whether or not you’re into holidays, i think we can all agree that eating themed vegan food is lots of fun. and adding craft beer to the mix? even better! that’s why i encourage all of you (who are 21 and over, sorry kids!) to check out the all vegan halloween event on saturday 10/29 at verdugo bar at 3pm.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Sugar Skull Cookies with Cinnamon Icing by Twice Baked Vegan

there’s going to be all kinds of craziness including a photo booth, a costume contest, a raffle, and face painting…plus food throughout the night by local vendors and QG favorites  such as the frankenstand, seabirds, veg-it-up, doomie’s, amanda’s bakery, twice baked, and pacha new peruvian cuisine. the event is FREE, but donations for gentle barn are requested.

check out the flyer after the jump…

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heads up, folks! it’s oktoberfest time, and today the verdugo bar is hosting a vegan-friendly celebration with loads of german beer and food by the international sausage party. admission is ten bucks per person—it includes a commemorative stein, and the opportunity to watch a bunch of drunk people chillin’ in lederhosen. i checked with the food vendor, and they will definitely have some vegan sausages on hand, along with beer onion rings as a topping. WANT.

salad daze dog: vegan dog, special salad daze butternut squash dressing, kraut and red slaw, deli mustard. $6

we got a taste of international sausage party a few weeks ago at the hot knives salad daze cookbook launch, and it was awesome…

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just over a week ago, we joined the hot knives team on the verdugo patio for an afternoon of snacks and beer to celebrate the release of their new vegetarian (and vegan-friendly) cookbook, salad daze.

we’d been looking forward to this day for ages—we’ve been HK fans for years, and even had an opportunity to test out one of the the salad daze recipes (magic shroom dust, loved it!) several months ago. now that the book has been released into the world and i’ve got it in my hands, i can safely say that it doesn’t disappoint. page after page of meatless recipes, with all the vegan ones clearly marked, each listed with their own thoughtful beer and soundtrack pairing.

so how was the release party? it was awesome! we always love kickin’ it on the verdugo patio with some good beer, but eating hot knives food at the same time makes it even better. on this day, the dudes prepared a slew of appetizers including some recipes from the book, and played a strictly salad daze playlist of bands we love including the fall, the stooges, and belle & sebastian.

here’s what we ate…

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next sunday is the first sunday of the month, and you know what that means: time for another vegan at verdugo patio session! october’s event will feature two of our favorite food trucks, fresh fries and mandoline grill, and they’ll be serving a mashup of 100% vegan specialties to be paired with the verdugo bar’s fine tap list. come join us for an afternoon of great grub and craft beer..plus board games, friendly company, and good music.

check out the facebook event here. let’s make sure the monthly vegan at verdugo events are well attended, so they keep happening! see ya there.

vegan @ verdugo iii
sunday october 2nd
3-8pm, 21+
3408 Verdugo Road
Glassell Park, CA, 90065
323.257.3408

yes, yes, yes! sunday will indeed be one of the best days of the summer as the dudes from hot knives take over the verdugo patio for a vegan bbq blow out. the vegetarian bloggers/cookbook authors are some of our favorite chefs ever, yet their food is rarely available to the public. basically, you don’t wanna miss this. the menu will include:

1) Oyster mushroom po’boys with radish remoulade, greens and a side of pickled potato salad
2) Mesquite-smoked jackfruit hoagies with peach BBQ sauce and a side of kaleslaw
3) Summer succotash and jalapeño cornbread

that all sounds pretty fantastic, right? they worked magic with mushrooms on the verdugo patio in 2009 with a pulled “pork” sandwich…i can’t wait to get a taste of the po’boys.

pulled "pork" oyster mushroom sandwich in 2009

this event isn’t only about eating awesome and rare vegan food though, it’s also a chance to be part of a photo shoot. a photographer will be documenting the event and shooting photos for hot knives’ second book, spring blaze, which is all about party foods. check out this video of the guys doing their thing on the 4th of july to get an idea of how it works…

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it’s almost time for another summer vegan patio session at verdugo bar! sunday august 7th, seabirds is trucking it up all the way from orange county with guest chef stephen hauptfuhr to serve up a full menu of cooked and raw goodness, paired with craft beers by the verdugo.

Beer Battered Avocado Taco - Topped w/shredded cabbage, red onion and creamy tequila-jalapeno sauce. $2

the menu is gonna be pretty epic. so far it will include jackfruit tacos, beer-battered avocado tacos, mac and “cheese” with roasted figs and mushrooms, alfredo zucchini pasta, greek hummus wrap with sweet potato fries, and a walnut fudge brownie with ice cream. proceeds will benefit benji the dog, so don’t miss it!!

facebook invite and full info after the jump…

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it’s gonna be a great weekend for vegans in los angeles and here is the stuff you shouldn’t be missing:

franken's on saturday!

first up on saturday, the frankenstand is taking over hollywood and western with its delicious plant-based sausages. if you haven’t tried this place yet, you GOTTA go. they are our #1 favorite food cart and their gourmet franks are beyond delicious. it’s also a special occasion because franken’s very rarely comes out in the daylight. seriously, GO. take my advice, and order the witch or the franken….you will not be sorry. follow @thefrankenstand on twitter for more info.

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

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hey everyone! not sure if you have lunch plans today, but mandoline grill is gonna be serving up food in the valley along with dainty cakes, who will have vegan cupcakes!

you can find them on the corner of lankershim and magnolia from noon-2:30ish and you won’t wanna miss it…

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of all the food trucks roaming the streets of los angeles, mandoline grill is the best one i’ve tried. their menu is extra vegan-friendly, and their crisp french bread and marinated tofu make for the perfect banh mi.

the truck does lunch stints all over LA, and one of their semi-regular stops is right next to the PETA office in silverlake. when they were there yesterday, they had both a new vegan menu item and some exciting news about about an event at the verdugo TODAY.

royale aka @peta

i stopped by to say hello, and although i didn’t eat anything that mandoline grill was serving up…peta’s very own twitterer and veganista extraordinaire, royale, was happy to give me a report on the food.

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remember way back in the day, when we blogged about amazing vietnamese food from mandoline grill? well the vegan-friendly food truck is finally ready to start roaming the streets, and they are having their launch party this saturday at the verdugo bar from 3-8pm. i highly suggest you stop by and fill up on some lemongrass tofu banh mi sandwiches and noodle bowls, then wash it all down with some quality craft beer.

vegan lemongrass tofu banh mi. $5

and there isn’t just gonna be awesome food and beer at this event—but also live djs and prize giveaways. sounds like a swingin’ shindig to me!

don’t miss this. the food at mandoline grill is excellent. let’s give them a warm welcome to the food truck club.

as you probably know, there is a massive food truck craze sweeping los angeles. mobile vendors are popping up all over the place to sell pretty much every type of cuisine and using twitter to broadcast their location. the latest business to join the club is frysmith, a twittering food truck that specializes in gourmet french fries. frysmith loads fancy kennebec potatoes cooked in canola oil up with various toppings to turn the popular side dish into a complete meal. and the best thing about frysmith is, they have vegan options!

over the weekend, frysmith was doing a stint at the verdugo bar in glassel park during their saturday afternoon patio session. the verdugo is one of our favorite spots to drink in LA, and also where we tried the awesome food of hot knives and mandoline grill, so naturally we had to go check it out.

trying to get the truck into the lot

like many food trucks that are just starting out, frysmith is still ironing out a few kinks. they were supposed to start serving at 3pm, but had some problems getting their truck into the verdugo parking lot and so the food didn’t start coming out until around 4. that’s alright though, the verdugo had a great beer selection to help pass the time as well as board games and good music.

vegan chili fries: organic tomato and mixed beans with soy chorizo and smoked paprika. $4.50

when frysmith started serving, we got an order of vegan chili fries which were absolutely delicious. the long thin potato slices were perfectly crisp and crunchy, piled high with tomatoes, beans, soy meat and chopped onions. the portion was hearty and a great deal at under 5 bucks. i really think the frysmith is onto something because i could eat this as a meal everyday.

if you like vegan junk food, i highly suggest you get your ass out to the frysmith and taste what they’ve got cooking. they make the best vegan chili fries i’ve ever eaten. now if only they would carry some cheddar daiya to sprinkle on top…then they’d be perfect.

follow frysmith on twitter to find out where they’ll be next.

los angeles vegans, you need to drop whatever you are doing on sunday and get over to the verdugo bar because our favorite catering duo hot knives is taking over the patio again with another epic feast.

we attended both hot knives events at the verdugo in august, and i can honestly say they served some of the best food that i’ve ever eaten. not just that, but the music was good, the patio was relaxing, and the beer was tasty.

this weekend hot knives are coming back to host an “over the oktoberfest” celebration that will feature an arm wrestling competition and vegan german grub. the plan for the menu is vegan soaked in Rausch beer for smokey brats, with veeg sides to choose from. you would be insane to miss this. seriously, how often do we herbivores get to take part in the oktoberfest fun?

here is the press release and more info incase you wanna get involved in the arm wrestling competition:

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just when i thought it was safe to return to the verdugo bar to get my drink on, without tempting vegan food vying for valuable stomach space, mandoline grill had to show up and ruin it.

you see, verdugo bar has long been a favorite spot of ours, what with arguably the best beer selection in los angeles and a great atmosphere. but for the 2nd and 3rd sunday in august, the culinary geniuses known as hot knives took over the verdugo patio and transformed the place from an dark and cold foodless bar into the ultimate summer hang-out, complete with an all vegan menu, tons of board games, and a stellar music playlist. after two weekends of fun, the hot knives packed up their bags and i figured that for me the verdugo was back to normal—back to being a bar where beer reigned supreme without distraction.

then mandoline grill had to come along and prove me wrong. last sunday the soon-to-be regularly operating vietnamese food truck set up shop on the patio and served a delicious lunch in the heat. while their menu wasn’t entirely vegan, they did have some animal-free options that were really fucking tasty.

vegan lemongrass tofu banh mi. $5

the first was a lemongrass tofu banh mi. i am a pretty big banh mi fan in general anyway, and i can tell you that this was a really good one. the tofu tasted like it had been marinated for a long time, its flavors were intense and went all the way to the middle. the vegetables were fresh, and the french baguette was perfectly crunchy. plus, mandoline grill added a healthy amount of vegenaise to make the sandwich nice and creamy.

vegan cha gio. $3.50

they also offered vegan cha gio, fried spring rolls filled with faux meat. the rolls were pretty hearty and cost $2 each, or 2 for $3.50…definitely a decent price. the cha gio was rich, oily, and really delicious—it tasted like what i remember egg rolls tasting like but without the weird aftertaste. i would definitely order these little suckers again.

i’m pretty sure this was the mandoline grill’s first time serving food to the public, so they seemed a little stressed out and there were a couple delays. however, what they lacked in smoothness, they made up for with absolutely delicious vegan food. another great thing about mandoline grill is that they were pretty knowledgeable about veganism. they stressed to me that even the bread was vegan, and that everything was cooked separately and with different utensils. awesome. i can’t wait until they get there food truck up and running—i know i’ll be one of the first customers in line.

so let’s hope the verdugo continues to be awesome and host patio events that serve vegan food. it’s strange that my favorite bar in town is slowly becoming one of my favorite places to eat as well, but hey i’m not complaining.

for more info, follow @verdugobar and @mandolinegrill on twitter

a taste of life soul food combo

okay, so there’s three events going on this weekend that you should be aware of. choose wisely.

1.) vegan soul food bbq
get your weekend started right with a back-to-school vegan bbq in inglewood sponsored by a taste of life. food will be served from 10am to 3pm, plus there will be live music, kids’ activities, speakers and more. if you don’t have plans today, this would be a good bet. a taste of life serves up the best soul food i’ve ever had, and some of the best vegan food in all of los angeles. for info on this event, check out their flyer or PETA’s website.

2.) rockin’ vegan breakfast
the first thing up tomorrow is a vegan breakfast concert at downtown venue the smell. the headline act is ted leo and the pharmacists, supported by davila 666 and moses campbell. the menu consists of vegan pancakes, tofu tacos, and coffee. show starts at 11:30am, it’s 8 bucks, and it’s all ages. for more info check out the announcement on losanjealous.com.

3.) vegan vietnamese and beer
if you wake up a bit later on sunday mornings, or if you are still feeling hungry after your large helping of rock and vegan pancakes…head on over to the verdugo bar for board games, beer, and (vegan-friendly) bbq. while it may not prove to be the epic 100% animal-free feast that was the hot knives gnosh pit a few weeks ago, the up and coming soon-to-be vietnamese food truck mandoline grill will be serving vegan friendly offerings including cha gio (spring rolls) and lemongrass tofu banh mi.

although the event isn’t entirely vegan, the verdugo is just about our favorite bar in town, so the fact they are offering a patio session with stuff i can eat is enough to get me down there. plus, i spoke with the person in charge at mandoline grill and they knew their stuff: no bone-char sugar in the ingredients, separate utensils, and fancy egg-replacer to boot. vegans, go check out the scene if you have a chance.

vegan food at verdugo bar this sunday

have a great weekend. let me know if you hear of any more vegan events going down. and if you go to either of the shindigs i blogged about here, let me know if you had fun.

Curried Seitan Bahn Mi.

Forty years ago this weekend, The Beatles walked across a pedestrian crossing outside Abbey Road Studios, London and signaled the end of the Swinging Sixties. Their iconic, final Abbey Road album was about bringing things together – after all, it begins with John Lennon’s anthem for togetherness, “Come Together”, and ends with Paul McCartney’s appropriately titled “The End”. Sometimes, the best things in life mean so much more when brought together than enjoyed on their own, just like the final recording sessions of The Beatles.

Take my favorite things: vegan food, awesome music, special beer and good friends. Bring them together, give them to me in abundance and I’ll be as sound as a pound.

I write this post replete from all of the above, following this afternoon’s visit to what is arguably LA’s best bar, The Verdugo in Glassel Park. The Verdugo is usually a late-night haunt for us, it being dark, candle-lit and having an innovative beer menu. Today, though, we were spoiled with not only some amazing beers, but the a visit from Hot Knives, the “out there” vegetarian bloggers, chefs, beer experts and all-around-cool-dudes who had brought along a streamlined, but very effective vegan food menu. They called it the Gnosh Pit, and oh boy, did we GNOSH!

The bad news is that Hot Knives has a very limited engagement with Verdugo – only two days. The good news is that you can catch all this again NEXT Sunday 16th (although the menu items may vary from what we describe here).

Let’s talk about the food. First, they approached the occasion from a tangent, offering five menu items – two entrées, two sides and a dessert. With two entrées, the good news is that you’re going to eat not one, but two signature dishes:

Vegan BBQ Bun.

The “BBQ Bun” was a force to be reckoned with – Oyster mushrooms roasted twice and soaked in sweet vinegar spiked BBQ sauce, served between a soft, seasme-seeded bun.

Curried Seitan Bahn Mi with Seeded Cole Slaw.

The “Bahn Mi” was ready to kick you in the fucking face (time and time again) with fresh green chilies, cilantro, spicy curry seitan (the best I’ve had in a long time) and crusty bread. It was HOT, TASTY, CRUNCHY and so amazing that I ate two and wished I’d taken another home for dinner.

Fresh Chips.

Yeah, and the sides were also out of this world. Taking potato chips and making them special is rather tricky, but the Hot Knives dudes made it happen. The chips were sliced thin, fried hot and fast and served with kim chi dipping sauce. They vaporized from the table in about eight seconds, if that’s any evidence of the their delectability.

The cole slaw (pictured above with the bahn mi) had purple cabbage, green cabbage and some other stuff, all served in a tangy sauce with the perfect combination of crunch and mush. These guys know how to make a coleslaw hater become a coleslaw lover.

Lambic Pop. (That's what she said!)

On to the end, the desert was out of this world. Frankly, Lambic is not to everybody’s taste – it’s like a cross between raspberry daiquiri and a hard beer. The Lambic Pops (ignoring the phallic representation) could have been a meal in and of themselves. What an amazing idea?!

The Hot Knives Dudes making our epic feast

The Hot Knives folks were so nice — after every visit (and there were many) to the food area we were served politely, told to “tell our friends” and given food and a friendly attitude to die for. I’d do this every weekend (or every day) if my work schedule and liver allowed it.

Ah, the food. Well, that’s just one item of convergence we’re talking about here – the next is music. Talking of The Beatles, as we sat down to enjoy our Fresh Chips, George Harrison came over the PA system with his eponymous “For You Blue” from the album recorded a few months before Abbey Road. Yeah, he probably wasn’t singing about the erect, blue Lambic Pops, but the music was great and the pops were cold, so who gives a shit? The Beatles were followed by Dandy Warhols, Velvet Underground and many of my favorite bands in tight rotation.

Ok, we have food and music, let’s talk about beer. In fact, after several Pliny The Elders (strangely the very first post on this site), I’m not going to talk very much about the beer, except to say that with 20+ beers on tap you can find one of LA’s best beer selections at your beck and call. Just show up at Verdudo, read the beer menu and let your designated driver take you home. Enough Said. Remember to check in advance, though, which beers are vegan. Most of the craft brews served here are, but better to be safe than carnivorous.

Outdoor Patio at Verdugo Bar

Food, music, beer, FRIENDS – yeah, what was originally a 45 minute stop over on the way somewhere became a 2+ hour chillin’ session when we ran into the awesome Foodeater of To Live and Eat in LA . We talked about friends, food, beer, and stuff we wouldn’t post in a family oriented blog (I’m serious). Upon leaving, our perspective of what’s important in life was firmly reinforced: Awesome food, great music, special beer and good friends.

For more updates about what’s going on at Verdugo Bar, follow them on twitter…. @verdugobar