well this is exciting news! the team behind urban food crawl, LA’s weekly downtown vegan restaurant tour have now launched a weekly silverlake walking tour that will take place on sundays. i don’t know exactly which restaurants they’ll be hitting up, but highlights include savory calzones, tacos, german street food, and sweets! sounds pretty incredible, right?! tours are $65 and last for about 3 and a half hours, and you can get your tickets here.

but that’s not all! as a pre-thanksgiving special, urban food crawl is offering a discount weekend when both of their tours will be only $48.75. check it out! have any of you guys ever been on these tours? what do you think? walking and eating local vegan grub for multiple hours sounds like my perfect day!

hey everyone! time for a quick bite from our resident field reporter trishells! for more of her shenanigans, follow her on twitter and check out her yoga website! xo -QG

home restaurant is a very veg friendly joint serving american home style meals. they have two locations: los feliz on the corner of hillhurst and kingswell and the second in the silverlake area on the corner of riverside and fletcher. both locations serve the same menu but the silverlake location is much larger and imo has a cozier atmosphere.

Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito (with tofu and no cheese!): Spinach tortilla filled with grilled veggies and a touch of garlic, black beans, scrambled tofu and salsa served on the side. Served with your choice of Home fries or fresh fruit. $9.95

i have become a regular at home in silverlake and the breakfast burrito (substitute tofu for egg and minus cheese) has become one of my favorite meals. the veganized version serves up a spinach tortilla filled with tofu, grilled veggies, garlic, black beans, and salsa served on the side. it’s served with a choice of home fries or fresh fruit. when i awake in the morning my typical first thought is “breakfast burrito” and (when i have the time) the craving leads me directly to home.

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omg omg omg. i am so excited. sliders are the best thing ever! it’s common knowledge that cute mini food is waaaaaay better than normal food, and sliders are just that: tiny adorable burgers that are far superior to their full grown counterparts. as of friday march 11th, flore vegan (one of the best restaurants in town) won’t just be offering sliders…but they’re adding AN ENTIRE SLIDER MENU. my head is gonna explode. check it out:

vegan sliders at flore!

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raw vegan lasagna at cru is no more!

hey everyone, just a quick update on the cru silverlake situation…

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WTF?! this can’t be good! cru, one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants, has shut down temporarily and is changing chefs?! the news comes to us via eater.com:

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as vegan pizza day rapidly approaches, it’s important that i blog about as much vegan pizza as possible.

i have raved about the vegan ny-style pizza by the slice from hard times in silverlake before, and after sharing some pies with a group of friends, i’m an even bigger fan. not only did the pizza taste terrific, but it was enormous and moderately priced.

yes, hard times has beer as well!

we hit them up on a thursday lunch time and pretty much had the place to ourselves. there were 6 of us dining together, so we called in two large 18″ vegan pizzas to share–one cheese and mushroom (pictured above), and one plain cheese…

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new vegan pizza options keep popping up in LA, silver lake seems to be the mecca for cruelty-free pie. the latest joint to offer a vegan option clearly on their menu is garage pizza. we’ve got a quick bite review from vegan pizza extraordinaire jon, who recently helped organize a popular vegan tour of NYC by scott’s pizza tours. check out what he has to say…

the vegan: vegan cheese, garlic, tomato, artichoke, basil. 18". $22.50

Overall: okay. They use daiya, but not very well.

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we posted a quick bite about hard times on the site last week, and after trying it out for myself, i am officially in love with their pizza.

vegan slice. $2.50

as far as i know, hard times in silverlake is the only place in los angeles to get authentic-tasting vegan NY style pizza, either whole or by the slice. and i’m talking huge foldable slices, partially baked and then finished off right in front of you, for just $2.50 a pop. i checked it out hard times yesterday for lunch with a friend, and we were both blown away by its awesomeness…

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UPDATE 12/21: we have found that hard times pizza uses follow your heart as their vegan cheese. also, we tried it and it was AWESOME.

it’s time for another quick bite! this one comes to us from trishells, who recently hit up hard times in silverlake. the pizzeria has recently started serving vegan pizza, and according to some tweeps, it’s available by the SLICE. whoa. we aren’t sure what vegan cheese they are using, but people who have eaten it are saying it seems like the new teese. we are gonna try to get to the bottom of the cheese brand issue and report back. as we know, it’s a pretty important thing to find out. meanwhile, here’s trishells’ review!

my new favorite pizza is at Hard Times! on a lazy saturday night i ordered vegan pizza for pick up with garlic, jalapenos, mushrooms, and olives…

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dammit, i really do love the food truck craze! LA has so many vegan-friendly twittering trucks, and now i can add fresh fries to my list of favorites. the entirely meat-free operation, headed up by 2 vegetarian foodies who promise to use only the ingredients they would use at home, specializes in quality french fries (duh!) and has loads of delicious animal-free options. fresh fries has been rolling around the streets of los angeles for awhile, and i finally caught up with their truck yesterday near the PETA office in silverlake for some damn good greasy grub.

let’s just say that i was beyond impressed. i mean, i’ve had a lot of good french fries in my life, but these were special. very special.

hummus fancy fries: sweet potato fries with hummus, sprinkled with smoked paprika and sesame seeds. $5

fresh fries has several vegan offerings—from their normal fries with dipping sauces such as wasabi ketchup, to “fancy fries” with toppings including green chili guacamole and minced garlic. for info on exactly what is vegan, check out the official fresh fries response from when i questioned them via email:

Our vegan options include: Natural Cut & Sweet Potato fries. Fancy Fries include: Vampire Repellent aka Garlic Fries, Sweet Potato Hummus Fries, (we plan on adding more!) and most of our ketchups: wasabi ketchup, chipotle ketchup, bbq, curry ketchup, etc.

now that that’s settled…i ordered the newest item on the menu, hummus fancy fries: sweet potato fries topped with hummus, smoked paprika and sesame seeds. this dish was actually inspired by the folks at one of my favorite blogs, drink eat travel, which made it even more delicious.

my lunch companions went with the classic (non-sweet potato) fry option. first we have the vampire repellent topped with minced garlic…

vampire repellent crazy fries: minced garlic fries. $5

and the fiesta fries (veganized) with green chili guacamole…

fiesta fries (no sour cream!): green chili guacamole over natural fries. $5

the fries themselves and toppings at fresh fries are seriously top notch. i didn’t think i’d be so smitten after just one visit to the truck, but i am. the long potato strips are the just the right width—not too thin and crispy, but also not all fat and mushy. i’m talking perfectly sized and slightly crunchy wedges. the toppings were also completely amazing. from the sauces (we tried wasabi and curry ketchup) to the hummus, it was all homemade and hand-spiced, not out of a bottle. everything on the truck is made fresh daily, and it’s obvious in the taste.

my only guff with fresh fries is that their menu is pretty dairy and egg heavy, and it’s all stuff that could be easily veganized. i mean, come on! is anyone gonna notice if you make the chipotle mayo with vegenaise instead of the real stuff? couldn’t you carry daiya or teese for a vegan version of the cheese fries? this is a pretty small complaint, considering how much i loved the fries…but i think it’s worth it to ask. right?! it worked with frysmith, so maybe we’ll get lucky a second time.

either way…run, don’t walk to fresh fries! they have wonderful fries with inventive toppings that you can’t find anywhere else. and how cool is it that they don’t serve flesh? i love them with all my <3.

fresh fries on twitter
fresh fries on facebook
fresh fries on the web

today is a very sad day, because our beloved meet market is closing its doors for good. the small vegan restaurant and convenience store has been a favorite of ours since it opened in november last year, with its cheap hearty sandwiches, all you can eat brunches, and specialty grocery items. we are gonna miss this place SO MUCH, but let’s send them off today in a big way!

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

if you haven’t tried the amazing vegan reuben from the meet market yet, this is gonna be your last chance. it’s huge, delicious, and it’s under 5 bucks. go grab one today, and while you are there load up on groceries….because they’ve got everything from daiya to cleaning supplies, and they are ALL gonna be 50% OFF.

sad, sad, sad! but at least we have one more day to enjoy this wonderful little place.

meet market
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-667-0116
(i think the hours are noon to 7pm, but you should call to double check, because it’s their last day in business and all.)

just one more reason to love weekends in los angeles: there’s a new brunch menu at flore, and it is fantastic. seriously, you gotta get over there saturday or sunday and check it out. we are talking new scrambles, waffles, and last but not least…BISCUITS AND GRAVY.

we went last weekend for the menu’s debut, and while i knew it would be pretty good, the food exceeded all of my expectations. i ordered the biscuits and gravy (natch), and they were nothing short of epic. for under 10 bucks, i got two massive biscuits covered in white creamy gravy and topped with flore’s homemade sausage. plus, a bed of kale with tempeh bacon on top. SO MUCH FOOD.

the menu description doesn’t even begin to do these guys justice…it doesn’t even list the fact that they come covered in seitan sausage. i was in no way prepared for how delicious they would be. honestly, everything about them was top notch—the biscuits themselves were soft and fluffy, the gravy was rich and flavorful, the sausage bits were plump and hearty, and the kale was fresh. this meal was so good, i had to take its photo from both sides, just so you could get an idea of how glorious it was.

biscuits and gravy: two biscuits topped with vegan gravy and served with your choice of tempeh bacon, fruit, or potatoes. $9.95

honestly, i think i am gonna go order this again tomorrow. where else can you get vegan biscuits and gravy in los angeles?! nowhere that i can think of! and the ones at flore will BLOW. YOUR. MIND. i am so grateful they added these things to the menu.

my husband went with the traditional tofu scramble, which was also flawless. it came with huge chunks of extra firm tofu, all mixed in with extremely fresh vegetables atop a bed of kale, served with sliced bread and potatoes. breakfast perfection.

tofu scramble: savory tofu, tomato, mushroom, red onion and basil scramble served atop sauteed kale. serverd with sliced batard and your choice of fruit, tempeh bacon, or potatoes. $9.95

flore’s brunch menu is only served on weekends from 10am – 1pm, so don’t strut in there expecting biscuits and gravy any ole time of day. also just to clarify, these items are only available at flore in sunset junction, not to be confused with its sister restaurant the meet market down the street.

if you don’t already have plans this weekend, i highly suggest you work brunch at flore into your schedule. the food is second to none, and the biscuits and gravy are my new favorite meal. oh, and while you are there, be sure to pick up a few croissants!

flore vegan
3818 W. Sunset Blvd.
Silverlake, CA 90026
(323) 953-0611
brunch: weekends 10am – 1pm

you have got to get over to flore ASAP, because yesterday the restaurant started carrying homemade vegan croissants and cinnamon buns! i tried both of them, and they are out of this world. i don’t know how i’ve lived so long with out them!

vegan chocolate chip croissant. $2.25

first, the croissant. this thing is really a work of art. the only flavor flore carries at the moment is chocolate chip, and it is incredible. soft, delicate layers of flaky buttery goodness–all encasing a center of creamy chocolate. i was a big croissant fan before going vegan, and i can say these definitely pass the test. they without a doubt taste like the real thing. i don’t know of anywhere else you can get vegan croissants in los angeles, so go buy as many as you can at flore.

vegan cinnamon bun. $2.25

the vegan cinnamon bun was also beyond delicious. it was moist, fluffy, and filled with the sweetest, tastiest cinnamon goo. i may have to make another trip to silverlake today for these treats….they are definitely some of the best vegan sweets in town.

flore vegan
3818 W. Sunset Blvd.
Silverlake, CA 90026
(323) 953-0611
Mon: 11am – 4pm
Tues – Fri: 11am – 10pm
Sat – Sun: 10am – 10pm

YUM

flore opens at 11am today. you know what to do.

SWEET! i just received this email from the executive chef of cru (one of our favorite raw restaurants in town) regarding their stance on honey. it looks like the restaurant is going to quickly become even more vegan-friendly. check it:

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want FREE FOOD from cowboys and turbans this weekend?

check the DETAILS…

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