• January 25th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, meet market (closed)

    starting today, the meet market in silverlake is offering loads of new menu items and extending their business hours; this is seriously something you won’t want to miss. already known for its inexpensive yet hearty vegan sandwiches, meet market is adding FOUR new incredible and praise-worthy dishes to their menu, none of which will break the bank. these items are better than the ones you’ll find at other popular vegan eateries, but average 4-5 dollars cheaper. just have a look:

    vegan reuben: rye bread, 1000 island, sauerkraut, marinated wheat meat, balsamic beats & daiya mozzarella. $4.95

    first off we have the vegan reuben at a mere $4.95. did you hear that…a vegan reuben for under $5!? in los angeles!! maybe i am just used to getting overcharged, but this is a full $6 less than some other reubens in town, and WAY BETTER. in fact i would say this could be the best vegan reuben in LA, and the fact that it costs so little when every competitor is nearing (if not over) $10, is totally mind blowing. the marinated fake meat and the dripping balsamic are totally juicy and incredible. there are flavor combos going on in this thing that you won’t find in any other los angeles reuben…it probably deserves its own blog post. seriously, try it.

    grilled cheese and tempeh: focaccia, daiya mozzarella, grilled onions, tempeh bacon, basil. $4.95

    the next dish i tried was the grilled cheese and tempeh. to call this thing a vegan “grilled cheese sandwich” is really doing it a disservice, because every time i hear those three words, i immediately assume it’s something i could make at home. this grilled cheese sandwich, however, was fully loaded and packed with fine ingredients that i couldn’t easily re-create in my kitchen. it was served on warm and fluffy focaccia bread and filled with melty daiya cheese, sweet sticky onions, smoky meaty tempeh, and soft leafy basil. again, at $4.95…this is just stunning. some restaurants throw daiya between white bread and charge upwards of $9 for it. the meet market really gives you your money’s worth. best vegan grilled cheese ever.

    vegan chicken club: sandwich roll, breaded "chicken", tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, sprouts. $5.95

    similarly, the chicken club does not disappoint—a soft baguette stacked with fresh avocado, sprouts, crispy breaded faux chicken, and tempeh bacon. it’s unlike any other vegan club i’vee had in that it’s basically a fried chicken and bacon hoagie rather than a traditional double decker sandwich. it’s fat, hearty, salty and flavorful with a lot of bread and tons of creamy vegan mayo. it’s quite large, under $6, and comes with a generous serving of avocado.

    chef salad: chopped romaine, "beef", "chicken", "bacon", daiya cheddar and mozz, creutons, tomato, avocado, sprouts, house dressing. $6.95

    last but not least, today the meet market is also introducing an incredible chef salad. a huge and hearty meal, this comes loaded with 3 varieties of faux meats, 2 types of daiya, various vegetables, avocado, and rich house dressing. this salad is so delicious and such a good value, it honestly defies description. you really must go eat it for yourself.

    in addition to adding this new stuff, the meet market is revising its hours to 12pm-7pm monday through friday and 10am – 6pm saturday and sunday. that means if you work during the week, you could possibly now have time to hit up the meet market for dinner. i know i will be there at least a few times this week to get completely full for under 5 bucks.

    the meet market
    the meet market
    3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso)
    Los Angeles, CA 90026
    12pm-7pm monday through friday
    10am – 6pm saturday and sunday

    PS: while you are there, be sure to grab a vegan bake sale cupcake. they’re downright delicious.

    Tags: , , , ,
  • January 7th, 2009quarrygirlLA restaurants, nite moon cafe

    nite moon cafe is a 100% vegetarian, organic and vegan-friendly cafe located in the golden bridge yoga center in the heart of hollywood. the menu is light and nutritious, a health-conscious vegan’s dream, consisting of sandwiches, wraps, tempeh burgers, soups and a large build-you-own salad bar. oh oh oh, and plenty of vegan desserts and smoothies!

    i checked out nite moon the other day with a friend, and we were both blown away by the quality of the food and the pleasant and relaxing dining atmosphere.

    i ordered the bridge burger, which i assumed would be pretty basic, and was extremely impressed with its originality and tasty-ness.

    the bridge burger: tempeh patty with lettuce, tomato, avocado with thousand island dressing on organic whole wheat bun. served with an organic house salad. $10.75

    the bridge burger: tempeh patty with lettuce, tomato, avocado with thousand island dressing on organic whole wheat bun. served with an organic house salad. $10.75

    the tempeh patty was out of this world—chewy, tasty and firm all at once. the vegetables were fresh and organic, and the vegan thousand island was way better than the real thing. plus, nite moon really took it up a notch with the side salad…it was piled high with vegetables and seeds, covered in a delicious vegan dressing. everything tasted really superb. 

    nite-moon-burger-cu

    my friend went with the club sandwich, which i tried, and it was excellent as well. three thick slices of chewy rye bread stacked with first-rate vegetables and luscious tempeh bacon. mmm.

    club sandwich: lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, carrot, veganaise and tempeh bacon on 3 slices of organic rye bread. $10.75

    club sandwich: lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, carrot, veganaise and tempeh bacon on 3 slices of organic rye bread. $10.75

    needless to say, we both ate EVERYTHING on our plates…the food was so freaking good. what’s awesome though, is that we didn’t feel full or bloated. even after a large meal, we practically floated out of the place. i seriously can’t wait to go back—there are so many things on the menu i want to try, especially the vegan desserts and the huge, appetizing salad bar. have a look at the menu…doesn’t it all look incredible?

    nite-moon-menu

    i must admit, even though i work in hollywood about 5 minutes from nite moon, i was hesitant to try it out. being located inside a yoga center, it seemed kinda intimidating. i imagined it would be like eating in a gym cafe, with lots of athletic types milling about in between yoga classes—i couldn’t have been more wrong! nite moon is located in what golden bridge yoga dubs a “spiritual village,” a tranquil and colorful area decorated with tibetan prayer flags. you order your food at the counter and find a seat at the long, wooden communal table while you wait for the friendly staff to serve you your meal. to the right of the cafe, there’s a huge commerce area with books, magazines, yoga supplies and clothing. the clientele is mixed, new age types, pregnant ladies, kids, young and old adults. it really is a beautiful, peaceful and welcoming place to enjoy a fabulous lunch.

    nite-mon-int

    nite moon is located right behind the arclight cinemas at vine and de longpre, and they validate parking for the structure ($2/2 hours). head over and check it out as soon as you have a chance; i know i shall be lunching there very often.

    nite-moon-ext

    nite moon cafe at golden bridge
    6322 de longpre ave
    hollywood, ca 90028
    323-988-4052

    open monday – thursday 10 am – 9 pm
    friday & saturday 10 am – 4 pm
    closed on sundays

    Tags: , , , ,