Yeah, I got love for Asheville. I have since the summer of 1998 when I took a road trip there to check the scene out. My most memorable moment was talking to a French Ex-Pat who fled Los Angeles after 10 years and extolled the virtues of the mountain serenity with a 4 year old in tow. Beyond the slower pace of life one would expect, you also have to recognize the draw Asheville has for people from all over the country and beyond. For whatever reasons, the AVL has been designated a cool town and a standout in North Carolina along the lines of the hippie/hipster angle. Charlotte might boast more growth but Asheville has is its own brand of chill. As far as the food goes, this town is a trend setter in the South. As far as the Cheap Eats goes? Well let's just take a gander! (more…)

If I had to choose a coast I would have to choose the West. I lived out there so don't go there. But that don't mean a brother can't feast in the East. Ok, so that isn't entirely true as I would love to hang my trucker hat in NYC someday but nothing wrong with quoting a little Biggie Smalls. And there ain't nothing wrong with shining a light on the Boston food scene, which is at once historic and trending with some new foodie fads. Seems like gentrification is happening all over the map and Beantown is no exception. Finding a delicious mix of new and old in Boston is as easy as saying yes to burgers for breakfast. Oh and speaking of burgers for breakfast . . . (more…)

Brooklyn. The largest borough of the NYC. Simply iconic. And for a long while an oasis of Cheap Eats along with cheap rent. But then Brooklyn blew up and decided to take on big brother Manhattan as the "it spot" in NYC. Suddenly the idea of Cheap Eats became a challenge. Well yours truly is always up for a Cheap Eats challenge almost as often as I am up for a trip to the city that never sleeps, so get ready for the lowdown rundown on Cheap Eats Brooklyn!! (more…)

City of Brotherly Grub. Yes, Philadelphia is truly a grand land of Cheap Eats and frankly could not be a better place to begin the fourth season of Cheap Eats. Philly is a special town for me, a veritable second hometown as this is where my wife hails from. In general I love the East Coast: the history, the diversity and die hard food traditions. Ask someone from Philly where the best hoagie is and you will get an earful. Get 'em started on how their high end dining spots can compete with NYC and you can pretty much give up the next few hours of your day. And unless you are the Pope or Santa Claus, or a NY Giants fan(or Cowboys), it is an easy town to root for. So what can $35 get you around here? Well, I'm glad you asked . . . (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Hampton + Hudson 299 N. Highland Ave Atlanta, GA 30307 the eats: Smoked Shitake Chicken Burger the bucks: $12 the full nelson: first non beef burger on Bang. best recognize why.

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The Vitals: the spot: Holeman and Finch 2277 Peachtree Road Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30309 the eats: The H and F burger the bucks: $14 the full nelson: they make 24 of these burgers a night. and it tastes as special as that sounds.

These days I find myself enjoying burgers priced in the mid teens more and more. Could it be that Cheap Eats has changed my palate? Or is it my wallet? Heck, it's both. While I believe that the all mighty burger(and many foods) should remain an affordable experience, I can't deny the power of fresh baked buns, quality farm sourced ingredients and the audacity to present a chef's vision between two buns. And those factors carry with it a price tag. (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Hightower 1209 E. 7th St. Austin TX 78702 the eats: "Burger" the bucks: $9 the full nelson: one messy steal of a burger that is worth the extra napkins

Austin is an unpretentious food town, and Hightower's dimly lit interior and casual service set you up perfectly to be surprised by a dynamic menu wrangling in Mexican and Asian flavors in a small plates format sized for tipsy appetites. Every time I eat there I like it more and more. If you watch Cheap Eats carefully or read this blog(which I'm guessing you do since you are right now) you know that I flip for flavor forward foods. Mexican and Asian cooking certainly can serve that up, and being an American who is spoiled by food culture choices, it is nice to go to one place that has great whiskey and food I would crave a day after having plenty of whiskey. Before we get to the burger however I do feel we need to get into some other highlights of the menu that might have you picking Hightower for a date night as much as a burger binge. (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Cafe Sushi 1105 Massachusetts ave Cambridge MA 02138 the eats: Omakase (chef's tasting menu of sushi, cooked items) the bucks: $110 the full nelson: top shelf sushi meets no frills environment and an overall bargain of an omakase experience

I recently found myself in Boston searching for Cheap Eats (#staytuned) when a local chef put me in the know about Cafe Sushi, a full on Bang for your Sushi Buck place if you like to take your sushi to Omakase overdrive.  For the uninitiated, Omakase is Japanese for "I'll leave it up to you"; essentially giving the chef carte blanche to design a tasting menu of the very best. The phrase infers respect but it also is saying to the chef - "show me what you got". If you thought sushi was expensive, well omakase is taking upgrading your Benz to an AMG or at the right places, a full on Maybach. In the case of Cafe Sushi, I would say you are upgrading to a flagship Lexus - a relative bargain amongst the world of high end dining but far from chump change. And what is the MSRP you ask? $110 per person. Yes, this meal breaks triple digits before a single drop of sake or beer. Is it worth it? For the true sushiphile, read on and let the hunger games begin!! (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Contigo 2027 Anchor Ln, Austin, TX 78723 the eats: Burger w/ cheese and fries the bucks: $16 the full nelson: one of the best burgers in Austin

An article came out in Bon Appétit magazine last year describing Contigo as a restaurant "locals bring out of towners in order to convince them to move here". I would go a step further and say it is a place to bring your friends visiting from Brooklyn, Silver Lake or San Francisco and say "hey Austin has food as good as you do plus we are as laid back as the patio you are eating and drinking in". Austin of course has food worthy making a trip for, especially if you hail from the latest and greatest corners of gentrification. Contigo isn't so much a meal you see on an episode of Chef's Table but they are as timely and relevant as chef driven, farm to table burgers get. It's among my top two burgers in Austin and proof that the best Bang for your Burger Buck in this town sits in the mid teen range(Odd Duck is right up there too). But wait, did I say the best burger value is in fact closer to an Andrew Jackson then a Abraham Lincoln? Yeah, I really did. As much as P. Terry's and Hopdoddy will absolutely sate your burger fix for under $10, whats happening around the $15 mark at Contigo and Odd Duck, well that's good enough to convince your East and West Coast friends that Austin's food scene is as relevant as LA, SF or NYC. Need more convincing? Well that's what I'm here to do. (more…)

The Vitals: the spot: Pueblo Viejo 502 Brushy st Austin TX 78702  the eats: lamb barbacoa, taco Nes, taco chicharron the bucks: $3.75, $3.75 and $3.20 respectively per taco the full nelson: you can't eat more than three. but you will want to. 

My people, sometimes I just gotta come at ya and flat out say it: right now Pueblo Viejo is my favorite taco spot in Austin, may the whole damn world. They take the idea of cheap tacos and turned it on its side. Rather than offering a small tasty treat for $2 or less(and I know LA peeps - $2 a taco is $$$), Pueblo charges you somewhere between $3 and $4 for a tortilla stuffed with enough meat to fill a San Francisco Mission style burrito. Two will be enough, yet I dream about eating more than three because they are as flavorful as they are generous. Being a taco spot in Austin you might be tempted to try the breakfast tacos, and while cheaper, the fun lies in lunch . . . oh lordy these tacos are bumpin' so let's just my Pueblo pics . . . (more…)