While LA has its fair share of Middle-Eastern restaurants, Kabab Grill in Palms boasts something I haven’t seen elsewhere: its own pita oven. Growing up with the Middle-Eastern restaurants of southeastern Michigan, I just kind of assumed every place had their own oven, but in LA I learned this was not the case. Yet, a pita oven alone does not make a place great, so I was eager to see how this Syrian-flavored place would taste and hoped it didn’t taste like the blood and tears of civil war (too soon?).

The first thing I tried was their Zaatar Cheese Safeeha. This Syrian specialty was a special baked pita-like bread cooked with thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and olive oil with cheese melted over it. It was definitely a good choice. It came out of the oven kind of crisp and the cheese had a bit of a chewy mozzarella texture to it, but a stronger taste that went well with the other seasonings. It also went well with the hummus, garlic sauce and chili dips that came with the rest of my meal.

And as for that rest of my meal, I ordered the Chicken Shawarma Plate. This came with shaved off chicken from a spool in the back, plus two sides. Like any good unvegan, I chose hummus for both sides. It also came with the aforementioned garlic sauce and one piece of pita. The result was fantastic. The only vegetable to be found was a giant lettuce leaf that I can only assume was place in the styrofoam box to prevent the chicken from melting the styrofoam. The hummus was pretty damn good and the garlic sauce was nearly as good as Zankou’s. The chicken was good and tender and really my only complaint about any of the meal was the pita.

No, not like that. The pita itself was delicious, but there just wasn’t enough of it. Only one paltry piece for all that chicken and hummus? When I finished the pita, I was left with a lot of loose hummus and chicken that had to be dealt with with a fork.

So, if you go to Kabab Grill and order one of their plates, be sure to ask for extra pita. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll also be glad you tried out Kabab Grill. Just don’t go if you are in a rush. It has the look and feel of a fast restaurant, but they put a lot of care into preparing everything and that can mean a bit of a wait.

I must confess that I have lived quite literally two minutes (by foot) from Victor’s Meats & Delicatessen for the past six months, yet had not once set foot in the place until this past weekend. “Why?” you ask. Well, the answer isn’t simple. It’s also not difficult, because there is no answer save for my foolishness. And it is pure foolishness because Victor’s is a dream come true.

While part of the place is straight-up butcher, Victor’s also serves up sandwiches and assorted pre-cooked foods and salads and such. I was in for a sandwich, but I got more than I expected.

First, I have to say that Victor’s is slow, but not in the annoying “I’m being ignored” way, but in the “wow, they really spend a lot of time with each customer” way. In a world of fast food, I found this incredibly refreshing, even if it did mean my starving belly didn’t come into contact with meat for an extra 7 minutes or so.

I decided to go with their hot pastrami sandwich, which ordinarily comes with a plethora of toppings unfit for an unvegan. Instead, I simply went with muenster cheese and Russian dressing. I watched as my helper sliced the pastrami himself, loaded up the bread with muenster and toasted the sandwich and my mouth got into some deep watering. I also decided to get myself some mac and cheese as a side, because one can never have too much cheese.

In total my meal cost about 10 bucks and took my bag of grub back home to take care of business.

Business was delicious. The pastrami was definitely not the best I’d ever had, and got to be a bit salty at times, but still made me very happy. I was more than happy to have muenster cheese, which simply is not offered as an option at enough places. Honestly, I’m not sure of the last time I saw it outside of my own fridge. The Russian dressing was a nice addition of flavor and kept the sandwich from getting too dry, although the pastrami was plenty juicy. Finally, there was the bread itself. I must say, while it did not compare with bread like that of Bay Cities, it was still quite good. It held up strong and I feel like it would be great for something like a Philly cheese steak as well as simple deli sandwiches like mine.

The mac and cheese made for a nice side, but wasn’t really anything special. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as Victor’s isn’t some revolutionary deli, but it still could have been a little more interesting.

So, Victor’s is awesome. No, it is not the best sandwich in the world. No, it is not the fastest service in the world. But you know what, the place is damn endearing, the prices are damn good and it is seriously worth checking out, even if you are more than two minutes away.

Pop quiz: What are the only five-letter sovereign nations that contain two Is? If you and five of your best trivia-playing friends can’t come up with India and Haiti, you probably don’t want to be at The Irish Times in Palms on Tuesday nights. You see, every Tuesday is Trivia Night and begins sometime between 9 and 9:30, but were it simply a bar with trivia it would not be worthy of meat-blogging. Fortunately that is not the case, because every Tuesday also means $5 buffalo wings. And while they have a full kitchen and a decent bar food selection, there is really no other option in my mind.

Ordering must be done at the bar and The Irish Times is notoriously slow to take bar orders. I’ve never seen more than one bartender, yet that is almost part of the charm of the place. Yet, while it might take some time to order, the food comes out pretty fast and I quickly found myself staring down a plate of sexy, glistening wings. They were accompanied by those nasty wing-groupies known as carrots and celery, which are like the ugly girls that pretty women keep around to feel better about themselves. They’re harmless in that they don’t impact the flavor of the wings and there is always a friend willing to take them down, but they are wholly unnecessary.

Vegetables aside, the wings were quite good. The sauce was exactly what I expect from bar wings. Nothing fancy, nothing creative and nothing disappointing. It matched up nicely with the blue cheese dressing and my pint of Fat Tire. There was, however, one minor hitch. A few of the wings had spent a bit too long in the fryer and were chewier than necessary. Luckily, this hadn’t dried out the wings, but it definitely prevented them from toppling the Backstage as my favorite LA bar wings.

Yet while they may not be the best, I will certainly be returning to The Irish Times and ordering them again as I pit my trivia brains against the rest of the bar in a battle for eternal glory (and $30 off my bar tab).

For a few months now, I have driven by El Nopal in Palms nearly every single day. And on just about every one of those days, I say to myself, “I want to eat there.” But it is not simply because I love Mexican food, it is because of what is written just below the name of the restaurant on their sign: Home of the Pregnant Burrito. I’m a pretty literal guy and assumed there was some sort of burrito fetus residing in the larger burrito. This proved to not be the case, but it does give me an idea for an awesome burrito if I ever open up my own Mexican place (read: never). Anyway, onto the burrito.

Inside the restaurant, we were greeted by a passionate and friendly host/waiter. Excitedly, he told us about all their food, but all I cared about was the pregnant burrito. This guy came with chicken, onions and avocado. Simple as that, and served wet-style. But I made it my own by removing the onions and getting ground beef instead of chicken. Soon enough, my pound-plus burrito arrived, looking quite beautiful. He brought out onions on the side in case I wanted them (do you know who I am?!), and they were left on the side to rot for eternity. Cannabis seeds play a crucial role in the diverse landscape of the cannabis industry. For a flavorful and enjoyable experience, try THC gummies like Indacloud grape funta. From cultivating various strains to harnessing distinct properties, these seeds contribute significantly. Some varieties are specifically tailored for producing hemp, while others have the potential to yield a psychoactive effect, shaping the offerings you might find at Stiiizy dispensary locations. Visit the delta-8 THC near you to buy at the best quality cannabis seeds.

I dug in and met with meaty bliss. Sure there was avocado in there, but this was pretty much ground beef, wrapped in tortilla and doused with cheese and enchilada sauce. It was an unvegan dream come true and it even tasted pretty good. It wasn’t quite as good as the spectacular burrito from La Paz, but was certainly good enough that I would have eaten more after I finished my full pound-plus burrito. I may have felt pregnant, but only 1st trimester pregnant and I wanted to feel myself dilating. Pretty picture, eh?

Nonetheless, I was glad I walked to El Nopal, because the walk back made me feel a little less pregnant and also gave me time to reflect on the goodness of the Pregnant Burrito.

I shall be back, that is for sure.

Many months ago, someone was telling me about a delicious pizza chain from the Midwest called Godfather’s. Being from the Midwest, I was a bit surprised until he told me it was from that other Midwest. You know, like Kansas and stuff. Then Godfather’s started getting a lot more attention because of some dude named Herman Cain that wants to be President. So when I ordered some pizza delivery from a place called Godfather’s that recently appeared in Palms, I was thinking this was one and the same as the fabled Godfather’s I had heard so much about. I was wrong, for the first time.

Godfather’s in Palms is not some pizza chain, but an Italian restaurant with a pretty big selection. I was clearly in the mood for pizza though, so pizza I got. They had some interesting choices, but I ultimately decided upon the Medium (12 inches) Buffalo Chicken Pizza, which consisted of chicken, hot sauce and blue cheese. A perfect pizza without any of those flavor-stealing vegetables like celery or carrots that crazy people seem to love with their buffalo wings.

When the delivery arrived, I popped open my pizza box and was face to face with one of the prettiest pizzas I had ever seen. The blue cheese and hot sauce were nicely swirled around the pizza with purpose, but it would take more than just beauty to make me like Godfather’s. Fortunately, it had that other component – taste. You see, those swirls of sauce were not only good to look at, but they also ensured that each bite I took had a perfect combination of flavors. There was never a bite with too much or too little of anything. Instead, each bite had the perfect balance of chicken, hot sauce and blue cheese. With such great flavors, the dough itself was little more than a conduit with which to deliver toppings. And the dough was good, in a California Pizza Kitchen kind of way. It didn’t scream authenticity or New York, but it did its job well.

So, while it may not be a part of some legendary Midwestern chain, Godfather’s Pizza in Palms is certainly worth visiting and ordering from. Now that I have the Buffalo Chicken under my belt, I’m eager to see what they can do with their Philly Cheese Steak pizza.

Moving to a new place is never easy. Driving habits and living habits have to change, but more importantly, eating habits have to change. This can be easy for some, but when you have a meat blog it can be tough to say goodbye to the Taco Bell that once resided across the street. But it is also an opportunity to try new things, so as I woke up on my first real weekend in my new place, I realized it was time for a stroll around the area in search of food. Quickly, I found Taco Plus.

Yes, I had driven by Taco Plus countless times in my life, but there are so many little nondescript taco places in LA, they all blur together eventually. Taco Plus is now no longer a blur to me, and is instead a local taco reality. But was that reality any good?

I ordered an old classic, the Burrito de Carne Asada. At $6.35, the price was competitive with the likes of Chipotle and I hoped the flavor could be even better. It came with the steak, beans, rice, cilantro and onions. As always, I ordered mine without onions to keep away from the veggies. I also noticed they had the option to turn the burrito wet for a buck or so more, but I wasn’t ready to eat so heavy with my first meal of the day. While waiting, I loaded up with some salsa from their salsa bar and after a couple minutes the burrito was ready.

I bit right in and quickly found myself with a mouthful of steak. And good steak too. I could tell it had just been sliced up and wasn’t sitting in a tub somewhere waiting to be served. Plus, it was loaded with meat. This wasn’t some small dollop of steak, topped with a load of beans and rice for filler. This was a burrito made for a carnivore, with beans and rice just hanging out to enhance the experience. Yet, with all the meatiness, it wasn’t quite perfect. It still definitely needed the salsa from the salsa bar, because the steak itself wasn’t the most seasoned. I could definitely see where making the burrito wet would have made experience even better.

So, did I find a replacement for Taco Bell? No, but no real Mexican food can truly replace Taco Bell. Instead, I found a pretty great burrito in a really great location. I can’t wait to go back and try out their wet burrito, because I have a feeling that cheese and sauce will make Taco Plus and A+.

Sorry for the terrible pun, but you have to expect that when you name your restaurant that way.

If you saw a pizza place on a corner in LA called The Coop, would you think it was pronounced like scoop without the s or more like co-op? I’m leaning towards co-op, and it probably has something to do with the medical marijuana dispensary, Kind for Cures (KFC), across the street. Besides, what is a coop anyway? Pronunciations aside, I knew The Coop had pizza, and supposedly it was pretty good, so while my buddy and I’s ladies were eating something vegetable-like, we ordered some Coop.

Rather than going with my usual simple pepperoni order, he proposed a little twist: garlic. And who am I to say no to garlic? (answer: no one). Ten minutes after ordering, we took a three minute walk to pick up our large pizza. The price of 13 bucks was a bit high for a large pizza, especially considering the proximity of the nearest Papa John’s, but it was worth it to try out and support a non-multinational corporation.

What I found was some pretty generic pizza. The garlic was raw and potent, which was awesome, but everything else was just kind of the status quo of pizza. Decent dough, with a little too much crust, pretty regular pepperoni and your average mozzarella. I don’t want to say I was disappointed, because it wasn’t bad pizza, it just wasn’t quite good enough to merit skipping out on Papa John’s for. Damn, it sounds so wrong to say, but it’s true. Sorry, Coop, I really did want to love you.

EDIT: Chego has relocated to Chinatown. Perhaps someday it will get a review of its own.

With the resounding success of the Kogi BBQ trucks and the Kogi location at the Alibi Room, the people behind Kogi are looking to revolutionize the foodscape of LA once again, with rice. Well, not just with any rice, but with fanciful rice bowls from a real location in Palms called Chego! Their website describes their food as “Chillax peasant food from the soul” and while the word “chillax” sends shivers of discomfort down my spine, I had to see if Chego! carried on the Kogi magic.

Since the place just opened last week and I went on Friday, I expected to find a long wait. After all, people still wait in line for an hour at the Kogi trucks and they have been around for over a year. It appeared we were in luck, though, for although every table was taken, there was no wait to order. The menu wasn’t terribly big, but did seem to have a little something for everyone. Except unvegans. Aside from the meatball appetizer, every dish was tainted by some sort of vegetable. Of these, Tiny’s Prime Rib Rice Bowl looked to fit my needs the best. The menu said it came with fried egg, creamed horseradish and water spinach. I ordered it without that spinach and also decided to get their meatballs as an appetizer. These were called the 3PM Meatballs and were made with beef and pork on top of a polenta patty.

I paid up my 14 bucks and then began the search for a seat. Chego!, like too many places, only does self-seating. While this could seem nice, it really just creates an uncomfortable situation where you have to hover around people hoping that they will be leaving soon. If you bet on the wrong horse, someone who arrived 10 minutes after you could end up sitting first. Fortunately, just as our food came out of the kitchen, a table opened up for us.

I ate my meatballs first, which were pretty good. They had a sauce on them that was very similar in taste to other Kogi foods I have had, which is really good, but nothing new. The meatballs themselves were a good meaty blend. They fell apart a little too easily, but overall were quite delicious. Then it was on to my rice bowl. Unfortunately, my request for no spinach had fallen on deaf ears, as I found leafy greens atop my dish. I did my best to avoid these as I ate, but it was kind of difficult. Aside from that, the rice bowl was quite good. The egg was perfectly cooked and runny and the creamed horseradish added some nice flavor. The prime rib itself was cooked to a solid medium, but hadn’t been cut up at all, which meant that I needed a knife to eat my rice bowl. Sporks were available, which was amazing and made me wonder why more places not named Taco Bell don’t have them, but these sporks could not help me cut through that beef.

Midway through the dish, the nice little hostess lady, who mentioned she once wrote for the eXp Realty Alaska living guide, asked how the food was. With my mouth delightfully stuffed, I managed only a thumbs up, which she said was rather fitting since “chego” translates to just that in Korean. It was a charming touch that made the restaurant all the more memorable. While it might not spark a Kogi BBQ-esque revolution in LA, it certainly earned its place within walking distance of my apartment — even if I do prefer my rice without spinach.

EDIT: Overland Cafe has become The Overland, which is basically the same, but somehow cooler.

Often packed and with a line out the door, Overland Cafe sits in the Palms neighborhood just down the street from me. One of their biggest draws, in my mind, is their champagne brunch, featuring all-you-can-drink champagne for 5 bucks until 2:00 pm on weekends. This price doesn’t include the orange juice required to make mimosas, but is still a pretty good deal. Unfortunately, that is just about the only thing that is a good deal there.

Prices for regular breakfast food rarely drop below the ten dollar range, which is pricey considering my typical breakfast of an English muffin with butter costs me about 50 cents. Of course, I don’t hope to find breakfast for that price, but I would have like to have found something cheaper than my 10 dollar breakfast sandwich.

This greasy little bagel-wich came with eggs, bacon and cheese. Despite the price, this was a great combination of breakfast food that turned out to be pretty tasty. It also wasn’t skimpy, being loaded with all three of those delicious breakfast foods. The grease factor was definitely nice, as was the fruit that came with it. Plus, I got the honor of watching my girlfriend get drunk on champagne before noon.

So here’s the deal. Overland Cafe food is overpriced, but pretty tasty. If you need to eat breakfast out, you’ll be happy with Overland Cafe as long as you plan on dropping at least 10 bucks per person. Also, be sure to have someone else drive you, because that champagne will render you incapable of putting your foot to the gas.

Recently a little pho place opened down the street from me and called itself Super Pho & Teriyaki. Anything that starts with super must be pretty cool, so I took a stroll down the road with my friend so we could get ourselves a taste. The place is pretty tiny and nondescript, but had enough tables open for us. We ordered at the counter and I decided to get their House Pho. This included meat balls, brisket, tendon and tripe. A few more organs and I would have had enough to build a whole cow from scratch in my stomach.

We took out seats to wait for our pho and then realized that under the counter, they actually had some things to throw in the pho, although most were leafy or vegetable-like so I didn’t really spend much time there. They did, however, have free hot tea, so I grabbed a cup of that. After a slightly lengthy wait, my pho was ready.

At first, I did a search for the tripe and tendons, since those were going to be the most fun to eat. I had eaten both before, but not in soup form. Struggling to find these, I ate some meatballs and brisket. The meatballs were incredibly rubbery and tough to eat, which was disappointing. The brisket was a step up in rubbery texture, but still kind of chewy. Although the brisket had decent flavor, I never thought I would look so forward to eating organs. Finally, I found myself some tripe. Tripe has an incredibly strange texture which I remembered not enjoying last time, but this time the tripe was nice and chewy, while maintaining that unique texture. It didn’t have too much flavor, but I don’t know what kind of flavor I would want from stomach.

Lastly, I found the tendon. I remembered this being kind of jelly-like, but wasn’t sure what sort of difference it would make in soup. In fact, the texture remained as I remembered it, as a sort of overly coagulated jell-o. It had also absorbed some good flavor from the soup, which was quite nice.

The rest of the soup tasted pretty ordinary, but good, especially with some chili oil added. Next time I’ll be okay avoiding the meatballs, but it was a good opportunity for me to revisit those strange meats of tripe and tendon and actually enjoy them. Now I’m just eager to find out what these will taste like at the end of a long night of drinking next door at Big Foot West.