-
vegan food and beer in close proximity!
7January 29th, 2009LA restaurants, vegan plateI’ll admit it. I have something of a reputation in SoCal for consuming beer and vegan food. Other than geeky Internet stuff, that’s pretty much all I do. I like to drink before I eat, because I have to consume less alcohol to get a buzz, and can sober up before driving home (I never break my “one beer per hour before I drive rule” that’s served me well since the early 80s).
As there are so few bars that serve good vegan food, I usually lean toward good bars within a very short walk of decent vegan restaurants – an intersection of possibilities that’s remote to say the least.
Last summer, this blog reported on Vegan Plate, an above average Thai-style vegan restaurant in Studio City. Now, “above average” for the aforementioned stereotype is hardly an accolade of note, but – in a push – vegan Pad Thai with Seitan is nicer than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and a good deal better than just about any vegan offering in a bar (contaminated French fries included). So, we have the restaurant part down but what about the bar? Well, in October 2008 the Laurel Tavern opened its doors which are, quite literally, across the street from Vegan Plate:
Any bar with the word “Tavern” in its name usually implies sticky carpets and flat Bud Lite on tap, but fortunately (as you can see from the exterior photo above) not in this case. In fact, the Laurel Tavern is a polar opposite of what you’d expect from both its name and location right on Ventura close to the intersection with Laurel Canyon. The inside is hip and cool without making an old man like me feel uncomfortable, and the bar staff are absolutely delightful – polite, efficient and very friendly.
Also, the beer selection is a superb offering of local and national microbrews including the venerable Craftsman ales from Pasadena (including 1903) which are also served cross-town at Pure Luck and have passed the vegan test time and again. Also, at $6 for 16 Oz, they’re a little on the high side for 818-land, but about the same price that us westsiders are used to paying for a brew.
So, after a few beers one is likely to be hungry. I won’t even mention the food at Laurel Tavern as it’s gratuitously meaty and there’s nothing remotely vegan on the menu (including the Steak Fries, which are (and I quote) “drizzled with pork fat”). But, to us vegans, a 25 second walk from the Laurel Tavern puts us inside Vegan Plate.
I find that the strip mall ambience of Vegan Plate is a little much after such a nice drinking experience so I usually call and order when I’m half way through my last drink then walk over, grab the food and high tail it away from the fluorescent lighting to home, where I gleefully throw a bunch of stuff into a bowl, and wolf it down.
As you can see from the picture, the dish is relatively uninspiring visually but actually tastes better than it looks because everything is cooked to order and very, very fresh.
Fresh also nicely describes the Curried Dumplings (above) which are a tasty, although overly-soggy rendition of the traditional Chinese dish. You basically have to suck these up through a straw to eat them (probably a casualty of the steamy, bumpy ride home in my trunk) but they taste very good, especially when smeared in hot sauce.
Another dish that works great is something called “Param’s Plate”:
Luscious chicken-style seitan with a spicy peanut sauce. It probably has a zillion calories but it tastes damn good. If something lighter is your thing, I opt for the wraps which are 95% lettuce, as you can see below, and therefore unlikely to get you fat.
So, to wrap up (pun intended), there are quite a few burgeoning “beer and vegan food” options around LA (defined as a vegan, or very vegan-friendly restaurant within walking distance of a good bar). We covered a few, and have several in the pipeline to check out. Here are some other ideas:
- Blue Palms Ale House and Truly Vegan in Hollywood (although Blue Palms has a great vegan offering in-house)
- Good Microbrew and Flore in Silverlake
- Bulan Thai and Viliage Idiot on Melrose
If you’re into beer and vegan food you could do a lot worse than hang out at the Laurel Tavern before heading to the Vegan Plate for dine in or take out. I’m probably going to get into the habit of doing it once a week. See you there – I usually sit at the very end of the bar. you can see my empty stool below:
Tags: alcohol, beer, beer, laurel tavern, studio city, vegan plate
7 responses to “vegan food and beer in close proximity!”
-
I’m so envious. You know I love me some vegan food and beer!
-
I was wondering of Laurel Tavern had anything I could eat. At least I know I can go there for beer.
-
My husband loves the BBQ Pork at Vegan Plate 🙂
By the way, whenever I go somewhere that I know you’ve been, I mention you. You’re famous. All the local vegan places love you!
-
Gauri Radha February 26th, 2010 at 13:34
I had a meeting near Vegan Plate so I stopped by for lunch the other day. The parking situation on Ventura and Laurel Canyon isn’t ideal, however I found a space on a side-street and walked over to Ventura.
I tried a salad and the vegan orange chicken dish, and both were very good. I can’t wait to go back and try more items from their menu. Service was lovely, and the ambience is relaxed and low-key, which I liked.
TravelingVeg January 29th, 2009 at 10:16