The Unvegan

1/3/2014 General Thoughts

The Best of 2013

2014 is here, but my 2013 may have been the best year of eating in the history of the world, so it’s time for another Unvegan Best of. The past year included a honeymoon, an epic month-long road trip and a move from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh, so my list has broadened beyond LA and narrowing down the awesome was quite the process. Nonetheless, I encourage you all to go back through my Reviews section to see what didn’t quite make the cut. Remember that the list only includes places new to The Unvegan and bear in mind that Honorable Nods this year would probably be winners any other year. Without further ado:

Ann Arbor Atlanta Best of Brooklyn Cape Town Chapman's Peak Drive Las Vegas Los Angeles Minneapolis Pacific Coast Highway Pittsburgh Seattle Vancouver

1/3/2014 Reviews Pittsburgh

Being Social

Wife won a gift card to Social at Bakery Square a while back and we finally got a chance to use it recently. In fact, we made it a social thing and invited out a couple to join us. As I learned during the meal, the feminine half of the couple has her own food blog, which focuses on nutrition, so I naturally thought we were very similar. That is, until she ordered a salad. Crazy, I know.

American Bakery Square Buffalo Chicken East Liberty Italian Pittsburgh Pizza Restaurants Social

1/2/2014 Reviews Pittsburgh

A Sausagefest at Legume

I first learned of Legume in Oakland shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh. At the time I was told that the name “Legume” didn’t exactly stand for any sort of vegetarian-ness and meats galore abounded there. In fact, Legume does its best to adhere to a whole-animal policy in which they will do their best to use every morsel of edible goodness in an animal in their dishes. Because of this, their menu often changes and they are prone to running out of dishes.

Fries Legume Oakland Pittsburgh Polish Restaurants Sausages

1/1/2014 Reviews Pittsburgh

A Picturesque Burger at The Elbow Room (CLOSED)

Since 1947, The Elbow Room has been hanging in Shadyside, serving up food and drinks. It hasn’t always been in its current location on Walnut, but that was of little concern to me when it came to ordering up food there. Just about everything on the menu looked stellar, yet when it came down to it this was the first meal of my day and I felt the urge to get breakfast.

American Breakfast Burgers Hamburgers Pittsburgh Shadyside The Elbow Room

12/31/2013 Reviews East Lansing

Just as Expected at Dublin Square

East Lansing, Michigan isn’t exactly known as a bastion of culture. Harboring the state’s foremost safety school is basically the city’s only claim to fame. Well, that and the fact that students of the school are known to riot whether their teams win or lose. Nonetheless, I found myself in that small agricultural village in need of food after a rough football game. This led me to Dublin Square, an Irish Pub with a sizable food menu.

Bar Food Bars Burgers Dublin Square East Lansing Hamburgers Irish Michigan Travel

12/30/2013 Reviews Seattle

Another DeLuxe Burger

For my last meal in Seattle, I met up with a buddy of mine at a place called DeLuxe Bar & Grill in Capitol Hill. This is not to be confused with Delux in Phoenix, a place known to make subpar burgers. DeLuxe in Seattle has been around since 1962 and serves up some great beers and a variety of bar food to join those drinks. Per usual, my eyes darted to the burgers (all grass-fed on account of being in Seattle) and there was quite a variety to choose from.

American Bar Food Bars Burgers Capitol Hill DeLuxe Bar & Grill Hamburgers Seattle Travel Washington

12/27/2013 Reviews Bellevue

Not So Special at Specialty’s

Randomly placed in California, Washington and Illinois is a sandwich cafe called Specialty’s. Why it is placed so sporadically throughout the United States is surely a question someone in their strategy team can answer, but for me the only thing that matters is that when I needed a quick bite in Bellevue, Washington, Specialty’s was there for me.

American Bellevue Cafes Chains Restaurants Sandwiches Seattle Specialty's Travel Washington

12/26/2013 Reviews Bainbridge Island

La Isla de Casa Rojas

Seattle is pretty far north of the border. The border with Mexico, that is, because Canada is super close. So, when I went to dinner at Casa Rojas on Bainbridge Island, I had my trepidations about the quality of the cuisine. These trepidations were certainly tempered on account of the meal being paid for by an alum, but I was still hoping for something good.

Bainbridge Island Carne Asada Casa Rojas Mexican Restaurants Seattle Travel Washington

12/25/2013 Reviews Seattle

Turkish Delight at Cafe Turko

Genuine Turkish food isn’t exactly easy to find. Sure, other Middle Eastern food seems to be everywhere, but it’s not often you come across pide, or the word “kebab.” Cafe Turko in Seattle’s Fremont area though, is one of those places. With a menu that is nearly unpronounceable to an American, I knew I had found a good place. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I was with a Turk who vouched for the authenticity of many of the dishes.

Cafe Turko Fremont Middle-Eastern Restaurants Seattle Travel Turkish Washington

12/24/2013 Reviews Seattle

Overcoming Odors at Hurricane Cafe (CLOSED)

What do you do when you arrive in Seattle’s Belltown in the middle of the night hungry? Why, head to Hurricane Cafe of course! And why Hurricane Cafe? Because that’s the only place Yelp said was open in walking distance. Seriously, after eating there I can’t think of a better reason to go.

Hurricane Cafe is definitely not lacking in character. It has all the charms of a greasy spoon and with a bar attached has subtle, yet distinct scent of stale beer and vomit.

Belltown Burgers Diners Hamburgers Hurricane Cafe Late-Night Restaurants Seattle Travel Washington

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