• December 31st, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, meet market (closed)

    HOLY, SHIT VEGANS! if you are anywhere near silverlake, you will want to hit up the all-you-can-eat vegan menu from 11am to 3pm at the meet market tomorrow. considering it’s a holiday, finding vegan comfort food will be next to impossible on january 1st. luckily, the meet market will be open and serving a massive vegan brunch complete with tofu scramble, roasted potatoes, vegan sausage, fresh vegetables, fruit, coffee, toast and jam. oh, and don’t forget to BYOB!!!! champagne for mimosas. i will be there, say hello!

    Vegan Brunch

    if you don’t attend, you are crazy.

    the meet market
    3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso)
    Los Angeles, CA 90026

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  • December 7th, 2009quarrygirlbld, LA restaurants

    bld is a trendy little restaurant on beverly that keeps long hours and has a surprisingly vegan-friendly menu. after reading a really positive review of their vegan benedict in the forums, we headed over there this weekend for brunch to check it out. i am happy to report that the benedict was nothing short of amazing, and overall we had a great dining experience.

    vegan benedict at bld

    bld’s vegan benedict comes with two veggie patties, leafy arugula and thick slices of tofu bacon atop round pieces of crispy bread, all smothered in creamy and slightly spicy hollandaise. every single layer of this thing is perfect—from the smokey bacon and crumbly patty to the rich and wonderfully seasoned sauce. this may very well be the best vegan benedict in los angeles, i think it’s only real competition would be from m cafe.

    vegan benedict with house smoked tofu bacon, veggie patty, wilted arugula, dairy free hollandaise, choice of potatoes. $13

    vegan benedict with house smoked tofu bacon, veggie patty, wilted arugula, dairy free hollandaise, choice of potatoes. $13

    the meal comes with your choice of breakfast potatoes, and we went with the olive oil roasted fingerlings. wow, wow, wow, were they amazing. i kid you not, some of the most delicious potatoes i’ve ever eaten. small, slightly oily, and crispy around the edges—these were cooked just right.

    eggless egg salad sandwich with tofu, celery, red onion, lemon tofu aioli, avocado spread, french fries or salad. $13

    eggless egg salad sandwich with tofu, celery, red onion, lemon tofu aioli, avocado spread, french fries or salad. $13

    we also shared the eggless egg salad sandwich with a side of fries, which was tasty but not as memorable as the benedict. the sandwich came on soft grainy bread and was stacked with soft pieces of cubed tofu in a creamy sauce. my only complaint is that the filling was a little bland, but that sure didn’t stop me from eating my entire half of the sandwich. the fries that came with it, though, were amazing—super thin, crispy, and well seasoned.

    vegan tofu sandwich at bld

    bld has a full bar with a great cocktail, wine, and beer selection. unfortunately when we dined there, it was before 10am, which is too early (even for a lush like me) to start drinking. instead i had small coffee, which came in a french press and was exceptional.

    coffee at bld

    for a hip and popular restaurant that caters to mostly hollywood-type omnivores, bld does an amazing job with their vegan offerings. i highly recommend you get over there and try out the benedict ASAP. i know i will be back to bld very soon and very often.

    bld in los angeles

    bld
    7450 Beverly Boulevard
    Los Angeles, CA 90036-2701
    (323) 930-9744
    Sunday – Wednesday: 8 am to 10 pm
    Thursday – Saturday: 8 am to 11 pm

    bld in los angeles

    special thanks to lucysnowe from the forums for letting me know about this place. you can read her review of the benedict here.

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  • October 9th, 2009quarrygirlflore cafe (closed), LA restaurants
    flore cafe vegan soul food buffet. all you can eat. $10. (photo courtesy of cuteanddelicious.com)

    flore cafe vegan soul food buffet. all you can eat. $10. (photo courtesy of cuteanddelicious.com)

    hey los angeles vegans, we’ve got some news about one of your local restaurants and some important info about what you should be eating this weekend. it turns out flore cafe has switched up their business model a bit. they are no longer open during normal hours, and are instead bringing us a few bottomless epic vegan feasts each week for just 10 bucks a pop. coming up saturday through monday, flore cafe is hosting three vegan buffets consisting of soul food on saturday, brunch on sunday, and curry on monday. this is gonna get awesome. (btw, do not confuse flore cafe with its sister restaurant flore down the street. flore cafe is at the corner of sunset and descanso!)

    if you are wondering why the picture above is so damn lovely…it’s because i borrowed it from last week’s review of the flore cafe soul food lunch buffet on the cute and delicious blog. the post praises the buffet and asks, “What could be better than all you can eat vegan macaroni and cheese?…The cole slaw was honestly the best slaw I’ve ever had in my life…It was fresh, crunchy and sweet. So good.”

    while flore cafe is still around (they not be for long), you should really take advantage of their ten buck all you can eat deals…starting with this weekend. saturday you have the amazing soul food deal as raved about above, sunday you have the incredible brunch that we have blogged about several times before, and monday you have an all new indian dinner that sounds pretty damn exciting to me.

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • September 22nd, 2009quarrygirlflore cafe (closed), LA restaurants

    flore-cafe-ext-570x426

    hey los angeles vegans, this just in! saturday through monday, flore cafe (3206 w. sunset blvd) will be hosting 3 vegan all-you-can-eat events! they are each $10 per person, what a deal. i highly suggest you get over there and fill up your plate like 80,000 times. here are the menus:

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • September 17th, 2009quarrygirlflore cafe (closed), LA restaurants

    what: all you can eat vegan brunch for only $10
    when: every sunday from 10am-3pm (starting this sunday!)
    where: flore cafe in silverlake!

    the sunday vegan brunch is BACK

    the sunday vegan brunch is BACK

    hey y’all, i got some good news! cancel your plans this sunday and make a date with flore cafe’s all-you-can-eat $10 vegan brunch!

    that’s right, our favorite breakfast deal in town is back. ever since it first started, we have been massive fans of flore cafe’s vegan buffet brunch on sundays from 10am-3pm. we were super disappointed when they canned it due to lack of customers, and now we are super excited that they’ve decided to bring it back.

    as we mentioned last week, flore cafe has been struggling…and this is yet another reason to go support them. they have decided to start up the all-you-can eat vegan brunch again every sunday for just $10, for as long as they can.

    if you haven’t heard…the bottomless tofu scramble, unlimited french toast, endless vegan sausage and refillable coffee at this brunch are all top notch. the best breakfast in town, by far.

    SEE YOU SUNDAY. GET THERE, OR SUCK AT LIFE. and don’t wait around, they may run outta food!

    flore cafe
    3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
    Los Angeles, CA 90026
    (323) 667-0116
    open daily 10am-5pm

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  • September 8th, 2009quarrygirlboho, LA restaurants
    vegan tofu scramble + craftsman 1903 lager

    vegan tofu scramble + craftsman 1903 lager

    a gastropub in los angeles with 25 impressive beers on tap and a delicious vegan option? yep, it’s true. if you wanna get your drink (craftsman-style in my case) and enjoy a two-course vegan brunch, look no further than boho in hollywood.

    boho has been open for less than a year, but their beer selection has already made them one of my favorite bars in town. other than blue palms and the verdugo, i can’t think of anywhere with such a great beer selection. plus unlike the two joints i just mentioned, boho has awesome hours and decent parking (they are in the same complex as the archlight theatre, and they validate!).

    the rotating beer list that always boasts several international selections would keep me going back time and time again…but as an added bonus, boho also has a vegan option on their sunday brunch menu. while their one vegan item is merely a tofu scramble, it’s a damn good one…and even better when you consider the fact you can eat it while sipping on imported beer for a reasonable price in the heart of hollywood.

    Read the rest of this entry »

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  • June 9th, 2009quarrygirlinn of the seventh ray, LA restaurants

    every sunday, deep in the heart of topanga canyon, inn of the seventh ray offers an all-you-can-eat vegetarian brunch with plenty of vegan options. the atmosphere at the restaurant is quite serene, with outdoor seating surrounded by trees, all overlooking a quiet stream. new age hippie waitresses keep the place running, and are ready to answer any question about the organic food that carries ‘cosmic energy’, or the vitamin infused water that will make you ‘live forever’ (i’m not kidding, they really say that). the price tag for the buffet is pretty hefty at $31 per person (is it possible to eat over 30 bucks worth of vegetarian food in one sitting?), but hey, the surroundings are beautiful and you can fill your plate up as many times as you want.

    vegetarian brunch buffet with vegan options. $31 per person.

    vegetarian brunch buffet with vegan options. $31 per person.

    i hit up inn of the seventh ray for sunday brunch recently with my husband and fellow vegan blogger foodeater, and we were all pretty satisfied with the vegan options. although the seating is outdoors, the food trays are displayed inside, away from the bugs and elements. all the vegan food is labeled appropriately, and the meat is all together in one section (yeah, inn of the seventh ray also offers chicken and crab for an extra 4 bucks, blech).

    my first trip to the buffet table yielded what’s pictured above. starting at the top and going clockwise, that’s a quinoa scone, tabouli, assorted salads, asparagus, white bean stew, hummus, and vegan mock duck with raspberries and cherry tomatoes. all of the food was deliciously fresh and filled with well-seasoned vegetables. i’ve never left an all-you-can-eat buffet feeling so light and energized, so i know this must have been pretty healthy. the only ‘fake’ meat offered was the mock duck, it was moist and chewy with a bit of a stringy texture and a savory flavor….and omg was it fantastic. my subsequent trips to the buffet line were seriously just to stock up on the vegan duck.

    mock duck. oh so fucking wonderful.

    mock duck. oh so fucking wonderful.

    the other highlight of my meal was the quinoa scone. i don’t think i’ve ever had a vegan scone before, but this thing was soft and fluffy in the middle and perfectly hard and crunchy on the outside. it was small and light, the perfect accompaniment to large feast. it would be pretty easy to fill up on these guys without feeling all gross and weighed down.

    vegan quinoa scone. i could eat approx 8,000 of these.

    vegan quinoa scone. i could eat approx 8,000 of these.

    the sunday brunch at inn of the seventh ray seems must be pretty popular, there weren’t many people there when we showed up at 11am, but as we were leaving at around 12:30, the place was already full. i suggest making a reservation and arriving a bit early like we did, to ensure you get a good seat.

    inn-seventh-ray-tables

    we were lucky enough to get a stone ‘booth’ table with a creekside view, right next to the little stream that they call ‘the Mother flow’. according to the restaurant’s website, the area where we were sitting is filled with ‘angelic vibrations,’ so i am pretty stoked we got a table in that spot. on our way out i saw lots of customers paying the same price for their meals that i did, but crammed into little two-top tables, with no view of the stream. suckers.

    inn-seventh-ray-stream

    after our meal, we got adventurous and went exploring in ‘the Mother flow’ to check out what kind of wildlife she was housing. we saw a lizard…

    inn-seventh-ray-lizzard

    and tons of pollywogs, but no frogs in sight!

    inn-seventh-ray-pollywogs

    inn of the seventh ray is definitely one of the most unique restaurants i’ve ever visited, and their sunday brunch has plenty of things for us vegans to eat. i suggest you give it a try, because even if you don’t end up loving it, it’s a pretty special place. it’s a little too hippie dippy for my taste, and the prices are pretty high for what you get, but dude where else can you eat next to a stream and drink water that will make you live forever? you gotta go see this place for yourself.

    inn-seventh-ray-ext

    inn of the seventh ray
    128 Old Topanga Canyon Road
    Topanga, CA 90290
    (310) 455-1311

    P.S. oooh, one more thing, and this is important: be sure to let your waitress know that you are eating the vegetarian buffet. we got charged $4 extra per person for the crab leg/chicken/death buffet, and didn’t even realize it until after we’d left! don’t let that happen to you. i’m pretty devastated because i guess that means that extra money we spent went to ‘supporting’ the sale of meat. (shudders)

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  • April 14th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, millie's cafe

    who doesn’t love going out for a big slap-up brunch on sunday morning? it seems like the right thing to do on the last day of rest before the start of a week: wake up late, lounge around, and then eat a ridiculous amount of food before lounging around some more…right? so imagine how bummed i was when i headed out with my husband on sunday to indulge in flore cafe’s all-you-can eat vegan brunch, only to find that the restaurant was closed. wtf!! i think it had something to do with a fictional character like jesus or the easter bunny or something, but either way we left empty-stomached and disappointed. luckily for us, there is always a very vegan-friendly plan b in silverlake at millie’s cafe just a few blocks away.

    millie’s cafe is a great little breakfast/lunch spot with loads of vegan options, open everyday (even on easter apparently) from 7:30am to 4:00pm. they have been around since 1926, and for los angeles that is one of hell of a long time. the staff is friendly, the service is quick, and most importantly the food is really good. so good in fact that by the end of our meal, i was pretty glad that flore cafe was closed. this was nice for a change.

    angel's mess: tofu scrambled with vegan sausage and casein-free soy cheese. served with your choice of toast and a delectable fruit cup. $11.95

    angel's mess: tofu scrambled with vegan sausage and casein-free soy cheese. served with your choice of toast and a delectable fruit cup. $11.95

    the angel’s mess is one of the heartier tofu scrambles at millie’s cafe, as it comes with vegan sausage and soy cheese. the menu even says the cheese is casein-free (isn’t that a relief?), and from the taste of it, i’m pretty certain they use follow your heart. the vegan sausage is pretty much the soy ground you can buy at the supermarket, but they season it and cook it up right nice. what really makes this dish though is the fresh salsa and guacamole. the cool vegetables and creamy avocado taste great all mixed in with the scramble. at 12 bucks the angel’s mess is a tad on the pricey side, but a really decent meal if you are craving some fake meat and cheese up in your breakfast. they also have a much cheaper tofu scramble with ginger soy sauce and fresh spinach if you are in that kind of mood.

    vegan chilaquiles: tofu, crisp corn tortilla chips drenched in ranchero salsa atop a bed of black beans and melted soy cheese, topped with guacamole and pico de gallo. can also be a burrito. $8.50

    vegan chilaquiles: tofu, crisp corn tortilla chips drenched in ranchero salsa atop a bed of black beans and melted soy cheese, topped with guacamole and pico de gallo. can also be a burrito. $8.50

    millie’s has a few really appetizing veganizable menu items, so i had a rough time settling on the chilaquiles. (the no huevos rancheros also sounded really tasty.) the chilaquiles ended up being absolutely delicious…huge chunks of soft tofu, black beans and crispy chips slathered in a delicious red sauce. all mixed in with vegan cheese and covered in chunky guacamole. this dish really hit the spot. and it was so much food for $8.50! millie’s has got the mexican food down.

    milies-chilaquiles-cu

    so i know it will be rough for vegans to make it over to millie’s cafe, since it’s located in between flore and flore cafe…but i highly suggest you suck it up and eat at this omnivorous restaurant, because their vegan stuff is worth a try. while the angel’s mess is pretty good, the mexican breakfast entrees are exceptional and much cheaper. either way, you can’t really go wrong. so much stuff can be veganized on the breakfast menu, plus they have vegan burgers, burritos and tacos on the lunch menu…and both menus are served all day.

    if millie’s cafe has been around since the 20’s, they must be doing something right. head over and eat some of their vegan stuff. you will like it. oh and plus, they were open on a jesus-y holiday when flore cafe decided to shut. bonus points for that.

    millie’s cafe
    3524 W. Sunset Blvd.
    Los Angeles, CA 90026
    323-664-0404
    Open 7 days a week
    7:30AM to 4:00PM

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  • March 22nd, 2009quarrygirlflore cafe (closed), LA restaurants

    UPDATE 9/17: as of sunday 9/20, THE VEGAN BRUNCH IS BACK!!! please go support flore cafe! we don’t want to see this brunch go away again!

    UPDATE: unfortunately, due to slow business, the all-you-can-eat vegan brunch at flore cafe has been discontinued. you should still get over there ASAP though, as most of the brunch items are available on their menu.

    so if you read this blog, you are probably already aware of the fact that a vegetarian restaurant called flore cafe now occupies the former space of the best vegan eatery in town (the vegan spot) and has recently started offering an awesome all-you-can-eat vegan brunch every sunday from 10am to 3pm for just 10 bucks. that’s right, probably the best vegan brunch deal ever conceived of, flore cafe provides quality vegan food in cafeteria-sized trays every week for a fixed price, and you can go up and get as many servings as you like. total recipe for over-indulgence disaster.

    however this weekend, flore cafe started offering a different menu for the all you can eat brunch. today the tofu scramble and waffles were replaced with vegetable frittata and grilled “chicken” patties. both dishes were tasty, no doubt…but i can’t lie, i REALLY missed the tofu scramble.

    flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch. french toast, vegan bacon, vegetarian frittata and "chicken" patties. $10

    flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch. french toast, vegan bacon, vegetarian frittata and "chicken" patties. $10

    the vegan menu this weekend consisted of french toast with berry compote, vegetable frittata, veggie bacon, grilled “chicken” patties, roasted breakfast potatoes, bread & jam along with coffee & orange juice. the french toast was delicious (as usual) and the new berry compote really added and extra wow factor, if you enjoy eating sweets for breakfast. i’d say this was the highlight of the meal, along with the “chicken” patties which are pictured above to the top left and below in the bottom center.

    flore cafe vegan all you can eat brunch for $10

    flore cafe vegan all you can eat brunch for $10

    the “chicken” patties didn’t really taste like chicken at all, but thick seitany sausages instead. they were absolutely delicious, albeit a bit cold, and i seriously couldn’t stop going back for more. the vegetarian frittata was a bit bland and, like the breakfast potatoes, full of bell peppers…which i HATE. 🙁 bell peppers aside, the frittata just wasn’t as good as flore cafe’s tofu scramble. i don’t think i would ever spoon the frittata onto my plate again as long as other stuff was available, i’d rather just fill up on the awesome bacon and “chicken” patties.

    i don’t know if this menu change is permanent for the all-you-can-eat sunday brunch at flore cafe, or if they were just trying out some new things. what i do know though, is i didn’t like it quite as much as the old menu that i’m used to. the seitan “chicken” patties and fruit compote were delicious, but they didn’t fill the hole that was left by the absence of the tofu scramble.

    still though, in the end it is unlimited awesome vegan food at a fixed price and you just can’t beat that. if you haven’t been, definitely head out to flore cafe and get the sunday brunch as soon as you can. maybe put in a good word to your server about the tofu scramble if you are lucky enough to get it. 😉 believe you me, it’s the best thing they offer.

    Flore Cafe
    3206 W. Sunset Blvd.
    @ Descanso in Silver Lake
    323-667-0116

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  • February 23rd, 2009mr meanerLA restaurants, madeleine bistro

    We’ve been contemplating a “Top 5 Vegan Restaurants in Southern California” post for a while, but with the notable fact that we’d never dined at Madeleine Bistro in Tarzana (frequently referred to as one of, if not the best vegan dining establishments on the West Coast). We couldn’t possibly start listing the wonderful restaurants we have here in SoCal, so we held off publishing this seminal piece.

    Well, after a trip to Madeleine’s last weekend for brunch we can (spoiler alert!) confirm what we’ve been told for the last couple of years: Madeleine’s is without a doubt, and by a far margin, the absolute best vegan dining in Southern California. It’ll be #1 on our list, if – that is – we ever get around to writing the “Top 5” post! And, we only sampled the brunch menu — from what we’ve heard, dinner is even more astounding.

    We’re talking menu composition, ingredients and food preparation waaaay beyond the norm here. After every first bite of each new dish we tried, we had instant eye contact followed by gasps and almost disbelief at what it was we were eating. For starters (although it was the dessert!) take a look at the chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream, this picture cannot begin to do it justice:

    chocolate souffle with vanilla ice créme. $12

    chocolate souffle with vanilla ice créme. $12

    As my aunt could testify, a soufflé is almost impossible to cook successfully, as it has to be crispy on the top, spongy on the bottom and a smooth gradation in between – and that’s using non-vegan ingredients like eggs, cream and even GELATIN to prop up this most delicate of sweets. At Madeleine, though, the soufflé was incredible – I’m talking a perfection of texture and taste in every bite, and served at just the right temperature with cold ice cream on the side that (even on its own) would have been a completely scrumptious dessert.

    Skipping back to the beginning of the meal, yet sticking (no pun intended) to sweet things, we enjoyed a donut that reminded me 100% of the French-style snack served all over Europe, yet with a lighter, purer texture that only non-dairy sweets can have. It was plump, round, slightly crispy on the outside yet perfectly fluffy on the inside and, just like the soufflé, served at exactly the right temperature, lightly dusted with crunchy sugar. It is, without a doubt the best donut I have ever eaten – vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous.

    fresh organic donut. $2

    fresh organic donut. $2

    So much for the beginning and end of our meal, but the in-between was even better!

    the bigger maque: two no beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. $11 add a side of potatoes. $3

    the bigger maque: two no beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. $11 add a side of potatoes. $3

    I ordered the “Bigger Maque” with a side of breakfast potatoes, and had to have it ‘splained to me that the Bigger Maque was a pun on “Big Mac”, the ubiquitous McDonald’s ‘dish’ which, by its very existence, proves beyond a doubt that billions and billions are so misguided. Looking at the cross section of the Bigger Maque which (thankfully!) comes cut in two you see the complexity of this meal – meatless patties, lettuce, ‘cheese’, onions, pickles (thankfully optional in this case!) so carefully and beautifully packed inside a bun cut into three horizontally.

    madeleine-bistro-bigger-maque-cu

    I polished off the Bigger Maque in record time, and punctuated every other bite by one of the breakfast potatoes – again, predictably, perfectly cooked and seasoned (crispy on the outside, soft on the inside yada yada, etc. etc. hopefully you’re noticing a theme here?).

    porcini-crusted tofu benedict: smoked portobella mushrooms, rosti potatoes, hollandaise sauce. $15

    porcini-crusted tofu benedict: smoked portobella mushrooms, rosti potatoes, hollandaise sauce. $15

    I only managed a bite or two of our other entree, the “Porcini-crusted Tofu Benedict” which seemed not to be of this world. Again, perfectly designed, prepared and served with tastes and textures that defy words. Just like the Bigger Maque, this baby was layer upon layer of scrumptious ingredients. On the ground floor was a perfect medley of grated, fried potatoes all scrunched up into something resembling a burger patty, right above that were thinly sliced and (presumably) sauteed porcini mushrooms, the whole thing being topped off with a soft and tasty slab of tofu all hidden under a splash of yellow, tangy hollandaise sauce and surrounded by asparagus spears.

    side of tempeh bacon. $3

    side of tempeh bacon. $3

    Oh, I almost forgot that we ordered a side of Tempeh Bacon which disappeared pretty quickly. Crunch, crunch, munch munch and there was an empty plate. My only criticism of this side is that there wasn’t more of it. Like, a thousand times more of it so I could take it home and eat it forever – morning, noon and night. All night.

    We also really loved the “Red Beet Tartare”, another creation of such taste and uniqueness that it’s difficult to describe in writing.

    red beet tartare: warm tofu cheese crouton, english cucumber, balsamic glace. $13

    red beet tartare: warm tofu cheese crouton, english cucumber, balsamic glace. $13

    Basically, you’re looking at a succulent patty of tofu cheese under a medley of finely diced and prepared beet, pickled to perfection all sitting on top of finely sliced cucumbers. After coming down off the entrees, our expectations were somewhat schizophrenic – on the one hand, sky high with anticipation, yet on the other wondering how they could possibly better what we’d just eaten. Well, the Red Beet Tartare delivered on every level imaginable. It kinda exists as a bridge between an entree and a desert, both in appearance and taste. Every bite starts with the cooler beet at the top, followed by the warm ‘cheese’ underneath, then a crunchy slice of cold cucumber to round off this diversity of textures and flavors. I define this dish as the ultimate synergy, defined as “the working together of two or more things to produce an effect greater than the sum of each”. This, my friends is an example of the real brilliance of culinary genius.

    Oh, and not being familiar with the Madeleine menu, we were not aware that this is one of the signature dishes of the restaurant – an accolade so rightfully deserved.

    Anyways, enough about the food. Ambience is important, and the high standards of the menu indicate that the interior of the restaurant has to be a notch or two above what you’d expect, and it is. Even allowing for the fact that all restaurants look better at night (those candles are strategically placed on every table for a reason!), Madeleine’s was relatively calm and peaceful on a Saturday late morning. People were bustling past outside, other customers were calling for reservations and the other clientele were clearly regulars – as will we after a few more more visits!

    Our server was courteous, attentive, and knowledgeable. All the food appeared magically at just the right time, and the dishes were bussed with a smile. I can usually pick fault in any service, but not this time for sure.

    The location is psychologically and physically far away from the Westside and all the potential well-heeled, guilty-rich-liberal types from Santa Monica that “dine vegan” as an occasional trend rather than a lifestyle commitment. However, it has an adjacent parking lot and is less than two minutes from the 101 freeway, so from West Hollywood it takes about the same amount of time to get there as would the tony establishments of Santa Monica (which can’t hold a candle to this place).

    Talking of Westside vegetarian/vegan resturants, Madeleine’s delivers striking good value for money, especially when you consider that my Bigger Maque was priced at $11, less than the (inferior, prepared by line cooks, crappy dine-in experience) M Cafe Big Macro and $6 less than Real Food Daily’s “RFD Burger with The Works” which is basically inedible. Yeah, $13 for the “Red Beet Tartare” might seem like a lot of money at first glance, but it’s an entree that you will never, ever forget.

    I only regret only one thing about Madeleine’s: that it’s been nearly three days since I ate there, and I have not been back for dinner yet – a travesty I fully intend to rectify as soon as possible!

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  • February 22nd, 2009quarrygirlflore cafe (closed), LA restaurants

    UPDATE 9/17: as of sunday 9/20, THE VEGAN BRUNCH IS BACK!!! please go support flore cafe! we don’t want to see this brunch go away again!

    UPDATE: unfortunately, due to slow business, the all-you-can-eat vegan brunch at flore cafe has been discontinued. you should still get over there ASAP though, as most of the brunch items are available on their menu.

    in breaking los angeles vegan news, flore cafe in silverlake is now offering an all you can eat vegan brunch for just ten bucks every sunday from 10am to 3pm. they kicked it off today with an epic breakfast feast, and i was there to enjoy it.

    flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch for $10. pictured is the french toast, tofu scramble and vegan bacon.

    flore cafe all you can eat vegan brunch for $10. pictured is the french toast, tofu scramble and vegan bacon.

    flore cafe has sparked a bit of controversy on this site in the past, mainly because it occupies the same space as our all-time favorite restaurant, the vegan spot, which no longer exists. the only major grouse i’ve had with flore cafe in months prior is in regards to its decision to sell eggs in what used to be an entirely vegan restaurant…and also it’s owned by the same person who owns flore, an entirely vegan restaurant down the street. well, that issue doesn’t even come into play for the sunday brunch. everything offered is 100% vegan, and there wasn’t a single egg or blob of cream cheese in sight. pure, animal-free, sweet & savory goodness.

    my husband and i showed up mid-morning, and the place was already buzzin’ with people. we piled our plates high with tofu scramble, french toast and breakfast potatoes…and even ended up going back for seconds! the orange juice and coffee were flowing like water, and we didn’t want for anything. tons of our friends went throughout the day, and all of them said the crowd was hoppin’ and the food was excellent.

    two vegans get their fill of breakfast, orange juice, and coffee on sunday morning.

    two vegans get their fill of breakfast, orange juice, and coffee on sunday morning.

    i could really get used to a totally vegan all you can eat brunch in los angeles. flore cafe has stepped it up a notch and everyone should check out this sunday meal.

    while i still miss the vegan spot more than ever, it’s great that flore cafe has decided to leave out the eggs and offer a cruelty-free brunch for us los angeles vegans. go and eat it up!

    today the many brunch offerings included:
    tofu scramble, french toast, waffles, potatoes, fresh fruit, bread & jam, coffee and orange juice.

    all you can eat! vegan brunch! flore cafe! sunset blvd. and descanso! yeah!

    all you can eat! vegan brunch! flore cafe! sunset blvd. and descanso! yeah!

    check out the trays and trays of food, lined up right next to the health code department grade A on the window. flore cafe did raise a question today though (and lex of vegan-la also noticed) when they didn’t provide new, clean plates for each trip up to the buffet line. that could result in contamination and raise some eyebrows with the health inspector. i myself, go with the flow, though. that didn’t stop me!

    i filled my plate with the mainly the tofu scramble and vegan bacon, both of which were out of this world! i’ve written about flore cafe’s tofu scramble before, and this stuff was just as good. the chunks of tofu were thick, not all mushed up like in most scrambles, and it came with a generous helping of spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. the vegan bacon was really small and crispy, and had an absolutely delicious smokey taste. the fact that you can take all you want of this for ten bucks is total highway robbery.

    i also got a slice of flore cafe’s french toast. i’ve never had any kind of vegan french toast before, but i can tell you this was better than the real thing. there was a thin slice of really nicely fried bread beneath an absolutely delicious cinnamon batter. i topped it all off with some maple syrup…total perfect decadence!

    i asked for a vegan twinkie when i purchased my plate, but the dude behind the counter told me that they no longer stock them. total bummer. so no more vegan spot, no more vegan twinkies. wtf! i’m just so glad that flore cafe came up with the all you can eat brunch…it’s definitely something that will keep me coming back for more, no matter how disappointed i may be when my favorite stuff drops off the menu. and for all you twinkie stalkers, i hear from sources that they are available at native foods.

    bottom line is, los angeles vegans, the flore cafe brunch is truly incredible! head over there on sundays from 10am to 3pm to get your share of all-you-can-eat 100% vegan awesomeness. you won’t be sorry, and the food is fuckin’ great.

    flore cafe
    3206 w. sunset blvd.
    los angeles ca 90026
    323-667-0116
    all you can eat sunday vegan brunch. 10am to 3pm, ten bucks per person!

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  • November 9th, 2008quarrygirlmore restaurants (not LA), NYC

    well, my dear readers, it’s about time for your humble narrator’s vegan culinary tour of manhattan to come to a stop. and what better way for me to end the string of quarrygirl nyc posts than to leave you with my absolute favorite meal from manhattan: brunch at an awesome little restaurant called counter.

    like most places worth eating at in new york, counter is trendy. counter is pricey. counter is maybe even a bit pretentious. but counter is sooooooo worth it. i read about this swanky little restaurant originally on one of my favorite la based blogs, huggerfood, and i decided that i had to dine there on my trip, no matter what. when another new york based blog backed it up as being the best brunch spot in town, i dedicated an entire saturday morning to trekking across manhattan in search of the perfect post-hangover eats.

    i found my way there and…..wow. wow. wow!!!! counter was fucking incredible. it’s a snazzy vegetarian joint where most of the food is vegan, the service is friendly, the digs are posh, and the ingredients are top-notch.

    frittata alla fiorentina: tofu frittata with a creamy mushroom hollandaise on a bed of spinach with home fries. $9.75

    frittata alla fiorentina: tofu frittata with a creamy mushroom hollandaise on a bed of spinach with home fries. $9.75

    i ordered the frittata alla fiorentina, because the tofu patties and vegan hollandaise sauce sounded absolutely divine. the dish lived up to its hype and so much more. a firm vegetable-tofu medley was formed into two succulent patties and topped with the most incredible eggless creamy sauce and made for the perfect late morning meal. plus, the course came with an ample serving of dark leafy greens and thick, fried potatoes. they also gave me a serving of vegan nutella on the house. i just had to have it after reading about it on huggerfood. even without any pastries to spread it on, counter’s vegan nutella was delightful, and acted as a great condiment for all my food.

    the brunch was amazing—everything was out of this world. the real kicker is, the tofu patties actually contained bell peppers (which i hate) and i was still able to eat them. there’s absolutely no logical explanation for that…the food was just THAT FUCKING GOOD! i am still trying to rationalize it.

    being seitan obsessed, my husband was thrilled to see the east side burger on the brunch menu at counter. he didn’t let the fact that it was 11 am stop him from ordering a slap-up meal consisting of a huge vegan burger and thick, juicy, sliced potato french fries.

    east side burger: wild mushroom pâté, housemade seitan & fresh herbs with all the normal fixin's. $10

    east side burger: wild mushroom pâté, housemade seitan & fresh herbs with all the normal fixin's. $10

    there was nothing at all to fault about the east side burger. i tried it, and it was one of the best vegan burgers i’ve ever had. the patty was absolutely huge, and obviously homemade….none of that freeze-dried shit. this was the real deal. vegetables, grains, soy protein, all blended together perfectly to taste hearty and slightly unhealthy. if we lived in new york, we’d be at counter every weekend for brunch, most def.

    after wolfing down two incredible brunch items at counter, i was super satisfied…but also extremely disappointed that i wouldn’t be in town long enough to sample their plentiful dinner menu. i guess there’s always next time.

    wrapping up my tour of nyc, i gotta say, counter was the most bitchin’ place i ate at. a dripping saucy tofu breakfast, chunky and rich clumps of vegan nutella, lush & fried perfectly seasoned potatoes and a juicy thick vegan-grain burger patty made for the most amazing meal i’ve had in quite some time. when in nyc, get your ass to counter.

    thanks for reading, now i’m back home…so you’d better get ready for a shitload of cool posts about vegan los angeles.

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  • October 27th, 2008quarrygirlLA restaurants, sante la brea

    it’s no secret that i’m always on the lookout for new and delicious vegan food. i try to hit up as many vegan-friendly restaurants as i can in search of that perfect tofu scramble, veggie burger or burrito. that’s why i can’t believe sante la brea has been right here in hollywood, under my nose for the longest time, and i waited until yesterday to try it out.

    it first came to my attention when someone from sante delivered the menu to my work. i skimmed through it and one thing immediately caught my attention. right there, printed on the menu was the fact that sante can prepare ANY item vegan by substituting fake for real meat. hell yeah. plus, i did some research and saw that vegan-la had some nice things to say about sante, and that pretty much sealed the deal.

    so yesterday, the husband and i headed over to give sante a shot…and everything about it was absolutely amazing: the food, service, atmosphere and presentation were all impeccable. sante la brea gets an a+!

    tofu scramble with toast and potatoes. $8

    tofu scramble with toast and potatoes. $8

    we arrived at around noon, so sante was serving both their brunch menu and their normal dinner menu. their brunch menu isn’t available online, but it was filled with really appetizing stuff. tons of scrambles and omelettes, and of course tofu could be substituted for egg in any dish. we shared the tofu scramble and it was incredible. the fluffy tofu was mixed in with tons of garden vegetables and a delicate seasoning. it was the perfect texture and tasted out of this world healthy. you know, the kind of feeling you get when you are eating stuff that’s super good for you. this tasted really good, and i know it was guilt-free. not much oil or fat, just the right ingredients. it’s so refreshing to eat a meal like this, because i am used to eating way too much junk food!

    we also ordered off the dinner menu, and what we chose happened to be vegan, without any substitutions. yay us! the macro ended up being just as tasty, and probably just as healthy as the scramble. i love being married, because it means i get to try two different meals at lunch!

    the macro: tofu, hijiki broccoli, zucchini, daikon root, carrots and onions sauteed in a tahini ginger sauce. served with black beans, tahini dressing and root slaw. choice of entree or wrap. $13

    the macro: tofu, hijiki broccoli, zucchini, daikon root, carrots and onions sauteed in a tahini ginger sauce. served with black beans, tahini dressing and root slaw. choice of entree or wrap. $13

    because it’s easier to share, we opted for the wrap, and man-o-man was it scrumptious. it was so simple, yet so full of flavor. the exotic vegetables mixed together with the seasoning and tofu perfectly, and were covered in tangy dripping tahini sauce. so divine. better than anything i’ve ever eaten over at m café, the los angeles macrobiotic headquarters. sorry, m, this shit was so much tastier.

    not to mention, both meals came with breakfast potatoes that were unbelievable. it’s so great to have a side (that at most restaurants is so full of disgusting grease) be so light AND delicious. i don’t know how they do it, but sante really puts the time and effort into making genuinely healthy food that doesn’t sacrifice taste in the slightest. we need more restaurants like this.

    not just the food is da bomb at sante though, the service and atmosphere are killer as well. the place was empty on sunday at lunch time (a total crime, considering how great sante is!) but our waitress was all over us. very attentive, friendly, and quick when it came to refilling our water glasses. the outdoor seating area was quite lovely too, big wooden tables shaded by curtains and benches with huge fluffy cushions. it was great relaxing in the sun and enjoying our lunch as calming chilled-out electro music played softly in the background.

    overall, sante was a great find. they have TONS of vegan options, plus anything they offer can be made vegan. oh yeah, and a grip of vegan desserts as well. hmmmm. i can’t think of a reason not to try them out asap. delicious all the way around.

    Sante la Brea on Urbanspoon

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  • May 29th, 2008quarrygirlmore restaurants (not LA), seattle

    there’s nothing like a really great breakfast scramble, and seattle seems to do it best. cafe flora, in particular, offers up some amazing vegetable scrambles that can be veganized by changing out the eggs for tofu. they even come with a delectable piece of vegan coffee cake!


    spinach scramble: scrambled tofu with organic baby spinach, leeks and caramelized onions with roasted potatoes and coffee cake $11


    grilled asparagus scramble: scrambled tofu with fresh basil pesto and sundried tomatoes with roasted potatoes and coffee cake $11

    cafe flora isn’t the typical kind of scrappy vegan-friendly restaurant i gravitate towards. it’s expensive, has a long list of complicated opening hours, and several different menus depending on the time of day. it’s actually only open for breakfast (or “brunch” as they call it) on saturday and sunday.

    but when they serve the food you see pictured above, that tastes way better than it looks, it’s no surprise that cafe flora was completely full on sunday morning, within ten minutes of opening its doors.

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