ceegee's Profile
Cinespia this weekend -- an out of towner looking for marvelous take out
I just ate at marouch for the first time last night and it was awful! The only thing good about the meal was the lentil soup. The fava bean appetizer was oily and the beans tasted canned. The falafel tasted like hush puppies, the hummus was flavorless and too smooth, the baba ganoush was so smoky it tasted like lapsang souchong, and the grape leaves were slimy!
Try M Cafe de Chaya on Melrose and Detroit just west of La Brea (creative healthy food, lots of great salads) or La Bottega Marino on Larchmont just south of Beverly (Italian style deli)
Pumpkin everything....That time of the year!
It is available all year and as far as prices go, sometimes they have it (by the slice) on "bake sale" for half-off!
mexican and many tequila options
I'm looking for a mexican restaurant with more food options than el carmen or malo, but one that has as many tequila options as the aforementioned places...flights would be a bonus! Will go anywhere between downtown and santa monica...would prefer to avoid the valley though.
Thanks in advance for suggestions!
Inexpensive BYOB Place in LA
Alegria is BYOB -as is Gingergrass (conveniently located across the street from Silver Lake Wine), but corkage is $7
vegetarian friendly restaurants?
A lot of my suggestions are seconds of what's already been said:
Blackbird - outstanding food and service! If you go just know you'll be sitting close to others and it can get a bit noisy, but I look at it as an opportunity to get a good look at the food!
Red Light - Asian fusion w/ many veg options
Coco Pazzo - delicious Italian, great service
Frontera/Topolobampo - Rick Bayless rocks!
Adobo Grill - great margaritas and guac and their vegetarian plate never disappoints
Chicago Diner - completely vegetarian, mostly comfort food, but if you want an amazing (hard to believe it's vegan) milkshake this is the place!
Russian Tea Time - This is more of a winter time place to me, but the food is great and the veg options are plentiful...also a great choice if you like vodka!
Ambria - I've only been once, but I really enjoyed the veg tasting menu
Arun's - While I haven't been in a couple years, some of the best meals I've ever had have been at Arun's. It's not in the most convenient area, but I think it's worth the trip and the $
http://www.arunsthai.com/home.htm
ISO Weird and wacky restaurants west of Downtown LA
Palms Thai with the singing Elvis?
Solo options on LV Strip?
I second Burger Bar. You can sit at the counter...it's in Mandalay Place.
Figaro Bistrot on Vermont
I visited Figaro Bistrot for lunch today. Started with the vegan cauliflower soup. It was thick yet smooth with good flavor, but some might opt to add salt. Next was le trio des crudites, a colorful salad of shredded carrot, spinach, and beets dressed lightly in a tangy vinaigrette. Soup and salad actually made for a substantial meal, but I had to try the vegan apple tarte tatin. It was topped with flaming brandy sauce and served with slices of fresh apples, a few berries, and a small scoop of vegan ice cream. This might not be saying much, but I found this dessert to be far better than anything (non-vegan) I've tried at places like sweet lady jane and susina. The apples were soft, not mushy, the pastry was light and flaky, not greasy, and it was the perfect amount of sweet to end the meal.
I also had a soy cappuccino, which was fine. The taste was good though it wasn't foamy enough for my taste. It seems that Urth Caffe is the only place that can froth soy properly.
Kind of a pricey lunch at $34 before tax/tip, but the surroundings are perfectly French and the menu is practically 100% organic so I think the extra cost is justified by the ambiance and quality.
I am looking forward to trying their entrees...soon!
John O' Groats - Overrated, indeed. PK's Review + Photos
I've been twice also...like the veggie hash and french press coffee.
three trips to scoops
Today...vegan flavors: chai (perfect!), cookie dough (a favorite for shakes even though it doesn't work well with a straw), and coffee/peanut butter (a surprisingly tasty combination).
Tell your friends!!
So what's up with NoMI??
I've done dinner there a couple times. Good service, good enough food, but the thing that stood out the most was the coffee I had after dinner...best coffee ever! I've been to the bar area many times for (great) drinks and appetizers. To me it's more of a cocktail place; depending on the cost of the prix fixe it may be worth it for dinner, but if you just want the view of Michigan Ave you can get that in the bar too. Btw, it's a nice view, but not sure I'd call it stunning...it's only on the 7th(?) floor.
Malo - PK's Review
Thanks for the review! I'm with you...
Just went to Malo for the first time last week...had the eggplant/potato tacos and when they were placed in front of me I actually said "I didn't know they'd be taquito style"
Based on my one and only experience there, I'd have to agree with you on almost everything...although I ordered my margarita w/ cheaper tequila and, for the price, I prefer the house margarita at Mexico City. I didn't love anything I had, but I wouldn't fault anyone for frequenting the place.
La Sorella di Francesca
It's part of a local chain. It's been a couple years since I've been there, but I've always liked it. Great service and reasonable prices...a nice mid-range Italian place. The spinaci aglio e olio was always done perfectly.
Rosebud is nearby, but I don't think it's as good.
best restaurant in san diego
I haven't been to the others, but I was at Pamplemousse last October...cheesy murals and biker dudes painted on bathroom doors do not appeal to me...especially when I'm spending $100+ per person for a mediocre meal. The service was excellent, otherwise I found it to be a HUGE disappointment.
best restaurant in san diego
The food and ambiance at Pamplemousse are on par with a restaurant you'd find in a Marriott or Sheraton (i.e. not impressive)
vegan friends in town- need a place for a nice dinner in hollywood area
RFD is a totally safe choice. I love m cafe, but it's probably not what you're looking for as far as atmosphere. For something a little fun and different, check out Moun of Tunis. They will modify their vegetarian option to be vegan...it's a ton of food!
http://mounoftunisrestaurant.com/client/mounoftunis/homepage.htm
FRIDA
good to hear! This place is in my neighborhood, but I've never been.
Does anyone know how their margaritas are?
Gingergrass - PK's Review W/Photos
I like Gingergrass because it is very reasonably priced, veg-friendly, Americanized Asian food. It's nothing to rave about, but everything is very fresh and that's important to me!
I have two questions:
why would you give wine/drinks a C if all you had was soda?
why would you want to return to a place that was a B- overall?
What to do with Extra-Firm Tofu?
yes, drain/press out the moisture. Make scrambled tofu! After draining, mash it up with cumin, turmeric, or any of your favorite herbs/spices. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet on med high heat and then add the tofu. As soon as it's heated through, it's ready to eat, but I like to cook it until it's golden. I also like to saute garlic and/or onion and/or bell peppers with this, which you'd want to do before adding the tofu. Good luck!
HELP! Frontera Grill v. Nacional 27
In all fairness to Nacional 27, I've only had drinks and appetizers there, it's not bad but I don't think it's in the same league as Frontera. If you don't want to deal with waiting, the no reservation factor may be a deal breaker for Frontera on a Saturday night.
I've never eaten at Salpicon, but I've always loved Adobo Grill! Adobo may not be in the same league as Frontera either, but they have creative food, great margaritas, and tableside guacamole!
www.adobogrill.com
Your favorite healthy dish?
I eat at RFD at least once a week (there's also one on La Cienega in WeHo), but just because it's vegan and organic doesn't mean it's lo-cal...I also don't consider it to be gourmet. While everything would be cholesterol free, it would not necessarily be low-fat.
The real food meal is probably your best bet...greens, mixed veggies, brown rice, sea veg, beans, and pressed salad (for which I sub a regular green salad).
However, if you're looking for healthy dishes at otherwise non-healthy places, the vegetarian fajitas at Mexico City on Hillhurst are pretty good!
AND my boyfriend really likes the salmon salad at Mustard Seed also on Hillhurst.
Scoops on Heliotrope
I was just there today. I only get the vegan flavors... chocolate/cherry, peanut butter/chai, and cookie dough -I had a scoop of each! He also had avocado/banana, I've had it before, it's also very good.
The texture is the best of any vegan ice cream I've tried, it's not gummy or icy, it's just smooth. It's been a while since I've had dairy ice cream, so I'm not sure how the vegan would compare to the regular stuff, but I was raised on homemade ice cream (my dad owned an ice cream shop for ten years of my youth) and I think Scoops serves a high quality product!
In non-vegan flavors I noticed brown bread and asked about it...it was described as caramel with grape nuts...sounds good to me, I hope to try it if he makes a vegan batch!
Can you name 3 things you like about Starbucks?
1) Tazo tea
2) little bottles of Pellegrino
3) filtered tap water!
Non-breakfast food for breakfast
had a bowl of penne w/ marinara this morning and stuffed grape leaves w/ pita and hummus for breakfast last week...I also have no problem with cereal for dinner!
Birthday dinner for 2 -- suggestions?
If you go to Red Light be sure to start with the crispy artichokes!
Fast pre-theatre dinner on a Tuesday
They have decent food at 312 Chicago (attached to your hotel). I'd have something light at the bar there and then have dinner elsewhere after the show.
Birthday dinner for 2 -- suggestions?
I'm a vegetarian and I love Blackbird. The food and service have always been great! However, if you're looking for warm or intimate it's not your place.
I've only been to Cafe Spiaggia once and was not at all impressed...Coco Pazzo is a much better Italian option in my opinion.
Brasserie Jo can definitely do vegetarian, but it's just okay.
I also like Red Light...they even have a separate vegetarian menu. http://www.redlight-chicago.com/ClientFiles/RedLight/menus/VegetarianMenu03-20-2006.pdf
Spell Check anyone?
After reading a post with "ceasar" and "sandwhich" I definitely think spell check would be useful!
