as you may or may not know, native foods in westwood changed their menu, and in doing so eliminated most of my favorite dishes. so after my most recent and somewhat disappointing lunch there, i decided to go home and dust off the old native foods cookbook that i’ve been meaning to put to use. it’s filled with old recipes so i figured surely it could help take me back to my happy native foods place and give me a taste of the dishes i remember.

since native foods put the kibosh on farrah’s fatoush, my regular order and favorite dish, i decided to whip up a greek-style feast with all the cookbook had to offer. i varied it a little depending on preference and available ingredients, but i pretty much wound up with some quinoa tabouli, harry’s hummus, and a gorgeous greek salad. (btw, the cute names of the recipes make me wanna smash something.)

quinoa tabouli, harry's hummus and the gorgeous greek with tofu feta. all from the native foods restaurant cookbook

lemme start off by saying the meal i actually wanted to make was the bali surf burger. it’s this crazy-good tempeh concoction and i couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on the secret. well here’s what the cookbook said:

native foods recipe for the bali surf burger

ok, now normally i would never post a scanned picture of recipe from a cookbook. it’s unethical. but in this case, as you can see, i’m giving nothing away. there are so many things wrong with this freaking recipe, i don’t know where to start. first off, the recipe is for a burger, but at the top right, the serving size is 2, “because you can’t eat just one!” and then the book goes on to just double all the ingredients in a really simple way. man, if i wanted 2 burgers i could figure it out for myself, trust me.

next, this isn’t even really a recipe. it’s a list of ingredients and a dummy’s guide on how to assemble a hamburger: “spread each side with 1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise. on bottom bun, place sauteed tempeh…” whaaaaaa? seriously? i dropped 20 bucks + shipping on this cookbook and you are wasting a page telling me how to physically put a hamburger together? stop it.

they may as well just give a tempeh recipe and be like, “this is awesome. make a burger with it if you so choose.” i don’t need a whole rundown on how to put mayo on a bun. …and not just that, but the tempeh recipe on page 65 is no big shakes either. it just tells you to go out and buy some tempeh, then sautee it. i won’t give away the “secret” or anything, but it feels like kind of a jip. basically everything with fake meat in the cookbook just provides ingredients, and then sends you to a website where you can order the soy meat products. hmmmmm. not cool.

so i decided to make something with ingredients i could find, that actually required some preparation. bring on the greekness!

k, lemme tell you what you’re looking at here. there’s harry’s hummus, the book describes it as a lighter hummus which doesn’t include tahini…then there’s quinoa tabouli, a blend of quinoa and parsley on a bed of greens (i omitted the mint because i didn’t have any, and used spinach instead of lettuce)…then there’s the gorgeous greek, a mixture of vegetables and tofu feta (i made it without bell peppers).

overall, everything tasted great, but i gotta say…there was SO MUCH FREAKING OLIVE OIL. in everything! i couldn’t believe my eyes when i was reading the recipes. i decided to half the oil in everything, and even then, as i was pouring the olive oil into the measuring cup i was like, ok i gotta stop, this is gonna fucking kill me before i finish it. i calculated all the recipes together, and in total, all the dishes would have required 2 CUPS OF OIL! seriously. granted there would have been left-overs and such, so it wouldn’t have all been eaten in one sitting…but i used left than half that amount and my food was still swimmin’ in it. gross.

my last criticism about the cookbook is that every recipe requires you to prepare something from another page. like to make the salad, i will need x amount of tofu feta, then i have to go to the tofu feta recipe page and not make the entire recipe, but figure out the right proportions to just make x. sometimes 2 or 3 times for one recipe. seriously, i’m no idiot, and scrambling around, flipping through pages and doing calculations got both tiring and mathematically taxing.

all that aside, the recipe came out great! everything was extremely delicious, albeit pretty heavy on the oil side. the best part was for sure the tofu feta which was lemony and tart, and didn’t taste like feta at all.

tofu feta from the native foods cookbook

although the food was tasty, i’m gonna wait a few months before using the native foods cookbook again. it was hard work, and i think i should give it quite some time before consuming that much fat again. i mean, that’s what eating out is for!

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the waffle in hollywood is swanky little hipster diner on sunset and vine that serves up comfort food and breakfast fare from the early, early morning to the wee hours of the night. they have huge home-cookin’-style portions, snazzy decor, and super-trendy clientele—it’s a little bit of an a-hole fest. however, i have been intrigued and anxious to try the waffle because i heard that they were pretty vegetarian-friendly.

turns out the waffle dedicates a whole section of its extensive menu to vegetarian items, many of which even have the word “vegan” in their title. hell yeah, i was super stoked. because i have a hard time dragging my husband to any fast food/guilty-tasting restaurants other than the amazing vegan spot, i set up a lunch date to check out the waffle with my mom. it is located right next to my work after all…how convenient.

we both ate vegan (thanks for being such a sport, mama!), and i opted for the vegan cobb.

vegan cobb salad: faux-fowl, avocado, fakin' bacon, baby tomatoes, red onions, chick peas, peppers, lettuce and soy cheese. $12

the vegan cobb was pretty big…but don’t let the picture fool you. 70% of the huge bowl was lettuce. there wasn’t really much faux-fowl, and the vegetables were eaten up pretty quick. people always rave about the vegan cobb over at swingers, and i’ve never had it…but i gotta imagine it was better than this. it just didn’t feel right forking over 12 bucks for a huge bowl of lettuce with some shredded tofurkey. don’t get me wrong, i really applaud the waffle for even catering to us vegans at all, but this is definitely nothing to get excited about.

my mom, being from the south ‘n shit, of course went with the waffle’s take on vegan chili: the vegan bowl of red. not bad at all!

vegan bowl of red: vegan style chili served with side of onions and your choice of cheese. $9

the chili didn’t arrive with onions, as the menu advertised, but a pot of jalapenos instead. whatevs, we were flexible. the vegan bowl of red was pretty tasty…it tasted exactly like the trader joe’s vegan chili they sell by the can. i think morningstar farms has a brand as well that is also comparable. so again, like the cobb, her meal was pretty good…but $9?!?!?!!? for real? this was a six buck meal at the most…especially considering it almost certainly came from a can.

the service at the waffle was also lacking. our waitress was nice, but the food took forever to arrive and when it did, they’d FORGOTTEN our order of waffle fries. instead of spending 2 hours trying to flag down a server, we let it slide…but they still tried to charge us for the fries anyways. bastards! at the end of the day it all worked out, we didn’t get charged and we had enough to eat…but still. not great service on their part.

the waffle also offers vegan milkshakes which i was super pumped to try…until i found out they were $6.50! for realz? if john travolta can be shocked by a five dollar milkshake, i can be straight-up pissed about one that costs $6.50. and it’s not even like they charge extra for the vegan version—the regular milkshakes are $6.50 as well! jeeeez! i wanted to keep the meal under $30, so decided to pass on the shake. i’m sure it would have been awesome though. i just can’t justify spending almost seven bucks on some soy ice cream that’s been through a blender. please.

so overall, the waffle wasn’t bad. it was just really freaking expensive and had crap service. plus, seriously, the food is nothing to bust a nut over. if you have to go to lunch with a bunch of omnivores in hollywood, the waffle is PERFECT! you will be grateful to see a whole safe section of the menu you can order from. but if you are scouring the city for good vegan food and wanna get as tasty as possible, put the waffle way down at the bottom of your list. i guess what i’m sayin’ is, it’ll do in a pinch.

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not long ago, i was blogging away and bitching about things that had been taken off the menu at my all-time favorite restaurant, pure luck (namely the curry fries). a couple days later, a dude who i assume was the owner, ben, was kind enough to leave a comment on my post detailing why certain items had been deleted from the menu, and describing some of the tasty new additions that they had made way for.

of course, i took it upon myself to get over to pure luck several times over the past few weeks and try all of the new dishes they had to offer so i could report back to you all. the additions ranged from awesome, to meh, to sucky…and i’m bringing you pix and descriptions for each one. overall, i think it’s great that pure luck expanded their menu, and i highly urge you to head over and get some of the new shit.

first, check out ben’s original comments to set it all up.

on why he abolished things like my beloved curry fries:

The short answer is that the kitchen at Pure Luck is probably smaller than your bathroom. Really tiny. We had a bunch of new stuff we wanted to put on the menu, so we had to remove a few things.

on the new menu deets, stuff that’s gone, and stuff that’s gone that they can still make:

New stuff:
1. Fire Grilled Beet Salad. My new favorite.
2. Quinoa Paloma. I won’t bother trying to describe this one, because when I do, it sounds like diet food. It is super healthy, but more importantly, it’s tasty. Ask for a sample.
3. Vegan Fish tacos and burritos.

R.I.P.:
1. All pasta and gnocchi dishes.*
2. Curry fries.

Note that we still have gnocchi on the menu in the form of “Potato Pals” (fried gnocchi) and we still have fresh pesto for the Tofu Pesto Sandwich, so we can still do the pesto gnocchi from the old menu.

thanks, ben. all very good to know. we here at quarrygirl sincerely appreciate your comments, and i’m sure i speak for the readers as well.

obviously ben had some good reasons for changing up pure luck’s offerings and left some mouth-watering descriptions of what the new menu has to offer. i was immediately compelled to chow down every new dish and bring it back home to you guys. here’s what i found:

baja taco combo: 2 of our delicious veggie "fish" tacos with your choice of side. $10

first up, whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA, the baja taco combo is off the bloody hook. whatever pure luck has done to re-invent fish is the same thing they did to re-invent carnitas. jackfruit has got nothin’ on this battered-tofu-fish substitute. wowie. unfortunately, i imagine it’s a harder sell “fish” than “carnitas” or “pulled pork”, though. for some reason, vegans and omnivores alike seem repelled at the idea of fake fish, myself included! to this day, i’ve never had a soy shrimp because the thought of it scares the fuck out of me. i was even reticent to order these succulent tacos, but i did it for you guys so i could write about it. lemme tell ya, it was best gustatory decision i ever made. i wonder what else i have been missing out on by being afraid of faux-fish and other meat impersonators. these tacos were INSANE. some maddening tofuey concoction was lightly breaded and fried into the perfect crunchy but juicy protein source, oozing with flavor and complete scrumptiousness. nothing was “too fishy tasting” and nothing was gross about it. plus, there was this crazy-good creamy white sauce, i guess it was a tartar-inspired condiment (though i don’t remember what the “real thing” tastes like). all i know is this goes great with crunchy tofu, hot sauce, and fresh vegetables. vegan perfection! i think this is the most genius dish pure luck has ever come up with…BETTER THAN CARNITAS…and man i love me some jackfruit. i even gave a bite to my husband who abhors any fake fish, almost as much as the real thing, and he was offering to finish my tacos for me two minutes later.

the rating for the baja tacos is AWESOME RADICAL beyond belief. order them, and under all plausible vegan circumstances, you will not be sorry.

ben, dude, you should have talked this dish up more in your comment, or provided a description. it is legendary! i still know people who are too freaked out to order fake fish, and if any of you are reading this, shut the fuck up and try these tacos!!!!!!!!!!!!

second on deck, a much-needed new addition to the salad family at pure luck, the quinoa paloma. what self-respecting vegan doesn’t bust a nut over quinoa, right? it’s healthy, it’s full of protein, it tastes great and it has less calories than rice or noodles. quinoa rocks. this salad had potential written all over it, and it….um…kind of delivered. it was OK. ben described it as “super healthy, and more importantly, tasty.” i’d describe it as “healthy, and more importantly, more expensive” than the old favorite salads. this salad wasn’t bad…it just wasn’t great. i was really missing some of that protein that pure luck is famous for. some of the incredible grilled tofu from the fresh noodle salad (i still can’t figure out how they do it!) or some of the notorious jackfruit from the spinach salad. the quinoa paloma had none of this. PLUS, it cost 2 bux more than the other salads. hmmm. it was definitely good, just missing that UMPH. oh, and it came with unadvertised almonds (such is the consistency of pure luck), that i only assume added more calories, fat, and un-healthiness to the salad than i expected. see for yourself. again, not a bad salad. just not as good as the other offerings.

overall rating: meh meh meh meh meh, probably really neato if you like quinoa and cilantro. nice dressing.

quinoa paloma: quinoa, steamed with a savory mushroom and onion mix, and topped with a tart and refreshing red cabbage dressing. $10

next up, the salad i had been anticipating, ben’s new favorite, turned out to be quite a disappointment. the grilled beet salad…well…i’m hoping i got it on a bad day. i feel it just isn’t right to utter a bad word about pure luck, especially since they are the OMG BEST restaurant of all time, but ben’s new favorite was totally icky when it arrived on my table. the fire-grilled beets tasted like beety wood chips. i don’t know if they were cooked or burned, or what. they were thick, hard and chunky. i had to chew through them steadily before they were swallow-able. eventually i gave up and left about half of them in what looked like a blood-soaked bowl. to pure luck’s…er…defense?…the chefs are chronically inconsistent. i mean, i’ve gotten the fresh noodle salad with no noodles, the soup has been cold, the potato pals have arrived with the wrong sauce, etc. i am hoping that on this one occasion, the beet salad tasted like total ass because someone screwed it up upstream. it may be ben’s new favorite, but the one i got was pure uck. go eat it for yourself though…chances are, i coulda easily had it on an off night. with so many other fantastic things on the menu, though…i don’t see the point, myself, in ordering it again.

i give it a sucky rating from my one experience. hopefully i’m wrong.

grilled beet salad: fire grilled beets and onions over a bed of fresh spinach, topped with our homemade orange-beet dressing, and toasted almonds. $10

lastly, i bring you the burrito of all burritos: the baja! this meal, like the baja tacos is too fucking great to describe. better than all the other pure luck burritos combined, this takes the amazing tofu “fish” and throws it in with a tad of spanish rice, hot salsa, decadent creamy sauce and thick vegetables. most restaurant burritos are just way too massive and intimidating, but this one was the perfect size and full of pure awesome shit. i got it with the side salad, but i’m sure some sweet potato fries would make a great partner as well.

baja burrito: our veggie "fish" wrapped in a flour tortilla with rice, cabbage and salsa. served with your choice of side. $10

a little heartier than the tacos, this burrito makes for the perfect meal when you are feeling extra hungry. i love how pure luck double grills the tortillas of their burritos making them easy to hold and a little crispy around the edges. again, all you people who are intimidated by fake fish, put your fears aside and EAT THIS. it is soooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOo good.

overall rating on the baja burrito is off the fucking hook scrumptious. i am making myself hungry as i type.

of course, pure luck still has the same impressive draught beer selection. however, they now offer 18oz servings of premium brews for just 5 bucks. their variety of craftsman, stone, and other selections at such a low price is unmatched in los angeles. most self-respecting bars will charge $6-$7 for beers this big and this good.

in other news, pure luck now has a back patio with some cute and comfy looking furniture. i’ve not sat out there since they re-did it, but the outdoor area is usually bustling and appears to be quite pleasant. as the weather cools down, it becomes a more and more appealing place to sit. well done, pure luck!

overall, the new menu at pure luck is a very welcome change. i will always miss the curry fries, such is the luck with subjectiveness. maybe they weren’t selling or something. and i support the new menu items, although they are across the board $10, 2 bucks more than comparable older items (don’t think we didn’t fucking notice THAT, pure luck!!!!). the menu changes are overall super cool, and while i don’t really love the new salads, it is nice to see more healthy crap on a menu overflowing with fried appetizers and massive sandwiches. i never thought i’d say this, but the fake fish makes it all worthwhile. a completely new taste, i can’t really describe it or urge you enough to check it out.

go go go go go 2 pure luck!

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i have long been a fan of the vegan house in silverlake on sunset. it’s been a staple of my diet for years as a quick, cheapish meal before countless late night gigs at spaceland. they have genuinely good vegan thai vegan food, quick service, a large menu, and low prices. so, of course, i was beyond stoked when via some random googling, i realized they’d opened a second location much closer to my own hood: a vegan house 2 on wilcox near hollywood blvd. yipeeeeee! i had to try it out.

after some hardcore drinking at the blue palms ale house (our new favorite bar), we skipped down the lane to vegan house and continued home with 3 steamy boxes to go.

bbq tofu appetizer: $4.99

grilled soy chicken salad: with garlic, cilantro and liquid aminos. $5.99

pepper garlic entree: sautéed roasted garlic cilantro with your choice serve with steamed mixes vegetables (broccoli, carrot, cabbage) $6.99

vegan house 2 aka hollywood vegan house is just as groovy as its cousin over in silverlake, perhaps even groovier. they have the same menu, plus some additional delights…and a much more welcoming atmosphere. the vegan house in silverlake is filled with awesome food, but it’s kinda dingy and i think they have an air conditioning problem. every time i’ve eaten there, whether it be june or january, i’ve always been shivery-cold. seriously, i know i live in southern california, but that doesn’t mean i want to feel like i’m dining at the north pole. additionally, the east-side location is pretty dimly lit and a tad depressing. sparse tables, located right underneath a comfort inn in a strip mall, no frills. the wilcox location, on the other hand, looks like a hip little sushi bar that has been converted to a vegan restaurant. bright colors, a sweet comfy bar with counter-top grills and stools, and tables that line the window. super-pleasant. i’m really looking forward to dining in sometime.

PLUS…as far as take-out, vegan house on wilcox has it nailed. the food was ready in record time, the counter man was smiley, and the the tasty factor was pretty high for a vegan thai place. you gotta realize going into these places, you are gonna get canned faux-meat from chinatown, serrated cucumbers in your salad and more tahini dressing than you could ever eat. i mean, i don’t know why all these thai-vegan places in los angeles have the same handbook, or why they are on every corner…but the food is mad decent (albeit super similar), so i gotta love ‘em.

let’s start with our appetizer…the bbq tofu. to be honest, although this was mighty good, it wasn’t what i expected. i had high hopes for some fancy bbq tofu a la a taste of life, but this was just a simple sliced variety with some sugary southern sauce drizzled on top. the tofu was well cooked…slightly crispy on the outside, spongey on the inside. but it wasn’t quite integrated with the sauce, which was kind of an afterthought and a tad to sweet. that being said, we wolfed the appetizer down anyway. for a vegan fix within walking distance from hollywood blvd. (aka tourist central), i really cannot complain.

next up, and much more to our delight, we had the grilled soy chicken salad. this is one of the premium “grilled meat” salads at the vegan house and it’s totally worth it. between two people it was more than enough! the vegetables were fresh and crisp, the tahini was tangy, and the soy chicken was beyond succulent. i mean look at this stuff. do you ever wanna eat meat again?!?!? i didn’t FUCKING THINK SO!

lastly, as an entree, we went with the thai mainstay of the quarrygirl household: pepper garlic with pepper steak.

this was pretty good, but like certain other thai places, the pepper steak was way too sweet. they shared the same sugary taste as the pepper steak down the road at truly vegan. if i wanted a sweet meat, i’d search for a faux slice of honey-baked-ham, not steak. i dunno. the fresh vegetables were absolutely superb, but all that sugary meat was kind of a let-down. i don’t hold it against the vegan house though, it’s probably just that one soy meat that isn’t to my liking. the same dish prepared with grilled tofu or soy chicken would have been divine. shame on me for ordering fake steak, when i know half of these vegan thai places opt for the sugary brand. overall, it was still beyond edible. not a MORSEL was discarded, no matter how much i bitch!

so…a couple of legitimate downsides about the vegan house in hollywood. well, they aren’t always open when they say they will be. the hours on their site are a great guideline; but if you are driving from far or just want to be sure, call ahead. if they don’t pick up, they prolly aren’t around. ALSO, for take-out peeps like me, there is SO MUCH AWESOME FOOD that isn’t even advertised on their website. only if you go there and eat off the in house menu will you see all the magical offerings! i mean, just ask my fellow vegan blogger foodeater! she went there and ate some awesome food, all of which is not represented on their internet menu. i’m totally jealous. just keep that in mind.

overall, the vegan house rocks. hit it up in hollywood or silverlake when you are looking for one of the better los angeles vegan thai places, with the word vegan in its title! it’s cheap, cozy, and delish. stick to the asian dishes, and you can’t go wrong!

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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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a big thanks to foodeater for sharing this news via twitter a few hours ago. i wouldn’t have known otherwise.

apparently, the legendary vegan spot on sunset is up for sale. for fucking SALE. that’s right, the restaurant is listed with the price of a whoppin’ $75K on none other than the trusted real estate source craigslist.org. you heard me right. craigslist. the place you’d normally go to sell your old TV, find a roommate, or get some hot m4w/ww4m/t4mw action is now the same site you can hit up to buy your fave vegan restaurant. ahhhhh…the wonderous internet.

here is the link to the craigslist post.

roast beef and cheddar in all its vegan glory!

and here is a picture of the post for you to click on, in case it’s been deleted by the time you read this.

so why, then? why is a restaurant that makes the best vegan sandwiches in town, meals that everyone and their mom has been blogging about, up and selling themselves overnight? i don’t have the answer. all i know is we should all get over there and eat like 8 million sandwiches. pronto.

funny, i was just at the vegan spot last night, would you believe? and i was already half way through writing a post about how in just one week since my last glowing review, the portions and quality of the food have gotten even better (which i didn’t think was possible)! i tried some new stuff, tried some old stuff, and it was all better than anything i’d tried before.

starting with the new stuff. for those of you who love melty vegan cheese that tastes exactly like real cheese, i recommend the quesadilla. the vegan spot switches it up and makes their quesadilla with mozz instead of cheddar, which is a totally welcome change…especially combined with with red onion, spinach and mushrooms. absolutely divine.

quesadilla: spinach and mushroom quesadilla layered with soy mozzarella and red onion in a whole wheat tortilla. served with a side of pico de gallo. $8.95

i’ve had myself some pretty impressive vegan quesadillas, and this is by far the best. the vegan spot’s amazing ability to capture the essence of melting cheese doesn’t stop at just the sandwiches. they’ve got it nailed between a greasy tortilla as well. and all the vegetables in this thing were nothing less than scrumptious! i could have eaten like 8 quesadillas at least. fuck you, vegan spot…your food is too awesome for mortals.

not to be outdone, the vegan burger at the vegan spot is as good as any i’ve eaten before. it rivals m café, follow your heart and all our favorites as the best vegan burger in town. luscious, hearty, and most importantly homemade, this patty brought it. SO GOOD. i could eat like ten of these. oh, and for an extra buck you can add SOY CHEESE. mmmmmmmmmmmMMMMmmmelty and wonderful; beyond worth the $1.

veggie burger: our own veggie burger patty served with a side of thousand island, lettuce, tomato and red onion. $8.95

this thing was off the chain. it seems like every single thing i order from the vegan spot menu is better than the thing i tried before, without fail. i would put this right up there with their other cheesy sandwiches.

oh, and did i mention, the same chef salad that i raved about last week has gotten even better?
it’s more (fake) meaty and much, much huger. you gotta check it out. i’m sure the other salads rock as well…i just can’t help but get this one every time. here is a pic of the latest version.

chef salad: romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, "turkey", roast "beef", soy mozzarella, maple pepper "bacon" and croutons. served with ranch dressing. $9.95

that salad launched me into a 6 hour food coma and the best sinking feeling of my life. well done. even more fantastic than last time.

if you haven’t tried the vegan spot, haul your ass over there as soon as you can. it’s quickly becoming my favorite restaurant, although i’ve never actually dined in and they don’t serve beer. what can i say, the food just speaks for itself. so good.

so, on a final note: anyone who has some money, click on the about page of this site and send me an email. i’m thinking that if enough of us get together, we can buy this awesome vegan restaurant and eat ourselves into oblivion.

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because i can’t find it anywhere else online, i’ve taken the liberty of posting the menu for the the vegan spot in silver lake right here. check it out.

well, i’m happy to report that i have some good news today. not everyone in this town is raising prices and cutting their menu down. the vegan spot on sunset has expanded their menu (it has practically doubled in size!) and everyone agrees the food keeps getting better and better. seriously, i couldn’t believe my eyes when i walked in and the big chalk board was filled with more delicious items than i could ever possibly try. the modest hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop now offers salads, soups, bowls, burritos, nachos, pizza, wraps and breakfast…oh my! i knew i would have to live it up. starting with a ginormous salad.

chef salad: romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, "turkey", roast "beef", soy mozzarella, maple pepper "bacon" and croutons. served with a side of ranch dressing. $9.95

this is the best salad i’ve ever had. full stop. i’m sure it wasn’t the healthiest by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just soooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOo delicious. filled to the brim with fake meat, piled high with mounds of mozzarella and garnished with huge slabs of fresh avocado…it was decadent. i barely even used the ranch dressing, as i didn’t want to mask any of the salad’s wonderful flavors. there was so much good protein in there, but i think my favorite had to be the maple pepper “bacon.” perfectly grilled and seasoned, it was a great compliment to the cold slices of “turkey” and roast “beef.” beyond yum.

because i was such a huge fan of the roast beef and cheddar sandwich, i knew i’d have to give the philly cheesesteak a whirl (with no bell peppers). what i found in this sandwich was vegan junk food perfection. the greasy fake meat and melty-licious soy mozzarella were even better in this sammy than in the roast beef and cheddar…which i didn’t think was possible.

philly "cheesesteak": thinly sliced and freshly prepared roast "beef" and grilled onions topped with soy mozzarella and toasted warm. $8.95

now i know in the past i did a bit of bitching about the price of the vegan spot’s sandwiches. well, i just wanna say they get better and better everytime…now i don’t care how much they cost. to get a sandwich like this for under ten bucks is a damn good deal. i highly recommend if you go to the vegan spot, you get one of their hot sandwiches. the cold ones are nothing to scoff at, but the hot ones are just out of this world and very special. while i was very impressed with the fake cheddar, the fake mozzarella totally blew my mind. maybe it’s because i prefer mozzarella anyway, or because i am such a huge pizza fan…either way, this is some of the best soy mozz i’ve ever had. it pasts the test of tasting good cold, and melting right up. i cannot WAIT to go back to the vegan spot and try out their pizza. so much good stuff on the menu.

being a burrito freak and in love with tofu scramble, of course i also ordered the breakfast burrito. it definitely hit the spot and did the trick.

breakfast burrito: tofu scramble, avocado, pico de gallo, maple pepper "bacon" wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla and served with a side of fresh fruit. $6.95

the fact that it was like 8pm didn’t stop me from craving this breakfast burrito, so i was very pleased to see that the vegan spot serves all its breakfast items all day. this burrito was positively scrumptious and filled with some of the best tofu scramble and fake bacon i’ve ever eaten. since when did this tiny little sandwich shop start churning out the best selection of vegan food in the city? i may have to go to silver lake every weekend just to eat here. seriously, it’s that good. and this burrito is a steal for only $6.95!

of course, a guilty, gluttonous, junk food spree at the vegan spot would not be complete without indulging in their signature dessert: VEGAN TWINKIES! i have been obsessed with these wonderful vegan twinkies for quite awhile (made by jenn shaggy), so i was ecstatic when i saw that they were in stock. these things sell out super fast, so getting the chance to eat them is a rare and lucky occurrence. it pleases me to tell you that the other day they were as fresh and tasty as ever.

vegan twinkie. $3.50

i’ll never get over how these vegan twinkies are like a thousand times better than the real thing. they taste like an actual sponge cake filled with rich and creamy vanilla frosting. very far from the cruddy little vacuum packed pastries they are emulating. trust me, whether you like regular twinkies or not, you gotta try these.

so overall, the vegan spot is vegan fast food at its finest: cheesy dishes, huge sandwiches and scrumptious desserts. i seriously can’t wait to go back and get my teeth on some nachos, pizza, or vegan chili. they really do have everything. and all of it tastes awesome.

the vegan spot
3206 west sunset blvd.
los angeles, ca 90026

323-667-0116

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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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colman’s english mustard is my absolute favorite condiment ever. it knocks me to the ground and leaves me crying when i eat too much of it, but at the same time, i can never really get enough. i’ve been known to sit in pubs and unload an entire bottle onto an order of chips, until i am streaming tears and red in the face. what can i say…i am addicted to the heat. so naturally when i came across a tasty-sounding recipe for a portobello salad with spicy mustard dressing in veganomicon, i had to give it a whirl with colman’s. the result was deadly & delicious.

veganomicon's portobello salad with spicy mustard dressing, using colman's english mustard.

the only adjustments that i made to the salad recipe were: 1.) of course, subbing hot english mustard for the prepared spicy mustard, and 2.) using normal wine instead of cooking wine (cooking wine tastes like crap, and if it ain’t good enough for me, it ain’t good enough for my salad!). other than that, i went by the book, and the dish came out great. if you aren’t into really hot food though, and you still want that kick that colman provides, you may want to use half english mustard and half spicy mustard. seriously, i had to stop every once in a while and get water while eating because it was so fucking brutal.

the best things about this salad though, were the juicy and succulent portobellos. after marinating and baking, they tasted soooo flavorful, kind of like the mushrooms from m café that come in the bi-bim bop. i will definitely be cooking these again and throwing them on a sandwich or burger.

there ya have it, just another great tried and tested recipe from veganomicon. i would give it to you, but that would be cheating. definitely worth buying the book. everything i’ve tried has been awesome, except for the seitan, which come out quite right. i guess i will give it another shot. if any of you have some veganomicon seitan success stories, please let me know.

until then, spice it up with this salad! it will hurt so good.

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as i’m sure you know, yesterday was a holiday. it was labor day here in the u.s., and even though it’s kind of a bullshit holiday when people like to actually go out (rather than sit home with their families worshipping god or whatever), most of my favorite vegan restaurants decided to close for the day. lame! so imagine how stoked i was when i phoned the veggie grill and found out they were open! we decided to grab a few beers in nearby redondo beach, and hit up the veggie grill for some take-out on the way back home. for a quick, vegan holiday meal when everywhere else was shut, this was a pretty tasty find.

chop-chop chef: chopped romaine, tempeh, veggie-steak, chillin' chickin, green onion, roasted corn salsa with a chipotle ranch dressing. $9.95

we also got the v-burger (which i didn’t bother snapping because you’ve already seen it here) and started off with an order of steamin’ kale.

steamin' kale: organic kale with ginger-miso dressing and roasted sesame seeds. $3.95

as i’ve said before, the veggie grill is full of hidden charges. adding mushroom or avocado to a burger is an extra $1.50. getting salad instead of slaw as a side is an extra $1.95. if you want FRIES with your burger, that’s an extra $2.25! it’s all pretty ridiculous. by the time we shelled out the extra 2 bucks to swap out the slaw for salad, our entire order cost $26.85 before tip.

$26.85…that’s kind of a lot. it’s right up there with m café, yet the veggie grill doesn’t deliver anywhere near the same quality of food. don’t get me wrong, my lunch was absolutely delicious…but was it really worth almost $30? i mean, the salad was full of crunchy white lettuce bones, nothing like the soft and dark leafy greens that fill the bowls over at m café.

that being said, the salad was packed full of tasty protein. the tempeh was definitely my favorite. the veggie-steak and chillin’ chickin were good too—they tasted almost exactly like morningstar farms starter strips, which i’m a fan of. i didn’t eat the side of chipotle ranch, instead i used some awesome and healthy dressing that my dad brought me when he visited over the weekend. it went perfectly with the salad, the green onions and sesame really complimented each other. the BEST thing about the salad, though, was it came (as all veggie grill salads do) infused with a hearty scoop of quinoa. i love quinoa, and i don’t think you can really go wrong adding it to anything. i don’t know why anyone eats rice anymore, when they could eat those little white blobs of protein instead.

in the end, the veggie grill salad really hit the spot. not to mention the delicious kale and its amazing miso dressing. i am so glad they were open on labor day. if only they weren’t so damn expensive. oh well, being a vegan and saving the world isn’t cheap…but it sure is worth it.

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friday update, after the post.

if you read my blog, there are probably 2 things you know about me: 1.) i hate bell peppers and 2.) i loooOOOOoooOOOove pure luck. the very first time i ate there, i knew i had something special: fancy tap beer, the best vegan food ever, great service and a funky chill atmosphere. i often found myself relaxing at a window table, bathed in sunlight, about 1/2 way though my second pint of craftsman as a steaming hot plate of potato pals was brought to my table and lou reed’s transformer drifted through the speakers…thinking, this place is just way too good to be true.

i’m beginning to believe i was right.

torta: sauteéd jackfruit "carnitas", plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. $9

ahhhh…the torta, pictured above. this photo was taken months ago, before the restaurant started going downhill. please notice: a plastic order number to the way upper left, a 20oz beer next to it, and a generous serving of potato pals with the entrée (at no extra charge, mind you)! these things have now all gone…they don’t exist at pure luck anymore, and neither does the window that’s lighting them.

you see, on july 19, 2008, a fucking truck plowed through the window and wall of pure luck, fatally wounding my favorite eatery. i was hopeful at the time that they’d get the shit repaired stat, but unfortunately since the accident i’ve seen the best employees leave, the portions reduced, and the atmosphere sacrificed. plus they haven’t even bothered to fix the window. even before that awful day, they had switched from counter to table service…a decision that formalized the once-super-chill establishment and led to many an awkward moment between me and my plastic-carrying/no-cash co-workers. (splitting the check sux.) anyways, the truck barreling through the restaurant seemed to be the last straw. pure luck jumped the shark; the shit officially hit the fan. i’m so sad. and so over it.

let’s take a look at what changed.

the first thing i noticed after that dreadful day, was the portions got smaller at pure luck and the prices (kind of) increased. i say (kind of) because, they didn’t officially. it used to be a sly trick to order the unadvertised potato pals as a side dish, and the staff would happily comply. well, after the accident, the staff still happily complied…but for a dollar more. an extra dollar, that was never mentioned, just sitting there on the bill. the portion of potato pals (or any side for that matter) also shrunk a great deal. don’t believe me? see for yourself:

angélica's garbanzo salad sandwich $7

before the truck crashed into pure luck, life was good and this sandwich was awesome! so much vegenaise and so many chickpeas! they forgot to put the tomato on, but that problem was promptly fixed when i questioned my waitress. plus, a HUGE pile of potato pals—subbed for fries, no worries, no extra $$. let’s jump forward one month to after the truck went through the window:

todd's bbq sandwich: bbq jackfruit "pulled pork" with pickles, onions and vegan mayo on a rustic roll. $9 (or $10 to my surprise with potato pals!)

totally disappointing. not only am i forced to pay a premium for my favorite side…but the quantity is reduced! both the side and the main dish are considerably smaller. i know this, because one of my insatiable carnivorous co-workers even noticed…”hey, isn’t this bbq sandwich much smaller than it was like last week?” uggggggggh. the last thing veganism needs is “the best vegan restaurant in LA” recruiting meat-eaters by serving them tiny portions at a high price in a darkened restaurant that appears to be undergoing demolitions. oh well.

…at least the beer is a good deal, right? NOT ANYMORE! first pure luck tried to spoil the fun by raising beer prices for 16oz pints AND 20oz pints, each by a dollar. then they changed the plan and stopped offering 20oz pints all together. in the old days you could get a 16oz for $5, and a 20oz for $6. now, after all the blackboard erasing and price-changing fuckery, a 16oz is still $5 and an 18oz is $6. 20oz beers are no longer available. sigh. to beer drinkers like me this is a huge setback. not to mention the selection of brew on tap is constantly dwindling, and they tend to be “out” of the better beers more frequently. i can tell you, it’s not what it used to be.

and to be fair, it’s not just the sides, or the beer…but the portions themselves are getting smaller. check out the difference in the fresh noodle salad. it used to be a plate of spinach with a mound of tofu and other good shit on top…now it’s an entire bowl full of spinach, with a skimpy amount of tofu & toppings sprinkled on. totally disappointing.