Boys and Girls, welcome to the Season Finale of Cheap Eats brought to you by the killer food scene and all around good vibes of Burlington, Vermont. Now I had never been to Burlington before, but I spent too many years listening to Phish and watching pals trot off to UVM(University of Vermont) to not have some idea of the potential here. First off, in June, Burlington is a beautiful place and we were lucky to catch a music festival while we were shooting here. Great beer scene, great restaurants and great music; Burlington reminded me a lot of my current home of Austin. And Lake Champlain? Truly gorgeous. I could not have asked for a better close to season 3 so get ready to take one last big bite of Cheap Eats Burlington baby! (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Launderette 2115 Holly St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Plancha Burger the bucks: $9 the full nelson:  A chef driven take on a classic comfort food burger

I have been living in Austin for a little over two years now and while I feel comfortable waxing poetic on some obvious edible essentials like La Barbecue, P. Terry's or Taco Deli; the fine dining scene eludes me. Part of it is because since having a kid, my wife and I eat out at these types of establishments far less. The other part is that you don't need to eat at a fine dining establishment to get a taste of the chef driven, farm to table food experience that is the cornerstone of our contemporary fine dining movement. Which brings me to my visit at Launderette for the Plancha burger. First off Launderette is far more than a mere burger spot, their menu is a mix of shared plates and a few entrées, with a heavy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influence. The chef behind the savory side of the menu, Rene Ortiz, is an accomplished one, with a resumé that rattles off names like Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse like a teaser for an upcoming episode of Top Chef Masters. And the burger costs $9, so this should be a perfect storm for Bang for your Burger Buck right? That depends on what you expect out of your burgers. The Plancha is a chef driven version of a classic American Diner cheeseburger, a burger genre whose entries make the lists of the best burgers around. And if you need support that a diner cheeseburger can draw the admiration of top tier critics, just ask Jonathan Gold, George Motz or Nick Solares. How does the Plancha stack up? Let's find out. (more…)

Oh Portsmouth, your name just screams "the sea" and so does your delish clam chowder or should I say "chowdah". After all, we are a stones throw from Boston. You know, that wicked awesome town that has kinda owned the world of sports for most of the 21st century. Well I'm not here to rehash old news, just to dish out the latest on Cheap Eats and Portsmouth has got that plus a food scene that is pulling in well heeled East Coasters into this charming little seaside town. So grab some chips, order a pizza and let's dig into some Cheap Eats in Portsmouth New Hampshire! (more…)

For the last leg of Cheap Eats Season 3, we head back east to old New England. Timing is everything they say and since we landed in Providence in June, we lucked out with the weather. Summers in New England are a beautiful thing which is part the Austinite in me who longs to leave triple digit weather but is also the Los Angeleno in me that can tip my cap to a 72 degree and sunny kinda life style. But you're not here for the weather report, you're hear for the Cheap Eats. Well good news is we ate great clams for not a lot of clams, and scored some true East Coast gems like an authentic meatball grinder and a Portuguese rendition of French Toast. But it's not all Euro centric my Cheap Eaters, we scored a plate of tots that could feed a fraternity chapter. So strap in, hold on tight and take a bit bite out of Cheap Eats Providence! (more…)