Just when you thought you’d heard the last of my birthday for the year, it resurfaces it’s jolly head with another tale of celebratory feasting. I somehow managed to stretch my birthday for all of May, and then a little into June. This time around I was privileged to enjoy a lovely afternoon brunch with the masterminds behind Quarrygirl.com at Inn of the Seventh Ray. You can read their own account of the adventure right over here.

Known as an upscale restaurant that attracts both hippies and new agers alike, Inn of the Seventh Ray is an enchanting break from the norm hidden away in the hills of the Santa Monica mountains, deep in the heart of Topanga Canyon. It lives up to the stereotype while winning you over with it’s charm at the same time.

Inn of the Seventh Ray isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, and they don’t offer too many vegan options on their regular menus; where they shine is with their Sunday vegetarian brunch buffet service. But first the setting.

The restaurant is both quaint and lavish at the same time. It’s set into the curve of a lovely creek, and if you’re lucky like we were, they might seat you right at the waters edge surround by the tranquil stream on one side and a waterfall grotto on the other. A grotto!

Regardless of where you sit, you’ll be surrounded by trees, white canopies and white table cloths- you’ll feel like you walked into some storybook village set somewhere out of time, but with attentive service. At night the place totally transforms with candlelight and white twinkly lights providing most of the illumination… it’s super romantic, the perfect place for those magical moments. I know I sound like a Hallmark card but trust me, this place is special.

Ok now the food. The all-you-can eat brunch buffet comes in a vegetarian version, and it ain’t cheap at $31 a pop. If your aim however is to indulge the hell out of yourself or impress the hell out of someone else, it’s money well spent. The vegetarian options are not all vegan but there is so much that is vegan that it’s not even a concern.

So much of it in fact is vegan that it’s like walking into vegan foodie Disneyland. They’ve got an entire room set up to house the buffet, and everything is clearly marked with bold VEGAN or VEGETARIAN signs so there’s no confusion. When you first walk in it’s like, whoa… look at all this incredible vegan food! I’ve never seen anything like it. Here’s a listing of some what they offer, from the menu:

Gourmet Vegetarian, Vegan and Raw Food Salads: including Watercress Daikon Salad – Corn Cilantro Pearl Pasta Salad – Green Papaya Salad – Asparagus Salad – Cucumber Salad with Non Dairy Feta – Endive Salad with Roasted Walnuts – Oyster Mushroom and Fennel Salad – Corn Asparagus Salad with Rosemary Oil – Pickled Beet Salad – Brussels Sprout Salad with Sun Dried Tomato – Tofu Rice Pasta Salad – Green Bean Salad – Penne Pasta Salad – Marinated Eggplant Salad with Roasted Bell Peppers – Broccoli Salad – Broccoli Almond Quiche – Assorted Pates & Spreads including Yogurt Ollaliberry Wine, Fresh Berry Sauce – Tofu Quiche – Hummus – Cocktail Sauce – Dill Sauce and Caesar Dressing – Tofu and Real Cream Cheese – Pure Maple Syrup – Our Own Granola with Regular or Soy Milk – Organic Seasonal Fruits – Homemade Sweet Breads – Cinnamon Buns – Apple Crisp – Carob Brownies – Hazelnut Torte – Strawberry English Triffle – Traditional Scones and Vegan Scones – Poppyseed Cakes – Apple Persimmon Cake, Assorted Bagels.

The options change according to season and availability, but that’s a pretty good idea of the sort of stuff that was there, and there was more that’s not even listed on the menu.

Above is just some of what I had… I did mention this was all-you-can eat, right?

One thing you’ll notice on my plate that’s not listed on the menu is that thing that looks an awful lot like a piece of chicken. It’s actually vegan duck that had been prepared with rasberries and cherry tomatoes… it was outstanding. Moist and meaty on the inside, while chewy and slighty crispy on the outside. I don’t know if they offer this at every brunch, but it was worth the trip alone just to eat it. I have no idea what real duck tastes like because, hello? GROSS!, but this faux fowl was fantastic.

I mentioned above that they don’t have a lot for vegans to eat at dinner. One thing they do offer on the night menu is a Peking duck version of this stuff, served Moo-shu style. If it’s anything as good as this brunch version, then consider it very good.

Check out the delicious vegan pastries: apple crisp, persimmon cake, quinoa scones, each one delicious. I could have just stood by the pastry table all afternoon and eaten this stuff with my fingers straight from the tray if they’d let me. Or the bagels with vegan cream cheese. Or the fresh fruit bar. Or the homemade granola. You get the idea… vegans get to run wild here. Best part is that as you would expect for the price, most everything is organic, locally grown or sourced, and it’s all very healthy, suitable for people eating raw, gluten free, sugar free, fat free, whatever your kink, you won’t leave this buffet anything short of full, satiated and stoked. For even more money our friends, family or other loved ones who insist on eating things like cute lobsters, crabs, salmon or the lowly misunderstood chicken and it’s ill-begotten eggs, they too can also get their fix.

When you’re done enjoying your meal you can wander around down by the water and see what little visitors mother nature might send your way. We met a friendly lizard and frolicked a bit among the spermy looking pollywogs. They’ve also got a mystical crystal & Enya enhanced bookstore you can explore, while taking in the healing rays of “The Violet Flame”. Or not.

Inn of the Seventh Ray is a wonderful place to visit at least once… go at night for the very special atmosphere (they sometimes offer a ‘vegetarian tasting menu’) or go for Sunday brunch because you want to eat your face off and splurge on some expensive but incredible food out in the beautiful open air.

Inn of the Seventh Ray
128 Old Topanga Canyon Road
Topanga, CA 90290
(310) 455-1311
www.innoftheseventhray.com