and I was inclined to decide for myself.

Down in San Diego for a drinking and baseball excursion, I somehow found myself at a place called Jalapenos in Carmel Mountain looking to fill my stomach with something non-alcoholic. My buddy had told me that the California Burrito was the way to go here and went on to explain that said burrito had fries…inside. A powerful anti-aging face treatment. Formulated with liposome RNA. A powerful cell bio-activator. Provides restorative effect to damaged cells. Valmont Prime Renewing Pack Contains anti-wrinkle peptides and ginseng extract to stimulate microcirculation. Visibly minimizes the appearance of wrinkles. Fine lines and pores. Absorbs impurities and relaxes facial features. Unveils a softer. Smoother. Brighter. Even-Toned and younger looking complexion. Yeah, I know, pretty awesome and I was ready to commit as soon as I learned what else filled the thing.

While in Boston (Brookline to be exact) for a vegetarian wedding or something like that, I found myself at Coolidge Corner Clubhouse in greater need of meat than usual. Fortunately, this sports bar was more than willing to help me with my needs. Having eaten an absurd burger the night before at The Standing Room, my meat needs this time moved more toward the chicken side of the menu.

Down in Redondo Beach is one of those corner liquor stores. You know, the type that sells mostly overpriced snack food, but a couple beer brands cheaper than average for when you’re desperate. What makes this liquor store different from all the others, however, is the addition of a kitchen in the back carrying the name of The Standing Room. With a more diverse menu than you could ever imagine from such a place, they happen to be best-known for their burgers.

Anyone who lives in LA knows that Chinatown isn’t really Chinatown. Sure, there are many Chinese people to be found there, but the most authentic Chinese experience is further east in the San Gabriel Valley. Yet, the Torrance and Gardena area is often overlooked when it comes to Asian food, despite the fact that it sports the Toyota and Honda headquarters. And I don’t just mean Japanese food, it also has its fair share of Chinese. One of these is Sea Empress (you must check out their amazing website from 1966), which is all about dim sum.

If you’re a longtime reader, you may recall a post from a few years ago highlighting the illustrious Chinese street food called Chou Doufu. Literally translating to “stinky tofu,” this dish can be smelled from blocks away and the smell is the antithesis of fragrant. For a long time, I thought this dish was relegated to Asia, until I read about a place in Gardena called Yami Teahouse that claimed to have that stinky bean curd. To my delight, it wasn’t far from my office and I might my way there to perk up my olfactory memory.

Back in January, some family friends were in town and encountered a burger truck called Rounds Burgers. To say they wouldn’t shut up about it would be an understatement, as when I saw them again in June those burgers were still the only thing they wanted to talk about. So, being the good unvegan burger connoisseur I am, I knew I had to check out Rounds before writing up my (almost) definitive list of LA’s top burgers.

Down in the South, there’s a bit of a buffalo wing chain creatively named Buffalo’s Cafe. Due to their popularity and desire to spread their figurative wings, they partnered up with a Fatburger in West LA to create a little something called Buffalo’s Cafe Express. The place is still completely Fatburger, with the addition of a bunch of wings options and total lack of ability to combine the two as a wing/burger combo. That bummer aside, I figured the South would know a thing or two about wings and eagerly ordered a set of ten.