it’s almost time for another summer vegan patio session at verdugo bar! sunday august 7th, seabirds is trucking it up all the way from orange county with guest chef stephen hauptfuhr to serve up a full menu of cooked and raw goodness, paired with craft beers by the verdugo.

Beer Battered Avocado Taco - Topped w/shredded cabbage, red onion and creamy tequila-jalapeno sauce. $2

the menu is gonna be pretty epic. so far it will include jackfruit tacos, beer-battered avocado tacos, mac and “cheese” with roasted figs and mushrooms, alfredo zucchini pasta, greek hummus wrap with sweet potato fries, and a walnut fudge brownie with ice cream. proceeds will benefit benji the dog, so don’t miss it!!

facebook invite and full info after the jump…

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what up everyone! seabirds truck has just released their menu for the LA vegan beer fest taking place tomorrow at the roxy, and it looks AMAZING.

Beer Battered Avocado Taco - Topped w/shredded cabbage, red onion and creamy tequila-jalapeno sauce. $2

the all vegan truck’s menu will include:

Sweet Potato Fries
Beer Battered Avocado Taco
Jerk Jackfruit Taco
BBQ Tofu Taco
Locals Burrito
Potato-Jackfruit Taquitos
Seabirds Burger
BBQ Burger
Hummus Nachos (truck made pita chips topped with our creamy hummus, grilled peppers & onions, chopped tomato, jalapenos, cucumber-mint tzaziki and cilantro)

i’ve eaten at seabirds before, and i can definitely say that everything they make is amazing. i am beyond excited to try out this menu, especially the brand new hummus nachos!

hope to see ALL OF YOU at the vegan beer fest tomorrow! UNLIMITED BEER, music, and the best food in town!

GET YOUR TIX NOW!
no fees: call 310-278-9457 or visit the roxy theatre box office at 9009 w sunset blvd. (opening hours are 10am – 6pm monday through friday, plus 8pm-12am tuesday through Sunday.)
you can also order tickets right now online at ticketmaster!

proceeds go to ARME!

ticket prices for the LA vegan beer fest include unlimited beer and music. food is sold separately!

we’ve sampled the goods at seabirds truck before, and while we were impressed the first time around, recently we WERE BLOWN AWAY by their delicious food. before, we’d opted for burger, hummus plate, and vegetable bowl…but this time, we were all about the mexican dishes: tacos, taquitos, and burritos! yeow!

Beer Battered Avocado Taco - Topped w/shredded cabbage, red onion and creamy tequila-jalapeno sauce. $2

we hit up seabirds with a group of friends during one of their brewery stints at the bruery in orange county. the place was packed, but we were lucky enough to find a table to crowd around, and we ordered a bunch of stuff to share. i started with the beer-battered avocado taco, which was phenomenal. right after i ordered it, i could see them slicing up the whole avocado and hand battering each slice. the result was freshly fried perfection, all topped off with cabbage and a creamy jalapeno sauce.

Jerk Jackfruit Taco - Jerk seasoned jackfruit topped w/onion, cilantro and green salsa. $2

i also ordered a jerk jackfruit taco, which consisted of seasoned and marinated jackfruit topped with onion, cilantro, and green salsa. AMAZING! look out pure luck, because this really gives your jackfruit carnitas a run for their money. i need to learn how to make jackfruit myself, because it really is the best meat substitute ever…without actually being fake meat. i dunno how they do it. magic.

Fried potato and jackfruit taquitos. $4

next up, the table got an order of fried potato jackfruit taquitos to share. i only tried a bite of these babies, but boy were they deadly! soft warm potato chunks and flavorful jackfruit strips all wrapped up in a crunchy fried shell. pure genius! they went down quite nicely dipped in seabirds’ incredible guacamole.

Locals Burrito- Potatoes, organic beans, organic brown rice, caramelized onions, guacamole and vegan sour cream. $6

lastly, my husband ordered the locals burrito, which i was sure to steal several bites from. this burrito came packed with all the good stuff—grilled potatoes, beans, brown rice, caramelized onions, guacamole, and vegan sour cream. the 6 ingredients i just listed are probably some of my favorite foods on this planet, so of course i was a huge fan of this burrito. plus it was massive for just $6…and very delicious. i’d highly recommend it.

i really wish seabirds would move to los angeles, because they’ve gotta be my favorite food truck ever. now i’ve tried almost everything on the menu, and it’s all been amazing….not to mention entirely vegan and made with quality ingredients. seriously guys, seabirds rocks. track them down and make the trek to orange county. the food is so good, it’ll be worth it.

seabirds truck on twitter
seabirds website

PS: GOOD NEWS, LA! seabirds is going to be serving food at the LA VEGAN BEER FEST. and tickets are on sale NOW at a discounted price!

there’s no doubt that there’s been a major los angeles food truck explosion, and from the beginning we’ve blogged tirelessly about all the vegan options available. it’s only fair that after all this time we present you with a list of our favorites. ladies and gentlemen, we give you what we believe to be the top 5 vegan-friendly food trucks in LA. if we are missing any or if you don’t agree with us, please leave a comment!

yalla truck

yalla is an entirely vegetarian food truck that has arguably the best falafel sandwiches in los angeles. they specialize in “falafel fusion,” which means their small, flavorful, freshly fried falafel balls are available in several sandwiches with non-traditional ingredients.

most of the stuff on the truck is vegan by default, and the stuff that isn’t can be easily modified. my favorite yalla sandwich is a secret menu item called the “firestarter,” which comes with falafel, red cabbage salad, pickled turnips, pepperoncinis, onion salad, pickled carrots, chili paste, and tahini. talk about delicious!

seabirds truck

to be fair, seabirds isn’t actually in LA (the truck is based in orange county), but it’s all vegan and so epic that it demands a space on this list.

no matter what your dietary preference, seabirds has everything. from unhealthy treats like beer-battered avocado tacos and cupcakes to nutritious foods like vegetable bowls and raw items by request…all completely animal-free! making regular stops in the OC, seabirds is never more than 2 hours away, and often much less than that. rest assured, the food is ALWAYS worth the drive. i can personally vouch for the tacos, burritos, taquitos, hummus, and burgers.

the frankenstand

technically the frakenstand is not a truck, but it’s a mobile twittering food service, so i think it counts. the entirely vegan food cart specializes in gourmet franks and has been in operation for years, way before twittering trucks were the hot new thang.

not only does franken’s pack amazing food (think succulent sausages with a buffet condiment section), but the cart oozes with charm and spookiness. everything from the owner’s outfit to the menu names are creepy-themed. you can catch the frankenstand at various special events announced via twitter, or you can hire it for your own party. either way, this modest sausage cart really began the vegan mobile food revolution in LA, so be sure to hit it up when ever you can.

mandoline grill

the mandoline grill menu does contain meat, but its astoundingly good vegan items have earned the vietnamese food truck a space on this list.

mandoline has been serving up the meanest tofu banh mi in town since early 2010, and whether it’s nachos or fried spring rolls, they’ve always got a solid vegan option on their appetizer menu. you just gotta love that deep-fried vegan goodness.

fresh fries

i’m hooked on fresh fries! the entirely vegetarian french fry truck has plenty of vegan options, and after trying 3 different variations of their “fancy fries,” i am a fan for life.

french fries on their own may sound a bit boring or uninspired, but the fresh fries toppings make them a complete meal. for vegans they have options such as curry ketchup and bbq sauce, as well as heartier toppings including chili guacamole, minced garlic, and hummus.

that’s our list! did we leave anybody out? let us know.

Do you remember the moment in The Wizard Of Oz where the celluloid goes from monochrome to color? Well, I had a similar experience last week when I drove alongside a dusty railroad track to a barren industrial park on the outskirts of downtown Fullerton, Orange County. The monochromatic middle-American dustbowl view turned into vibrant color as I stepped inside our destination: Bootlegger’s Brewery.

Suddenly I was surrounded by brew kettles, mash tuns, piles of kegs and a makeshift “tap room” (which was actually a corner of the brewery itself).

What’s more, as I looked back out toward the parking lot, I could see Seabirds, California’s only entirely vegan food truck, pulling up and getting ready to serve food.

Now, many of us have been to plush beer bars with comfortable seating and a vast array of beer on tap. Some of us have also been to tap houses: usually less comfortable and with a much smaller choice, but the beer is fresh from the brewery which means it’s as good as you can get. The experience at Bootlegger’s is a little different as you’re actually sitting right inside a working brewery, and the beers are served to you directly from the kegs that have been filled and aged by the brewing team.

While we waited for Seabirds to set up, we enjoyed a few pints of the outstanding “Old World Hefe”, a traditionally brewed unfiltered ale that was extremely drinkable (some might say, TOO drinkable!). We also enjoyed the “Palomino Pale Ale” which was served via a contraption called a “Hopinator”, a sort-of glass tank containing fresh hops under a little pressure. The beer flows over the hops right before it gets served and they impart a fresh, floral flavor that is to die for. In fact, Bootlegger’s chose Citra hops, a relatively recent American hop strain that’s finding its way into more and more beer varieties.

At Bootlegger’s, your beer is served from glass preserve jars rather than glasses, and you sit (if you’re lucky enough to get a seat) on plastic lawn chairs either inside the brewhouse or outside in the parking lot. Urban chic it isn’t, but if you care about being in a place with friendly people, great beer and awesome food you will find few places better in Orange County, or anywhere else. Talking of food, we managed to tear ourselves away from drinking to step outside and grab a bite from Seabirds truck, which was open for business just outside the brewhouse.

Organic Veggie Burrito Bowl: Grilled organic veggies from Tanaka Farm, organic beans, organic brown rice, guacamole, and red or green salsa. $7

I regularly run into food trucks at various events, and it’s surprising how many of them are quite vegan friendly. As Seabirds is entirely plant-based, though, everything on the menu is up for grabs, and we wasted no time in availing ourselves of a few dishes. First up was a Veggie Burrito in a bowl (kindly made in advance for us with no bell peppers) which was a deceptively tasty collection of chopped vegetables, beans, rice and a tangy salsa/guacamole combination. It was truly remarkable, so fresh and healthy tasting yet full of flavor. I’d certainly have that again, and I bet the burrito is even better.

Seabirds Burger: Our homemade nut & seed patty topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and seabird sauce. $5

Next up we were drawn to the Seabird burger, as they proudly proclaim the patty is “home made”. I’m a sucker for home made burger patties as so many places use off-the shelf burgers (at worst Boca, at best Gardein). Not Seabirds! Their burger was perfectly prepared with just the right amount of ingredients – a nut/seed patty with crunchy onion, tomato and fresh lettuce on top of a tangy sauce (also home made) in a wholewheat bun. There’s something about fresh farm-produced organic ingredients that are carefully prepared – they taste SO DAMN GOOD! You can pig out without feeling bloated, and that’s exactly what happened here.

Hummus and Pita

Feeling the need to be bloated, though, we also ordered a side of hummus and pita bread and were delighted with its freshness and taste. I sometimes forget how awesome something so simple can be, and Seabirds really delivered a super-creamy hummus that wasn’t too oily. Oh yum.

We planned to eat some more food, but were just too full. Next time we’re going to go all-out for some of the more exotic dishes like the Beer Battered Avocado Taco, Jerk Jackfruit Taco and the “Bella” – grilled portabella mushroom and pesto sandwich. Oh and for those with a sweet tooth, Seabirds also offers dessert – delicious vegan cupcakes by Luscious Organics.

Not only is the food stunningly good, but the crew at Seabirds are so pleasant, polite and nice that I felt like picking each one up and hugging them. I tend to do that when I’m drunk, though, so don’t read too much into it.

I really wish Seabirds would put some extra miles on that spiffy truck and go a few miles further up I5 to LA for some of our events closer to home. The good news, though, is that even if Seabirds can’t come home with you a growler full of fresh Bootlegger’s brew can. 🙂

As we headed away from Bootleggers, along the dusty railroad line to our car, I took one last look back toward the brewery and food truck and was again reminded of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and the gang look down at The Emerald City in the distance – a tempting vista of wonder ahead. As we headed away back to LA things turned into black and white again, but I’m sure that was the pints of Palomino finally taking control of my consciousness.

Bootlegger’s Brewery
401 S Richman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92832
Thur and Fri 4pm – 9pm, Sat 2pm – 9pm

Seabirds Truck
Follow them on Twitter or check their schedule for location.