LA’s finest vegan restaurant, madeleine bistro, is switching it up a bit this summer. they’ve changed their hours, their menu, and they are now BYOB (with NO CORKAGE FEE, woo!). the new menus are looking pretty insane, and we have all the details right here. so listen up!

new vegan guilty pleasures menu

over the summer, madeleine bistro will only be open friday through sunday, and will offer a new “guilty pleasures” menu and a chef’s tasting menu every night, as well as brunch during the day on the weekends. the guilty pleasures menu consists of decadent vegan comfort food like onion rings and shamrock shakes, and the tasting menu will change each week with 5 elaborate courses for just $50! this is a great deal, considering madeleine bistro holiday tasting menus can cost upwards of $100. i suggest you jump on this while it’s available. madeleine is also now doing weekly home delivery, find out more on that here.

new weekly chef tasting menus

here are the new menus and hours:

Read the rest of this entry »

it’s a brand new month, which means a brand new specials menu at hugo’s restaurant! july specials start today at the studio city location, and tomorrow in west hollywood…and let me tell you, vegans are in for a real treat with this month’s offerings.

first up, the soul food plate IS BACK! this crazy delicious dish was on the june menu, and it was so popular that hugo’s decided to extend its run. if you didn’t get to try it last month, now is your chance! this plate is so insane, it needs to be seen from every angle to be believed…

Read the rest of this entry »

hugo’s restaurant is definitely one of our favorite places to dine in LA. in addition to their rotating monthly specials, which always include a slew of mouth-watering meatless options, they are constantly adding new vegan fare to their regular menu…and now even have a vegan-friendly kid’s menu as well!

let’s start off with the kid’s menu. hugo’s went from having no vegan options at all for youngins, to now having several…and if you have little ones, you’ve gotta check it out. vegan dishes range from comfort foods like daiya quesadillas and burgers and fries, to more healthy options like grilled tofu with vegetables and pasta with broccoli. just be sure you specify that you want it made vegan, because a lot of these meals are vegetarian by default.

lil green casserole: sautéed broccolini, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, with garlic and fresh herbs in a tomato basil pesto sauce. topped with a veggie patty crumble, melted vegan cheese. $8.10

i stopped by hugo’s earlier this week, and they were kind enough to let me try one of the kid’s entrees. i went with the lil green casserole—a mini version of the very green casserole, the restaurant’s most popular dish. the lil green comes packed with all kinds of good stuff including broccolini, spinach, asparagus, and zucchini…all topped off with hugo’s amazing veggie patty and a light sprinkle of daiya cheese. the casserole is absolutely delicious, and pretty big for a child-size portion. it costs just over $8, which is more than 5 bucks less than the adult size, and a great value. if i had a kid, i would order this for them all the time—man, it’s so scrumptious!

i’m pretty sure the kid’s menu is for kids only…but if you are an adult craving this dish, you can order the larger version. you should try the green casserole if you haven’t already, it’s the most popular dish for a reason!

next up in exciting hugo’s news, they’ve added some killer vegan and gluten-free pancakes to their breakfast menu. they’ve been specials in the past, but now you can get these cruelty-free pancakes everyday. and they are so tasty! they normally come in a huge portion size with 3 pancakes for $10.65, but if you are feeling less hungry or you want to sample more flavors, you can get individual cakes for just $3.50. the single cake option isn’t listed on the menu, but now you are in the know, so just ask your server.

roasted pineapple-coconut pancake: vegan, gluten-free pancake infused with roasted sweet pineapple, toasted coconut, and ground almonds. topped with sliced bananas, toasted slivered almonds, and coconut. coconut agave syrup. $3.50

first we have the roasted pineapple-coconut pancake (pictured above), which is fantastic. it’s made with a blend of toasted coconut, pineapple, and ground almonds…and it’s so fluffy you just won’t believe it. next is the almond energy pancake (pictured below), made of almonds, seeds, quinoa, coconut, puffed rice, and fruit. there is so much going on in this pancake, and the flavor combinations are completely insane. lemme just say, i am thrilled that both of these wonderful pancakes are now regulars on the hugo’s menu.

almond energy pancake: a vegan, gluten-free pancake prepared with almonds, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, shredded coconut, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, puffed rice, dried cherries, and cranberries garnished with fresh berries. spiced agave syrup. $3.50

i love the fact that hugo’s continues to cater more and more to vegans as the years go by. from carrying vegan cheese, to having a clearly labeled menu…and now to offering vegan options for children, and amazing animal-free pancakes. hugo’s pretty much rules.

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993
and
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

just last week i was complaining about the fact that there’s nowhere to get a vegan deep dish pizza in los angeles, when this @ reply magically showed up in my twitter feed. lo and behold, fresh brothers makes a daiya-filled deep dish, and it is bloody fantastic!

naturally we rushed out the minute we could and hit up the marina del rey fresh brothers location over the weekend. we ordered a medium (the smallest size available) vegan deep dish to share, and it was waaaaaay too much food for the two of us to eat…

we went for the “create your own” option with daiya cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, and pepperoncinis. this is not the cheapest way to order a pie (it would probably be more cost-effective to veganize an existing menu option), and our pizza wound up being about $20. that’s okay though, because it was ENORMOUS and fed us for 3 meals…

Read the rest of this entry »

last week i was fortunate to attend an awesome event hosted by LA’s only vegan bakery, babycakes. the party was held on june 24th to officially celebrate their opening, and to introduce a new concept to the public: FROSTING PARTIES!

from the invitation…

Read the rest of this entry »

a couple days ago, i got an email from a vegan who lives in eagle rock telling me i had to check out corner pizzeria. he said they’d just started carrying daiya cheese and vegan sausage, and that the pizza was amazing. sure enough i headed out to corner over the weekend, and was delighted as i approached the building and saw a sign advertising vegan pizza.

but there was a catch…

Read the rest of this entry »

well ladies and gentlemen, this is a first! we just received a post in the quarrygirl forums (aka quarrums) that was so awesome, we decided to publish it on the main blog. check out tettes’ in depth review of tonight’s special madeleine bistro tasting menu. the food writing here is exquisite, and you are all in for a real treat. this review makes me so sad that i wasn’t there, and reminds me that i need to eat madeleine bistro tasting menus WHENEVER POSSIBLE. here you go:

I checked out the tasting menu at Madeleine Bistro on Saturday, June 26 and it was so mouth-wateringly amazing I wanted to share my experience with you guys. I wish the photos did the food justice!

First up:

Rainier cherry gazpacho: Cherrywood-smoked corn panzanella, crostini, avocado foam

How it tasted: The gazpacho was more like a thin pudding rather than a soup. Pretty spicy with a tangy finish and just a hint of cherry sweetness. The corn gave it a playful smokey flavor, but it didn’t overwhelm the dish as smokey flavors can often do. The corn and crostino gave the dish a much-needed textural contrast. And I’ve never had avocado foam before. It was light, fluffy and fun to eat! Chef Dave told me this puree-like gazpacho comes from Spain, and he adds toasted bread to the gazpacho and purees until it reaches perfection.

Next up:

Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE 6/25/10: i just found out from madeleine bistro, that anyone who mentions that they heard about this tasting menu from quarrygirl will receive a $10 discount PER PERSON! you gotta take them up on it! also, please note that dinner is anytime between 5:30 and 7pm…and the discussion starts at 7, if you are interested in that.

hey everyone! just a quick heads up that our favorite restaurant in los angeles, madeleine bistro, is having a very special tasting menu this saturday june 26th at 5:30pm. not only will there be an extravagant 5 course meal using etheridge farms produce prepared by chef david anderson, but organic farmer gene etheridge himself will be on hand for a discussion.

it sounds AMAZING. and let me tell you, the best meal of my life was a madeleine bistro tasting menu…so i highly suggest you make a reservation!

check out the menu below:
Read the rest of this entry »

earlier this year, we were saddened when the raw vegan restaurant, leaf organics closed its doors to the public. we are happy to report now though, that as of june 18th, the eatery has re-opened its culver city location, and is serving an array of both raw and cooked vegan food! we checked out leaf on their second day back in business, and while they were still ironing out a lot of the kinks, the food was pretty good and we are feeling optimistic.

veggie chili. $6.50

the menu at the new and improved leaf is pretty impressive. they’ve got raw and cooked burgers, salads, soups, and even specialties like raw mac and cheese. when we were there, however, they were only serving about half of the menu…hopefully more items will become available ASAP. to start with, we ordered a bowl of the cooked vegan chili, which was a mix of vegetables, beans, and i think maybe a little bit of soy protein. the ordering process was pretty unorganized, and the girl behind the counter couldn’t tell us exactly what was in the chili, but we both really enjoyed it.

spicy california rolls: spicy veggie pate nori rolls. $6.50

we also shared an order of spicy california rolls, which consisted of raw vegetable pate rolled up in nori. i must admit, i wasn’t a big fan of these. first off, they came with bell peppers (which i hate), so i had to pick those out. secondly, i found the vegetable pate to be a bit odd. it tasted like mushy carrots and was kind of bland. these rolls weren’t bad…they just weren’t my thing, so definitely try them if they sound good to you.

hale kale salad: with avocado, sprouted wild rice and mung beans. $10.99

lastly, we shared a large order of hale kale salad. this raw dish came with massive amounts of fresh kale, sprouted wild rice, and mung beans, all mixed up in an avocado dressing. not only was this thing huge, it was delicious as well. all top notch ingredients with a smooth and refreshing flavor, i’d definitely order it again.

inside, leaf is relaxing and spacious with large tables and comfy seats. like i said earlier, it was a bit chaotic when were there…many of the menu items were crossed out, the staff seemed stressed, and they were even repainting the sign. i think leaf may have just opened their doors to the public a little too early, and therefore things were not running smoothly. that being said, i can’t wait to return and try more menu items. the tempeh sandwich, sloppy joe, and raw burgers are all calling my name.

hit up leaf when you have a chance and welcome this vegan restaurant back into the neighborhood. we don’t want to see them go out of business again.

leaf organics
11938 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066

PS: leaf’s telephone isn’t working right now, and their website has the wrong address listed. (naughty leaf!) the address above is accurate though, so go check them out.

last night a large group of animal lovers gathered under the stars in coldwater canyon for a screening of bold native, the first fictional film about the ALF.

it was a fantastic evening for many reasons: friends, nature, entertainment, activism….but this is a vegan food blog, so of course i’m here to tell you mainly about how delicious dinner was, thanks to the frankenstand….

Read the rest of this entry »

hey everyone, quarrygirl here. this is very exciting news. not only is there now a place to get vegan pizza delivered in north hollywood…but it’s cheap, authentic, take-out pizza as well. not fancy, specialty pizza like you find at most places in LA with vegan offerings. anyways, the following post is by field reporter brittany (of sick of lettuce). we’ve gone ahead and set her up with her very own qg username (check out the top of the post to see who it was written by), so after this i am gonna stop introducing her entries. enjoy!

large pizza with vegan cheese, garlic, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and mushrooms. $13.69

a couple days ago i got an email from QG alerting me to lenzini’s pizza in north hollywood, and the fact that they recently started offering vegan pizza. WHAAAT? i was a bit skeptical that a random pizza place in noho was offering vegan pizza, so i double-checked ahead of time and found that 1) they use daiya cheese and 2) the dough is vegan as well. SCORE! i, of course, immediately sprang in to action (by immediately i mean a day later) and walked down to lenzini’s for lunch with some of my co-workers.

after a short stroll we arrived at lenzini’s and started picking out toppings. no faux meats on the topping menu, but there are a ton of yummy vegetable offerings. we decided to go with garlic, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and mushrooms on half – we had a mushroom hater in the group.

this pizza was delicious! the crust was light and airy, the sauce was great, there was tons of melty daiya, and the toppings were generous & fresh. we ended up getting a large and it cost $13.69 – i was expecting it to be more but they have a lot of specials posted. i was honestly a little confused by all the signage they have going on inside the shop and i don’t know which special we ended up getting, but i’m not complaining because i’m used to paying at LEAST $20 for a large vegan pizza, usually more.

we chose to dine in because we were hungry and didn’t want to walk back to our office and delay our eating time any longer, but lenzini’s is probably more of a take-out place. there are a few tables, though, if you are impatient like we were.

our pizza disappeared faster than it arrived (which was pretty quickly) and everyone left feeling pretty satisfied. even the omni in our group enjoyed the vegan cheese! i am a little afraid of how dangerously close this place is to my office, though, and have the feeling that there will be EVEN MORE pizza consumption in my future.

lenzini’s pizza
5044 Lankershim Blvd
North Hollywood CA 91601
Phone order :818-506-0200 Fax:818-506-7997

Sunday-Thursday 11am – 10:30pm
Friday and Saturday 11am – midnight

I wish I lived closer to Madeleine Bistro (or, rather, I wish it would move closer to me).

I’ve been known to find any excuse to be in Tarzana around brunch time on the weekends, so I can pop in and grab a donut, benedict, phillet-no-phish and a sumptuous dessert before going about my day. In fact, many people I know usually frequent Madeleine Bistro for the extensive and good value brunch menu (only served at weekends, but the lunch menu served during the week has many of the same items on it).

This last weekend, I had occasion to celebrate a palindromic birthday and could think of no place I’d rather be than Madeleine Bistro for dinner. I teamed up with three other ravenously hungry people and we set about eating our way through the menu. After all, and statistically, I’m over 50% through my palindromic birthdays, so this was a night to celebrate.

Hurling caution to the wind, we started out with some assorted small plates, salads and appetizers while we waited for the alcohol buzz of the organic lager and wine to settle in.

Classic French onion soup, crouton, farmer's cheese. $7

First-up was the “Classic French onion soup”: I’ve only ever had this type of dish once before in my life – in Paris (of all places) where I managed to find one with no meat stock in it. Well, Madeleine’s take on veganizing this dish is incredible. The soup is a hearty gathering of tangy onions and garlic in a rich sauce that one practically chews rather than sips. Sprinkles of “farmer’s cheese” on top made my day. If you’ve never had French onion soup, this is a must-have experience I can tell you.

Classic mac 'n cheese, bacon bits. $13

Next came the “Classic Mac ‘n’ Cheese”, a dead ringer for the non-vegan dish, but with a twist I’d never seen before: “bacon bits” that were made out of thinly sliced, crispy mushrooms. They went perfectly with the gooey cheese and chewy macaroni, leading me to rate this as one of the best vegan mac n cheeses I’ve ever eaten. And I’m something of a connoisseur by now, for sure.

French lentil salad, chardonnay cheese, spring mix, green goddess dressing. $10

We got a “French Lentil Salad” to share, which came with spring leaves and something called “Chardonnay Cheese”. Despite the fact that this dish looked like a phallus it was gone within seconds. I took some leaves, spicy lentils and cheese and ate them all together in one mouthfull, and without a doubt this was one of the highlights of the evening, and I’m not sure I’ve ever said that about a salad before!

Porcini-crusted tofu scallops, shiitake-green bean ragout, carrot syrup. $13

Continuing in the vein of small plates, we ordered the “Porcini-crusted Tofu Scallops” which were undoubtedly the most surprising dish of the night. We were treated to round, crispy tofu “scallops” in a very, rich mushroom sauce along with perfectly cooked vegetables. There were four people at the table, and we had one scallop each: left to me I’d have eaten all four and ordered another plate as well! They really were that interesting. Crispy on the outside, soft and steamy on the inside. This is right up there with the best of Executive Chef Dave Andrerson’s “how the hell do they do that?” dishes, along with the donut and souffle (of which more later).

Red beet tartare, warm tofu cheese crouton, cucumber, balsamic glace. $13

We also grabbed a “Beet Tartare”, which has to be one of the most astounding vegan dishes available anywhere in the world. I’ve known people travel to LA from the Bay Area and beyond, purely for a fix of this menu item. And I can see why. Cool, thinly sliced cukes, a warm fried cheese crouton topped with finely chopped red beets not only looks like a work of art, but it tastes like one too. There are few adjectives to describe this creation so, in common with the rest of the menu, I usually just advise you to get one into your life (and, by eating, out of it again real fast) as soon as you can.

Chicken-fried seitan, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable medley. $13

Surprisingly, we had room for entrees, so we ordered the “Chicken-fried seitan” for one of our guests who happened to be an omnivorous girl from The South (a tough customer for any dish with “fried” and “chicken” in its name, for sure). After eating the whole thing, she proclaimed “That might be the best Fried Chicken I’ve eaten outside of Dixie, y’all” (actually, I’m doing a caricature of what she said, but you get the idea. She liked it for sure).

The "Bigger Macque" (two no beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese...) $11

Although I love fine dining with nice wines and great company, a superb addition to the entrees at Madeleine’s is the “Bigger Macque”, and no matter what the occasion I always find an excuse to order one. This sandwich is a loosely based facsimile of the well known fast-food item, which has been served to billions and billions of poor bastards, but just better. In every way. You have to get one of these at some point in your life, just as I have to get one of these at some point in every visit to Madeleine’s.

Phillet no phish (panko-crusted seitan, cheese, tartar sauce, whole wheat bun) $10

As if by magic, the corollary to the above dish also arrived at the table: “The Philet no phish”, another cheeky take on crappy fast food, incredibly elevated to fine dining status. Yeah, I had a nibble of that too: crispy seitan, cheese and tartar sauce. Another amazing dish.

Rustic mashed potatoes. $5

Other things on the table at that point included a healthy portion of “Rustic Mashed Potatoes”, a perfectly cooked heap of creamy mash covered in gravy as well as a side of “Pan-roasted cauliflower”.

Pan-roasted cauliflower. $6

It’s safe to say that if I could make mashed potatoes or cauliflower this good, I’d probably never leave my house and would OD on the deadly cocktail of cauliflower and mash, when eaten by the ton.

Lemon-rosemary seitan, cauliflower crepe. $13

Our last entree of the night (we were getting pretty full by this time) was the intriguingly-named “Lemon-rosemary seitan, grilled asparagus crepe” which was like nothing I’d ever eaten before. Tangy, perfectly chewy seitan, was laid to rest on a fluffy crepe filled with creamy cauliflower. Let me tell you, the combination worked perfectly. The lemon and rosemary fired up one’s mouth, and the cool, creamy crepe rode in to save the day with a creamy after-texture and after-taste to die for.

Shockingly, we found room for desert (I’m still not sure how, but Madeleine’s is one of those places I can go to, eat myself silly and feel perfectly content — never over-stuffed and certainly never needing more).

classic cheesecake, raspberry coulis, whipped creme. $11

We enjoyed our deserts dim-sum style, so we all had a bit of each just to prove how cosmopolitan we are. First-off was the “Classic Cheesecake”, another perfectly made dish sitting proudly on a delicious raspberry coulis with a tuft of whipped creme topping. I was told that the birthday candle was inedible — the only thing in the place I would not therefore eat.

strawberry shortcake, almond cake, rhubabrb ice cream. $12

I was delighted to also try the “Strawberry Shortcake”. It has strawberries. It is a cake, but this was not a short order — a huge brick of fluffy and spongy cake arrived and was consumed before our attentive server got back to the kitchen to bring our next dessert item: “Bananas Foster Split”, a tremendous triumvirate of bananas, hot fudge and whipped cream, with an order of ice cream and chocolate sauce thrown in for good measure. Another amazing dessert, another plate emptied to shining within seconds.

Banana foster split, hot fudge, whipped creme. $10

Finally, my favorite desert – not only of the evening, but of all time – arrived from the kitchen like an angel from a heaven: “Chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream”. I tell you, this dish knows how to make an entrance! There are two ramekins, one containing stone cold ice cream, and the other containing a crispy-crusted chocolate souffle with gooey chocolate sauce inside. Just eat a bite of chocolate (which is oven-hot) with a bite of ice cream, and your mouth will thank you for an eternity.

chocolate souffle, vanilla ice creme. $12

I’m remembering my last birthday with such fondness: A three course meal, book-ended with the heretofore unattainable French Onion Soup, and rounded off with a another uniquely French creation: Chocolate Souffle is an experience to savor for a long time. As I know I and my guests also will.

Executive Chef Dave Anderson’s creations are at the arc of vegan cuisine, second to none and lovingly prepared and served. Whatever your occasion to dine out — or even if you don’t have an occasion — you really must try Madeleine Bistro if you’ve not been yet. For a quick and informal time, show up for the weekend brunch and dine on scrambles, doughnuts or the Bigger Macque. For a family occasion or intimate dinner, make some reservations and dine away the evening with one of the best menus on this good earth, superb service and an atmosphere that only a family owned and run restaurant can deliver.

See you there!

Madeleine Bistro
18621 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356
(818) 758-6971

Hours of Operation

Wednesday through Thursday
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Friday
Lunch: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Saturday
Brunch: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Sunday
Brunch: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Dinner: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

closed Monday & Tuesday

as far as i’m concerned, cru vegetarian restaurant serves up some of the best food in los angeles.

the small, comfy silverlake eatery focuses mainly on raw cuisine, but also has a delicious selection of cooked entrees as well. their creative, healthy dishes aim to please…and i’ve never been disappointed with a meal from cru yet. cru doesn’t use any meat, dairy, or eggs….in fact, the only animal product at the restaurant is honey. my only complaint is, i wish they’d quit using SO much honey.

this is actually a pretty well-timed post, because when i ate a lot of the food i’m blogging about today, the menu items containing honey weren’t even clearly marked. then they started specifying the items with honey on the restaurant menu but not the online menu, and now, FINALLY the online menu is up to date with honey labels as well. so vegans: be careful, and just read everything twice before ordering.

now, onto the FOOD!…

Read the rest of this entry »

breaking news! here’s a very important update from brittany on our favorite food truck in los angeles…

so mandoline grill is already known for their amazing vegan lemongrass tofu banh mi, their awesome noodle bowls and the absolutely delicious spring rolls… BUT DID YOU KNOW THEY HAVE TACOS? probably not, because it is a top-secret menu item. these tacos share a lot of the same fixins as the banh mi – lemongrass tofu, cucumber, carrots, and cilantro – but then they are topped with a sriracha/vegenaise/garlic aioli. UM, DELICIOUS. and at $2/pop you can eat, like, 10 of them and not feel too bad about it.

lemongrass tofu taco with sriracha garlic aioli. $2 each.

brittany reporting for the qgnetwork.

check out mandoline grill’s website and follow them on twitter for info on their schedule.

PS: qg here. i cannot fucking wait to try these!!!!

this is the month to get your vegan sushi on. why? because every monday evening in june, shojin is having a vegan sushi night, with creative rolls that will knock your socks off. that means you have three more chances to take advantage of this japanese deliciousness.

i hit up shojin with an omnivorous friend last monday, and we were beyond impressed. it was by far my best experience yet at the restaurant, and all the food was excellent. even my pal who is a big fan of non-vegan sushi thoroughly enjoyed herself and wants to go back!

Read the rest of this entry »