Author ArchiveHey guys… this is just a quick note to let you know this site is going on hiatus for a while. No long drawn out essays this time around, just an announcement that I’m taking some time off to work on other exciting stuff. I’ve got a very groovy vegan food related project in the works that I think you’ll all really dig once it’s finished. Check back soon or stay subscribed to my RSS feed for the news once everything is ready to go. As always, thanks for your support!
Last week was my dads 65th birthday so my mom and I decided to do something a little different. Being as he’s an old perv, my mom suggested we get him one of those naughty exotic cakes. Those are usually pretty tacky though, plus if I was going to be a part of this I wanted whatever we got him to be vegan so that I could partake in the fun too. A light bulb went off in my head as I realized that I’ve got access to one of the most creative vegan bakers in town, and a plan to have Miss Alix of Vegan Bake Sale make something cute & delicious was born. My dad has been and always will be a boob man (I know, TMI). What better way to celebrate 65 years of his favorite pastime than with vegan boobie cupcakes??? I ran this idea past Alix who was super excited to accept the challenge. Knowing just how crafty this lady is I basically let her have free rein to come up with whatever she thought would work best… as the big day approached I could hardly wait to see what she’d come up with.
They turned out better than we could have ever expected… so damn cute! We surprised my dad at his office by showing up with 5 dozen of these ample beauties, and you can’t imagine how funny it was to watch the entire staff gathered around my dads desk, stuffing giant boob cakes into their faces! My dad was blushing and that made the entire adventure worthwhile. Take a peek at some real food porn… Tags: boobs, cupcakesCowboys & Indians brings an interesting fusion to the table, combining Indian food with Mexican food. Sounds kinda weird and like it might not work, but it most certainly does. This place has been around for a while with their flagship location conveniently connected to The El Rey theater on Wilshire Blvd., and the owner is the same guy who started Electric Lotus (another tasty Indian restaurant). The spot on Wilshire is tiny and almost more like a snack bar connected to the theater, a great place to get a quick bite before seeing a show, while the new place on Sunset smack dab in the middle of Silver Lake’s hipster district is more of a sit-down restaurant where you can chill out and enjoy a full meal. I got to check out the new Cowboys & Indians last week with my homegirls-who-lunch crew, the lovely Miss Sara T. and the equally luscious Miss DoubleD. and we all really enjoyed the experience. One of the first things that caught my attention before even entering the restaurant was their sidewalk sign:
As I mentioned on my Twitter at the time, I love it when places that aren’t vegan tell you right on the menu what is (note the Tofu Bhujiya). It’s the little things that count. This is apparently quite a popular sentiment considering how often it’s now been retweeted, and repeated. While I didn’t get to try their tasty sounding vegan breakfast options as shown on the sign (we’d already missed the 3pm cut-off time), most all of the options at Cowboys & Indians also have a vegan version, and the staff seemed to be very vegan friendly, offering up information on ingredients when they knew the answer, and going back into the kitchen to ask questions about stuff they weren’t sure about. Here’s the basic stuff vegans will want to know: all the curries are vegan, made with coconut milk. The tortillas are vegan. The regular naan breads are not vegan but the whole wheat naan is. We started our meal with a few shared appetizers.
First we tried the Vegan Samosas. These were MASSIVE! Due to the angle of the picture, the true size of this monster is not being done justice, it’s about the size of both my fists held together… huge! One would definitely be enough for two people, it’s the largest samosa I’ve ever seen before. Tags: Indian Food, Mexican food
Gourmet food is not something I’m terribly interested in. I’m much more of a farmers market stall & food truck kinda gal than I am the “spend $80 to eat small portions with three different forks” type. Don’t let the word “gourmet” in Sky’s name put you off though, this place is neither hoity toity nor overly expensive, they certainly don’t skimp on portion sizes and they don’t give a crap if you make a mess and eat with your hands. Located on Pico between Fairfax & LaBrea, Sky’s Tacos is tiny little restaurant that you may have even driven past without knowing about the delicious vegan bounty awaiting you on the inside. While Sky’s does serve a full menu of meat & cheese items, they’ve got an equally substantial vegetarian menu just begging for you to have veganized.
This gorgeous hunk of food is the Veggie Quesadilla ordered all vegan. It comes with their own vegan meat, beans and a giant heap of vegan cheese (Follow Your Heart) inside and out. Basically what you’re looking at are two tortillas that have been stuff to overflow with grilled vegetables and cheese, then layered on top with a massive amount of beans and their amazing fake meat, then piled high with even more cheese. Tags: Mexican food
Papa George’s Hy Mart Deli has been a North Hollywood staple of tastiness next to the giant golf shop on Lankershim for over 20 years. Due to skyrocketing rent and a landlord that has apparently been a dick to them for the past two decades, the little family run shop has moved into a new location. Locals need not fret though as the move was into a more spacious spot just across the street. Now they’re right on the other (west) side of Lankershim, directly behind the H. Salt Fish & Chips shop. A true mom & pop operation, Hy Mart offers a wide variety of Mediterranean style sandwiches and wraps. It’s not an all vegetarian place so expect to witness people chowing down on stuff like roast beef, turkey and gyros, however what makes Hy Mart stand out for the rest of us are their delicious vegetarian and easily veganizable specialties. Their yummy falafel is made fresh daily and they even make their stuffed grape leaves from scratch (my latest addiction). They’ve got a number of different vegetarian wraps and platters, and most of these are set to come with labni yogurt or feta cheese, but if you are so inclined you can ask them to leave those off and what you’re left with are some pretty fantastic vegan options.
I always get the same thing but the “Shahkloot Special” is so far from boring that the repetition never gets old. Lavash bread wrapped around tabouleh, olives, cucumber, mint, basil, avocado, hummus, falafel, tomato, pickles, tahina, lettuce and pepperchinis (no feta, no onions, extra spicy is the way I order it). It’s always huge and always delicious.
Hy Mart is one of my favorite places in the valley to get a satisfying and cheap lunch. The family who runs this deli is super cool, so I’m happy to see they’ve pulled off their migration into a nicer, more spacious shop and I wish them much success in their new location. Hy Mart (look for the “Sandwiches” sign) The folks over at SunPower Natural Cafe, the lovely raw restaurant in Studio City, wanted me to pass along this info about their Valentines Day specials. Here’s the lowdown:
Sounds delicious. SunPower manages to make raw food taste decadent. I’ve been back there since my last post about them so this is probably a good time to show you some of the good stuff we got to try.
To start, Bruschetta. “Zesty tomatoes and garlic on crunchy toast.” When my plate arrived it was so much more action packed than that simple description. Tags: raw
Pizza Cookery is an archetypal wood paneling era pizza parlor… giant tables matching the walls meant to seat groups and families, comfy seating, children running around being obnoxious, saw dust on the floor, overflowing pitchers of beer, and a new addition to the love affair we’re having here… entirely separate Vegan and Gluten Free menus. It’s actually quite astonishing when you walk into this place and it’s all red-blooded, meat eating America like, and then you get handed your very own vegan menu, just for you. This place is lively and packed on the weekends (though we were seated within less than 5 minutes of waiting), and it’s one of the most well integrated restaurants I’ve been to so far that caters so well to both carnivore and vegan satisfaction. Nothing fancy, just a good old fashioned good time while kicking back with tasty food.
First the pizza- the pizza rules. They use Follow Your Heart cheese, and they use it well. My fellow foodeaters Alix & Shawn and I ordered a large 16 incher with mushrooms and vegan pepperoni. They also have a vegan smoked chicken as well as all the usual pizza toppings like bell peppers, black olives, tomatoes, and also fresh basil, garlic, cilantro, pineapple, jalapeño, eggplant, sun dried tomato, artichoke hearts… basically anything good you might what on it. The pizza was huge and smothered in melty-hot vegan cheese, tangy tomato sauce and a truly delicious crust. [If you are one of those people who don't eat their pizza crust, know that I consider you a weirdo.] They also slice it up all funky to maximize the amount of slices you can share, you end up with oddly shaped yet fun to eat mostly rectangular slices, I got one that was an oblong triangle shape. You can also order smaller pizzas or even mini individual sized versions. For the gluten free set, they’ve got you covered with a staff that’s trained in separate food handling ready to make you gluten free pizzas, pastas and salads. Tags: Philly, pizza, sandwich |
||
|
|
|
What’s in a name? When I first heard about Sky’s Gourmet Tacos I thought to myself, “just how gourmet can a taco possibly be”?, and then, “Do I even want a gourmet taco?”. Well, after eating a bunch of their food, Sky’s has turned me from a Doubting Thomas into a true believer with their unique and generous specialties.
Enjoy a 6 Course romantic Valentine’s Dinner at SunPower Cafe in our newly remodeled dining room!
Did you get to hang out in oldschool pizza parlors when you were a kid? How great was Shakey’s with their big wooden booths and delicious pizza you could keep going back for more of, pie after pie? My parents threw me a birthday party there when I was in first grade, I have fond memories. My friends and I switched to loitering at our local Pizza Hut after school when I was in junior high. I haven’t been to a place like that in years considering they’re a cheese & sausage fest, but finally we vegans get to experience that kind of pizza hang out fun again, nestled deep in the west valley at the Woodland Hills Pizza Cookery.
