The Unvegan

3/17/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

Eating Ostrich at Broadway Deli (CLOSED)

It looks good until you see the pickle... — It looks good until you see the pickle…

Conveniently placed in the Third Street Promenade, I decided to give Broadway Deli a try. For a deli, they didn’t have too huge of a variety of interesting sandwiches, and most of the menu items would have required me to remove vegetables. One item, however, caught my eye. This was the Fresh Ground Ostrich Burger. Always intrigued by new and strange meats, I thought this would be a good idea. I made sure to order without the lettuce, tomato and red onions, and to throw on some cheddar cheese for good measure. When the burger arrived, I noticed that Broadway Deli had committed the highest of unvegan treason. A pickle on my plate!

American Broadway Deli Burgers Delis Food Los Angeles Meat Ostrich Restaurants Sandwiches Santa Monica Strange Eats

3/17/2009 Rants and Raves

But is it Good For People?

What if none of these came from California?

According to an article in the New York Times, rural farmers of California have begun a movement to secede and create a second California. This is due to the city folk passing measures to regulate the conditions of animals on farms. It is clear that these city folks do not understand what it takes to be a farmer, to live off of the land. As a city folk myself, I can only imagine the hardships of life on the farms. The people passing these measures are putting the welfare of animals above the welfare of people, because if a farm is unable to maximize profit, they will not be sustainable and then the farmers will suffer.

Besides, the grocery stores that used to get their meat from California farmers now have to buy it from other states where the cost of production is cheaper.

California Farms Meat Rants Raves

3/16/2009 Reviews Culver City

Drunken Munchies at the Backstage

Sitting right next to Sony Pictures Studios is the Backstage Bar & Grill. Claiming to have the best bar food in LA, I decided to take them for a spin.

First, I downed a few beers to make sure I was in the right state of mind to be eating bar food. Then I took a look at their happy hour menu, which is quite conducive to the unvegan. From garlic fries to quesadillas, most everything looked to be free from the bondage of vegetables. As soon as I saw the wings, though, I knew they had to be mine. Any opportunity to eat with just your hands should be fully embraced, especially after a few drinks. They come in hot, BBQ or teriyaki, and with my trusty beer in hand, I felt strongly about taking on the hot wings. At only $5, I knew I couldn’t go wrong.

American Backstage Bar Food Bars Buffalo Wings Chicken Wings Culver City Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Wings

3/13/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Lucy’s Drive In

What's with the greens? — What’s with the greens?

On a late-night drive back from a party, the glowing fluorescence of Lucy’s Drive In lured me inside.

While standing in line, I had plenty of time to check out the menu on the wall. I was temporarily distracted by the burgers on the menu, which I decided were only there so they could put “American Food” on their sign. Brushing this distraction aside, I chose the chicken taquitos with guacamole platter. The menu said it came with rice and beans, but I asked the ingredients of the taquitos to ensure that I wouldn’t end up with any unfortunate vegetables inside. The woman told me there weren’t any, so I felt confident as I waited for my grub.

Food Late-Night Los Angeles Lucy's Drive In Meat Mexican Restaurants

3/11/2009 Reviews El Segundo

The Original Rinaldi’s Italian Deli

Conveniently located on Main Street in sunny downtown El Segundo is The Original Rinaldi’s Italian Deli. From the outside, you see that Rinaldi’s is a no-frills, old school deli.

Inside it’s no different, with plastic chairs and seemingly foldable tables. The menu on the wall has enough unvegan delicacies to delight even the most casual carnivore. Steak, turkey, bacon, sausage and more adorn the various sandwich descriptions, making it hard to decide the appropriate meat for the moment. As soon as I saw the Fatboy, though, I knew it had to be mine. The ingredients were sausage, beef meatballs, pepperoni, marinara sauce and (provolone) cheese. I ordered the 10″ rather than the mildly girlish 6″.

Delis El Segundo Food Italian Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Sandwiches The Original Rinaldi's Italian Deli

3/10/2009 Danger

When Vegetables Attack: Foraging

The forest looks like a starving man’s dreamland; a virtual cornucopia of food. Greenery and growth is everywhere. It is so alive, and seemingly so edible. Sure, there are plants in the forest that can be eaten and potentially digested, but the taste alone should be enough to drive anyone away.

Now there is even more cause to fear wild plants: death. According to the AP, a man recently passed away after eating wild (amanita ocreata) mushrooms in Santa Barbara.

While tragic, this just goes to show that vegetables are out to kill. To make matters worse, he had picked the mushrooms so he could eat them with a steak. This certainly ruined what could have been a perfectly good (and safe) meal.

In the wild, as in the real world, vegetables must be considered a dangerous threat. How many more lives do they have to take before we all join together and say “Enough!”?

Amanita Ocreata Danger Foraging Mushrooms Rants Santa Barbara

3/9/2009 Reviews El Segundo

El Pollo Loco

The el bland meal-o. — El bland-o meal-o.

The heart of fast food is its ability to satisfy (at least in the short term) while remaining at impossibly cheap prices. These two essential elements are really quite reliant upon each other, because it is hard to achieve gastro-satisfaction if you think you are paying too much.

On my trip to El Pollo Loco in El Segundo, I had high expectations. Being a fan of Taco Bell, I have always been told to try it. When I arrived, the menu completely confused me. I couldn’t figure out what was what except for the value menu. Having been around since 1975, you would think they could have figured out a way to just show a list of the food they offer, but no. Instead, I stood silent for a long time at a loss of what to order.

El Pollo Loco El Segundo Fast Food Franchises Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants

3/6/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Csardas Hungarian Restaurant (CLOSED)

Paprikash is dish best served without a pretty little pepper — Paprikash is dish best served without a fancy little pepper.

As we walked into Csardas around 7:30, we quickly realized we were the only patrons. It boggled my mind how a restaurant could be empty during peak times and still be in business, so I was a little worried about how the food would be.

Having grown up around Hungarian food, I scrutinized the menu, only to find a lack of cherry soup. I asked our waitress (who had an indistinguishable accent that most certainly was not Hungarian) and she told me they actually had the soup. That was a close call, but they passed the first test. To go with the soup, we ordered the Hungarian Appetizer Plate, which was said to come with home smoked sausage, winter salami, korozott (a sort of cheese spread) & liver mousse. All of these fit in perfectly to my unvegan diet. On top of that, I ordered Chicken Paprikash for my main dish.

Csardas Hungarian Restaurant Food Hollywood Hungarian Los Angeles Magyar Meat Paprikash Restaurants

3/4/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Subway

Is there any meat in there? — Is there any meat in that mess?

A few years ago, Subway changed the name of the “Meatball” sub to the “Meatball Marinara.” I’m not sure why this particular change occurred. Maybe it was to placate healthy people who would be more attracted to the word “marinara.” I never felt this was a particularly bad thing, after all, rebranding to increase sales is a huge component of our capitalistic system.

That all changed when I went to the Subway at Pico and La Cienega. I ordered a Meatball Marinara sub on Italian herbs and cheese bread, with provolone and parmesan cheese. It seemed like such a great idea, until I started watching the man behind the counter make my sub.

American Fast Food Franchises Late-Night Los Angeles Meat National Chains Restaurants Sandwiches Subs Subway

3/3/2009 Heroes and Villains

Padma Lakshmi: Unvegan Hero

It's just...so...pretty... — It’s just…so…pretty…

As the host of Top Chef and the writer of healthy cookbooks, I originally wrote Padma Lakshmi off as vegetarian health nut. All that changed when I saw the picture to the left. There are few things that make me happier than seeing a beautiful woman taking down such a well-prepared piece of meat.

I also have found out that she will be doing ads for Hardee’s (Carl’s Jr.) Bacon Western Thickburger. It’s enough to make me run out and find the nearest Hardee’s.

Carl's Jr. Food Heroes and Villains Meat Padma Lakshmi Raves

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