• November 7th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    mendocino farms finally opened up in west hollywood last week, and i wasted no time in getting over there. i hit them up on saturday for lunch, and like every meal i’ve had at mendo, my sandwich was predictably awesome.

    Vegan Shawarma: Mediterranean chickpea shawarma, with a bean puree, vegan tzatziki, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and shredded romaine on a grilled honey wheat tortilla wrap (vegan tortilla available on request) $9.25

    there were 3 vegan sandwiches to choose from: chickpea shawarma, a spicy soyrizo wrap, and an indian dosa. i went with the shwarama (sauce on the side), and loved every bite. just be sure and specify that you want a vegan tortilla, because the wheat ones at mendocino contain honey. super fresh ingredients and a light falafelly shwarama that wasn’t too meaty…

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  • October 31st, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    this is all kinds of exciting! mendocino farms, my favorite LA sandwich shop, is launching a new location in my hood on november 3rd and they’re letting me send FIVE readers (with their +1’s) as guests to their private complimentary pre-opening event this tuesday from 6:30-8:30pm.

    one of the many insane vegan sandwiches on mendocino farms' rotating menu

    while the restaurant isn’t exclusively vegan, at the party they’ll be serving up tempeh club sandwiches, wheatberry fingerling and fingerling potato salad, israeli cous cous, and possibly a vegan potato salad as well…all cocktail style! the latest mendocino farms shop (they’ve already got locations in downtown LA and marina del rey) will be at 7100 santa monica blvd, right next to target. i am super stoked that they’re opening this week, and look forward to consuming many many many vegan sandwiches in the future.

    so who wants to go to the pre-opening party with a guest and eat free food?! we’re picking 5 winners, so the odds are better than ever. the rules are simple…

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  • October 3rd, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    heads up, angelenos! our favorite local sandwich shop, mendocino farms, is rolling out a new vegan special at all of their locations tomorrow. as you probably know, we here at QG are obsessed with sandwiches, and this one looks incredible. i know i can’t wait to try it.

    Vegan Picnic Sandwich: House Marinated Organic Tempeh Bacon with Potato Salad Spread, Vegenaise, Red Onions, Whole Grain Mustard Slaw, Tomatoes, Panini Pressed on Dolce Forno Roll (the bread is vegan!) with a Side of BBQ Sauce. $9.25

    i gotta find a way to get downtown or to marina del rey this week—this thing looks way too good to pass up! go support mendocino farms for their always inventive and delicious vegan options.

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  • September 22nd, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    this week our favorite sandwich shop in town, mendocino farms, has a vegan club on special and it looks scrumptious!

    Traditional Vegan Club: House Marinated Organic Vegan Tempeh Bacon with Smashed Avocado, Vegenaise, Pickled Red Onions, Tomatoes, Mixed Greens on Buckwheat. $9.25

    we’re already in love with the soyrizo wrap and vegan shawarma at mendo, so we can’t wait to check the club out. let’s see how it stacks up against the current champion of the club club. go give this sandwich a try at any of the mendocino locations and let us know what you think!

    PS: someone left a comment on an earlier post calling into question the veganocity of mendocino farms’ bread. i got the official word from the restaurant, and here’s a list of their vegan and non-vegan breads:

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  • July 18th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    starting today and running through the rest of the summer our favorite LA sandwich shop, mendocino farms, is having a vegan sandwich showdown!

    the vegan spicy soyrizo is battling it out with the vegan shawarma to see who will get a spot on the permanent mendo menu.

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  • April 26th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    recently i’ve been freelancing in downtown los angeles, and one of the best things about it is my office’s close proximity to mendocino farms.

    my vegan trip through india: housemade indian spiced chickpea and spinach patty with tamarind chutney, vegan cucumber mint raita, vegan crispy onions and baby spinach on ciabatta. $9.25

    the specialty sandwich shop has three locations around LA and has long been one of our favorite spots in town, as they always offer at least two stellar vegan sandwich options and a plethora of vegan sides ranging from potato salad, vegetables, and greens to hearty soups and chili. i hit up the flower location yesterday armed with just my cell phone camera (sorry!) and tried out one of their spring specials, “my vegan trip through india”

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  • January 18th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    january is a good month for vegans at mendocino farms. the popular sandwich shop has not only added a great seitan option to their seasonal menu, but they are offering their famous vegan shawarma as their “secret sandwich” all month long!

    we have been fans of the downtown LA mendocino farms locations for ages, and recently we hit up their newest spot in marina del rey for a round of vegan sandwiches. i’m happy to report that the food was awesome, the service was friendly, and the line was shorter than the ones i’m used to downtown.

    Vegan Shawarma Mediterranean Chickpea Shawarma with a Bean Puree, Housemade Vegan Tzatziki, Red Onions, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Shredded Romaine Panini Pressed on Tortilla (Honey Wheat or Flour) $9.25

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  • November 11th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    hey everyone, just a quick post to let you know that mendocino farms is testing a new vegan sandwich tomorrow…a mushroom seitan sloppy joe…and you should go show it some support. if it does well, they may extend its run or even add it to the regular menu! i haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but it was available today at all mendocino locations and is going to be around tomorrow as well…hopefully longer. i am already a huge fan of mendocino farms’ vegan sandwiches, so i’d love for them to add another one to the list.

    Vegan Mushroom Sloppy Joe! Mushroom Braised Seitan (“Wheat Meat”) Sloppy Joe with Portobello Mushroom Confit, Almond Romesco, and Baby Spinach on Toasted Ciabatta. $9.25

    a reader sent me this mendocino farms facebook update today about mendo’s new vegan mushroom seitan sloppy joe and i called the restaurant immediately. the dude on the phone was super helpful and told me this was just a result of chef judy getting “creative in the kitchen” and that they wanted to test the sandwich for a couple days on customers and see how it does. he told me it would definitely be around tomorrow (friday), and if response is good, possibly longer. LET’S MAKE SURE THE RESPONSE IS GOOD. i need more mushroom-flavored seitan and portobello confit sandwiches in my life! seriously, mendocino makes the kind of fresh fancy food that vegans should be eating. it’s all made from crazy top-notch ingredients and is super fresh…as they say on their website “we like to try to reconstruct “Fine Dining” entrees to the sandwich level and take classic regional sandwiches and give them a modern interpretation.” if you have ever tasted a mendocino farms sandwich, you’ll know that’s true.

    so please, vegans, get to mendocino farms on friday! they’ve got 2 locations downtown and one in marina del rey. let’s flood them for orders with vegan sandwiches. and if mushroomy seitany sloppy joes aren’t your thing, they also have a vegan dosa wrap and a vegan soyrizo wrap. (just be sure to specify that you want a tortilla with no honey!) basically, all vegans should go and taste the amazing-ness that is mendocino farms!

    PS:mendocino, if you are reading this…PLEASE specify in your email newsletter which daily dishes are vegan! i noticed you stopped doing that about a month ago. >:(

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  • January 26th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    parking sucks and one-way streets are a bitch, but there is one awesome thing about downtown los angeles on weekdays: mendocino farms.

    the artisan sandwich shop specializes in local organic cuisine, and always has more than a few vegan options. they have a vegan sandwich on their permanent menu, as well as one on their seasonal menu, and they offer a rotating selection of vegan soups and salads daily. i hit up mendocino recently with some of my friends who work downtown, and it was a most delicious and pleasant experience.

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  • May 11th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    UPDATE #3: mendocino farms has gone out of their way to take the non-vegan items off the menu, and start offering an absolutely vegan shwarma. i ate it today and it was delicious. mendocino farms really handled this situation well, and fixed everything the very day they were notified that they were using non-vegan ingredients. i highly suggest you get over to mendocino and get the shwarma before may is over! (orignial updates and post below)

    UPDATE #2: apparently mendocino farms has a replacement for the soy cutlet and will be making a new vegan shwarma starting today. from the store manager:

    I just spoke with Chef Judy and she told me that we will no longer be
    using the soycutlet effective today.
    For the vegan shwarma, she has made a vegan fallafel in house that is
    definitely vegan. So that will remain our secret sandwich of the month.
    Thanks again for your feedback and please let me know if you have any
    other questions.
    All the Best,
    Lenny

    this guy really seems to care, so the non-vegan ingredients could have been an honest mistake. they seem to have fixed it, so go eat that shwarma! just make sure you confirm it’s falafel in there, and not eggy soy cutlets! (orginal update and post below)

    UPDATE: the “vegan” shwarma at this place isn’t vegan at all! one of our readers who goes by “jaydawg” went to mendocino today, and left the following comment:

    WARNING: THIS SANDWICH IS NOT VEGAN!!!!!
    Okay, so I went to Mendocino Farms today specifically to try the Vegan Shawarma. I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but sadly this is NOT VEGAN!!!. When we got there, my wife asked what were the most popular vegan dishes and they suggested the Not BLT Melt and Ron’s Vegan Baked Soy Cutlet Club, as well as the Spicy Soyrizo and Black Bean Wrap and the “Secret” Vegan Shawarma. She asked what type of bacon they use for the BLT and they told us it was Morningstar Farms. I thanked them and informed them that most Morningstar products use egg whites and/or dairy. We decided to order two of the Vegan Shawarmas, but didn’t think to ask about the “shawarma” that they used. About halfway through the devouring process (all things considered, it is still an amazing wrap), I began to wonder if the “shawarma (which appeared to be a breaded cutlet) was in fact vegan. When I was done, I went back and confirmed that the “shawarma” was the same “herbed breaded vegan cutlet” that they use in the Ron’s Vegan Baked Soy Cutlet Club. I asked what brand they use and they again told me Morningstar. I asked to see the ingredients label and they were kind enough to bring me the box….and there it was in black and white: nonfat dry milk and egg whites (http://www.morningstarfarms.com/product_detail.aspx?family=365&id=12353). I showed the young lady that this was definitely NOT vegan and she looked absolutely bewildered. She circled the offending ingredients and assured me that she would speak with their chef.

    That totally sucks, because other than the fact that it’s not vegan, the (non) Vegan Shawarma is one bad-ass wrap…on par with the Buffalo Chicken Wrap at Cafe Muse and the Baja Burrito at Pure Luck. It’s a sad day.

    after following up with mendocino about their NON-VEGAN sandwich being advertised as vegan, i received this email:

    We do apologize about the soy cutlet issue. The other brand we were sourcing discontinued their product. They have been selling this soy cutlet from morningstar to us as a substitution for our “vegan” option. Unfortunately your friend is correct and our soy cutlet does have egg white in it. Which doesn’t make it vegan at all. We have addressed this issue and will be taking it off the menu.
    We are working on more vegan options but for now you should stick to the soyrizo which is always a winner.

    Thank you very much,
    Lenny Fejeran
    Store Manager
    213.620.1114

    looks like for now, you can’t trust mendocino farms. they have “vegan” options on their menu, that are clearly NOT vegan. i’d steer clear until they do their research. it’s really sad, because the shwarma was great…and not even because of the fake meat, but because of the vegetables and the dressing. original post below. if you do decide to eat at mendocino, make sure you know exactly what you are ordering.

    usually when i visit downtown los angeles on a weekday, it’s for a pretty un-fun reason, but i manage to take advantage of the unique cuisine that city has to offer. well today was no different, so when i found myself having to travel to the grand/wilshire area, i naturally rewarded myself by grabbing a sandwich from mendocino farms. i’ve written about mendocino farms before, and the very vegan-friendly and uber-high-quality to-go shop is high on my list of places to eat in that area. however today was different…today mendocino farms was beyond exceptional. today they sold me without a doubt the best fucking sandwich i’ve ever had…and i really like sandwiches!

    vegan shwarma: mediterranean soy shwarma with merquez lentil and white bean puree, vegan tzatziki, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded romaine on grilled tortilla wrap $9.25

    vegan shwarma: mediterranean soy shwarma with merquez lentil and white bean puree, vegan tzatziki, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded romaine on grilled tortilla wrap $9.25

    turns out i caught mendocino at an extremely lucky moment, because right now during may of 2009, they are offering the vegan shwarma as their “secret sandwich of the month.” you see, mendocino is such a cool fun-loving place that they rotate secret sandwiches for the hell of it, and you can only find out about the secret sandwich by visiting the shop or subscribing to their email newsletter.

    it was LAist.com’s blog post about the amazing vegan shwarma that first alerted me to mendocino farms, which was followed by much praise for the sandwich by my fellow los angeles vegan bloggers jennshaggy and foodeater. however, the shwarma being a rotating secret sandwich, i thought i may never get the chance to try it. well i sure as fuck lucked out, my loyal readers, because today the coveted shwarma was in the house and i got to finally eat what i have often heard so many others rave about.

    mendocino-farms-vegan-shwarma-cu

    all i can say is that the shwarma surpassed all the glowing reviews in pure awesomeness and seriously cemented itself in my mind as the sandwich of my dreams. the soy meat was juicy and succulent, the bean puree was thick and substantial, and the tzatziki was ridiculously creamy and oozing with dill and lemon flavors. all these fine ingredients were mixed in with the freshest vegetables and sandwiched in a perfectly-grilled tortilla wrap. SERIOUSLY DUDE. THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING SANDWICH IN THE WORLD. it is a CRIME that this will be gone next month, and it is a CRIME that mendocino is only open on weekdays. ugh!

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  • February 25th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, mendocino farms

    today i had the unfortunate opportunity to be called for jury duty and report to the metropolitan courthouse in downtown los angeles. i thought i was totally fucked…and well, i was. i wasted several valuable hours that could have been spent at the office, i killed way too many brain cells surfing the free wi-fi with absolutely no purpose, and i was subjected to good morning america, the view, oprah, and dr phil all within a short period of time (the volume turned up to full)! luckily downtown los angeles had one spectacular thing to offer…LUNCH! i lunched it up proper today and finally got acquainted with a place people keep RAVING about: mendocino farms.

    vegan mushroom burger: veggan housemade mushroom and white bean burger with red onions, housemade pickles, tomatoes, sauteed greens and veganaise on ciabatta. $9.50

    vegan mushroom burger: veggan housemade mushroom and white bean burger with red onions, housemade pickles, tomatoes, sauteed greens and veganaise on ciabatta. $9.50

    yep, my whole shitty day was validated with just one sandwich. for quite awhile, i’ve been hearing mad buzz about the downtown la vegan-friendly sandwich shop mendocino farms. the place calls itself an environmentally-friendly and conscious eatery, offering local, vegan and organic options. laist, my fave local blog, highlighted its amazing vegan selection, and mendocino even got a ringing endorsement from buddy and fellow blogger jennshaggy, who told me i just had to check out the meatless sandwiches. the few vegetarians and vegans i know who have tried this place all swear by it, and after today i am no different.

    located in the 300 s grand business plaza, mendocino farms is smack dab in the heart of a bustling food court, with loads of busy angelist professionals lining up in really pro attire to grab a midday meal. when i arrived in rush mode from the courthouse, it was nearing 12:15pm, and i had to be back in the jury purgatory/holding room at 1:30. the line for mendocino was so bloody long, i seriously thought i’d never be able to eat there and get back in time. i’m not talking about just a “long line”. this thing was literally 65-70 people deep and would have taken at least an hour to stand in. i chatted to a chick near the top quarter of the queue, and she said she’d been waiting for about forty minutes. see for yourself. this line winds way around the building to the left. luckily i found my way around the madness.

    mendocino farms line, be sure to call ahead and skip it!

    mendocino farms line, be sure to call ahead and skip it!

    i took one look at that crowd and knew i couldn’t hang. here is a tip to all vegans who visit mendocino farms in the future, this totally worked for me: go to the shop and suss out the situation, if the line is massive, call the restaurant and order your food to go. they will give you a wait time of about 15 minutes, during which you can stroll around the grounds and check out the water garden…before returning to mendocino and BYPASSING THE ENTIRE LINE TO PICK UP YOUR SANDWICH. that’s what i did. yep, i called ahead, took a leisurely stroll and then grabbed a sandwich that was hot and ready. oh yeah, and i also stopped for a long moment to smugly grin at the dozens of people who arrived before i did and were still waiting in line. 🙂

    tricks and tips of the trade aside, my mendocino farms meal was very delicious and unique in its own right. a luscious vegan burger filled with beans, mushrooms and spices, piled high with crisp vegetables and creamy condiments on a fresh and crunchy ciabatta roll.

    super awesome vegan mushroom burger from mendocino farms.

    super awesome vegan mushroom burger from mendocino farms.

    the patty soft and mushy, but in a really good way. whole chunks of mushrooms and large white bean bits were all bound together to make a truly tasty burger. i gotta say, i was pretty impressed with the way they rushed out such a high-quality product in the midst of what seemed to be a million other orders.

    all i gotta say is, if i lived or worked in downtown los angeles i would be eating at mendocino farms nearly everyday! unfortunately they are only open for limited hours during the week, and always seem to be extremely crowded. the menu is so vegan-accommodating though, that you must check them out if you are in the area. beyond a clearly marked menu of vegan sandwiches, they also have daily vegan soups, vegan salads and even vegan cookies. every month they have a “secret sandwich” which is also often vegan, and you can keep track of it via their mailing list. for february, the secret sandwich is the Spicy Vegan Soyrizo Wrap: Vegan Soyrizo and Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes, Shredded Romaine, Roasted Tomatoes and Veganaise on Grilled Tortilla Wrap for $9.50″ you should definitely give that a try in the few days we have before march and a new secret sandwich arrives!

    los angeles vegans: if you find yourself anywhere near downtown la, hit up mendocino farms for an extremely satisfying lunch. definitely one of the best, heartiest sandwiches i’ve had in a while. and be sure to call them in advance, or even call in your order once you get there…otherwise, you could be stuck in line for ages. and to all vegans serving on jury duty at the downtown la hill street courthouse, this is your motherfucking SPOT! park on grand avenue by moca and eat at the outside tables. you will make it back in tons of time.

    mendocino farms courtyard

    mendocino farms courtyard

    ah, that great great sandwich. i will be hitting up this place as often as humanly possible.

    mendocino farms
    300 South Grand Ave
    Los Angeles, CA 90071
    (tel) 213-620-1114
    Hours 11:00am-3:00pm Mon-Fri

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