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LA’s new vegan happy hour at desert rose
16

July 3rd, 2009quarrygirldesert rose, LA restaurants

what’s better than a happy hour with $3 beers and $5 martinis? a happy hour with all that, plus a vegan menu, that’s what! desert rose, the upscale bar/restaurant in los feliz has introduced a separate animal-free menu with everything from bar snacks to pasta & sandwiches…and even cruzer pizzas with daiya cheese. they’ve even veganized the drinks at the bar, adding organic martinis and cocktails sweetened with agave.

finally a bar in los angeles with a full separate vegan menu, i can’t tell you how excited i am. check out the new menu and all the food they are offering here. i am making it my mission to try it all, and so far i’m doing pretty well. these are the things i’ve tasted so far…

Garlic “Cheese” Fries $7

the vegan garlic cheese fries at desert rose are absolutely phenomenal. perfectly cooked, they come topped with melted daiya cheese. these fries make for a great bar snack, and taste just like the cheesy garlic fries i remember eating as a vegetarian.

i can also highly recommend the portabello and cheese panini, epic sandwich success!

Portobello Mushroom & “Cheese” Panini with choice of French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Green Salad or Fresh Fruit $14

it also comes with melted daiya cheese and a thick fresh slab of tasty marinated portobello. the bread they serve it on is exceptional, crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and packed with flavor. i had to double check that it was vegan, it tasted so damn good.

they also whip up a mean house made hummus that comes topped with a kalamata olive and drizzled with olive oil. i know hummus sounds pretty standard, but desert rose does it right. thick, just the right amount of oil, and a really rich flavor.

Housemade Hummus with Pita Bread $5

the sweet potato fries are also top notch and the serving portion is pretty huge. for you vegans who love sweet potato fries, i can tell you that these are some of the best in town.

Sweet Potato Fries $5

they have salads as well, including a garbanzo and edamame salad topped with crispy tofu. i only had a few bites of this thing because it was full of bell peppers (which i hate), and other than the red demons it was pretty damn good…especially the fried tofu on top.

Garbanzo & Edamame Salad with Mixed Greens, Tomatoes & Crispy Tofu with a Sherry-Walnut Vinaigrette $6/$9

while the portobello panini is definitely my favorite at desert rose, the falafel sandwich is awesome as well. huge, soft green falafel balls all rolled up in soft pita with with fresh vegetables and creamylicious tahini.

Falafel Sandwich with choice of French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Green Salad or Fresh Fruit $7

when i was at desert rose, the chef offered to make me a sandwich that wasn’t on the menu, a mediterranean vegetable wrap with melted daiya cheese. oh my, it was delicious. i think you could add melted daiya to anything and it would drastically improve it, because it took this vegetable wrap from damn good to fucking incredible. even though it’s not on the menu, i’m sure if you ask for it, they would be happy to whip this up for you.

Vegetable Wrap with Daiya Cheese

and in addition to all the mouth-watering food pictured above, desert rose also offers 7 different vegan pizzas topped with daiya cheese from cruzer next door. now you can enjoy a delicious cruzer pie with a bottle of wine in a scenic setting.

if you haven’t been to desert rose already, you should get over there stat. it’s a great bar in its own right, and now they have added a bunch of vegan options that are available all day (not just during happy hour). there’s really nowhere like it in los angeles. this is definitely my new spot for drinking and eating good food.

desert rose
1700 Hillhurst Ave
Los Feliz, CA 90027
(323) 666-1166

oh, and one more thing: desert rose’s vegan menu is all thanks to farm sanctuary’s vegan outreach program. i could not be more grateful.
Tags: beer, falafel, fries, happy hour, los feliz, martini, pizza, portobello, sandwich

14 responses to “LA’s new vegan happy hour at desert rose”

Mark July 3rd, 2009 at 10:13

HOLY
SHIT

I am taking my boy out this weekend to get full on that food and TOTALLY RIPPING DRUNK. A+ for all involved.
Avistrange July 3rd, 2009 at 11:31

Holy f’ing shite! We’re going there for lunch right NOW! Thanks for helping us decide where to eat today!

Btw, we were there for Vegan Drinks the other day and the ambiance was lovely. They even have a Vegan beer and wine list.
Brittany July 3rd, 2009 at 11:46

looks like the success of cruzer has inspired their neighbor to make some yummy vegan options. NICE!

this post and your last post have made me crave falafel in a major way & anyone who tries to stop me will be VERY sorry.
Meredith July 3rd, 2009 at 13:11

I am going there TODAY (and then going to see Public Enemies). I already went to Nite Moon Cafe for lunch, so it’s shaping up to be one hell of a vegan holiday weekend!
Vegyogini July 3rd, 2009 at 14:06

I had a chance to peruse this menu at the Vegan Drinks event on Saturday. I’m impressed with the amount of selections and I enjoyed my margherita pizza, but the prices left a lot to be desired. With tax and tip and no drink, I spent $20 on a very small pizza. That was disappointing (the service was disappointing, too), but it was nice to be able to sit outside on a patio with friends, ordering from a strictly vegan menu.
Sass July 3rd, 2009 at 15:16

Vegyogini: The owner of Desert Rose just called and wants to fix this. If you were charged $20 for a pizza there was a definite mistake. I’ll have QG send you my number so we can settle this yummy vegan food, style 🙂

Also, the menu at the Farm Sanctuary/Vegan Drinks meetup (over 100 ppl attended the event- thanks for coming!) was specially made solely for that event- the Vegan menu has since grown!

Cheers!
trina July 4th, 2009 at 09:40

What a great neighborly restaurant relationship! This is just so smart and makes me so happy.
Happy Herbivore July 4th, 2009 at 11:40

damnit! we almost went there but thought “on i doubt they have anything vegan” (because their patio had such a meat smell) and settled on cruzer pizza (which was still awesome) but boo! thats what I get for judging!
LA Snark July 4th, 2009 at 13:43

I’m going to print out all of those photos and eat them right now. I’m going to stop by next time I’m in Los Feliz. Is it upscale/casual? Jeans/All Stars ok?
Jay July 4th, 2009 at 15:19

I have to say that does look very tasty and nothing like being able to wash it down with a little beverage.
miss anthrope July 4th, 2009 at 21:04

@LASnark: casual dress is totally fine at this place. i was wearing jeans when i was there. the atmosphere is great, but i don’t think they care if you are wearing converse or not. 🙂
Kirby! July 6th, 2009 at 20:19

I love this place. It’s really close to my apartment, and at first, I was scared away because it looked really fancy. Then, I went to happy hour with a friend and was like, uh holy shit!! And I LOVE the patio… there is nothing I love more than drinking delicious beers outside on a late afternoon in summertime. I will be sure to try the food recommendations you made the next time I go.
Leigh July 6th, 2009 at 20:42

YES YES YES YES!!!!!

My two favorite things to gorge on! Vegan food and cheap drinks!
ginny July 17th, 2009 at 19:03

dear god, I have driven or walked by this place 100 times and never would have guessed there was anything vegan there. God bless you people!