there’s something weird going on with vegans and reuben sandwiches. i have never actually even had a ‘real’ reuben sandwich, but it seems that there’s obsession with them in the vegan community. vegan chefs i know are obsessed with making them, they are huge topics on most vegan blogs, and my vegan friends from other cities have the reuben itch as well. what is all the fuss about some mock meat, soy cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing?! i mean really!? i had to find out. after hearing all this reuben talk everywhere i went, i decided i better get with the program and order one of these suckers for myself from one of los angeles’ favorite vegan-reuben-serving joints, flore on sunset.

tempeh reuben: grilled reuben sandwich served on organic corn rye with layers of tofu cheese, cashew cheese, tempeh, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. served with your choice of side. $9.95

holy crap. one bite of this thing, and i started to understand why everyone makes a big deal over these sandwiches. flore’s tempeh reuben was served up on flavorful rye bread, grilled on both sides, and stuffed with bits of tempeh & 2 kinds of ‘cheese’. the sauerkraut and thousand island dressing complimented each other perfectly, making for a winning sweet/sour combination. this sandwich was fucking bomb. much better than i expected it to be.

while the sandwich was regular-sized, by no means large (especially for $9.95), it was packed with so much rich flavor that i was completely stuffed after eating just half of it. i threw the other half on the panini press for breakfast the next day, and it was even better than the night before. i can’t really speak on vegan reubens in general, but i can tell you flore’s tempeh rueben is an a+. i’m looking forward to ordering this warm, comforting sandwich again in the very near future.

flore vegan cuisine
3818 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 953-0611
Tue-Fri. 11:00 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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i have been a fan of paru’s indian vegetarian restaurant for quite some time. the entirely meat-free establishment, located on sunset in hollywood, specializes in south indian cuisine and cooks up some of the best curries i’ve had on this side of the pond.

i have raved about them before, and as i said in my earlier post, don’t be alarmed by how sketchy this place looks on the outside; once you get buzzed in through the metal gate, the restaurant is absolutely lovely. although i have had many pleasant and delicious visits to paru’s, my meal there last week left a lot to be desired. if you haven’t been to paru’s, i still suggest you check it out, but maybe i can help you with what not to order.

bonda: 2 spicy potato balls. $4.50

for our recent dinner, my husband and i started with the spicy potato balls known as bonda. although only one is pictured above, the order came with two and the balls were pretty sizable. the appetizer was absolutely delicious, i have nothing to complain about here, as it ended up being the high point of our meal. super crispy and fried on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and littered with little chunks of spicy jalapeno. plus, the dipping sauce the ballz came with was insane. paru’s is very knowledgeable about veganism, and when we told them we were vegan they said they would take care of us. however the green sauce the potato balls came with was so delicious and creamy, i was convinced it was dairy-based. our friendly waiter laughed when i questioned him, assuring us it was coconut milk, and that that almost all of paru’s dishes were dairy-free. phew.

punjab glory: poori, vegetable curry, peas & rice, papad, (no raitha). $12.95

as a main dish, my husband got the punjab glory, which was basically 3 little pots of curry with a tray of breads and a huge mound of rice. knowing we were vegans, they kindly left off the side of raitha. you see, this dish was pretty good, but for $13 it just seemed like an awful lot of carbs. we are used to getting a few side orders which are 8 bucks each, and then splitting a side order of rice. while that can turn out to be a little more expensive, at least you get a lot of curry. i mean, look at the picture, do you see how much rice, bread and sauce that is? the actual curry only took up about 25% of the plate. at the end of the meal, all the curry was gone (there being about 5 or 6 bites of each of the 3 types), and almost all the rice and bread were left over. i think we will definitely stick to ordering side dishes in the future, like we did in my more complimentary post about paru’s.

yogi's delight: indo-American combination bringing you chickpeas curry on a bed of beans and sprouts, topped with onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and other vegetables, plus paratha. $12.95

my main dish is where it all kind of fell apart. i ordered yogi’s delight, which appeared from the menu description to be a light chickpea curry with vegetables and bread. imagine my shock when it arrived and was just a huge ice berg lettuce salad. ummm…the menu description didn’t even mention lettuce!! i thought i was getting a chickpea curry on a bed of beans, topped with onions. instead i got a bed of lettuce with cold chickpeas on top. there was nothing ‘curry’ like about this thing. even for a salad, it wasn’t good. oh and here’s the real kicker: it was also filled with unadvertised bell peppers, which i absolutely hate. gah! and for $13?!? talk about adding insult to injury. i managed to pick around and eat some of the chickpeas off, plus i helped myself to my husband’s never ending supply of rice and bread.

so there you have it, go eat at paru’s because some of their stuff is absolutely amazing. just avoid yogi’s delight like it’s the plague, and be sure to order side dishes if you want a decent amount of curry. i hear the dosas are great too, but i have yet to try them. when i do, you’ll be sure to hear about it.

paru’s indian vegetarian restaurant
5140 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 661-7600

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what a sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad, sad fucking day. it looks like the awesome vegan spot on sunset has finally called it quits. after much speculation and a totally strange ad hawking the business on craigslist of all places, the vegan spot has silently and calmly closed its doors…leaving hungry unsuspecting herbivores like me totally fucked on a friday night. (we are so used to grabbing vegan spot take-out!)

maybe i should have seen it coming. the last 3 times we tried to get take-out, they were closed. first, it was “due to renovations,” unbeknownst to me. next, a few days later, it was closed “due to the holidays.” now, it’s just closed due to being fucking closed. for days, the phone has been ringing through to an answering machine. for criminy’s sake, even yelpers have started to notice.

i drove by for myself and the place was boarded up. the lights were off. the phone rang straight to a fax machine. those chef salads and cheesey sandwiches that i dream about were nowhere to be found. ugh.

the vegan spot as of 9pm pst, 12/05/08. R.I.P. we miss ya already.

i guess the vegan spot has been in dire straights for quite some time. ever since they threw the biz up for sale on craigslist, their stability has been totally suspect. maybe this market proved to be just as unkind to the plant-eaters as it was to everyone else…and the vegan spot had to eventually shut its doors. what can i say, rent on on sunset surely ain’t cheap.

let’s reminisce a bit, eh? i will show you some of the stuff i last ate there….so you can feel as bad as me.

vegan reuben: tangy blend of corned beef, tofu cheese, sauerkraut, thousand island and soy mozzarella on a warm toasted bun. $9.95

this sandwich was bloody awesome. greasy condiments, meaty soyness and sweet sauerkraut made for the perfect combo. i only got to eat it once, and i still can’t get it out of my head. god, this sandwich was killer.

bbq tempeh sandwich: sloppy joe tempeh and soy mozzarella on a sandwich roll. $8.95

the deceased bbq tempeh sandwich was also a winner. slathered in fake melty cheese, tangy bbq sauce, and stacked with protein…it gave all other vegan bbq sandwiches in los angeles a run for their money.

i will miss the fuck out of you, vegan spot.

what sucks most is, i should have seen it coming. the vegan spot started to tank right at the announcement of its sale. the chef salad went down hill, and some dishes started showing up totally jacked. for instance, the chicken rice bowl:

chicken rice bowl: brown rice, chicken strips, tomato, onion, spinach and lemon with a side of tamari. $7.95

the description above sounds alright, huh? yeah, but my bowl came with no onion, no spinach, no tomatoes and no lemon. instead…it came with a fat serving of bell peppers, cucumbers and uncooked cashews for some reason. this dish was totally inedible. i’m sad to say this was actually my last time eating at the vegan spot, my old favorite restaurant. i tried to give them another chance tonight, but they were closed for the 4th time in a row.

oh fucking well. at least pure luck survived their accident. they give me hope for vegan restaurants in los angeles.

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