quarrygirl

vegan chili cook off at tony’s darts away!!

mark your calendars, folks, because november 11th is the vegan chili cook off at tony’s darts away! 5 chefs will go head to head during a 6 hour event to find out who makes the best vegan chili in LA! i will be there as a judge, and you should join me. here is the vital info:

Event Details:

• Sunday, November 11th
• 12-6PM
• Price: $10 (includes five 3oz tastes of Chili, and a voting ballot)

Panel of Judges:

• Editor-in-Chief of Vegetarian Times, Elizabeth Turner
• LA Weekly Food Blogger/Restaurant Critic, Garrett Snyder
• Local Vegan Blogger, Quarry Girl

Participating Chef Teams:

• The Hot Knives: Alex Brown & Evan George, authors of The Hot Knives Vegetarian Cookbook: Salad Daze
• Randy Clemens Esq, author of The Sriracha Cookbook  
• Chef Randal St. Clair, executive chef, Tony’s Darts Away
• Stuffed Animals Chefs, Juvenal Rodriguez & Courtney Konuch
• Nic Adler, The Roxy (winner of the 2009 Malibu Chili Cook Off)

Tony’s Darts Away

1710 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506

new vegan menu items at golden road brewing!

heads up: one of our absolute favorite los angeles haunts, the pub at golden road brewing, has added a slew of new tasty vegan options to its menu. as if i don’t hang out there enough already… additions include: jackfruit tacos (2 for $4, pictured above!), french fries, the fried ALT (ipa battered avocado, lettuce, tomato) sandwich, the southwest burger, and vegan oreo cheesecake. check it out!

taco del mar and qdoba: vegan fast food burritos!

went to seattle last week and while i was there, i visited 2 upscale mexican fast food chains that i’d never been to before: taco del mar and qdoba. both serve up awesome gigantic vegan-friendly burritos, but taco del mar comes out on top for having the word “vegan” on their menu, and for making my favorite fast food burrito to date. i’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

taco del mar beauty wrapped up with a side of hot salsa.

just look at that spinach tortilla, one of many vegan flavors!

it’s what’s inside that counts: black beans (although there are other vegan bean options!), seasoned rice, 3 types of salsa, and pico de gallo. for a full list of what’s vegan at taco del mar (and there’s a lot!) check out their website.

and now for qdoba…

veggie burrito bomb!

i went for the whole wheat tortilla, but white is also an option.

inside was cilantro lime rice, black beans, guacamole and salsa. very chipotle-esque, but even better. for a list of what’s vegan at qdoba, check out the vegan eating out site.

i love burritos, and both of these babies earn high marks from me. like i said earlier, taco del mar’s was extra exceptional…so definitely make it a point to eat there if you ever have the chance.

sage vegan in echo park

we are very lucky to have sage vegan bistro in los angeles. i’ve only eaten there a handful of times, but on each visit i’ve been astounded by the high quality of the food and the inventiveness of the menu. where else can you get fried mac n cheese balls, a croissant club sandwich, and potato broccoli pierogies—-all animal-free—-all in one place? they’ve got everything from comfort food to haute cuisine, brunch through dinner, and desserts provided by kind kreme, the best vegan ice cream maker in LA. what’s not to love? i hit up sage with brittany recently for the first time in years and loved every bite of it. 

french lentil soup in a bread bowl - fantastic. vegan soup in a bread bowl is super hard to find and sage does it perfectly. 

banh mi sandwich - this was britt’s and she loved it. 

from here on out, i make a vow to eat at sage more often. and next time, i’m gonna order dessert. i deserve it. 

BTW, sage vegan bistro is BYOB. and it’s a great place to eat before a night out at the echo. 

adama vegan in santa barbara

santa barbara has more restaurants per capita than any other city on the west coast, yet surprisingly only one of those establishments is vegan: adama. fortunately, the place rocks - the decor is sheik, the service is impeccable, the booze list is plentiful, and most importantly, the food is varied and delicious. recently we chowed down on some hearty sandwiches and a knish appetizer, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed. 

potato knish with mustard. $4

club sandwich: “bacon”, seitan, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. served with salad. $14

“pastrami” sandwich: slices of pepper encrusted seitan seasoned with fennel and caraway, thinly sliced cucumber, mustard, and cole slaw. served with a side salad. $11

everything was on point—-large portions of extremely well prepared tasty food. in addition to their lunch menu, adama serves breakfast, dinner, and dessert. seriously, this place is a must when visiting santa barbara. i know i’ll never pass through without a meal at adama.

adama vegan comfort cuisine

vegan sausage party at link n hops!

i know what you’re thinking: “all LA needs is another vegan-friendly beer and sausage bar.” and it’s TRUE! there can never ever ever be enough!! link n hops in atwater village is the latest addition, and it’s fantastic. an impressive variety of vegan sausage flavors, a solid toppings selections, condiments galore and lots of craft beer on tap…bonus points for being super close to my office. i’m sold.