The Vitals: the spot: Little Big Burger 1630 East 6th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: Little Big Burger with double patty, cheddar and bacon the bucks: $7.50, $4.50 respectively the full nelson: a burger chain that's pretty keen on Bang for your Burger Buck

One of my first jobs out of college would occasionally take the staff out for lunch. I naturally liked to steer the ship on where would we go, and fought relentlessly from dining at a chain. That was almost 20 years ago and in the two decades that have since passed, the words "restaurant chain" conjure up a more complex dining scene. Yes, there are some respectable chains out there, especially in the world of burgers. In the case of Little Big Burger, you just might have the best Bang for your Burger Buck chain there is . . . (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Tsubaki Szechuan 1117 NW 25th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106 the eats: Xiao Long Bao(soup dumplings), fried beef with cumin, pork wonton in chili oil  the bucks: $8.95, $13.95, $5.95 respectively the full nelson: dumplings as good as I've had in NYC, San Francisco or LA

Growing up in the Midwest and being a 1st generation Bengali American, I know that even the "fly over states" have more diversity than what some might give them credit for. And it being 2019, one should not be too surprised to hear the words "Xiao Long Bao" in a place like Oklahoma City. But even I have to admit I was surprised to find these iconic dumplings and a dim sum staple in the land of the OKC Thunder . . . (more…)