it’s no secret that i love sandwiches, so i was super stoked when i heard that locali was adding two new ones to their already impressive menu. of course i had to get over there asap and try these suckers out. have a look.

first off, i got locali’s take on the vegan club sandwich…

locali's #1 vegan fan club: tofurky, tempeh bacon, avocado, arugula, vegan aioli, and mustard on sourdough. $10.95

the #1 fan club as they call it, comes piled high with tofurky (be sure to tell them you don’t want real meat), tempeh bacon, and argula…all finished off with a good smear of vegan aioli and mustard. this is not your standard club, because it isn’t a double-decker…it’s more of a typical sandwich with ingredients between two slices of bread. what makes this sandwich extra special though, is the large helping of leafy arugula. i am usually not a fan of greens on a sandwich (i’m known to take lettuce off and discard it), but soft and fresh arugula is always amazing. plus, whatever they use for tempeh bacon is really top notch. this truly is a high-quality artisan sandwich, and locali does not skimp on the ingredients. my only complaint is, it’s probably a couple dollars too expensive. nearly 11 bucks for a sandwich with no side seems pretty steep to me—other than that though, it’s perfect.

next up, i tried locali’s vegan take on the traditional ham and cheese…

vegan happy hammy sammy: vegan ham, cheddar daiya, and dijon mustard on sourdough. $7.45

this came with delicious melted daiya cheddar and thick strips of soy ham all grilled up in a warm panini. locali definitely did a great job with this, but whenever i buy any kind of grilled cheese type thing, i always feel as though it’s something i could have made with my sandwich press at home. still though, it was super tasty and if you are a ham and cheese type of person, you should definitely give this a try. when ordering, just be sure to specify you want this made vegan because they also make a version with real cheese.

so there you have it, new vegan sandwiches at locali! check them out—the club especially, i really think was excellent. and while we are on the subject of locali sandwiches, don’t forget to try their incredible reuben or pick up a taste of life breakfast sandwich from the deli case while you are there.

locali
5825 Franklin Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90028-5609
(323) 466-1360

i am always a sucker for a good brunch, and for ages i’ve been hearing that the sunday offering at real food daily is pretty damn awesome. so, after not eating at the restaurant for quite some time and having a great experience with their takeout food, we decided to give dining in at RFD another shot.

the LA benedict: Poached tofu, roasted tomatoes, sautéed spinach, buttery rustic toast, corn hollandaise, tempeh bacon, hash browns or fruit. $13.95

we hit up the weho location yesterday with a friend, and the food was tasty all around the table. i ordered the LA benedict, which came with tofu, tomatoes and spinach all atop buttery toast smothered in vegan hollandaise sauce. it was pretty expensive at just under 14 bucks, but at least the portion was large. personally, i prefer the benedict at m cafe, but this one was pretty good as well. my only complaint was that the tofu was pretty untreated—it tasted like the silken stuff just taken out of the box and sprinkled with pepper. the high points of the dish were the creamy hollandaise and the crispy bacon, i couldn’t get enough of that stuff.

breakfast burrito: Whole wheat flour tortilla, scrambled tofu, onions, peppers, guacamole, pico de gallo, Ranchero sauce, melted cashew cheese, tempeh bacon, hash browns or fruit. $13.75

my husband went with the breakfast burrito, which was a giant whole wheat tortilla stuffed with scrambled tofu, vegetables, and guacamole. it also came covered in RFD’s amazing cashew cheese (which can be subbed for jalapeno cheese upon request!). i didn’t try the burrito because it had bell peppers in it (which i HATE), but my husband said it was a bit soggy and mushy for his taste.

lastly, our friend ordered an appetizer as his main dish, the blt tartine (pictured below). this was basically a blt sandwich, but served bruschetta-style on little pieces of toast rather than in between slices of bread. this is another dish i didn’t try, but it got a great review from our friend, and i don’t think you can go wrong with RFD’s tempeh bacon.

BLT tartine: mini open-faced sandwich Tempeh bacon, tomato, spicy vegenaise, whole wheat baguette, baby mix lettuces, balsamic vinaigrette. $9.95

unlike some other times we’ve been to RFD, the service on sunday was great. the place was super busy, but we still got a really comfortable table and were constantly checked on by our waitress. the one huge drawback to dining at real food daily though, is that while the food is good, it is PHENOMENALLY overpriced. what would cost $8-9 at a normal vegan restaurant ends up costing $14-15. their prices are on par with madeleine bistro, but the food just isn’t quite as special. oh, and be really careful ordering alcohol. they were serving tiny little glasses of champagne at brunch that wound up costing 9 bucks a piece. let’s just say less than half of our bill went to cover food. oops.

that being said, we really did have a great brunch at RFD and i’m looking forward to going back. it’s just not something i would splurge on every weekend.

real food daily
414 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-9910

and

514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-7544

brunch served sundays from 10am-3pm

it took them a little while to get their license, but as of yesterday, the veggie grill on sunset is finally serving up bottled beer as well as red and white wine.

beer at veggie grill

they currently have 2 beers from new belgium brewing (fat tire and mothership wit) as well as both red and white wine from mas. i dropped by this afternoon and grabbed a bottle of the mothership to accompany my lunch, and while it wasn’t my favorite beer on earth, it was definitely pleasant.

so as if the terrific chili and burgers weren’t enough to get you out of your house and over to veggie grill in this horrific weather, you now have the added temptation of alcohol. 🙂 veggie grill is one of the VERY few all vegan places in LA to serve beer, so let’s show them some support. maybe if we buy enough of it, they will put some beer on tap. (i can dream.)

veggie grill weho
8000 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 822-7575

UPDATE 3/6/10: i went to cruzer last night and they were selling huge slices of the candy bar cheesecake for only $6.50 (down from $12)!! go get them while they last!

check out my slice:

Read the rest of this entry »

you gotta love the a taste of life booth at the hollywood farmers market. as if the breakfast sandwich (one of the top ten vegan items to eat in los angeles) wasn’t enough to get you out of bed early on sunday…

vegan chocolate chip cookie. $1

now you have their homemade chocolate chip cookies to tempt you as well.

these things are baked freshly, are super fluffy and moist, and will only set you back $1. this is the kind of cookie that you bite into and it starts immediately melting all over…in a good way! it’s cakey and juicy all at once and just oozes with rich creamy chocolate. mmmmm.

and while you are at the taste of life stand, you would be a FOOL to leave without buying one of their breakfast sandwiches. i know i go on and on about these, but they are WORTH THE HYPE.

vegan breakfast sandwich. $5

moist biscuit, melted cheese, succulent sausage, grilled tofu…all smashed together, ALL VEGAN. like an egg mcmuffin but way better and tastier. oh, and as you know a taste of life also makes the best vegan soul food in town…so stock up on some mac and cheese and bbq tofu while you are there as well.

see you sunday!

a taste of life
hollywood farmers market
cross street of ivar and selma
every sunday
8:00am – 1:30pm

PS: thanks to @havingmysay for telling me about these awesome cookies!!

ladies and gentlemen, i think we have a winner…

for the past two months, we’ve been on a search to find the best vegan club sandwich in los angeles and i think our search has finally ended. i thought to myself that the contest was over when i tried the incredible club at m cafe….but surprisingly the real food daily club has it beat!

the club triple decker: seitan tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise, sour dough bread. served with tossed house or caesar salad. $13.75

the club sandwich at real food daily is beyond awesome. first off, it’s huge…and it comes with this thick breaded seitan that’s moist in the middle and crispy on the outside, along with large strips of salty tempeh bacon. what really makes this thing though, is the bread. it’s soft and fluffy with just the perfect amount of chew. agh, so good! add to that fresh produce and creamy vegenaise, and this sandwich is a mixture of purely delicious flavors and textures.

i’m not gonna lie, there is a down side. the club at RFD is expensive as hell. i mean almost $14 for a sandwich and a small side salad?! that’s practically highway robbery. the thing is just so damn good though, i’d be lying if i said it didn’t deserve to win. it’s also worth noting that i got my sandwich to go, as eating in at real food daily can be an extremely unpleasant experience.

Real Food Daily
414 N La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-9910

and

514 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-7544

so what do you think? did we miss any amazing club sandwiches? do you agree with the winner?

FINALLY! cruzer pizza in los feliz (LA’s only all vegan pizzeria) has updated their menu, and we are super honored to be publishing it first on quarrygirl.com.

have a look for yourself. loads of new vegan pizzas, sandwiches featuring match meats, and even daiya bread sticks! not to mention vegan cheesecake by madeleine bistro. basically, it’s all amazing! (click here for the PDF version.)

regular customers will notice a new addition to the menu, which is a super tasty sounding peta pizza. this thing comes with eggplant, portobello mushrooms, tomatoes, and daiya…plus, a portion of the proceeds are donated to to help animals. watch this fun video featuring michelle sass from cruzer and royale  & lauren from peta to see how the pizza got selected.

head over to cruzer asap for their new menu items and a very special peta pizza. lemme know what you think!

cruzer pizza
4449 Prospect Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-0600

there’s an adage that says: “those who can, do. those who can’t, teach.”. clearly, that’s not remotely accurate as many wonderfully productive people can also teach up a storm, particularly the talented dave anderson, executive chef at madeleine bistro.

ever had one of his ice creams that are so light and flavorful that you want third helpings?
ever eaten chunks of his pan-roasted vegetables by the dozen?
ever wondered what goes into making such sublime sauces?

well, if you have (and if you’ve ever eaten at madeleine’s you’ll be on the same page here) are you not just a little intrigued as to how dave and the team invent, prepare and cook such amazing food?

thankfully for curious minds, madeleine bistro offers cooking classes/demonstrations on the weekends (the next one being this saturday!) where average folks like you and me can not only learn some of chef dave’s secrets, but enjoy an artfully-prepared three course meal as well. we sat in on the most recent class and gained some culinary wisdom that will last a lifetime.

pan-roasted califlower in filo with roasted butternut squash and cauliflower puree.

the class we attended included recipes and instruction on three separate courses, with the focus being on roasting and braising. the first course, pictured above, was pan-roasted cauliflower in filo with roasted butternut squash and cauliflower puree.

we got to watch and absorb the whole cooking process, from the pan-roasting of the cauliflower, to the oven-roasting of the butternut squash, to the forming and shaping of the beggar’s purses…

for the main course, chef dave schooled us in the art of braising with braised tempeh, braised root vegetables, and cabernet-roasted mushroom sauce.

braised tempeh with braised root vegetables and cabernet-roasted mushroom sauce.

everything in this course was wonderful, from the finely cubed vegetables to the browned tempeh slices and flavorful sauce. again, we saw the process from start to finish. i have never learned so much in two hours!

from the chopping of brunoise root vegetables…

to roasting vegetables for the cabernet-roasted mushroom sauce…

to making the roux for the sauce (woo a roux!)…

to preparing the tempeh…

and the finished product was just exquisite, vegans and non-vegans alike were singing its praises.

lastly, even our dessert course implemented braising and roasting techniques.

the last course consisted of pears braised in riesling, agave and vanilla bean, along with homemade ice creme made from baked sweet potatoes.

the dessert turned out perfectly, and i loved every last bite even though i’m not a big sweet potato or pear fan. seriously, i was licking the plate. when it was served, it even came with a dollop of dave’s special coconut whip cream (which he would not give away the secret to).

overall, the madeleine bistro cooking class was a huge success. the students gathered around in the dining area and watched intently as chef dave prepared each course and explained his methods. the students didn’t do any actual cooking themselves, but were free to take notes and ask unlimited questions. i really enjoyed the way chef dave ran the class, and i left with a stack of invaluable recipes and a wealth of knowledge. plus, dave was ridiculously funny and laid back throughout the lesson, making for a really fun environment.

madeleine bistro usually hosts cooking classes every other week, the next one being this saturday march 6th. each class is $75 per person, which includes a 3-course meal! money well spent, if you ask me.

so be sure to contact madeleine bistro and sign up for the next cooking class that you can. hope you love it as much as i did!

madeleine bistro
(818) 758-6971
18621 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA

as you may have heard, mac & cheeza is a brand new restaurant coming to downtown los angeles that focuses entirely on the popular side dish, macaroni and cheese. while they aren’t officially open just yet, the good news is they have been having soft launches sporadically where they serve their food to the public…and the even better news is they are very vegan-friendly.

the husband and i hit up the small eatery last night during one of their soft openings, with our friend and fellow blogger brittany from sick of lettuce, to see just how good LA’s newest vegan mac and cheese offering is. the verdict? mac & cheeza is off to a great start and we couldn’t be more thankful for their vegan options…but there is definitely some room for improvement.

the way mac & cheeza works is, you order at the counter and basically build your own mac and cheese. you get to choose your size, your noodle type (regular or gluten-free), then your cheese type (the soy cheese is vegan), and then whichever vegetables you want to add in. they even have a vegan sausage option as well. they mix and bake the whole thing right there in front of you, and call your name when your order is ready.

even with all delicious-sounding toppings available, brittany went with plain in order to see just how good the mac and cheese tasted on its own.

vegan baby mac. $5

her initial reaction was that it was good, but not as cheesy-flavored as she’d hope. rather than a cheddar-style sauce, the mac was covered in a liquidy garlic sauce that tasted more like alfredo. i would have to agree that there are much better vegan cheese options out there, seriously some cheddar daiya would have done wonders on this thing.

momma mac with vegan cheese, vegan sausage, mushrooms and peas. $12

my husband and i split a momma mac sized mac and cheese with vegan sausage, mushrooms, and peas. i enjoyed it, but again the soy cheese left a little something to be desired. plus, they didn’t put enough peas or mushrooms in it, so the toppings were gone pretty quickly. that being said, the vegan sausage addition was absolutely delicious.

the ambiance at mac & cheeza is nice and cozy—there aren’t any tables or chairs, but rather soft benches that line the walls where customers can eat. the whole place is decorated with art made from macaroni pieces, which i found quite adorable.

overall, the food at mac & cheeza was really decent…and while i may not make a special trip downtown from hollywood, i would definitely stop by when in the area. i highly encourage you to get over to mac & cheeza as soon as they open though, and make your own mind up; let’s show these guys how grateful we are that offer vegan mac and cheese. plus, you gotta admit it was a pretty ballsy move for them to open a restaurant that only sells side dishes…

mac & cheeza
223 W. 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014

to hear the latest news about when mac & cheeza is opening, and when they are having soft launches, subscribe to their mailing list!

One of the defining moments of any English person’s day is the breakfast ritual. Nowadays, rather than beans on toast, most of us Brits are partial to microwaving last night’s Indian takeaway leftovers. I can tell you, there’s nothing quite like a spicy vindaloo and a cup of strong black coffee to knock out the cobwebs and get one ready for a long tube ride on a cold and rainy morning.

tofu bhujiya. $7

Imagine, then, this English boy’s delight when I saw that Cowboys and Turbans, LA’s newest Indian-style restaurant has a special vegan breakfast item. I’d very much enjoyed the Tandoori Burrito and Tika Masala from our previous visit, so couldn’t wait to go back for the breakfast. Accordingly, wasting no time, we hit them up this morning for a breakfast to go, and I can tell you this is one of the best vegan breakfasts anywhere in LA, and is a steal at only $7.

The vegan breakfast, Tofu Bhujiya, consists of thinly diced tofu chunks which are lightly fried in Indian spices and vegetables including tomatoes, cilantro, onion and chilies. As if that’s not enough, the Bhujiya also comes with a succulent Aaloo Tikki, a thick, “meaty” Indian-style hash brown that’s spiced like crazy, and based upon a recipe from Chef Baba Ji’s mother. The smooth potato patty is punctuated by fresh peas cooked into it, like periods at the end of sentences in a paragraph of delight.

Breakfast is available on Saturdays and Sundays only (exclusively at the Silverlake location), from 8am-3pm. So next time you’re doing your best to wake up on a weekend, pop down to Cowboys and Turbans, order the vegan breakfast with a cup of strong coffee and wake up in style. You won’t be sorry!

Cowboys and Turbans
2815 Sunset Blvd.
213.483.7778
HOURS OF OPERATION
Sat and Sun: 8AM – 10PM
Mon-Fri: 11AM – 10PM

hey everyone, it’s time for another vegan field report/guest post! this time it comes from just around the corner in pasadena, by @ifitkillsjeff! enjoy, it’s a good one:

Occasionally I enjoy revisiting the 90’s; roller blades, hammer pants, grunge music, and Forrest Gump. A time I do not enjoy revisiting the 90’s is when it comes to vegan food. I feel that vegan dining has made so much progression in the past decade that the meal should not remind me of the vegan friendly places I visited in the late 90’s. My Vegan offers rice or noodle dishes with soy chicken, soy pepper steak, soy fish, seitan, or tofu. Sound familiar? Don’t we already have enough of these places in the Los Angeles area? They also have burgers, wraps, salads, curries, pancakes, and desserts.

teriyaki chicken: grilled soy chicken or topped with house teriyaki sauce, sesame seeds andand sprinkled with a touch of scallion. served with spring roll, salad, and brown rice. $7.95

Read the rest of this entry »

living in a household that is 1/2 english and 1/2 southern californian, it is a common debate which is better: curry or mexican? they are the two great take-out foods of our respective nations, and we can never settle on just one….and now with cowboys and turbans, we don’t have to.

cowboys and turbans has two locations in LA (one in silverlake and one on wilshire), and they specialize in “indian mexican street food,” meaning they shove curry into awesome vessels such as burritos and tacos, and offer tikka masala without a south of the border flare. yep, this is pretty much my favorite combo ever. i went all out on my recent order from the silverlake location with burritos, tacos, and tikka galore!

spinach tofu burrito with spanish rice, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, tamarind chutney, mint chutney and crispy chick pea strips wrapped in a soft grilled flour tortilla. $8

the tofu burrito was MASSIVE and came wrapped in thin white paper (as any self-respecting street burrito does). it also was accompanied by a huge portion of mexic-indian chips that were somewhere between flavorful flat bread and tortilla crisps. they were so fucking good; i ate them before i could photograph them. oops.

inside the burrito, was a mixture of rice, indian spices, tofu and spinach, and crispy chick pea strips. i am a traditional burrito lover, but this was a very welcome change. if you are a fan of both indian and mexican food, you are gonna go nuts for this thing. and just to put your little vegan minds to rest, i did double check that the tortilla was vegan as well.

spinach tikka masala: spinach and tofu in a red non-dairy curry sauce with a side of basmati rice. $8

another good option at cowboys and turbans is the tikka masala. both the spinach and spinach tofu varieties are vegan, and they are delicious. huge chunks of cubed tofu mixed up with a vegan red sauce and served with the perfect portion of basmati rice.

now let me tell you about a little mistake i made with cowboys and turbans, which is actually quite embarrassing…

Read the rest of this entry »

more SAD SAD SAD news as yet another vegan restaurant closes its doors.

smac-n-cheese: gluten-free rice elbow pasta with a creamy cheesy sauce. i will miss you 🙁

our beloved cafe flourish will be going out of business early next month. it started a few weeks ago when they shortened their business hours, and now it looks as though they’ve declared defeat. hear it in their own words:

Read the rest of this entry »

if you aren’t already excited about mooifood, a new vegan restaurant coming soon to echo park, here is another reason to be….

on the menu mooifood will offer several homemade raw nut cheeses as an appetizer, as well as a 3 course cheese entree. after reading about how much i love dr. cow’s, stephen from mooifood sent me a selection of 7 flavors of cheese to try.

have a look:

Read the rest of this entry »

According to legend and folklore, an Elf is a “small, mischievous and magical” being, which probably explains why Elf Cafe in Echo Park is so aptly named:

Small: Elf Cafe is tiny. There are two rows of cramped tables and a bar with a few high stools, leading to a very intimate dining experience. The tables are also very close together, so you have pretty much no option but to get to know your neighbors, whether you want to or not.

Mischievous: I’d actually tried to visit Elf on three separate occasions before. Twice it was full with crowds waiting outside so I just walked on by, the third time I arrived at 5:50pm (the restaurant officially opens at 6) so I could be first in line, only to be told that they were running late “as usual” and wouldn’t open until 6:45pm. Also, the menu is different to what’s online, and there’s no reservations policy making Elf one of the more difficult places to eat at in LA. Mischievous Elf!

Magical: When you do get a table you will be treated to some of the most magical flavors and textures you will ever eat. Every dish is original, and every ingredient fresh (bought that day in most cases) and wonderfully, inventively prepared. Also, the organic environment of stone, wood, exposed brick, flickering candles and new-age style music really does evoke something not of this world.

elf before the evening crowd

I’ll start out by saying that Elf is a vegetarian restaurant, catering mainly to vegetarians with what appear to be some menu items that just happen to be vegan. There’s a heavy emphasis on cheese throughout, and all the very best signature dishes are vegetarian rather than vegan. Notwithstanding that, there are some really good vegan items on the menu, I just wish they could optionally make some items vegan – I mean, to substitute a vegan dip for a bleu cheese dip on a particular dish, or make a vegan version of a salad dressing would hardly cause the kitchen to collapse in a morass of disorganization, now would it?

Anyway, let’s get down to brass tacks. On our visit, we were the first people in the restaurant, glad to take a wonderful two-top table by the window. We were quickly seated, the bottle of wine we brought with us was spirited away to be opened (Elf is BYOB, and more on that later) and we were brought fresh minty water and menus. So far we’d been waited on by two people both of whom were nice and friendly. Once we’d had a chance to review the menu, we began to order.

As a small appetizer we received complimentary crackers with a delicious chickpea and red bell pepper dip. The crackers were fresh, crispy and crunchy, dusted with some herbs and the dip was cool, smooth and clean tasting. So far, we’d spent nothing (or so we thought) and had some tantalizingly tasty food to whet our gaping appetites.

The first dish up was the “Cornmeal and Herb Dusted Spicy Oyster Mushrooms” which the menu proudly proclaimed as “Our version of ‘hot wings’ crispy oyster mushrooms”. The dish usually arrives with the decidedly un-vegan “bleu cheese cream reduction”, but our server said they could be prepared sans-reduction so we asked for them that way. We were pleasantly surprised, though, when the mushrooms arrived and the server said “Here’s your spicy mushrooms, and we did a vegan version of our sauce. Hope you enjoy it!”.

cornmeal and herb dusted spicy oyster mushrooms (made vegan): our version of "hot wings" crispy oyster mushrooms served with marinated celery salad. $10

Did we ever enjoy it…. this is one dish that everybody has to eat before they pass on to the next world – we’re talking millions of sliced, lightly fried and crispy mushrooms all spiced up to the nines atop a cool pile of sauce, with a few thinly sliced celery pieces. It’s not only incredibly tasty, but getting a mouthful of crispy, steaming hot mushrooms with some cool sauce in your mouth is quite the pleasure. I’m really pleased that Elf was able to figure out a vegan sauce, as it really did make the dish. Hopefully they will add that as an option going forward – I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt them.

elf salad: mixed greens with dill, avocados, potatoes, olives and green beans. $11

Next up we went for the basic sounding “Elf Salad”, a veritable cornucopia of fresh green leaves, cabbage, dill, avocados and a bunch of other stuff including green beans and potatoes. We were blown away by the volume and quality of this salad so much that we had to force ourselves to stop eating it as there were another two dishes on their way shortly afterwards.

roasted flatbread shawarma: similar to a shawarma sandwich served open-faced with crispy oyster mushrooms, spicy hummus, and savory cabbage salad. $12

For one entree we rewound to the starters menu and opted for the “Roasted Flatbread Shawarma”, a mile-high serving of cabbage and spicy hummus piled on a fresh pita bread topped off with crispy and light mushrooms. This thing was really tasty – a real mix of flavors and textures that are tough to pull off and get right – we respect what the chefs did to make this, and would heartily recommend it as a very unusual and enjoyable dish. Seriously, one of the highlights of the evening.

moroccan vegetable tagine: moroccan vegetable stew served over red quinoa with a side of spicy homemade harissa. $16

Talking of highlights, the “Moroccan Vegetable Tagine” is probably the most under-described dish I’ve ever had on a menu. Don’t you usually find that menus talk up the items such that you’re bound to be overtly disappointed when they arrive? Not here, and not now. The entire description is somewhat pedestrian, almost boring: “Moroccan vegetable stew served over red quinoa with a side of spicy homemade harissa”.

Let me fucking tell you that this thing off the planet. I’m talking about at least ten different vegetables, all embarrassingly fresh, clearly organic (brussels sprouts, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, beets, green beans, carrots, etc. etc.) and all cooked for what tasted like hours in the most amazing red beet sauce then plopped down over crunchy red quinoa, and served with a side dish of some spicy harissa that (frankly) was as good as the main dish itself, despite its diminutive size. Grab a spoon, dip it in the harissa, scoop up some vegetables and sauce, rinse and repeat until you pass out. You won’t be sorry.

we ended up getting much of the food to-go!

We were way too stuffed to even consider desert, but there are always a couple of vegan options available.

There are few places I’ve eaten where every course has been as astounding as the last, but all ain’t completely rosy in the world of Elf. Let’s haterize for a moment.

One thing you have to know about Elf is that it’s incredibly trendy. Perhaps not as much now as it used to be a year or so ago, but it’s still very much regarded as a place one has to go and “be seen”. The clientele were all very much Eastside hip (I’d say hipsters, but that can be insulting I’ve been told) but all super nice and friendly. I could feel the creative juices flowing into me from the table of artists next to me. One guy even had a fury pirate hat and cape on, I guess just so he could stand out. See if you can spot him in the picture at the bottom of the post.

I’d probably be 100% gushing about the place were it not for the sneaky $2.50 per person corkage fee, which wasn’t disclosed anywhere on the menu or by the server when she so gleefully took our bottle of wine away to be opened. After paying top dollar for our food we were punished with an additional $5 charge on the bill. I believe that it’s actually illegal to insist on such optional, non-advertised charges, so I recommend everybody refuse to pay it until they put it on the menu or tell you when they pick up your bottle.

All in all, though, Elf really lives up to its namesake mythical being: Compact, kinda troublesome yet completely magical. I’ll be back soon, as I’m sure that most people who go there regularly will.

elf
2135 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 484-6829
weds-sun: 6:30ish?-11pm