Another year, another move. This time, the year was split between LA (Pasadena) and Phoenix (Scottsdale). While LA is certainly more of a melting pot of cultures, Phoenix certainly has its fair share of good food driven by transplants from all over the country, if not the world. And what year would be complete without a bit of travel as well? As is usual, I’m keeping the travel out of the Best of, but you can see it all here (including some amazing food from a trip to Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan). So without further adieu, bring on 2017.

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Best Burger

B.S. Taqueria – Downtown Los Angeles

You had me at Chorizo Cheeseburger, but then you took it a step further by adding a cheese skirt to this beast. Sure, B.S. Taqueria is supposed to be a taco place, but this burger shines above the tacos and above any other burgers I got my hands around in 2017.

Honorable nod goes to Rehab Burger Therapy in Old Town Scottsdale for turning the peanut butter and jelly burger into art.

Best BBQ

Naked BBQ – Scottsdale

Holy cow. Literally. I could build a religion out of the beef ribs that Naked BBQ churns out as a special. But their regular menu isn’t too shabby either. At first it was a bit of struggle to realize truly great BBQ could come out of a building in the parking lot of a Scottsdale strip mall, but it didn’t take long to get over it.

Honorable nod goes to Bootleggers BBQ in Phoenix for taking the best of a gastropub and dropping it into a BBQ joint.

Best Steak

Compass Arizona Grill – Downtown Phoenix

Steak is inherently not your everyday restaurant food. So, for the duration of 2017 I really only went out for steak once, at Compass. But, that should not prevent me from highlighting the deliciousness of this steak topped with black garlic, even if the whole concept of a rotating restaurant is super gimmicky.

Best Wings

House of Wings – La Verne, California

So many wings, so little time. But what really made House of Wings the best wings in 2017 was the happy hour special that allowed me to try out a couple of different flavors. It’s not easy to find the right balance of spicy and BBQ, but House of Wings nailed it with plenty more options for the next round.

Best Hot Dog

Detroit Coney Grill – Mesa, Arizona

This was probably the toughest category of all, with both the winner and the honorable nod serving up a heavy dose of nostalgia. Yet, it’s just hard to beat the comfort of Detroit-style coney dog with perfect wet chili, a steamed bun and that snappy dog.

Honorable nod goes to Wimpy’s Paradise in Chandler, Arizona for bringing a taste of Pittsburgh to the Valley of the Sun.

Best Sandwich

Ugly Drum Pastrami – Downtown Los Angeles/Mobile

Sometimes a sandwich is composed of a number of ingredients all working in harmony to create a symphony of flavor. Not Ugly Drum, whose pastrami is almost paired with bread out of necessity. The pastrami in this sandwich even challenges the great Langer’s Deli, but the jury is still out on that.

Honorable nod goes to La Grande Orange in Pasadena for churning out an impressive French Dip where the bread almost takes the front stage.

Best Pizza

Humble Pie – Phoenix

I don’t care if it’s 2017, I still love pretty much anything more when you put an egg on it. So, despite the semi-burnt crust Humble Pie put together some pretty tasty pizza and impressively maintains a small pizza place feel despite having locations all over.

Best ‘Merican

Tokyo Fried Chicken – Alhambra, California

It doesn’t get much more ‘Merican than an American-style fried chicken place with Japanese influences. And there may not be any better fried chicken anywhere, regardless of the influences. This was the juiciest, flakiest, crunchiest fried chicken I’d ever had and if that isn’t deserving of best ‘Merican food, I don’t know what is.

Honorable nod goes to Citizen Public House in Old Town Scottsdale for having the audacity to stuff a Jucy Lucy with Velveeta.

Best Mexican

Burritos La Palma – El Monte, California

I love the diversity of Mexican food and Burritos La Palma leads me to believe I’ve hardly scratched the surface. Here, the burritos look more like enchiladas, but they are no less delicious – being filled with all sorts of good meats and topped with cheese and green chile sauce with pork.

Honorable nod goes to Chino Bandido in Phoenix because I truly could not figure out where to put this restaurant that combines Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Caribbean flavors into one greasy, delicious mess, but I knew it had to go somewhere on this list.

Best Breakfast/Brunch

Breakfast Kitchen Bar – Scottsdale

This place took the concept of breakfast pizza and completely flipped it on its head in the best of ways. It almost made up for having the least creative name of any breakfast restaurant with a bar. Almost.

Honorable nod goes to Eggstasy in Scottsdale for their delicious and well-executed twist on eggs benedict.

Best Asian

Borneo Kalimantan – Alhambra, California

No offense to Phoenix, but this was just a race among restaurants in LA’s San Gabriel Valley. The winner is Borneo Kalimantan, partially because I went to actual Borneo shortly after this, partly because the dishes are super unique and partly because of the great execution. There are all kinds of new and exciting things happening in the San Gabriel Valley and Borneo Kalimantan challenges all others to step it up.

Honorable nod goes to Mian in San Gabriel for its delicious and deliciously cheap Chinese noodle bowls.

Best Middle Eastern

Persian Room – Scottsdale

Tah dig is pretty much all it takes to win me over, which is a crispy rice that’s pretty special to Persian cuisine. But the fact that Persian Room also churns out some amazing meats is enough to make it into the Best of 2017.

Honorable nod goes to Pita Jungle throughout the Phoenix area for not being willing to settle for plain old classic Mediterranean.

You can find all these restaurants on Google Maps here, and you can check out years past below:

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

Amazing Benefits of Vegan CBD Gummies

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:

Best Burger

Plan Check (Los Angeles)

Double cheese, double bacon and an egg and patty cooked to perfection made the Chefs Favorite burger a winner in a very tightly contested category.

Honorable Nods to Edgewood Corner Tavern (Atlanta) and Matt’s Bar (Minneapolis)

Best BBQ

The Smoke Joint (Brooklyn)

Don’t waste time thinking about what to order. Just order everything. And the Beef Ribs.

Honorable Nod to YinzBurgh BBQ (Pittsburgh)

Best Steak

Delmonico Steakhouse (Las Vegas)

The Bone-in Ribeye here is like butter, which may be because it is cooked in butter, but I don’t care.

Honorable Nod to Taylor’s Steak House (Los Angeles)

Best Wings

Buffalo Blues (Pittsburgh)

I admit that these wings earn extra points because of their Buffalo Blue Fries, but the wings are still quite delicious.

Honorable Nod to Hot’s Kitchen (Los Angeles)

Best Hot Dog

Franktuary (Pittsburgh)

Grass-fed, snappy and with all sorts of good toppings, as long as you go with hot dogs, you can’t go wrong here.

Best Sandwich

Joey Broadway (Vancouver)

Somehow, Joey Broadway made an adult grilled cheese without ruining all the joy that comes with that most comforting of foods.

Honorable Nods to Primanti Brothers (Pittsburgh) and Philippe’s (Los Angeles)

Best Pizza

Mercato di Vetro (Los Angeles)

Blackberries and bacon on pizza. What could go wrong? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Honorable Nod to Lucifer’s Pizza (Los Angeles)

Best Breakfast/Brunch

Zingerman’s Roadhouse (Ann Arbor)

Grits and bacon in a waffle. If anyone still thinks Zingerman’s is just about sandwiches, it’s time to get to the Roadhouse.

Honorable Nod to Pamela’s (Pittsburgh)

Best ‘Merican (Formerly Gastropub)

North End Caffe (Los Angeles)

Everything this place churns out is gold (including their spelling of Caffe) and the staff there know it and love it even more than the customers do.

Honorable Nod to Buckhead Diner (Atlanta)

Best Mexican

Mexicali (Los Angeles)

Somehow Mexicali found a way to innovate Mexican food to a level Taco Bell still hasn’t thought of.

Honorable Nod to Leo’s Taco Truck (Los Angeles)

Best Random Ethnic (by region)

Africa

Arnold’s (Cape Town)

Best warthog ribs ever.

Asia

Night + Market (Los Angeles)

The Thai you’d eat if you were Thai.

Europe

Point Brugge (Pittsburgh)

Belgian Fries FTW!

Middle Eastern

Cafe Turko (Seattle)

The touch, the feel of Turkey. In Seattle.

South/Central American

Peru Chix (Los Angeles)

Who knew Torrance was a hotbed of Peruvian delights?

For 2013 Only:

Best Place to Stop on a Coastal Drive

We have a tie!

Splash Cafe (Pacific Coast Highway)

The best damn chowder.

And:

Chapman’s Peak Hotel (Chapman’s Peak Drive)

The best damn calamari.

And that’s a wrap. Meanwhile, you can also check out 2012 and 2011 for more listage.

20. Cobras and Matadors

This tapas place in Mid-City is everything tapas should be. From bacon-wrapped dates to a variety of cheeses, there is really something for anyone looking for a delicious meal. Just beware, while tapas can be kept to a moderate price, when you throw a big group in with small plates, there are bound to be some people who don’t get their money’s worth. But keep the group small and Cobras and Matadors will send you home full and happy.

19. Steingarten

Dishing out delicious sausages, including a few of the exotic variety, Steingarten also offers up a pretty stellar beer selection. If you’ve ever wanted to eat alligator in sausage form, Steingarten won’t disappoint, but they also serve a wider range of foods, including some pretty delicious burgers. Their sausage execution, though, could use a bit of improvement, which pushed another sausage joint further up on the list.

18. Mofongo’s

There is no shortage of Latin American food in LA, but Puerto Rican isn’t something you see every day. If you’re from Puerto Rico, Mofongo’s may not compare to your mom’s home cooking, but it definitely does justice the cone of plantains and meat that make up their namesake dish. And if you aren’t from Puerto Rico, you’d be hard-pressed to complain about mashed plantains and the perfectly spiced meats Mofongo’s serves up.

17. Griddle

Breakfasts and brunches are few and far-between for a fully-employed unvegan who likes to sleep in until noon on weekends, but the pancakes at Griddle stood head and shoulders above anything else I had. The sheer variety of pancakes is enough to make anyone with a sweet tooth collapse into a contact-buzz induced heap and those that I ate certainly lived up to the hype. Griddle has been around for a solid five years and the hour-long lines on the weekends let you know that they are still doing things right.

16. Laurel Tavern

When Laurel Tavern first opened up, it was pretty much the best bar in the Valley. While that may still be the case, the initial buzz has faded and it is now much more approachable to get some of the best bar burgers in LA (Valley or otherwise). The beer selection doesn’t hurt, and it is also refreshing to have such an unpretentious burger in a comfortable setting.

15. Mantee

Just down the street from Laurel Tavern is a Middle Eastern restaurant called Mantee. Instead of simply offering your typical Middle Eastern schwarmas or kababs, Mantee dips into Turkish, Armenian and Lebanese roots to create some incredible dishes. You can easily fill up on appetizers, from some of the best hummus in LA to labne to their namesake dumplings. It would be unwise to leave without having at least one dish with yogurt sauce, in fact I felt somewhat unwise for not simply ordering everything on the menu.

14. Cafe Rio

While Cafe Rio is certainly not unique in its Chipotle-style setup, it has managed to take the concept of Mexican fast food to what I can only assume is the pinnacle. Seriously, it can’t get any better than this. The tortillas are made in-house and the meats are not only unique in flavor, but tender and juicy. And don’t get me started on their wet burritos. Who knew that the state of Utah could be the origin of some of El Norte’s best Mexican food?

13. The Gorbals

Hungry for a unique and inspired fusion of food? Then The Gorbals will surely deliver. From the sacrilegious Bacon-Wrapped Matzoh Balls to the somehow trendy Bone Marrow, The Gorbals is still a pretty fresh taste after a couple years of existence. Downtown LA has certainly become a foodie destination, thanks in no small part to places like The Gorbals. Just make sure to get a reservation, otherwise you’ll be lucky to get a seat at the bar.

12. Brats Brothers

We unvegans like our sausages and I’ve rarely seen them done as well as Brats Brothers. But the German theme doesn’t stop with the sausages, as they offer a fine, but limited selection of German sides and nice variety of beers. Like Steingarten, exotics are a must here (kangaroo, anyone?), but there are plenty of sausages for the simpler folk.

11. The Stinking Rose

Who doesn’t like garlic? I mean, it’s so good it could almost make vegetables edible. The Stinking Rose is well aware of this sentiment, and has a whole menu dedicated those delicious cloves. When do you start using a pregnancy pillow? There is no set gestational age where you must begin to use extra support, in fact many women use them from the start of their pregnancy. Even though your belly might not be showing, there may still be extra pressure on your bladder and hips and a little support could help alleviate that. If you want to learn more – https://pregily.com – Later in pregnancy, around the third trimester, it becomes important to sleep on your side, and a pregnancy pillow can help make it more comfortable for many sleepers. #pregily #pregnancy #pillow #pregily.com #maternity. Some options are little more than a regular meal loaded with garlic (not a bad thing at all), but others seem made for garlic. Plus, if you go on a date, neither of you will have to worry about your breath afterwards.

10. Red O

Where Cafe Rio took Mexican fast food to the top, Red O has taken fancy Mexican to its own new level. It’s rare to find a fancy Mexican restaurant that tastes better than your average taco stand on the corner, but Red O is one of those rarities. The chips and guacamole is divine, and I’m not really sure you can go wrong with any dish on the menu.

9. Irv’s

This might be the oldest place on my list, but likely the only thing different about Irv’s in the last 50+ years is the owners, the personalized pictures on the plates and some healthier burger options. Otherwise, Irv’s is still dishing out some amazing, old-fashioned burgers. And while the great, simple burgers are a reason to keep going back, the experience itself is one that every Los Angeleno should have.

8. Hollywood Pies

As a pizza place, Hollywood Pies doesn’t get points for creativity. They do, however, get a meat-load of points for bringing authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza to LA and executing it flawlessly. They also get bonus points for the sketchiness of picking up their pizza, which happens to be in a back alley in West Hollywood with no storefront whatsoever. You can order delivery, but wouldn’t you much rather feel like you’re involved in some sort of a drug deal?

7. Gardens of Taxco

At Gardens of Taxco, there is no menu. Instead, your waiter will describe every possible dish to you so beautifully that your mouth will be watering at a dangerous level. Not only that, but the meals actually live up to their descriptions. As with Red O, Gardens of Taxco is upscale in terms of Mexican food, but it is worthy of leaving your local taco stand for a night.

6. Picca Cantina

Just when you thought I was going to drop another Mexican place on you, I give you Picca Cantina. This place is kind of what you would expect if you took a five-star vacation through Peru, which means it isn’t quite “real” Peruvian, but still makes for great eating. It offers up a unique mix of flavors that I’ve never really seen elsewhere, and while some will shock and frighten your taste buds, others will blow them away.

5. Coney Dog

As a native Michigander, this list would not be complete without Coney Dog. Everyone yearns for their native foods, and Coney Dog has delivered just that. Walking into Coney Dog feels like walking into your favorite Coney Island back in Michigan, except that it’s been sprinkled with some sort of Hollywood pixie dust. The pixie dust, however, did not change the feel of the place or the taste of the food, which are both pure Detroit.

4. Tsujita LA

For a good four years of everyone’s lives, ramen equals sustenance. Ultimately, we grow up and can hardly look at a Cup O Noodle without wanting to remove our tongues with chopsticks. Fortunately, there is ramen for grown-ups and Tsujita LA has some of the best this side of Japan. Careful, though, if you don’t go for lunch you’ll be stuck with something that isn’t artisan noodles.

3. Tinga

Situated in a strange part of Mid-City, you have to have damn good food to survive. Tinga does just that with its amazing array of Mexican food, with a twist. This isn’t some strange fusion Mexican, but awesome quality, surprisingly delectable combinations and all for an all-too-reasonable price. If you ever find yourself tired of Mexican food, Tinga will change your mind, and maybe even your life.

2. Waterloo & City

It used t be that when I thought of British food, I would cringe. Let’s admit it, the Kingdom is much better-known for imperialism than food. But not so much anymore. With Waterloo & City, an upscale take on British pub food, the world is now a safe place for British eats. And that’s a good thing, at least until we forget, travel to England, and remember that the only thing edible is Indian.

1. 25 Degrees

It’s only fitting that the best new restaurant I tried this year is the one that served me the best burger. I love me some burgers, and 25 Degrees has taken the customization of burgers to the ultimate level, while still managing to keep the prices at a reasonable level. Granted, it isn’t cheap, but the value is undeniable. For bonus points, 25 Degrees is actually open 24/7, which means you can get some of the best burgers in LA anytime you want, as long as you’re willing to go to Hollywood to do so.

So there you have it and as you can see, 2011 was quite a year for food. Can I top it in 2012 before the world ends? We’ll find out! If you have any suggestions, I am as wide open as a Broncos receiver being overthrown by Tebow. If I end up at a place you recommend, I’ll definitely give a shout out!