The Unvegan

1/23/2013 Reviews Gardena

Turning Amarillo at El Rocoto

For a strange little town south of Los Angeles, Gardena packs a surprisingly diverse amount of food. Contributing to this diversity is a Peruvian place called El Rocoto. Its menu is vast and although neither alpaca or guinea pig are anywhere to be found on it, I had no trouble finding delicious-looking things to eat. But before ordering, the waiter brought us out a nice bread basket with their namesake sauce and another one to eat with the bread. It was an interesting mix, but I definitely enjoyed the sauces.

Chicken El Rocoto Gardena Los Angeles Peruvian Restaurants

1/18/2013 Reviews Ann Arbor

All Wrapped Up at Pita Kabob Grill

It’s funny how a small college town can feel quite big when winter is so long and eating out is so much more money than a box of mac and cheese. (you need that money for beer, not food). So while I was a student at Michigan, I think I made it to Pita Kabob Grill once. But upon my return to Ann Arbor recently, I found myself with someone who had glorious memories of that little Middle-Eastern hole-in-the-wall and so I doubled down on my visits.

Ann Arbor Mediterranean Michigan Middle-Eastern Pita Kabob Grill Restaurants Schwarma Travel University of Michigan

1/10/2013 Reviews Gardena

Don and Ramen at Tampopo

Down in Gardena and Torrance, it’s hard to turn a corner without spotting a ramen shop. So when my coworkers and I set out for some Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi and found the line to be too long, it wasn’t hard to get our ramen fix elsewhere. That led us to Tampopo in Gardena. Tampopo may have a good amount of ramen on their menu, but they reminded me of an old-fashioned Japanese izakaya moreso than a simple ramen restaurant.

Asian Gardena Japanese Los Angeles Ramen Restaurants Soup Tampopo

1/8/2013 Reviews Ann Arbor

Grits & Bits at Zingerman’s Roadhouse

Once upon a time I was a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Sure, Ann Arbor may be famous for having the school, but it is almost as famous for having a little deli called Zingerman’s. Well, back in 2003 they opened a non-deli restaurant called Zingerman’s Roadhouse far off campus and I paid them a visit. At the time, all I needed to be happy was a $1 slice of pizza (okay very little has changed) and I wasn’t much for the fancy stuff. So, at the time Zingerman’s Roadhouse did very little for me and simply didn’t feel special.

Ann Arbor Bacon BBQ Breakfast Brunch Michigan Restaurants Travel University of Michigan Zingerman's Zingerman's Roadhouse

1/4/2013 Reviews Hermosa Beach

Over the Top at Hot’s Kitchen

Objects in picture may be smaller than they appear.

Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach recently made the news for finding a loophole in the California’s foie gras ban. And while this reminded me of the place, it had originally made the news to me a year or so ago when my buddy told me they had an awesome selection of burgers and wings. Not knowing totally what to expect of the place, I set out with the wife on an adventure and found the city of Hermosa Beach as dead as the zombie apocalypse.

Bacon Bar Food Bars Burgers Chicken Wings Fries Hamburgers Hermosa Beach Hot's Kitchen Los Angeles Restaurants

1/3/2013 Reviews Santa Monica

Boned and Choked at Tar & Roses

Tar & Roses doesn’t exactly sound like a restaurant name. Rather, this restaurant in Santa Monica sounds like a bad indie movie or an alternative to being tar and feathered. But a restaurant it is, and one that my wife and I made our way to when she decided she was craving some bone marrow (insert innuendo here). Apparently the place has become quite popular because our only option was to take a seat at the bar, which was actually fine because it brought us closer to the blackboard.

Bone Marrow Cheese Cured Meats Los Angeles Restaurants Santa Monica Steak Tar & Roses

1/2/2013 Reviews Arcadia

Dumpling Time at Din Tai Fung

Once upon a time, some great people brought me to a place called Din Tai Fung. Although I was living in Shanghai at the time, I had no idea what to expect on this first visit to Xintiandi and my first introduction to Xiaolongbao (way before it was cool). Luckily, they taught me how to bite in without scalding the insides of my mouth, and I quickly fell in love. More than six years later, I finally made in back to Din Tai Fung, but this time it was in Arcadia, California. Despite the obvious distance between Arcadia and Shanghai, much of Arcadia looks like it was pulled directly out of China. The Din Tai Fung, though, looked little like its counterpart across the Pacific.

Arcadia Chinese Din Tai Fung Dumplings Los Angeles Restaurants Shanghai Taiwanese Xiaolongbao

12/26/2012 Heroes and Villains

Newt Gingrich: Unvegan Hero

Newt Gingrich’s life has been a political rollercoaster, with perhaps the biggest moment coming in an upcoming episode of Parks and Recreation. You see, Newt’s love for steak simply could not be overlooked by the show that already features fictional Unvegan Hero Ron Swanson.

Heroes and Villains Indianapolis Newt Gingrich Parks and Recreation Ron Swanson St. Elmo Steak House

12/25/2012 General Thoughts

The Best of 2012

Well, we survived the apocalypse, which means you get a recap of my favorite stops of 2012. This year, I’m changing things up a bit, so instead of a Top 20, I bring you a Best of. Just like last year, this isn’t just for new restaurants, but restaurants I tried for the first time and only in LA. To check out my food from travels to places like Tanzania, Colorado, Michigan or Arizona, click on one of those places or see them all and more here. And before I get this thing started, I need to give a special shout out to the Taco Bell Doritos Locos Taco for possibly being the greatest food creation of all time.

Best of Los Angeles

12/24/2012 Reviews Los Angeles

Winging it at The Corner Door

The Corner Door is the most recent snazzy new restaurant to help make a once-strange corridor of Culver City one of LA’s best food hotspots. But with the likes of A-Frame, the Alibi Room and Waterloo & City, the competition is undoubtedly intense. To find out if The Corner Door could stand up to its competition, I had to check it out for myself and see if it could handle the unvegan.

The first thing I noticed was that the place was packed. But not packed with diners, rather it was full of people hanging out for an after work drink. I was a bit surprised, but despite all these people we were seated immediately. I also noticed that the acoustics weren’t especially good. As our awesome waiter told us, the space had previously been a law office, so the walls weren’t really made for drunken yuppies.

Chicken Wings Culver City Fries Gastropubs Los Angeles Restaurants The Corner Door Wings

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