The Unvegan

6/7/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

Sodium Overload at Mexicali

I couldn’t really figure out whether Mexicali Cocina Cantina in Studio City was named after the city of Mexicali or because it is a blend of Mexican and Californian food. Whichever it was, I was pretty impressed with the creative creations on their menu. It seemed that nearly everything on their menu had undergone some sort of upgrade from 87 octane to at least 89. Rather than just beef burritos, they had Kobe Beef Burritos. Rather than just fish tacos, they had Ahi Tuna Tacos. Everywhere I looked on the menu, there was something that seemed inspiring, at least in name.

Beef Burritos Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants Studio City

6/4/2010 Reviews Beverly Hills

Down on Mulberry Street

I’ve passed by Mulberry Street Pizzeria in Beverly Hills a few times and been curious about what sort of pizza may lay within. Finally, I got down the courage to ask my girlfriend, a seasoned veteran of the LA food scene, if it was a pizza worth getting. She assured me it was and within a few days she had ordered some Mulberry Street pizza for us to partake in.

Beverly Hills Delivery Italian Los Angeles Meat Mulberry Street Pizzeria Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants

6/3/2010 Reviews Burbank

Chili Done Right at Chili John’s

In my attempt to consume some of the meatier delights from Jonathan Gold’s 99 Things to Eat Before You Die in LA, I convinced some of my coworkers to join me on a trip to Chili John’s in Burbank. In addition to reading about it on the list, I had heard a lot of other great things about the place, so I was surprised to find it pretty empty for lunch on a Friday. We all found a seat at the horseshoe-shaped counter and began our journey into chili.

Beef Burbank Chili Chili john's Los Angeles Meat Restaurants

6/2/2010 Reviews Joshua Tree

Pre-Hiking at the Park Rock Cafe

Before spending a weekend of hiking in Joshua Tree National Park, we stopped at a little shop near the visitor center called the Park Rock Cafe. We didn’t need too much before a day filled with jerky and trail mix, but we at least wanted to get ourselves a square meal. There weren’t a lot of options, as you would expect. It was mostly sandwiches and all of them had some sort of vegetable plopped inside to ruin it. Despite this, I still chose their Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, which came with onions and peppers. I ordered mine without those sandwich killers and then was given a choice between soup and salad. I made the obvious choice for soup, which was cracked lentils. I don’t really know how you go about cracking a lentil, but I do know that lentils are more of a legume than a vegetable, and legumes are just fine by me.

California Cheese Steaks Joshua Tree Meat Restaurants Travel

6/1/2010 Reviews Beverly Hills

Invoking Memories at Xi’an

A lot of people visit China and are completely blown away by how different the food there is than the Chinese food they get back in the USA. Some are disappointed, some are overwhelmed, and some even like it. I am one of the latter, because while I lived in China, I couldn’t get enough of their food. I liked it so much that when I returned to my homeland, I avoided Chinese food for months, knowing that it just wouldn’t be the same. When I finally got up the courage to eat Chinese food again, I did it with the mindset that the Chinese food here just wasn’t the same as in the actual Middle Kingdom.

Beverly Hills Chinese Los Angeles Restaurants Xi'an Restaurant

5/31/2010 Reviews Culver City

Meat Madness at Manna (CLOSED)

I think we can all agree that there are not enough places in the world that offer unlimited food. And the places that do are usually pretty bogged down by endless salad bars and other assorted vegetables. Manna Korean BBQ in Culver City is not one of those places. Instead of concentrating on veggies, they have decided to concentrate on meats. For only 16.99, you get all you can eat meats. And these aren’t just generic grade D meats, these are a collection of short rib, brisket, pork belly, pork, chicken, spicy chicken and beef.

BBQ Beef Buffets Chicken Culver City Korean Los Angeles Manna Korean BBQ Meat Pork Restaurants

5/28/2010 Reviews Beverly Hills

Thanksgiving Come Early at Capriotti’s

It isn’t too often that my buddy, Joel, repeatedly requests that I go to a restaurant with him, so when he does I try to listen. After asking me to go to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Beverly Hills with him a couple times, I gave in and went. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I walked in, but the place kind of had the air of an upscale Subway. But aside from that and the general shape of the sandwiches they served, to compare this place to Subway would be a severe disservice.

American Beverly Hills Capriotti's Featured Los Angeles Restaurants Sandwiches Thanksgiving

5/27/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

An Un-Special Lunch at Salomi

In my ceaseless attempt to find great unvegan food, the Valley has become my newest stomping ground. No, I didn’t just wake up one day and decide that there must be tons of hidden food gems in the Valley…my newish job made that decision for me. Right down the street from my office in North Hollywood is an Indian place called Salomi Indian Restaurant and one day at lunch we decided to check it out. The interior was a little bit fancy for lunch, but we were seated quickly. I took a look at the menu we were given and discovered that the prices were also a bit fancy for lunch. Just as I was feeling disheartened, one of my genius co-eaters asked if there was a special lunch menu. Our waitress said, “Yes” and we rejoiced.

Bangladeshi Indian Los Angeles Meat North Hollywood Restaurants Salomi

5/26/2010 Rants and Raves

AMI to the Rescue!

Just when you thought it was safe to be an unvegan in this world, the Harvard School of Public Health had to go and link processed meats to heart disease and diabetes. Never fear, though, because there’s a big kid on the block ready to defend meat to the death, the American Meat Institute.

AMI Harvard Meat Rants Studies

5/26/2010 Reviews Mobile

Not My Kind of Gogi at Lee’s Philly (CLOSED)

Where the mac and cheese balls from World Fare were my appetizer at the Silver Lake Jubilee, I still needed to find myself a main course. After a long stroll around the trucks, I found myself at a truck that I had never seen before, called Lee’s Philly. Lee’s Philly is born of the same vein as many of the Kogi-style food trucks. Their specialty is gogi beef, but while they have fused it with tacos and burritos, they have also created a Philly cheese steak out of the stuff. Wording on their truck claims that they have “LA’s Best Gogi,” but I took it upon myself to be the true judge of that.

Cheese Cheese Steaks Food Trucks Korean Los Angeles Meat Mobile Sandwiches Silverlake Silverlake Jubilee

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