UPDATE: the surly goat is now open, and it’s awesome!

Two of the nicest and most talented guys you’d ever wish to meet are Alex Brown and Evan George, a duo of vegetarian chefs, beer experts, writers and god-knows-what-else collectively known as Hot Knives.

The last time we raved about Hot Knives was after attending some patio sessions at Glassel Park’s Verdugo Bar last summer. We whiled away a couple of warm afternoons drinking from an amazing beer selection while Alex and Evan served up some imaginative and very, very tasty vegan food. We’ve also long been fans of their blog where they wax lyrical about beers of the world and publish recipes to die for.

Imagine, then, how pleased we were to receive an invite for their book launch party to be catered by Hot Knives themselves at a brand new bar that shares some common ownership with Verdugo Bar. We couldn’t believe our luck with a one-two-three punch of Hot Knives’ food, 27 special beers on tap and a book about one of my favorite subjects: BEER!

This being January and LA storm season there wasn’t much patio action going on, but West Hollywood’s newest bar, The Surly Goat, couldn’t have been a better setting to munch on some food and learn about Hot Knives’ new beer book, “Greatest Sips”. The new bar (it opens to the public Wednesday February 3rd) is in the former 24K club spot and is a welcome addition to a part of town that doesn’t have many great places to drink, being situated a block west of Fairfax on Santa Monica Blvd. The beer selection pretty much mirrors Verdugo Bar (virtually all of it vegan) and there’s a cool, dark environment that’s a pleasure to be in. I know The Surly goat will be on my list of regular haunts, and I’ll probably be at the bar on a highly regular basis!

Upon arrival we downed a couple of Blind Pig beers from Russian River, and made our way to the back of the bar where Alex and Evan had laid out the most amazing spread. To call Hot Knives perfectionists would be an understatement.

They wanted just the right kind of bread to pair with their food so they invented a recipe and made a bunch of crispy baguettes (yes, they do taste as good — or better — than they look).

First order was to grab a hunk of this unbelievable bread and smear their special vegan cashew ricotta cheese all over it. The cheese was a perfect texture, something like cream cheese, but crumbly and tangy just like ricotta. I could seriously have eaten not only every baguette but also the entire hoard of cheese as well as it was so fucking good!

Just when I thought that I’d reached a state of sublime existence (due in part, I’m sure, to the Blind Pigs) Evan pointed out the second vegan plate which was a spicy habanero seitan loaf. The seitan reminded me a little of the seitan which they put in the Banh Mi sandwiches but the spiciness here was off the charts. A little crispy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside made for the perfect combination of mouth textures, while the delicate flavoring hid that fire in your mouth that only habanero chilies can deliver.

Balancing the power of the chilies was a smooth, cold and creamy sauerkraut sauce (I think they called it a mustard) which just begged to be splashed all over the food. Of course, we had multiple visits to the food tables and were not surprised to see everything disappear pretty quickly.

We had a chance to briefly leaf through the book “Greatest Sips”, written by the Hot Knives dudes in their inimitable style. Ours is on order now, at the mercy of USPS and will be an indispensable guide for beer drinking at The Surly Goat and elsewhere. Not only are the guys perceptive experts in beer, but they love to tell you about what food to pair it with and even what music to listen to while drinking it. No, I’m not joking! The insight is hilarious and I’m sure a little tongue in cheek. Here are Alex and Evan to tell you all about the book themselves:

Greatest Sips from Hot Knivez on Vimeo.

Hot Knives are vegetarian chefs, so they do use non-vegan ingredients in some of their cooking, and are huge fans of cheese..but we won’t hold that against them, rather we’ll hope that they do one day decide to become vegan so that they will be inspired to make more and more inventive and tasty vegan foods.

Also, on the beer front, do remember to check out Barnivore, a super site that answers questions about vegetarian and vegan ingredients in just about any beer you’ll ever want to drink.

Alex and Evan, thanks so much for feeding us today!

For more info on The Surly Goat, check out Eater and LATimes.

Oh, and finally, The Surly Goat hasn’t got its food menu together yet so they won’t be serving any of this gorgeous food (and maybe never will). Hopefully, though, the Hot Knives guys will show up from time to time and take care of filling hungry vegan bellies.

you’ve probably heard that dineLA restaurant week has been extended in los angeles through october 23rd…so you have 5 more days to eat prix fixe at gourmet restaurants for a fraction of the price! many of the participating establishments have vegan-friendly discount options available, so i highly suggest you take advantage.

last week for lunch, i hit up bella cucina italiana for dineLA with a few co-workers, and we were all thoroughly impressed. the upscale italian eatery is located on hollywood blvd at las palmas, but the sleek design and moody lighting will make you forget that you are dining in tourist central. the food was all top notch, some of the best italian fare i’ve had in los angeles, and they were super eager to accommodate my vegan diet.

bruschetta classica: toasted bread, fresh tomatoes, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

as an appetizer, i went with the dineLA option of bruschetta classica (with no mozzarella), which was toasted bread topped with tomatoes, basil and olive oil. the slices of toast were small and slightly crispy, while the topping was extremely fresh and juicy. i realized while eating this that there really isn’t enough bruschetta in my life. something about the simplicity of the ingredients and the extreme flavors in this dish really get me going.

although none of the dineLA entree items at bella cucina were vegan-friendly, the server immediately pointed out several options on the menu that i could veganize and still eat at the discounted price. the policy at bella was super flexible, unlike at susan feniger’s street where they would only modify existing dineLA items. i am a HUGE fan of egg plant…so when i saw that bella had an egg plant appetizer, i asked if i could i could get that as my entree. the waiter assured me that it would be no problem at all, and even said he would ask the kitchen to double the portion so i would get my money’s worth. SCORE.

melanzane al forna: baked eggplant layered with basil and tomato sauce.

when the melanzane al forna arrived, it was absolutely massive. the dish looked like a huge breakfast entree, except with eggplant rather than pancakes and rich tomato sauce rather than maple syrup. the eggplant was deliciously crispy around the edges, yet warm and fluffy inside….while the sauce was perfectly oily and filled with italian flavor. one look at this entree, and i thought it was way to much to eat in one sitting. however, the thing was so damn good that i had no problem putting it all away!

when our server brought the dessert menus to our table, he profusely apologized and told me there wasn’t anything that could be made vegan. without me even asking, he offered to give me an coffee instead. i know that a coffee isn’t as rad as a vegan dessert, but at least it’s something. and hey, it’s more than street offered (which is nothing, until we asked for a discount….and then they offered berries). i took bella up on their coffee offer, and it wound up being quite delicious indeed. to be honest, i was way too stuffed to eat dessert anyways.

overall i had a great dining experience at bella cucina. the service was friendly, the atmosphere was chill, the food was delicious, and they were super helpful when it came to veganizing meals for dineLA. the best thing about restaurant week is that we have the chance to eat at so many different establishments that we wouldn’t normally try. bella cucina wasn’t even on my radar before dineLA, and now i can’t wait to return for some damn fine vegan italian food.

bella cucina italiana
1708 n. las palmas avenue
hollywood, ca 90028
323-468-8815

if you are in london this fall, consider yourself lucky. not just because you are in the best city on the planet, but because that means you have the chance to try the amazing autumn menu at manna cuisine in primrose hill. europe’s finest and oldest vegetarian restaurant offers a fresh, seasonal menu that changes every few months and this fall, all the selections are vegan, or at least vegan-optional.

we had the pleasure of dining at manna a few weeks ago, and i can safely say it was one of the lovliest meals i’ve ever had. we started off with a side of organic bread, which is baked fresh at the restaurant daily. perfectly warm and fluffy with a side of olive oil for dipping, this really hit the spot.

fresh organic bread: a selection of breads fresh from our kitchen daily with extra virgin olive oil. ₤2

for our appetizer, we shared the quinoa and millet croquettes—pressed patties served on top of beetroot hummus with rocket salad and hazelnuts. the little cakes were beyond excellent with tons of subtle flavor and a texture that reminded me of falafel. the beetroot hummus was amazing, and also gorgeous with its bright red hue. the roasted hazelnuts were sweet and smokey, and added a perfect “holiday” taste to everything.

quinoa & millet croquette: a pressed cake of these ancient seasoned grains, served with our beetroot humous and a salad of rocket and cumin roasted carrot & hazelnut. ₤7

we decided to split two entrees, starting with the organic bangers and mash. this dish came with two sausages made of fennel and pumpkin seeds, on a bed of carrot, parsnip, and dill mash….all topped off with crispy onion rings. i have had loads of vegan bangers and mash in the UK, and i can say without a doubt that these were the fanciest and the best. the homemade sausages were made of the finest ingredients, and the seeds gave them a really wonderful earthy taste. the mashed potatoes had several distinct vegetable flavors and were incredibly creamy…and the fried onion rings made for an awesome topping. this was the perfect gourmet version of an old school comfort food dish, i would eat this every single day if i could.

organic bangers & mash: organic fennel and pumpkin seed sausages on a bed of carrot, parsnip & dill mash, seasonal mixed greens, a red wine, leek & thyme jus and onion rings. ₤13

we also shared the saffron chestnut cake, which was served in a wild mushroom ragu with pan-seared kale. this thing blew me away after the first bite….i never knew vegan food could be this unique and beautifully presented. the tender cake was filled with perfectly-seasoned grains and nuts, and was a completely new taste. the creamy ragu was rich and decadent, and was great soaked up by the soft cake and eaten with bites of kale.

saffron chestnut cake: a delicately balanced herbed grain and nut cake, served with a wild mushroom ragu, truffle oil and pan-seared kale. ₤13

for dessert we were really looking forward to trying the knickerbocker glory, an ice cream dish served with cake…but unfortunately, that was only available on the summer menu. (even though the online menu at the time still had it listed!) instead we went with the timbale, which according to the menu was a “chocolate sponge and cheesecake” combination. unfortunately, i wasn’t a big fan of this thing…it was very full of blueberries which weren’t listed in the description, and i don’t care for fruit in my dessert. oh well, i guess you can’t win them all—and the rest of our experience was spectacular.

chivu's timbale: a long time favourite daily special, a chocolate sponge and cheesecake layered combination. ₤7

on top of the food being excellent, manna has very friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere. the place is pretty swanky with small tables and moody lighting, and i hear it can get pretty crowded so i would definitely suggest you make a reservation.

on our way out, a friendly man who was unloading bags of food from his car asked us if we enjoyed our meal. we said we did, but made a comment about the knickerbocker glory not being available even though it was on the online menu. he immediately pulled out a business card and introduced himself as roger, the owner. he profusely apologized and said on our next visit we could get a free dessert. how sweet is that?! it made me even more sad that we were leaving to return to america the next day.

as you can probably tell, i just can’t speak highly enough of manna. they really take vegan food to the next level with their creative dishes, and offer the kind of gourmet meatless dining that is very hard to come by. i will be sure to visit them as much as possible when i’m in england.

manna
4 Erskine Road
Primrose Hill, London NW3 3AJ
020 7722 8028

it’s no secret that i’ve been eating at vegan-friendly restaurants all over los angeles for quite some time. however, throughout the last several years of living here as a vegan, for some reason i never bothered to check out fatty’s in eagle rock. the all vegetarian restaurant on colorado boulevard has high prices, gourmet menu items that i can’t pronounce, strange opening hours, and a pretty dairy-heavy menu. for so long i just assumed the place wasn’t for me. BOY WAS I WRONG. i finally had the chance to check out fatty’s a few weeks ago and it rocked my my vegan socks off.

my husband and i ended up at fatty’s on accident. we had an epic double-date dinner planned to attend shojin’s 1 year anniversary party with lex and kristin of vegan-la, which also coincided roughly with when they would be leaving los angeles to embark on backpacking trip around europe. turned out shojin was way too crowded to eat at (i’m talking line-out-the-door savage nightmare), so we headed out to fatty’s eagle rock for of the best vegan meals i’ve had in this town.

fudgey: a two layer chocolate bundt cake with chocolate ganache, toasted coconut and pecan frosting with a creamy center. $8

just because it was so fucking scrumptious, lemme start by telling you about the fudgey. this was the dessert that lex and kristin ordered and were kind enough to share with us (had this been my cake, nobody else at the table woulda got even a bite of it!), and we all agreed it was delicious. the thing was big enough to feed a boatload of people and it came with layer after layer of sugary goodness. chocolate, coconut, and pecan creaminess made this one of the best sweet things i’ve ever encountered. dense and decadent, this cake could fool ANYONE who is addicted to eggs and milk. nothing about it tasted vegan. fudgey is the perfect name for this ridiculously fudgey dish.

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UPDATED JAN. ’11: apparently rootmaster is now closed/on hiatus as of this month, which is very sad. let’s hope they don’t go the way of eat and two veg (RIP vegan full english breakfast!), and shut down completely. it’s always gutting to see a meatless restaurant close its doors. we’ll miss you, double decker bus restaurant! please come back soon. x

recently, my husband and i took a trip to the uk and realized that london is overflowing with vegan-friendly restaurants. the selection in london is even better than it is here in los angeles, and most of the food there is out of this world. while we tried a lot of places, none were quite as special or uniquely british as rootmaster in elys yard. the 100% vegan restaurant cooks and serves its food in a disused double-decker routemaster bus, with the seating upstairs and the kitchen below.

an important piece of london heritage and introduced in 1956, the routemaster was an open platform bus that passengers could board and alight in between stops. however, due to safety concerns and a bunch of lame excuses, the iconic bus was discontinued in 2005. luckily the folks over at rootmaster preserved one of the old buses really well and inside it they gave me the chance to do something just as cool as ride around london: eat vegan food!

everything the rootmaster served up was absolutely fantastic. the menu isn’t that huge, but i was happy knowing i could eat anything on it because it’s all animal-free. we started off with some edamame, along with a portion of bread & oil.

edamame: blanched in the shell, lightly sprinkled with coarse sea salt. £3

bread & oil: fresh bus baked bread accompanied with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar. £2.5

i never imagined in my life that would eat something called “bus baked bread”, and that it would be so flippin’ tasty! they actually baked that bread fresh, right down stairs in an oven in the little bus kitchen. absolutely amazing. it was so crispy on the edges, and fluffy and warm inside, really top notch. good, fresh bread is hard enough to come by in normal restaurants; now i know those places have no excuse. if a freaking bus can do it, they should be able to as well! the edamame was also lovely. warm and salty goodness, all around the table on a cold london day.

as a main, we wanted to try the burger, but the waiter told us it wouldn’t be ready for around 30 to 40 minutes. oh well, at least the guy was honest! some places will just make you sit there for an hour and never tell you there’s a delay in the kitchen. we didn’t feel like waiting, so we went with the picante tofu and teriyaki stir fry instead.

picante tofu: large chunks of organic tofu with broccoli in a spicy tomato and rich creamy sauce. served with organic brown rice. £6.5

the picante tofu was great, although it’s mostly covered up by rice in the photo. underneath all that fluffy rice, there are huge chunks of tofu and broccoli covered in a really spicy tomato sauce. it was so creamy as well…it reminded me of the sauce on penne ala vodka. the vegetables were really fresh and crisp, and the tofu was thick and juicy. it really shows when restaurants use high quality ingredients. the dish was so good in fact, it made me glad there was a delay on the burger.

the teriyaki stir fry was also excellent. again, rootmaster used really fine ingredients and fresh vegetables, making for a most delicious meal.

teriyaki stir fry: asian market vegetables, cashew nuts & locally made organic tofu, wok seared in an a la carte teriyaki sauce. served with organic brown rice. £8.5

the asian vegetables were all very delicate and tender, and the tofu was soft and well-marinated, but crispy on the edges from being cooked up in the wok. they work fucking wonders in that bus kitchen, i’m telling you! they are baking up bread and wok searing vegetables, not to mention throwing together these amazing sauces! i mean, HONESTLY. how the hell do they make such good food on the first floor of a bus?

so as you can tell, overall, our meal was awesome. the only bad thing about rootmaster is we only got to eat there once. seriously, i cannot wait to return. they also have a whole wine list and dessert menu we didn’t even get to try out! (when you are trying to visit 100 pubs in 14 days, drinking wine at lunch is forbidden.)

i highly suggest that if you find yourself in london, you give this place a try. not only is the food delicious and entirely vegan, but you get to dine in a little piece of london history. the restaurant even moves a bit from side to side, just like a real bus, when the waiter brings your meal up the stairs. plus, it’s located in the old truman brewery, right across from rough trade east; so you can get the satisfaction of eating in an old bus AND where they used to make beer at the same time, then do some record shopping afterwards.

everything about this place is lovely, charming, and extremely special. i feel pretty lucky to have eaten at rootmaster.

rootmaster
elys yard
the old truman brewery
hanbury street
london
e1 6ql

07912389314

mani’s bakery on fairfax is a must-visit for all vegans, as far as i’m concerned. i ran across mani’s awhile back when the bakery made an insane vegan cake for my co-worker’s birthday. i went to mani’s later to check it out and realized that their vegan menu was huge compared to other restaurants in town. i mean, they even have a full-on legend at the top of the menu for vegan and vegan-optional items. on top of that, the food is pretty damn good and they have great hours, plus they serve breakfast all day long. yay mani’s bakery!

bread basket: an assortment of our freshly baked breads with 3 of our homemade spreads. $6

my husband and i hit up mani’s recently and were pretty impressed with the food. one of the vegan-optional starters at mani’s is the bread basket. being a self-contained bakery and all, mani’s definitely has the bread thing down. our basket included an impressive selection of piping hot crunchy slices, soft and chewy rolls, and thin and crispy chips. the spreads were black bean, pesto, and hummus; and each one was rich, flavorful and creamy. between me and my husband, the bread basket was way too much food to finish, but that didn’t stop us from trying.

arugula artichoke salad: marinated artichoke hearts and crisp green beans with baby arugula make this salad a green dream. served with lime-cilantro dressing and braised tempeh. $14

as a main, my husband ordered the vegan-optional arugula artichoke salad. while 14 bucks is definitely a lot to pay for a salad, this thing was pretty huge and they didn’t skimp on the tempeh. the artichoke hearts were shredded into delicate slices and marinated perfectly. the braised tempeh was amazing; why anyone would get this salad with the grilled chicken option is beyond me!

tofu scramble hash: we start with organic tofu and scramble it with asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, miso and nutritional yeast to end up with a nourishing and wholesome dish. comes with veggie bacon. $13

i took advantage of the fact all day breakfast and went for the tofu scramble hash. it was insanely delicious. the tofu was scrambled up in big thick chunks and was all mixed in in with the vegetables. the soft mushrooms, spinach and tofu went perfectly with the crispy, crunchy asparagus. i got the vegan option, which came with sliced tempeh rather than veggie bacon, and it was quite tasty. the breakfast potatoes were top notch as well. good stuff all the way around.

while the food is awesome at mani’s, it’s often crowded and dining in can be unpleasant. you will probably have to wait for a table, the restaurant is loud and cramped, and the chairs aren’t that comfortable. for the high prices, i would expect more of a dining experience rather than the quickie cafe feel that mani’s offers. fortunately for me, the food is just as delicious to go. 

breakfast wrap: the whole enchilada's wrapped up for your morning meal. black beans, guacamole, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, cilantro and vegan tofu scramble in a whole wheat or spinach tortilla. served with ranchero sauce and pico de gallo. $10

on a subsequent visit, my husband and i grabbed take-out from mani’s for dinner, and mine was every bit as tasty. i ordered breakfast again, but this time i got the wrap. the breakfast wrap is super because it’s pretty much the exact same tofu scramble as above, but it’s thrown in a tortilla with beans and guacamole. plus, it’s 3 bucks cheaper. score!

tasty scramble, all rolled up.

this time my husband ordered the classic sandwich, veganized with kale greens. it was good, but not as good as the salad he’d had in the restaurant.

the classic: like a timeless old hollywood standard. lettuce, tomato and our special-recipe tangy sauce atop breaded seitan and tempeh bacon. $11

i took a bite of the sandwich and thought the seitan was delicious, but my husband described it as “too chewy” and “glue-y.” maybe next time i will order it for meself!

so overall, mani’s bakery is definitely worth a visit. whether you dine in or take-out, the food will most likely be delicious. they have a massive menu with loads of vegan options, just remember to specify. plus, they have a whole freakin’ bakery with fresh bread and vegan desserts! cakes, cookies, even almond roca…they’ve got TONS of stuff to choose from. i’ve just always filled up on the tasty food, leaving no room for their tempting sweets. thankfully, there’s always next time!

mani’s bakery
519 S. fairfax avenue
los angeles, ca 90036
(323) 938-8800

If I feel like spending around $70 on dinner for two in a nice restaurant where I can take my time to enjoy good wine and awesome vegan food, the Il Fornaio chain is always a good bet. I’ve been to outlets in San Francisco, Denver, Vegas, NYC, LA and, most recently, Seattle. Each has a slightly different atmosphere, but the same menu, quality and good service. AND, they understand what “vegan” means.

Capellini al Pomodoro: Angel hair pasta, chopped fresh roma tomatoes, marinara sauce and fresh basil. $12.95

While my main dish is always the Capellini al Pomodoro, I usually order a bottle of wine, and pig out on the fresh bread and olive oil they serve upon arrival. In fact, this is the BEST fresh bread and olive oil available in any restaurant I’ve ever been to, especially the outlet in Vegas (its bakery is adjacent).

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