The Unvegan

2/11/2009 Reviews Beverly Hills

Silk Thai Cuisine

In the Hills of Beverly, there lies a restaurant called Silk Thai Cuisine. A friend of mine recommended it, so I went with a couple friends of mine. Despite the initial trauma of trying to find the restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard when there are somehow two Santa Monica Boulevards, we arrived in one piece.

You know it's good curry when it's orange. — You know it’s good curry when it’s orange.

The menu was littered with all sort of Thai goodies, and my eyes immediately went to the Panang Curry, which is Thai curry mixed with coconut milk, peanuts, basil and kaffir leaves. There was also a choice of vegetables, tofu, chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, calamari, salmon, seafood or scallop. Despite the initial setback of vegetables and tofu, they offered a nice array of unvegan additions. I decided to keep it simple and went with the beef. Because we were in a group, though, we decided to get our food “family style,” so we each ordered a dish to split. This was unfortunate for my lifestyle, because I have no other friends with a diet that excludes vegetables. My “friends” chose to order the Pad Thai with Chicken and Basil Chicken. On top of that, we each got our own little bowls of rice.

Asian Beverly Hills Delivery Food Meat Restaurants Silk Thai Thai

2/9/2009 Reviews Buellton

The Hitching Post II

It's not BBQ, but it sure is a steak. — It’s not BBQ, but it sure is a steak.

Hidden away in the city of Buellton in Santa Barbara County is popular little restaurant called The Hitching Post II. This, of course, is the sequel to The Hitching Post I. I don’t know when restaurants started getting sequels, but I hoped this sequel was more along the lines of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze than Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

They claim to have the world’s best BBQ, which I had my doubts about, having eaten BBQ in Kansas City. Nonetheless, I ordered the 10 oz. Prime Top Sirloin Steak, cooked medium, which is from Cornfed Midwestern Beef (does this make the meat eerily similar to corned beef?). The steak came with a choice of rice pilaf, mashed potatoes and french fries. I went with the fries because of of the winos from nearby Los Olivos recommended them. Next was the tricky part, because it also came with a choice of soup, salad and shrimp cocktail (I got to choose two).

American BBQ Buellton California Food Meat Restaurants Santa Barbara Steak The Hitching Post II Travel

2/6/2009 Reviews El Segundo

El Tarasco

Taco Tuesday came around again and I found myself at a divey little Mexican restaurant in El Segundo, called El Tarasco.

Hoping to find a great taco deal like $5 all-you-can-eat or $1 tacos, I was instead shown a menu that listed all the daily combos. Tuesday’s special was three tacos with chicken, ground beef, beans or chunky beef with medium drink. It’s seemingly a good deal until you look at the price: $6.50! These had better be damn good tacos. In an attempt to get variety, I ordered one chicken, one ground beef and one chunky beef. There was no need for me to waste precious stomach space on a bean taco. Remembering the drama from my last taco Tuesday, I made sure to order without lettuce, regardless of whether it already came with it.

El Segundo El Tarasco Food Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants

2/5/2009 Strange Eats China

Strange Meats: Donkey and Tripe

Tastes like horse...I think... — Tastes like horse…I think…

While visiting a friend in the city of Yangshuo in Southern China, I decided to try dog. Although I grew up with a dog and loved the creatures, it was time for me to experience that aspect of Asian culture. A bunch of us headed out to a restaurant and went into our own little room. While my Chinese friends placed our order, I sat in anticipation for the event.

After the order had been taken, my friend turned to me to apologize.

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s not the right season for dog,” she replied.

Asia China Donkey Food Meat Strange Eats Travel Tripe

2/4/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Ciccero’s Pizza

One day, a Ciccero’s Pizza menu from Pico and La Cienega was discovered on the door of my friend’s apartment. I happened to be at the apartment at the time and we decided to give the place a try. They were offering a 2-for-1 deal, so I opted for the All Meat Special, featuring a delightful spread of pepperoni, salami, sausage and ham. My foolish friends decided they would get the Vegetarian Special, which contained gross, gross and even more gross. I laughed as they placed their order, contented in the fact that they could never be as happy as me.

The pizza was delivered in about a half-hour. I opened up a pizza and stumbled backwards as the stench of a multitude of vegetables invaded my olfactory senses.

Ciccero's Pizza Delivery Food Italian Los Angeles Meat Pizza Restaurants

2/3/2009 Danger

When Vegetables Attack: Enoki Mushrooms

Every so often, there is vegetable recall due to tainted vegetables. Although I consider vegetables alone to be tainted by their flavor, there are often worse surprises in store for the hapless vegetable consumer. The most recent of which is the recall of Enoki Mushrooms. They have been recalled because they contain bacteria called listeria monocytogenes. I’ve never heard of this particular strain of bacteria, but a quick search on Wikipedia tells me that it’s damn dangerous.

It’s bad enough that Enoki Mushrooms are funghi. I mean really, if they were called “Enoki Funghi,” would anyone eat them? No, of course not. The term funghi conjures up images of athlete’s foot, slime molds and that strange thing that grew in your yard as a kid that you knew you shouldn’t have eaten, but did anyway, and then your parents had to call poison control and pump your stomach. Those things are all similar enough to Enoki Mushrooms that I won’t touch them, but now throw in listeria monocytogenes and you have a severe case of When Vegetables Attack!

Give me meat and let my stomach digest in peace.

Danger Food Illness Rants Vegetables

2/2/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Gaby’s Mediterranean

A friend of mine recommended Gaby’s Mediterranean in Palms, so I thought I would check it out. They have a great outdoor seating area, so I was sure to grab one of those tables to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having in LA.

When I arrived and took a look at the menu, I was a little taken aback. Despite having many countries along its coast, I have always associate Mediterranean food with being predominantly Greek. Of course, Mediterranean could cover anything from Spanish to Egyptian, and in this case, I found the food to be quite Lebanese. I was surprised because I typically consider Lebanese food to be Middle-Eastern, but I was also happy because I’ve always liked Lebanese food. Did I say Lebanese enough in the last few sentences?

Food Gaby's Mediterranean Greek Lebanese Los Angeles Meat Mediterranean Middle-Eastern Palms Restaurants

1/30/2009 Rants and Raves

Victory! But at What Price?

NBC has chosen to ban the PETA commercial above from the Super Bowl because of how sexually charged it is. Kudos to NBC for showing the vegetarians who the boss is. But while I completely agree with banning the commercial, I disagree with the reasoning behind it. In the commercial, beautiful women in skimpy outfits can be seen sharing their screen time with vegetables, often performing sexually driven acts with them, ie. licking a pumpkin, rubbing breasts with asparagus.

To start off, I want to say that I am in no way against these women and their performances, for while I am against eating vegetables, I can completely see the merit in using vegetables in these forms. Also, I really have a hard time picturing that one girl using a steak instead of broccoli to…achem…help herself.

Meat PETA Rants Raves Superbowl Ads

1/29/2009 Danger

Danger! Veggie Slicers!

Only click on the thumbnails if you have a strong stomach.

I have spent countless sleepless nights considering the fact that eating vegetables shortens the lives of poor, defenseless vegetables. Until now, however, I hadn’t considered them a danger to humans other than the foul taste and the occasional e. coli outbreak.

That all changed when a friend informed me of the anguish she endured last week when using a “veggie slicer,” aka “death machine.”

In an attempt to make herself a nice (tasteless), safe (vegetable-laden) meal, she innocently grabbed for the death machine, having no clue what danger lurked within the machine’s dark soul. “I was slicing some veggies on a veggie slicer. The vegetable got stuck and I tried to get it loose and sliced my fingers,” she cried emphatically. Asked whether this would have happened if she had chosen to eat meat instead, she replied, “No.”

Eight stitches later, she is no longer such an innocent vegetable eater. She is now a grizzled veteran forever doomed to look over her shoulders for fear of a loose death machine and further stitches.

Danger Food Rants Veggie Slicers

1/28/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

C & O Trattoria

Italian food is often a difficult food to spend a lot of money on. It is hard to justify dropping $15 on a meal when I can easily boil pasta, microwave some Classico sauce and sprinkle some parmesan on top. C & O Trattoria, however, is a place that exceeds anything I could provide in my own kitchen.

The ambience itself makes you feel like you really walked into a restaurant in Italy, with outdoor seating, a fountain and strings of lights. Even the walls are painted to make it feel like you are sitting out on the street rather than inside a restaurant. I took my seat and started looking at the menu when the waiter began bringing out my unlimited garlic knots. The waiter could hardly bring them out fast enough for me to eat them.

C & O Trattoria Food Italian Los Angeles Marina Del Rey Meat Pasta Restaurants Rigatoni Venice

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