ever since i found out the soy cheese at zpizza in west hollywood isn’t vegan friendly, i have been pretty much avoiding that part of town. what can i say, it brings back bad memories. well now, i have a whole new reason to go back to weho. you see, an awesome burger joint called o!burger, has been serving up healthy, organic alternatives to fast food with plenty of vegan options for quite sometime. i recently checked them out, and i think i’m addicted.

i’ve never had a vegan meal that scratches that dirty, guilty fast food itch, but at the same time tastes unique and reassuringly healthy like the scrumptious o!veggie burger.

the classic o!veggie: a homemade patty with spinach and corn. $7.99

the o!veggie is insane, unlike anything i’ve ever tasted. most burgers use soy protein or some kind of meat substitute when they go vegan, but at o!burger, they make the veggie patty with just downright genuine ingredients. their website states, “the veggie burger is made in house, filled with vegetables, oats, and corn — it’s vegan and dairy free.” i was reticent to try o!burger when i spotted it once as i cruised by on santa monica blvd. i figured they used some kind of garden burger or other unsafe patty for their veggie option. boy, was i missing out. the unexpected blend of spinach, corn and other vegetables made for an awesome surprise. i couldn’t believe how tasty it was. un-bloody-real.

also, it came served up on a delightfully grilled bun with a huge heap of sauteed onions and cucumbers instead of pickles. a whole new experience. the patty, presentation, and additional vegetables were all spot on. i cannot believe i waited so long to try this place.

we also grabbed an order of the o!fries, which were delicious and served up in a brown paper bag, proper fast food style. they weren’t too baked, or overly greasy. i’d say they were just right…and crinkle-cut! like when i was a kid!

o!fries. $2.99

but that’s not all, o!burger also caters to vegans like me with a voracious appetite for sweet things. first off, they have vegan cookies, which are absolutely delicious!

o!vegan cookie. $1.75

when i got this cookie home, it had started to melt a bit and the chocolate chips were moist and soft. seriously, it was incredible. this fast food treat didn’t even taste vegan. normal cookies: look the fuck out, this one is coming for you.

lastly, we rounded everything off with a pleasant milkshake. we got the vegan chocolate with oat milk, and it was delish. my only qualm was that it cost $4.50! that seems like a lot for a shake…what is it with everyone driving up prices on milkshakes lately? sheesh!

o!vegan shake. $4.50

o!burger has definitely conquered the intersection of delicious and healthy. everything they serve is organic, and their vegan food is out of this world. plus, they serve it up old school burger joint style. i really feel like i’m gettin’ some down and dirty real fast food when i eat there. you definitely pay more than you would at a normal burger joint, but for organic and vegan junk food, i’ll comply.

well done, o!burger. you may be a bit pricey, but you rock my socks off!

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well, my dear readers, it’s about time for your humble narrator’s vegan culinary tour of manhattan to come to a stop. and what better way for me to end the string of quarrygirl nyc posts than to leave you with my absolute favorite meal from manhattan: brunch at an awesome little restaurant called counter.

like most places worth eating at in new york, counter is trendy. counter is pricey. counter is maybe even a bit pretentious. but counter is sooooooo worth it. i read about this swanky little restaurant originally on one of my favorite la based blogs, huggerfood, and i decided that i had to dine there on my trip, no matter what. when another new york based blog backed it up as being the best brunch spot in town, i dedicated an entire saturday morning to trekking across manhattan in search of the perfect post-hangover eats.

i found my way there and…..wow. wow. wow!!!! counter was fucking incredible. it’s a snazzy vegetarian joint where most of the food is vegan, the service is friendly, the digs are posh, and the ingredients are top-notch.

frittata alla fiorentina: tofu frittata with a creamy mushroom hollandaise on a bed of spinach with home fries. $9.75

i ordered the frittata alla fiorentina, because the tofu patties and vegan hollandaise sauce sounded absolutely divine. the dish lived up to its hype and so much more. a firm vegetable-tofu medley was formed into two succulent patties and topped with the most incredible eggless creamy sauce and made for the perfect late morning meal. plus, the course came with an ample serving of dark leafy greens and thick, fried potatoes. they also gave me a serving of vegan nutella on the house. i just had to have it after reading about it on huggerfood. even without any pastries to spread it on, counter’s vegan nutella was delightful, and acted as a great condiment for all my food.

the brunch was amazing—everything was out of this world. the real kicker is, the tofu patties actually contained bell peppers (which i hate) and i was still able to eat them. there’s absolutely no logical explanation for that…the food was just THAT FUCKING GOOD! i am still trying to rationalize it.

being seitan obsessed, my husband was thrilled to see the east side burger on the brunch menu at counter. he didn’t let the fact that it was 11 am stop him from ordering a slap-up meal consisting of a huge vegan burger and thick, juicy, sliced potato french fries.

east side burger: wild mushroom pâté, housemade seitan & fresh herbs with all the normal fixin's. $10

there was nothing at all to fault about the east side burger. i tried it, and it was one of the best vegan burgers i’ve ever had. the patty was absolutely huge, and obviously homemade….none of that freeze-dried shit. this was the real deal. vegetables, grains, soy protein, all blended together perfectly to taste hearty and slightly unhealthy. if we lived in new york, we’d be at counter every weekend for brunch, most def.

after wolfing down two incredible brunch items at counter, i was super satisfied…but also extremely disappointed that i wouldn’t be in town long enough to sample their plentiful dinner menu. i guess there’s always next time.

wrapping up my tour of nyc, i gotta say, counter was the most bitchin’ place i ate at. a dripping saucy tofu breakfast, chunky and rich clumps of vegan nutella, lush & fried perfectly seasoned potatoes and a juicy thick vegan-grain burger patty made for the most amazing meal i’ve had in quite some time. when in nyc, get your ass to counter.

thanks for reading, now i’m back home…so you’d better get ready for a shitload of cool posts about vegan los angeles.

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do you remember this post where i raved about pure luck’s awesome curry fries? well, don’t rush out to try them, because they have been taken off the menu. i was so disappointed to open up the menu and find big black sharpie marks crossing out all the dishes that contained curry sauce. that’s right…curry fries, curry gnocchi and curry rice are no more.

you can check out the revised menu here:

oh well, i am just glad i got the chance to try the curry fries when they were around. they were really, really, really tasty. next time you see vegan curry fries, order them! they need your support, obviously.

one appetizer i can recommend that is still on the menu, to the best of my knowledge, is the avocado salad. it’s much lighter than the decadent curry fries, but it still tastes great and has plenty sin with the creamy cesar sauce and scrumptious avocado.

avocado salad: a small plate of romaine lettuce topped with avocado, pico de gallo, pepitas, and césar dressing. $5

for $3 more, you can get this salad as an entrée (double size!)…not a bad deal. with the absence of curry fries and the shrinking portions of potato pals, this may be your best bet. it’s delicious!

oh, and pure luck’s damaged window has been completely replaced. the place is back to normal, 100%! so if you’ve been waiting to return to pure luck, it’s definitely time to get back over there!

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things were looking pretty bleak for pure luck, my favorite vegan restaurant, after a truck crashed through their window and they waited ages to repair the damage. that’s why it brings me great pleasure to report that they have a new window at last! yay! they’ve remained open through every stage construction, and now it finally looks like it’s almost over. last week they had brand new glass in, and even though half the restaurant was closed while the workers put on the finishing touches, things were looking up. i decided to celebrate with some curry fries.

curry fries: homemade french fries served with a bowl of curry gravy for dipping. $8

i’ve been looking forward to trying these fries for awhile, and they definitely exceeded my expectations. they even rival the wonderful potato pals as pure luck’s best appetizer. crispy on the edges and soft inside, the long fat potato wedges were perfectly fried and seasoned.

the fries were crazy tasty, but what made this dish exceptional was definitely the curry gravy. i am a curry freak; i know when sauce is good, and this sauce was off the fucking hook. spicy, garlicky, and super oily, i just couldn’t get enough of this dip. i drank it when i finished the fries. can you blame me?

ahhhhh. pure luck definitely hit the spot. i do gotta say, the portions are still smaller than they used to be—the fresh noodle salad seems to shrink by the day. but hey, the dollar is in the toilet. everyone is taking a hit i guess.

pure luck has also started offering daily specials. when i was there they had some new tacos and a burrito on special, plus a quinoa salad. they’ve also started printing a beer list, and have eliminated penne pasta from the menu. it’s a whole new world in there.

so get to pure luck and check out the new window, raise a pint and celebrate. hopefully they will be done installing it and the whole restaurant will be open by the time you go. oh, and i highly recommend the curry fries.

fixin' her up

update: curry fries have been taken off the menu

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