Shojin and the Japanese Tsunami Relief Effort
Hi everyone. If you've been a regular reader of this blog, then you'll already know that our favorite vegan restaurant in Los Angeles is Shojin. Shojin is a Japanese, vegan restaurant which focuses on organic and macrobiotic vegan foods. We love this restaurant so much that we eat there about once a month. We've also grown quite fond of the staff. So it was with heavy heart that we went to the restaurant tonight. We were very concerned that someone would have been negatively impacted by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor disasters which have recently struck Japan. Thankfully, no-one was directly impacted and everyone reported to us that their family and friends were all doing well.
Shojin is involved in fundraising efforts to help the Japanese relief effort. They are selling their delicious Rosemary Cookies. The cookies are made of rolled oats, whole wheat pastry flour, cashew nuts, olive oil, maple syrup, rosemary, vanilla extract, sea salt and baking powder. They are delicious and unique. They are more savory than sweet, but still perfect for dessert. All proceeds from the sale of these cookies will be given to the Japanese relief effort. Shojin is also working with Sarah Williams, their in-house artist, to create tote bags. The graphic for the bags is to the left. Proceeds from the sale of these tote bags will also be donated to the Japanese relief effort. If you would like to donate to the Red Cross directly, click on the Red Cross image above.
And on a lighter note, if you're in the Los Angeles area, you must try Shojin. We highly recommend the Dynamite Roll (vegan sushi) as a starter. (If you're not into spicy foods, then try the Caterpillar Roll.) It's got a wonderful smoky spicy taste to it. Make sure to have something to cleanse your palate afterwards otherwise you may not be able to taste the first few bites of your next course . 
For dinner, the Seitain Pepper Steak is our recommendation. Or, the Bento Box, if it's your first visit. This way you'll get a taste of many different items. Whatever you choose, you'll leave there satisfied!
Visit Shojin's website for current hours and their menu.
Vegan Chicken at Chipotle
If you live in the Los Angeles area, you can now order vegan chicken at Chipotle.
This option is not available at all LA area Chipotle restaurants. In fact, it's only available at two of their stores:
- 244 South Beverly Dr. - Beverly Hills, CA 90212
- 121 N. La Cienega Blvd., #114 - Los Angeles, CA 90048 (right by the Beverly Center)
For some vegans, the idea of eating in an omnivore-oriented restaurant is not palatable (pardon the pun) because, by eating at this type of establishment you could be said to be supporting the unnecessary slaughtering of animals for food. But PeTA is urging you to try the vegan chicken at Chipotle, and we are too. The more people who ask for vegan fare, the fewer animals who are ultimately slaughtered. And, if we can get the fast food chains to start carrying vegan fare as part of their standard menu, then omnivores who don't have the slightest idea what "vegan" means might find themselves eating vegan. Of course, it's "fast food" so there's the whole issue of whether or not it's healthy food, but that's fodder for another post.
If you live in the Beverly Hills area, or if you'll be visiting, I urge you to go to either of these two Chipotles and order the vegan chicken burrito. This mock-meat burrito features Garden Blend: mock chicken strips marinated in chipotle adobo sauce and then grilled. The burrito also comes with black beans, rice, and toppings. Bring your friends. Bring your carnivore friends and offer them a taste. Let them see that they can eat well without having to eat meat. The only way that vegan food will become accepted into the mainstream food establishments is if the restaurants feel that enough people are willing to order the product.
So if you live in Los Angeles, or happen to be visiting, make sure to go to either of these two Chipolte restaurants and order the vegan chicken burrito.
National Margarita Day?
I've been informed by Jane that Today is National Margarita Day. I must admit, I've never heard of it before, and if I'd given it any thought, I would have tied that in with Cinco de Mayo. However, any excuse is a good excuse so we will be going out for Mexican food and margarita's tonight. Mexican is one of the easiest cuisines to veganize. Simply start with Rice and Beans. We usually get a fajita and split that as well.
Just a reminder... there can be pitfalls. Some restaurants prepare their rice using chicken stock, and some use lard in the preparation of their beans. In order to be on the safe side, ask your server to check with the chef. We've had good luck ordering black beans -- so far none have bee prepared with lard.
Last Vegan Food For 500 Miles
Shojin's Caterpillar Roll
Jane and I are off to Montana for a week. Since it looks like vegan dining will be Taco Bell and The Pita Pit, we figured we'd get a quick fix from our favorite vegan restaurant, Shojin.
As always, dinner was fantastic. We started our dinner with our all time favorite, the Caterpillar Roll. When we first went vegan the idea of "vegan sushi" was a bit of a joke to us. Sushi was fish, and we had loved it. But let me assure you, we are converts. This roll starts with a base of Shojin's barbequed seitan and is topped with sliced avocado. YUM! We've tried other vegan sushi, but this is our absolute favorite.
Our next course was the Barbequed Seitan. It's sliced seitan with some kind of light barbeque sauce. In our opinion, Kimiko (Shojin's master chef) makes the best seitan. It's far and away better than any other we've ever eaten.
Shojin's Seitan Pepper Steak
One of the reasons we enjoy Shojin so much is that they are constantly changing their menu. They keep the core items, but add things as certain foods become seasonally available. Our main course was the Seitan Pepper Steak, which is one of those new things. It was delicious. If you haven't tried Shojin, and can get to Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles, go... you won't be sorry.
So we're sated, and hopefully our expectations of our food options in Montana will be exceeded.
Click here for Shojin's website.
Free Food At Veggie Grill
If you're in the Los Angeles / Orange County area, Veggie Grill is giving away free sweetheart (sweet potato) fries today, Wednesday, April 22nd, in honor of earth day. Just mention you heard it on KTLA. I heard about it on the news this morning and wanted to get the message out quickly.
We love the Veggie Grill. We've been about four times since discovering it last year. It's a little far from our home, so we don't go that often. Also, it's "fast food" -- but when you're in the mood for that kind of meal, it rocks! Even the omni's we've gone with have really enjoyed the food there.
Here's a link to the Veggie Grill Locations. They have three stores at the moment, two in Irvine and one in El Segundo - close to LAX (with plans to open another store in West Hollywood soon).
And happy Earth Day everyone.
Flore Cafe, Really
Flore Cafe Breakfast Burrito
So after my gaffe last week, of confusing Flore with Flore Cafe, I convinced Jane we needed to head on back out to Silver Lake. Last week I reviewed Flore in Silver Lake. This time, we were off to Flore Cafe (really).
Jane had the Breakfast Burrito, and I had the Tu-No Melt, and of course, we shared. The Breakfast Burrito was okay, but not something we'd enthusiastically recommend. You could do this at home with better results. It had too much rice and potato and was very bland. And there's only so much hot sauce you can use! Everyone recommends the tofu benediction, we should have gotten that instead. Next time.
Flore Cafe Tu-No Melt
As for the Tu-No Melt, I'd wanted to try it when we were at Flore, but ordered the Quesadilla instead (which was delicious and I didn't regret my decision one iota). Flore Cafe also offers the Tu-No Melt, so this time I had to order it. It was delicious.
Overall, we were pleased and will definitely be back. Everything tasted really fresh. We really recommend both Flore and Flore Cafe. But I want to stress, the ambiance in these places is not wonderful. They both resemble an eatery or deli more than a restaurant. But the food is fresh and good, and the service we received was wonderful in both locations.
Just in case you're confused, here's a quick primer:
- Flore Cafe is a vegetarian restaurant
- Flore is a vegan restaurant
- Flore Cafe is at 3206 W. Sunset Blvd
- Flore is at 3818 W. Sunset Blvd,0.5 miles down the block!
- Flore Cafe used to be the Vegan Spot
- Flore is the original restaurant (they are owned by the same person)
- Flore Cafe serves breakfast all day long
- Flore breakfast served until 1 pm.
But no matter which restaurant you wind up eating at... YUM!
Flore Lives Up To Its Hype
Portobello Sandwich - Flore
Thanks to Kevin and Foodeater for catching our error. The restaurant we reviewed here is Flore, not Flore Cafe. My mistake, I googled Flore for the address and got confused. That happens people... I write my posts late at night. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused. But hey, I understand Flore Cafe is just as good, but with some vegetarian options. So if you read this review and went there instead, you probably enjoyed yourself.
We've been spending a bit more time over in Silver Lake, a trendy neighborhood in Los Angeles. Silver Lake has a variety of vegan restaurants... Flore being one of them. We've been hearing wonderful things about Flore and had been meaning to try them for a long time. But the reviews all seem to say that the place is cramped and the service slow... and there's no air conditioning... which means it's pretty much off limits in Los Angeles from March until November. (Okay, that might be an exaggeration.)
Vegan Quesadilla - Flore Cafe
OMG! Delicious! Jane had the Portobello Sandwich and I had the Quesadilla. The Quesadilla edged out the Portobello Sandwich for best meal. But when I tell you they were both delicious, I mean we're still reminiscing about that meal.
As for the restaurant itself, the ambiance is definitely lacking. It's crowded, there are loaves of bread and all sorts of inventory items stocked on every surface. Did I mention it's crowded? And the service is slow... but we found the waitstaff to be very friendly and helpful.
The restaurant is located at 3818 W. Sunset Blvd., Silverlake (Los Angeles), CA 90026. Call for their hours: 323-953-0611
Akbar’s Bengan Ka Salan
Bengan Ka Salan
Jane and I were in Santa Monica today and stopped in at Akbar, possibly my favorite Indian restaurant (they also have locations in Pasadena, Marina del Rey, and Hermosa Beach). Although they are not a vegan restaurant, they are familiar with vegan cuisine. We didn't have to go through an explanation of what we could and couldn't eat with our server. Always a joy! She even suggested we order the Roti bread instead of Naan as their Naan is made with milk (or was it eggs, I can't remember).
Anyway, this dish is sauteed chinese eggplant in a coconut tamarind sauce, you determine the level of spiciness. Yum! If you are in the Los Angeles area and enjoy Indian cuisine, I'd suggest a visit.
Vegan Sushi
So I finally had vegan sushi. Sushi/sashimi, the non-vegan version, was something that Jane and I adored. And we knew, that like with pizza, we wouldn't find the vegan versions nearly as satisfying. So we've avoided the stuff. On our last trip to Shojin (our favorite vegan restaurant), we had the caterpillar roll, and a mushroom sushi roll. Oh My God!!! It was heaven. Honestly. I know that people are always saying how good vegan sushi is, but really folks, if you're in Los Angeles, head on over to Shojin and order the caterpillar roll, you won't be sorry.
I should have a picture for this post because not only was it amazingly good but it was beautiful too.
Hours:
Tuesday thru Thursday, Sunday
11:30am - 10:00pm
Friday, Saturday
11:30am - 11:00pm
Address
333 S. Alameda St. Suite 310
(Little Tokyo Shopping Center 3F)
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: 213-617-0305
I know I'm pushing this place, but you're not going to find it unless you look for it, and it's worth looking for!
The Vegan 100 – 100 Things You Should Try
Many of you have probably already seen The Vegan’s Hundred list. There are other ”Hundred” food memes circulating round the blogosphere (The Omnivore’s Hundred, which started the trend; and The Vegetarian’s Hundred). Generally these a little bit of fluff we bloggers can use a way of introducing ourselves. Jane and I don't usually bother with them (do you really care what movies we've seen recently, this is a vegan blog after all). But I really like this list because it can inspire all of us to try new things.
Here's the basic premise:
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you've eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you've finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!
1. Natto (ironically, we just tried this)
2. Green Smoothie (VeganMomma has inspired me, but I'm still a little nervous)
3. Tofu Scramble (not just for breakfast)
4. Haggis (vegan haggis? Huh?)
5. Mangosteen (I've never even heard of this)
6. Creme brulee (oh Jane, can you find a vegan version of this?)
7. Fondue (aahhh the 70s. I have fond memories of my parents having fondue parties)
8. Marmite/Vegemite (once was enough!)
9. Borscht (this might be the way we get over our beet phobia)
10. Baba ghanoush - (Yum!)
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea - (two things to look out for here - milk and honey, if you don't eat it. Often the tea is prepared with milk, and the tapioca "pearls" can be either soaked in sugar or honey... so make sure to ask, or read the label.)
17. Black truffle - (I have the oil, does that count?)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza - (can't get enough dumplings)
20. Vanilla ice cream (Not as good as the vegan chocolate ice cream)
21. Heirloom tomatoes (from our garden)
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche (I didn't know this could be veganized...)
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish (often made with butter, milk, eggs... so ASK)
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper (hot, hot, hot)
27. Dulce de leche (vegan?)
28. Caviar (I've eaten caviar in my pre-vegan days, but never a vegan version)
29. Baklava
30. Pate (the goose will thank you)
31. Wasabi peas (I don't understand the appeal)
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl (and you don't have to do the dishes!)
33. Mango lassi - (make sure it's vegan... this is traditionally made with milk and yogurt)
34. Sauerkraut (IMO there are much better uses for cabbage)
35. Root beer float (funny, we were just wondering if vegan vanilla ice cream would make the float bubble like it does with cow's milk.)
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam (Jane makes a mean scone)
38. Vodka jelly (oooh, sign me up!)
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries (sorry to say, I have)
41. Raw Brownies (sorry to say I have... at Leaf, they were horrible)
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans (haven't seen these anywhere)
43. Dahl (gotta love that Indian cuisine)
44. Homemade Soymilk (homemade almond milk is better)
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (it was even better because work paid for it!)
46. Stroopwafle (I don't even know what this is)
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi (one day, when I don't remember how much I loved traditional sushi)
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi (well, the paste, not the plum balls themselves)
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy (not since I was a small child, but I'm assuming it was vegan)
56. Gnocchi (I love gnocchi )
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips (don't let anyone fool you, this is not a chocolate replacement. Just stick with the semisweet or dark stuff)
61. S'mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets (yum!)
64. Curry
65. Durian (bizarre)
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies (every time I'm around and Jane makes them)
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can (I keep meaning to slip it in the cart when we're at Whole Foods)
76. Pomegranate (Jane actually likes to open the fruit and eat the kernels individually)
77. Fauxstess Cupcake (we have the cookbook, I know Jane's got a post it on the page...)
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky (I tried the cactus jerky)
80. Croissants (Jane made a croissant with the leftover dough from the Vegan Danish)
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings (I don't think Jane's moving away from SnapPea Crisps)
84. A meal at Candle 79 (Of course, you should never say never)
85. Moussaka (mock, made with eggplant)
86. Sprouted grains or seeds (not quite my cup of tea)
87. Macaroni and "cheese"
88. Flowers (Jane grows nasturtium and adds that to our salads)
89. Matzoh ball soup (it was more like Matzoh mush)
90. White chocolate (I don't understand the appeal)
91. Seitan (Shojin makes the best Seitan)
92. Kimchi (I had a boss who loved the stuff)
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon (one day, but I really love red watermelon)
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti (get the Tofutti in the yellow container... No trans fats)
97. Potato milk (huh?)
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (we don't drink coffee)
100. Raw cookie dough (you've got to lick the beaters)
So I've tried 69 of the 97 I would try on this list... That puts me at 71%. Looks like I need to get a move on!
