Dear oh dear! Looks like we stumbled upon yet ANOTHER piece of vegan drama. Earlier today we received an email from Amanda Graham that we thought was an honest attempt to inform us about a misunderstanding, or inaccuracy, about the original post accusing Swingers restaurants of being lax in the disclosure of the ingredients in their “vegan” dishes.

Our policy is to immediately remove any posts that accuse us of inaccuracy, investigate the background and then issue an update as soon as possible. As soon as we received the email, we took down this post, and here’s the result of our investigation:

You cannot trust Swingers.

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YES! fucking vegan tofu taquitos.

brand new vegan taquitos at mandoline grill

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looking for an excuse to be gluttonous and charitable at the same time?

the perfect indulgence

look no further than veggie grill on sunset this thursday…

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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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i hate it when this happens. i mean, we have SO many great vegan-friendly eateries in LA. i’m talking about omnivorous restaurants that are willing to bend over backwards to give us plenty of options, restaurants that take the v-word seriously. unfortunately though, every once in a while (as we’ve seen before) a restaurant comes along and throws around the vegan word willy-nilly in order to make a profit, without knowing or caring what it means. i’m sad to say, that i think our previous favorite swingers is in that category.

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jesus would definitely come back from the dead to eat this food—the easter sunday menus at madeleine bistro are looking INSANE.

not just that…but the restaurant is offering discount pricing on their weekly meal service, the bistro box. check it out…

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vegans, rejoice! savyon cafe on pico has officially decided to offer their all you can eat vegan buffet every sunday from 11:30am to 4pm!

every sunday at lunchtime! all you an eat for $8.99!

from what i hear, this buffet is killer…

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did you guys know that april is “earth month”?! and more importantly, pizza fusion in hollywood is giving away free stuff to celebrate?!

details after the jump.

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hiya peeps! time for another edition of quick bites, a series of short reviews sent in by readers. this one covers sage vegan bistro in echo park and comes to us from my buddy patricia (who is also a bad ass massage therapist and yoga instructor). check it out:

on a relaxing night in echo park i was enjoying some beers at my favorite bar, 1642 (on temple). imagine my delight when i returned from the bathroom and my 3 omnivore friends had come up with the plan to have dinner at sage vegan bistro. although i have heard some mixed reviews and experiences about the restaurant i was incredibly curious to try it for myself.

the overwhelming response from the our group was “amazing!!!”

at 830 on a weekday evening the place was busy, but not packed. our food arrived quickly and still hot from the kitchen. the only detail that could have been improved was that our appetizer came at the same time as the food. however, we did not particularly mind. everything was so tasty we ended up dining family style and sharing all the plates.

trio of buffalo croquettes

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When springtime hits LA, I find I want to be outside as much as possible. It’s perfect timing, then, that the vegan-friendly, inaugural colLAboration mobile craft beer garden event would be held today, one of the year’s first truly spring-like days. Warm sun, cool breezes off the Pacific and even cooler beers on tap combined to make the the event truly spectacular for all those who attended.

colLAboration is, er, a collaboration of four of LA’s top beer bar owners: Ryan Sweeney of Verdugo Bar and Surly Goat (which happens to be our local hangout), Brian Lenzo of Blue Palms Brewhouse, Clay Harding of 38° Ale House and Tony Yanow of Tony’s Darts Away and soon-to-be-open Mohawk Bend. Collectively, they bring decades of experience not only of beer, but how to create an atmosphere in which to enjoy it.

If you’ve ever been to any of the above establishments, you’ll know that these guys care about their beer and their bars, sparing no effort to make sure you have the best time possible. They’re also hands-on. I still think that watching Brian Lenzo tap a cask with such grace and expertise is something that should be required watching for all beer lovers!

So, appreciating all of their bars as much as we do, we were beside ourselves with anticipation to see what they could achieve together. And we were not disappointed…

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have you been following this savyon cafe stuff?! two weeks ago, the pico restaurant introduced an all vegan sunday lunch buffet.

they debuted with an epic spread, but nobody showed up to eat it. they figured they should cease the buffet due to low attendance, but still decided to give it another go. this time, though, TOO MANY people showed up…and savyon ran out of food! it’s a shame, because apparently their cuisine is like insane, tasty, life-altering shit. check out the yelp reviews about the buffet—they make me feel like WE ALL NEED TO EAT THIS FOOD IN UNLIMITED PORTIONS….

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eeeep! i’m so excited. one of our favorite vegan-friendly specials, the soul food plate, will return to hugo’s this month.

vegan soul food plate: BBQ organic tofu steak served with vegan and gluten-free corn bread topped with cauliflower flowerets covered in a mushroom leek gravy. Served with sides of braised leafy greens with garlic and onions and spiced maple roasted yams. $12.50

you can find it at the valley location starting today, and the weho location starting tomorrow (thursday). but that’s not all…

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over the weekend we visited one of the few vegan restaurants in los angeles we hadn’t been to yet, juicy ladies. it’s actually more of a juice bar or take out place than a proper restaurant, with a counter to order at and seating inside for maybe 5 or 6 people. we arrived at around 11am and were lucky enough to snag one of the few tables.

juicy ladies may be small in size, but the menu is mighty with a great selection of breakfast items, salads, bowls and sandwiches. there’s also a full on juice and smoothie menu as well as a fridge full of grab and go meals for people in a hurry.

juicy special burger: black bean and brown rice patty, lettuce, pickles, tomato, thousand island dressing, grilled onions and tapioca cheese on a whole wheat bun. served with mixed greens. $10.25

my husband ordered the juicy special burger and had no complaints…

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pizza, cheesecake, and buffalo wings?! yep, it’s new menu time again over at native foods. they are rolling out EIGHT new vegan items tomorrow, and they’ve sent us a sneak peek along with a few snaps. it all sounds delicious, check it out!

Sweet Potato Taquitos: Crispy corn tortillas filled with coconut mashed sweet potatoes, drizzled with Native Chipotle Crema and served with guacamole. $6.95

seven more after the jump…

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heads up! gourmet mashed potato company bangers and smashed will be serving up food at the surly goat on monday night, and they’re coming equipped with vegan options!

Bourbon Pecan Smashed - In the Southern tradition, yams blended with Jack Daniel's and spice

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