not sure if you guys are aware, but today is international beer day!

i don’t give a damn about religious holidays or federal holidays…but i can definitely get behind an unofficial beer holiday. let’s celebrate! today we’re drinking at newly opened mohawk bend, the latest and greatest watering hole in LA…

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SO SAD! i loved their spicy walnut vegan mac n cheese, and i never had a chance to try their chix pot pie!

turns out the vegan-friendly menu we raved about at larkin’s in eagle rock has been canceled due to lack of demand. a reader wrote into us and said that her server at larkin’s encouraged her to call the restaurant and ask for vegan options—maybe they’ll bring them back. i already put in my phone call!

for now, the soul food joint still has at least one vegan-friendly option…

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hey los angeles, it’s almost friday so that means it’s time to start planning your weekend. i just wanna remind you of some cool events that you definitely don’t wanna miss.

we already told you about the vegan at verdugo party taking place on sunday from 3-8pm to benefit benji. chef stephen hauptfuhr will be manning the seabirds truck, serving up a vegan menu with truck favorites like jackfruit and beer battered avocado tacos along with new dishes like parisienne mac and cheese…as well as raw specialties, fried foods, and desserts. there will be beer pairing suggestions by the verdugo, and entrance is FREE! craziness! check out the facebook invite!

but wait there’s more…

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dinner plans tonight? head over to the newest veggie grill location by the fairfax farmers market and fill up for a good cause.

from 5pm – 10pm on thursday august 4th (that’s today!), all you gotta do is mention bark avenue foundation when you order, and 50% of the proceeds from your meal will be donated to them. if you haven’t heard of bark avenue, they’re a local animal shelter and rescue/advocacy group committed to reducing companion animal overpopulation through spay/neuter, humane education, rescue, re-homing, and community outreach. they support lots of animal shelters in the area (including fur baby rescue), and proceeds from tonight will go directly to surgeries and expenses to care for homeless animals. official flyer after the jump…

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while mohawk bend is definitely my new favorite place to eat and drink in LA, we can’t forget about my old favorite place to eat and drink in LA: tony’s darts away. the casual burbank bar has a giant tap list of california beers and the best vegan pub grub i’ve ever tasted.

i hit up tony’s last night with a couple of hungry omnivores, and we all chowed down on a massive amount of vegan snacks. in addition to an impressive menu of sausages, salads and fried foods, tony’s is known for its rotating specials. crazy stuff like vegan mozzarella sticks, wheatloaf sliders, and sunflower po boys never stick around for very long. yesterday tony’s had fried pickle chips on the menu and we just had to split an order.

cornmeal crusted pickle chips with vegan aioli $5

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portland is a vegan paradise, and i think i need to move there someday. the city has not one, not two, but THREE vegan bakeries. back to eden is one of them, and when we visited the storefront on our recent trip, i instantly fell in love.

back to eden is awesome because in addition to baked goods, they have build-your-own ice cream sundaes with temptation soft serve from chicago soydairy. we had a hell of a time deciding what to order, because everything looked so good. from the chocolate gluten-free cupcakes…

to the massive creamy pie…

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UPDATE 8/12: the s’mores mohawk are now vegan! they make the graham crackers in house w/o honey. eat it up.

UPDATE 8/2: turns out the graham crackers that come with the s’mores contain honey, but mohawk is seeking a vegan alternative. GRRRRRR.

today is the day we’ve all been waiting for: mohawk bend in echo park is opening this evening! since the restaurant/bar announced that they’d have over 70 craft beers on tap and a 60% vegan menu, we’ve been tracking their progress with eager anticipation.

72 craft beers to choose from.

a couple weeks ago, we attended a press event to scope out the mohawk’s epic restored restaurant space and to whet our appetite for their local and seasonal cuisine…and a few days after that, we got the chance to sample even more vegan items from the menu. we’ve been waiting to share our second meal with you until mohawk announced an opening date, and fortunately they’ve decided to open tonight! here’s a look at some of the great dishes you can expect to find at echo park’s new vegan hot spot:

tony’s favorite casserole: polenta, leeks, broccoli, vegan cheese

i can see why this casserole is tony’s favorite—filled up with creamy polenta, roasted vegetables, and two types of vegan cheese, it’s served piping hot and is absolutely delicious.

the vegan burger at mohawk is one of the best in town…

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hey LA, there’s a new vegan cookie on the block! emily’s desserts is a west hollywood based online bakery, and they’re shipping homemade chocolate chip goodness all over the country.

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no trip to san francisco is complete without visiting ike’s place. the small hole in the wall in the castro consistently turns out the best sandwiches i’ve ever eaten. i’m on a mission to try everything on their vegan menu, and now i can officially cross the vegan reuben off the list.

vegan reuben: vegan turkey, homemade poppy seed coleslaw, french dressing, soy cheese. $9.99

this sandwich is no joke. it’s fully loaded, costs just under ten bucks and could easily feed two people.

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happy saturday, everyone! let’s celebrate with some cake! today’s extra sweet post comes to us from @GinaTakeABow, as she shares a crowd-pleasing vegan dessert that she made with her adorable daughter marina.

check out their delicious recipe for vegan chocolate bubble cake…

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i’ve said it before, i’ve said it again, i’m saying it now, and i’ll probably say it in the future: pokez in san diego serves up the best vegan mexican food ever.

chimichanga: a flour tortilla, deep fried and loaded with beans, onions, peppers and tofu. topped with guacamole and salsa. $5.50

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Hello people! Sexy Vegan here. If you’re like me, you love stuffing stuff into other stuff. Not sure where this passion for stuffed foods came from. It’s something we just grew up with, I suppose. Pop Tarts for breakfast, Hot Pockets for lunch, and ricotta stuffed shells for dinner. Wow…I think my mom was trying to kill me. Not sure how I’m still alive, actually. Anyway, there are certainly healthier ways to enjoy eating things that are stuffed into other things, and here’s one of them. This Chorizo Stuffed Zucchini has it all: veggies, protein, savory and sweet. Enjoy!

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(sorta!)

we named them one of the best vegetarian restaurants in los angeles in 2010, only to hear they were shutting down six months later. now it looks hummus king is on the prowl for a new location in silverlake, but until then they’ve launched an all vegan delivery/catering service!

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hi dudes! time for another quick bite from anderson. you may remember his drool-worthy escapades at the INSANELY-DELICIOUS-SOUNDING cheezy pizza in colton. that place is so close to LA, i don’t know why i haven’t been there yet! anyways, today he brings us a report from an all vegan restaurant in our neighbor state of arizona. sit back and enjoy this review of green in tempe. road trip, anyone?!

argentine po-boy: strips of seitan mock steak sauteed with caramelized peppers and onions, vegan mayo and a spicy chimichuri sauce. with sweet potato puffs! $8

it is totally a hipster hang out, but don’t let that discourage anyone from eating here. the service is quick and friendly, for the most part. and there is local art on the walls, some of which you can buy and all the proceeds go to charities like farm sanctuary.

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hey everyone! today we have a guest post from the makers of one of our favorite vegan products, upton’s naturals seitan. they hosted a “vegan chef showdown” over the weekend in chicago and they sent us a rundown and pictures from the event. i think we definitely need to organize something like this in los angeles. enjoy!

This past weekend Chicago was the proud home of the first ever Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown hosted by animal heroes, Mercy for Animals and local seitan producers, Upton’s Naturals. The event worked like this: 12 teams of chefs cooked their butts off in advance of the Saturday afternoon competition, arriving with food prepared and ready to be served to the hungry line of vegans waiting outside. The only rules were that the food had to be vegan and had to use one of the four available types of Upton’s Naturals seitan (Traditional, Ground, Italian, or Chorizo). Beyond that, the chefs, a mix of professionals, culinary students, and amateurs, were allowed to be completely creative with their dishes.

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