Burgers, Bourbon + Beer 2017

The Unvegan — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 23:59:43 +0000

Can’t have burgers without beers.

Just like last fall, Los Angeles Magazine decided the world needed Burgers, Bourbon + Beer and thus brought some purveyors of these delicious “B” digestibles to the Victorian in Santa Monica to determine who could win the Burger Battle. Many of the players from the previous edition had changed, and those who hadn’t changed up their burgers anyway, so I dove headfirst into the burgers, with a quick can of beer from Golden Road to lubricate my senses. Highlights below!

Kuawa Crunch – Pono Kitchen + Bar

Special beef, special cheddar, spicy guava rum sauce and potato chips (plus the unnecessary lettuce and cole slaw) made the Kuawa Crunch a fantastic burger. It might have even stood a chance as the best burger of the night if it hadn’t been for the lettuce and slaw.

Citizen Burger – Citizen Beverly Hills

Citizen’s take on the cili cheese burger included pimento cheese and pickled cabbage on a brioche bun. Unfortunately, some hidden mustard derailed this burger’s chances, but I will say that pimento cheese on a burger was a great decision and one I hope other burgers will follow.

The Basement Tavern Burger – The Basement Tavern

I can’t help but wonder how much better this burger would have been if it were still warm, as the wagyu beef, candied bacon, brie and garlic sherry aioli all worked well, especially when I took the onions off. Alas, I will never know…

The Cannibal Burger – The Cannibal Beer & Butcher

My big winner was this burger, which was made from 60 day dry aged beef, stilton bleu cheese and harissa mayo. Simple, satisfying and perfectly executed.

Looks almost normal.

I also want to give a shout out to the burger from Erven, which is Vegan. It uses a Beyond Burger Patty, fake cheese and some veggies that I had no interest in. As of now it doesn’t compare to a real beef burger, but I am glad to live in a world that is working to make meat substitutes that actually taste like meat. Perhaps one day I could even swap out a burger for something like the Beyond Burger on occasion and not feel like I’m missing out on too much. Some day…

Until then, that wraps up another Burgers, Bourbon + Beer!

LA Mag’s Best New Restaurants 2017

The Unvegan — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 04:10:28 +0000

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:

The Bellwether: Nancy’s Day Boat Scallops

I’m not usually one for scallops, but these were like butter and the pairing with duck bacon, sprouted lentils and an orange creme fraiche just enhanced the slurpy experience. I’ve been visiting a variety of restaurants and comparing copycat recipes of my favorite ones and using it to achieve my favorite recipe.

Baran’s 2239: Quail Indian Egg

What’s a quail Indian egg? Oh, just a quail egg wrapped in lamb sausage and curry jus with a cucumber salad. I can’t speak to the salad, but I never knew a quail egg could be so delicious and not simply disappointing because of its size.

Howlin’ Ray’s: Nashville Hot Chicken Wings

Despite the fact that I made the mistake of ordering mine hot (aka like licking a powdery version of the surface of the sun), this full-sized wing did nothing more than make me want to go to the actual location.

Scopa Italian Roots: Handmade Cavatelli

I’m a sucker for handmade pasta. I’m also a sucker for cheesy sauce. Thus, this cavatelli (aka mealworm-shaped pasta) with black pepper and pecorino crushed it for me. It didn’t hurt that they had some cheesy bread as well.

SHOTSHOTSHOTSHOTSHOTSHOT

As this was an LA Mag event, there were also a few drink options. I zoned in on the Duvel beer, but there was also plenty of wine and Bombay Sapphire gin to be had. There was even a spot of Infiniti-sponsored cookie shots from the dirty cookie. I couldn’t resist and snagged one to round out my meal, although it would have been nice to have it next to me when I tasted the Nashville Hot Chicken.

I can only imagine what this next year in restaurants will bring…

Los Angeles Magazine – The Unvegan