after years of sticking it out in the valley, madeleine bistro (our favorite restaurant ever) is finally planning to expand over the hill and open a cafe in los angeles next month. according to them, it’s gonna be an all vegan ice cream, pastry, and sandwich shop in westside LA featuring many of the menu items from madeleine bistro as well as an array of handcrafted desserts and eventually booze! but before they open, they need to do a bit of fundraising, and they’re offering some pretty sweet prizes (pun intended!) to people who help them meet their goal.

they’re only accepting donations for ten days, so if you wanna get in on this, don’t stall. i’m usually pretty wary of online fundraising, but with this deal donors get something back in return—anything from free desserts to a party catered by chef dave. hmmmm…help a vegan restaurant open, and get a party catered by the country’s best vegan chef in the process? i may have to go out and make some actual friends so i can take advantage of this!

seriously though, read all about the project here and pitch in whatever you can. los angeles will be a much better place when this cafe is open.

i recently spent some time in fort myers, fl, visiting my parents. fort myers has pretty limited vegan options and i’d been to them all over the years. i was checkin’ around on my happycow app i found out about cool hand luc’s, a new ice cream shop/cafe that serves (GASP) vegan ice cream! i HAD to have it!

i strolled on up to the ice cream case and one thing i noticed right off the bat – anything that HAS dairy is marked as having dairy. anything that is vegan is just labeled with the flavor. lovesssitttt. i got peanut butter, naturally. lemme tell you this: it was fucking delicious. super creamy and peanut-buttery. i’m even going to go so far as to say it’s better than local LA heroes, scoops. cool hand luc’s, why are you so far away from me?!

my mom was hungry and decide to get the “burn after eating” – a pita stuffed with buffalo tempeh and vegan ranch.

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UPDATE 5/16/11: although the waffle cones are vegan at the moment, be sure to check before you eat them because hugo’s may switch brands. thanks to amy for the info!

YES, IT’S TRUE!!! hugo’s tacos in studio city now has vegan soft serve…and….wait for it…VEGAN WAFFLE CONES. excuse me while i drool on my keyboard.

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Well, I’ve been living more or less permanently in Barcelona for 9 months now, and had stopped checking out Happy Cow etc, as new places get passed round by word of mouth quicker than they get published. But one thing I missed out on last summer was ice cream. In a hot climate, that’s not clever. Well, I corrected that recently after a Dia Sin Carne demo. I’d heard about how good Gelaaati was, but for some reason never got round to it. I am glad I did is all I can say (dumb ass Monkey I am for waiting so long).

Nice clean frontage, but no sign of vegan goodies just yet!

The shop is just off Pl Jaume, just minutes walk from Las Ramblas along from Ferran. The shop front is simple enough, and the inside follows the same idea. Ice cream and fruit sorbets, to eat in or go. And a good selection for vegans.

VEGANOS GELAATI!!

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last week we blogged about the fact that kindkreme, LA’s dairy-free ice cream parlor, is up and running in echo park. well tomorrow, they’re having their grand opening party and you are all invited.

here are the details…

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hey everyone! today’s quick bite comes to us from fred (aka @cycled) who visited maggiemudd, a very vegan-friendly ice cream parlor in san francisco, over presidents day weekend. man, i really wanna go here someday. check it out.

We arrived here on a Sunday afternoon looking to indulge in some tasty treats after withstanding the deluge on Saturday. After staring at the menu board denoting a multitude of variations available to make your ultimate frozen treat, I couldn’t help but feel indecisive.

Mudslide and Birthday Cake, covered with soy whip, sliced almonds, and cookie crumbs. $7

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haven’t you heard?! both hugo’s tacos locations are offering a 25% discount on vegan items from 5pm until close when you mention “quarrygirl”, and the OFFER ENDS TODAY! get over there and enjoy some insane vegan-friendly mexican food at a cheaper price!

vegan chocolate soft serve root beer float

as if you didn’t have enough motivation to head to hugo’s tacos, did you know that the atwater village location always has TWO flavors of VEGAN SOFT SERVE? and that they offer VEGAN ROOT BEER FLOATS? i’m not making this up…

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pizza fusion hollywood is continuously looking out for their vegan customers. from carrying 2 types of dairy-free cheese (daiya and follow your heart), to offering cruelty-free specials on both superbowl and valentine’s day…they always seem to have us covered.

in addition to their incredible pizza menu, i recently found out they have VEGAN BEER FLOATS and a new selection of vegan-friendly wraps. of course, i had to get over there and try this stuff out.

vegan wrap: romaine, arugula, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, soy cheese, tahini & fresh lemon. served with side arugula salad. $8.99

first up, the “vegan wrap,” which (naturally) comes vegan by default…

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vegan field report time! it’s another one by bess of i dream of greenie, and this one comes to us again from austin, texas. here she gives us quick reviews on 2 different places. she covers some awesome thai food at veggie heaven, as well as some vegan soft serve from toy joy. i am officially more jealous than i ever thought possible of those of you who are heading to sxsw next month. check it:

Curry Bun: Made of flour dough outside and filled with onions, tofu, vegetable cooked in curry sauce. $2.50

After eating and drinking my weight in vegan tacos, enchiladas and tequila, for my last meal in Austin, I decided to switch things up a bit.

My friend and I spent the day in the UT campus area and after consulting the Compassion Over Killing Austin dining guide, opted to check out Veggie Heaven…

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we have been waiting for awhile, and the day is finally here! kindkreme, LA’s dairy-free ice cream parlor, is opening a second location in pasadena this weekend!

i got a chance to scope out the new digs, and this place is even bigger and better than the original. here are some pix and things you can look forward to at the grand opening on february 5th…

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this is just a heads up to let everyone know that the carvel ice cream in beverly hills makes make vegan versions of old school ice cream cakes, including the cookie puss! it’s seriously too good to be true…their cake page is insane, and they can all be veganized. i have never had a vegan ice cream cake, but i’m freaking dying to try one. all i need is 14 friends to help me eat it. :/

this is a vegan classic cookie puss that carolyn from the healthy voyager got for her birthday. i’m totally jealous.

vegan ice cream cakes are available from the beverly hills location only, so give them a call or send them an email to order your cake. they responded to my email almost immediately!

carvel 90210
421 N. Rodeo Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-278-5411
carvel90210@me.com

oh yes, a vegan cake batter and chocolate sundae from lula’s sweet apothecary in nyc.

we’ve raved about lula’s before, and anyone who has eaten there knows it’s the most amazing ice cream parlor on the planet. it’s all vegan, and it sells the best vegan ice cream known to man. new york egg creams, flurries, cones, banana splits…they’ve got it all. my recent visit consisted of a sundae with soft serve cake batter and chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, cookies, and whipped cream. heaven.

lula’s sweet apothecary
516 east 6th street
ny ny 10009
646-481-5852
sunday 3pm – 10pm
monday closed
tues-weds 3pm – 10pm
thurs, fri, sat 3pm – 11:30pm

hi folks, just a quick post to tell you about some fantastic current and upcoming chili addiction menu items that you should all be aware of.

i’ll start with the food that is actually available right now: vegan sorbet! did you even know that chili addiction offered dessert?!? i didn’t until my last visit, and now i am gonna be HOOKED. this stuff is so good, and just perfect for the hot weather. after stuffing myself with various kinds of vegan sausages (more on that later), the chili addiction dudes offered me a sampling of 3 of their sorbet flavors—lemon, lime, and banana. i am usually not a sorbet fan, but this was incredible.

lemon, chocolate covered banana, and lime sorbet

most sorbets i’ve tried in the past have been thick and icy, but not this. it was extra smooth and silky, with an almost milky texture, like real ice cream. i asked what made it so creamy, and johnny (the chef wizard at chili addiction) explained that he has a special contraption that helps the fruit reach that magical texture. not only is it delicious, but it’s relatively guilt-free as well. made from only fruit and sugar, this treat has no excess fat or scary ingredients—just pure, natural goodness.

now, let’s move onto the stuff that isn’t available just yet. very soon, chili addiction is ditching their store bought vegan sausages, and switching to homemade ones using match meat and a variety of herbs and spices. they are still waiting on casing for these sausages before they are available to the public, but i got to sample them and i promise that you guys are in for a treat! here are the flavors you can look forward to (please note i tried these in patty form, but i’m pretty sure they will be shaped sausage style once they hit the menu)…

vegan bratwurst sausage

the bratwurst was amazing. as a burger, i loved it…but i can’t wait to try it as a sausage with some sauerkraut as a topping. as much as i love all the pre-made veggie dogs and sausages on the market, this has got it beat.

vegan cilantro sausage

the cilantro sausage was quite delicious as well. i myself am a coriander lover, so this was right up my street.

vegan chipotle sausage

next up was the chipotle sausage, the perfect blend of match and hot spices. i loved this thing so much; and it was served with a fantastic side of homemade salsa. i didn’t even know chili addiction carried salsa, but i am gonna ask for this as a side from now on.

honestly, this can hold its own with the freshest of stuff from real mexican restaurants. it’s that damn good. and the sausage ruled too.

vegan italian sausage

then came the vegan italian sausage, and it took everything to a whole new level. this baby was all loaded up with seasoning and fennel, the closest thing i’ve tasted to proper meat ball since going vegan. i really wanna try this in some pasta, or maybe atop a bowl of chili mac.

vegan breakfast sausage

lastly, we tried the new vegan breakfast sausage…and i’m not gonna lie, this was my favorite one. decades ago when i was a wee meat-eating quarrygirl, i remember visiting my aunt in tennessee, and every morning she’d cook up batch after batch of her “extra special” sausage. of course it was all full of animals and gross stuff, but i really loved it at the time. suffice to say, one bite of this creation, and i was transported to those childhood memories in the deep south. authentic-tasting beyond belief. i can’t wait to see what chili addiction decides to do with this, but i sure hope it’s some kind of breakfast sandwich.

sorry to tease you all with these mouthwatering sausages that aren’t available yet, but look out for them at chili addiction soon! the sorbet is on the menu now, though. so go and eat that up with all of the other amazing dishes chili addiction has to offer!

chili addiction
408 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 203-1793
closed mondays!
lunch 12pm-3pm
dinner 5:30pm-9pm
(sundays they close at 7pm)

UPDATE: NiceCream has changed its name to KindKreme!

after a long, long wait the day is finally here! nicecream vegan ice cream in studio city has opened its doors, and wow……this place is PHENOMENAL.

vegan soft serve topped with raw cacao nibs

today marked the very first day of business for LA’s only entirely dairy-free ice cream parlour, and of course we were there to check it out…

nicecream galore!

now before i go all crazy talking about how delicious this place was and how much enticing stuff they have on the HUGE menu, i just want to point out that nicecream is not entirely vegan—some of the flavors contain honey. at the moment, all of the honey-containing varieties are currently marked, except for “strawberry.” the owner told me that they are going to make a new sign to mark that one too, and it should all be labeled very clearly by their grand opening on saturday. she also told me that all the honey used in nicecream products is obtained through cruelty-free means at a local facility. i don’t know what your stance on honey is (i don’t eat it, and i think it’s vile and unvegan), but that’s not what we are here to talk about. glad that’s out of the way, now let’s get down to the nicecream!

what struck my eye when i first walked in, was the huge vegan soft serve machine. it is very hard to come by dairy-free soft serve in LA, so this thing was an instant matter of interest. the friendly employee behind the counter saw my excitement and immediately offered me a sample. with just one bite, this stuff changed everything i know about vegan soft serve. it was thick and flavorful, dense yet fluffy, oh man….fucking perfect. the best soft serve i’ve ever had, hands down. i’d like to install one of these machines in my house and pump its crazy-good ice cream down my throat on a daily basis. i don’t know how nicecream manages to make it all vegan, raw, and organic…but it’s totally mind-blowing.

there were many more insane-sounding dishes that i can’t wait to try out next time. milkshakes, banana splits, and ice cream sandwiches just to name a few. check out the menu:

nicecream menu: CLICK TO ENLARGE!

they also had a large selection of vegan ice cream to go…

(via nicecream's facebook page)

a counter full of delicious-looking treats…

a team of 3 lovely and helpful ladies…

(via nicecream's facebook page)

and free parking for vegan ice cream lovers…

seriously, THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! get there as soon as you can, and be sure to make it to the grand opening on 5/15.

i love the idea of nicecream in general, and their huge menu and incredible desserts make me love them even more. if only this place would switch to agave!!!!!

nicecream vegan ice cream
3701 cahuenga blvd.
studio city, ca 91604
818-308-6758

Mon – Thurs: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sun: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

follow them on twitter!
friend them on facebook!

UPDATE 05/15/2010: WE HAVE A WINNER!!! hey everyone, the winner of the vegan ice cream contest is “ttt” with a creation called “cracker jack”: salted caramel ice cream with peanuts and/or peanut butter swirl!

mooi is gonna crank out this ice cream in the near future, and it will be on the cafe’s menu when they open. ttt, congratulations! email me for your prize!

runners up included chick-o and the man(go) by LCMom, cop’s breakfast by Liz, standing avoation by Emily, and birthday cake ice cream by Veggywood.

FREE VEGAN ICE CREAM BY MOOI! enter to win! i’ve had a lot of great contests on this blog, but this has got to be my favorite! instead of just winning a 32 oz container of ice cream, you have the chance to create your very own flavor that will appear on the mooi restaurant menu!

orange cream with peppermint fudge ice cream

in case you haven’t heard of mooi, it’s this amazing raw/vegan restaurant that’s about to open up in echo park. their ice cream is already available at naturemart in silverlake, and it’s seriously some of tastiest, most inventive dessert food i’ve ever eaten.

here’s what you need to do to win:

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