ROAD TRIP: Eating Vegan in Flagstaff, AZ

Posted by socalvegangal in Arizona, Omnivorous Restaurant June 12, 2012

Flagstaff is a wonderful mountainy community with a pretty awesome downtown. Walking around makes you feel like you’re in the Route 66 past. And the higher altitudes mean that Flagstaff has cooler weather than the rest of the state. There is a large university located close to downtown, so the whole area has a young feel to it. Young students also means that there will be places that cater to vegans.

One such place is Pita Jungle. This Mediterranean eatery has a whole bunch of vegan options. Their website even lists out all the vegan offerings. The first thing we got was the Carmelized Cauliflower with Tahini ($3.99). My mom loved this dish – like really loved this dish. I am not a huge cauliflower fan, but thought it was good. I would have been on my mom’s level of enjoyment had it been broccoli.

Caramelized Cauliflower

The one dish I really loved was the Hummus ($4.99 small/$6.29 large). It was so creamy! In my opinion, it is hard to find this creamy style of hummus. Most places serve what I call “rustic” or “hippie” hummus – kind of gloppy versions of the Middle Eastern delight. This came with warmed pita and was devoured in minutes.

Hummus

We might have thought we were lacking on our greens, so we got the Spinach Pasta Salad ($9.29). This salad is huge! We ended up taking most of this home, because we could barely eat it. It was full of flavor — and spinach! It could be served as a nice, refreshing meal on its own.

Spinach Pasta Salad

We also split a Falafel Wrap ($5.99): crispy croquettes of chickpeas in a regular pita with cilantro and spices, mixed greens, tomatoes, onions, pickles and tahini. I put on a little bit of the hummus for added amazingness. This wrap was delicious. The falafel was perfectly crispy.

Falafel Wrap

BONUS: For all the Vegan So Cal Gals and Guys there is a Pita Jungle out here! They have one in Newport Beach, Pasadena, and San Diego! Go now!

The next morning, before we made the long trek back to Southern California, we stopped for breakfast. Macy’s European Coffeehouse is the epitome of eclectic coffeehouse. It has that cozy yet chaotic atmosphere. We were a little confused as to where to order, but you can do this in the back of the coffeehouse next to the bakery display case. Order your drinks, foods, and baked goods here. They will bring the food out to you. Since we were still kind of full from the previous night’s feast at Pita Jungle, we were set on just splitting a waffle. But then I saw this Pecan Sticky Bun ($3.50) labeled as vegan. I had to get it! It was moist, sticky, and not overly sweet. Love on a plate.

Pecan Sticky Bun

And we got what we came for: the Vegan Waffle with Fruit ($5.95). These were perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Dare I say that these might have been the best vegan waffles I’ve ever had?! Well, I just did.

Waffle with Fruit

Oh, and FYI – you do bus your own table at Macy’s – another thing my mom and I had a hard time figuring out (the bussing station was hidden).

Pita Jungle
320 S. Regent St
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-774-0086

10:30am – 10pm daily

Macy’s European Coffeehouse
14 S. Beaver St
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-774-2243

6am – 8pm daily

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COME BACK TOMORROW FOR THE FINAL POST ABOUT THIS ROAD TRIP.

ROAD TRIP: Surprise, surprise! Vegan Food in Oklahoma City

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Oklahoma, Omnivorous Restaurant June 8, 2012

After a long journey, my mom and I finally made it to Oklahoma City for a wedding in the family. We were both quite worried that we wouldn’t be able to find vegan eats in the city. There might have been only a few options, but we managed.

One place with a great selection was Picasso on Paseo. We even wanted to go back to try some more of their selections, but didn’t have enough time. The first dish we did try was the Quinoa Tacos ($7): three tacos with lettuce, tomato, and avocado puree. These were so fresh tasting. We loved the innovation of using quinoa as the taco “meat.” I need to try and make something like this at home.

Quinoa Tacos

The second dish we tried was the Chicken Fried Portobello ($11): with vegan soy gravy and potatoes. We ordered it with a side of tabouli. Just like what we had in Amarillo, this tabouli was less parsley based and more grain based. It was too lemony for me – I didn’t like it – but the portobello was amazing! The seasoning on the breading was fabulous! And the gravy was perfect. I wish we could have gone back to try their vegan pizza and frito chili pie!

Chicken Fried Portobello

Unfortunately, they didn’t have any vegan desserts, so we travelled up the road to a Whole Foods for some cake. The selection of vegan cake was great! I know it’s Whole Foods, but it’s still in Oklahoma. I wasn’t expecting such a wide variety of choices. We got Apple Spice, Carrot, and Chocolate Raspberry Cake. They were all really good and moist. If you happen to be in OKC and need some vegan cake – you know where to find it.

Cakes from Whole Foods

Even though we really wanted to go back to Picasso, we wanted to try something new. Even our waitress at Picasso was raving about our next stop: The Red Cup. Sadly, their menu doesn’t label what is vegan and upon asking, not much was actually vegan. Their noodles have egg and their veggie burger contains egg, as well. Bummer. What we could get was their Frito Pie ($7.50): Fritos, veggie chili, tomatoes, black olives, scallions, and salsa (no cheese or sour cream – add guacamole). Another dish my mom enjoyed more than I. It was tasty, but nothing to come back for. I love Fritos (GMO corn and all!), but they did get soggy sitting under the chili.

Frito Pie

And they did have one vegan dessert! Yay! Carrot cake was our option and it was good. It might be lacking on frosting for some, but was full of spices. We even met the super nice girl that made it. Thanks, girl at Red Cup, whomever you may be!

Carrot Cake

The Red Cup
3122 N. Classen Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK. 73118
405-525-3430

Monday – Wednesday: 7 am-5 pm
Thursday – Friday: 6 am-8 pm
Saturday: 9 am-8 pm
Sunday: 9 am-5 pm

Picasso on Paseo
3009 Paseo
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
405-602-2002

Monday – Wednesday 11 am – 10 pm
Thursday – Saturday 11 am – 2 am
Sunday 11 am – 9 pm

Whole Foods Market
6001 N. Western Ave.,
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
405-879-3500

Daily 8am – 10pm

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TOMORROW: RAW VEGAN IN OKLAHOMA CITY??

ROAD TRIP: Mu Du Noodles in Santa Fe

Posted by socalvegangal in New Mexico, Omnivorous Restaurant June 6, 2012

Our last meal in Santa Fe before my mom and I continued on our journey to Oklahoma City was at Mu Du Noodles. This was the best meal in Santa Fe. The staff was super nice here – even giving us free food! And the food was delicious!

We ordered the Spring Rolls [four pieces of fresh and uncooked rolls served with nuoc cham and peanut-hoisin sauce] for an appetizer. The roll was your standard spring roll with a yummy peanut sauce. It was nice that they had the hot sauce on the side so the customer can choose their own level of spiciness.

Spring Rolls

We didn’t order the Green Beans, but out waiter said it was one of his favorites and brought it out to us. How nice!! And I’m glad he did. This isn’t on the menu and I forget what was on it, but they were very flavorful.

Green Beans

The items on the menu are marked if they can be prepared vegan. There were a few dishes we wanted to try, but settled on the Emerald Sautee [pan seared tofu sautéed in garlic oil with Green Tea noodles, fresh spinach, shiitake mushrooms local and seasonal vegetables, garnished with crispy shallots] and a Pesto Noodle dish. This was so good! It wasn’t your typical Asian style noodle dish, but so much more. The garlic made it taste sort of Italian and the green tea noodles and shiitake mushrooms brought out the Asian flare.

Emerald Sautee

Our second choice of entree was a Pesto Noodle dish that isn’t on their online menu, so I can’t tell you exactly what was in it. I just remember it had pesto, lemon, sesame seeds, vegetables, and tofu. I don’t know which noodle dish I liked better – they were both so good. This one also had that Italian/Asian vibe going on. I would certainly recommend this.

Pesto Noodles

Our waiter asked if we wanted dessert and said the only vegan option was a coconut sorbet. We were full and I wasn’t really feeling sorbet, so we declined. But that didn’t stop our waiter from bringing out the Coconut Sorbet anyway! This guy knew what was up. I am so glad he brought out another wonderful dish for us. The sorbet was so creamy and fantastic!

Coconut Sorbet

You’ve got to go to Mu Du Noodles if you are ever in Santa Fe.

1494 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico
505-983-1411

Tuesday – Saturday 5:30pm – 9pm

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TOMORROW, FIND OUT WHAT A VEGAN GAL CAN EAT IN AMARILLO, TX.

ROAD TRIP: Vegan Eats in Santa Fe

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert Shop, Ice Cream, New Mexico, Omnivorous Restaurant June 5, 2012

Santa Fe, NM is a pretty artsy-fartsy town, so one would think they’d be the open minded kind of people to have some good vegan food. I found a few good spots, but not a whole lot. One of these spots was a small chocolate shop that offers some vegan varieties. Kakawa Chocolate House may not label anything as vegan, but most of the dark chocolate truffles are vegan. We asked the chocolatier and she was very helpful to point out what we should get.

Kakawa Chocolate House

From their selection we got four different vegan chocolates. The Pomegranate Truffle (chocolate, agave, pomegranate, vanilla) was my least favorite – the most bitter. The Rose Truffle (chocolate, agave, rose water) and the Dark Chocolate Truffle (chocolate, agave, oatmilk, mexican vanilla) were both very creamy and less bitter than the pomegranate. My favorite was the Dark Chocolate Pistachio Clusters – the creaminess and saltiness of the nuts cuts the strong bitterness of the chocolate. Each truffle is around $3-3.50 and is worth the stop to this very cute store.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cluster, Dark Chocolate Truffle, Rose Truffle, Pomegranate Truffle

Because my mom and I were on a road trip, we didn’t have many meal opportunities to eat in Santa Fe. We wanted to spend dinner at a vegan friendly restaurant (Body Cafe), but got there at 8:28pm. Apparently the kitchen closes at 8:30pm and the whole place closes at 9pm. WTF? We made the deadline and they turned us away. Not cool! So we stopped at a Whole Foods on the way back to the hotel and got a bunch of vegan food.

The Couscous Salad and the Red and Black Quinoa Taboule from the deli case weren’t that great, but the Sonoma Wrap (Gardein chicken salad wrapped with grapes in a tortilla) was delicious! They even had some vegan donuts!

Whole Foods Goodies: Couscous Salad, Red and Black Quinoa Taboule, Vegan Sonoma Wrap, Donuts

The donuts were displayed from MIGHT-O. I thought it must be a typo, but what were Mighty-O donuts doing in Santa Fe? When we got back to the hotel and I tasted them and I knew they were from Mighty-O. I didn’t like them when I had them in Seattle, and I still didn’t like them. They have this sort of chemical leavening flavor. Not my cup of tea, but very exciting that vegan donuts exists in Santa Fe.

Mighty O Donuts

When we finally made it to Body Cafe, my mom and I shared two vegan-friendly dishes. Body Cafe didn’t have a whole lot of vegan dishes to choose from. A few dishes are raw and they have many juices/smoothies. One thing that really irked me (besides being turned away before they closed the night before) was their statement on their menu. Describing vegan, Body Cafe states it “does not contain any animal products including eggs, dairy. We often use honey in our vegan recipes.” So your vegan stuff isn’t actually vegan if it contains honey (yes, I know some vegans eat honey). Knowing I now have to ask if their vegan food is actually vegan, I discovered that the Caesar Salad ($11.95) [romaine hearts, jicama, sunflower croutons, capers, house caesar dressing] is totally vegan. Maybe it was my annoyance at Body Cafe, but I just wasn’t too thrilled with the food. My mom enjoyed it, though.

Caesar Salad

And the Green Chile Burrito ($9.95) [tofu, pine nut cheese, green chile, potato, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa fresca, onion, spelt tortilla] just wasn’t that good, either.

Green Chile Burrito

Body Cafe
333 Cordova Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87505
505-986-0362

Monday-Friday 7 am – 9 pm
Saturday 7 am – 9 pm
Sunday 7 am – 9 pm

Kakawa Chocolate House
1050 E Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM
505-982-0388

Monday – Saturday 10-6
Sunday 12-6

ROAD TRIP: Vegan in Sedona

Posted by socalvegangal in Arizona, Omnivorous Restaurant, Raw, Veg Restaurant June 4, 2012

Continuing with posts about my recent road trip, I bring you Sedona, AZ. My mom and I absolutely loved it here. It was so beautiful – red rocks galore! I definitely recommend a trip here, and if you do, take a tour on the Sedona Trolley. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the sights.

Because Sedona is more of an artsy community, vegan food is easier to find here. They have a natural foods market to get your vegan groceries and a full vegetarian restaurant. Plus, many of the omnivorous restaurant offer vegan options.

My mom and I got to Sedona in the evening, so we hit up Simon’s Hot Dogs. Sedona has some very strict regulations about signs and lighting, so finding this place was rather difficult. It is inside the Oak Creek Brewing Company on this side street. Once you find the place, you are in for a treat! The head guy (I’m assuming Simon) is super nice and he’ll direct you to what can be made vegan. They have one vegan dog that is substituted for the meat dog (it’s like a Field Roast sausage).

We got the Bratwurst Sauerkraut: vegan dog with spicy mustard and sauerkraut with your choice of chips or a pickle. I love sauerkraut, so I loved this dog. The vegan dog is very flavorful and combined with the mustard and sauerkraut – so good!

Bratwurst Sauerkraut

We also split the Cowboy Dog. This is like a chili cheese dog – only he uses vegan chili with tahini for the cheese. And I thought I loved the sauerkraut dog! This one was even better!! We wanted to come back to this place, but just weren’t in town for long enough.

Cowboy Dog

For lunch the next day, my mom and I went to the vegetarian restaurant ChocolaTree. This is like your typical earthy, yoga-loving cafe. You can eat inside or outside in this cozy courtyard complete with hammocks and gardens. They also have a complete display case full of raw vegan chocolates (some contain honey).

Most of the menu items are vegan (some contain honey) and a lot of them are raw. They also have an extensive beverage menu. My mom felt like she needed a vitamin boost, so she tried the Beyond B ($4): probiotic base B vitamins drink. It was described as having an herbal tea taste, but I thought it tasted more like what it is: vitamins. My mom enjoyed it.

Beyond B

I was very focused on trying the Buckwheat Waffle ($7) with vegan butter and cinnamon agave (beware: the optional add-on of coconut creme contains honey). That cinnamon agave was so thick it barely came out of the dish – but it was delicious. I loved this waffle. It was a bit denser than a typical Belgian waffle, but so yummy!

Waffle

We also tried to get in some greens with the Kale Quinoa ($11): quinoa, kale, and Thai sauce topped with shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, red onion, and red bell pepper. I really need to figure out how to make this on my own. It was so good. The kale was not bitter at all and the Thai sauce was delicious! It’s a healthy salad without tasting healthy.

Kale Quinoa

Then the Almond Butter Sandwich ($6): warm banana bread with stone ground almond butter and honey (obviously I didn’t get the honey). This wasn’t your typical sandwich – you definitely had to eat it with a fork – but the almond butter was the best I’ve ever had. It had the perfect amount of creaminess. Of course the banana bread that it was poured over was also very tasty.

Almond Butter Sandwich

And we couldn’t leave without trying a few of the goodies in their huge selection of raw chocolates. I think my favorite was the White Goji Berry (white raw chocolate with goji berry) – no bitterness at all. My second favorite was a toss up between the White Jungle Peanut (white raw chocolate with jungle peanuts) and the Almond Butter Cup. I just love that almond butter! The Jungle Peanut Butter Cup had a bit too much raw dark chocolate for me and made it way too bitter.

Left to Right: White Goji Berry, Almond Peanut Butter Cup, White Jungle Peanut, Jungle Peanut Butter Cup

ChocolaTree
1595 West Hwy 89A
Sedona, AZ 86336
(928)282-2997

Daily from 9am-9pm
Simon’s Hot Dogs
2050 Yavapai Dr
Sedona, AZ 86336
(928) 496-0266

Mon, Tue & Thurs 4pm to 9pm
Fri & Sat noon to 9pm
Sun 12 noon to 8pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Gourmet Pizza Shoppe in Redlands

Posted by socalvegangal in Omnivorous Restaurant, Pizza May 24, 2012

Yet another pizza place has made the brilliant decision to get Daiya and provide some vegan pizzas. When it is in the Inland Empire, this decision is especially wonderful. The more vegan options, the better!! The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe in Redlands is another one of those local favorites that have had such great success, they have expanded to a second location. People just love their crazy (meat and cheese filled) pizza pairings. I’ll tell you that even before they started carrying Daiya, I was still a huge fan of this place, too. Yes, it may have been only because of their bread, but (wow!) you have got to try their Breadsticks and marinara! Yep, I eat the whole thing. Nice and soft on the inside with a crispy seasoned crust – served with a wonderfully flavored marinara sauce ($2.99).

Breadsticks with Marinara

Of course some of you might not be enticed by just bread alone, so lucky for you, vegan pizza is an option. I love their crust! Their regular pizza sauce has dairy in it, so be sure to get it with marinara sauce instead. Top it with vegan cheese and whatever vegetable toppings you like. I got my Personal Sized Pizza with Mushrooms ($7.50) – super delicious. The Redlands place is like one of those pizza parlors from your childhood. I love it here. And when you are done, walk around the historic downtown Redlands (go on a Thursday night and the whole street is shut down for the hugely popular Market Night).

Vegan Pizza with Mushrooms

The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe has two locations (Redlands being the one I frequent):

120 E. State Street, Redlands, CA 92373
(909) 792-3313
Sun: 12 PM – 8 PM
Mon-Sat: 11 AM – 9 PM

13661 Calimesa Blvd, Yucaipa, CA
(909) 795-8000
Sun: 12 PM – 8 PM
Mon-Thurs: 11 AM – 8 PM
Fri & Sat: 11 AM – 9 PM

Vegan Eats at The Gypsy Den

Posted by socalvegangal in Omnivorous Restaurant, Orange County May 9, 2012

The Gypsy Den is one of those omnivorous, hipster restaurants with vegan options. They have two locations – one located in Costa Mesa and one located in Santa Ana. I went to the Costa Mesa location and was delighted by the cozy cafe atmosphere. They have a large menu and bakery display case, but only a few vegan choices.

I got the Chipotle and Avocado Vegan Chicken Wrap ($9) – soy chicken, chipotle cream, salsa, avocado, and spinach in a whole wheat wrap. I am not a huge fan of overly spicy food items, but could handle this one. And when things got too hot, I’d just take a breather and have a few chips. I love wraps and would order this one again.

Chipotle and Avocado Vegan Chicken Wrap

My vegan guy got the other vegan lunch option: the Veggie Burger ($9) – vegan patty on a grilled wheat bun with lettuce, avocado and salsa. He also opted to add vegan bacon. We both thought the same thing – it needed some sort of sauce. A little bit of vegan mayo would have done it. Other than being kind of on the dry side without the sauce, it was good.

Veggie Burger

After dinner, my sweet tooth kicked in, so I got the Mocha Cupcake ($2.75). I thought it was also a little on the dry side and a bit too dense. It had a nice flavor, though.

Mocha Cupcake

Be prepared for the many naked women paintings around the Costa Mesa location. I was a little irked by that. Come on Gypsy Den, where’s the men? Why does nudity always seem so focused on women? Let’s get some equal opportunities for our male counterparts up on your walls.

The Gypsy Den is located at:

2930 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Open 8am – 11pm daily

125 N. Broadway Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Monday – Wednesday 8am- 10pm
Thursday – Saturday 8am – 11pm
Sunday 8am – 9pm

Vegan at Mu Thai Restaurant in Redlands

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Omnivorous Restaurant May 2, 2012

Sometimes the Inland Empire is not so fun for vegans finding food, but there are exceptions. Redlands is a small town located next to an even smaller town that is predominately inhabited by Seventh Day Adventists. For those unfamiliar with this religion, most followers eat a vegetarian diet. This makes eating there and in Redlands more friendly to veg*ns.

One very nice restaurant in Redlands is a thai place that has many vegetarian options. Thai food is generally easy to get prepared vegan, but the ambiance and knowledge of the staff at Mu is so great, it keeps me coming back.

On a dinner outing with some old friends, I decided on the Panang Curry ($12) – peanut sauce, bell peppers, coconut milk, and tofu. It came with a side of rice, which was great, because it was a way to deliver that amazing peanut sauce to my mouth! Order this, and you won’t be sorry. I’m also a huge fan of their Pad Thai and their vegan coconut milk based tofu and vegetable soup. See all their menu items here.

Panang Curry

Mu is located at:
309 W State St
Redlands, CA 92373

Monday – Friday: 11am – 2:30pm and 5pm – 10pm
Saturday: 5pm – 10pm
Sunday: 5pm – 9pm

Cheezy Pizza in Colton

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Omnivorous Restaurant, Pizza, Veg Restaurant February 7, 2012

I love that Daiya has made it so easy for pizza places to add vegan pizzas to their menus. Cheezy Pizza in Colton has done this and more. They are not a totally vegan establishment, but their vegan menu is huge! In addition to vegan pizza, they have vegan appetizers, salads, calzones, and even desserts. I recently went and got some food to feast on with my family out in the Inland Empire.

First up was the garlic cheese bread and the potato wedges. The garlic cheese bread was a nice thick and soft piece of bread covered in Daiya cheese. It came with a small container of marinara sauce. The bread was delicious, but I wanted more marinara for dunking. The potato wedges were also delicious. They were perfectly seasoned and not too greasy. They came with a side of ketchup.

Garlic Cheese Bread – $4.60

Potato Wedges – $3.68

In addition to the two appetizers, I ordered two different kinds of pasta. Their pasta menu lets you choose a shape of pasta, pasta sauce, and up to four toppings. I ordered Fettucini Alfredo with vegan chicken and mushrooms. Their alfredo sauce is one of the best vegan alfredo sauces I’ve ever had. It’s super thick and creamy – I wish they jarred and sold this. The second pasta dish I ordered was the Penne Pesto with sun dried tomatoes, black olives, and mushrooms. At first I thought it looked dry – that the pasta baked too much in the oven – but it definitely wasn’t. The pesto had just the right amount of spices and oil. The topping of Daiya was also a great way to add more of a cheesy flavor to the pesto. I’d order this one again.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Vegan Chicken and Mushrooms – $7.99

Penne Pesto with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Black Olives – $7.99

The two pizzas I ordered were the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the Margherita Pizza. The BBQ Chicken pizza reminded me of my favorite California Pizza Kitchen pizza back when I was an omnivore. The BBQ sauce was the best part – nice and sweet with a little bit of tang. The Margherita pizza was simple, but not lacking any flavor. The fresh tomatoes and tons of basil made this pizza so refreshing. The crust at Cheesy Pizza is a one-size-fits all – not too thick and not too thin.

BBQ Chicken Pizza – $16.56

Margherita Pizza – $13.80

In keeping with the “two of each” theme, I picked up two vegan cheesecakes for dessert. These are pre-packaged cheesecakes made by a third party. The two flavors I got were Caramel Apple and Peanut Butter. Neither of these cheesecakes were very good. They both tasted kind of dry- especially the crumbly crust. The best part of these was the dollop of frosting on the peanut butter cheesecake. This was the only really creamy part of it all.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake – $4.75

Peanut Butter Cheesecake – $4.75

They also recently started bottling their ranch dressing. I hope it makes it to the stores. It is just like the “real” thing! So thick – not runny like other vegan ranches I’ve had. I dumped this stuff like crack onto my pizzas. It’s worth the drive to Colton alone.

Creamy Ranch from Cheezy Pizza – $6.50

The biggest downer of Cheezy Pizza is that I only found out about it after I moved away from the area. Everything Cheezy Pizza makes is fantastic. A note about their vegan sauces: apparently they prepare these on Mondays. I came on Monday and got the last bit of vegan alfredo. If you are making a special trip on a Monday, I’d recommend calling ahead to make sure they have the vegan sauce that you want.

Cheezy Pizza

Cheezy Pizza is in a random area (in my opinion). The neighborhood is mostly residential and a block away from an elementary school. It has easy parking and is not too far from the freeway. There is seating inside for about 20 people.

Cheezy Pizza is located at:
299 West Olive Street
Colton, CA 92324
(909) 370 -2644

Sun-Thurs: 11AM – 9PM
Fri-Sat: 11AM – 10PM

Hugo’s Restaurant in WeHo

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Omnivorous Restaurant, San Fernando Valley, Veg Restaurant January 27, 2012

My favorite thing about Hugo’s Restaurant is the huge selection of vegan options. For an omnivorous restaurant, they certainly cater to vegans. Even a lot of their non-vegan menu items can be made vegan. Another great thing about Hugo’s is their monthly specials. This trip to Hugo’s was no exception.

I was in the mood for pancakes one sunny afternoon in December, but didn’t know where to go. I knew I wasn’t in the mood for any of the pancakes served at the infamous vegan thai places in LA and most other restaurants serving vegan breakfast foods weren’t cooking them this late in the day. Luckily Hugo’s serves breakfast items until 4pm. I ordered a December special: Orange Cranberry Pancakes. This consisted of three fluffy pancakes infused with almond, orange, ginger & cranberries and topped with toasted slivered almonds and organic powdered sugar. Also served with a chunky agave sweetened ginger-orange cranberry compote. I love how nice and thick Hugo’s can make their pancakes without leaving the center of the pancake mushy and uncooked. The pancakes were delicious and very filling. I wasn’t too thrilled with the compote, though. I’m a girl who loves her pancakes covered in maple syrup and I thought the agave in the compote clashed with the flavor of the maple syrup.

Orange Cranberry Pancakes – $11.50

My vegan guy (not into the sweet stuff) got a veggie burger. The Hugo’s veggie burger comes with onion, lettuce, tomato and Vegenaise. It is served with a choice of crispy fries, house made potato chips, house salad or caesar salad. You can also choose three additional toppings. My vegan guy opted for sauteed mushrooms, avocado, and ranch (on the side) and a side of fries. I had a bite and thought it was wonderful (especially to curb the sweetness of my pancakes). My vegan guy thought he’d had better veggie burgers on prior visits to Hugo’s. Maybe there was a new cook? The one thing we both agreed on was the ranch. We thought it was too runny. It barely stayed on the burger. It was definitely more of a dressing for a salad (if that) than a spread for a burger.

Veggie Burger with sauteed mushrooms, avocado, and ranch – $12.50

All in all, though, Hugo’s Restaurant is a must visit for those who don’t mind eating at an omnivorous restaurant. You can check out their monthly specials and recurring items on their menu (vegan and vegan-options are clearly marked). You can choose from their two locations: each with a small parking lot adjacent to the building.

Hugo’s Restaurant West Hollywood
8401 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

Hugo’s Restaurant Studio City
12851 Riverside Dr
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

Monday – Friday
^{7:30 AM to 10:00 PM}
Saturday – Sunday
^{8:00 AM to 10:00 PM}

So Cal Vegan Gal

Category Archives: Omnivorous Restaurant