The Unvegan

1/7/2010 Reviews Mobile

Getting Boolish at the Miracle Mile

As a child, going to a food court to eat was just about the greatest thing to do. I could get fries with a taco, maybe throw a slice of pizza on there and top it all off with a root beer float. Sure, it wasn’t a healthy place, but I was a growing boy. Most food courts have lost their allure since then, but the new food truck craze has given my old love of food courts a grown-up spin. Apparently the Miracle Mile loads up with food trucks during lunch, so when I was finally able to get there, I wanted to take advantage. A few trucks that I had been to before were there, along with a regular taco truck that was either reaping the benefits of these newbies or losing a lot of business to shiny and newer trucks. For the first part of my modern food court meal, I decided to try out Bool BBQ.

BBQ Bool BBQ Brazilian Food Trucks Kogi BBQ Los Angeles Miracle Mile Mobile

1/6/2010 Reviews

Taco Bell’s New Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

I few months ago, one of the dirty old Taco Bells near me was knocked down. At first, I was upset, but considering the fact that this Taco Bell was only open ’til 11:00 pm (even on weekends!), it wasn’t a huge loss. Then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, construction began on a new Taco Bell in the same place! For months I have waited with bated breath for the grand opening. Driving by it every day, there was no sign as to when it would open, other than the increasing amount of lights and paint. Finally, I passed the new Taco Bell last week and saw patrons inside! A grande opening indeed! I took this as a sign that I needed to stop in and test out their new Beefy 5-Layer Burrito.

Beefy 5-Layer Burrito Cheesy Gordita Crunch Fast Food Los Angeles Mexican Taco Bell

1/6/2010 Rants and Raves

Cheers to Beer for Beef!

Everyone knows about wine pairings. It is a mostly pretentious way for restaurants to sell their expensive wines in conjunction with their dishes. Even for those who avoid those pairings, any good eater or drinker knows to match red wine with red meats and white wine with white meats and fish. But enough about wine, where has beer ended up in this alcoholic conversation? Fusion Brewing in Australia has tried to answer this question with a beer made specifically for drinking with red meat.

Australia Fusion Brewing Prime Beer Red Meat Wine Pairings

1/6/2010 Reviews Culver City

A Brunch Burger at Rush Street

A little birdie named my girlfriend told me Rush Street in Culver City had a swanky brunch, so we went on a grand Sunday morning to experience this middle meal with a friend of hers. Now you might think that Rush Street is named for the street it is on, but you would be wrong, since it lies on Washington Boulevard. Being a smart Midwesterner, though, I quickly realized that this restaurant must be named for Rush Street in Chicago, one of their big roads. I was right, as the owners are from Chicago. The place is supposed to give off a Chicago sort of vibe (but don’t tell my girlfriend that, since she loves Rush Street and somehow hates Chicago). Anyway, back to brunch.

Breakfast Brunch Burgers Chicago Culver City Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Rush Street

1/5/2010 Reviews Gardena

Japanese for Real at Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi

For too long have I been subjected to people who believe the beginning and end of Japanese food is sushi. While living in Japan for half of a year, I believe I ate sushi once. This was not because I was avoiding sushi, but because sushi just wasn’t as prevalent as we are led to believe. Sure, you can find sushi if you are looking, but it is not as though every corner has a sushi place. Rather, it is much more common to find ramen. This isn’t your Cup O Noodle college hangover ramen, but a real, hearty bowl of broth with noodles, meat and more. Recently, some coworkers of mine were heading out to “that ramen place” in Gardena for lunch and I joined them, fingers crossed that this place would be the true Japanese food I’ve been waiting for.

Gardena Gyoza Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi Japanese Los Angeles Miso Ramen Restaurants Sushi

1/4/2010 Heroes and Villains

Boise State Broncos: Unvegan Heroes

**Edit** Congrats to Boise State on their victory.

Since my football team wasn’t even bowl eligible, I’ve had a tough time figuring out who to root for in each bowl game this season. For tonight’s Fiesta Bowl, though, this will not be a problem. The game pits the Boise State Broncos against the TCU Horned Frogs. Although the concept of a horned frog is awesome, I will be cheering for Boise State because of their intense love of meat.

Boise State Broncos Fiesta Bowl Fogo de Chao Football Heroes and Villains Horned Frogs Meat TCU

1/4/2010 Strange Eats

Strange Meats: Bife de Lomo

Couldn't just bring the whole cow? — Couldn’t just bring the whole cow?

If you live in Argentina, Bife de Lomo isn’t exactly a strange meat, but anyone traveling there from the US is bound to find this cut of beef strange. No, it isn’t from some strange part of the cow, and is in fact essentially the same as a Filet Mignon, but this Argentinian beef should never be confused with the typical Filet Mignon. Weighing in at at least 12 ounces, this beef simply melts in your mouth, saving you all the annoying time associated with chewing and allows you to get more meat in your mouth faster.

Argentina Beef Bife de Lomo Buenos Aires Filet Mignon Happening Puerto Madero South America Strange Eats

1/4/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

A Fire in my Mouth at Henry’s Hat (CLOSED)

Every once in a while, Henry’s Hat sends out an email to loyal fans, alerting them that the entire menu, including drinks, will be half price for a night. Luckily, my girlfriend happens to be one of those loyal fans, so we set off for that strange area near Universal City to get some ridiculously cheap food.

Henry’s Hat is really a sports bar with a mostly bar-like menu. As someone with an infatuation with bar food, this was great for me. A lot of the food on the menu looked good and some looked fancier than your average bar food. We started off with an order of Aggies’s Chili Con Queso. This was molten cheese and salsa with tortilla chips. And since we were such big rollers for the night, we decided to “Make it Mud.” In doing so, they added black beans, chorizo and avocado and pico de gallo to the mix. Actually, we got the pico de gallo on the side, since those tomatoes and onions would have ruined the whole thing.

Bar Food Burgers Hamburgers Henry's Hat Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Universal City

12/30/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Pizza on the Cheap At Lenzini’s 241 Pizza

Ever since graduating from college, it hasn’t been easy find great deals on pizza. Not so long ago, I was in the habit of ordering two large one-topping pizzas for the amazing price of ten bucks, including delivery! While days like that will likely never be seen again by this hungry unvegan, there are still some decently cheap pizza places out there. Lenzini’s 241 Pizza (get it? two for one?) in Plams is one of these places. All the pizzas on their menu come with a second pizza of equal or lesser value. The prices are slightly inflated, but it was definitely worth a try the last time my girlfriend and I had to order a bunch of pizzas.

American Delivery Italian Lenzini's 241 Pizza Los Angeles Palms Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants

12/29/2009 Reviews Manhattan Beach

Dying a Little Inside at Chili’s

Chili’s isn’t exactly known for being healthy, making it a perfect place to do some unvegan food reviewing, or so one would think. I went to the Manhattan Beach location with a group of six for lunch and we all decided to take advantage of their 2 for $20. In this nutso deal, two people get to share an appetizer, get their own entrees and get to share a dessert. Since we had six people, we all ordered that special and made sure to get different appetizers. Then the real fun began!

Burgers Chains Chili's Hamburgers Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Meat National Chains Restaurants

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