The Unvegan

Recent Posts

व_श_ल_षण_त_स_भ_वन_ओ_स_बढ_कर_1xbet_ख_ल_प
10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus

‘Hamburgers’

Avoiding Toppings at Fuddrucker’s (CLOSED)

Condiments done right.
Condiments done right.

EDIT: This location is closed, but I mean, you can find one of these elsewhere and they’re all the same.

Though rare in Southern California, Fuddrucker’s is a pretty common burger chain with an uncanny name. The Fuddrucker’s I found was in the Century City mall’s food court, sandwiched among many fancier looking places. After a short perusal of the other restaurants, Fuddrucker’s became my top unvegan option.

One thing that is unique to Fuddrucker’s is that that they put no toppings or condiments on your burger. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger knowing that they wouldn’t be putting any terrible vegetables on it. Rather, once the burger is served, there is a virtual cornucopia of toppings to add to the burger. Sadly, most of these were vegetables and no good to me.

The Real Custom Burger at Jake’s (CLOSED)

A good old fashioned, personalized burger.
A good old fashioned, personalized burger.

After a rigorous hike in the San Gabriel Mountains of Altadena, I needed some protein. Driving through Old Pasadena, I spotted the perfect place, Jake’s.

Jake’s is similar to places like The Counter, where you can customize a burger for yourself, only they’ve been doing it since the 40s. With a base price of 5.99, they’re also cheaper than The Counter, albeit with less options. Even so, there was enough to make an unvegan like me happy. Before ordering, the waitress enlightened us to the fact that all day on Sunday was happy hour, so we ordered some beers to wet our appetites.

Sliders Done Right at Greene’s Hamburgers

Those are what I call sliders.
Those are what I call sliders.

The Metro Detroit area seems to have been blessed with a number of great slider joints. Although Hunter House in Birmingham seems to get the most public acclaim, Greene’s Hamburgers in Farmington is no less worthy, if only for the fact that they are open 24 hours a day.

Greene’s resides in a little unassuming porcelain tile-covered building with the words Greene’s Hamburgers written in a basic black font, with the emphasis on Hamburgers. Inside, the place smells like burger heaven, with no large number of stools placed around the counter and against the windows. The menu barely contains more than hamburgers and fries, but there’s really no need to look beyond those items, because they are the real reason people come to Greene’s.

Attack of the Baconator

The burger that eats you...
The burger that eats you…

The Baconator.

It sounds like something from a movie. A robot powered by bacon? A statue of Arnold Schwartzenegger composed entirely of bacon? Or, perhaps, it is just the name of Wendy’s greatest hamburger creation.

Despite the beauty of Wendy’s Value Menu, the Baconator is always the unvegan choice. This heart attack between buns is made of two 1/4 pound burger patties, two slices of cheese and six strips of bacon. The best part? Not a vegetable in sight.

Screwing the Recession at The Yard (CLOSED)

The recession never looked so good.
The recession never looked so good.

Drink, Eat, Play has been spearheading a “Screw the Recession” effort by finding restaurants to offer 50% promotions while our nation suffers. In other words, if you still have your job, you can get some pretty awesome deals.

Recently, The Yard in Santa Monica was chosen for the 50% promo. I made some reservations and headed there for a semi-early dinner, hoping to take advantage of both happy hour and the promo. Unfortunately, upon arrival I was told that people doing the promo couldn’t partake in happy hour. What the hell? Nonetheless, I stayed the course and chose a couple dishes to split with my girlfriend.

Customizing at the Counter

The beauty of choice.
The beauty of choice.

The customizable meal has always been one of my favorites. From pizza to stir-fry, I’ve always felt that it is one of the best ways to eat. It’s basically how you would make something if you had all the ingredients yourself. The unfortunate side-effect is that if you don’t like the food, it’s your own fault. The Counter has taken the customizable concept to burgers.

Their amazing array of ingredients and choices gives and unvegan like me a world of opportunities. Of course, they have lettuce, pickles and tomatoes, but there are enough non-vegetables to really make it an unvegan burger. I ordered the 1/3 pound beef burger with, bacon, herb goat cheese, pineapples and dried cranberries. For my sauce, I got the sweet BBQ on the side (learning my lesson from last time that it is easier to dip a burger than to try to find a place for sauce on it).

Eating by the Ocean at Duke’s

Oh no! Tomatoes!
Oh no! Tomatoes!

In the beautiful land of Malibu, just a few feet from the ocean, sits Duke’s. They have one of the best locations around LA and retain a modestly priced lunch and dinner menu. They even have an outdoor seating area with its own bonus menu, which is where I always prefer to sit.

On my last trip, I took advantage of their lunch menu, which had some good-looking offerings, but the one that stood out the most to me was the Caramel Roasted Turkey Stack. The list of ingredients were an unvegan dream; roast turkey on a ciabatta roll, with applewood smoked bacon, havarti cheese, avocado and mango chutney aioli. A sandwich with no tomatoes or lettuce is rarer than the tamaraw, so I knew it had to be mine.

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

Only happy things between those buns.
Only happy things between those buns.

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)

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

Oh what have they done?!
Oh what have they done?!

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.

Eating My Way at Jenny’s Burgers

Just how a burger should be.
Just how a burger should be.

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.

cURL error: Could not resolve host: schema-pro.com