‘Steak’
What would you do if you had a few drinks and found yourself face-to-face with a menu item filled with steak and poutine for only $19.99? If you’re anything like me, you order the crap out of it. This lovely scenario is exactly what happened when I found myself at Rohrbach Brewing Company in the Gates neighborhood of Rochester. Of course, I had already enjoyed some of their beers, including their delectable Scotch Ale.
In a place that is one number short of 7-11, I spent my 30th birthday dinner with my wife. That missing number was 7, and restaurant was called Eleven. Now, Eleven is known to have one of the better burgers in the ‘burgh, but it’s not on the dinner menu, so I made do with all the other goodies that were available for the ordering.
While visiting Niagara Falls we found ourselves at a place called Elements on the Falls. It’s kind of a fancy joint in a great location (like a great view of the falls), so I expected high prices and subpar food. The prices were certainly high, but considering the dishes were pretty fancy, they didn’t actually seem overly high. The only problem was actually ordering, because we had a pretty difficult time flagging down a waiter or waitress to take our order.
Pittsburgh has surprised me in its delicious offerings, ranging simple to upscale. Nonetheless, there is no denying that regular American food reigns supreme in this city even when it is all dolled up. Cure, though, is a bit of a different story. Located in Lawrenceville, it is helmed by 2014 James Beard nominee Justin Severino and is an unvegan paradise. Just be aware that when you come to this paradise, there is a price tag, but it is certainly worth it.
On a short little day trip to Cleveland, we made our way to Cleveland Heights to grab some Mexican food at Lopez. Not surprisingly, this wasn’t traditional Mexican food, but rather than try to hide behind an auspice of authenticity, Lopez had some unique offerings that I was eager to try. The only trouble was that almost everything seemed to have some sort of vegetable inside.
One of my favorite books of all time is The Catcher in the Rye, so when I heard there was a new restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh (as of November 2013) calling itself Butcher and the Rye, I was immediately interested. The place does take its name from the book, but rather than be some sort of gimmick, the restaurant is essentially devoted to meat and whiskey. And it’s from the people behind Meat and Potatoes. So, yeah, this was my kind of place and a perfect spot to take my wife for her birthday.
Steak steak steak. Steak steak. Steak. Survival. As far as I’m concerned, these are the thoughts that run through Gloria Gaynor’s head constantly.
Everyone one who knows anything knows about Shake Shack. Or at least they should. But perhaps they don’t know the man behind the meat: Pat LaFrieda, who has made the world of meat immeasurably better and is finally getting his due as an Unvegan Hero.
Two parts of LA’s beautiful food scene are its hidden gems and its seemingly effortless connection to its past. Taylor’s Steak House is both of these. Nestled in the heart of Koreatown, Taylor’s opened up in 1953, long before most Los Angelenos had ever heard the word “kimchi.” Yet, through the last 60 years, Taylor’s has endured and maintained an old-timey Hollywood charm.
Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park has one restaurant. It’s called Rainforest Restaurant in reference to the incredible rainforest across the Zambezi river from the falls that only exists because of the mists of the falls. In truth, it should be called a mist-forest, but that is neither here nor there. What is there is a little restaurant with a decent variety of options. Well, sort of.