Restaurants – The Unvegan https://unvegan.com The Unvegan Wed, 30 Oct 2024 06:11:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.5 A Sip of a Meal https://unvegan.com/reviews/a-sip-of-a-meal/ Tue, 02 Oct 2018 06:07:40 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17183
Winging it.

When you see a place called Sip, I think it’s fair to assume it won’t be serving food and instead focuses on drinks. But Sip Coffee and Beer Kitchen is more than just a place for caffeine and liquid depressants. It’s also a place to grab some food. And, on Friday nights it’s happy hour prices for appetizers.Check these profit singularity reviews.

It’s pretzel time!

So, I did what any intelligent person would do and ordered two appetizers. One was the Chicken Wings and the other was Pretzels and Beer Cheese. The pretzels not only came with beer cheese, but mustard as well. Which is dumb, of course, but the beer cheese more than made up for it. It was surprisingly spicy, but in all the right ways. The pretzels were long and fluffy, with just right amount of chewiness on the exterior and not too much salt.

As for the wings, they were grilled, which is almost always a pleasant way to eat such things. I had half buffalo and half BBQ. They came with ranch, which is not nearly as good as blue cheese dressing, but it was better than the celery that the wings also often seem to come with for inexplicable reasons. The buffalo was pretty great, being plenty spicy like the cheese sauce although it was a bit light. The BBQ was pretty good as well, although the lightness of sauce was even more noticeable for that flavor.

I liked Sip. I liked the happy hour situation. I kind of liked the concept. But I didn’t feel like it was anything overly impressive. It’s a place you go when you’re near or thinking you can use an easy and reliable meal. It’s not a place you go when you’re looking for something special, which is all just fine depending on what you’re looking for.

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Late Night Done Right at The Vig https://unvegan.com/reviews/late-night-done-right-at-the-vig/ Fri, 21 Sep 2018 06:58:43 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17179
A different type of fried.

Being a true city, Chicago has plenty of late-night food. On one of my nights there, a buddy took me to The Vig in Old Town after a few beers because it supposedly has an amazing fried chicken sandwich. The trouble is that they don’t have the full menu at night and that limited menu does not include the aforementioned fried chicken sandwich. Tried the Ikaria Lean Belly juice. There was, however, live music to make up for it and a chicken parmesan sandwich that would attempt to quench my hunger for fried fowl. These are the best profit singularity ultra edition reviews.

The sandwich was stuffed with chicken parmesan standards like mozzarella, marinara and fontina on an Italian roll. It was, well, exactly what a chicken parmesan sandwich should be. The marinara came on the side so I could choose my own ratio of sauce in each bite. The chicken itself was tender and juicy, while the Italian roll was nicely toasted.

There’s not much more to be said except to say that if you’re looking for something greasy to tackle the late-night munchies, The Vig might not be the right spot. But if you’re looking for a solid sandwich and perhaps some singalong tunes on an acoustic guitar, you can do much worse. Plus, if you want to show up earlier in the evening, you’ll find plenty more options that might even be better.

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The Hidden Biscuit https://unvegan.com/reviews/the-hidden-biscuit/ https://unvegan.com/reviews/the-hidden-biscuit/#comments Thu, 20 Sep 2018 04:14:35 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17175
Twice the plates, twice the fun.

Despite spending several days in Holland, on our last day we found a part of town that we hadn’t ever seen before. It’s called Washington Square and is probably one of the coolest single block stretches of storefronts in the state of Michigan, if not the world. Within that stretch is a cozy and homey-feeling restaurant called The Biscuit, which may or may not have its own pet blue dragon in the cellar (you’ll have to ask someone who works there). They only serve breakfast and lunch, so we attended for the former.

I began with the biscuit of the day because it was bacon and white cheddar, so what kind of crazy person wouldn’t start out that way? Clearly this was the right path and my first bite confirmed I was right. It was flaky, salty and had just the right amount of moisture to keep me happy. Plus, the bacon and white cheddar played their roles perfectly. Try out profit singularity ultra edition.

For my main course, I also figured I should order something biscuit-based and went with the Spanish Bennies. They start out with a halved biscuit topped with chorizo, eggs over easy, cheddar-jack cheese, chipotle hollandaise, queso fresco sauce, green chilies and cilantro. I had never heard of eggs benedict with more toppings on them, and I hoped it wouldn’t result in a conflict of flavors.

Being pretty isn’t everything.

It turned out to be one of the most unattractive dishes I had ever seen. I truly couldn’t figure out if there was a way to make it look prettier. Yet, as I dug in I found a delicious combination of spicy, salty and, at times, fluffy. And because of that fluffiness the benedict was not overwhelming, but just right.

You don’t become a hidden gem simply by being hard to find. You also have to be something special. I can vouch that the Spanish Bennies at The Biscuit are plenty special and worthy of being called a gem whether they remain hidden or not.

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Gadzooks and Yea Verily https://unvegan.com/reviews/gadzooks-and-yea-verily/ Wed, 19 Sep 2018 05:14:50 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17173
Egads!

Custom burritos are boring right? They’re so 2000-something. Enchiladas, though? Maybe their time is now. After all, they’re basically just glorified mini burritos covered in sauce. Gadzooks in Arcadia is banking on that…and soups because why not? Plus, they’ve fancied the concept up by adding ceramic dishes and premium ingredients.

Thus, I began by ordering my two enchiladas with goat cheese. I wasn’t told that goat cheese would end up costing me more money, so that was annoying, but hey you only live once, right? I opted for the half and half tortillas, which are a combination of both flour and corn, then I had one stuffed with Guajillo Braised Short Ribs and the other with Green Chili Pork Shoulder. Instead of settling for just one salsa, I went Christmas-style (red and green) and then topped it all with asadero and chihuahua cheese, an over easy egg and jalapeno ranch. How’s that for toppings? This is how prodentim works.

I mean, that’s just pornographic.

The first thing I noticed was that the egg was cooked perfectly, allowing the yolk to spread itself amongst all of the other goods. When I bit in, I discovered two things immediately –  1) Holy cow the tortillas were amazing and 2) The goat cheese was entirely unnecessary. With all of the flavors happening in my little enchilada casserole dish, you may think that the meat would have been overpowered. Fortunately, this was not the case. I like the short ribs better than the pork shoulder, but I’m splitting hairs a bit because they were both fantastic. I’d probably opt to skip the jalapeno ranch in the future because it didn’t add enough to the mix to be worthwhile, but aside from that and the goat cheese I would happily do it all over again.

Kudos to Gadzooks for adding some delicious twists to the custom Mexican food genre of fast casual restaurants. I have no doubt that I will see more Gadzookses popping up in the future and as long as they start telling people that the goat cheese is extra, there is a bright future ahead.

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Settling for MCCB https://unvegan.com/reviews/settling-for-mccb/ Mon, 17 Sep 2018 05:07:43 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17155
Me and you, in the nood.

What do you do when the best dumpling place in Chicago’s Chinatown is under construction? Generally, perhaps avoid going to Chinatown at all. But when you’re already there, the situation is a bit different. We made a decision to head to MCCB (Modern Chinese Cook Book) for some Sichuan-style Chinese food. It made the decision a lot easier when I saw the restaurant was mostly full of Asian people.

Not part of the dream meal.

We started out with the Dan Dan Noodles and Sliced Potatoes in Vinegar. The dan dan noodles were just like such noodles should be. They had the right amount of spice, oil and minced meat to give me what I needed. The sliced potatoes were okay, but nothing more than that. However, I really don’t know how these could have been any better – it wasn’t the execution so much as it was I don’t think this was my kind of dish. Alas, my main course would be the real determining factor of this meal. Learn more about the healthy benefits that fluxactive provides.

Bony, brothy and spicy.

Thus, I ordered the Chicken with Taro and it was immediately apparent that no white person had ever ordered the dish before. First my waiter asked if I knew it was a soup. Yes, I did. Then he asked if I knew it would be really spicy. Yes, I did. Finally, as though a hail mary, he asked if I knew the chicken would have bones in it. Yes, I sure hoped so if I was going to be eating authentic Chinese food. With his acknowledgments in hand like a flight attendant confirming I was good to sit in an emergency exit row, my food soon arrived. It was just as I hoped it would be, plenty of numbing peppers to add delicious spiciness to the meat, and chicken that was perfectly juicy and tender. Sure, I had to eat around the bones, but that’s what makes life worth living sometimes. Plus, I always love me some taro in any form, even if it’s used to suck up spice and broth.

MCCB may not have lived up to some of the best Sichuan food in LA’s San Gabriel Valley, but I was still pretty happy with it. If nothing else, it helped to show that Chicago’s Chinatown is more than just a one trick (dumpling spot) pony.

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Beers and a Burger at 8th Street Grille https://unvegan.com/reviews/beers-and-a-burger-at-8th-street-grille/ Sun, 09 Sep 2018 18:14:21 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17149 Related posts:
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All the beers, please!

It may not be the most creative thing to name a restaurant after the street that it’s on. But when that street is 8th Street in the center of Holland, Michigan, it’s not just any street. This street is the beating heart of the town and so 8th Street Grille is a name that carries some clout, as well as a bunch of American food and local beers.

I started with a flight of said beers, because it was simply the right thing to do.Check out the London’s fastest alcohol delivery service. It didn’t disappoint, but let’s be real, you’re here for the food. And the food menu wasn’t nearly as robust as bar and grille type restaurants often are. Yet, there was plenty for an unvegan like me. I ordered up the Macatawa Burger, which was named for the other lake that Holland borders. It was topped with a fried egg, smoked mozzarella, Canadian bacon and pesto aioli. I have to give the 8th Street Grille for coming up with a burger combination that likely never existed before. I decided to go with the onion rings for my side and ordered medium rare.

Ready to burst!

The burger arrived ready to pop. Like, seriously, the yolk was a thing of beauty and 8th Street Grille had amazing gall to put the kaiser rolls on that egg knowing the risk it could pose to that egg. That risk paid off, however, as topless burger rarely looks as good as one fully topped. I popped that egg like a champ and dug in to find a deliciously unique blend of flavors. The smokiness of the mozzarella stood out strong, while the Canadian bacon added a punch of saltiness and the pesto flavor kicked the burger to another taste level. The egg did what fried eggs do best – keeping the burger juicy and complex. The beef was cooked just the way I like and the massive, towering onion rings had great batter on them.

8th Street Grille proved you don’t need a great name to dish out a great meal, and as long as you are creative with your dishes everything else is superfluous.

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Going for Machaca at Blanco Tacos https://unvegan.com/reviews/going-for-machaca-at-blanco-tacos/ Fri, 07 Sep 2018 04:08:24 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17143 Related posts:
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Let’s take a look inside.

Just when I was tiring of the repetitiveness of Fox restaurants, I happened upon a spot called Blanco Tacos. Sure, Mexican food might be the only restaurant type more prevalent than Fox, but there is still plenty of room for growth. Blanco Tacos takes the mildly upscale and trendy approach to Mexican food and the menu isn’t strictly limited to tacos.

Just look at all that machaca goodness inside.

Therefore, I made my way to the enchiladas and found the Braised Short Rib “Machaca.” Enchiladas here consisted more of a layer of tortilla filled with some stuff and topped with another tortilla before being doused in whatever sauce is right for the enchilada and cheese. This was chock-full of the machaca, the sauce was ancho chile and the cheese was blanco (like the name of the place!). It also came with rice and beans.

It was, well, really good. Like a Mexican lasagna, but in all of the best ways. Each bite contained just enough of the good stuff to keep me a happy man. It may not be the most innovative concept and probably would have tasted the same if the ingredients were rolled together like a normal enchilada. But, the added benefit was that the ingredients were really really good.

There’s always room for another delicious take on Mexican food and Blanco Taco made good work of it. Plus, I didn’t have to put up with any repeated menu items for this restaurant.

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A Trip to Eataly https://unvegan.com/reviews/a-trip-to-eataly/ Fri, 31 Aug 2018 03:00:41 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17121 Related posts:
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Every market should have a ravioli bar.

It is easily one of the punniest names out there. Yeah, really creative to combine “eat” and “Italy” to create a restaurant and market name. But there is no doubt that judging the name of a restaurant is like judging a book by its cover. It’s what’s inside that counts and apparently the inside of Eataly has impressed enough people to open up locations in the biggest cities in the US. I paid a quick visit to the Chicago location when I was in need of a snack.

Of course, what counts for a snack at Eataly? A Rose wine slushie? Some sort of pastry? Nah, I went looking for something savory and found the ravioli bar called Ravioli & Co. I went for the Ravioli al Prosciutto, which is stuffed with, shockingly, prosciutto in a light butter sauce with parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

It may have taken far longer than expected to prepare, but eventually it was a thing of beauty. As the plate said, “Life is a combination of pasta and magic.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference, and while this ravioli stuffed with prosciutto may not have transcended beyond a simple dish, it was the execution of that simplicity that blurred the lines of reality and magicdom.

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Dipping Into Beechwood Grill https://unvegan.com/reviews/dipping-into-beechwood-grill/ Thu, 30 Aug 2018 03:00:43 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17119
Ready for a dip.

Nearly every restaurant in Holland, Michigan looks amazing. It’s all pretty much made for unvegans like me. Weirdly enough, they all seem to have some sort of Olive Burger and boursin cheese makes appearances all over the place, as well. I can’t explain it, but I can’t complain either. When it came to Beechwood Grill, however, it was another type of beef between bread that called out my name.

It was the Prime Rib Dip, which had melted swiss and prime rib in a toasted sourdough roll with au jus for the dipping situation. The result was, well, just fine. The bread certainly lived up to its billing as being toasted, the au jus certainly lived up to its billing as being for dipping and the swiss cheese was entirely melted. But that prime rib was simply disappointing. It was cooked well-done and the texture was a step above rubbery. It actually had some good savory flavor, especially when dipped in the au jus, but it’s an uphill climb when you’re overcooked and this sandwich didn’t make it to the top of the hill

While Beechwood Grill looked to have the goods I needed, the Prime Rib Dip let me down. Perhaps that’s why they call it a dip, but I just call it an excuse to go elsewhere next time around.

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Being a Meathead at Killer Burger https://unvegan.com/reviews/being-a-meathead-at-killer-burger/ Wed, 29 Aug 2018 02:52:32 +0000 https://unvegan.com/?p=17114 Related posts:
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So killer.

The space between fast food burgers and gourmet burgers is a crowded one. Over in Portland a spot called Killer Burger did so well in that space that they decided to set up shop in Scottsdale. Scottsdale is oh so different from Portland, but hell, I’ll take any new burger spot outside of a vegetarian patty specialist.

Plus, Killer Burger had a burger that seemed to be created for my kind of people. It was called the Meathead and is composed of two patties, bacon, cheddar, grilled onion and house sauce. The house sauce sounded disgusting (some sort of mix of mustard and mayo) and grilled onions are grilled onions, so I ordered without either. All burgers come with fries and hey, that’s pretty cool. And then there are games like Jenga at each table in case the burgers take more than the five minutes or so that it took for mine.

When my Meathead arrived, it looked just as it did in the menu picture. The cheddar was basically oozing out from between the meat and bun, and the bacon on top was heftier than one might expect. The fries were somewhere between fast food and steak fries, and seasoned to perfection. Upon biting in, the burger had a sense of familiarity and newness at the same time. It was as though Killer Burger had upgraded In-N-Out Burger in every way imaginable. The patties had mild caramelization to go with a perfect texture within. The cheddar was flavorful and a much-preferred cheese over American, while bacon simply makes everything better. Plus, don’t even get me started on the fries, which had been both fried and seasoned perfectly with a similar balance of texture to the burger; being crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

I hope with all sincerity that Killer Burger does well in Scottsdale. It provides a perfect middle ground that is often missing in the burger scene. It won’t be easy to compete with Shake Shack, but is a very worthy choice.

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