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dineLA restaurant week for VEGANS!
23October 7th, 2009akasha, LA restaurants, news, xiv
akasha: punjabi mung beans and rice. local greens, tandoori flatbread, tomato chutney.
dineLA restaurant week! it’s all the craze! it’s when fancy-schmancy dining establishments in los angeles offer specially priced 3 course meals that normal people can afford…and it’s happening NOW (october 4-9 and 11-16)! although at first glance, the online menus of participating restaurants show almost no vegan options, don’t let that discourage you…there is plenty for us to eat!
this post comes courtesy of a very awesome quarrygirl.com reader, emily west hollywood, who started calling up dineLA restaurants and sussing out their vegan options. we now have the following list of places that have been contacted, and whether or not they can cater to us herbivores. we will keep updating this list, so tell us in the comments section if you have any more info.
here is what the restaurants had to say when asked if they would accommodate vegans for dineLA:
akasha said “no problem,” but maybe call in advance so they can make a note about dessert. (i can personally vouch for this place…i went to their dineLA week in january for lunch and it was incredible!)
bazaar by jose andres said “yes,” they will give vegans access to a tapas menu with many options. plus, they are an “all olive oil kitchen, no butter!”
bella cucina italiana said “no problem and no need to call ahead.”
bld said “yeah, they will make it happen. just call ahead and let us know you are vegan so we can get ready for you.”
border grill sure thing, “come and tell your server when you arrive.”
buddha’s belly santa monica said “yup, they can make things vegan.”
checkers downtown said “sure, no problem.”
cache restaurant and lounge the chef said that they were willing to veganize, but for the things that would be left out it might not be worth the money.
chaya downtown said “NO, we won’t change anything.” (bitches)
ciudad said “no problem at all, we would be happy to oblige, no need to call ahead.”
craft said “sure! we can adjust our menu for vegans, just call ahead and we will make a note…”
grace restaurant said, “sure. our menu can be modified for vegans. no problem.”
fig seemed to think it would be fine, but call to make sure.
ford’s filling station apologetically said “no, we usually can accommodate vegans but we actually don’t even have a veg dish on the dinela menu.”
ivan kane’s cafe was they checked with the chef and said, “he would be happy to take care of vegans. there are several things he could make.”
il fornaio said, “sure, things could be modified to be made vegan.”
la botte said “no sorry, but there is vegan stuff on the regular menu.” (i doubt this however, because i ate at la botte once and they were COMPLETE DICKS when i tried to order a dish a without cheese. they said the chef wouldn’t allow it. i shan’t return, ever.)
loteria grill hollywood said “no, we can cater to vegetarians but we will not modify the menu for vegans.”
larchmont grill said “no, but there are vegan options on the regular menu.”
le grande orange is a big NO. (pfffft…meanies)
luna park said “no,” but they were very apologetic.
the must wine bar said “yes of course we will adjust our menu, just tell your server as soon as you arrive.”
rush street said they are in, and will replace dessert with a cocktail.
susan feniger’s street said “yes! but please tell us a day in advance so we are ready.”
taste said no.
wolfgang puck bistro said no, and might i add, they were VERY CUNTY on the phone. “i don’t know if you’ve looked at the menu, but every item contains meat and/or dairy…so NO.”
xiv said “yes we would be happy to allow a dineLA vegan menu…just call ahead.” (i highly recommend you take advantage of this offer…i have had the tasting menu at xiv and it was AMAZING!!)
vegan cauliflower tempura at xiv
oooh, and just a side note about xiv: they will be offering their vegan menu after dineLA at 20% off through december 15th! you need to get over there and try it, because the food is absolutely extraordinary…and the discount makes it much more affordable.
so there you have it, your vegan-friendly dineLA options! get out there and eat at some fancy restaurants over the next week, YOU DESERVE IT. let’s support these places for catering to us…PLUS, why should omnivores have all the fun when it comes to cool restaurant discounts?!?!
to avoid hassles, be sure to call ahead for dineLA and make a reservation…and check out this post on LAist.com with tips for making the most of your experience. happy vegan eating!
Tags: dinela, discount, gourmet
21 responses to “dineLA restaurant week for VEGANS!” 
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WTF are those photos of? Dumpster diving?
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This is the best thing I’ve heard all week! I am gonna try out Street next week. Yes!
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Marcus October 8th, 2009 at 06:03
LlamaKiller obviously doesn’t eat at nice restaurants. Isn’t this the same guy who was complaining about M Cafe being too expensive?
Stay classy, Llama.
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miss anthrope October 8th, 2009 at 06:51
@llamakiller: are you insulting the quality of the pix, or saying that artichokes look like they belong in the trash?
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LlamaKiller October 8th, 2009 at 07:00
@miss anthrope not at all dissing the photo quality, just the food.
@Marcus if you’re going to quote me, quote me right D-bag.
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miss anthrope October 8th, 2009 at 07:07
yeah, not sure what i was thinking posting a picture of an artichoke. i changed it to some mung beans. i can tell you, AKASHA ROCKS and so does XIV. so y’all should get in on these deals!
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Lauren October 8th, 2009 at 07:56
I tried the vegan fluffernutter at The Must and it was delish! I had no idea they had vegan stuff on their dinner menu though, let alone DINELA. That’s cool.
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f la grande orange. their veggie burger is vegan if you get it with their english muffin & it sucks.
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I am so excited about this list! Thanks for doing all the research!
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La Grande Orange in SM actually has some nice seasonal farmer’s market veggie sides, and they’re usually vegan. Their veggie tacos are good too, just make sure they leave off the sour cream.
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cat – the manager i spoke to told me the beans in the tacos are not vegan and you have to sub them for rice.
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Oh hell yes. I loved Akasha last year. Thanks for checking all of this out!
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mr meaner October 8th, 2009 at 20:48
Yes, and screw Wolfgang Puck. They closed nearly all their outlets, recalled their dairy-laden “instant latte” self-heating cans from grocery stores (because they were exploding!) and have had major problems protecting their brand. The reaction when we called just shows how crappy that organization really is.
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Quarry Girl – you are heeelarious!! Don’t bother censoring the vulgarity…… I LOVE it!!!!!!!! It’s refreshing to hear someone who also feels that way too. The last thing I need is some “attitude” when it comes to these establishments. Boycott Wolfgangfuck!
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Wolfgang puck just catered the best friends lintroller party. That makes their unfriendliness to vegans even more cunty
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“I don’t know if you’ve looked at the menu…” That is pretty hilarious. I imagine them saying it in a stuck-up french accent. Those cunty cunts! Wolfgang Puck is a Cunty McCunterson!
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I disliked Wolfgang Puck’s food since the first time I tried one of the canned corn chowders. No good.
Thanks for all the DineLA info, I’m newly vegan in LA and this is hugely helpful.
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Vegans and aware vegetarians should avoid Loteria. Everything there is made with lard and they scoff at you when you ask if the beans are vegetarian. Even if they say they will cater to vegetarians they aren’t taking into account that their “vegetarian” food isn’t actually vegetarian at all.
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La Grande Orange said no? Who did you talk to? Their veggie nut burger is superb and can easily be made vegan. Speak to Allison Shashok at La Grande about this. I can give you her email.
2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
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vegan dineLA restaurant week at susan feniger's street in los angeles | quarrygirl: a vegan food blog in los angeles October 13th, 2009 at 08:45
[…] you may know, on this blog we’ve been compiling a list of restaurants that can accommodate vegans during dineLA restaurant week. recently, i decided to put this info to use and hit up susan feniger’s street with my former […]
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bella cucina italiana: vegan italian food for dineLA | quarrygirl: a vegan food blog in los angeles October 19th, 2009 at 06:41
[…] you have 5 more days to eat prix fixe at gourmet restaurants for a fraction of the price! many of the participating establishments have vegan-friendly discount options available, so i highly suggest you take […]
LlamaKiller October 8th, 2009 at 05:13