The Unvegan

10/14/2009 Reviews West Bloomfield Township

An Ode to Olga’s Snackers

While in Michigan, one restaurant I had to visit was Olga’s Kitchen in West Bloomfield. The local chain has been around forever and has never attempted to veer away from the core factor that makes the restaurant a success. This core factor is Olga Bread and it is no ordinary bread. The closest thing it can be compared to is Greek pita, but to simply call it Greek pita would be an injustice. It is buttery and crispy and multiple levels of delicious. Olga’s uses it to make their sandwiches and as a side for their salads, but by far the best use of Olga Bread is in Olga’s Snackers.

Chains Cheese Detroit Greek Michigan Olga Bread Olga Snackers Olga's Kitchen Pita Bread Restaurants Sandwiches Travel West Bloomfield

10/13/2009 Heroes and Villains

Hilary Swank: Unvegan Hero

It’s always good to hear about a celebrity returning from the dark side of foodery known as vegetarianism. The newest celebrity to do so is none other than Hilary Swank.

As the star of films like Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don’t Cry, Swank showed what it meant to be tough. In fact, being tough is the reason she has given up vegetarianism. According to Marie Claire magazine, Swank “…just started withering away.” That’s not good news for the Next Karate Kid. You can’t be the praying mantis without eating meat.

Boys Don't Cry Heroes and Villains Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby The Next Karate Kid Vegetarianism Vegetarians

10/13/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Taco Tuesdays at The Spanish Kitchen (CLOSED)

Objects in picture are smaller than they appear.

Looking to once again find a winning Taco Tuesday, I headed to The Spanish Kitchen near West Hollywood to see what they had to offer.

What they had to offer was pretty impressive. They had a huge selection of tacos ranging from adobo grilled chicken to spicy shrimp and all were priced at 2 bucks. At the time, each meat automatically came with its own salsa, but I see now that the menu offers every salsa with every meat so the eater can customize to their heart’s content. Despite not having this option before, they still had some fun-looking tacos.

Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants Spanish Kitchen Taco Tuesdays West Hollywood

10/12/2009 Rants and Raves

Living Dangerously

Apparently Russian roulette isn’t the only way to live dangerously. In fact, eating that side salad that came with your meal is like playing Russian roulette with your stomach. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, leafy greens are the most dangerous food you can eat. This has been determined by how often they cause outbreaks, which apparently is a lot. And the greens aren’t alone. They are joined by vegetable cohorts like tomatoes and sprouts in the top ten list.

Danger Leafy Greens Sprouts Tomatoes

10/12/2009 General Thoughts

Big in Japan

Looks like the Japanese found my site and review of Kobe beef and loved it. Check it out here in Japanese:

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2009&d=1012&f=national_1012_001.shtml

Or the loose Google translation here:

http://tinyurl.com/ykw4opu

10/12/2009 Reviews Ann Arbor

The Glory of Zingerman’s

Perched on the corner of Detroit St. and 5th St. in the little town of Ann Arbor is the seat of an international empire. It is the Zingerman’s Delicatessen and the little nondescript building that houses it has spawned an entity known by lovers of good food and business everywhere.

When I went to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I knew of Zingerman’s, just like everyone did. I knew it was good, too, but I really never comprehended the magnitude of it until I left Michigan. Since then I have learned that they are nationally renowned for their mail-order service, business practices, overall quality of their food and more. So when I returned to Ann Arbor recently, I knew I had to revisit the wondrous little deli and reacquaint myself with its delectable foods.

Ann Arbor Cheese Delis Michigan Restaurants Sandwiches Travel University of Michigan Zingerman's

10/9/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Bamboozled

Hidden behind faux bamboo stalks that protect the restaurant from the noise pollution of Venice, you would expect Bamboo to be a sort of Asian-inspired restaurant. Going in with these expectations, you’d be surprised to find that Bamboo is a Caribbean and Latino inspired restaurant, but you definitely won’t be disappointed by the food. Bamboo’s outdoor seating area has a nice and comfortable ambiance that would make it a great date spot.

The menu is a nice range of options, from pizza to seafood. I found my own personal niche in the steak section and chose the Milanesa a La Bamboo Breaded steak. This was topped with mozzarella, sauteed tomato, garlic and spices. I asked the waiter if I could get mine without the tomato and he seemed very surprised at the prospect. He then explained that this wasn’t just going to be some pile of tomatoes on the plate, but actually a tomato sauce. I rescinded my request and awaited my meal.

Bamboo Caribbean Latin Los Angeles Meat Palms Restaurants Steak

10/8/2009 Heroes and Villains

Cats: Unvegan Heroes

Many pet owners and vegetarian activists fail to realize that cats are obligate carnivores. This means that they can’t digest their food if it isn’t composed of animal flesh. Despite this, it is rare that you actually see cats act like the true carnivores they are, the carnivores that are related to lions, panthers and tigers. While growing up, my cat would occasionally catch a bird and drop it on our porch as a gift, showing that house cats really do give in to their carnivorous instincts sometimes. Otherwise, many cats have grown fat and pampered.

The video below should prove to any unbeliever that cats want nothing more than some good meat. Watch it and enjoy!

Cats Heroes and Villains Meat Obligate Carnivores Steak

10/8/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Unlikely Good Greek at Aliki’s Greek Taverna

A friend of mine suggested a random Greek place called Aliki’s Greek Taverna and I blindly followed him. We ended up close to the airport, on sketchy side street next to a motel. It would have been a great start to a horror story, but instead it was the start of a great meal. On the outside, Aliki’s looked like any old generic restaurant attached to a motel, and the inside wasn’t much better aside from the olive oil on display rather than a crane game.

We were approached by a tall man with an accent (the manager?) and handed some carry-out menus. Thinking this would be a perfect chance to look beyond the world of lamb gyros, I ordered the Chicken Gyros, but with only feta cheese and tzatziki sauce and no lettuce, tomatoes or onions. It also came with a side of hummus, fries or lemon potatoes. I chose the hummus, which is always a good test for Greek food. Our accented manager took our orders to the cook and then we waited.

Chicken Greek Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Westchester

10/7/2009 Strange Eats Japan

Strange Meats: Kobe Beef

Kobe Beef is a world renowned form of meat that seems to have taken upon mythical status. It is exotic, yet signs for Kobe beef can be found everywhere. Technically speaking, most of the “Kobe Beef” outside of Japan isn’t really Kobe beef at all. The correct term for this is Kobe-style beef, which employs similar concepts but isn’t quite the same. Many restaurants just say Kobe beef because no one really knows the difference and to tell customers the difference would scare off potential buyers. True Kobe beef is only made in the Hyogo prefecture in Japan, which the city of Kobe is the capital of.

The best way to get real Kobe beef is to go straight to the source, Kobe, Japan. I was lucky enough to find myself in Kobe one day, so I didn’t have to add a thousand dollar plane ticket onto what would already be the most expensive steak of my life.

Japan Kobe Kobe Beef Meat Steak Strange Eats Teppanyaki Travel

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