American – Page 8 – The Unvegan

5/20/2009 Reviews Manhattan Beach

A Trusty Sandwich from Manhattan Bread & Bagel

Down in Manhattan Beach is a reliable little bakery called Manhattan Bread & Bagel. It’s a great place to stop by for some lunch, and although the sandwiches don’t get incredibly creative, they can always be counted on.

Just as with almost every sandwich place, most of their choices came with a bunch of vegetables. Last time, I ordered the Grilled Pesto Chicken Breast, which comes with tomato, red onion, lettuce and pesto on a French baguette. As always, I ordered it without the tomato, red onion or lettuce, then I noticed that there was a total lack of cheese. To remedy the situation, I ordered some Havarti cheese on it.

American Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Manhattan Bread & Bagel Restaurants Sandwiches

5/19/2009 Reviews Buena Park

An Epic Tale of Medieval Times

‘Twas the anniversary of my cohort’s birth and we set sail for the village of Buena Park on a vessel froth with libations. The night was clear and boded well for our journey. Two score and five minutes after our departure, many of us hath imbibed a hearty helping of spirits and longed for the journey’s end. Just when all seemed lost and starvation had begun to rear its ugly head, hark, we sighted our destination, Medieval Times.

We stormed the fair castle and made our way to the alehouse. The beer wenches welcomed us and our gold with open arms as we waited to partake in the festive occasion.

American Buena Park Meat Medieval Times Orange County Restaurants

5/15/2009 Reviews Anaheim

Unwinding at the House of Blues

After a long day of lines, rides and shows at Disneyland, it’s a great idea to relax before making the long drive back up to Los Angeles. Enter Downtown Disney. While this area spans a huge tract of land, there’s really a surprisingly limited number of restaurant options.

Last time I went, we walked up and down the downtown for what seemed like hours before we decided on the House of Blues. They had a nice outdoor area and the weather was perfect for some outside dining. My friend’s Disney discount also applied here, and even though the prices were pretty reasonable, it made ordering all the more sweet.

American Anaheim Disneyland Downtown Disney Food House of Blues Meat Orange County Restaurants

5/14/2009 Reviews Anaheim

Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port at Disneyland

Eating at Disneyland is never an easy matter. There are quite a few options, but they all seem to be painfully overpriced. Luckily, when I go to Disneyland, I do so with an employee of Disney and get to piggy pack on his discount.

Out of the convenience of its proximity to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, we decided to eat at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port, Disney’s version of Italian. Despite the name of the place, the pizza looked like the worst they had to offer. The cheese looked like plastic and the pepperonis weren’t shaped like Mickey ears (serious disappointment). Also, it was about $7 a slice. Luckily, since Disneyland is made for children (and I have taste buds similar to an eight-year old) there were almost no vegetables to be found.

American Anaheim Disneyland Food Italian Meat Orange County Redd Rockett's Pizza Port Restaurants

5/13/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Screwing the Recession at The Yard (CLOSED)

Drink, Eat, Play has been spearheading a “Screw the Recession” effort by finding restaurants to offer 50% promotions while our nation suffers. In other words, if you still have your job, you can get some pretty awesome deals.

Recently, The Yard in Santa Monica was chosen for the 50% promo. I made some reservations and headed there for a semi-early dinner, hoping to take advantage of both happy hour and the promo. Unfortunately, upon arrival I was told that people doing the promo couldn’t partake in happy hour. What the hell? Nonetheless, I stayed the course and chose a couple dishes to split with my girlfriend.

American Burgers Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Recession Restaurants Sandwiches Santa Monica The Yard

5/7/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

The Authentic Experience at the Original Tommy’s (CLOSED)

NOTE: While this location may be closed, this review unquestionably applies to all other Tommy’s

When I first moved to LA, a friend of mine told me a story about Tommy’s Burgers. Apparently the success of the original Tommy’s spawned a multitude of strange chili cheeseburger places with various spellings of the word Tom or Tommy. In all this confusion, I didn’t know where to find the place that started it all, until my friend enlightened me to the location of an Original Tommy’s in Santa Monica. Now, even though it is called Original Tommy’s, the true Original Tommy’s is on LA’s east side. Confused? I was too. At least until I got to Tommy’s.

Once I got there, everything became clear to me. Having just finished a game of tennis, I found the way to reproduce all the calories I had incidentally burned, the Mega Combo. This combo featured a triple chili cheese burger and chili cheese fries, with a drink bigger than my office’s water cooler. This Mega Combo is not just a meal, it’s a gamble that you’ll survive eating it long enough to look back on it with pride, like storming the beaches of Normandy. I had to make it mine.

American Burgers Fast Food Late-Night Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Santa Monica West Coast Chains

4/30/2009 Reviews El Segundo

Getting in on the Free Food Battle with Domino’s

Why can't everything be in a bread bowl? — Why can’t everything be in a bread bowl?

It may not be grilled chicken, but Domino’s had their own little free food giveaway yesterday. This was done in order to promote their new Bread Bowl Pastas. It was also probably to make people feel better about going to Domino’s again after a couple disgruntled workers attempted to sabotage the company.

I was already intrigued by the Bread Bowl Pastas because they look so good on TV, but I found out they were free, they become more of a necessity than an intrigue. I went to Domino’s in El Segundo, expecting to wait in a long line like I had at El Pollo Loco, only to find one other patron at the place. Of the five pasta choices, only the Chicken Alfredo and Italian Sausage Marinara weren’t tainted by vegetables. After having free chicken for my two prior lunches, I opted for the sausage instead.

American Chains Domino's El Segundo Fast Food Franchises Italian Los Angeles National Chains Pizza

4/28/2009 Reviews

Free Grilled Chicken at KFC

Notice the diminutive drumstick in the back.

For weeks I have been hearing about the free grilled chicken at KFC on April 27th. I even wrote it down on my calendar to make sure I didn’t forget. I’ve never really been a fan of regular KFC, but the prospect of a place called Kentucky Fried Chicken making grilled chicken intrigued the hell out of me.

Online, it said the free chicken would only be one piece, but I figured it would be a good opportunity to re-acquaint myself with some of the older KFC options. I pulled up to the drive-thru window and asked the speakerbox if they were still giving away grilled chicken. The voice replied back that they were, but it was only one piece and apparently it would take another seven minutes to cook. This was already a bad sign…there’s a reason it’s called fast food.

American Events Fast Food Franchises Fried Chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Meat Restaurants Sandwiches

4/27/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

A Late-Night Snack at Del Taco

While never my first choice in late-night food, Del Taco is sometimes just too damn convenient to go anywhere else.

Despite the obvious Mexican origins of it’s name, Del Taco eschews the Mexican fast food norm by tossing in a few American favorites, like fries and burgers.

These additions definitely help cater to the late-night crowd like me, but they also take away a bit of Del Taco’s identity. When I go to a Taco Bell, I know I’m getting Mexican food, but when I go to Del Taco, I can’t be sure of what sort of food I’ll be ordering until I get there.

I found that a good combo involves a selection from their value menu.

American Burgers Del Taco Fast Food Franchises Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants West Coast Chains

4/21/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

Customizing at the Counter

The customizable meal has always been one of my favorites. From pizza to stir-fry, I’ve always felt that it is one of the best ways to eat. It’s basically how you would make something if you had all the ingredients yourself. The unfortunate side-effect is that if you don’t like the food, it’s your own fault. The Counter has taken the customizable concept to burgers.

Their amazing array of ingredients and choices gives and unvegan like me a world of opportunities. Of course, they have lettuce, pickles and tomatoes, but there are enough non-vegetables to really make it an unvegan burger. I ordered the 1/3 pound beef burger with, bacon, herb goat cheese, pineapples and dried cranberries. For my sauce, I got the sweet BBQ on the side (learning my lesson from last time that it is easier to dip a burger than to try to find a place for sauce on it).

American Burgers Food Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Santa Monica The Counter West Coast Chains

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