when brody’s bakery in kansas city contacted me and asked if i’d like to receive a shipment of their baked yummies, i was like, “HELL YES.” the all vegan and gluten-free company offers an insane selection of treats: donuts, brownies, cookies, bars, truffles…it’s madness! the online menu is so huge, i couldn’t even begin to decide what to order. i told brody’s i trusted their judgment and to hook me up with something good. …and boy, did they ever!

i couldn’t even believe it when the massive box arrived, just overflowing with good stuffs. loads of rich, decadent baked goods that all happen to be vegan and gluten-free. WTF? how do they do it?

Oatmeal Pies: Just like the ones from Little so-and-so, right down to the thick creamy middle, only bigger, better and yummier! 8 for $10

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i’m typically not a salad person, but lately i can’t get enough of mixt greens on wilshire.

the fast-casual eatery is kind of like the chipotle of salad bars—you order at the counter and choose your ingredients one by one, then watch them get all mixed up in a bowl before your eyes. everything at mixt greens is super high quality. we are talking fresh, organic, locally sourced, and seasonal. the best of the best, and you can taste the difference.

lots of nice things to choose from!

the vegan options at mixt greens are plentiful…naturally they have tons of vegetables to choose from, as well as nuts, beans, quinoa, tofu and soba noodles…

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because i love you, i am letting you know this…

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vegan pizza day is on january 29th, and it’s getting SO CLOSE, I CAN FEEL IT! there are lots of awesome pizza deals and specials happening in LA next saturday to commemorate the occasion, and we are gonna do our best to blog about each one.

brace yourselves for vegan pizza day!

we’ll start off with the official los angeles vegan pizza day meetup: hosted by vegan drinks, this shindig will take place at masa of echo park and will no doubt be EPIC.

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UPDATE: larkin’s has discontinued their vegan menu! sad, sad.

los angeles vegans are in for a treat! as of last week larkin’s, a popular contemporary soul food restaurant in eagle rock, has introduced a brand new green menu which is almost entirely vegan. i first found out about this from our resident QG writer brittany, who was forwarded an email about the launch of the menu by a co-worker. britt and i decided we had to check larkin’s out for ourselves, to see how good the new vegan options at this meaty soul food restaurant could be. i’m happy to report that we were not disappointed!

entering larkin’s is like stepping back in time; vintage posters adorn the walls and drinks are served in old school jelly jars. it really feels like you’re eating in someone’s living room—in fact larkin’s looks like one big house that’s been converted into a restaurant…complete with deck/patio dining!

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what happens when a skilled gourmet pastry chef gets access to the place that makes the best vegan home cookin’ known to man? fancy desserts at doomie’s!

new orleans red velvet with buttercream frosting and whipping cream

to contrast the fried oreos and ice cream they normally offer, doomie’s has enlisted the help of a super high class treat maker to design a dessert menu that will blow your mind. they were testing the menu this weekend and some people i know personally said the new goods are INCREDIBLE. check out the pix that doomie’s just posed to their facebook. all this stuff is available NOW.

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One of the greatest poets of our times, Robbie Williams, penned the now-classic song “Millennium” to commemorate the demise of San Francisco’s famed restaurant of the same name.

The prescience of his words cannot be understated, as we witness first-hand the falling from grace of this much-hyped, over-priced restaurant:

We’ve got stars directing our fate
and we’re praying its not too late
‘Cause we know we’re falling from grace
Millennium
And when we come we always come too late
I often think that we were born to hate

Let’s deconstruct these inspired words:

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I’ve long had a love affair with Edinburgh: the most Scottish of Scottish cities. When I lived in London I’d frequently take the sleeper train up late at night for the fringe performances at the Edinburgh Festival, enjoying such classic performances as “Macbeth: In Klingon” and “Live sex on stage as performance art”. Curiously, the second of those two fringe shows had a much bigger crowd than the first!

While the Edinburgh festival fringe shows don’t remotely stereotype this amazing city, the description of Black Bo’s restaurant on their website could also apply to Edinburgh in general: “Some people call it Bohemian, some call it Leftfield, others call it rustic, alternative, quaint, eclectic, esoteric or simply – ‘That Really Nice Place We Went To 6 Months Ago And Have Never Been Able To Find Again’.”

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh but in a quiet cobbled street just a stone’s throw from Edinburgh’s main railway station, Black Bo’s is a truly wonderful vegetarian restaurant that’s so unique in appearance, menu and vibe that I can’t think of anywhere remotely like it except, perhaps, Elf in Los Angeles.

Upon walking into Black Bo’s, you’re presented with a lovely bar area: tables, comfortable seating, tap beer and a huge wine selection. The rear restaurant area has large windows overlooking the Edinburgh rooftops under which sit plenty of comfortable tables and chairs. We were there around sunset time just as the long shadows crept across the bare wooden floors, the perfect autumn light punctuated only by the well melted candles and reflections from the bright stucco beyond.

After being seated at an oversized two-top table we began to peruse the extensive menu. Our server reassured us that most things either were vegan, or could be prepared as such, and that the kitchen and chef knew what they were doing. I don’t know about you, but a vegetarian restaurant that knows what vegan means is so much better to dine in than an omnivorous place.

Baked mushrooms stuffed with "haggis" on a bed of turnip mash. ₤5.50

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…well, almost all vegan! this week chili addiction rolled out a brand new “vegan menu,” although there are a couple clearly marked real-dairy-vegetarian items on it including mac n cheese and cornbread muffins. other than that though, it looks epic! the lists of vegan dogs, burgers, and sausages are HUGE compared to what they used to be!

quarrygirl: our fantastic vegan burger topped with homemade sauerkraut. $10

a few of the new vegan items include the quarrygirl burger (pictured above) which was a previous special, the buffalo wing dog, and the jalapeno magic sausage. i can’t wait to go try all this stuff. check the new menu here.

january is a good month for vegans at mendocino farms. the popular sandwich shop has not only added a great seitan option to their seasonal menu, but they are offering their famous vegan shawarma as their “secret sandwich” all month long!

we have been fans of the downtown LA mendocino farms locations for ages, and recently we hit up their newest spot in marina del rey for a round of vegan sandwiches. i’m happy to report that the food was awesome, the service was friendly, and the line was shorter than the ones i’m used to downtown.

Vegan Shawarma Mediterranean Chickpea Shawarma with a Bean Puree, Housemade Vegan Tzatziki, Red Onions, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Shredded Romaine Panini Pressed on Tortilla (Honey Wheat or Flour) $9.25

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I mean… seriously! One of the best pizzerias in LA now stocks vegan cheese and makes it available on all pizzas.

We vegans are getting so many good options these days! My omni friends have often raved about Pitfire Pizza, A local chain of artisan pizzerias serving top notch ingredients, prepared in that most coveted of pizzeria paraphernalia: A pitfire kiln, able to cook a pizza in searing temperatures over 900 degrees.

Once you’ve had a pitfire cooked pizza, you’ll not want to go back to the spongy crust of lesser pies!

With just four locations (North Hollywood, West LA, Downtown and Culver City), Pitfire Pizza seems to have focused on creating a quality product with individuality rather than rushing for scale, and I’m pleased to report that their vegan offerings maintain – and even enhance, an incredibly well thought out menu. Pitfire Pizza ain’t your typical pizzeria, in oh so many good ways. Here you’re dealing with familiar ingredients combined in a novel ways and cooked to perfection. The addition of vegan cheese (in the form of Daiya) elevates the experience for vegans (and health conscious vegetarians/omnivores alike) to something that’s every bit as good as the regular menu, yet 100% cruelty-free.

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Vegan curry is plentiful in Camden Market

Recently, we skewered an otherwise excellent food stand in London’s Camden Market due to its terrible customer service. Gladly, though, there are several wonderful food choices in the market that serve some pretty damn good Indian food. If you look hard enough, you’ll see “Halal Indian Food” on a few stalls, along with some huge, bubbling pots of very tasty curries.

yum

If you stay away from anything with meat, the vegetable dishes are nearly always vegan and absolutely always tasty…

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want rich and creamy cupcakes without the guilt? try out half baked co, a vegan-friendly online bakery based out of burbank that makes “deceptively healthy” treats with half the fat, calories and sugar. half baked recently sent me some of their goodies to try, and was completely overwhelmed by how delicious they were. as she was handing me the box of cupcakes, half baked founder carolyn cannon explained to me that she was a very healthy eater and would only bake treats that she would eat herself. i’m happy to report that she has done an amazing job emulating the rich decadent taste of “normal” cupcakes, and none of the the excess fat, sugar, or animal products are missed.

have a look at the vegan treats i sampled…

vegan and gluten-free chocolate covered strawberry marshmallow

the first thing i tried was the absolutely fantastic vegan chocolate dipped marshmallow. it was so damn adorable, i didn’t want to eat it at first…but i’m so glad i did. we are talking about a perfectly moist and chewy strawberry-flavored marshmallow covered in silky chocolate and topped with sprinkles. i could have eaten ten of these in one sitting. seriously, you gotta try these…and this month half baked co is running a special discount on the vegan marshmallow sticks! check it out.

next up, the cupcakes…

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as much as i love to travel, sometimes when i’m out exploring vegan options in other cities, i get homesick for all the good eats we have here in los angeles.

vegan tofu sausage with sauerkraut, grilled onions, and mustard. $6

this is how i felt when i visited san francisco over the holidays. two days into my trip, the xmas spirit had me all weepy and wishing i was back at home, seated comfortably in tony’s darts away with a beer and a vegan sausage. thankfully, my twitter buddy @ks turned me on to the next best thing: rosamunde sausage grill.

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As a boy, I would spend my summers in Rome being dragged around the piazzas by my bohemian mother. My father is an Italian chef, restaurateur and hotelier, and I suppose some of his passion for food and good service must be in my DNA. Although my food preparation skills leave a lot to be desired, I know when I’m eating good food, and getting good service. Of course, “fine dining” in a vegan sense is rather difficult to find wherever one goes – and so I was delighted to find a highly vegan-friendly vegetarian Italian restaurant in London.

Like all real Italian restaurants, Amico Bio is owned by a family, one of which is the Chef. In this case, the genius behind the restaurant is proprietor Pasquale Amico who has partnered with his cousins Bruno and Enrique to create a truly superb experience which envelopes your senses even before you walk through the door, and continues as a happy memory long after your visit.

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