Bars – Page 11 – The Unvegan

9/10/2009 Reviews Manhattan Beach

Going Halfsies on Burgers at Hennessey’s Tavern

On Tuesdays, Hennessey’s Tavern in Manhattan Beach offers a great special: Two-for-one burgers. As I was running late for dinner on one of these lovely Tuesday nights, I asked my girlfriend to place an order for a Western Burger with cheese. The Western Burger comes with BBQ sauce and bacon. Since she knows my dietary restrictions, I assumed I didn’t need to specify that it should come without vegetables. When I arrived, it looked like she paid no heed to my needs. On my plate, along with my burger, was a pickle, lettuce, tomato and onions. I quickly checked to make sure no pickle juice had seeped its way into my bun. Lucky for my girlfriend, it had not.

Bacon Bar Food Bars Burgers California Hamburgers Hennessey's Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Meat Restaurants Taverns

7/9/2009 Reviews Lake Nebagamon

Tastes of the Northwoods, Part IV: Pizza Fries

So good I just can't explain. — So good I just can’t explain.

Bridge’s Tavern in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin has no kitchen. In a lot of bars this can be a problem if I get the drunken munchies. Not at Bridge’s though, because despite their kitchen handicap they make Pizza Fries.

Pizza Fries aren’t too different from pizza, and they’re not really even close to being fries aside from abstract similarities in shape. Yet, Pizza Fries is the name that has been chosen for them. The closest thing they resemble is cheesey breadsticks, but this isn’t some gimmick to get people to buy an already existent product like when Burger King started making “Chicken Fries” (chicken tenders). There is just something about Pizza Fries that transcends any other nomenclature.

Bar Food Bars Bridge's Tavern Food Lake Nebagamon Northwoods Pizza Pizza Fries Travel Wisconsin

7/6/2009 Reviews Lake Nebagamon

Tastes of the Northwoods, Part I: The Waterfront Bar & Grill

The transition from eating in LA to eating in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and Minnesota is pretty darn easy, especially for my tastes. While visiting the area recently, I found plenty of food (and beer) to make my tastebuds happy, while forking over a fraction of what I’ve been used to paying.

My first meal up there was at the Waterfront Bar & Grill in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. After ordering two pitchers of Leinenkugel’s (the best beer in the world) for $6 each, I took a look at their food menu. What stood out to me the most on their menu was the double bacon cheeseburger. At $6, it appeared to be the most expensive burger on the menu. Not too shabby.

Bar Food Bars Beer Burgers Hamburgers Lake Nebagamon Leinenkugel's Meat Northwoods Restaurants The Waterfront Travel Wisconsin

6/4/2009 Reviews Novi

Going Wild at Buffalo Wild Wings

Spicy Garlic on the left and Wild on the right.

A huge franchise that LA is completely lacking in is Buffalo Wild Wings, which I affectionately call Bdubs. Sure, there is one all the way out in Chino Hills, but fighting traffic to get there makes it seem easier to fly back to Michigan to get my fill of Bdubs.

I got my recent fix from the restaurant in Novi, Michigan and although I didn’t eat them at the restaurant, I’ve always enjoyed the general ambience of the place, with sports all over the place, but not too loud that you can’t concentrate.

Bar Food Bars BDubs Boulders Beach Restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wings Detroit Meat Michigan Novi Spicy Travel

4/9/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

One Coin, Two Sides, Part I: Father’s Office

For a huge selection of beer, Father’s Office is the place to go. They also happen to have a reputation for one of the best burgers around town. With this in mind, I set off for the Father’s Office in Culver City to get myself a taste of their legendary burger.

On the menu, I saw they had a few pretty good unvegan options, but they had a reputation for burgers and that’s what I had to get. It came with carmelized onions, some sort of bacon substance, arugula, gruyere and maytag blue cheese. This already wasn’t looking good. Then I saw on the menu that the burger couldn’t be special ordered. You either get it the way they make it, or you don’t get it at all. We aren’t exactly talking a steak dinner here, so I felt it was pretty pretentious for a burger. Nevertheless, I felt the need to try the burger.

American Bar Food Bars Burgers Culver City Father's Office Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants

4/6/2009 Reviews San Francisco

A Bizarre Mix at Liverpool Lil’s

In desperate need of brunch and a beer in San Francisco, I headed to Liverpool Lil’s, a nice little pub with that serves more than just your average pub food. A lot of their offerings looked pretty good, but the one that stood out most to me was one of their daily specials, Chicken and Waffles. I have always been intrigued by the concept of chicken and waffles. I feel like for most foods, you can’t really credit one specific person. In my mind, most were developed through the ages by a group of people, a village or a town. But chicken and waffles, on the other hand, had to be one lone genius who decided this bizarre mix would produce a beloved dish.

Regardless of how the dish was born, I was just happy with the knowledge of their existence and looked forward to trying it for myself.

American Bar Food Bars Brunch California Chicken and Waffle Liverpool Lil's San Francisco Travel

4/3/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Kogi BBQ Revisited at the Alibi Room

A while back, many of you may recall, I visited the Kogi BBQ taco truck at The Brig. I guess this was before they got big, because I ordered in two minutes and only waited another two to get the food. Soon after, I began hearing stories about how people would be waiting in line for 45 minutes to get in on that Kogi and there was even an article written about them in the New York Times! In response, they added a second truck, and finally expanded into the kitchen at the Alibi Room.

Eager for another piece of that Kogi, I went to the Alibi Room to see the new offerings. Everything was slightly more expensive, as I suspected it would be. In addition, Kogi expanded their menu to include such unvegan no-nos as kimchee quesadillas and the vegan sesame leaf taco platter. I was mildly intrigued by some of the new unvegan offerings like the sliders, but in the end settled on the burrito.

Alibi Room Bar Food Bars Culver City Kogi BBQ Korean Los Angeles Meat Mexican

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

12/9/2008 Reviews Manhattan Beach

Baja Sharkeez

Today the taco of choice was Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach. Sharkeez is better-known as a late-night college-style bar, but on Tuesdays they serve up a variety of tacos, from Mahi to carnitas to lobster. Being my first time, I ordered a “Maui” style mesquite chicken and a tri-tip steak. The cashier told me they would come with Pico de Gallo** on the side, and inside would just be the meat, cheese and sauce. This sounded great to me, so I sat down to wait for my food. Sharkeez has a good all-you-can eat chips and salsa bar, which is nice to munch on when you’re wating for more food, so I grabbed a trayful.

As I waited for my tacos, I noticed that some of my friends were getting their tacos and they all had a frightening green substance in them. Lettuce!

Bar Food Bars Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Meat Mexican Restaurants

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