The Unvegan

1/25/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

The Wrong Dragon at Twin Dragon

On a stretch of Pico right in the middle of Jew Central, there happens to be a crazy amount of Chinese restaurants. I know my people love Chinese food on Christmas, but the fact that these places are able to stay in business beyond that holiday must surely mean they have good food. To test out this theory, we headed to Twin Dragon one morning to see what they could offer. Twin Dragon claims to have Shanghainese food, so I was especially interested in seeing how it could hold up to the Chinese food I know the best.

Chinese Kung Pao Los Angeles Pico-Robertson Restaurants Twin Dragon

1/20/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

The Nostalgia Burger at Twin Castle

On our way to get some ramen for lunch in North Hollywood, we passed by a place called Twin Castle. The sign looked like it had been there since 1940 and the logo was similar enough to White Castle’s that we thought they might serve up some real sliders like back east. Since the sign said “Hamburgers” we knew at the very least the place had burgers. Our minds quickly jumped from ramen to burgers and we turned around and parked.

Bacon Beef Burgers Fast Food Hamburgers Los Angeles North Hollywood Restaurants Twin Castle

1/19/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Grilled Cheese Night at Campanile (CLOSED)

Yes I would like some meat in my grilled cheese.

Every once in a while, my girlfriend likes to say how much she wants to go to Campanile for grilled cheese night. Of course, this night is only on Thursdays and whenever I ask what she wants to eat on a Thursday, she has no opinion. Finally, after talking about it so much, the two thought processes finally collided and we made our way to Campanile on an actual Thursday for their grilled cheese night.

Campanile Grilled Cheese Los Angeles Mid City Miracle Mile Restaurants Sandwiches

1/17/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

A Lot of Crunch at Little Toni’s

One night a friend decided to meet me for dinner in North Hollywood. Typically I get myself out of that place as fast as I can after work, but on this night I was actually a bit excited to try out a place called Little Toni’s. Little Toni’s is a pizza place that isn’t open for lunch, so I figured this would be one of my rare opportunities to try them out. We walked inside and found the place wasn’t just some pizza joint, but an all-out Italian place that was probably pretty good for families. Nonetheless, we were ready to try their pizza.

Italian Little Toni's Los Angeles Meat North Hollywood Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants

1/13/2011 Reviews Las Vegas

Getting Stuffed at Spice Market Buffet

In my continuing quest to find the greatest buffet in Las Vegas (and eventually the world!), I may have found one to stand toe to toe with Rio’s Carnival World Buffet. Situated in Planet Hollywood, the Spice Market Buffet doesn’t fit into the Hollywood theme, at least in name. It also doesn’t bear any resemblance to a Spice Market. Nonetheless, it does use spices and the walls are adorned with food-related movie posters like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (two very similar movies). The lunch buffet cost 25 bucks, but as soon as I looked around, I knew it was going to be well worth the price.

American Asian Beef Buffets Chicken Italian Las Vegas Meat Mexican Middle-Eastern Nevada Pizza Planet Hollywood Restaurants Seafood Spice Market Buffet Travel

1/12/2011 Reviews Las Vegas

A Benihana CES

In Vegas for CES, I was lucky enough to be invited out for a little lunch at Benihana at the Hilton of Las Vegas. I had never heard of anyone going to Benihana for lunch (outside of The Office), but I wasn’t about to turn it down. If you don’t know Benihana, you’ve probably been living under a rock, but as a Japanese steakhouse, they cook in the teppanyaki style, which involves cooking on a huge griddle that also happens to be part of the table. For lunch they were cooking up steak, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, onions and peppers, plus a salad for a set price of $24.99. This was actually a really good price for both Benihana and Vegas in general, so after ordering a Sapporo, I was ready to eat.

Benihana Chains Hilton Japanese Las Vegas Meat Nevada Restaurants Steak Steakhouse Teppanyaki Travel

1/11/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

A Little Bonus at Hy Mart

Those who question the culture of LA have never been to a place like Hy Mart. Although it sits in a strange strip mall in the middle of North Hollywood, the place has just the right culture for the city. Their specialty is sandwiches, but although some are more refined deli-style sandwiches, they also serve Middle-Eastern food. The decorum is pretty basic, with wooden chairs and simple tables, but the colorful walls, images of the Middle East and random pictures of signs in Thailand give the place a comfortable feeling like you’re in someone’s home. And in fact, you kind of are in someone’s home. Run by a husband, wife and son, there really is a certain comfort in the place. So even though the service isn’t fast, it’s not because you’re being forgotten, but for the same reason service isn’t fast when you go visit your family friend for dinner.

Los Angeles Meat Middle-Eastern North Hollywood Restaurants Sandwiches

1/6/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Going Blue Collar at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers

Although I am well aware of the crazy mix of people residing in North Hollywood, I was still amazed when I discovered the clientele at Jack’s Classic Hamburgers. A moderate walk from my office, I knew this would be a perfect place for me before I even saw the menu. This was because 1) they were mostly men and 2) they all seemed to be blue collar men. No yuppies in white shirts and skinny ties here. Instead of that, there were construction workers, cable men, an Iron Mountain driver and finally a dude who might have been related to Dog the Bounty Hunter. I was a little ashamed having come from my well-ventilated desk job, but I was ready to devour a burger just as manly as any of these guys.

Beef Burgers Hamburgers Jack's Classic Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat North Hollywood Pastrami

1/5/2011 Reviews Culver City

Lunchtime at Lunch (CLOSED)

The nice thing about having random days off for New Year’s Day because the actual New Year’s falls on a Saturday is that I get to test out some lunch places that aren’t around my office. This is what led me to the creatively named Lunch (which surprisingly also serves dinner) in Culver City. Cue your Abbott and Costello references. Lunch is pretty much what you would expect from your average lunch joint, with soups, salads and sandwiches. But they do toss in some nice twists with sandwich creativity and even offer a make-your-own-sandwich option called Ideal Sandwich.

Bacon Culver City Los Angeles Lunch Mac and Cheese Restaurants Sandwiches

1/4/2011 Heroes and Villains

Alice Cooper: Unvegan Hero

Born in the great state of Michigan, the man called Alice Cooper already had my support. But on top of that, his music like “School’s Out” and “I’m Eighteen” really hit the spot during certain periods in my life. Now that I am basking in the meat-filled period of my life, Alice Cooper has done one more thing to earn my support.

Alice Cooper Heroes and Villains Meat Michigan Music Paul McCartney

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