LA Vegan Crepe

Happy 2013 all! I know I'm a bit late to the game, but 2013 has gotten off to a rough start and I have seriously been neglecting this blog. But - onward and upward! It seems I will have a bit more free time on my hands for the next couple months so I will do my best to post more often.

I want to talk about this cute little restaurant my husband and I discovered yesterday called LA Vegan Crepe. It opened a little over a month ago and we were both happy to find a new place to get a good vegan breakfast.

The place is cute and clean and luckily not too busy for a Sunday morning (though I'm sure that won't last very long once word starts to spread). Service is friendly, though not very speedy, but maybe that's a good thing. Us Americans tend to rush through our meals instead of relaxing and enjoying our experience.

On to the food! I started with a Green Machine juice. Kale, spinach, cucumber and apple. Just what I needed to start the day off right.

For my meal I ordered the tofu scramble with potatoes which was very tasty and just the right proportion to fill me up without making feel like I overate. The husband ordered waffles and I forgot to take a picture, but they were SO good.

Philippe, one of the owners, stopped by our table and spoke with us about where he gets some of their ingredients. Super nice guy. We love supporting local vegan businesses, so I'm sure we will be back often!

Hugo's Tacos

Hugo's Tacos is a taco stand in Studio City that is part of a bigger L.A. group of restaurants that are extremely vegan friendly. The husband and I often go to the Hugo's in West Hollywood for their great vegan breakfasts, but I heard that the taco stand had vegan soft serve, so I had to go.

All the Hugo restaurants have great menus and items are clearly marked if they are vegan or can be veganized. The taco stand menu is fairly simple offering tacos, burritos, nachos, etc. The husband and I opted for soy chorizo taquitos, mixed vegetable tacos, chips & guac.

The tacos were really good, mainly because they had potatoes in them (YUM!). The taquitos were pretty amazing too, crispy and spicy, just what I like! Even though I was pretty stuffed I could not pass up the ice cream and it was so worth it. Just thinking about it right now, I may need to make a trip to Studio City soon!

Bodhi Kosher Thai

I love, love, love Thai food so I was extremely excited to discover Bodhi Thai a few months ago. It is vegetarian (with lots of vegan options) and kosher. The restaurant sits in a tiny little strip mall and parking can can a challenge, but they deliver as well! Vegan items on their menu are clearly marked so it makes ordering easy.

I always get a starter here, usually either the spring rolls or the samosas (can't go wrong with fried food!). The spring rolls are awesome, crispy and filled with veggie goodness. The last time we went, I opted for the samosas. They're good, but a little too small in my opinion. I like my samosas large and packed full of potatoes! But these are tasty for sure.

 

 

My husband is a creature of habit and will always get pad thai. Bodhi's version is good (I stole a bite), but a little on the sweeter side than other pad thai's I've had. The husband seems to like it.

 

I tried something new this time around and went for the Spicy Noodles (pan fried thin rice noodles sauteed in spicy sauce with basil leaves, carrots, onions and bell peppers). I was SO glad I did, this dish was amazing. Perfect amount of spice and large chunk of tofu! So good.

 

Sage Organic Vegan Bistro

In quirky Echo Park on the ground floor of the historical Jensen's Rec Building sits Sage Organic Vegan Bistro. I've been meaning to try this place for awhile now and finally got around to hitting up their brunch on a beautiful Sunday morning.

The space is cute and bright with tons of windows to give it a nice cheerful atmosphere. I love the pendant lights made of mason jars hanging from the ceiling. You can see one just to the left of the sign in the picture below - too cute! The wait staff was very friendly even when they started to get busy. It seemed like there were a lot of regulars coming through the doors as they were greeted by name. I wanna be that cool!

On to the food! To start, my husband and I shared the TexMex Chimichanga egg rolls made with bell pepper, black beans, corn, onions, cilantro and daiya. It said it comes with a mango chutney, but we got some sort of avocado dipping sauce I believe which was A-MAZING. I started eating it straight up after the egg rolls were gone. The rolls themselves were pretty fricking good as well, so much flavor and the perfect crispy outer shell.

For his meal, the man ordered the BLTA, made with tempeh bacon, which in retrospect I should have advised him against as he really doesn't like tempeh. But I kept my mouth shut and even though he ate most of his meal and said it was ok, I don't think he was super amazed by it. I had a bite and it tasted great to me :)

I was going to go with the tacos because I always lean towards anything related to Mexican food, but decided to be daring and order the Spinach, Avocado & Walnut Sausage Florentine. It was pretty good, I liked the walnut sausage and most of the flavors were savory and delicious, but something in the dish had a little too much salt (or possibly nooch??) for my liking, maybe the hollandaise sauce? I don't eat a lot of salt so I tend to be sensitive to the taste. Overall I was pleased with my dish, but I don't think I would order it again. Next time I will definitely go for the tacos or maybe the sweet potato enchilada. And there will be a next time, because even though neither of us were super impressed with our entrees, I don't think it was the fault of the restaurant or a knock to their quality (because the egg rolls KICKED ASS!). We just ordered wrong for us.

As a nice finish I ordered a scoop of coffee nib Kind Kreme to go. YUM.

Coney Dog

Sometimes I just really need a hot dog. Being vegan, they aren't that easy to come by. I have yet to try Pink's because every time I drive by, no matter what time of day, there is a line around the block. Somehow that just doesn't seem worth it to me for a vegan hot dog.

A couple weeks ago I couldn't take it anymore, I needed a hot dog and I needed it bad. I was even willing to stand in line at Pink's, but luckily a quick Google search led me to Coney Dog. Vegan hot dogs AND chili? Yes frickin please.

First time there I ordered the California Jack with vegan chili, onions and mustard. Heaven. The chili is pretty good, Not the best chili I have ever had, but it satisfies. I wasn't impressed with the french fries on this trip, they seemed a bit tasteless, but it must have been an off day because they were good the next few times. I have also tried just a plain vegan dog with mustard and it's super tasty as well.

The staff is pretty nice but not overly friendly. That's ok though, as long as they bring me my hot dog, I love them.

Flore Vegan Cuisine

Located on Sunset Blvd. in Silverlake, Flore is an Organic Vegan Restaurant featuring a deli counter and sit down indoor/outdoor service.

This morning the husband and I made the trek out there from West L.A. to enjoy a lovely vegan brunch. We got there just before noon and the place was hoppin. Luckily we only had to wait about 5 minutes for a nice table outside (great for people watching). The staff is uber friendly and attentive, which is always a bonus.

I started with a Basic Green juice consisting of kale, celery, parsley, apple and lemon. SO yummy. It made me feel all healthy and stuff.

For our meals, I ordered the Breakfast Burrito stuffed with tofu, potatoes, tempeh bacon, avocado and cashew cheese and the man got the Blueberry Banana waffle.

My burrito was super flavorful and delicious. I loved that the whole thing was grilled, giving a touch of crunchy texture to the tortilla. Yum. My husband devoured his waffle and said it was really good as well. We both left feeling full and satisfied, though I'm a bit sad we didn't grab any of the amazing looking desserts in the case for later.

Their brunch menu is pretty large for a vegan place and everything on it sounds awesome. We will definitely be back to try out some of the other dishes. I can honestly say that Flore is one of my new favorite weekend breakfast spots!

Cruzer Pizza

I seem to be obsessed with pizza lately, which is funny because before I went vegan I wasn't a huge pizza fan. Now that the husband is trying out veganism, it's a lot more fun exploring new places around the city to eat.

Last weekend we decided to head out to Echo Park and try Cruzer Pizza, a 100% plant based pizzeria featuring amazing pizza (duh), pasta, sandwiches and salads. They have classic combos like Hawaiian with pineapple and vegan ham and all "meat" featuring a variety of vegan meats. I went with the veggie loaded with mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, spinach, onions, fresh garlic and I added vegan pepperoni. The dude went for the all meat (manly).



We took our pizzas over to Griffith Park (Cruzer is take out/delivery only) and had a lovely impromptu picnic with the dogs.


This wasn't the absolute best pizza I have ever tried in my life, but it was pretty damn good. With all those veggies and Daiya cheese, you can't really go wrong; plus I love supporting local vegan businesses, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Cafe Gratitude

One of the BEST vegan meals I have ever had was at Gracias Madre in San Francisco, I can't even explain what they did to my kale, but it was AH-MAZING. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked to find out that the owners had another restaurant in L.A. called Cafe Gratitude.

My lovely friend Agatha had been recently and kept telling me I needed to try it (can I just say I adore the fact that I have omnivorous friends who are into vegan food??). I finally got the chance to go a few weeks ago and I was gleefully happy. I love that this company offers 100% organic vegan food at all it's locations grown on their very own farm in Northern CA.

We went on a Wednesday night and it was packed. We waited almost 45 minutes for a table, but once seated service was fast and the food came out quickly. Our table started with "I AM HONORING": Live Nachos with spicy sunflower bean pâté, guacamole, salsa fresca, nacho cheese and homemade crackers. SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS! I was definitely honoring whoever came up with this concoction because it was flavorful, fulfilling and oh so pretty!!
For my entree I ordered the "I AM WARM-HEARTED": Grilled polenta with fresh puttanesca sauce and spinach topped with cashew ricotta and Brazil nut parmesan. Even though I was already pretty full from the nachos, I devoured this meal and probably would have even licked the bowl clean had I not been in a public place! The polenta was crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside and I have to say that I have become a huge fan of cashew cheeses, I haven't met one yet that I didn't like.


Agatha ordered the "I AM TRANSFORMED": Two seasonal corn tacos with caramelized butternut squash, black beans, sliced avocado, salsa fresca and cashew nacho cheese. She was nice enough to give me a bite and this too was amazing. Each dish is just bursting with flavors and knowing that you're eating healthy clean food grown on an organic farm just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Isn't Agatha adorable!!??



I am definitely thankful for Cafe Gratitude and can't wait to go back again, especially now since a BabyCakes opened a few blocks away!

Doomie's Home Cookin

Doomie's has the honor of being my first restaurant review here on Fellowship of the Vegetable. I've been hearing about this place for awhile and really wanted to try it out. It's kind of down home comfort vegan food. Not exactly health food, but man oh man, worth the trek over to Hollywood for sure!


Doomie's is located on the corner of Fountain and Vine in a little strip mall. Upon approaching the entrance we were faced with a chubby white dog with a sign saying to stay away because he was evil. I tell you this dog looked PISSED and I was not going to fuck with him. But we made it inside safe and sound :)

The atmosphere of the place was kinda divey, not real big on ambiance and honestly I was a little worried at first that it wasn't going to live up to it's reputation. Nonetheless, we sat down and eventually placed our order. I ordered the vegan "Big Mac" which is part of their secret menu. My husband ordered the regular cheeseburger and fries.

Now granted, it's been over 20 years since I've had an actual Big Mac, but this thing came out looking and smelling EXACTLY like I remember. And it was HUGE! I had to cut it in half and it was still too much burger for me. I bit in and my first reaction was: "holy crap this can't be vegan!" I couldn't believe how much it tasted like a Big Mac. The sauce, the onions, the pickles....everything was perfect. I devoured half of it within minutes. My husband was quite pleased with his burger as well (and he is not vegan). The fries that accompanied both our burgers were crisp and tasty, just how I like them.




Next came dessert. My husband is a chocolate chip cookie snob and has never found a vegan cookie he likes. He asked Doomie about their cookies and he was nice enough to warm one up for us so it was moist and gooey. He assured my husband that it would be the best damn cookie he ever tried. Hubby was skeptical, but upon the first bite I could see the look of ecstasy in his eyes. He was sold. I took a couple bites and it was seriously the best damn cookie I have ever tasted. Again, we were both exclaiming: "this can't really be vegan!" But it is, all of it. Doomie's has won us over completely.


We were both complimenting Doomie about our meals and he told us that his restaurant is really for meat eaters like my husband to show them how good vegan food can be. Maybe, just maybe, more meals at Doomie's Home Cookin will convince my husband to convert :)

If you are ever in Hollywood, be sure to eat at Doomie's and check out their Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/doomieshomecookin