Meat – Page 41 – The Unvegan

5/14/2009 Reviews Anaheim

Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port at Disneyland

Eating at Disneyland is never an easy matter. There are quite a few options, but they all seem to be painfully overpriced. Luckily, when I go to Disneyland, I do so with an employee of Disney and get to piggy pack on his discount.

Out of the convenience of its proximity to Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, we decided to eat at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port, Disney’s version of Italian. Despite the name of the place, the pizza looked like the worst they had to offer. The cheese looked like plastic and the pepperonis weren’t shaped like Mickey ears (serious disappointment). Also, it was about $7 a slice. Luckily, since Disneyland is made for children (and I have taste buds similar to an eight-year old) there were almost no vegetables to be found.

American Anaheim Disneyland Food Italian Meat Orange County Redd Rockett's Pizza Port Restaurants

5/13/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Screwing the Recession at The Yard (CLOSED)

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.

American Burgers Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Recession Restaurants Sandwiches Santa Monica The Yard

5/7/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

The Authentic Experience at the Original Tommy’s (CLOSED)

NOTE: While this location may be closed, this review unquestionably applies to all other Tommy’s

When I first moved to LA, a friend of mine told me a story about Tommy’s Burgers. Apparently the success of the original Tommy’s spawned a multitude of strange chili cheeseburger places with various spellings of the word Tom or Tommy. In all this confusion, I didn’t know where to find the place that started it all, until my friend enlightened me to the location of an Original Tommy’s in Santa Monica. Now, even though it is called Original Tommy’s, the true Original Tommy’s is on LA’s east side. Confused? I was too. At least until I got to Tommy’s.

Once I got there, everything became clear to me. Having just finished a game of tennis, I found the way to reproduce all the calories I had incidentally burned, the Mega Combo. This combo featured a triple chili cheese burger and chili cheese fries, with a drink bigger than my office’s water cooler. This Mega Combo is not just a meal, it’s a gamble that you’ll survive eating it long enough to look back on it with pride, like storming the beaches of Normandy. I had to make it mine.

American Burgers Fast Food Late-Night Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Santa Monica West Coast Chains

5/6/2009 Reviews Santa Monica

The Dream Sandwich at Bay Cities Italian Deli

On Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica lies one of the greatest delis in Los Angeles, perhaps even the world. It is the Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery. Besides offering a number of typical Italian sandwiches, Bay Cities brings a colossal contender to the table, known only as the Godmother.

This sandwich is packed with five different meats, all of which coexist in a meaty harmony wirth one another. These glorious meats are Genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham and prosciutto. To maintain the copacetic existence of these meats, a couple of slices of provolone are also thrown in. All sandwiches at Bay Cities can be ordered with the works, an uncomfortable array of vegetables and condiments that would only serve to distract me from my meaty enjoyment, so instead, I like to get a dash of olive oil on my Godmother so my mouth doesn’t dry out.

The result, when sandwiched between two halves of an Italian roll, is nothing short of beautiful.

Bay Cities Italian Deli Delis Food Italian Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Sandwiches Santa Monica

5/4/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Expanding Fast Food Horizons at Zankou Chicken

Those vegetables are of an unnatural color.

Having heard a lot about Zankou Chicken from my friend who bewilderingly never invited me there, I finally got up the gumption to go myself.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Middle-Eastern fast food, but it turned out to be just like it sounds. The place was set up similar to any other fast food place, except in place of grills, they had rotating spools of meat.

I had to choose between getting straight-up chicken, a plate or a wrap, most of which involved vegetables in some way. In the mood for a wrap, I decided to order the Schawerma. At Zankou, the schawerma consisted of steak, with onions, tomatoes, sesame sauce and hummus. I asked for mine without onions or tomatoes, and since the wrap was so cheap, I ordered a side of hummus and pita.

Within a few minutes, my meal was ready. It was a little discomforting to see a little bowl filled with beets and some sort of bright green pepper, but I was thankful that they had been quarantined into their own bowl and hadn’t touched my real food.

Fast Food Lebanese Los Angeles Meat Middle-Eastern Restaurants Zankou Chicken

5/1/2009 Reviews Culver City

The Inexplicable Popularity of Tito’s Tacos

When I first moved to LA, local Los Angelinos were really jealous when they discovered my proximity to Tito’s Tacos in Culver City. Every time I drove by, there was a huge line that really kept me away. I figured I didn’t need to wait in a long line when Cinco de Mayo was right next door.

Eventually I decided to to brave the long line and see what they really had to offer. The first thing I noticed was their wall menu, which looked straight from from the ’70s. The prices also looked like they hadn’t been updated since the ’70s, with tacos under $2 and burritos hovering between $3 and $4. There was a catch, though, cheese wasn’t included. Anyone hoping for cheese had to drop an extra 50 cents. To me, this was tantamount to charging extra for cheese on a pizza. Look, I know that cheese might not typically be found on a taco in Mexico, but in America we expect cheese on our Mexican food. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed to fork over an extra dollar for cheese on my beef and bean burrito and my taco without lettuce. Maybe this was part of why people loved Tito’s so much?

Culver City Food Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants Tacos Tito's Tacos

4/30/2009 Reviews El Segundo

Free Grilled Chicken War at El Pollo Loco

It doesn't look like much, but free goes a long way. — It doesn’t look like much, but free goes a long way.

Not to be outdone by the free grilled chicken giveaway at KFC, El Pollo Loco decided they were going to give away some free chicken of their own on April 28th. Rather than simply giving away a free drumstick, El Pollo Loco jumped to the next level by giving away a drummie, a thigh, two tortillas and, of course, salsa from the salsa bar was included. There was a catch, however, that you had to say “I wanna taste the fire” when you ordered. Being my shameless self, I had no trouble proclaiming my desire for fire when I reached the front of the long line.

Within a few minutes, I had received my food. They were working like an assembly line in the back of that restaurant, giving them the edge on KFC for timeliness.

El Pollo Loco El Segundo Events Fast Food Franchises Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants West Coast Chains

4/29/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

Getting in Touch with Brazil at Bossa Nova

Going to Bossa Nova is not the easiest dining experience around. This is nothing of their fault. I’ve never had any trouble getting a table or getting good service. Rather, it is the difficulty in deciding what to get from their textbook of a menu.

The possibilities are almost limitless, ranging from sandwiches to pizza to pasta to steak. And somehow this is a Brazilian restaurant. With so many options, they manage to have a good amount of unvegan food.

Since I was at a Brazilian restaurant, I decided to get the Picanha Steak. It is a special Brazilian cut that has never let me down. It comes from the “Hot from Bossa Nova Grill” section, meaning I also get plantains, rice, beans, yucca flour and salsa. Not bad for $15.99.

When my plate came, it looked almost perfect.

Bossa Nova Brazilian Food Los Angeles Meat Pizza Restaurants Sandwiches South American West LA

4/28/2009 Reviews

Free Grilled Chicken at KFC

Notice the diminutive drumstick in the back.

For weeks I have been hearing about the free grilled chicken at KFC on April 27th. I even wrote it down on my calendar to make sure I didn’t forget. I’ve never really been a fan of regular KFC, but the prospect of a place called Kentucky Fried Chicken making grilled chicken intrigued the hell out of me.

Online, it said the free chicken would only be one piece, but I figured it would be a good opportunity to re-acquaint myself with some of the older KFC options. I pulled up to the drive-thru window and asked the speakerbox if they were still giving away grilled chicken. The voice replied back that they were, but it was only one piece and apparently it would take another seven minutes to cook. This was already a bad sign…there’s a reason it’s called fast food.

American Events Fast Food Franchises Fried Chicken Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Meat Restaurants Sandwiches

4/27/2009 Reviews Los Angeles

A Late-Night Snack at Del Taco

While never my first choice in late-night food, Del Taco is sometimes just too damn convenient to go anywhere else.

Despite the obvious Mexican origins of it’s name, Del Taco eschews the Mexican fast food norm by tossing in a few American favorites, like fries and burgers.

These additions definitely help cater to the late-night crowd like me, but they also take away a bit of Del Taco’s identity. When I go to a Taco Bell, I know I’m getting Mexican food, but when I go to Del Taco, I can’t be sure of what sort of food I’ll be ordering until I get there.

I found that a good combo involves a selection from their value menu.

American Burgers Del Taco Fast Food Franchises Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants West Coast Chains

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