The Unvegan

11/30/2011 Reviews Arlington

Found at Lost Dog Cafe

Out in Arlington, Virginia, a friend brought us to a restaurant called Lost Dog Cafe. Knowing quite literally nothing about the place beforehand, I was happy to see that it not only had a huge selection of beers, but also a vast selection of sandwiches and pizzas. And I do mean huge. The sandwich list had 53 options, and that doesn’t include the “Create Your Own Sandwich” section. Not only that, these were some pretty creative sandwiches and not just your simple pastrami and turkey. After a long deliberation and just a quick peak at the pizza menu, I settled upon a sandwich that I hoped would be worthy of an unvegan like myself.

Arlington Lost Dog Cafe Restaurants Sandwiches Travel Virginia Washington DC

11/28/2011 General Thoughts

Selling My Soul for Juice

While you all know I have a vast hatred for vegetables and strong love of meat, you may not realize that I am also a huge fan of fruit. I know, it doesn’t exactly fit into the meaty mentality, but fruit is simply delicious. So when a fruit juice company called Juiceology contacted me to try their products and write a review, I figured it was worth a try. And it didn’t hurt that they were going to send me free samples.

Fiber Juice Juiceology

11/23/2011 Reviews Culver City

Growing Up at Bottle Rock

Right around when I first moved to LA, essentially broke, I made a trip to Bottle Rock. Having little to no disposable income, I wrote the place off as overpriced and didn’t return until this past weekend. What I found was a restaurant and wine bar that was not only well-priced, but also delicious. Was I wrong the first time I went? Have I become jaded by the prices of LA? Did Bottle Rock simply change things up? These answers may never be known, but what is known is my experience there. Let’s start from the beginning.

Bottle Rock Culver City Grilled Cheese Los Angeles Prosciutto Restaurants Sandwiches Wine Bars

11/21/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Going to Hell with Lucky Devils (CLOSED)

Deep in the heart of the Hollywood Strip is a burger that rivals Umami Burger. Or so a coworker told me once upon a time. That once upon a time may have been over a year ago, but I never forgot, so when I had the chance to meet some buddies for dinner in Hollywood, Lucky Devils crept into my mind (and it didn’t hurt that it has been sitting on my to-eat list). What we found was a neat space with a great and enthusiastic server who was happy to tell us of their current specials, some awesome beers on tap and help us out with anything on the menu. Even though I had sworn not to drink, his description of their special black IPA on tap almost had my mouth watering enough to break the promise I made to myself.

Beef Burgers Hamburgers Hollywood Los Angeles Lucky Devils Restaurants Tallgrass

11/18/2011 Reviews Burbank

Heading for Philly at South Street (CLOSED)

While LA may not have a signature food (the closest it gets is either Asian fusion or burgers), it has a hell of a lot of options for immigrants who miss the signature food of their homeland, be it Chicago Pizza or Detroit Coney Dogs. The Philly Cheese Steak is no exception, with plenty of places offering their “authentic” version. I don’t claim to be an expert on the cheese steak (only been to Philly once, during a massive blizzard), but the sandwich has always been a dear friend of mine. After all, what can go wrong when meat and cheese mix? Don’t answer that if you’re one of them Kosher people. South Street in Burbank has been bringing Philly toLA for a few years, so I thought I would see how they measure up.

Burbank Los Angeles Meat Philly Cheese Steak Restaurants Sandwiches South Side

11/17/2011 Heroes and Villains

Liam Hemsworth: Unvegan Hero

I’m going to be up front with: until I started browsing the internet for meat news today, I had no idea who Liam Hemsworth was. But now, with the beauty of research, I can proudly proclaim him as an Unvegan Hero.

Heroes and Villains Liam Hemsworth Meat Miley Cyrus Steak Steak and Shake

11/16/2011 Reviews Glendale

Jimmy’s Super Lunch to the Rescue (CLOSED)

More than once, my work has taken me into the bowels of Glendale, past a little hole-in-the-wall called Jimmy’s Super Lunch. On the outside, it appears to be your average burger shack, but a quick look at the menu and at those working inside tells a different story. Jimmy’s appears to be a part of the trend of old burger places that are now run by Asians (family or otherwise) that now double as teriyaki chicken shacks. I encountered this with Irv’s, Twin Castle and Crown Burger and I’m now suspecting this is more of the norm than some sort of trend.

Bacon Burgers Fast Food Glendale Hamburgers Jimmy's Super Lunch Los Angeles Restaurants

11/14/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Sausage-Free at Tony’s Deli

Out in the strange region of the Valley known as Toluca Lake is a decent selection of restaurants for working-class folk like myself. Filling the role of Italian Deli is a place called Tony’s, which is a tiny little sandwich shop that also happens to offer a couple easy-to-serve-at-sandwich-shops-but-not-actual-sandwich items like lasagna. Most of their sandwiches come with an array of unvegan horrors like lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, but one did not. This was the way of the unvegan.

Italian Los Angeles Meatballs Restaurants Sandwiches Toluca Lake Tony's Deli

11/13/2011 General Thoughts

Digesting Your Vitamin B12 (and Other Goodies) & using coupons

There are more than a few things lacking from a vegetarian diet, many of which are more essential than tastiness. Needless to say, carnivores who enjoy a balanced diet not only benefit from all the pleasures only a medium rare rib-eye with all the trimmings can bring, but by proxy we don’t need to worry about the nutrition we could be missing out on by having selective diets. However, you need to know that precision and cellular nutrition is key and taking your vitamins daily can avoid you getting sick.

Of course, the science behind it all is fairly fascinating. For instance, vegetarians are always taking pills to top up their vitamin B12 levels”¦but why do we need vitamin B12? What the heck is B12, anyway?

B12 Meat Vitamins

11/11/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

The Thrill of Far Bar

A month or so ago, Thrillist Rewards made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. For $29, it included one half-pound burger, unlimited wasabi fries, unlimited wings and two flights of delicious beers at a place called Far Bar in Little Tokyo. A few of us capitalized on this deal and finally made our way there to indulge. But finding it wasn’t exactly easy, as it required a walk through a strange alley. In fact, I walked into the restaurant next door by accident, but a guy there walked me over to the actual bar. Upon arrival, my friends who had gotten there first thrust a basket of fries and wings in my face and I knew I was home.

Asian Bar Food Bars Burgers Chicken Wings Downtown LA Far Bar Hamburgers Japanese Little Tokyo Los Angeles Thrillist

Featured Posts

A Touch of Canada at The Kroft

The Best of 2015

Duluth Grill’s Rolled Flank Steak

A Torta at Tortugas