• April 9th, 2010quarrygirlcoachella, other, venues

    hey everyone! with coachella just one week away, it’s time to do a post about some of the great vegan food you can find inside and around the festival. here is a look at some vendors we know are gonna be there for sure.

    vegan tofu naanwich from cowboys and turbans. $7

    quarrygirl favorite cowboys and turbans will have a booth on coachella grounds, and they will be serving up their delicious indian/mexican fusion with a plethora of vegan offerings. we’ve had their food before at the festival, and it was excellent. according to their head chef, they’ll be serving up food between the outdoor stage and the gobi tent. be sure to check this place out, it’s our #1 pick.

    cowboys and turbans

    our first sweet-tooth choice at coachella would of course be luscious organic desserts

    luscious organic desserts espresso cupcake

    the company wowed us last year with their high quality vegan cupcakes, and we are happy to report that they’ll be back in 2010 in both the main section AND the VIP area.

    luscious organic desserts

    even if you are doing the raw thing, there will be food for you at coachella. check out the booth by 118 degrees

    raw pizza and pasta salad from jenny's raw and organic

    last year we had their raw pizza, pasta salad, and tacos. i’m pretty sure they will be in the main section and VIP area this year, and they will be either under the name “118 degrees” or “jenny’s raw & organic.”

    jenny's raw organic

    here are some more places that have been inside the festival in the past, and i’m hoping they’ll be back this year….

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • April 24th, 2009quarrygirlcoachella, vegan bakers, venues

    the title of that book is right, vegan cupcakes really are taking over the world. vegan bakers all over the place are trying their hand at the classic dessert and some of the results are better than others. one line of vegan cupcakes i can definitely vouch for is luscious organic desserts. the orange county based company was recently selling their goods at coachella and i got to try 3 different flavors, all of which were superb.

    luscious organic desserts oreo cupcake

    luscious organic desserts oreo cupcake

    of the 3 i tried, the oreo cupcake was probably my favorite. slathered in creamy cookie-flavored frosting, the chocolate cake was incredibly moist. i’ve decided luscious is the perfect name for this company, because their desserts definitely are.

    luscious organic desserts espresso cupcake

    luscious organic desserts espresso cupcake

    i also tried the espresso cupcake and the chocolate cupcake. both types of frosting were extremely rich and packed with flavor. i don’t know how they got the coffee taste down so perfectly in the espresso frosting, but it was unbelievable. these cupcakes were decadent in every sense of the word. they didn’t taste dry, bland, or have any kind of weird vegan-y texture…instead they were creamy frosting and juicy cake goodness.

    luscious organic desserts chocolate cupcake

    luscious organic desserts chocolate cupcake

    since i don’t find myself in orange county very often, i am super glad i got to try luscious cupcakes at coachella. currently you can find luscious cupcakes at native foods in costa mesa, mothers market in santa ana, and vegi wokery in cerritos. they also make tons of other mouth-watering desserts that you can order through their website. these are definitely vegan desserts i could get used to.

    luscious organic desserts
    949-378-7102

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  • April 23rd, 2009quarrygirl118 degrees, coachella, LA restaurants, venues

    i am jealous of people who live in orange county. not just because they are all rich and shit, but because they have some great vegan dining options that i covet. in addition to that’s amore (awesome vegan pizza/italian food), they also have a swanky all-raw/vegan bar and lounge called 118 degrees.

    i have never been to the actual restaurant, but i am dying to hit it up after trying their food at coachella. they were at the festival selling their packaged foods under the name jenny’s raw and organic. we ordered the raw taco and pizza with a pasta side salad, both of which were refreshingly delicious.

    raw taco from jenny's raw and organic

    raw taco from jenny's raw and organic

    while the taco was tasty, it was more like a salad than a taco…you know, the kind where they use lettuce instead of a tortilla. i preferred the pizza and pasta, which tasted extremely light and were covered in fresh vegetables.

    raw pizza and pasta salad from jenny's raw and organic

    raw pizza and pasta salad from jenny's raw and organic

    after checking out 118’s menu online, i am anxious to get over there asap. they have stuff like raw tamales, enchiladas and nachos, not to mention an array of high quality beers and mixed drinks. maybe they could open up a los angeles location soon…that would be rad.

    118 degrees
    2981 Bristol
    Suite B5
    Costa Mesa, CA 92626
    714-754-0718
    Monday through Saturday
    9am to 10pm (last seating at 9pm)
    Sundays
    10am to 9pm (last seating at 8pm)
    Sunday Brunch 10am to 3pm

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  • April 19th, 2009quarrygirlcoachella, venues

    hey everyone, just another quick vegan update from coachella. if you are an adult (or a cool kid with a fake ID) attending the festival today, be sure to get over to the beer garden across from the sahara tent and try some of the vegan pizza from slices…it’s amazing. that’s right, VEGAN NY-STYLE PIZZA at coachella.

    vegan pesto pizza at coachella. $6/slice

    vegan pesto pizza at coachella. $6/slice

    i would have never thought to go to the sahara beer garden in search of vegan food, but luckily a quarrygirl.com reader named nick read my last post about coachella and told me i needed to try this place. i guess slices has been selling vegan pizza in the beer garden for years…i don’t know how i missed this place. seriously, the pizza was incredible. enormous thin slices you can fold in half with a light and crispy crust, all topped with a flavorful pesto sauce and huge chunks of vegetables.

    coachella-slices-cu

    slices even advertises one of their pizzas as vegan (you don’t have to modify it or anything)…and the vegan stuff goes really fast. when we got our pizza, they were just taking a new pie out of the oven and it was all sold within about 5 minutes.

    coachella-slices

    there are tons of places to get pizza at coachella, but so far this is the only vegan-friendly place i’ve seen. it kind of sucks that it’s in the beer garden, so it’s off limits to people under 21. and the only other decent vegan food at coachella is in the VIP section. what fucking gives? i guess you have to be either old or rich to eat amimal-free at this festival.

    sunday coachella goers, have a great time out there today. hope you check out tons of awesome bands and get some vegan pizza. thanks to reader nick for finding this place.

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  • April 18th, 2009quarrygirlcoachella, venues

    hey vegans, quarrygirl here reporting from coachella. yesterday in between drinking $7 beers, watching morrissey, and waiting in line for the bathroom, i was running around snapping vegan options all over the festival with my iphone. i wrote a quick post from my phone but had to delete it upon finding out that some of the stuff i suggested contained honey. so here is the updated info on vegan coachella 2009:

    the best spot for vegan food is definitely inside the vip area. there you have luscious organic desserts selling a kick-ass selection of vegan cupcakes, plus a raw vegan stand called jenny’s. i had a cupcake from luscious and it totally blew my mind. more to come on that later.

    luscious organic desserts

    luscious organic desserts

    jenny's raw organic

    jenny's raw organic

    if you don’t have vip access, never fear…you can get food in the dining area across from the dance tents. over there they have sweet leaf, an almost all vegan organic stand…except there is honey in all their dressings. so grab a wrap or salad at sweet leaf…just get it with no sauce or dressing. there is also a mexican stand called leno’s that uses no lard and a curry/mex stand called cowboys and turbans that sells vegan tofu masala. there’s also a middle eastern stand where you can get a falafel sandwich and some garlic fries.

    sweet leaf

    sweet leaf

    leno's lard free mexican

    leno's lard free mexican

    cowboys and turbans

    cowboys and turbans

    so that’s it for now. if you are at coachella this weekend, i hope you enjoy the festival and that this helps you find somewhere to eat!

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  • April 7th, 2009quarrygirlbands, coachella, other, vegan stuff, venues

    UPDATE: just found out the dressings listed in the sweet leaf section of this post contain HONEY. if you order food from sweet leaf, get it with no sauce/dressing!

    we vegans have it pretty rough sometimes. it feels like more often than not we find ourselves in places or social situations at meal times where there is almost nothing we can eat, and even then we live in fear that our salad, fries, or bread roll may be contaminated with traces of dairy. lemme assure you, coachella is not one of those places.

    coachella is fucking annoying for loads of other reasons, don’t get me wrong. it’s hot as hell, it’s pretentious, it’s expensive and it’s inconvenient….but all those things aside, coachella is definitely VEGAN-FRIENDLY. this year i hear they are even going to be carrying VEGAN CUPCAKES in the vip section made by luscious organic desserts. so be sure to score a wristband if you haven’t already…you need to grab a vegan cupcake before morrissey and paul mccartney eat them all.

    i went to coachella last year and took myself on a vegan tour of the festival…here is some of the stuff you can look forward to if you are headed to the desert next week.

    sweet leaf organics at coachella

    sweet leaf organics at coachella

    sweet leaf organics is a solar powered kitchen that shows up at music festivals and serves organic vegan food. kick ass. they were at coachella last year near the main stage, and if their website schedule is accurate, they will make an appearance this year as well. i didn’t spot this place until sunday last year, and i was pretty disappointed…my husband and i only got to enjoy one meal at sweet leaf, and it was easily the best food at the festival.

    marinated tofu wrap with vegetables and peanut sauce. $9

    marinated tofu wrap with vegetables and peanut sauce. $9

    the menu at sweet leaf is simple, but very appetizing. they have grilled tofu or tempeh wraps and burgers, as well as salads, stir-fry dishes and fresh smoothies. we ordered the marinated tofu wrap and tempeh burger, and were very happy with both.

    marinated tempeh burger. $9

    marinated tempeh burger. $9

    they also had vegan items in the vip section, although nothing as awesome as sweet leaf. we found a sushi stand that had vegan vegetable rolls and inari. while it was a total ripoff at 12 bucks, at least it tasted good and didn’t contain animals.

    vegan sushi with a side of inari. $12

    vegan sushi with a side of inari. $12

    for a map of sweet leaf and the vegan sushi place, click here. and for a full review of those places, click here.

    combination plate: coconut rice with dal and tomato pea curry

    combination plate: coconut rice with dal and tomato pea curry

    if you are more of a dance tent kinda person, don’t worry. there will be vegan food for you too. last year there was an entirely vegan place called bombay station near the gobi serving up a ridiculously good curry combination. anywhere serves 100% vegan food is a winner in my book, so i definitely hope this place returns. oh, and if you like to waste money, there is also a place that sells artichokes for $7.

    ridiculously expensive artichoke. $7

    ridiculously expensive artichoke. $7

    for a map to the bombay station and artichoke place, click here. for a full review of these stands, click here.

    vegan tofu naanwich. $7

    vegan tofu naanwich. $7

    if you want more indian-style food and get sick of the bombay station, there was also another place close by selling a tasty tofu naanwich. i don’t remember the name of this stand, but it had the words “vegan-friendly” posted on signs all over it. for a map to this place click here, for full review click here.

    so i think it’s pretty safe to say that vegans won’t go hungry at coachella. you will probably go broke…but definitely not hungry. last year i was there with my husband for 3 days, and between the two of us we didn’t even get to try all the vegan food.

    i will keep you posted on this year’s offerings as well. if you are going to attend the festival, follow me on twitter. i will tweet every time i run across vegan food. that is if i can tear myself away from the VEGAN CUPCAKES.

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  • October 25th, 2008mr meanerblue palms brewhouse, LA restaurants, venues

    My three favorite things in the world are Music, Beer and Vegan Food – in pretty much that order. Now, if you take one of LA’s top music venues, the Fonda Theater, add in LA’s top ale house and a damn good vegan entreé, you have me SOLD. I will go there as often as I can, sometimes several times a week.

    The Fonda Theater in Hollywood, as any music nut knows, hosts The Music Box, an eclectic live music venue for reasonably popular acts. Recent appearances include MGMT, Rancid, Tegan and Sara, The Arctic Monkeys and Conor Oberst…. I’ll be there in a couple of weeks to see the Kaiser Chiefs from my homeland.

    Some bright spark had the idea of converting the awful Blue Palms Lounge, which I had frequented on occasion to consume over-priced martinis and bottled Heineken, into an absolute mecca for beer lovers in LA. Blue Palms has undoubtedly the best beer selection south of San Francisco, including several rapidly rotating taps and a single cask ale pump. In addition, you’ll find knowledgeable staff and even a video/audio feed from the stage so you can continue to enjoy your favorite act while you pop into the bar for a quick one.

    On the food front, they have only one vegan selection, but it stands head and shoulders above what you’d typically get in a brewhouse: Blackened Tofu. This dish is perfectly prepared firm tofu, blackened in a pan and served with steamed spinach and a selection of delicious grilled vegetables. It’s absolutely vegan, as the chef knows what vegan means, and even prepares it separately from non-vegan dishes. That’s really cool, if you ask me.

    But, for me, the best part is the beer selection — especially the cask ale which reminds me so much of rainy England.

    Here’s a sneaky pic I took recently when the bar staff (and owner/leaseholder) were huffing and puffing to change a cask. You can clearly see the zillions of beer taps, along with the cask beer engine in the middle:

    I think, on that visit, I was drinking a Porter from Craftsman, perfectly pulled into an English-style glass. Oh boy, it was quite a night. In fact, I absolutely refuse to drive when visiting Blue Palms, except on the odd occasion that I find myself wandering on Hollywood Blvd. after some event where I’ve drank a bottle or two of way-too-cold-American-Beer and absolutely, without a doubt need to wash my mouth out with something like this:

    Alternatively, if you’re not completely sold on the whole cask ale thing (and it’s not for everybody, I can admit), the other two dozen or so beers on tap will, without a doubt, whet your whistle.

    For those rare beer lovers who are also vegans, the blackened tofu is really a treat. Here’s a close-up so you can get excited about it:

    So, if you’re looking for good music, great beer and above-average vegan food (for a bar, goddamit!), please visit the Blue Palms. You will get a warm welcome, a cold beer and a very soothing environment to imbibe. Highly recommended!

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  • April 29th, 2008quarrygirlbands, more restaurants (not LA), venues

    the final day of coachella 2008, sunday april 27, featured the best vegan festival food to date. yet it was a bitter-sweet victory over the past couple days, because the selection of food (and alcohol) was just TOO GOOD.

    so good, in fact, that your humble narrator spent most of the day relaxing in the shade, munching on snacks, smoking cigarettes and sipping cocktails…rather standing in the heat, fighting off hipsters, coughing up secondhand weed and waiting for the “next big thing(s)” to take the stage.


    vegetarian sushi with a side of inari: $12.

    marinated tofu wrap with vegetables and peanut sauce: $9.

    marinated tempeh burger with vegetable and tahini: $9.

    that’s right, my friends…i was so seduced by the fresh sushi, crisp wrap, and savory burger, that i barely had time to enjoy any music at all. oh…and did i mention the alcohol?
    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • coachella saturday was the day of technical difficulties. the screens went out during death cab for cutie‘s set, when M.I.A. took the stage the lights broke, and the biggest technical difficulty of all made us several hours late for the festival, causing us to miss the beloved MGMT.

    luckily, the food was even better than it was on friday! god bless vegan rockers—at coachella, i reap the benefits of their dietary choices.


    combination plate: coconut rice with dal and tomato pea curry $8

    taking veganism one step further than the night prior, on saturday we decided to eat dinner at the bombay station, a stand that proclaimed to be ENTIRELY vegan.
    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • April 28th, 2008quarrygirlbands, coachella, more restaurants (not LA), venues

    friday morning we packed up our bags and headed to the desert for 3 days of festival madness. i must admit, i was looking forward to the music, but not much else. i figured the entire event would be a huge pain in the ass that i’d ultimately regret.

    luckily, the food at coachella turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. it was definitely a highlight and one of the main things making me look forward to coachella 2009 (bear in mind, i have no idea who is on the line up yet, so that isn’t saying much!).


    vegan tofu naanwich: curry sauce, vegetables and tofu served on a piece of naan. $7

    friday night at around 9pm we were completely spent. we’d spent hours in the car, an eternity in the parking lot, and had walked miles around the polo field in hundred-degree-heat from band to band. when it came time to look for dinner options, i would have been satisfied with just a basket of fries or potato chips.
    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • April 28th, 2008mr meanerthe el rey

    The intersection of Wilshire and La Brea used to be one of the most famous crossings in LA. It was through here that the glitterati would be driven, gin-sodden, from an event in Hollywood to food, drinks, ladies of the night and (finally) bed at those catty-cornered sin bins of the Golden Age: The Brown Derby and the Ambassador Hotel. I guess scarcely a glance would be afforded to the Wilson Building, once listed for its historical importance (LA’s only dirigible landing station, destined to have flights direct from the Empire State), and now rudely emblazoned with a gaudy, blue neon Samsung logo.

    [googleMap name=”Wilshire and La Brea” description=”Little Bar” width=”480″ height=”320″directions_to=”false”]757 S La Brea Ave, 90036[/googleMap]

    Half a century since Charles Chaplain Jr. hung out at Pierinos, a drink of a very similar sounding name (Peroni) is making its way to that storied intersection by way of the Little Bar at 757 S. La Brea, only a block from Wilshire, and within easy walking distance of the El Rey.

    (see the Wilson building, center-right with the Samsung sign? UGH!)

    The Little Bar is a nice neighborhood joint with a balanced list of pros and cons:

    Pros

    • Great beer selection: 15 top-class beers on tap including rare brews like Chimay
    • Always easy to get a seat

    Cons

    • Indifferent, almost rude service
    • Locals and regulars get all the attention – they ride their bikes around the bar, push in front of patient customers (like me!) and get served whenever they want to.
    • The juke box is awful, the audio quality of the speakers is shitty
    • The credit card printer takes 5 minutes to process the fucking card swipe
    • There’s no hard alcohol
    • The seats (although available) are uncomfortable
    • People order pizzas constantly and eat them at the bar
    • There’s one man’s restroom which has dried puke on the floor (been there for over a month)

    BUT, I’ll probably go there a few times a month because you can park on Olympic and Cochran after 6pm, and walk to the bar easily. If the constant smell of pizza and inane music don’t put me off I might keep frequenting the place so I have the opportunity to become a regular and become assimilated into the holier than though clique called the Little Bar clientele.

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  • April 25th, 2008quarrygirlbands, the el rey, venues

    i love going to see opening bands when i don’t care about the main act. it’s awesome. i get to stand right up front in a semi-empty venue and watch the band as the rest of the crowd (who will have to wait hours until the show starts) pours in. and going home before the main act begins means i don’t have 3 hours of downtime, with nothing to do except drink ridiculously expensive and shitty bottled beer, as i wait for them to take the stage.

    so, imagine how happy i was when i went to see the fuck buttons open for caribou at the el rey, and i found out the bar was selling large cups of tap beer. they were plastic cups, i admit, and they cost $8…but they were 20 oz! budweiser, bud light, and even stella were all readily available. now i know even if i need to go see a headliner at the el rey and stand around waiting for several hours, at least i can pass the time by drinking cold draught stella.

    on a side note, the fuck buttons were awesome…totally unique. it’s not like at every show you get to see someone screaming unintelligible ramblings into a fisher price microphone.

    here is one of their tracks that i quite enjoy.
    sweet love for planet earth

    i recommend checking them out while they are still an opening act, then you can leave when they are done and still get home early just like i did! 🙂 i know that makes me sound fucking old, but going to gigs is a stressful hassle. thank god i always have the beer to rely on.

    overall, the el rey bar gets a B! I love the fact that they have stella on tap, but have to take some points off for the high prices and the plastic cups.

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  • April 4th, 2008quarrygirlbands, the avalon, venues


    louis xiv live at the avalon

    it takes A LOT of work to see a band in LA these days. you have to order your tickets in advance online, pay exorbitant processing fees, spend ages looking for a parking spot that winds up being miles from the venue, and wait through numerous supporting acts in hopes that the band you paid to go see hits the stage sometime before midnight. it’s a nightmare.

    what you don’t need on a hellacious night like this is for a snobby bartender to charge you $8 to pour a warm bottled beer into a plastic cup, without giving you eye-contact. and that’s exactly what you’ll get at the avalon.

    the service is crappy, the selection is poor, and the prices are unreasonable. it’s one of the worst venues i’ve been to in LA, as far as beer goes. if a band you love happens to be at the avalon, i recommend you go see them…just be sure to hit up a bar in advance.

    on a side note, if you ever have the chance, i definitely suggest you see louis xiv. i’ve seen them 4 times and each show has been an absolute treat. not only are they great performers and incredible musicians, but as an added bonus you get to play the game, “what will jason hill be drinking on stage tonight?”! last night he was swigging straight from a bottle of hennessy, the time before that it was a bottle of chianti (basket and all), and before that it was a martini in a proper glass. i don’t know where he can possibly go from here. absinthe maybe?

    here’s an mp3 from their latest album. enjoy. it sounded just as good in person.

    01-theres-a-traitor-in-this-room

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