The Unvegan

Recent Posts

10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus
Twerks and Burritos at Casa Amigos

‘Breakfast’

Not Japanese at Satsuma

Definitely not Japanese.
Definitely not Japanese.

When my cousin suggested grabbing breakfast at Satsuma in Uptown New Orleans, I was a little surprised. You see, “satsuma” is a Japanese word and it definitely doesn’t mean breakfast. But even if it did, Japan isn’t exactly known for great morning food (unless you like fermented beans). As it turned out, there was nothing Japanese about Satsuma at all, and it turned out to be a breakfast/brunch place that also served some fancy smoothies.

A Juicy Sammich at Marty’s Market (CLOSED)

So special.
So special.

For a long time I was living a lie. A lie that Marty’s Market in the Strip District is simply a cool grocery store. Upon learning of this untruth, I set out with a couple of the ladies in my life to grab their brunch that was apparently the talk of the town (or at least the talk of a few people in my social circle). The restaurant area of Marty’s Market is set off to the side from the rest of the actual grocery store and there was a table waiting for us when we arrived.

Waking Up to Hash House a Go Go

A pile of epicness.
A pile of epicness.

I usually prefer not to wake up early in Vegas, but when I do it is either to hit the pool or to find some awesome food. Fortunately we found the latter with Hash House a Go Go. Located in The Quad (some confusing newfangled hotel/casino), Hash House is some sort of farm fresh. This I don’t quite understand because I feel like there aren’t any farms anywhere within a 200 mile radius of Las Vegas, but I digress. Whatever you want to call it, it looked good.

Meaty Hash at Savory’s

So savory.
So savory.

In a rare move since moving to Western New York for the summer, I consulted the interwebs to grab a meal at the last-minute. By this I mean that nearly every other spot I’ve hit up so far has been on recommendation from an actual human. On this occasion the interwebs sent me to Savory’s in Hamburg for brunch. We were seated immediately, but not before catching a glimpse of the specials.

Going Dutch at The Original Pancake House

Oh hey Dutch Baby.
Oh hey Dutch Baby.

The Original Pancake House may not be a Western New York native, but it sure is a local favorite. We had it in Michigan and I always liked it, but I never exactly found it groundbreaking, aside from the smiley face pancakes they used to make. Yet, I figured it was time to revisit the old place (which, by the way, has a fish fry on Fridays) and see what it was like.

Bowled Over at The Breakfast Club

Better than cereal.
Better than cereal.

Breakfast is definitely a meal for bowls. Cereal, yogurt and oatmeal all call for bowls or bowl-like conduits. The Breakfast Club in Commerce, Michigan, though, is breaking that mold just like its namesake movie broke the mold of teen movies in the ’80s. You see, they offer savory breakfast bowls and I just couldn’t wait to get one for myself.

Polentas and Omelets at Coca Cafe

An eggy polenta.
An eggy polenta.

Down in South America, coca means a very specific thing. You know, that thing that gave Coca-Cola its name. But up here in Pittsburgh, namely Lawrenceville, coca is for Coca Cafe which, as far as I know, has no connection to cocaine. Instead, it seems to be very connected to brunch. So, with little concern for accidental drug use, we braved the 45 minute wait and got ourselves in for a little Sunday brunch.

Waking up with Taco Bell

Waco?
Waco?

The moment I heard Taco Bell was testing markets for breakfast, I began counting down the days until I could have some for myself. Of course, at the time, there was no date to count down to because of the whole test market thing. Nonetheless, a date came: March 27, 2014. And when I arrived at Taco Bell at 11:01 am I was promptly turn sent packing for being one minute past the breakfast deadline. Somewhat deterred, I returned a week later, but this time before the clock could run out on me.

Breakfast at Elly’s Pancake House

Almost like pancakes.
Almost like pancakes.

In need of breakfast in Chicago, we took a walk to Elly’s Pancake House in Old Town. It turned out that Elly’s was a lot more than a pancake house and was actually a lot like a greasy spoon diner given its plethora of choices. Nonetheless, something caught my eye immediately and didn’t let go despite my perusing of the entire menu. It was the Breakfast Burrito and I intended to see if this pancake house could handle it.

A Picturesque Burger at The Elbow Room (CLOSED)

A most perfect egg.
A most perfect egg.

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.