• June 9th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    as we blogged earlier, pure luck’s official last day in business was supposed to be last saturday. however, due to some escrow dramz the restaurant has decided to remain open for limited hours this week.

    here’s the official word i just got, straight from the owner:

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • June 4th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    that’s the word on the street! for a few weeks now, the staff at pure luck have been telling customers that their last day in business will be june 4th. my advice: get your ass over to pure luck TODAY, because you may not have another chance.

    ORDER POTATO PALS, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

    although the official last day is supposed to be today, i’ve heard some rumblings that there have been escrow dramz and we may be able to squeeze another week or two out of our beloved restaurant. fingers crossed. either way, after today pure luck will be living on borrowed time, so get over there while you can. because once they shut, these are the only potato pals you’ll be seeing:

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  • May 16th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    …so go eat it ASAP. i’m sure you’ve already heard the news: pure luck is closing for good, and we are freaking out. there’ll be so much to miss about the vegan east hollywood eatery: the impressive beer list, the crispy potato pals, the deep fried pickle chips, and most of all….the jackfruit.

    Todd's BBQ Sandwich: BBQ Jackfruit “pulled-pork” with pickles, onions and vegan mayo on a rustic roll.

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  • May 8th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    let us take a moment to honor pure luck’s side dishes.

    since the news broke that the restaurant is shutting down, i’ve been eating there like it’s going out of style. have you been yet?! get over there before this amazing restaurant is closed for good.

    all the sides! avocado, jackfruit carnitas, rice and beans, fried plantains! $9

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  • May 2nd, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    time to bust out the tissues, because this shit is getting real. on friday we blogged about a rumor on blogging LA that one of our favorite vegan restaurants, pure luck, would soon be closing. well now the writing….er, sign…is on the wall as pure luck has posted an official public notice of application for ownership change.

    tweeted by @truelovehealth

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • April 29th, 2011quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    earlier today we blogged that madeleine bistro will be closing next month…and now sean bonner at blogging los angeles brings us the horrible news that pure luck, another one of our favorite restaurants, may be shuttering as well.

    according to sean’s “legit” tip off, the restaurant will be closing in around a month and reopening as a wine bar. NOT COOL. we have had some petty complaints about pure luck in the past…but if the truth be told, they’re one of the best vegan restaurants around. they have amazing jackfruit that doubles as carnitas and pulled-pork, not to mention an amazing selection of craft beer.

    PURE LUCK, PLEASE DON’T CLOSE. we love you. 🙁

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  • August 14th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    pure luck is without a doubt one of our favorite restaurants ever. we have written countless great reviews on them, named them one of the best vegan restaurants in LA, and even added their jackfruit menu items to our bucket list post. that’s not to say we haven’t had a few complaints in the past: we were super bummed when they removed curry from the menu, we may have called them communists at one point, and their baja tacos failed to pass our veganocity test. whatever, though! all that BS aside, we still looooooooooove pure luck.

    we eat there all the time, and they are the number one spot i recommend to friends. that’s why i was shocked to hear from three different people that when asked about the test conducted on their soy fish tacos, pure luck servers have made disparaging remarks about this blog. saying things like i “tried to put them out of business” (untrue, and insulting considering the amount of money i spend at that place), and that i have “been sued” because the tests were unscientific. i just wanna take this opportunity to say, i have never been sued. i don’t know why pure luck is telling people that, but it is completely untrue. stop it! hopefully this post will set the record straight, because i don’t want that false rumor floating around.

    as sad as i am about all of this, i am gonna keep eating the fuck out of jackfruit tortas at pure luck.

    torta: sauteed jackfruit “carnitas” plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll.

    seriously, this is one of my favorite sandwiches ever and i couldn’t live without it. if you haven’t been to pure luck yet, you gotta check it out. it’s has some of the tastiest food in los angeles, and a far better beer selection that any other vegan place in town. in fact, tons of omnivores love this place because the food and beer is so good.

    pure luck
    707 N Heliotrope Dr.
    Los Angeles, CA 90029
    (323) 660-5993
    open 11am to Midnight, Mon – Sat
    closed Sundays

    PS: i still don’t know if the soy fish is vegan or not. i hope it is. however, i feel unless it’s a known brand and you can read the ingredients (gardein, field roast, tofurky, etc), ALL MOCK MEAT should be eaten at your own risk. that’s not to say i don’t eat off brand mock meats at times, i’m just sayin’…caveat emptor.

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  • Following three years of eating out on LA’s vegan restaurant scene we thought it would be good to come up with a “top list” of the establishments we, and the commenters on this esteemed blog, thought were really good. Check out the end for honorable mentions, restaurants that didn’t quite make the list. Want to bump a mention off the list, or add your own? Please comment. Don’t be shy. We had to start somewhere.

    Madeleine Bistro

    Advice when visiting Madeline Bistro: Sit facing away from the window and forget that you walked past the exotic lingerie store a few doors down, after an excruciatingly long drive from pretty much wherever you live. If you can suspend the belief of where you are and how you got there for long enough, you’ll enjoy some of the most incredible vegan food on the West Coast, and probably in the world.

    porcini-crusted tofu benedict at madeleine bistro.

    porcini-crusted tofu benedict at madeleine bistro.

    Chef Dave Anderson has spared no expense or time in thinking through and preparing the most minute details of every menu item. From a doughnut that is so light and fluffy it practically levitates, to a veganized carbon-copy emulation of a Big Mag (which I’m told by omnivores tastes way, way better than the real thing), through magical soufflés and German Mac ‘n’ Cheese (complete with Bacon bits!) you are certain to delight in the experience of fine vegan dining with a menu as inventive as it is familiar. Every dish at Madeleine’s has that “HOW DO THEY DO THIS?” question mark hanging over it. Dave Anderson is a culinary genius, and we should all be glad he decided to practice his art on us vegans.

    Stuff I Eat

    Situated on a quiet street a block from busy Manchester Blvd. on the edge of Inglewood is an absolute gem of a vegan restaurant: Stuff I Eat. With an eclectic menu of options spanning the gamut from soul food through Mexican-inspired and down to earth, honest to goodness, American-style favorites, Stuff I Eat excels in every category. The staff are all so helpful, polite and caring that one feels grateful to be in ‘their’ restaurant. The portions are HUGE, and the quality of every food item, from the way it looks to the way it tastes cannot be overstated.

    part of the soul food platter at stuff i eat

    part of the soul food platter at stuff i eat

    Feeling hungry? The $18 “Organic Soul Food Platter” will fill you up, as well as one or two of your guests. The burritos are to die for (how many burritos have fresh, steamed broccoli topping them?). Any place that has a menu item called “Sumthin-Sumthin”, makes its own dressings from scratch every day and serves a $5 taco with so much filling that they throw in an extra tortilla so you can “make two out of one” clearly has an appreciation of food. If you have the same (or even if you don’t), Stuff I Eat will be some of the best Stuff you will EVER Eat.

    Vinh Loi Tofu

    Kevin Tran, the chef/owner/cashier of Vinh Loi Tofu is probably the King of Los Angeles vegan cuisine. Sitting on his throne behind the counter at Vinh Loi Tofu, he rules his mini-kingdom of obedient, smiling tofu-preparing workers who create some of the most stunning vegan food in town. In his modest Reseda restaurant (about the size of a donut shop!) he manages to squeeze in not only a tofu factory but also a kitchen that prepares no less than 126 vegan specialty menu items, along with several “new inventions” that Kevin has cooked up to try out on us unsuspecting, but very lucky, vegans.

    ham sub at vinh loi tofu

    ham sub at vinh loi tofu

    With so many menu items it’s really hard to choose favorites (and, to be fair, I try to mix up what I order, but in a lifetime one can only scratch the surface of Kevin’s creativity). Signature dishes we see people ordering time and time again include the Banh Mi subs (of which there are 13 varieties) ranging between $4.50 and and extortionate $6! Kevin’s tofu and fake meats blend perfectly with fresh vegetables in his soups, stir fries, teriyaki noodles and salads. If you’re feeling really adventurous, just ask him for his “special of the day”. You won’t be sorry.

    Pure Luck

    On our first visit to Pure Luck, we were intrigued to watch a tattooed dude (who we later discovered was Ben, the guy who dreamed up the establishment) wheeling a toilet through a busy restaurant and out of the door. He returned to climb, precariously, above the food area while he installed a WiFi access point suspended from the ceiling by green cables, that’s still there to this day. While this entertainment was going on, my friends and I got quietly drunk on craft beer, and full of potato pals, followed by several plates of fresh salads, rolls with exotic ingredients and burritos. Pure luck doesn’t quite have the atmosphere of a bar, but you can squint your eyes and fake it real easy, with at least 10 beers on tap and an endless supply of comfort food you can’t go wrong.

    angélica’s garbanzo salad sandwich with potato pals at pure luck

    angélica’s garbanzo salad sandwich with potato pals at pure luck

    Must-have dishes are the jackfruit-anything (especially the Todd’s BBQ Sandwich or Torta), Fresh Noodle Salad and the deep fried stuff (Potato Pals, Rosemary Fries, Sweet Potato Fries). The Tofu Pesto Sandwich is also an excellent choice, arriving on a crusty, fresh La Brea Bakery roll. Chow on some great bar food, drink some of LA’s finest beers and smile in the haze of how great it is to be vegan in this day and age. Thanks, Pure Luck, for all the good times.

    Oh, and the toilet was abandoned in the parking lot by the dumpster when we left.

    Shojin

    I recall hanging out as a teenager in the Tokyo district of Akihabara, where bright lights, video arcades and electronics stores are punctuated only by sushi bars and upscale dining. The shopping mall in Little Tokyo (just south of Downtown LA) contains all of the above plus an amazing find if you trudge to the top of the escalator: Shojin Restaurant. to call this place “fine dining” would be an understatement. Hand polished silverware resting on starched tablecloths await your vegan self. Nuvo-Japonaise decor and Frank Sinatra on the speakers round out this most eclectic of dining experiences. Your shy, yet overly-attentive and awkwardly chatty serving staff will do whatever it takes for you to have a great time, as plate upon plate of amazing food spirits itself out of the kitchen to your pristine table.

    vegan dragon roll at shojin

    vegan dragon roll at shojin

    Whether you go for the sushi (with seitan, tofu and other faux-fish accoutrements), the pan-fried seitan stir-fry or the incredibly tasty hand-made deserts you will know that such care has been put into preparing your food with prime, organic ingredients that you just can’t go wrong. Order as much stuff as you like — the portions are small, but the taste is big.

    Honorable mentions: A Taste Of Life, Native Foods, Veggie Grill, Casa De Tree, Cru, Flore, Cafe Flourish, Rahel’s, and Seed

    Check back tomorrow, for our list of the top five vegetarian restaurants that are vegan friendly.

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  • September 25th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)
    beer beer beer. on tap.

    beer beer beer. on tap.

    it’s no secret that pure luck is one of the best vegan restaurants in los angeles. the small eatery has an inventive menu with lots of mexican-style cuisine and sandwiches and also boasts a great selection of micro brews at a reasonable price. i’m talking 16 ounces of stone ipa and pliny the elder for $5! best deal in town!

    i wanna just take a minute to show you some of my favorite things i’ve ever eaten at pure luck. i hope this gets you drooling.

    pure-luck-taco-cu

    you are not allowed to eat at pure luck without trying the jackfruit. they make the most insane “carnitas” tacos out of marinated jackfruit that impresses every omnivore i know.

    taco combo plate: 2 tacos with rice and pinto beans, or side cesar salad. $8

    taco combo plate: 2 tacos with rice and pinto beans, or side cesar salad. $8

    they can also throw those carnitas in a mexican sandwich called a torta with tomato, onion, avocado and vegenaise. made on soft, fluffy la brea bakery bread, this is one of my favorite items on the menu.

    jackfruit torta: sauteed jackfruit “carnitas”, plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. $9

    jackfruit torta: sauteed jackfruit “carnitas”, plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. $9

    other amazing sandwiches include the tofu pesto…

    tofu pesto sandwich: grilled tofu and fresh basil-spinach pesto on a rustic roll, with romaine and onions and vegan mayo. $8

    tofu pesto sandwich: grilled tofu and fresh basil-spinach pesto on a rustic roll, with romaine and onions and vegan mayo. $8

    and angelica’s garmabanzo salad sandwich (think tuna sandwich, but way better)!

    angélica’s garbanzo salad sandwich: Need a comfort food fix? You won’t be disappointed by our Garbanzo salad. Served on a grilled rustic roll with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and pickles. $7

    angélica’s garbanzo salad sandwich: Need a comfort food fix? You won’t be disappointed by our Garbanzo salad. Served on a grilled rustic roll with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and pickles. $7

    as a side dish, i highly recommend the vegan soup of the day.

    vegan soup? yeah!

    vegan soup? yeah!

    or some potato pals! just ask your waiter or waitress for these and they will hook you up…even though the pals aren’t listed as a side on the menu.

    POTATO PALS

    POTATO PALS

    the salads at pure luck are pretty damn good too. they make the best vegan ceasar that i’ve ever tasted.

    cesar salad with tofu: romaine lettuce topped with grilled tofu, sliced avocado, onions, croutons and our lemon-garlic César dressing. $8

    cesar salad with tofu: romaine lettuce topped with grilled tofu, sliced avocado, onions, croutons and our lemon-garlic César dressing. $8

    just look at that juicy little bite of marinated tofu. i wanna kill it!

    pure-luck-salad-cu

    doesn’t that all look delicious?! don’t get me wrong…pure luck has some annoying flaws that have to be mentioned. let’s go through this very quickly:
    1.) the food is inconsistent. somedays it’s better than others.
    2.) the soy fish at pure luck may contain casein. (i avoid it just in case)
    3.) pure luck used to have really comfortable seating and then they replaced most of it with high tables and bar stools that nobody wants to sit at. there are still a few decent seats though.

    even after those gripes, pure luck is one of the best restaurants in los angeles. so there you have it: i am totally butt-crazy in love with pure luck. if you like vegan food, beer, or awesomeness, you should eat there as soon as possible.

    pure luck
    707 N Heliotrope Dr.
    Los Angeles, CA 90029
    (323) 660-5993

    open 11am to Midnight, Mon – Sat
    closed Sundays

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  • February 4th, 2009mr meanerLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    Do you remember the scene in Wizard of Oz where the wizard is exposed behind the curtain, and he turns out to be just some boring middle-aged man of ill repute? Well, that’s what we existentialists call a “revelation”, and BOY did I get one of those last weekend in Pure Luck. I didn’t just see behind the red curtain by the cash register, I got a glimpse behind the IRON CURTAIN into cold-war era Soviet Russia. Okay, I know you just want to hear about potato pals and how awesome the freakin’ jackfruit is, but bear with me on this.

    The RED Era of Pure Luck!

    The RED Era of Pure Luck!

    Any vegan living in LA will confirm that Pure Luck is probably the best vegan restaurant in town, has some of the nicest staff and offers an innovative Mexi/Californian-style menu that can satisfy even the most hard boiled carnivore. The same vegans will also tell you that the quality of the food is about as predictable as the middle-east peace process, and you never quite know what you’re going to get when you order something off the menu.

    I usually stick to the staple Fresh Noodle Salad, but even that simple dish (with, like four ingredients) has arrived in multiple different forms in the year or so I’ve been going there. Sometimes it’s all noodles with spinach sprinkled on top, other times it’s a 5lb bag of spinach with nary a noodle in site. Sometimes there is so much tofu I can’t handle the protein overload and other times there’s not enough tofu to feed a vegan mouse. The other dishes suffer the same fate of inconsistency, yet we vegans are so grateful to have Pure Luck around we just complain to each other yet rarely to the staff.

    Well, this weekend, I was served with an inedible Fresh Noodle Salad. Not only were the noodles hard and crunchy, but the spinach was brown at the edges and the whole thing was swimming in a sea of salty water. There were five pieces of overcooked tofu, no tortilla crunchies and the toasted peanuts had seen neither hide nor hare of a toaster, let alone any form of heat.

    Pure Luck Fresh Noodle Salad on a bad day.

    Pure Luck Fresh Noodle Salad on a bad day.

    Sadly, I had to send it back and decided to order the Pure Luck Spring rolls instead. I SWEAR they scooped out the crap in my salad bowl, wrapped it in a tortilla with a smirk on their faces, dumped the salty water on top and re-served it to me, as the rolls were no better. See below for a comparison between a good and bad day. Please note that on the bad day, the spring rolls were soggy, with the dip TIPPED INTO into them and flowing out, and barely any tofu. On the good day, however, there was tons of tofu and the spring rolls were fresh, the leaves weren’t wilted, and the sauce was served on the side. Night and day, I tell you.

    Pure Luck spring rolls, for better and for worse.

    Pure Luck spring rolls, for better and for worse.

    Coincidentally, a friend, who visited later the same afternoon, ordered the Burrito, which happened to be “95% rice” and fell apart when she tried to eat it. She’s decided to start visiting Pure Luck less often, as she’s “fed up getting crappy food, when it used to be so good.”. And, she’s the SECOND person I know who won’t order the Burrito again for the exact same reason, both served months apart.

    When I questioned our wonderfully efficient and polite server about the consistency of the food I got the most stunning revelation: “Well, because we share all the tips, the owner likes us to do different jobs here. One day I might be waiting tables, the next washing dishes and then I might be in the kitchen preparing food. I guess some of us are better than others at different things”. No shit, Sherlock.

    I mean, Pure Luck, SERIOUSLY. You have a business with paying customers, not some ideological experiment with socialist capitalism. I’ve never run a restaurant, but I know that not everybody can cook food, just as not everybody is good at dealing with people. Pure Luck needs to get a sensible rotation of kitchen staff to consistently prepare quality food as well as serve your customers with accountability.

    I know about 10 vegans who don’t go to Pure Luck as often as they would, for fear of being disappointed with a dish that’s not up to the standards they are used to. Indeed, just this last Saturday, Twitter was going crazy with people who were going to Pure Luck and complaining about the food.

    Pure Luck: you can do better. Your restaurant is quieter than it used to be, and the only consistency we’ve seen is higher prices and smaller portions. We loyal customers will vote with our feet and go elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, you are still the best vegan restaurant in town by far, but gone are my regular weekend dinner gatherings at Pure Luck with friends, shrunk now to once or twice a month…and we all remark on the inconsistency of the food. Comping a food item (has happened several times in my circle of friends) means we both lose. Your revenue goes down, and the customer doesn’t get what they ordered.

    Pure Luck should deliver reasonable consistency with its food, that’s all we are asking. Our salads/tacos/burritos/whatever should be very similar every time we order them, and we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and send stuff back to the kitchen that’s below par, even if we have waited 40 minutes for it to arrive.

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  • January 17th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    i love london and would move here in a heartbeat, but los angeles has got one thing that i would always miss…pure luck. it’s without a doubt my favorite restaurant of all time, and when i think about it, i really do wish i was at home.

    torta: sauteed jackfruit "carnitas", plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. with a side of potato pals. $9

    torta: sauteed jackfruit "carnitas", plus pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, onions, tomatillo salsa, sliced avocado and vegan mayo on a grilled rustic roll. with a side of potato pals. $9

    pure luck is a one of a kind vegan eatery, definitely the best in los angeles, serving up quality junk food and tap beer in a laid-back and non-pretentious atmosphere.

    i would argue that the crazy-tasty torta is the best thing on pure luck’s menu. it’s got their signature “carnitas” (marinated jackfruit that is so creepily good, even meat-lovers drive across town to eat it), plus ripe avocado, spicy salsa, plump pinto beans and juicy vegetables. stack all that goodness on a roll of world famous la brea bakery bread, and you got the best sandwich ever. i say “world famous la brea bakery” because now that i’m in the UK, it has proven to be true. even all the way over here in london, there is a familiar la brea bakery outlet and i’ve been living off their rolls from tesco. nothing is quite as good as eating it at home, though. and nothing comes remotely close to pure luck.

    for all my awesome LA homies…when you order the pure luck torta, the menu gives you the side options of salad, rosemary fries or sweet potato fries. please, bypass that crap and beg your server for some potato pals. you won’t be sorry. the crispy fried and lightly-peppered gnocchi are the perfect compliment to any meal; none of the other sides compare. plus, they bring it out with a magical dipping sauce that tastes like a cross between vegenaise and bbq. totally insane.

    if you are lucky enough to be in LA today, get your ass over to pure luck. they aren’t open on sundays, so you better hurry. or hit them up next week at the very least. i would give anything right now for a couple of vegan tap beers, some potato pals and a torta. mmm.

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  • October 29th, 2008quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    not long ago, i was blogging away and bitching about things that had been taken off the menu at my all-time favorite restaurant, pure luck (namely the curry fries). a couple days later, a dude who i assume was the owner, ben, was kind enough to leave a comment on my post detailing why certain items had been deleted from the menu, and describing some of the tasty new additions that they had made way for.

    of course, i took it upon myself to get over to pure luck several times over the past few weeks and try all of the new dishes they had to offer so i could report back to you all. the additions ranged from awesome, to meh, to sucky…and i’m bringing you pix and descriptions for each one. overall, i think it’s great that pure luck expanded their menu, and i highly urge you to head over and get some of the new shit.

    first, check out ben’s original comments to set it all up.

    on why he abolished things like my beloved curry fries:

    The short answer is that the kitchen at Pure Luck is probably smaller than your bathroom. Really tiny. We had a bunch of new stuff we wanted to put on the menu, so we had to remove a few things.

    on the new menu deets, stuff that’s gone, and stuff that’s gone that they can still make:

    New stuff:
    1. Fire Grilled Beet Salad. My new favorite.
    2. Quinoa Paloma. I won’t bother trying to describe this one, because when I do, it sounds like diet food. It is super healthy, but more importantly, it’s tasty. Ask for a sample.
    3. Vegan Fish tacos and burritos.

    R.I.P.:
    1. All pasta and gnocchi dishes.*
    2. Curry fries.

    Note that we still have gnocchi on the menu in the form of “Potato Pals” (fried gnocchi) and we still have fresh pesto for the Tofu Pesto Sandwich, so we can still do the pesto gnocchi from the old menu.

    thanks, ben. all very good to know. we here at quarrygirl sincerely appreciate your comments, and i’m sure i speak for the readers as well.

    obviously ben had some good reasons for changing up pure luck’s offerings and left some mouth-watering descriptions of what the new menu has to offer. i was immediately compelled to chow down every new dish and bring it back home to you guys. here’s what i found:

    baja taco combo: 2 of our delicious veggie "fish" tacos with your choice of side. $10

    baja taco combo: 2 of our delicious veggie "fish" tacos with your choice of side. $10

    first up, whoa whoa whoa whoa WHOA, the baja taco combo is off the bloody hook. whatever pure luck has done to re-invent fish is the same thing they did to re-invent carnitas. jackfruit has got nothin’ on this battered-tofu-fish substitute. wowie. unfortunately, i imagine it’s a harder sell “fish” than “carnitas” or “pulled pork”, though. for some reason, vegans and omnivores alike seem repelled at the idea of fake fish, myself included! to this day, i’ve never had a soy shrimp because the thought of it scares the fuck out of me. i was even reticent to order these succulent tacos, but i did it for you guys so i could write about it. lemme tell ya, it was best gustatory decision i ever made. i wonder what else i have been missing out on by being afraid of faux-fish and other meat impersonators. these tacos were INSANE. some maddening tofuey concoction was lightly breaded and fried into the perfect crunchy but juicy protein source, oozing with flavor and complete scrumptiousness. nothing was “too fishy tasting” and nothing was gross about it. plus, there was this crazy-good creamy white sauce, i guess it was a tartar-inspired condiment (though i don’t remember what the “real thing” tastes like). all i know is this goes great with crunchy tofu, hot sauce, and fresh vegetables. vegan perfection! i think this is the most genius dish pure luck has ever come up with…BETTER THAN CARNITAS…and man i love me some jackfruit. i even gave a bite to my husband who abhors any fake fish, almost as much as the real thing, and he was offering to finish my tacos for me two minutes later.

    the rating for the baja tacos is AWESOME RADICAL beyond belief. order them, and under all plausible vegan circumstances, you will not be sorry.

    ben, dude, you should have talked this dish up more in your comment, or provided a description. it is legendary! i still know people who are too freaked out to order fake fish, and if any of you are reading this, shut the fuck up and try these tacos!!!!!!!!!!!!

    second on deck, a much-needed new addition to the salad family at pure luck, the quinoa paloma. what self-respecting vegan doesn’t bust a nut over quinoa, right? it’s healthy, it’s full of protein, it tastes great and it has less calories than rice or noodles. quinoa rocks. this salad had potential written all over it, and it….um…kind of delivered. it was OK. ben described it as “super healthy, and more importantly, tasty.” i’d describe it as “healthy, and more importantly, more expensive” than the old favorite salads. this salad wasn’t bad…it just wasn’t great. i was really missing some of that protein that pure luck is famous for. some of the incredible grilled tofu from the fresh noodle salad (i still can’t figure out how they do it!) or some of the notorious jackfruit from the spinach salad. the quinoa paloma had none of this. PLUS, it cost 2 bux more than the other salads. hmmm. it was definitely good, just missing that UMPH. oh, and it came with unadvertised almonds (such is the consistency of pure luck), that i only assume added more calories, fat, and un-healthiness to the salad than i expected. see for yourself. again, not a bad salad. just not as good as the other offerings.

    overall rating: meh meh meh meh meh, probably really neato if you like quinoa and cilantro. nice dressing.

    quinoa paloma: quinoa, steamed with a savory mushroom and onion mix, and topped with a tart and refreshing red cabbage dressing. $10

    quinoa paloma: quinoa, steamed with a savory mushroom and onion mix, and topped with a tart and refreshing red cabbage dressing. $10

    next up, the salad i had been anticipating, ben’s new favorite, turned out to be quite a disappointment. the grilled beet salad…well…i’m hoping i got it on a bad day. i feel it just isn’t right to utter a bad word about pure luck, especially since they are the OMG BEST restaurant of all time, but ben’s new favorite was totally icky when it arrived on my table. the fire-grilled beets tasted like beety wood chips. i don’t know if they were cooked or burned, or what. they were thick, hard and chunky. i had to chew through them steadily before they were swallow-able. eventually i gave up and left about half of them in what looked like a blood-soaked bowl. to pure luck’s…er…defense?…the chefs are chronically inconsistent. i mean, i’ve gotten the fresh noodle salad with no noodles, the soup has been cold, the potato pals have arrived with the wrong sauce, etc. i am hoping that on this one occasion, the beet salad tasted like total ass because someone screwed it up upstream. it may be ben’s new favorite, but the one i got was pure uck. go eat it for yourself though…chances are, i coulda easily had it on an off night. with so many other fantastic things on the menu, though…i don’t see the point, myself, in ordering it again.

    i give it a sucky rating from my one experience. hopefully i’m wrong.

    grilled beet salad: fire grilled beets and onions over a bed of fresh spinach, topped with our homemade orange-beet dressing, and toasted almonds. $10

    grilled beet salad: fire grilled beets and onions over a bed of fresh spinach, topped with our homemade orange-beet dressing, and toasted almonds. $10

    lastly, i bring you the burrito of all burritos: the baja! this meal, like the baja tacos is too fucking great to describe. better than all the other pure luck burritos combined, this takes the amazing tofu “fish” and throws it in with a tad of spanish rice, hot salsa, decadent creamy sauce and thick vegetables. most restaurant burritos are just way too massive and intimidating, but this one was the perfect size and full of pure awesome shit. i got it with the side salad, but i’m sure some sweet potato fries would make a great partner as well.

    baja burrito: our veggie "fish" wrapped in a flour tortilla with rice, cabbage and salsa. served with your choice of side. $10

    baja burrito: our veggie "fish" wrapped in a flour tortilla with rice, cabbage and salsa. served with your choice of side. $10

    a little heartier than the tacos, this burrito makes for the perfect meal when you are feeling extra hungry. i love how pure luck double grills the tortillas of their burritos making them easy to hold and a little crispy around the edges. again, all you people who are intimidated by fake fish, put your fears aside and EAT THIS. it is soooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOo good.

    overall rating on the baja burrito is off the fucking hook scrumptious. i am making myself hungry as i type.

    of course, pure luck still has the same impressive draught beer selection. however, they now offer 18oz servings of premium brews for just 5 bucks. their variety of craftsman, stone, and other selections at such a low price is unmatched in los angeles. most self-respecting bars will charge $6-$7 for beers this big and this good.

    in other news, pure luck now has a back patio with some cute and comfy looking furniture. i’ve not sat out there since they re-did it, but the outdoor area is usually bustling and appears to be quite pleasant. as the weather cools down, it becomes a more and more appealing place to sit. well done, pure luck!

    overall, the new menu at pure luck is a very welcome change. i will always miss the curry fries, such is the luck with subjectiveness. maybe they weren’t selling or something. and i support the new menu items, although they are across the board $10, 2 bucks more than comparable older items (don’t think we didn’t fucking notice THAT, pure luck!!!!). the menu changes are overall super cool, and while i don’t really love the new salads, it is nice to see more healthy crap on a menu overflowing with fried appetizers and massive sandwiches. i never thought i’d say this, but the fake fish makes it all worthwhile. a completely new taste, i can’t really describe it or urge you enough to check it out.

    go go go go go 2 pure luck!

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  • October 27th, 2008mr meanernews, pure luck (closed)

    On Friday, actress Hayden Panettiere dined in Pure Luck…. this awful amateur paparazzi video shows her very clearly getting some food! Funny thing is, the poster of the video didn’t know the name of the restaurant, and called it “Friar Tuck”… Enjoy your celebfix below, with the Pure Luck action kicking in at 00:20s.

    Link to the full story is here.

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  • September 18th, 2008quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    do you remember this post where i raved about pure luck’s awesome curry fries? well, don’t rush out to try them, because they have been taken off the menu. i was so disappointed to open up the menu and find big black sharpie marks crossing out all the dishes that contained curry sauce. that’s right…curry fries, curry gnocchi and curry rice are no more.

    you can check out the revised menu here:


     

    oh well, i am just glad i got the chance to try the curry fries when they were around. they were really, really, really tasty. next time you see vegan curry fries, order them! they need your support, obviously.

    one appetizer i can recommend that is still on the menu, to the best of my knowledge, is the avocado salad. it’s much lighter than the decadent curry fries, but it still tastes great and has plenty sin with the creamy cesar sauce and scrumptious avocado.

    avocado salad: a small plate of romaine lettuce topped with avocado, pico de gallo, pepitas, and césar dressing. $5

    avocado salad: a small plate of romaine lettuce topped with avocado, pico de gallo, pepitas, and césar dressing. $5

    for $3 more, you can get this salad as an entrée (double size!)…not a bad deal. with the absence of curry fries and the shrinking portions of potato pals, this may be your best bet. it’s delicious!

    oh, and pure luck’s damaged window has been completely replaced. the place is back to normal, 100%! so if you’ve been waiting to return to pure luck, it’s definitely time to get back over there!

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  • September 8th, 2008quarrygirlLA restaurants, pure luck (closed)

    things were looking pretty bleak for pure luck, my favorite vegan restaurant, after a truck crashed through their window and they waited ages to repair the damage. that’s why it brings me great pleasure to report that they have a new window at last! yay! they’ve remained open through every stage construction, and now it finally looks like it’s almost over. last week they had brand new glass in, and even though half the restaurant was closed while the workers put on the finishing touches, things were looking up. i decided to celebrate with some curry fries.

    curry fries: homemade french fries served with a bowl of curry gravy for dipping. $8

    curry fries: homemade french fries served with a bowl of curry gravy for dipping. $8

    i’ve been looking forward to trying these fries for awhile, and they definitely exceeded my expectations. they even rival the wonderful potato pals as pure luck’s best appetizer. crispy on the edges and soft inside, the long fat potato wedges were perfectly fried and seasoned.

    the fries were crazy tasty, but what made this dish exceptional was definitely the curry gravy. i am a curry freak; i know when sauce is good, and this sauce was off the fucking hook. spicy, garlicky, and super oily, i just couldn’t get enough of this dip. i drank it when i finished the fries. can you blame me?

    ahhhhh. pure luck definitely hit the spot. i do gotta say, the portions are still smaller than they used to be—the fresh noodle salad seems to shrink by the day. but hey, the dollar is in the toilet. everyone is taking a hit i guess.

    pure luck has also started offering daily specials. when i was there they had some new tacos and a burrito on special, plus a quinoa salad. they’ve also started printing a beer list, and have eliminated penne pasta from the menu. it’s a whole new world in there.

    so get to pure luck and check out the new window, raise a pint and celebrate. hopefully they will be done installing it and the whole restaurant will be open by the time you go. oh, and i highly recommend the curry fries.

    fixin' her up

    fixin' her up

    update: curry fries have been taken off the menu 🙁

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