i shop at whole foods like it’s my job, and i officially have a new favorite location. first i thought it couldn’t get any better than venice, then el segundo took the crown, and now tarzana has got them both beat. it’s massive and it’s epic like no wfs i’ve ever been to before. it needs to be seen to be believed.

i first got wind of the new whole foods when a helpful tipster wrote in to the blog. (if you know of cool vegan places, please do the same!) she wrote, “FYI… I’m sure you’ve heard by now but the new whole foods opened in tarzana and there’s a crap load of vegan stuff. Soups, hot food, frozen food, and a wine and tapas bar that has daiya sandwiches…” yes! later that day, i saw a post on LAist, with a slew of photos of the new location, and i knew i had to check it out. it took me a few weeks, but i finally hauled my ass out to the valley, and boy was it worth it! (the new store is located immediately across the street from LA’s best vegan restaurant, madeleine bistro…in case you need more inspiration!)

naturally, i started my tour of the joint in my favorite section: prepared foods! it was amazing. the space was vast and there was way too much stuff to take pictures of. sensory overload to the max. i did catch the entirely vegan salad bar…

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SAD UPDATE HERE. original post below.

we raved about chipotle’s brand new garden blend protein (made with gardein) when it first came to los angeles, and now we are happy to report that it’s finally available in several more locations! here’s a list of chipotles where you can enjoy the delicious vegan “chicken”:

UPDATED 6/30/10 new locations to carry gardein:
Santa Monica 1218 3rd Street
Hollywood 1460 Vine Street

Beverly Hills 244 South Beverly Drive
Burbank 135 E. Palm Ave Space A2
Culver City 9512 Culver Blvd
El Segundo 307 No. Sepulveda Blvd. Suite B
Encino 16350-A Ventura Blvdage
Hawthorne 5330 Rosecrans Ave
Hermosa Beach 1439 Pacific Coast Highway
Los Angeles 121 N. La Cienega Blvd #114
Los Angeles 110 S. Fairfax Suite A-12
Los Angeles 1077 Broxton Ave
Marina Del Ray 4718 Admiralty Way
Northridge 9205 Reseda Blvd
Pasadena 246 South Lake Ave
Roseville 781 Pleasant Grove Blvd.
Santa Barbara 723 State Street
Studio City 12175 Ventura Blvd
Torrance 24631 Crenshaw Blvd Unit A
Westlake Village 5754 Lindero Canyon Rd
Woodland Hills 5430 Topanga Canyon Blvd.

image from the humane society's facebook page

look, they even put the word “VEGAN” on the menu! man, i love chipotle! go eat some gardein blend today!

special thanks to the humane society for sending me this info.

any reader of this blog knows that we are huge fans of gardein. we live off their vegan protein creations—both the packaged goods and commercial products are part of our daily lives. we are avid beer drinkers as well, so naturally when we heard that gardein had made its way onto the menu at the irvine yard house location (a restaurant that brags they have the word’s largest selection of draft beer), we were beyond excited.

we found the irvine yard house menu online, and discovered that a whopping 25 menu items could be modified to include gardein. while that’s impressive and definitely a coup for the vegetarian world, we couldn’t help but notice that almost all the items contained dairy…bearnaise sliders, chicken caeser, spicy thai chicken pizza, etc. some of the items did look veganizable, though, so we were determined to make it work. we didn’t want a repeat of the chipotle situation (which was later resolved), so we decided to contact yard house in advance and see just how much they were willing to accommodate vegans.

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hey everyone! this is a HUGE day, because the famed goldberg sisters of spork foods have officially relocated to their new space. the popular cooking class and catering duo have called silverlake their home up until recently…now, however they are operating out of a very roomy commercial space in weho, and of course we were there to check out their brand new new digs.

the official “opening party” was tonight, and it went a little something like this:

food and drinks galore!

nonstop snacks and alcohol! you name it, they probably had it. appetizers, drinks, music, it was the right vibe from the get-go.

a good crowd, very important.

the sporks party also had a good crowd. i showed up shortly after the starting time, and left a couple hours later…the whole while i kept running into lovely people who were excited about this new vegan addition to LA. by the time i left, a bouncer was getting serious about not letting newbies in! the place was PACKED…

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chili addiction in west hollywood doesn’t get nearly as much ink on this blog as it should. the place is seriously a godsend for vegans and has some of the the best animal-free chili, burgers, and sausages you will ever eat.

vegan chili cheese fries: Try our fabulous Belgian fries covered with any of our daily chilis and heaped with VEGAN cheddar cheese! $6

i went to chili addiction with some pals last night, and we had a whole table full of feastage…

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long beach has got nothin’ on LA when it comes to vegan food. it’s actually quite shocking after having been spoiled in this vegan mecca to drive just 20 miles south and be met with so few dining options. lucky for us herbivores, the LBC does have one entirely meatless restaurant and while it isn’t worth a special trip, it definitely fills the void. i’m talkin’ about zephyr cafe.

mf burger: homemade patty, tofutti cheese, sprouts, tomato, onion, romaine, mushrooms, avocado & vegan mayo

zephyr cafe is a spacious comfy eatery with lots of hippie vibes and a completely vegetarian menu. i raved about the place two years ago, but looking back on my review i feel like must have not gotten out much back then. now i eat at vegan restaurants like it’s my job, and the zephyr praise just doesn’t hold up. don’t get me wrong, the food is decent and good…but it just hits the spot, without going the extra mile.

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after months of setbacks that often come with being a new establishment, mooi raw vegan restaurant in echo park has finally opened its doors…and well, it’s pretty phenomenal. i ate there for the first time last night, and i must say after just one visit, i think it will prove to be one of my favorite spots in LA.

first off, the interior is stunning. a huge double decker space, mooi is furnished with lush comfy chairs, vintage lamps, and purposely mismatched tables. the layout is spacious and extremely well executed—i think the ambiance alone makes it one of the most unique places to eat in LA.

to add to the eclectic vibe, the menus aren’t presented in typical form, but instead they’re pasted into dr. seuss books…

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i absolutely love little health food stores with vegan-friendly restaurants attached to them, and i think mother’s market may be the best one yet. the grocery mart has an impressive 6 locations in the orange county area, each one with an adjoining cafe that boasts a large almost entirely vegetarian menu (they serve real tuna for some strange reason).

gingered greens with tempeh: strips of sauteed tempeh with spinach and swiss chard in a light ginger-cilantro sauce. served over organic brown rice or udon noodles. $8.50

we hit up the huntington beach location recently, and i must say we were quite impressed with the quality and value of the food…

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finally, the time is here! the much-anticipated mooi restaurant in echo park is opening its doors tomorrow, monday 5/24!

the raw/vegan eatery and dessert parlour has been a quarrygirl favorite for quite some time, and we are so happy that they finally have a brick and mortar location. the menus are already posted on mooi’s website, and we think they look pretty amazing…

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tony’s darts away in burbank has only been open for 5 weeks, and it’s already one of our favorite haunts. we’ve raved about the extremely vegan-friendly beer bar twice before, and i’m happy to report that with time it keeps getting better and better.

first off, they’ve added 2 cask pumps to their something like 38 beers on tap. when we were there last, they were pouring craftsman (not pictured), and it was really damn good. i think it was poppyfields.

vegan beer brat with sauerkraut, grilled onions, brown mustard, and garlic paste. $6

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UPDATE! Please check out this forum post, following a comment we received below.

When I arrived in the USA from the UK some years ago, I immediately latched on to Costco as one of the most wonderful places on earth. There I could buy all the toilet paper, Kleenex, USB hard drives and Boca burgers I needed to survive. Costco even had 16-pack of vegan burger buns which I’d stash in the freezer along with the Boca patties so I could prepare myself a hearty snack any time I wanted. When hungry, I’d microwave the whole thing: Boca in first, then the bread bun, and I’d garnish with Vegenaise, some soy “cheese” and whatever fixings I had in the kitchen (usually tomatoes, onions and lettuce).

I loved my Costco burger invention as it had a lot going for it: Vegan, quick to make, somewhat tasty, low in fat, highly predictable and VERY inexpensive. In fact, I used to boast to my omni friends that my burger cost around 60 cents to prepare, so it became known as a “60 Cent Burger”, and I was frequently called upon to prepare loads of them for late night after-party munchies. Anyway, more on the 60 Cent burger later, after the matters at hand.

It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Pacific Coast: I live in Los Angeles where I can drive up PCH or the 101 any time I like to Ventura or Santa Barbara. Although the coastal route is sparsely populated with restaurants, vegan and vegetarian friends have been telling me for years that I need to check out Mary’s Secret Garden in Ventura as they have some of the “best food anywhere”. So, last weekend, I resolutely drove directly from Hollywood to Mary’s Secret Garden for lunch. And, boy, was the place a letdown.

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UPDATE 5/26/10: we have a winner! the dozen cupcakes go to sampson, congratulations! check out sampson’s winning haiku:

downtown lights abound
cupcakes, loaves, and cakes astound
babycakes is here

thanks everyone for playing, and a HUGE thanks to babycakes for donating cupcakes! even if you didn’t win, you must go get some of there delicious treats from their downtown LA bakery!

FREE CUPCAKES! that’s right, it’s time for another giveaway! today’s contest comes courtesy of babycakes in downtown los angeles. our city’s only brick and mortar vegan bakery opened early this year and specializes in delicious organic treats, free of animal products and allergens. if you haven’t had a chance to try babycakes yet, this is a great opportunity.

this one is gonna be a lot of fun, because instead of just picking a winner at random, we are having a haiku contest! get creative and come up with haiku poem about babycakes, for the chance to win a dozen cupcakes. babycakes founder erin mckenna and i will be judging the poems, and picking a winner within a week.

here’s exactly what you need to do to win…

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oh my vegan friends, the time is FINALLY here! mooi restaurant in echo park is ready to open its doors this week, and i can’t fucking wait.

they held a little pre-opening shindig last night—and while i have been a long time fan of the food, i can now say the restaurant space is incredible as well.

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eating a vegan meal prepared by a world-renowned chef is an extreme privilege, which is why i strongly suggest you check out the vegetable dinners at animal that are taking place every night this week.

the normally very meat-heavy restaurant is halting business as usual “to join forces with Chef Jeremy Fox for seven nights of an exclusive prixe fix, multi course collaboration of vegetables paired with thoughtfully chosen wine & beer.” the menu is entirely vegetarian, but can be modified to be made vegan (just be sure to ask), and costs $70 per person with optional wine pairings for $35 or $70.

after hearing nothing but rave reviews for chef jeremy fox and his former restaurant ubuntu, i knew i had to go to this. i mean, why would a restaurant called ANIMAL stop serving carcass for a whole week, unless it was for a very special menu. i booked a table for the opening night with my vegan chef buddy, and while the place was still ironing out a few kinks, i can safely say the food and service were phenomenal.

our reservation was at 6pm (right when the restaurant opened), and even then there were a few parties standing around outside, waiting to get in. unfortunately, i was driving so i opted for a single bottle of green flash ipa rather than the wine pairing. after glancing at the somewhat dairy-heavy menu, i let our waitress know that we were vegans, and she assured us that it wouldn’t be a problem. off to a great start!

macarona almonds: lavender sugar, sea salt, olive oil.

course number 1 was a plate of macarona almonds to share, and it was incredible. the plump little nuts were seasoned with lavender sugar and sea salt and were perfectly crunchy. the lavender flavor was amazing, and the portion was filling that we didn’t even finish it.

crunchy french breakfast radishe, black lava salt.

the second course was also to share, and it was a plate of crunchy “french breakfast” radishes with black lava salt. i don’t even know how to describe this dish, it was so full of unfamiliar flavors. the radishes came on a bed of green sauce, and our waitress said we should dip each one in the sauce before sprinkling on the salt. we both loved it and were practically licking the plate to finish off every drop of the amazing sauce.

after course 2 is when the kitchen started slow down a bit. the restaurant was getting pretty full and i noticed that diners who arrived much later than us were beginning to catch up with us course-wise. the waitress was very polite and apologetic for the delay, explaining that it was their first night with the menu and they were running a little behind.

2x-shucked peas in a consomme of the shells: white chocolate, chocolate mint, macadamia.

when course 3 finally did arrive, it was a bowl of shucked peas in a consomme of the shells. it was exquisitely presented with beautiful little edible flowers, and it tasted incredible too. one thing i can honestly say about animal is that each course the brought out was even better than the last—they just kept on surprising us with how good the food could get.

'forno' beet baked in a rose geranium salt crust: 'fuerte' avocado, pickled green strawberry, pistachio.

course 4 was a plate of beets baked in a rose geranium salt crust with avocado, pickled green strawberries, and pistachio. these are without a doubt the best beets i’ve ever eaten, and the green strawberries were the perfect compliment. i mixed them up with the creamy avocado and crunchy pistachio bits, and there was a party goin’ on in my mouth.

young favas, roasted whole, then shucked: salsa maro of the pods, anchovy 'flavor'.

course 5 was plate of roasted shucked fava beans atop a salsa maro of the pods. again, this dish was so unique and tasty i don’t even know how to describe it. all i can say is that the “salsa maro of the pods” was straight up insane.

heirloom carrots rescoldo style, in root embers: vadouvan spices, coconut labneh, parsnip.

course 6 was a dish of heirloom carrots rescoldo style, in root embers. this came with “coconut labneh,” which i’m pretty sure contains dairy…but our waitress assured us ours was made vegan. the carrots were so wonderfully cooked and the coconut cream was thick and fluffy, again it was a total explosion of great flavors and we loved it.

roast celtuce stalk: ruta kraut, pumpernickle, horseradish mustard.

course 7 was roast celtuce stalk in a bowl of ruta-kraut, pumpernickle, and horseradish mustard. i have NO IDEA what celtuce stalk is, but the way jeremy fox makes it is delicious! this dish also normally comes with cheese, but the folks at the vegetable dinners were happy to modify it for us.

unfortunately, after course 7 me and my dining partner had to take off with 2 courses left to go. you see, the kitchen had become so slow at that point we’d been there for two and a half hours, and we figured the other 2 courses would take half an hour at least. for big parties enjoying a relaxing dining experience and drinking bottles of wine, the long wait may not be a problem. we both had places to be though, so we politely asked our waitress if we could get the check early.

our waitress totally understood our plight, and was so sorry for the long wait that SHE COMPED ALL OUR FOOD! YES, THAT’S RIGHT. two dinners at $70 each, they gave us FOR FREE because of the delay. now that is damn good customer service. i also want to point out that they had no idea i was a food blogger or anything, this was just a case of animal restaurant being awesome and taking care of their shit. any ounce of annoyance i had over the long wait is completely gone due to the incredible food and epic gesture of a comped meal by the restaurant staff.

because i’m sure inquiring minds want to know, the last two courses we skipped out on were:

sweet fennel and puffed wild rice krispie: fennel bulb, ‘page’ mandarin, bronze fennel and toasted brioche and sherry “creme brulee”: fried cornbread, chocolate ganache, shiitake.

i have no clue how they would have veganized those for us, but i’m sure if we stayed it would have been awesome.

the vegetable dinners at animal are happening through sunday may 23rd, so i highly suggest you call and make a reservation if you can. (tell them in advance that you’re vegan!) it was busy when were there, but not totally full….so you may still have a chance to get in. plus, there is a bar to sit at that takes walk-ins. don’t miss this. jeremy fox is a fucking genius, and our dinner was amazing. even if we would have paid the full price, it would have been more than worth it. this place puts xiv and bottlerock to shame, so definitely go if you can!

Animal Restaurant
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-9225

We’ve probably written more about Purgatory Pizza in Boyle Heights than any other restaurant. Since it became the first pizza joint in California to carry Teese vegan cheese, we’ve been regulars at Purgatory. Add in several other vegan Pizza firsts: First to carry Field Roast sausage, Gardein “Chicken” and one of the first in the country to carry Daiya vegan cheese, and we’ve been visiting Purgatory constantly. It’s no surprise, then, that Purgatory is again ahead of the pack, as one of the first places on the West Coast to offer the brand new Teese vegan mozzarella, which we’ve raved about before.

A quick grounder and history in vegan cheese is probably worthwhile at this point…

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