• a taste of life at hollywood farmers market

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    October 14th, 2008quarrygirla taste of life, farmers market, LA restaurants

    after having a somewhat sketchy experience recently at the taste of life divine vegan foods storefront, i decided to give their farmers market stand in hollywood a try. after all, even though my prior experience was rough around the edges, the food was absolutely incredible. plus, fellow bloggers and local vegans have been known to rave about the soul food served up sunday mornings at selma & vine. boy oh boy, lemme just say what i found was a tray full of delicious.

    soul food dinner combo with kale, black-eyed peas, bbq tofu and lasagna. comes with cornbread. $12

    soul food dinner combo with kale, black-eyed peas, bbq tofu and lasagna. comes with cornbread. $12

    granted, there’s absolutely nowhere to to have a comfortable, seated meal at the hollywood farmers market…so we had to enjoy our vegan soul food atop the nearest electrical transformer. what we herbivores do for a good safe lunch! …am i right?

    sharing with the husband (as usual) we opted on the “dinner combo” which included our choice of 4 dishes and a slice of corn bread for $12. please note that it was only like 10am, so don’t let the name “dinner combo” fool you. it’s basically a taste of life’s way of saying, “instead of 1 awesome dish, get 4 awesome little dishes for the same price.” also, fellow stingy vegans please note that the price charged at the farmers market is less than that which is on the menu of a taste of life’s storefront location. the fountain outlet advertises a dinner combo for $15, not $12.

    all bullshit and price fuckery aside, a taste of life at the hollywood farmers market is beyond wonderful. they’ve got everything ready to go in huge catering-style heated containers and serve that shit up quickly with a smile. the only thing that might hold the line up and keep you from your delicious comfort food is some know-it-all vegan who wants to hob nob with the chef or a tourist who can’t interpret the confusing menu…both violations understandable (i mysef am a smug vegan who is often on vacation).

    let’s get to the food, shall we? starting with a dish i have been looking forward to forever, but was sold out when i visited the taste of life storefront on fountain. THE KALE.
    people have raved about the kale from a taste of life, and every word is true. i can see why late on a sunday night (especially after a day at the grueling farmers market) a taste of life was out of the magic greens a few weeks ago. this shit is definitely something to write home about blog about. i love that the most memorable dish from the ridiculously tasty combo meal was a straight up vegetable. just plain kale rivals all the fake cheese, seitan, tofu and soy dishes in the world. obviously this stuff is in high demand, so be sure to order it. leafy greens have never been so yum.

    next up, the black-eyed peas are a definite must. i feel like the first time i visited a taste of life, i wussed out because i was intimidated by the menu. i got some sandwiches and stuff, not really splurging for the real soul food. hopefully, any one who reads this can have a look at the menu and gather their thoughts before being thrust into a customer service transaction. i will definitely be ordering these again…they were so succulent and juicy. not much oil at all, but a ton of flavor. 

    now, some really huge props go to the lasagna. i ordered it because i wanted to try all new things, and i’d already indulged in the delicious and unmatched mac and cheese prepared by a taste of life. lemme just say, the lasagna was nothing to be scoffed at: sheets of pasta, chopped up vegetables with clumpy and cheesy flavored tomato sauce. my only guff was that in contained bell peppers, WHICH I HATE. to it’s defense, though, this delicious lasagna was edible to me even though i abhor the bell pepper family. somehow i was, miraculously, able to pick around the peppers (which all came in big chunks) and genuinely enjoy my meal. personally, i will always prefer the mac and cheese, but this lasagna was excellent. 

    lastly, even though the kale was awesome, the best thing on my plate ended up being the bbq tofu. this dish was so tasty, i was licking my fork and sopping it up with every last crumb of sinful cornbread. and even as good as it tasted, it probably wasn’t that artery clogging at the end of the day. just perfectly cooked blocks of tofu coated with a tangy and amazing runny sauce. it was all so wonderful…i wish i could tell you more about it, but it was in my stomach before i bothered to create a memory. i just know enough to recommend you don’t pass it up.

    A TASTE OF LIFE DIVINE VEGAN FOODS rocked my world. you gotta check ’em out as soon as you have the opportunity.

    hmmmm….not to sound like the cynical vegan that i am, but let’s weigh the pros and cons in my experience.

    store front: super sketchy at night, out of kale but tons of nice sandwiches and more expensive, possibly some tables to eat at if a someone isn’t passed out and sleeping in the seats.
    farmers market stand: safe and easy, tons of kale but no custom items (like sandwiches), less expensive, and nowhere to eat except on the curb or an electrical transformer.

    either way, the food is awesome. so go get it while you can. i am looking forward to my next visit. 🙂

    you can check out their menu here:

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9 responses to “a taste of life at hollywood farmers market” RSS icon

  • Yes, you finally got the goods… no falafel 😉 It’s been a couple of months since I’ve had the pleasure of Taste of Life at the farmers market and your pictures are seriously making me drool. On your next visit you gotta try the amazing pot roast to go with your kale.

  • that meal looks incredible!!

  • That’s it; I’m getting myself down to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market this month. I’ll just skip yoga and haul myself out there, but it’ll have to be the last Sunday of the month. I’m definitely going for the beans and greens…the rest remains to be seen!

    I posted another entry about NYC and have 2 more coming this week. If you want other recommendations, let me know! You can also check out this blog for ideas: http://veganfriendlynyc.blogspot.com/.

  • Shit, that looks SO good.

  • I feel like diving into those pics.
    Food looks awesome.
    I’m drooling.

  • Just got another new restaurant recommendation for you! I haven’t been there yet. It apparently opens tomorrow downtown.

    http://www.myspace.com/doomieshomecookin

    (if the link doesn’t show up, it’s myspace dot com slash doomieshomecookin)

    Bring us some pics

  • Yo Soy Liz and I went to the Taste of Life stand at this morning’s Farmer’s Market, and HOLY CHRIST. It was derrrrn tasty!! Thanks for spreading the word. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to create an exercise regimen so that I don’t gain 800 pounds once I start going to the restaurant every day, as I plan to do from now on.

  • Hey! The husband and I were there Sunday the 19th too! I had what QG had but with mac and cheese instead of the beans. I almost ate the entire dinner plate! I don’t share very well but I spared a couple of bites to the husband. We plan on returning very often.

  • Greetings Quarry Girl!

    Just wanted to send a big thank you out for the publicity. And the
    positive reviews. I have a request though…What can we barter for
    the pictures of the food? They are great and it’s just what I need for
    our marketing materials this weekend. Please hit me back asap!

    Thanks,
    Ebone’
    Head Chef


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