Meatballs – The Unvegan

9/4/2018 Events Saint Paul

Minnesota State Fair 2018

State Fairs are often an afterthought. A relic of times past when most of us lived in rural areas and guessing the weight of a pumpkin was the best entertainment of the month. They offer variations on the same rides, foods and entertainment that you find at your local Memorial Day Carnival or County Fair and, I mean, how many people even go to those? But the Minnesota State Fair is so far from an afterthought that it seems to be on the minds of Minnesotans for the 50 weeks of the year in which it is not in operation. Plans are made, new foods are devised and longed after; then, just like that, it’s over again. This year, however, the Unvegan paid a visit to see how it would all stack up.

Bacon Beers Cheese Cheese Curds Chicken Duck Events Greek Italian Meat Meatballs Minneapolis Minnesota Minnesota State Fair Northwoods Pork Pork Belly Sandwiches Sausages St. Paul State Fairs Travel Turkey

8/20/2018 Reviews Phoenix

Three Balls at the Sicilian Butcher

The Sicilian Butcher is hardly the first restaurant to make a variety of meatballs its centerpiece. Yet, it most likely is the best-decorated of any such restaurants. It treats meatballs much as a build your own burger treats…well…burgers. You pick a meat, you pick a sauce and you pick what the Sicilian Butcher calls a bottom. You can order the meatballs bottomless, but this is highly misleading as they come without a base as opposed to being unlimited. After much consideration, I opted for a bottom.

Beef Italian Meatballs Phoenix Restaurants The Sicilian Bitcher

5/8/2017 Events Pasadena

Masters of Taste 2017

Slightly different angle than the one I had for the 2004 Rose Bowl Game…

Ah, the fabled Rose Bowl. Host of UCLA football games, THE Rose Bowl, a monthly flea market and now the annual Masters of Taste. As a blogger extraordinaire, I was invited to cover the event, which took place on May 7th and I found it a much easier way to set foot on the Rose Bowl field than winning the Big Ten Championship (and some might say it was much harder than winning the Pac-12 Championship, huzzah!). Food and drink vendors appeared from all over LA to help bring in money for Union Station Homeless Services. It’s a good cause, and surely the now two-year old event is doing a much better job of drawing in money than the annual gala did before it. But enough, let’s talk food.

Bacon Belly Bombz Cafe Dulce Donuts Korean Masters of Taste Meatballs Milk and Honey Nerano Pasadena Raclette Rose Bowl Sandwiches The Raymond Wings

4/20/2017 Reviews Santa Monica

Semi-South at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

A short time ago, Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern opened up a location in Santa Monica. On it’s own, this can be seen as a good thing, but an even better thing is that I was invited out to check the place out and give it a review. I happily accepted and set off for the place where the land meets the sea (well almost, Jimmy’s is a few blocks inland).

Fried Chicken Jimmy's Famous American Tavern Los Angeles Meat Meatballs Restaurants Santa Monica Seafood Shrimp Southern

7/10/2016 Reviews Pasadena

Back in the Pie Life Again

The name says it all... — The name says it all…

I will be the first to admit that I had a West Side bias when I made the move to Pasadena. I figured I would spend a whole lot of time on that side of town for meals out, but over and over again Pasadena has impressed me. Perhaps most impressive of all is the pizza scene, with The Luggage Room and Pizza of Venice already tackled by yours truly, I finally set my sights on Pie Life Pizza.

Italian Los Angeles Meatballs New York Style Pasadena Pepperoni Pie Life Pizza Pizza Sausage

5/25/2016 Reviews New York

A Late Slice at Baker’s Pizza

After a long evening of drinking in New York City, the only reasonable thing to do is grab at least one slice of pizza. Such is what I did in the East Village when I essentially stumbled into Baker’s Pizza. As fate would have it, I ran into my drunk friend on his way out (he had left the bar five minutes before), which convinced me that I was in the right place. Just like all pizza by the slice places in New York, there was a display case showcasing the available pies and my eyes wandered to the one topped with meatballs and ricotta.

Alphabet City Baker's Pizza East Village Italian Manhattan Meatballs New York New York City Pizza Restaurants

1/26/2015 Reviews Ouarzazate

A Bit of Kefta at Musee du Cinema

Morocco is rich in movie history and the center of that history is Ouarzazate. So naturally there is a museum called Musee du Cinema because that’s apparently the way you say movie museum in French. And just like all other museums, this one has a cafe nearby for hungry travelers.

Africa Kefta Meatballs Moroccan Morocco Musee du Cinema Ouarzazate Travel

8/26/2014 Reviews East Aurora

Getting Trendy at 189 Public House

From the people that brought you Bar Bill in East Aurora, comes 189 Public House literally right next door (with the address of 189 Main Street). This Southern-influenced jazzy gastropub is a far cry from its neighbor, which might be ill-advised considering the perpetually long lines for tables at Bar Bill. On the other hand, it’s perfectly positioned to pick off those who don’t want to wait so long and want something a little bit different.

American Buffalo East Aurora Gastropubs Italian Meatballs New York Restaurants Sandwiches Southern Western New York

3/26/2013 Reviews Culver City

Pure Carnage at Wildcraft

Just a couple of weeks ago, a new pizza place opened in Culver City called Wildcraft. Their schtick is the use of sourdough in their pizzas, which is cool with me, but I’m not sure if it entirely qualifies as being wild. Nonetheless, I was eager to try it out and see just how wild and crafty it would be.

Culver City Cured Meats Italian Los Angeles Meatballs Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants Sausage Wildcraft

11/14/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Sausage-Free at Tony’s Deli

Out in the strange region of the Valley known as Toluca Lake is a decent selection of restaurants for working-class folk like myself. Filling the role of Italian Deli is a place called Tony’s, which is a tiny little sandwich shop that also happens to offer a couple easy-to-serve-at-sandwich-shops-but-not-actual-sandwich items like lasagna. Most of their sandwiches come with an array of unvegan horrors like lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, but one did not. This was the way of the unvegan.

Italian Los Angeles Meatballs Restaurants Sandwiches Toluca Lake Tony's Deli

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‘Meatballs’