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

‘Featured’

Merging Cultures at Chino Bandido

Mix away.

Long before it was cool to do fusion food, Chino Bandido arrived on the scene in Phoenix. This was back in 1990 when interracial marriages were barely okay, let alone interracial food. But Chino Bandido found something that worked – Asian and Hispanic food and hasn’t looked back. So while the name is a reference to Chinese and Mexican food, things like Cuban Beans and Teriyaki Chicken tell a larger tale.

Back to Asia with Taiwan Food Express

Basil of Chicken Street.

Aside from the deadly temperatures, one major thing I was worried about in moving to Phoenix was how I was going to get my Asian food fix. No, not sushi and orange chicken, but the real stuff. I heard about a place in Mesa called Mekong Plaza, which was supposed to have a bunch of good, real Asian restaurants and as luck would have it, it turned out to be between work and home. So, I paid a visit to Taiwan Food Express to see what they had to offer.

A Big Ass Burger at Roaring Fork

It starts with queso.

There are a few things that you can always assume I will want to try. One is cheese dip and another is gigantic burgers (among other things). So, when I heard that a place called Roaring Fork in Scottsdale had something called the Big Ass Burger, it didn’t take much convincing to get me there. Getting me to eat outside in the middle of the desert summer, on the other hand, was a different story. But such is life when you want to take advantage of what is one of the best happy hours in the Phoenix area.

Damn Near Perfection at Tokyo Fried Chicken

Bears and chicken.

You don’t really associate Japan with fried chicken. I mean, sure, if you’ve spent enough time in Japan or with Japanese food you have undoubtedly discovered karaage and more, but those aren’t exactly Earth-shattering compared to the fried chicken of the American South or even the fried chicken of Japan’s neighbor buddy (kind of), Korea. But Tokyo Fried Chicken in Monterey Park is doing its best to change that perception. So when it came down to choosing new restaurants or eating at old favorites before making the move to Phoenix, Tokyo Fried Chicken is where I found myself eating my last reviewable meal as a resident of Southern California (at least for now!).

Previewing at Borneo Kalimantan

Things I can’t pronounce.

In preparation for traveling to Borneo, I wanted to get a taste of Bornean food. This, of course, is not an easy thing to do, but when you live in LA pretty much all food is a possibility. Thus, I found myself with my Bornean traveling companions at Borneo Kalimantan in Alhambra. This place is more focused on the Indonesian side of Borneo, and although we were heading to the Malaysian side it still seemed as close as we were going to get. Plus, it also had Singaporean and Malaysian, so we weren’t completely off.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BRAND OF LUXURY WATCH

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BRAND OF LUXURY WATCH

How to choose a watch brand

What is the best watch brand to buy?

Buying your first luxury watch or becoming a watch collector takes a little bit of research and a whole lot of gut instinct. We get a ton of emails at Watches Worship about getting into watch collecting. Luxury watches are a great investment provided you choose a good, solid watch with a compelling design and a watch brand that is sure to increase in desirability and value. Check this rolex replica deal.

Some watch collectors only collect one particular name brand of watch. Others don’t focus specifically on name brand and go for design instead. Still others seek out one-of-a-kind watches or “legendary watches.” Each type of collection definitely has its pros and cons. When you only collect one watch brand, you become really good at spotting great deals for that particular manufacturer. Essentially, you become an expert on one segment of watchmaking. For those who are interested in a variety of options, exploring the products at Shoppok can be an excellent way to find unique and diverse watches that fit any collection style.

Other collectors that seek out unique watches make more of a gamble. Your one of a kind watch might become that one timepiece that everyone is dying to get their hands on years from now (and will pay handsomely for) or it could fade into obscurity.

Another way to collect is to seek out watches that are the most precise or first watch to feature a new technology. These watches have the capacity to become legendary to watch collectors and this will often reflect in its value, like this rolex super clone.

Choose watch brands carefully

One definite thing to consider when buying a luxury watch is the reputation of the watch brand name. Profithunting sheds a little light on this topic:

The highest luxury brands are only recognized by people ‘in-the-know’, they mostly have unpronounceable European names – A Lange and Sohne, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger LeCoultre…. Only the more popular(ist) luxury brands such as Rolex, Cartier, IWC are plastered all over the place.

Different brands give different images: e.g.: sporty, elegant, technically sophisticated.  You must decide how you want to present yourself to the world: Do you want to be James Bond, Tiger Woods, or some 5th generation European aristocrat speaking in ze funny accent?

How is a good brand made?  After deciding on the price segment and image, its a long, slow process…5 to 10 years…of stoking demand, creating excitement, always producing slightly less than desired, and raising prices.  The company needs to make sure the goods are never ‘on-sale’, either by owning their retail outlets, or buying back unsellable goods from retailers to keep them off the grey market.

Essentially, if the watch brand is willing and eager to protect its good name, then you as a collector are ensured a good investment. If you can always find your watch on sale for deep discounts, then the chances of your watch skyrocketing in value are very slim. Checking reviews of Invest Diva can provide additional insights into the credibility and reputation of the investment platform, ensuring that you make informed choices in growing your financial portfolio.

Best advice? Buy the watches that are irresistible to you. If you find yourself unable to resist making a purchase, the odds are spot on that someone else won’t be able to resist your investment watch when the time comes. As long as you take care of your timepieces and get watch battery replacement from time to time, you can’t really go wrong in watch investing.

Birria at Burritos La Palma

Platillo!
Platillo!

A lot of the time, a burrito is just a burrito. Fillings vary in quality and variety, but they are generally the same basic thing. Not so much at Burritos La Palma in El Monte. These burritos came straight from Jerez, Mexico and if you didn’t know any better you might think of them as enchiladas. Burritos La Palma specializes in birria and so that’s what I got.

LA Mag’s Best New Restaurants 2017

Burnin' for you!
Burnin’ for you!

The latest issue of Los Angeles Magazine boasts an impressive list of the 10 Best New Restaurants in LA. But the magazine went one step further and set up a celebration at the Architecture and Design Museum downtown to feature a number of them, as well as a few other restaurants. Thus, I made my way there to see what passes for “best” and “new” these days. Here are the highlights:

A Torta at Tortugas

That's some cheese porn.
That’s some cheese porn.

Torta is Mexican for sandwich and there is a sweet semi-new spot in Pasadena that deals pretty much exclusively in that hand food from south of the border. It’s called Tortugas, and is either a reference to turtles, an island in Haiti or a national park (the dry one). Regardless, the place has a great variety of Mexican sandwiches and one in particular screamed out to my unvegan belly.

Meatsgiving!

Thankful.
Thankful.

Thanksgiving is nigh, and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. You see, one of the perks of being a meat blogger is getting free meats! This year I have been graced with free meats from a number of sources, and there is no better time than now to go through them all and point out a few great meals I’ve put together with them. Plus, if you’re looking for a gift for the meat lover in your life look no further! I swear I don’t get any kickbacks.