parking sucks and one-way streets are a bitch, but there is one awesome thing about downtown los angeles on weekdays: mendocino farms.

the artisan sandwich shop specializes in local organic cuisine, and always has more than a few vegan options. they have a vegan sandwich on their permanent menu, as well as one on their seasonal menu, and they offer a rotating selection of vegan soups and salads daily. i hit up mendocino recently with some of my friends who work downtown, and it was a most delicious and pleasant experience.

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i fucking LOVE tasting menus! they are so awesome. unlike my partner in crime, who finds them a bit scary and unpredictable, i find tasting menus very exciting and adventurous. several courses, over which you have no control, all extremely well-prepared and presented to you over a long period of time. really, the ultimate dining experience if you ask me.

other than the special holiday menus that madeleine bistro offers, i’d say the best place to get a vegan tasting menu in los angeles is without a doubt at bottlerock downtown. the establishment focuses on fancy beer and wine, and at first glance their menu isn’t very vegan-friendly…but if you call ahead and request it, they will prepare you an animal-free feast of epic proportions. just be sure to notify them in advance, because they take extra care to clean down the kitchen and avoid cross-contamination.

i hit up bottlerock with some friends recently, and their vegan tasting menu was completely different, but just as good as it was on my first visit. take a look:

smoked tofu, lentils, mirepoix, red wine dijon vinaigrette

the first course was a hearty portion of tofu served over lentils and mirepoix in a dijon vinaigrette. the tofu, in my opinion was nothing short of incredible. apparently, bottlerock has some special smoking device (haha) which was used to prepare it, and produced very delicate and flavorful results. the lentils and mirepoix (a combo of onions, carrots, and celery) were slightly sweet and very delicious.

banh xeo: vietnamese crepe, bean sprouts, mung beans, thai basil, romain, nouc mam.

the next course was a vietnamese crepe, which everyone agreed was spectacular. a soft outer shell filled with salty vegetables, this is honestly one of the best things i’ve eaten in a long time. we learned from our server that this is actually a veganized recipe from the chef’s mother…so tasty and authentic.

miso soup: house noodles, bok choy, shitake mushrooms.

next up was my absolute favorite dish of the night: vegan miso soup. this was not like any soup i’ve ever had, as it was basically a filling noodle dish with bok choy and mushrooms. it came in a bowl and our server brought out broth to pour on it, such a fun experience! the noodles were very thick and made in house. for a tasting menu, this was honestly a huge portion. bottlerock does not skimp.

oven roasted vegetables: farmers market vegetables, mole, vincotto

our 4th course was a serving of oven roasted vegetables, which may sound boring but was anything but! this plate included artfully prepared brussels sprouts, carrots, and squash in a sauce that was nothing short of divine.

texture strawberries: strawberry gelee, macerated strawberries, basil, lemon.

lastly, we were served a dessert of textured strawberries which was like nothing i’ve ever eaten. it wasn’t a favorite of everyone at the table, but i loved it. imagine a strawberry puree topped with creamy basil sauce and finished off with a thin jolly rancher candy. i usually don’t like fruit, but this was right up my street and very creative.

overall, the dine in vegan experience at bottlerock is truly amazing. i would encourage all vegans to call ahead and book a tasting menu, because it really is like eating art straight off a plate. xiv has nothing on this place!

bottlerock
1050 S Flower St. # 167
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 747-1100

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happy sunday, everyone! we just got back from the grand opening of LA’s very first all vegan bakery, babycakes. while they have existed in new york city for quite sometime, the downtown los angeles location opened at 10am this morning, and there was a healthy crowd of customers to greet them.

with a focus on organic ingredients and lots of gluten-free menu items, babycakes’ treats are probably healthier than most, and i think they are just as delicious. i left with a whopping haul that included a chocolate-covered donut, some gluten-free brownie bites, a cookie, a cupcake, and a brilliant invention called a “cupcake top” (just the frosting and a thin sliver of cake).

here’s a quick review of each item. the donut was decent, the best part of it being the frosting; definitely a less-decadent vegan dessert item. the cupcake top was perfect for me, because i’m the kind of person who likes to just eat the frosting off stuff anyway.

the cookie was a little disappointing, kind of dry and not very flavorful. the brownie cupcake was excellent, there were even little chocolate chips littered throughout the cake.

and lastly, the tiny 99¢ brownie bite was INCREDIBLE. it was small, full of chocolate chips, and had creamy frosting in the middle. shocking, but it was the best thing i ordered!

overall i really enjoyed babycakes’ baked goods and i can’t wait to go back. vegans, you should head over there and give this place a try. by the time i left, there were many many satisfied customers.

here are some more photos of the shop for your enjoyment:

babycakes
130 East 6th Street (between S. Main Street and S. Los Angeles Street)
Los Angeles, CA
Telephone: 213.623.5555

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last week, i had the pleasure of enjoying what was quite honestly one of the best meals of my life. our friends—who are also beer lovers and the wonderful people behind the quarrygirl iPhone app—invited us to have dinner with them at bottlerock downtown, a combination wine & beer retailer, tasting room and cafe. although there are only a few vegan dishes on the normal menu, our friends know someone who works at bottlerock and said they’d have no problem preparing us a special vegan meal.

when we arrived at bottlerock, they were ready for us. they had scrubbed down a section of the kitchen where our food was to be prepared, and had beer pairings on hand for each of our courses. i went in expecting some great beer and decent vegan fare, but i left completely elated and high on delicious flavors. i’m writing this post because i think it’s something everyone should try. let’s just jump right in and i’ll tell you all about what they served us:

house root vegetables with fried capers and carrot miso

the first course was a bowl of house root vegetables with fried capers and carrot miso. perfectly sweet with hints of vinegar, this is one of the best beet dishes i’ve ever tried.

fava bean and pistachio falafel with greens and hummus

the second course was fresh fava and pistachio falafel, served with cherry tomatoes, hummus, watercress and black olive oil. to say this falafel was amazing would be a gross understatement. it was extra thick and dense, not spongy like a regular chickpea falafel. the leaves were delicate and fresh, the tomatoes were juicy, and the hummus was extra creamy. everybody at the table was thoroughly impressed with this dish.

king trumpet mushroom with potato, almonds, and artichoke puree

our third course was a small bowl of king trumpet mushrooms covered in greens, with crunchy almonds in an artichoke puree. the rich and smooth artichoke puree was so delicious, i could drink it straight. it was super thick and coated the leaves and mushrooms perfectly, giving everything a quite decadent taste.

fried sushi rice with vegetables

course four was a dish of fried sushi rice and vegetables. it came sprinkled with some black flecks that i think were called ukari. i don’t know exactly what was in this rice, but whatever it was, i loved it. each grain was slightly fried and packed just the right amount of flavor and crunch.

fingerling potato with beluga lentils, shaved celery and carrot curry sauce.

the fifth course was gorgeously presented—a fingerling potato with beluga lentils, shaved celery and carrot curry sauce. this dish was definitely a standout, and everyone at the table was basically licking their plate to get every last drop of the sauce.

seared tofu, smoked parsnip sauce, maitake mushroom, cipollini onion, cumin spaghetti squash

course number six brought together some of the best tastes i’ve ever had in my life. the dish consisted of a seared tofu patty with smoked parsnip sauce, a maitake mushroom atop a cipollini onion, and a mound of cumin spaghetti squash. OMG. if i could prepare tofu this way, i would never leave the house. the parsnip sauce, the succulent mushroom and the barely sweet onion were all perfect as well. to me, this course was pure bliss.

so by this point, we were all getting a bit full and tipsy. we’d had 6 dishes and a beer pairing to go with each one, so when they asked us how many more courses we had left in us we told them we could probably only make it through just one more. (i’m so curious as to what they would have brought had we requested several more.)

melon sorbet, reduced apple cider, plum, sweet potato and shiso with grated cashew

so with that they brought out course seven, our final and dessert course, a scoop of melon sorbet with reduced apple cider, plum, sweet potato and grated cashew. there were so many flavors going on in this thing, it was unreal. sweet, fruity, salty, and nutty all at once. a total party in my mouth.

beer pairing...and this was just for dessert!

after seven courses of this amazing food, the four of us could barely move. and i didn’t even get into the excellent beer pairings that bottlerock brought with each one. we tried so much stuff from from a fresh hopped IPA, to hefferveisen, to thick rich dessert beers. the staff was also super friendly and excited about the food, willing to explain all the flavors to us in detail. the chef even came out to meet us and told us that he whipped up everything with ingredients he had on hand, no special planning or preparation. wow, now that’s what i call talent!

so i bet you are wondering how you can experience this delicious food, because after all, none of it is on the menu. well, the chef told us that bottlerock could accommodate all vegans…it’s just a matter of getting creative and clearing off a preparation space in the kitchen. my advice would be to call ahead, make reservations for a tasting menu, and alert them to your veganocity. you may not end up with the exact courses we had, but you will end up with something amazing nonetheless.

so seriously, call bottlerock and get some of the amazing vegan food, wine and beer they have to offer. maybe if enough of us go there, they will add a vegan tasting meal to the normal menu. wouldn’t that be awesome? yeah, it would…because this is the best vegan tasting meal i’ve had in los angeles by far. who’s in? i am going back as soon as i possibly can.

Bottlerock
1050 Flower Street # 167
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: 213.747.1100

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it’s been a bad year for some of our favorite restaurants. a taste of life has closed its storefront, that’s amore is completely gone, and flore cafe is on the brink of shutting down as well. on top of all this, today i found out that the shitty economy is threatening the best place to get vegan pizza in los angeles: purgatory pizza.

vegan pizza: daiya cheese, roasted garlic, fresh basil, tomatoes, red onions.

the owner of purgatory pizza tweeted this morning, “TRYING to stay open…. Damn economy!” i dug a bit deeper, and the restaurant confirmed that if business doesn’t pick up, it’s a very real possibility that they could be forced to close their doors. i can’t even stress to you WHAT AN EPIC TRAGEDY THIS WOULD BE FOR THE LOS ANGELES VEGAN SCENE. after all, purgatory was named one of the top 5 omnivorous restaurants in los angeles. i know that tons of places in LA are offering daiya pizza now, but purgatory is the only place where you can get pizza with daiya cheese, gardein vegan chicken, AND field roast artisan grain meats. it’s also the best place to get nyc style vegan pizza in town, and they even have vegan pesto as well!

Vegan Chicken Pesto Pizza with Gardein and Daiya at Purgatory Pizza.

seriously, purgatory pizza is a one-of-a-kind restaurant and we can’t let it go out of business. they were the first pizza place to bend over backwards for vegans in los angeles, and i think it’s safe to say they have some of the best (if not THE BEST) vegan pizza in LA. they are a little bit out of the way for most folks, but the food is worth it and they have a quiet atmosphere where you can BYOB! so get out and spend some money at purgatory pizza ASAP. i highly recommend you try either the gardein chicken with pesto or the “classic” pizza with added field roast sausage. they know how to melt daiya vegan cheese perfectly, and i’ve never had a pizza there i didn’t absolutely love. if they shut down, i will cry.

purgatory pizza
1326 East 1st Street
Los Angeles CA 90033
(323) 262-5310

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Okay, so we’ve already posted about the best vegan and best vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, but sometimes we vegans HAVE to eat in omnivorous restaurants. That’s a part of life. What’s interesting, though, is when we find meat-serving restaurants that we WANT to eat in. That’s a whole different story, and LA has a few outstanding omnivorous establishments that go out of their way to cater to vegans. Here are our favorites.

M Cafe

While the “M” in M Cafe probably stands for Macrobiotic, I believe it actually stands for Mmmmmmmm, which is pretty much what I murmur with every bite of this amazing food. With a totally vegan menu except for fish, M Cafe has a chic urban appeal, backed up with an A-list of ingredients (and clientele) all layered over an efficient kitchen and fair pricing, considering how great the food is. While the last year or two M Cafe’s items have been prepared by kitchen staff rather than chefs, their menu items are still some of the best in town.

Vegan Benedict at M Cafe

The Big Macro is arguably LA’s best vegan burger. The broccolini pepporochini is without a doubt LA’s premier broccolini, and the Vegan Benedict is constantly voted one of the “best” breakfast items on any local menu. There are plenty of vegan options at all times of the day, and the rotating menu constantly keeps one coming back for more. The deserts are out of this world, along with the very best vegan tiramisu known to humanity. Check it out!!

Purgatory Pizza

It’s probably inaccurate to credit Purgatory Pizza with single-handedly introducing incredible vegan pizza to LA, but we’re going to anyway. The insatiable team, formerly headed by Chef Ricky, that painstakingly worked to veganize an entire product line and food preparation process has gone from strength to strength. Purgatory was not only the first pizza place to embrace Teese (the ground-breaking alternative to Follow Your Heart Cheese), but is also the first to stock Gardein and Field Roast as toppings, and one of the first to serve Daiya (the best vegan cheese at time of posting) in SoCal.

Vegan Chicken Pestop Pizza with Gardein and Daiya at Purgatory Pizza.

To get your Purgatory Pizza kicks (if you’re not in the delivery area), show up with a bottle of cheap wine and/or a six-pack of beer, then order your pizza to dine in. Feeling like a cross between an 80s suburban pizza joint and some kind of modern art experiment, Purgatory has a great, brightly-lit atmosphere and friendly staff to keep you entertained while you swallow slice after slice of LA’s best vegan pizza.

Hugo’s Restaurant

With two locations (one in West Hollywood, the other in Studio City), and a full-on meat-oriented menu, one might be surprised to find that the Hugo’s chefs have created some seriously innovative vegan cuisine. Not only do they have loads of options, but they have menu with several clearly marked animal-free alternatives, as well as dishes that can be optionally veganized. If you can get past the trendy atmosphere, long waits and constant celebrity sightings (I’ve watched the staff at the WeHo location fawn over Gabriel Byrne and Jeff Goldblum within the past few weeks) you’re in for a vegan treat.

Tikka Masala Veggie Patties at Hugo's Restaurant

Although I’ve long been a fan of the tofu scramble, I also love the Very Green Casserole (one of the best vegan burgers I’ve ever tasted atop stewed vegetables and sauce in a pot) as well as the salads, tikka masala veggie patties, stir-frys and wraps. Make sure you specify “VEGAN” clearly when you order, while the restaurant is extremely vegan-friendly, there may be butter hiding in unsuspecting dishes.

Toi

Sadly, the Toi chain has contracted from two locations to just one, on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Thankfully the sacrificial lamb of this two-outlet chain was the Santa Monica outlet on Wilshire and not the ultimate rock and roll dining location sandwiched between Guitar Center and clothing stores most mortals are too… well… mortal to shop in. Toi has a loud, brash atmosphere with a class-based seating system (some tables suck ass, others are amazing — you ride the wind and luck of the draw depending your arrival time).

Vegan Pad Thai at Toi

Get the vegan pad thai with grilled tofu for a real treat, or the Saigon spring rolls…and make sure you request the hot sauces to dollop liberally over your food. The portions are huge, the kitchen respects us vegans, and most things on the menu can be made vegan — substitute chicken for tofu, oyster sauce for vegan oyster sauce, and you’ll get a superb meal. Take your omni friends there, and chillax the fuck out listening to rock ‘n’ roll on the speakers. Step into the parking lot at the back and you can smell weed in the air. Need we say more.

Mama’s Hot Tamales

OK, I’ll admit, MacArthur Park (just West of Downtown LA) has a shady reputation. Lotsa crime, lotsa drugs, lotsa pigeons, lotsa bodegas and lotsa REAL, AUTHENTIC Mexican restaurants. How glad are we vegans, then, that one of the most popular, Mama’s Hot Tamales, has a full-on vegan menu, complete with Daiya cheese, vegan sauces and all the trimmings. Did you hear that? Authentic Mexican food AND Daiya Cheese!!!! That is reason enough to make any top 5 list, as far as we’re concerned.

Vegan Daiya Cheese Enchiladas at Mama's Hot Tamales Cafe

At Mama’s you can enjoy all the greasy, cheesy filling Mexican food that omnivores love to death, but prepared under the supervision of Mama herself: the real deal, a Mexican señora who could not be more understanding of what a vegan is, what we need and how to prepare the food for us.

Honorable mentions: Green Peas, XIV, Zpizza, Cafe Muse, Interim Cafe, Mani’s Bakery

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Following three years of eating out on LA’s vegan restaurant scene we thought it would be good to come up with a “top list” of the establishments we, and the commenters on this esteemed blog, thought were really good. Check out the end for honorable mentions, restaurants that didn’t quite make the list. Want to bump a mention off the list, or add your own? Please comment. Don’t be shy. We had to start somewhere.

Madeleine Bistro

Advice when visiting Madeline Bistro: Sit facing away from the window and forget that you walked past the exotic lingerie store a few doors down, after an excruciatingly long drive from pretty much wherever you live. If you can suspend the belief of where you are and how you got there for long enough, you’ll enjoy some of the most incredible vegan food on the West Coast, and probably in the world.

porcini-crusted tofu benedict at madeleine bistro.

Chef Dave Anderson has spared no expense or time in thinking through and preparing the most minute details of every menu item. From a doughnut that is so light and fluffy it practically levitates, to a veganized carbon-copy emulation of a Big Mag (which I’m told by omnivores tastes way, way better than the real thing), through magical soufflés and German Mac ‘n’ Cheese (complete with Bacon bits!) you are certain to delight in the experience of fine vegan dining with a menu as inventive as it is familiar. Every dish at Madeleine’s has that “HOW DO THEY DO THIS?” question mark hanging over it. Dave Anderson is a culinary genius, and we should all be glad he decided to practice his art on us vegans.

Stuff I Eat

Situated on a quiet street a block from busy Manchester Blvd. on the edge of Inglewood is an absolute gem of a vegan restaurant: Stuff I Eat. With an eclectic menu of options spanning the gamut from soul food through Mexican-inspired and down to earth, honest to goodness, American-style favorites, Stuff I Eat excels in every category. The staff are all so helpful, polite and caring that one feels grateful to be in ‘their’ restaurant. The portions are HUGE, and the quality of every food item, from the way it looks to the way it tastes cannot be overstated.

part of the soul food platter at stuff i eat

Feeling hungry? The $18 “Organic Soul Food Platter” will fill you up, as well as one or two of your guests. The burritos are to die for (how many burritos have fresh, steamed broccoli topping them?). Any place that has a menu item called “Sumthin-Sumthin”, makes its own dressings from scratch every day and serves a $5 taco with so much filling that they throw in an extra tortilla so you can “make two out of one” clearly has an appreciation of food. If you have the same (or even if you don’t), Stuff I Eat will be some of the best Stuff you will EVER Eat.

Vinh Loi Tofu

Kevin Tran, the chef/owner/cashier of Vinh Loi Tofu is probably the King of Los Angeles vegan cuisine. Sitting on his throne behind the counter at Vinh Loi Tofu, he rules his mini-kingdom of obedient, smiling tofu-preparing workers who create some of the most stunning vegan food in town. In his modest Reseda restaurant (about the size of a donut shop!) he manages to squeeze in not only a tofu factory but also a kitchen that prepares no less than 126 vegan specialty menu items, along with several “new inventions” that Kevin has cooked up to try out on us unsuspecting, but very lucky, vegans.

ham sub at vinh loi tofu

With so many menu items it’s really hard to choose favorites (and, to be fair, I try to mix up what I order, but in a lifetime one can only scratch the surface of Kevin’s creativity). Signature dishes we see people ordering time and time again include the Banh Mi subs (of which there are 13 varieties) ranging between $4.50 and and extortionate $6! Kevin’s tofu and fake meats blend perfectly with fresh vegetables in his soups, stir fries, teriyaki noodles and salads. If you’re feeling really adventurous, just ask him for his “special of the day”. You won’t be sorry.

Pure Luck

On our first visit to Pure Luck, we were intrigued to watch a tattooed dude (who we later discovered was Ben, the guy who dreamed up the establishment) wheeling a toilet through a busy restaurant and out of the door. He returned to climb, precariously, above the food area while he installed a WiFi access point suspended from the ceiling by green cables, that’s still there to this day. While this entertainment was going on, my friends and I got quietly drunk on craft beer, and full of potato pals, followed by several plates of fresh salads, rolls with exotic ingredients and burritos. Pure luck doesn’t quite have the atmosphere of a bar, but you can squint your eyes and fake it real easy, with at least 10 beers on tap and an endless supply of comfort food you can’t go wrong.

angélica’s garbanzo salad sandwich with potato pals at pure luck

Must-have dishes are the jackfruit-anything (especially the Todd’s BBQ Sandwich or Torta), Fresh Noodle Salad and the deep fried stuff (Potato Pals, Rosemary Fries, Sweet Potato Fries). The Tofu Pesto Sandwich is also an excellent choice, arriving on a crusty, fresh La Brea Bakery roll. Chow on some great bar food, drink some of LA’s finest beers and smile in the haze of how great it is to be vegan in this day and age. Thanks, Pure Luck, for all the good times.

Oh, and the toilet was abandoned in the parking lot by the dumpster when we left.

Shojin

I recall hanging out as a teenager in the Tokyo district of Akihabara, where bright lights, video arcades and electronics stores are punctuated only by sushi bars and upscale dining. The shopping mall in Little Tokyo (just south of Downtown LA) contains all of the above plus an amazing find if you trudge to the top of the escalator: Shojin Restaurant. to call this place “fine dining” would be an understatement. Hand polished silverware resting on starched tablecloths await your vegan self. Nuvo-Japonaise decor and Frank Sinatra on the speakers round out this most eclectic of dining experiences. Your shy, yet overly-attentive and awkwardly chatty serving staff will do whatever it takes for you to have a great time, as plate upon plate of amazing food spirits itself out of the kitchen to your pristine table.

vegan dragon roll at shojin

Whether you go for the sushi (with seitan, tofu and other faux-fish accoutrements), the pan-fried seitan stir-fry or the incredibly tasty hand-made deserts you will know that such care has been put into preparing your food with prime, organic ingredients that you just can’t go wrong. Order as much stuff as you like — the portions are small, but the taste is big.

Honorable mentions: A Taste Of Life, Native Foods, Veggie Grill, Casa De Tree, Cru, Flore, Cafe Flourish, Rahel’s, and Seed

Check back tomorrow, for our list of the top five vegetarian restaurants that are vegan friendly.

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one of chef ricky's specials from purgatory pizza

los angeles vegans, drop whatever you have planned tonight and head over to purgatory pizza.

tonight is the famous chef ricky’s last night on the job, and it may be your last chance ever to eat one of his amazing pizzas. if you don’t know who chef ricky is, well he is the best vegan pizza maker in los angeles and he is moving to seattle.

while purgatory pizza will continue to be awesome even after ricky is gone, it will never be quite the same without him.

GO TO PURGATORY TONIGHT. and if you are feeling brave, just ask for a chef ricky special and let him get creative with your pie. you won’t be sorry.

to see some of the incredible pizzas that chef ricky has made in the past, check out this post or this post.

chef ricky at purgatory pizza

purgatory pizza
1426 e 1st street
los angeles ca 90033
323-262-5310
open 6pm to 11pm

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vegan pizza: daiya cheese, roasted garlic, fresh basil, tomatoes, red onions.

los angeles vegans, drop what you are doing and get over to purgatory pizza ASAP. purgatory is known to serve arguably best pizza in town covered with daiya cheese, and in just a few weeks their talented chef ricky is moving to seattle! while he’s trained the other employees to cook his recipes, the place just won’t be the same without him and you should definitely get over there before he’s gone.

we have been fans of ricky for so long, that now when we go in we just ask him to whip up a “chef special,” which means any recipe he can come up with on the spot. our most recent visit to purgatory yielded some of the best pizzas i’ve ever tasted. the first one, pictured above, came with huge chunks of roasted garlic, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and red onion. the garlic and onion combo was delicious, and even though the chunks of garlic were huge, they weren’t overpowering.

ricky’s next creation was even more adventurous—a chicken taco pizza covered in daiya cheddar cheese, gardein chicken slices, black olives, jalapenos,tomato and red onion.

vegan chicken taco pizza: daiya cheddar cheese, gardein chicken, jalapenos, black olives, tomatoes, red onions.

this pizza was so fucking good, i can’t even describe it. it really did taste like a chicken taco converted into a pizza. i wanted to eat it up with a side of salsa and vegan sour cream. i usually don’t like cheddar on pizza, but this worked surprisingly well and gave it a much more mexican taste. the jalapenos made it extra spicy, and as always, the gardein tasted amazing.

other recent chef ricky specials have included a greek pizza topped with kalamata olives…

vegan pizza: daiya cheese, kalamata olives, fresh basil and tomatoes.

and a vegan cheesesteak pizza with gardein beef strips, carmelized onions and sauteed mushrooms. (so unbelievably good!)

vegan cheesesteak pizza: gardein steak strips, carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, oregano.

i mean, just look at these crazy pizzas. i guarantee that you can’t find pizza this tasty or inventive ANYWHERE else. while ricky is leaving behind his recipes, and purgatory will still continue serving up some of the best vegan pizza around, he is taking with him the magic that goes into making pies like these on the spot. i am pretty sure ricky leaves in around 3 weeks, and he works on fridays and weekends. be brave, and go ask for one of his special pizzas. you really won’t regret it.

and if you want to see even more delicious ricky creations that will help convince you to get your ass to purgatory, check out this older post.

if you haven’t tried purgatory pizza yet, you really are missing out. they are the only pizzeria in town offering daiya cheese AND high quality meats like field roast and gardein. i never ever thought vegan pizza could taste this good.

purgatory pizza
1326 east 1st street
los angeles, ca 90033
323 262 5310
open everyday 6pm – 11pm

we are gonna miss you chef ricky, but thanks for leaving behind the recipes for the best vegan pizza ever.

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At the risk of quarrygirl.com becoming “LA’s vegan pizza with Daiya cheese blog”, we just had to post that the trifecta of perfect crust, perfect sauce and perfect vegan cheese has been, well, perfected now that Purgatory Pizza offers Daiya vegan cheese. We happened to pop in there for our weekly visit just as our well respected Chef Ricky was perfecting (OK, you get the idea about perfection) his interpretation of vegan pizza using Daiya cheese, and BOY, were we in for a treat. Purgatory has also mastered the melting of Daiya Cheese…although the company sells them in bags of small shreds, Purgartory got them to come together in the most excellent way, forming pure gooey, stretchy, cheesy goodness.

Melted Daiya vegan cheese at Purgatory Pizza in Los Angeles

It’s well known that Purgatory has incredible crusts and sauce (all hand-made on the premises to Chef Ricky’s secret recipe, and strictly vegan), and they began offering vegan pizzas (using Teese vegan cheese) some months ago as an alternative to their regular vegetarian and omni pizzas. Not content with vegan cheese and vegetable toppings, Purgatory has pioneered the use of vegan meat substitutes testing many combinations of products, finally settling on Field Roast and Gardein meat analogs, each prepared and seasoned on-premise as alternative vegan offerings.

To be honest, the addition of Daiya just takes what works extremely well already (Teese is no slouch in the taste department), and tops it off [pun intended] with the “vegan cheese that changes everything” to yield an absolutely sublime pizza experience that’s staunchly vegan and incredibly well prepared and cooked.

Large Vegan Pizza with Daiya Cheese: half Pesto, Field Roast Sausage, Peppers, Mushrooms and Basil. Half Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Basil and Chopped Garlic.

On the night in question we opted for a pizza, half of which was pesto based with sauteed mushrooms, Field Roast sausage and red peppers, and the other half of which was tomato sauce based with basil, garlic mushrooms and tomatoes — all topped with lashings of incredibly tasty and amazingly textured Daiya cheese. I can tell you that the addition of Daiya takes the taste and texture of Purgatory’s pies to a whole new level. It’s actually difficult to describe, but the bottom line is that Daiya has a texture and taste so close to milk-based cheeses that even omnivores probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference in many cases.

On pizza, Daiya is at least as “good”, if not better than casein-based soy cheese. So, a combination of gourmet crust, sauce and toppings cooked in a high temperature brick convection oven (just like they do in Italy and New York) leads to an amazing pizza eating experience that’s entirely cruelty-free. Get your ass down to Boyle Heights (Purgatory is about 1 minute off the 101) and ask for a vegan pizza (be sure to specify you want Daiya as your vegan cheese of choice), and you won’t be sorry.

What’s more, you can take your own bottle of wine, beer or whatever, and enjoy your pizza an an urban-chic environment of rock music and entertaining murals. You just can’t go wrong! Rush on out to Purgatory Pizza as soon as you can for some truly exceptional artisan meat toppings, the best vegan cheese around, friendly service, and an all around excellent pizza experience. I know what I’m doing this weekend.

Purgatory Pizza
1326 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90033
(323) 262-5310

Mon-Sun. 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

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UPDATE #3: mendocino farms has gone out of their way to take the non-vegan items off the menu, and start offering an absolutely vegan shwarma. i ate it today and it was delicious. mendocino farms really handled this situation well, and fixed everything the very day they were notified that they were using non-vegan ingredients. i highly suggest you get over to mendocino and get the shwarma before may is over! (orignial updates and post below)

UPDATE #2: apparently mendocino farms has a replacement for the soy cutlet and will be making a new vegan shwarma starting today. from the store manager:

I just spoke with Chef Judy and she told me that we will no longer be
using the soycutlet effective today.
For the vegan shwarma, she has made a vegan fallafel in house that is
definitely vegan. So that will remain our secret sandwich of the month.
Thanks again for your feedback and please let me know if you have any
other questions.
All the Best,
Lenny

this guy really seems to care, so the non-vegan ingredients could have been an honest mistake. they seem to have fixed it, so go eat that shwarma! just make sure you confirm it’s falafel in there, and not eggy soy cutlets! (orginal update and post below)

UPDATE: the “vegan” shwarma at this place isn’t vegan at all! one of our readers who goes by “jaydawg” went to mendocino today, and left the following comment:

WARNING: THIS SANDWICH IS NOT VEGAN!!!!!
Okay, so I went to Mendocino Farms today specifically to try the Vegan Shawarma. I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but sadly this is NOT VEGAN!!!. When we got there, my wife asked what were the most popular vegan dishes and they suggested the Not BLT Melt and Ron’s Vegan Baked Soy Cutlet Club, as well as the Spicy Soyrizo and Black Bean Wrap and the “Secret” Vegan Shawarma. She asked what type of bacon they use for the BLT and they told us it was Morningstar Farms. I thanked them and informed them that most Morningstar products use egg whites and/or dairy. We decided to order two of the Vegan Shawarmas, but didn’t think to ask about the “shawarma” that they used. About halfway through the devouring process (all things considered, it is still an amazing wrap), I began to wonder if the “shawarma (which appeared to be a breaded cutlet) was in fact vegan. When I was done, I went back and confirmed that the “shawarma” was the same “herbed breaded vegan cutlet” that they use in the Ron’s Vegan Baked Soy Cutlet Club. I asked what brand they use and they again told me Morningstar. I asked to see the ingredients label and they were kind enough to bring me the box….and there it was in black and white: nonfat dry milk and egg whites (http://www.morningstarfarms.com/product_detail.aspx?family=365&id=12353). I showed the young lady that this was definitely NOT vegan and she looked absolutely bewildered. She circled the offending ingredients and assured me that she would speak with their chef.

That totally sucks, because other than the fact that it’s not vegan, the (non) Vegan Shawarma is one bad-ass wrap…on par with the Buffalo Chicken Wrap at Cafe Muse and the Baja Burrito at Pure Luck. It’s a sad day.

after following up with mendocino about their NON-VEGAN sandwich being advertised as vegan, i received this email:

We do apologize about the soy cutlet issue. The other brand we were sourcing discontinued their product. They have been selling this soy cutlet from morningstar to us as a substitution for our “vegan” option. Unfortunately your friend is correct and our soy cutlet does have egg white in it. Which doesn’t make it vegan at all. We have addressed this issue and will be taking it off the menu.
We are working on more vegan options but for now you should stick to the soyrizo which is always a winner.

Thank you very much,
Lenny Fejeran
Store Manager
213.620.1114

looks like for now, you can’t trust mendocino farms. they have “vegan” options on their menu, that are clearly NOT vegan. i’d steer clear until they do their research. it’s really sad, because the shwarma was great…and not even because of the fake meat, but because of the vegetables and the dressing. original post below. if you do decide to eat at mendocino, make sure you know exactly what you are ordering.

usually when i visit downtown los angeles on a weekday, it’s for a pretty un-fun reason, but i manage to take advantage of the unique cuisine that city has to offer. well today was no different, so when i found myself having to travel to the grand/wilshire area, i naturally rewarded myself by grabbing a sandwich from mendocino farms. i’ve written about mendocino farms before, and the very vegan-friendly and uber-high-quality to-go shop is high on my list of places to eat in that area. however today was different…today mendocino farms was beyond exceptional. today they sold me without a doubt the best fucking sandwich i’ve ever had…and i really like sandwiches!

vegan shwarma: mediterranean soy shwarma with merquez lentil and white bean puree, vegan tzatziki, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded romaine on grilled tortilla wrap $9.25

turns out i caught mendocino at an extremely lucky moment, because right now during may of 2009, they are offering the vegan shwarma as their “secret sandwich of the month.” you see, mendocino is such a cool fun-loving place that they rotate secret sandwiches for the hell of it, and you can only find out about the secret sandwich by visiting the shop or subscribing to their email newsletter.

it was LAist.com’s blog post about the amazing vegan shwarma that first alerted me to mendocino farms, which was followed by much praise for the sandwich by my fellow los angeles vegan bloggers jennshaggy and foodeater. however, the shwarma being a rotating secret sandwich, i thought i may never get the chance to try it. well i sure as fuck lucked out, my loyal readers, because today the coveted shwarma was in the house and i got to finally eat what i have often heard so many others rave about.

all i can say is that the shwarma surpassed all the glowing reviews in pure awesomeness and seriously cemented itself in my mind as the sandwich of my dreams. the soy meat was juicy and succulent, the bean puree was thick and substantial, and the tzatziki was ridiculously creamy and oozing with dill and lemon flavors. all these fine ingredients were mixed in with the freshest vegetables and sandwiched in a perfectly-grilled tortilla wrap. SERIOUSLY DUDE. THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING SANDWICH IN THE WORLD. it is a CRIME that this will be gone next month, and it is a CRIME that mendocino is only open on weekdays. ugh!

Read the rest of this entry »

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UPDATE: this is probably not a great place for vegans. when i ate there, i was told the buns were vegan, but a commenter wrote in today and said they weren’t…also, he said the hotdogs were cooked on the SAME GRILL as the meat, which i forgot to check on when i was there. eat here at your own fucking risk. i will be back, but only for the beer. the dogs are vegan for sure though, so if you can count on those at least. fend for yourself. beware.

yesterday marked my second day of jury duty at the metropolitan courthouse in downtown los angeles, so naturally i had to check out a new vegan-friendly lunch spot. my carnivorous coworkers have been raving about the newish sausage and beer kitchen, wurstkuche since it very first opened. after hearing their descriptions of monstrosities such as rattlesnake & rabbit, alligator & pork along with duck & bacon sausages, i assumed wurstkuche was a restaurant i would never visit. too bad, i thought, because i had a butchers at the beer list and it was pretty impressive.

my mind was instantly changed though when jona bechtolt, a vegan musician who i’m a great fan of and follow on twitter, tweeted: “Downtown Los Angeles lunch at Wurstküche (***** of 5)” what?! but jona’s a vegan, i thought, so there must be some stuff i can eat at wurstkuche! i prodded jona for more info, and he messaged me back to say there were three animal-free sausages to choose from, not to mention amazing fries with curry ketchup. as you can imagine, i had to haul ass to wurstkuche asap…and my downtown la jury service provided the perfect excuse.

vegetarian beer bratwurst - soy based, traditional flavor. $6. plus belgian fries with curry ketchup. $3.50

i ordered the vegetarian beer bratwurst, which turned out to be a tofurky beerbrat, also the same sausage the frankenstand uses and calls “the witch”. (in fact, all 3 vegan options were familiar tofurky brand links: the beerbrat, the kielbasa, and sweet italian sausage.)

wurstkuche tofurky beerbrat fo sho!

for 6 bucks you get a piping hot sausage on a fresh roll with two toppings— i chose caramelized onions and sauerkraut. i also got an order of thick, fat belgian fries that came perfectly cooked with big chunks of salt and a side of curry ketchup…YUM. everything was delicious, but the fries were definitely the highlight.

and you can’t really talk about wurstkuche without mentioning the beer. although it’s a bit pricey, they have a lineup of 24 impressive draughts including belgian, german and north american selections. i myself went with a spaten pils, and they even served it to me in the proper glass! bonus points for that, most def.

aside from having a whole ton of great tap beer, awesome fries and vegan sausages, wurstkuche is just a really cool place to hang out. it’s spacious and open with tons of seating and has an industrial vibe, with its concrete floors and brick walls, offset by brightly colored orange chairs. there’s a long bar and tons of huge wooden communal tables. this is the kind of place i could spend all afternoon drinking in…if i didn’t have to get back to jury duty.

so when the frankenstand isn’t available, fill your vegan hot dog needs at wurstkuche. sure, they charge more for the exact same tofurky dog that you would get at franken’s, but they are always open and have great fries! oh, and be sure not to leave without getting a beer. thanks, jona!!

wurstkuche
800 e 3rd street
los angeles ca 90013

213-687-4444

sunday 12pm-10pm
monday thru wednesday 11am-10pm
thursday thru saturday 11am-midnight

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today i had the unfortunate opportunity to be called for jury duty and report to the metropolitan courthouse in downtown los angeles. i thought i was totally fucked…and well, i was. i wasted several valuable hours that could have been spent at the office, i killed way too many brain cells surfing the free wi-fi with absolutely no purpose, and i was subjected to good morning america, the view, oprah, and dr phil all within a short period of time (the volume turned up to full)! luckily downtown los angeles had one spectacular thing to offer…LUNCH! i lunched it up proper today and finally got acquainted with a place people keep RAVING about: mendocino farms.

vegan mushroom burger: veggan housemade mushroom and white bean burger with red onions, housemade pickles, tomatoes, sauteed greens and veganaise on ciabatta. $9.50

yep, my whole shitty day was validated with just one sandwich. for quite awhile, i’ve been hearing mad buzz about the downtown la vegan-friendly sandwich shop mendocino farms. the place calls itself an environmentally-friendly and conscious eatery, offering local, vegan and organic options. laist, my fave local blog, highlighted its amazing vegan selection, and mendocino even got a ringing endorsement from buddy and fellow blogger jennshaggy, who told me i just had to check out the meatless sandwiches. the few vegetarians and vegans i know who have tried this place all swear by it, and after today i am no different.

located in the 300 s grand business plaza, mendocino farms is smack dab in the heart of a bustling food court, with loads of busy angelist professionals lining up in really pro attire to grab a midday meal. when i arrived in rush mode from the courthouse, it was nearing 12:15pm, and i had to be back in the jury purgatory/holding room at 1:30. the line for mendocino was so bloody long, i seriously thought i’d never be able to eat there and get back in time. i’m not talking about just a “long line”. this thing was literally 65-70 people deep and would have taken at least an hour to stand in. i chatted to a chick near the top quarter of the queue, and she said she’d been waiting for about forty minutes. see for yourself. this line winds way around the building to the left. luckily i found my way around the madness.

mendocino farms line, be sure to call ahead and skip it!

i took one look at that crowd and knew i couldn’t hang. here is a tip to all vegans who visit mendocino farms in the future, this totally worked for me: go to the shop and suss out the situation, if the line is massive, call the restaurant and order your food to go. they will give you a wait time of about 15 minutes, during which you can stroll around the grounds and check out the water garden…before returning to mendocino and BYPASSING THE ENTIRE LINE TO PICK UP YOUR SANDWICH. that’s what i did. yep, i called ahead, took a leisurely stroll and then grabbed a sandwich that was hot and ready. oh yeah, and i also stopped for a long moment to smugly grin at the dozens of people who arrived before i did and were still waiting in line.

tricks and tips of the trade aside, my mendocino farms meal was very delicious and unique in its own right. a luscious vegan burger filled with beans, mushrooms and spices, piled high with crisp vegetables and creamy condiments on a fresh and crunchy ciabatta roll.

super awesome vegan mushroom burger from mendocino farms.

the patty soft and mushy, but in a really good way. whole chunks of mushrooms and large white bean bits were all bound together to make a truly tasty burger. i gotta say, i was pretty impressed with the way they rushed out such a high-quality product in the midst of what seemed to be a million other orders.

all i gotta say is, if i lived or worked in downtown los angeles i would be eating at mendocino farms nearly everyday! unfortunately they are only open for limited hours during the week, and always seem to be extremely crowded. the menu is so vegan-accommodating though, that you must check them out if you are in the area. beyond a clearly marked menu of vegan sandwiches, they also have daily vegan soups, vegan salads and even vegan cookies. every month they have a “secret sandwich” which is also often vegan, and you can keep track of it via their mailing list. for february, the secret sandwich is the “Spicy Vegan Soyrizo Wrap: Vegan Soyrizo and Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes, Shredded Romaine, Roasted Tomatoes and Veganaise on Grilled Tortilla Wrap for $9.50″ you should definitely give that a try in the few days we have before march and a new secret sandwich arrives!

los angeles vegans: if you find yourself anywhere near downtown la, hit up mendocino farms for an extremely satisfying lunch. definitely one of the best, heartiest sandwiches i’ve had in a while. and be sure to call them in advance, or even call in your order once you get there…otherwise, you could be stuck in line for ages. and to all vegans serving on jury duty at the downtown la hill street courthouse, this is your motherfucking SPOT! park on grand avenue by moca and eat at the outside tables. you will make it back in tons of time.

mendocino farms courtyard

ah, that great great sandwich. i will be hitting up this place as often as humanly possible.

mendocino farms
300 South Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(tel) 213-620-1114
Hours 11:00am-3:00pm Mon-Fri

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UPDATE: since this post, doomie’s has closed for business. this is very sad news, and we hope they will be back up and running again soon. for old times’ sake, the original post on doomie’s follows. but please note, the restaurant is CLOSED.

a new vegetarian restaurant opened in los angeles this weekend, and i can tell you it is incredible. doomie’s home cookin’ veggie-vegan serves up a huge menu of sinful comfort food, all of which can be prepared vegan, and a offers a pretty nice selection of draft beer. i think i have found my new favorite place.

special thanks to reader and commenter jason, who told me to check out doomie’s!

check out the menu here:

take the chilled out bar atmosphere, nice seating, and good beer from pure luck then combine it with the ridiculously “real” tasting junk food from the vegan spot and you have doomie’s. i think any meat-lovin’ carnivore could dine out and doomie’s and completely forget they are eating a vegan meal. everything i tried was insanely delicious.

philly cheesesteak: strips of beef smothered in vegan cheese piled with green onions, peppers and mushrooms. served with homemade onion rings. $8.95

when i go to doomie’s next time and try something new off the menu, i know this sandwich will be extremely hard to beat. i threw caution to the wind and scarfed the the whole thing down pretty quickly, it was just soooOOOOOOOoooOOOOo good. the vegan cheese was absolutely amazing. it had a sour taste that seemed exactly like real cheese, and it coated the juicy beef strips and greasy vegetables perfectly. it was a globby cheese, kind of like the stuff on the mac & cheese over at a taste of life. not so much like the thick stretchy cheese on the sandwiches at the vegan spot. this just mixed in and covered everything in the sandwich, making it taste like cheesy deliciousness.

additionally, doomie’s gets extra points for this sandwich because they were able to make it for me without bell peppers. i absolutely fucking hate bell peppers, and they come in so many vegan things. often at restaurants, when i specify that i want my dish sans peppers, they apologize and say it won’t be possible because the vegetables are already in a mix together that was made at the beginning of the day. doomie’s on the other hand, supplied me with a pepper-free sandwich without any fuss, even though they also had a pre-made mix that contained peppers. it was great to see a restaurant go out of their way to accommodate my request with a smile, even though it meant more work for them.

the side of homemade onion rings the sandwich came with were also out of this world. freshly battered and steaming on my plate, i could tell they had just been cooked. there were a lot of them too, $8.95 is a great deal for such a hearty sandwich and a huge side.

crispy onion-ringy perfection

for you healthy eaters out there, doomie’s also has a wide variety of salads. we got the chop salad with ranch dressing and vegan cheese, and it was pretty damn tasty.

chop salad: chopped and tossed for goodness in every bite. this one has it all! you pick the dressing. real or vegan cheese. $8.95

while this salad is still pretty decadent, it’s probably a lot healthier than some of the meatier-cheesier stuff on the menu. all the vegetables were fresh and finely chopped, and the creamy dressing was delightful. i know anyone, vegan or otherwise wouldn’t be able to tell this stuff was lacking dairy. it’s just delicious, period. not delicious for being vegan.

lastly, we couldn’t leave without trying something really intriguing off the dessert menu…vegan gell-o. i gotta say, it tasted even better the bone-filled jell-o from when i was a kid. this stuff had the same sweet flavor but was just a little bit thicker. a big improvement, and no bones!

gell-o $1.50

on top of serving up arguably the best vegan food in the city, doomie’s has a pleasant outdoor atmosphere and friendly knowledgeable staff. it’s located in a place called roberto’s that turns into a swingin’ nightclub after dark. there are some seats inside and a huge sunny patio with tons of seating and a view of chinatown.

we had a couple questions about the veganocity of our food, and within moments the chef, doomie himself, joined us outside to chat with us and answer any of our concerns. he really knew his shit, as he talked about which menu items contained organic sugar and which products had been purchased from other companies whose sugar source couldn’t be verified. so even if you are the strictest vegan, this guy will have all the answers and be able to put your mind at ease about what you are about to consume. doomie also talked a little about his reasons for starting up this restaurant, explaining that he wanted to open a place that vegans and non-vegans alike could visit and enjoy really good food. not healthy-tasting vegan food, just GOOD FOOD, that everyone would love no matter what they were used to eating. i think doomie definitely succeeded. you really need to check this place out.

roberto's club, home of doomie's restaurant

pleasant outdoor patio seating

a couple things to note: doomie’s is CASH only. but they do have an atm. i suggesting coming prepared, however, with enough money so you don’t get bitch-slapped with an atm fee. also, on sunday afternoons there is some biker event or something that takes place on the patio. you can still eat there, you will just be surrounded by rowdy bikers. they are actually pretty entertaining and i didn’t mind them at all, it’s just something you may want to know about going in.

also, while we were lunching at doomie’s on sunday afternoon, we had the fortunate experience of bumping into another vegan blogger, foodeater from to live and eat in LA. she was eating something completely different than us, which looked just as tasty. be sure to check her blog often, i’m sure her review and pictures will be nothing less than drool-worthy.

so head on over to doomie’s home cookin’ veggie-vegan, get a huge plate of vegan comfort food and a tall glass of cold stella. this place is giving all the other vegan restaurants a huge run for their money.

doomie’s home cookin’ veggie-vegan
@ roberto’s 686 n. spring street
chinatown, LA 90012

(714)883-7657

myspace.com/doomieshomecookin

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