West Hollywood – The Unvegan

4/24/2012 Reviews Los Angeles

Burger Aid at Salt’s Cure (RELOCATED)

EDIT: This review is of the original. The new Salt’s Cure is apparently bigger and better. We shall see…oh yes…we shall see.

My continued quest for amazing burgers took me to a place called Salt’s Cure in West Hollywood. At this particular intersection, only one of the corners lacks burgers, as the other two are populated by Fatburger and Astro Burger. And while Salt’s Cure isn’t strictly a burger place, a quick look at the high priced menu on the wall when I walked in all but guaranteed I would be eating their burger.

Bacon Burgers Cheese Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Pork Restaurants Salt's Cure West Hollywood

1/31/2012 Reviews West Hollywood

Palihouse Goes All DineLA

Well, it’s that wonderful time of the year again – dineLA’s Restaurant Week. Yes, it’s the time of the year where I spend too much, eat too much, and still feel happy about it. Unless, of course, I’m eating at Katana. This time around, we went with a couple friends to Palihouse in West Hollywood. I’d been to Palihouse once before, late at night when it was trying to be a bar/club. It’s also a hotel. But on this night, it was simply a restaurant to us.

DineLA Los Angeles Palihouse Restaurant Week Restaurants Steak West Hollywood

10/12/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Breaking the Fast at Greenblatt’s

After a long day of repenting and fasting, I needed a good Jewish meal to remind my body and mind what eating felt like. Since we were attending a comedy show later that night at The Laugh Factory, we decided to go to an ancient little deli next door called Greenblatt’s. And when I say ancient, I meant it’s been there since 1926. That means when my grandma was living in LA in the late ’40s, it was already old and she remembers its existence. To survive for 85 years anywhere, let a lone a big city where change is the only contant is quite impressive. I was eager to find out what kept Greenblatt’s ticking and to satiate my fully empty stomach.

Corned Beef Delis Greenblatt's Jewish Los Angeles Meat Pastrami Restaurants Sandwiches West Hollywood

9/20/2011 Reviews West Hollywood

Sketching Out at Hollywood Pies (RELOCATED)

EDIT: I haven’t been back since they moved into a real place, but the experience here was so special I’m not sure it’s worth it.

You make a call and show up in a back alley 45 minutes later. When you arrive, your guy comes out carrying about five pounds worth. You hand him your cash, then take your purchase wherever you want and inhale it. If this sounds like a drug deal to you, get your mind out of the gutter. Unless your drug is pizza, in which case you should head to this back alley in West Hollywood immediately. This is the way it works for Hollywood Pies, the sketchiest pizza place in LA you’ve never been to. You may have eaten their pizza, and you may have even picked up their pizza, but you have never been there because there is no “there.”

Chicago-Style Pizza Italian Los Angeles Meat Meatballs Pepperoni Pizza Sausages West Hollywood

7/26/2011 Reviews West Hollywood

A Birthday Burger at Comme Ça (CLOSED)

Ever since I conceived of the notion of a to-eat list, Comme Ça (pronounced comb-eh sah) has resided on that list. The reason is because once upon a time, Jane Sigal of the New York Times called The Comme Ça Burger “perfect.” That is no small claim and no small publication. But how would it fare against my unvegan palette? Would it crumble to the ground and beg for mercy like the Father’s Office Burger or would it leaving me begging for more like Umami Burger? I hoped it would be the latter.

Burgers Comme Ã‡a Comme Ca French Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants West Hollywood

7/14/2011 Reviews West Hollywood

A Personal Burger at Irv’s (RELOCATED)

EDIT: Irv’s has relocated, so the address here has as well. Hopefully not too much has changed.

Legend tells of a burger shack in West Hollywood. This legend says that this burger place has been around since 1950, but retains everything that made it great in that bygone era, with at least one great enhancement. This place is Irv’s Burgers and the enhancement is a little something special for every customer. This something special is that rather than giving you a number, the people behind Irv’s draw a little picture of you on your plate so they know who to bring each burger out to. This makes Irv’s a refreshing gem in the middle of the fast-paced cafes and generic boutiques of West Hollywood.

Beef Burgers Hamburgers Irv's Burgers Los Angeles Restaurants West Hollywood

6/20/2011 Reviews West Hollywood

A True Detroit Experience at Coney Dog (CLOSED)

We Detroiters (or metro-Detroiters in my case) are adamantly defensive and passionate about our Detroit roots. Ask one of the thousands of Detroit expats what they miss most about their homeland and they will give you answers ranging from the lakes to the sports to awesome summers. But there is one thing just about all of us can agree upon: we miss coney. In LA, we are about as far from Detroit as possible in the lower 48 and absence truly makes the heart grow fonder. Just about every conversation I’ve had with a former Detroiter in the 3-plus years I’ve lived in LA has led to a “wouldn’t it be awesome if we opened a coney restaurant out here?” moment. Yet, while all these conversations were taking place, a few people were making it happen.

Beef Burgers Coney Coney Dog Coney Island Detroit-Style Hot Dogs Loose Burger Los Angeles Meat Restaurants Sunset Strip West Hollywood

5/23/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Snacking at Astro Burger

Countless times I have driven through West Hollywood and passed Astro Burger. In just about all of these situations, I have muttered to myself or to anyone in my car that I just need to try that place. Finally, after one of my rare drinking nights in West Hollywood, I had a golden opportunity to see what was inside Astro Burger.

American Astro Burger Bacon Burgers Fast Food Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat Restaurants West Hollywood

4/7/2011 Reviews Los Angeles

Menuless at Gardens of Taxco

About a year ago, a coworker of mine walked up to my desk, slapped a golden matchbook on it and told me I had to go to this restaurant. The restaurant he spoke of was called Gardens of Taxco in West Hollywood and despite the strange-sounding name, he told me it was amazing. One year later he is no longer a coworker of mine, but a Living Social deal popped up for the place and I took it as a sign from the tax gods that it was time for me to pay the Gardens a visit.

Beef Carne Asada Gardens of Taxco Los Angeles Meat Mexican Mexico City-Style Restaurants West Hollywood

2/16/2011 Reviews West Hollywood

Katana Means Sword in Japanese

Katana (warning: turn down your speakers because their retarded site automatically plays loud bass) in West Hollywood is about as trendy as you can get for Japanese food. Yet, to my surprise, when I was sent their DineLA Restaurant Week menu for a possible dinner, I saw only one sushi option. With this in mind, I thought that perhaps the $34 fixed price would actually be worth it, so off we went to Katana. Showing up last, I was greeted with a rousing “irasshai” (although I was a bit disappointed they didn’t go for the more formal “irasshaimase”) and found that some chicken gyoza (potstickers) had already been ordered. This struck me as strange since we were about to order a fixed price meal, but I decided to roll with it.

DineLA Japanese Katana Los Angeles Meat Restaurant Week Restaurants Robata Sushi West Hollywood

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