I don’t think we’ve ever asked our readers to jump to a cause before. Usually we’re content with taking pictures of food, but some recent events have spurred us into action to ask for your help to support a potential new highly vegan-friendly and environmentally-friendly business that’s a few months away from opening. Read on to see what all the fuss is about.

You’ve heard us rave about Burbank’s excellent Tony’s Darts Away, the awesome restaurant where over half the food menu is vegan and there’s 38 local beers on tap. About the only criticism we’ve heard is that Burbank is a little far away for some LA residents, and the facility is way too small to cope with the demand at peak times. Tony Yanow, the affable owner of Tony’s Darts Away (interestingly, no relation to the “Tony” in the establishment’s name) is working hard to address those concerns and is in the planning process to convert a disused 1930s theater in Echo Park to a new venue modeled on his original location, but with much more space to accommodate hungry and thirsty vegans (as well as our omnivorous friends).

Initially labeled as “Tony’s East”, the new name is Mohawk Brasserie, and it’ll be on the corner of Sunset and Mohawk right next to Elf (one of LA’s top vegetarian restaurants) and coincidentally across the street from the new LA PETA headquarters (under construction).

The Old Ramona Theatre on Sunset, soon to be Mohawk Brasserie!

photo credit: echoparknow.com

However, all is not set in stone as there has been some limited local opposition to this establishment with local residents (likely a loud minority of people) attempting to stop the construction and progress for what seem to be nefarious and irrelevant reasons: proximity to a school, smells from the kitchen and parking concerns. There’s even a local “blog” where somebody has been spreading untruths about the planned restaurant to scaremonger the local residents.

What’s at stake here? Well, Tony has gone all-out to make sure that Mohawk Brasserie will be a foodie and beer heaven. We sat down with him recently (over a vegan dog and a couple of nice pints of beer, of course!) and he gave us a sneak peek of his plans. On the food side, they include a major expansion of Tony’s Darts Away menu, including the perfect combination of brick oven pizza alongside many more vegan and healthy options. Heck, Tony has even divided the kitchen into two parts: vegan and non-vegan so there’s no chance of getting real cheese on your pizza! Oh, and talking of pizza, Tony is having custom dough and sauce recipes created and will be offering not one but two vegan cheeses: Daiya and the new Teese.

For us beer-types, Tony is dedicating a large area of the bar for keg storage, so that beer can settle and be aged after it’s delivered from the brewery, resulting in a more consistent and tasty pour. Oh, and all beer will be from California, there will be no bottles on the premises and where possible all the food ingredients will be sourced locally to, as Tony puts it, “Create the smallest possible environmental footprint”.

It’s details like a divided kitchen and extra keg storage that set Tony apart from many other proprietors: He cares about the quality of his product, the integrity of his customers food and the environmental impact of the decisions he makes.

Tonight, Tony is appearing in person at the Echo Park Improvement Association Neighborhood Issues Committee meeting being held at 7pm at Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital. He’ll be answering questions from the Committee as well as local residents and explaining his plans for the restaurant and the lengths he’s going to in order to be not just a good neighbor, but to actively improve the area around where Mohawk Brasserie will be.

If you live around the area, and would like to see this special place open up do go along to the meeting and show your support for Tony and his plans.

Frankly, we can’t wait until early next year when Mohawk Brasserie will hopefully open for business.

For more information on this situation and interviews with Tony himself, check out Echo Park Now and The Eastsider LA.

we have a winner for the mooi pizza contest! and the prize goes to PETER with:

a variation of a hearty Meatball Pizza called “Mooiball Pizza”:

Mooiballs/Meatballs: (walnuts/cremini mushrooms/nama shoyu/cloves/garlic/ thyme/oregano/crushed red pepper/flax seed oil/sea salt/pepper)

Tomato Sauce: (plum tomatoes/sea salt/pepper/fresh thyme/olive oil marinated sun-dried tomatoes/garlic clove/fresh basil leaves/fresh thyme/dried oregano/ crushed red pepper/sea salt/pepper)

Cheese: (cashews/sea salt/ garlic clove/black pepper/flax seed oil)

And add slices of Fennel and Vidalia Onion.

congratulations, peter! enjoy your complimentary dinner for 2. 🙂

everyone else, be sure to get to mooi for some tasty raw vegan pizza ASAP.

mooi
1700 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

UPDATE 12/10/10: i just got an email from CSA, and the pickup spot has moved down the street, about a mile away from mooi! here is the new info they sent me:

Hi There! I just wanted to give you news on our pick up location in Echo Park. There is a new health food store near by Mooi. It’s our new pick up spot. And for people who can’t pick up by 5 the bags will be left at the store, and they can pick it up after hours. I know that was a concern for some of the people when they originally read the article. I’d love it, love it if you’d be willing to update the information. I hope this will help out the community more, as several people told me they can’t pick up until after 5. Now they can! I hope all is well!

Here’s the address. 0.9 miles from Mooi
Silver Lake Market
2829 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90026. (213) 908-6730.

great news, eastsiders! community supported agriculture is headed to your area starting next week! if you haven’t heard of CSA, it’s basically an awesome program where you can get a massive box of locally grown fruits and vegetables for $25 per week, available at pickup locations all over los angeles.

huge box of fruits and vegetables, available weekly. $25

as reported earlier this week by LAist and echo park now, CSA are making their eastside debut on tuesday august 17th at none other than the amazing restaurant (and quarrygirl BFF), mooi.

here is the official word from CSA’s newsletter:

CSA launches next Tuesday August 17th in Echo Park at a new raw food restaurant called Mooi. Mooi is located at 1700 W Sunset Blvd. We will be there every Tuesday from 3-5. We may extend the hours to 5:30 once we have enough customers. Below is a link to sign up for the program. You can participate every week or every other week. You will see a list of what was in last weeks bag online. We stick with the season and everything is organic. Each bag is $25 and $2 from every bag goes to school garden programs. Please spread the word!

https://csacalifornia.org/Sign_Up.html

i have had the pleasure of eating my way through an entire CSA box in the past, and let me tell you, it was a damn good value. the fruits and vegetables are extremely fresh and plentiful, and it’s so wonderful eating something that you know was locally grown.

so please, ORDER YOURSELF SOME CSA PRODUCE and PICK IT UP AT MOOI next week. and whilst you are at mooi, eat some of the awesome vegan ice cream and raw food!

for more info on CSA
for more info on mooi

hey everyone, i’ve got some pretty exciting news! starting next week (probably on wednesday), mooi in echo park will be offering 4 flavors of raw vegan pizza. the restaurant has featured pizza as a special before, and it was so popular that they decided to add it to the regular menu.

the best part about all this though, is that mooi wants YOU to come up with their newest pizza flavor. all you gotta do is leave a comment with the type of raw vegan pizza you’d like to see at the restaurant. the winner will get a complimentary dinner for two at mooi, as well as their pizza choice added to the menu! neato, huh?

but first, let me tell you about the fantastic pizzas mooi is gonna start carrying next week. i got a sneak peak at these babies and i was completely blown away.

margherita: sweet chunky marinara, olive oil, macadamia mozzarella, fesh basil leaves & sliced tomato.

the margherita was my favorite—simple flavors, but perfectly executed. it came with chunky marinara, oilve oil, macadamia mozzarella, fresh basil, and sliced tomato. i gotta admit, i am a huge fan of cooked pizza, and this thing still won me over big time. the “bread” crust was ridiculously convincing, and the macadamia cheese was TO DIE FOR. i am really beginning to think nut-based cheese is the best tasting vegan cheese there is. i was seriously shocked by how good this pizza was, maybe it’s because i didn’t know quite what to expect.

hawaiian style: BBQ sauce, eggplant bacon, carmelized onions & pineapple.

next up, i tried the hawaiian style pizza with bbq sauce, eggplant bacon, caramelized onions, and pineapple. i am usually not a fan of this pizza flavor, but i quite enjoyed the raw version. the insanely delicious eggplant bacon and onions are what did it for me. that bacon is just ridiculous. this pizza was pretty crunchy with a great texture, and a wonderful combination of salty and sweet flavors.

red pepper and sundried tomato: red pepper and sundried tomato sauce, anise & fennel italian walnut sausage, macadamia cheese & kalamata olives.

there was also a red pepper and sundried tomato pizza, with anise and fennel italian walnut sausage, macadamia cheese, and kalamata olives. honestly, i didn’t even try this one because i hate bell peppers. it sure was pretty though, and i tasted a bit of the walnut sausage, which was excellent.

lemon basil pesto and garlic aioli: lemon basil pesto sauce, garlic aioli, mixed greens (mustard, kale), fresh basil leaves & marinated shiitake mushrooms.

lastly, there was the lemon basil pesto and garlic aioli pizza—a basil garlic sauce topped with mixed greens, basil leaves, and marinated shiitake mushrooms. like the others, this pizza was extremely tasty. nice fresh ingredients with a rich pesto sauce…what’s not to like?!

now that you’ve seen and heard about all these pizzas, you gotta get over to mooi next week and try them. even if raw pizza sounds a bit strange to you, i think these will knock your socks off. i have tried a couple different raw pizzas before, and these are definitely the BEST, and the only ones that come close to resembling “the real thing.” the crust really tastes like crust, the cheese really tastes like cheese, etc. seriously, i fell in love with just one bite.

oh, now about that contest. you wanna make up your own pizza flavor and win a dinner for two at mooi?!?! details after the jump.

CONTEST —> —–> —–>

Read the rest of this entry »

FINALLY it’s here! if you want authentic, vegan, amazingly delicious chicago-style deep dish pizza in los angeles…look no further than masa of echo park. the restaurant has offered vegan pizza for awhile, but as of a few days ago, they have perfected the art of the animal-free deep dish using the new and improved stretchy teese from chicago soydairy.

i want to start by saying, this pizza is a million times better than any other deep dish we’ve covered on this blog. when i say it’s “authentic” chicago-style, i mean it…and that’s something that masa takes very seriously. in a letter on the restaurant’s website, owner rob rowe explains that he was born and raised in chicago, has worked in chicago pizzerias, and is passionate about making chicago pizza. each pie consists of a 2 inch deep cornmeal crust, filled with whole pear tomatoes, chunky garlic, and cheese underneath the sauce.

to say this pizza is incredible would be a gross understatement. it’s perfect in every way from the extremely flavorful sauce, to the melty-ness of the teese, to the soft cornmeal crust that basically melts in your mouth. the crust is the most amazing pizza crust i’ve ever tasted, in fact.

masa also serves tap beer and wine, which is good news, because their authentic deep dish pizzas take about 40 minutes to bake. this is definitely a great place to come and unwind, have a few drinks, and wait patiently for pizza perfection to emerge from the oven. if you don’t want to wait though, you can always call and order your pizza ahead of time.

please take my advice, and check out masa as soon as you possibly can. order the deep dish with the new stretchy teese, and enjoy what will be without a doubt some of the best vegan pizza you’ve ever eaten.

Masa of Echo Park
1800 West Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 989-1558

PS: masa butters the crust of their deep dish pizzas, but when you order vegan cheese they instead use olive oil. i’m just letting you know, because you may wanna remind them NOT to butter your crust…even though it’s policy not to. i’m just paranoid like that.

after months of setbacks that often come with being a new establishment, mooi raw vegan restaurant in echo park has finally opened its doors…and well, it’s pretty phenomenal. i ate there for the first time last night, and i must say after just one visit, i think it will prove to be one of my favorite spots in LA.

first off, the interior is stunning. a huge double decker space, mooi is furnished with lush comfy chairs, vintage lamps, and purposely mismatched tables. the layout is spacious and extremely well executed—i think the ambiance alone makes it one of the most unique places to eat in LA.

to add to the eclectic vibe, the menus aren’t presented in typical form, but instead they’re pasted into dr. seuss books…

Read the rest of this entry »

finally, the time is here! the much-anticipated mooi restaurant in echo park is opening its doors tomorrow, monday 5/24!

the raw/vegan eatery and dessert parlour has been a quarrygirl favorite for quite some time, and we are so happy that they finally have a brick and mortar location. the menus are already posted on mooi’s website, and we think they look pretty amazing…

Read the rest of this entry »

oh my vegan friends, the time is FINALLY here! mooi restaurant in echo park is ready to open its doors this week, and i can’t fucking wait.

they held a little pre-opening shindig last night—and while i have been a long time fan of the food, i can now say the restaurant space is incredible as well.

Read the rest of this entry »

as we get closer and closer to the opening of mooi, a raw vegan restaurant in echo park, i am growing more and more excited. not only have i recently discovered the joys of raw food—but i have had the pleasure of trying several mooi desserts and appetizers, each one being utterly fantastic.

here are a few of the things i got to sample (let’s just say, you have a lot to look forward to!)…

Read the rest of this entry »

if you aren’t already excited about mooifood, a new vegan restaurant coming soon to echo park, here is another reason to be….

on the menu mooifood will offer several homemade raw nut cheeses as an appetizer, as well as a 3 course cheese entree. after reading about how much i love dr. cow’s, stephen from mooifood sent me a selection of 7 flavors of cheese to try.

have a look:

Read the rest of this entry »

According to legend and folklore, an Elf is a “small, mischievous and magical” being, which probably explains why Elf Cafe in Echo Park is so aptly named:

Small: Elf Cafe is tiny. There are two rows of cramped tables and a bar with a few high stools, leading to a very intimate dining experience. The tables are also very close together, so you have pretty much no option but to get to know your neighbors, whether you want to or not.

Mischievous: I’d actually tried to visit Elf on three separate occasions before. Twice it was full with crowds waiting outside so I just walked on by, the third time I arrived at 5:50pm (the restaurant officially opens at 6) so I could be first in line, only to be told that they were running late “as usual” and wouldn’t open until 6:45pm. Also, the menu is different to what’s online, and there’s no reservations policy making Elf one of the more difficult places to eat at in LA. Mischievous Elf!

Magical: When you do get a table you will be treated to some of the most magical flavors and textures you will ever eat. Every dish is original, and every ingredient fresh (bought that day in most cases) and wonderfully, inventively prepared. Also, the organic environment of stone, wood, exposed brick, flickering candles and new-age style music really does evoke something not of this world.

elf before the evening crowd

I’ll start out by saying that Elf is a vegetarian restaurant, catering mainly to vegetarians with what appear to be some menu items that just happen to be vegan. There’s a heavy emphasis on cheese throughout, and all the very best signature dishes are vegetarian rather than vegan. Notwithstanding that, there are some really good vegan items on the menu, I just wish they could optionally make some items vegan – I mean, to substitute a vegan dip for a bleu cheese dip on a particular dish, or make a vegan version of a salad dressing would hardly cause the kitchen to collapse in a morass of disorganization, now would it?

Anyway, let’s get down to brass tacks. On our visit, we were the first people in the restaurant, glad to take a wonderful two-top table by the window. We were quickly seated, the bottle of wine we brought with us was spirited away to be opened (Elf is BYOB, and more on that later) and we were brought fresh minty water and menus. So far we’d been waited on by two people both of whom were nice and friendly. Once we’d had a chance to review the menu, we began to order.

As a small appetizer we received complimentary crackers with a delicious chickpea and red bell pepper dip. The crackers were fresh, crispy and crunchy, dusted with some herbs and the dip was cool, smooth and clean tasting. So far, we’d spent nothing (or so we thought) and had some tantalizingly tasty food to whet our gaping appetites.

The first dish up was the “Cornmeal and Herb Dusted Spicy Oyster Mushrooms” which the menu proudly proclaimed as “Our version of ‘hot wings’ crispy oyster mushrooms”. The dish usually arrives with the decidedly un-vegan “bleu cheese cream reduction”, but our server said they could be prepared sans-reduction so we asked for them that way. We were pleasantly surprised, though, when the mushrooms arrived and the server said “Here’s your spicy mushrooms, and we did a vegan version of our sauce. Hope you enjoy it!”.

cornmeal and herb dusted spicy oyster mushrooms (made vegan): our version of "hot wings" crispy oyster mushrooms served with marinated celery salad. $10

Did we ever enjoy it…. this is one dish that everybody has to eat before they pass on to the next world – we’re talking millions of sliced, lightly fried and crispy mushrooms all spiced up to the nines atop a cool pile of sauce, with a few thinly sliced celery pieces. It’s not only incredibly tasty, but getting a mouthful of crispy, steaming hot mushrooms with some cool sauce in your mouth is quite the pleasure. I’m really pleased that Elf was able to figure out a vegan sauce, as it really did make the dish. Hopefully they will add that as an option going forward – I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt them.

elf salad: mixed greens with dill, avocados, potatoes, olives and green beans. $11

Next up we went for the basic sounding “Elf Salad”, a veritable cornucopia of fresh green leaves, cabbage, dill, avocados and a bunch of other stuff including green beans and potatoes. We were blown away by the volume and quality of this salad so much that we had to force ourselves to stop eating it as there were another two dishes on their way shortly afterwards.

roasted flatbread shawarma: similar to a shawarma sandwich served open-faced with crispy oyster mushrooms, spicy hummus, and savory cabbage salad. $12

For one entree we rewound to the starters menu and opted for the “Roasted Flatbread Shawarma”, a mile-high serving of cabbage and spicy hummus piled on a fresh pita bread topped off with crispy and light mushrooms. This thing was really tasty – a real mix of flavors and textures that are tough to pull off and get right – we respect what the chefs did to make this, and would heartily recommend it as a very unusual and enjoyable dish. Seriously, one of the highlights of the evening.

moroccan vegetable tagine: moroccan vegetable stew served over red quinoa with a side of spicy homemade harissa. $16

Talking of highlights, the “Moroccan Vegetable Tagine” is probably the most under-described dish I’ve ever had on a menu. Don’t you usually find that menus talk up the items such that you’re bound to be overtly disappointed when they arrive? Not here, and not now. The entire description is somewhat pedestrian, almost boring: “Moroccan vegetable stew served over red quinoa with a side of spicy homemade harissa”.

Let me fucking tell you that this thing off the planet. I’m talking about at least ten different vegetables, all embarrassingly fresh, clearly organic (brussels sprouts, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, beets, green beans, carrots, etc. etc.) and all cooked for what tasted like hours in the most amazing red beet sauce then plopped down over crunchy red quinoa, and served with a side dish of some spicy harissa that (frankly) was as good as the main dish itself, despite its diminutive size. Grab a spoon, dip it in the harissa, scoop up some vegetables and sauce, rinse and repeat until you pass out. You won’t be sorry.

we ended up getting much of the food to-go!

We were way too stuffed to even consider desert, but there are always a couple of vegan options available.

There are few places I’ve eaten where every course has been as astounding as the last, but all ain’t completely rosy in the world of Elf. Let’s haterize for a moment.

One thing you have to know about Elf is that it’s incredibly trendy. Perhaps not as much now as it used to be a year or so ago, but it’s still very much regarded as a place one has to go and “be seen”. The clientele were all very much Eastside hip (I’d say hipsters, but that can be insulting I’ve been told) but all super nice and friendly. I could feel the creative juices flowing into me from the table of artists next to me. One guy even had a fury pirate hat and cape on, I guess just so he could stand out. See if you can spot him in the picture at the bottom of the post.

I’d probably be 100% gushing about the place were it not for the sneaky $2.50 per person corkage fee, which wasn’t disclosed anywhere on the menu or by the server when she so gleefully took our bottle of wine away to be opened. After paying top dollar for our food we were punished with an additional $5 charge on the bill. I believe that it’s actually illegal to insist on such optional, non-advertised charges, so I recommend everybody refuse to pay it until they put it on the menu or tell you when they pick up your bottle.

All in all, though, Elf really lives up to its namesake mythical being: Compact, kinda troublesome yet completely magical. I’ll be back soon, as I’m sure that most people who go there regularly will.

elf
2135 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 484-6829
weds-sun: 6:30ish?-11pm

it’s been a good couple weeks for los angeles vegans, as it seems daiya vegan cheese has hit the ground running. the amazing product that stretches and melts just like real cheese, is already at 2 awesome pizza joints, and now you can find it on sandwiches at chango, echo park’s vegan-friendly coffee shop, as well.

vegan grilled cheese sandwich with daiya vegan cheese.

i got the chance to sample some of the delicious sandwiches that chango just started serving up yesterday, and they were off the chain! i make a pretty damn good grilled cheese at home using daiya, and i can tell you chango’s version blew mine out of the water. it had the perfect amount of insanely melty cheese, and the bread was rich, moist and perfectly pressed.

JUST LOOK AT THAT PICTURE. look at how that cheese is melting, you know it belongs in your fucking face. i can’t stress this to you enough: if you have never had a daiya grilled cheese sandwich, you NEED to go get one at chango. the cheddar daiya is far superior to the mozzarella, and its actual flavor it a lot closer to real cheese. the alternative to going to chango if you wanna try this stuff, is to order it online and pay an enormous shipping cost plus an extra fee to have it sent in a cold bag. totally not worth it when you can roll over to echo park and pick up one of these.

the grilled cheese at chango also comes with a pasta salad (not pictured) which consists of colored bow tie pasta, olive oil seasonings, tomatoes, olives and daiya mozzarella shreds…absolutely creamy and delicious. it will all cost you $7.50, well under 10 bucks, which is pretty reasonable for a vegan sandwich & side in this town. you may want to call chango to make sure they have these before you drive over there. because they are new and all, who knows how popular they will be.

chango coffee house
1559 Echo Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 977-9161

in the mood for a huge, hearty, warm, melty, fake-meaty vegan sandwich for under $10? look no further than chango coffee house in echo park. the hipster cofee shop/art gallery is located at echo park avenue and delta street, a spot that locals have dubbed “chicken corner,” and has recently added two unbelievably tasty vegan sandwiches to their menu. i had the chance to try both over the weekend, steak & cheese as well as chicken pesto, and each one brought a kind of sandwich satisfaction that isn’t available anywhere else in town.

vegan steak and cheese sandwich. $7.50

the vegan steak and cheese sandwich is basically a vegan version of your typical “philly cheesesteak,” with thick soy steak strips and dairy-free mozzarella, along with sauteed onions and mushrooms. chango toasted the sandwich when i ordered it, so the bread was warm and crispy and the soy cheese was perfectly melty. for the steak chango uses gardein, and for the cheese they use teese from chicago soy dairy…each being the best replacement out there for its animal-product counterpart. i can tell you, this steak and cheese sandwich was so amazing, even a meat-eater would fall in love with it. not since doomie’s or the vegan spot (both are closed down now) have i had such a great vegan sandwich.

vegan chicken pesto salad panini. $7.50

the vegan chicken pesto sandwich was equally impressive, with thick chunks of gardein protein, creamy cheese-less pesto sauce, fresh basil, crisp lettuce and juicy tomatoes. the pesto was really garlicky, just the way i like it, and the bread heated up to be perfectly toasty and crunchy. where else can you buy a big chunky chicken pesto sandwich that’s vegan in los angeles?!? …that’s right. nowhere.

the thing i love about chango’s new sandwiches, are they are unlike the normal “vegan” sandwich options you can get just about anywhere. rather than just some grilled vegetables and maybe tofu on a bread roll, chango take its vegan sandwiches to the next level with fake meats, soy cheeses, and incredible homemade pesto sauce. plus, they are really well prepared, perfectly assembled with just the right amount of ingredients, and toasted to absolute perfection. you aren’t gonna get any other sandwich this good for well under 10 dollars, i guarantee you.

the atmosphere is also great at chango, it reminds me of a hip seattle coffee shop with its bohemian customers, shelves full of books to peruse, and bright art adorning the wall. seriously, it’s the perfect place to sit back and relax with a cup of caffeine and a huge vegan sandwich. get your ass over to chango asap and see what this food is all about. the vegan items are listed right now on the “specials” chalkboard to the left of the counter, not on the main board.

chango coffee house
1559 Echo Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90026

when i first posted on franken’s, the one and only all-vegan hot dog stand in los angeles, i vowed that i would follow them around, show up at their gigs, and get food from them every time they set up shop. since then, the frankenstand has made two appearances in la, and we were there for both of them.

the food was delicious on both occasions…but before i get into all that, i wanna remind you that the frankenstand will be serving it up in echo park this friday, march 13th at pehrspace. don’t miss it!

for more updates on franken’s, definitely stalk them on myspace and twitter.

the frankenstand

their latest appearance was a smashing success, and we were there at the front lines as they sold like a million hot dogs to hungry hipsters at the east hollywood art cycle event on february 28th. they set up shop outside la city college at heliotrope and melrose, right across from pure luck…it was a vegan’s dream come true!

the wolf and the franken

we ordered the wolf and the franken, both 100% vegan tofurky sausages steamed to perfection. i don’t know how the frankenstand makes tofurky taste so good, but it’s seriously something i can’t replicate at home. of course we took advantage of the eat-all-you-want condiment tray and sauce selection.

the wolf: this is a zesty frank you'll love to wolf down. packed with a fangtastic, chipotle pepper flavor! $3

this was my first time trying the wolf, the cheapest and definitely the spiciest of the sausages available at franken’s. for only 3 bucks it’s a really good deal, but it is considerably smaller than the other franks…so keep that in mind if you are very hungry. the chipotle pepper flavor was delicious, but i made it even tastier with tons of onions and even spicier with loads of hot sauce. i can’t tell you enough how much i love all the condiments and vegetables at the frankenstand.

the franken: this classic sausage will make you feel alive! with a monster blend of sun dried tomatoes and basil giving it a slightly sweet taste. $5

my husband got the same thing he always orders, the franken. the hearty italian-style frank is absolutely mouth-watering, with little bits of sun dried tomato chopped up inside. this sausage seems to be most people’s favorite, although mine is the witch…a tofu beer-flavored frank that costs 4 bucks.

the artists and bikers seemed to love the frankenstand—there was a pretty healthy line when we got our franks, and we were there relatively early. for more coverage on franken’s at the east hollywood art cycle, check out sick of lettuce.

we also caught up with the frankenstand at the threat fest in canoga park on february 21st. the valley crust punk crowd couldn’t have been more different from the heliotrope hipsters…but they sure loved the hot dogs just as much. i saw people going back for second, and even third servings of franken’s! you can see some pix from that event in the franken’s photo gallery and on vegan-la.com.

so those are all the franken’s adventures i have for now. stay tuned, and be sure to check out the frankenstand this friday!

the frankenstand
friday march 13th at 9pm
at pehrspace
325 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90026

even with all the awesome vegan food options in los angeles, i think it’s safe to say none of it is quite as fun or interesting as the stuff from franken’s, a 100% vegan spooky-themed hot dog stand that travels around the city feeding hungry people outside venues like the smell and pehrspace.

the franken stand! 100% plant-based gourmet franks!

i started following franken’s on myspace, and i can’t tell you how stoked i was when i read their description of the franken stand:

We Heard Your Cries For Tasty Food At Those Late Night Shows! Franken’s Offers Gourmet Franks Fresh Off Our Franken-Stand! They Are 100% Plant-Based And Frightening Delicious! Dress Them With Your Choice Of Trimmings. We Carry Vegenaise, Hot Sauce, BBQ, Mustards, Ketchup, Kraut, Relish, Peppers, Onions, And More… Wash It All Down With A Selection From Our Wide-Variety Of Healthy & Savory Sodas!

in a city full of hipsters chasing taco trucks and rogue hot dog vendors, it’s nice to see a vegan stand has sprung up and thrown itself into the mix. i friended franken’s on myspace to track their location, and was so excited to see they were scheduled to set up in echo park right outside pehrspace for a dance party called hungry beat last sunday night. we hauled ass all the way from hollywood to the east side at 9pm just to get a taste of the delicious franks.

we arrived early (at least for this crowd, it was early!) at around 9:30pm and navigated our way down the dark glendale boulevard, looking for the franken stand. we heard some music bumping from the glen village shopping center, and wandered in to find a hidden oasis of veganism. the franken stand was set up proudly, affixed with flashing LED lights and colorful drawings of monsters. two very friendly people stood behind it, a man and a woman; the man neatly dressed in an old-school conductor hat and stripey shirt. they welcomed us to the stand and explained that everything was plant-based—no meat, no dairy, no eggs—and that we could choose our flavor of hot dog, then pile on as many toppings and sauces as we desired. on the counter there was an impeccably clean tray of chopped fresh vegetables, from pickles to jalapenos to onions, and a carousel of neatly labeled sauces, from mustard and ketchup to vegenaise and cilantro cream. i knew we’d found something really special.

we ordered two hot dogs, the witch and the franken (all the franks have fun, spooky names and descriptions), and piled them high with toppings and sauces from the cart. we found a nearby newspaper stand under a streetlamp on glendale boulevard and tore into our franks like hungry vultures. as you can see, one hot dog didn’t even survive without a bite long enough to be photographed.

the witch and the franken.

the witch tofu dog with full sail ale was definitely my favorite. it had a distinct microw-brew taste and a really thick texture. piled high with fresh onions and slathered in hot sauce and cilantro cream, it was in-fucking-credible.

the witch: how's your hex life? let this big sausage put its spell on you! made with real tofu and micro-brewed with full sail ale! $4

the franken was also awesome. it was thicker than the witch, and stuffed with tons of sun dried tomatoes, giving it a distinctively sweet taste. covered in hot sauce, mustard, onion, and fresh jalapeno…this sweet frank was suddenly transformed into being really spicy as well!

the franken: this classic sausage will make you feel, ALIVE! with monster blend of sun dried tomatoes and basil giving it a slightly sweet taste. frighteningly delicious! $4

both dogs were flawless and scrumptious beyond belief. franken’s ain’t lying when they brag that they offer “gourmet franks”, it’s true! i don’t know where they get them from, but the franks were so tasty and well-crafted…plus, i can’t even stress how fine and fresh all the toppings were. the franken stand is doing it right—offering high-quality, cheap, vegan food to hungry late-night party-ers.

i am so impressed with franken’s in fact, i have decided to be a hot dog rat and chase the franken stand from venue to venue, eating it whenever i can. as of now, their next appearance will be in canoga park at the threat fest on february 20th. hopefully i will see you there, and be sure to follow franken’s on myspace for all their upcoming dates. as soon as you can, i highly suggest you make the drive out to eat franken’s, and come very hungry so you can try as many different franks as possible!

UPDATE! franken’s now has a twitter account! follow them for their location at twitter.com/TheFrankenStand! thanks to commenter foodeater for pointing this out.

find franken's and EAT IT UP. you won't be sorry!