The Unvegan

Recent Posts

10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus
Twerks and Burritos at Casa Amigos

‘Roast Beef’

A Very Convenient Corner Market Deli

Seeing green.

Scottsdale is pretty sterile city. This is not inherently a bad thing, but it is a thing that seems to preclude the concept of hidden gems. And, yet, I heard word of not just a hidden gem, but one right around the corner from me. Plus, it could only have had a more apt name if it was right next door. It’s called Convenient Corner Market and it dishes out sandwiches with bread baked in-house every day.

Gassing Up at Charlie the Butcher Express

So you know it's real.
So you know it’s real.

Beef on Weck may sound like some sort of disgusting mistake, but it’s really just roast beef on a roll with salt and carraway seed. Despite its relative simplicity, it’s a huge deal up here in Western New York. One of the supposed best is Charlie the Butcher, which has more than a few locations around town, including one in East Aurora. The East Aurora location, though, is is an express and resides within a gas station.

Beefed Up at Anderson’s

Where's the beef?
Where’s the beef?

Sweet, sweet Western New York, my home for the summer. Where weck is a thing and you better not say you’re in Upstate New York because they might kill you. They also have some sort of professional football team. It’s really a beautiful thing and I plan to eat as much of it as I can while here. Fortunately some friends have told me all the best places to go and I decided to begin with that thing called weck. To do so, I found my way to Anderson’s in Depew. Despite the obvious nod to soft serve in their sign, they also have weck.

Beef & Cheese at Top Round

I'm the new top of the round.
I’m the new top of the round.

Having kids must be tough. You raise them, do the best you can and at some point you let them go and hope for the best. Such was the feeling I had when leaving LA, knowing that I had played a vital role in the emergence of a pretty amazing food culture in just under five years of food blogging. But when I left, I have to admit I feared at least a small amount of anarchy to foment. Upon my return, however, I learned there was nothing to fear and I had clearly done a good job of setting the city up for the future. Case in point: Top Round.