The Vitals: the spot: Dave's Hot Chicken 970 N. Western Ave Los Angeles CA + locations throughout the city the eats: Chicken Tenders and Chicken Sliders + fries the bucks: $11-$13 for a combo the full nelson: A delicious gut buster on multiple levels
Nashville Hot Chicken ain't just a Nashville thing anymore. Take it from a guy who has been to Nashville and done the deed, you can now find spicy as Hell fried chicken in Austin, Chicago, NYC and most certainly Los Angeles. The kind of spice level Nashville Hot Chicken is known for is a young man's game. When I was 22, I'm sure I would have been up for signing that infamous waiver before eating the Reaper spice level Chicken Tenders or Chicken slider at Dave's Hot Chicken. But you don't need to go through all that torture to break a sweat at Dave's Hot Chicken. In fact, that part comes pretty easy. (more…)
The Vitals: the spot: Ippudo 65 4th Ave New York NY 10003 the eats: Ramen the bucks: $16 the full nelson: a ramen that comes with a ton of hype and some seriously good pork belly buns
How much should you pay for a bowl of ramen? That answer has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, in the US at least. In college, I never touched the stuff. And by "the stuff" I mean the ramen packets my pals would turn to when they realized that their food allowance took deep of a hit from last night's beer run. Cut to around the mid 2000s and I finally went to a respectable ramen joint. A spot that gets the people hooked with that super rich Tontkatusu pork broth and a line out the friggin' door. The place was called Daikokuya in Little Tokyo - downtown Los Angeles. Back then the line was fierce but the tab was pretty tame. 14 years is a ways back but I'm pretty sure a bowl of ramen loaded to the loaded to the gills should have set you back no more than $10. Today, expect to drop about $14. Which takes me to a ramen joint in NYC with a big rep and wide net: Ippudo, a ramen joint that can be found in locations spanning four continents. (more…)
The Vitals: the spot: Casita Nicole Antojitos Mexicanos 9618 Manchaca Road Austin TX (parked at the Texaco) the eats: Machete, Huitlacoche quesadillas, and everything else on the menu the bucks: $10 a person will set you up nicely the full nelson: the taco place Danny Trejo should have opened and Austin's answer to a Mexico City delicacy
Just when I think I have seen it all when it comes to tacos, I come across machete tacos, tacos shaped like a machete blade though far safer to eat than a machete blade, or any blade for that matter. Bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to tacos, but in the case of these Casita Nicole Machete tacos, well big is kinda awesome. Especially when the taco is bigger than the plate. (more…)
