Food – Page 6 – The Unvegan

4/15/2009 Reviews Manhattan Beach

A Relaxing Lunch at the Ocean View Cafe

Not really a pizza... — Not really a pizza…

Tucked away in cozy little Manhattan Beach is a place called the Ocean View Cafe.

The location is great for a lazy afternoon lunch, and the breezes coming up from the ocean are a pleasure. But enough about the location, let’s get to the food.

A lot of the sandwiches offered great core ingredients, like smoked turkey and chicken pesto, but they were all tainted by one or another peripheral vegetable. The one sandwich that caught my eye and didn’t let go was the Herb Pizza Sandwich. It came with chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, tomatoes and fresh herbs. Two different kind of tomatoes?! This was madness, but I couldn’t pass up the other tasty-sounding ingredients.

American Cafes Food Los Angeles Manhattan Beach Meat Ocean View Cafe Restaurants Sandwiches

4/14/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Keepin’ it Kosher at Jeff’s Gourmet Sausage Factory

When I first heard the name of Jeff’s Kosher Gourmet Sausage Factory, I was quite thrown off. It’s not often you hear the words Kosher and sausage in the same sentence. Usually the closest you get is Best’s Kosher Hot Dogs. Needless to say, it was with great excitement that I approached this Kosher sausage fairyland.

Burgers Food Jeff's Gourmet Sausage Factory Jewish Kosher Los Angeles Meat Meats Restaurants Sandwiches Sausages

4/13/2009 Reviews Culver City

Sticking it to the Veggies at Tender Greens

Heading into Tender Greens, I was expecting the worst. I couldn’t believe that a restaurant had the audacity to put the word “greens” in it’s name. I almost felt myself burning as I crossed the threshold.

Inside, I saw the menu, which included an array of salads, but luckily there was a “Hot Stuff ” menu, with meats. I decided to get the Angus Flank Steak. Each dish came with mashed potatoes, a salad and garlic bread. When I placed my order, I asked if I could get double the potatoes and no salad. The woman seemed baffled and I must admit I felt a little bad for asking for a greenless meal at Tender Greens.

American Culver City Food Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Steak Tender Greens

4/9/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

One Coin, Two Sides, Part II: Umami Burger (RELOCATED)

Following my Father’s Office experience, I set out for one of LA’s newest burger hotspots, Umami Burger.

I was a late addition to my group of friends, and the wait staff was extremely accommodating in letting me pull up an extra chair in such a small restaurant and order last. I took a quick gander at the menu and saw that all the burgers involved some sort of vegetative substance. I asked the waiter if I could just get a burger with American Cheese and their “spread” and she told me it was no problem (Basically the SoCal Burger without veggies). I was amazed, after having my no-substitutions experience at Father’s Office. Now, before you judge me for getting American Cheese, I have to tell you that Umami Burger makes their own American Cheese and it’s not supposed to be anything like the Kraft kind you get at the local Ralph’s. (read about it here)

American Burgers Food Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Umami Burger

4/8/2009 Reviews San Francisco

Almost Getting What I Want at The Grind Cafe

On my last day in San Francisco, I headed to The Grind Cafe before hitting the road.

The menu looked pretty good. Despite a lot of the dishes having vegetables, the combinations with the vegetables removed looked like they would have been pretty enjoyable. One dish in particular looked extra good to me, though, the Corned Beef Hash. I have always found that dish to have quite the name and a nice little mix of ingredients. I went to the counter to order, only to be told that they were all out of it. Disappointed, I checked the menu again and ordered the Breakfast Burrito, which came with eggs, bacon, cheddar, avocado, salsa and sour cream. It was too early and I had too many hours on the road to be eating sour cream, so I ordered it without. It also came with hash browns on the side.

American Breakfast California Food Lower Haight Meat Mexican Restaurants San Francisco The Grind Cafe Travel

4/7/2009 Reviews San Francisco

Paying Too Much at La Barca (CLOSED)

I should’ve known better, but it really wasn’t up to me. Living in SoCal has probably spoiled me in terms of Mexican food, but I was in San Francisco with some people from Arizona, and I assumed they knew Mexican better than me. They suggested La Barca, so we went.

We had some margaritas and chips to start off the night, which were actually pretty good, but then I opened up the menu and was shocked to see the prices. $10.50 for a burrito? In San Francisco?! Whack!

In the end, however, I ended up choosing that burrito, for it seemed to be one of the most unvegan options. Of the meat choices, I picked Chili Colorado Beef, which sounded impressive, although it is apparently neither from Chile nor Colorado…

California Food La Barca Meat Mexican Restaurants San Francisco Travel

4/2/2009 Reviews San Francisco

Eating My Way at Jenny’s Burgers

When I walked into Jenny’s Burgers in the Inner Sunset area of San Francisco, I couldn’t believe how cheap the menu was. Everything was under $10 and it all looked pretty good. After a quick look, I chose the bacon cheeseburger.

I watched as the guy behind the counter took the patty out, laid it upon the flame grill and started spinning it around the flames. It was almost hypnotic. Although it took a long time to cook the burger in this way, it was done just right.

Rather than dealing with the pesky condiments and toppings themselves, Jenny’s has them all next to the counter in a sort of buffet style. This worked out great for me, as I could avoid the vegetables and choose the only condiment necessary for this sort of burger: barbecue sauce.

Burgers California Food Hamburgers Jenny's Burgers Meat Restaurants San Francisco Travel

3/27/2009 Reviews San Francisco

Creping Out at the Squat & Gobble

So that's what a crepe looks like on the inside — So that’s what a crepe looks like on the inside

On a weekend in San Francisco, I found myself at the Marina and a restaurant called Squat & Gobble. Since the food I like to eat often squats and gobbles, I figured this would be a good place for me.

The menu was chalked onto the wall, and I felt awkward staring at it for such a long time before choosing. The main reason I took so long was because despite the name, many of the food items included food that neither squats nor gobbles (vegetables). The majority of the foods were crepe based, which I always like, but if a crepe is ordered wrong, it is extremely difficult to remedy the situation through picking out invasive veggies. After much debating, I chose the Chicken Pesto crepe. The ingredients listed were mozzarella, onions, chicken breast, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. I got mine without the onions or sun-dried tomatoes, waited at my table with my number and hoped that none of the uninvited ingredients had made their way into my food.

American California Food Meat Restaurants San Francisco Sandwiches Squat & Gobble Travel

3/17/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

Eating Ostrich at Broadway Deli (CLOSED)

It looks good until you see the pickle... — It looks good until you see the pickle…

Conveniently placed in the Third Street Promenade, I decided to give Broadway Deli a try. For a deli, they didn’t have too huge of a variety of interesting sandwiches, and most of the menu items would have required me to remove vegetables. One item, however, caught my eye. This was the Fresh Ground Ostrich Burger. Always intrigued by new and strange meats, I thought this would be a good idea. I made sure to order without the lettuce, tomato and red onions, and to throw on some cheddar cheese for good measure. When the burger arrived, I noticed that Broadway Deli had committed the highest of unvegan treason. A pickle on my plate!

American Broadway Deli Burgers Delis Food Los Angeles Meat Ostrich Restaurants Sandwiches Santa Monica Strange Eats

3/13/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Lucy’s Drive In

What's with the greens? — What’s with the greens?

On a late-night drive back from a party, the glowing fluorescence of Lucy’s Drive In lured me inside.

While standing in line, I had plenty of time to check out the menu on the wall. I was temporarily distracted by the burgers on the menu, which I decided were only there so they could put “American Food” on their sign. Brushing this distraction aside, I chose the chicken taquitos with guacamole platter. The menu said it came with rice and beans, but I asked the ingredients of the taquitos to ensure that I wouldn’t end up with any unfortunate vegetables inside. The woman told me there weren’t any, so I felt confident as I waited for my grub.

Food Late-Night Los Angeles Lucy's Drive In Meat Mexican Restaurants

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