Comfort Food From Doomie’s Home Cookin

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant July 16, 2012

Omnivores may think that vegans only eat grass (and there are some that basically do!), but some of us vegans still crave those good ol’ classic dishes. LA is home to Doomie’s Home Cookin – the latest vegetarian restaurant to bring humane alternatives to fried chicken, burgers, and pasta dishes. Doomie’s is mostly vegan – with the exception of an option of dairy cheese. I think from the people I know, some people like Doomie’s and some don’t. I am also a lover and a hater of Doomie’s. Some items I love and some items I just don’t like. I have tried about every menu item and have found the ones I love, so I stick with those. If you aren’t into the occasional unhealthy food, you may not like Doomie’s. See why the health nut may not be interested in Doomie’s below.

My absolute favorite item at Doomie’s is their Clam Chowder ($4.95/cup). Sometimes they even put it in a bread bowl – soooo good! Unfortunately, this soup is only available on Fridays (bummer!). What luck I had on Saturday, when they had clam chowder available. I got a cup of it with my entree and (as usual) loved it.

Clam Chowder

Another option to get with your entree is a Salad. I got mine with Ranch dressing. This is your typical salad, but their Ranch dressing makes it better. Nice and creamy.

Salad with Ranch

I enjoy their Chili Cheese Fries ($6.95), but prefer Chili Addiction’s a bit better. Doomie’s chili is really runny – you’ll need a fork to eat this one.

Chili Cheese Fries

My vegan guy gets their Nachos ($7.95) quite often. I’m not a huge fan of this dish, but do enjoy a few chips when he gets it.

Nachos

And the pièce de résistance – Doomie’s Fried Chicken Entree ($11.95). We got our side of mashed potatoes with gravy. It also comes with corn, bread roll, and coleslaw (upon request). I can’t eat this often (too much fried foods don’t sit well with me), but when I get the craving, it is wonderful. The chicken reminds me of what I used to eat at KFC – and it doesn’t gross me out, because I know it’s not a dead animal. The flavor is just so delicious. I am also a little obsessed with their bread rolls. I know they are so basic and packaged, but something about them makes me happy. Maybe because I normally eat more nutritious breads at home and find it to be such a treat. My vegan guy doesn’t get it, either.

Fried Chicken Dinner

Doomie’s is now open everyday: 12pm – 10pm. You can get your comfort craving filled at

1253 N Vine St Suite #9
Los Angeles, Ca 90038
323-469-4897

And they also have a secret menu that includes such things as a Big Mac, Double-Double, and Dino Egg.

Bulan Thai Vegetarian on Melrose

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant July 12, 2012

My vegan guy and I went on a double date to Bulan Thai Vegetarian. We know how good this place is, but wanted to show some omnivorous friends what good vegan food tastes like. The four of us ate every last bit of what we ordered and we proved to our friends how wonderful this place is.

Our first appetizer was the Summer Rolls ($8): baked tofu and vegetables wrapped in clear wrappers and served with a Vietnamese dip. I love summer rolls. I get so sick of the fried egg rolls (sometimes you just want something fresh!).

Summer Rolls

Our second appetizer was the Grilled Dumplings ($6): stuffed with mixed vegetables and bean curd and served with spicy soy vinaigrette sauce. I’m not a huge fan of dumplings, but my vegan guy loves them. He also thinks that Bulan makes them really well.

Grilled Dumplings

The Pineapple Fried Rice ($9) was very simple but so good! Made with pineapple, cashews, raisins, onions, bell peppers, and curry powder. We got it with pepper steak, which is chewier than the other protein options. I normally don’t get fried rice, but maybe I should. I was craving this for weeks after I had it. Although, next time, I think I’ll get it with a different protein option.

Pineapple Fried Rice with Pepper Steak

I am also always craving the sweet stuff, so we got some Orange Chicken ($11): crispy battered veggie chicken tossed in an orange sauce. This was nice and crispy on the outside and sweet in the sauce.

Orange Chicken

And how can one go to a thai restaurant and not get some Pad Thai ($8)? This normally comes with egg, so request it vegan. Nothing like some rice noodles in a peanut sauce.

Pad Thai with Tofu

Even after everything we ate above, three of us were still a bit hungry, so we got one more entree. Crisp Fish with Green Apple ($12) is crispy veggie fish served with fresh green apple, cashew nuts, red onions, chili, cilantro, and special dressing. They certainly named this correctly – it was super crispy. The lack of sauce is both good and bad. It’s good, because the fish won’t get soggy. The bad is that it was kind of plain.

Crisp Fish with Green Apple

Bulan Thai Vegetarian has two locations. I’ve only gone to the one on Melrose, but I’m sure Silver Lake folks will be happy to have one closer to them.

7168 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-857-1882

4114 Santa Monica Blvd
Silver Lake, CA 90029
323-913-1488

New Veg Coffee House in Fullerton

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Veg Restaurant July 10, 2012

A new coffee house recently opened in downtown Fullerton. It’s a cute place that tries to buy local and do other environmentally responsible things. Green Bliss has an all vegetarian menu with some vegan options.

Green Bliss

They have inside seating and a few tables in this really beautiful courtyard. I’ve read that sometimes there are weddings in this courtyard. You can see why. Be careful which table you choose to sit – some are designated for other restaurants.

Courtyard Behind Green Bliss

As for the food, my sandwich was very tasty. I got the Avo-Campania Panini with a Green Bliss Salad ($9). This sandwich has mushrooms, avocado, artichoke hearts, and hemp seed basil pesto on multigrain bread. It’s nice and warm with a wonderful blend of flavors.

Green Bliss Panini

My friend got the Curried Chickpea Salad Panini with a Green Bliss Salad ($9). It’s got chickpeas, raisins, almonds, organic baby spinach, tomato, and vegan mayo on marble rye. I didn’t have a bite, but she and her boyfriend really liked it. I’m not a huge fan of curry, but I might try this next time.

Curried Chickpea Salad Panini

And there are even vegan dessert options. I’m pretty sure the cupcakes are vegan from Luscious Organics and there was also a vegan cookie available when I went.

Bakery Display

If you live or are passing through North Orange County, I’d highly recommend stopping to refuel your body at Green Bliss. Parking in the area was not bad when I went.

305 N Harbor Blvd Suite 103 (at Villa Del Sol)
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 773-0018

Monday – Saturday from 7 am – 7 pm
Sunday 8 am – 5 pm

breakfast (vegans can get oatmeal or a fruit bowl) is served until 11am

Vegan Pizza Day at Follow Your Heart

Posted by socalvegangal in Pizza, San Fernando Valley, Veg Restaurant July 7, 2012

If you’re a social media addict, chances are you heard about Vegan Pizza Day that happened on June 30th. Quarrygirl had a detailed map of all the places offering specials for this food holiday. Because I had already tried some of these amazing pizzas, I went with something new. Follow Your Heart was offering a special deep dish pizza for Vegan Pizza Day. I love Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese on pizza when it’s done right (aka- melted).

The options included two different options, so my vegan guy and I got one of each. Our favorite was the Meat Lover’s Pizza. As you can see, there were tons of melty cheese covering different types of vegan meats. My only complaint about this pizza was actually the reason I came – the deep dish. I didn’t think it was like a pizza crust at all. To me, it was almost like a really thick piece of toast: too crispy for me. My vegan guy was a fan of the crispiness, though. To each his own, I guess.

Meat Lover’s Pizza

The Margherita Pizza was the same as the Meat Lover’s – only with less flavored toppings. It still had that crispy crust and melty cheese, but was more plain only topped with just some tomatoes and basil.

Margherita Pizza

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed Vegan Pizza Day. And if you missed it, there’s always next year. But as always, most of these places have vegan pizza year-round (just without the special discounts). Make Everyday Vegan Pizza Day.

Happy Family in Loma Linda

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Veg Restaurant July 3, 2012

I’m seriously in love with Chinese food (or at least what we call Chinese food here in the states). I already told you about my delicious meal at Happy Family in Monterey Park, and now I tell you about my other delicious meal at another Happy Family. I mentioned before that these two restaurants share the same name, but are not the same company. They might have been at some point, but I am not sure about the details.

My “happy family” went here for Father’s day and feasted on lots of menu items.

First, as always, we got the Hot and Sour Soup ($6.95 – medium). This is my all time favorite soup and they do it very well. Never overly spicy, but oh so flavorful.

Hot and Sour Soup

Another dish we always order is the Sizzling Plate ($10.95), because this is my dad’s favorite dish. We get it without the “beef,” since we don’t like it as much as the tofu and “chicken.”

Sizzling Plate

My sisters like the Cashew Nuts Wheat Gluten Chicken ($8.50) the most. I also like this dish, only I’m not a fan of the plethora of water chestnuts.

Cashew Nuts Wheat Gluten Chicken

My mom and I love the Crispy Shiitake Mushroom with Bean Sprout ($9.95). These tiny strips of fried shiitake mushrooms are tossed with a wonderful sweet sauce (or as my dad calls it – “red sugar”). Whatever, dad, I’m an advocate of balancing out the savory with the sweet.

Shiitake Mushrooms with Bean Sprouts

My one sister loves soft tofu dishes, so she tried the Szechwan Style Tofu ($7.25). This dish is slightly spicy, but not too bad. It’s a great dish if you happen to like soft tofu.

Szechwan Style Tofu

And the overall favorite is the Crispy Oyster Mushroom ($9.95). I got a similar dish at the Happy Family in Monterey Park, but I definitely like this version better. I think this one has more flavor. It doesn’t even need a sauce – it’s that good.

Crispy Oyster Mushrooms

I am so happy they opened near my hometown. Now my family has a place to eat that satisfies everyone. If you aren’t in the Inland Empire, they also have locations in Costa Mesa and Rowland Heights. Seriously – check them out.

Happy Family – Loma Linda
2150 So. Waterman Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408
909-333-6988

Monday – Friday 11am – 3pm and 5pm – 9pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am – 9pm

Breakfast at Freesoulcaffe

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Orange County, Veg Restaurant July 1, 2012

I’ve said this many times, but vegan breakfast foods are so hard to find at restaurants. Oatmeal or a tofu scramble might be here and there, but sometimes you just want a classic waffle. I could be wrong, but I think one only needs a single finger to count the number of restaurants offering a vegan waffle in Orange County. That place is the all vegan Freesoulcaffe in downtown Tustin. If you know of another place, please let me know in the comments. Freesoulcaffe is awesome… really awesome. I’ve already mentioned their delicious lunch and dessert options before, and now I’ve come back to tell you about their amazing waffle.

On their menu, they list their waffle flavors as classic, green tea, and pumpkin. I ordered the pumpkin, but found out that they were no longer doing this option (sad). So I got the Green Tea Waffle ($6.95). You can opt to add fruit for an additional $2. This waffle was so good! Nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. When lots of people are ordering waffles, it takes some time, but it is worth the wait. They stop serving breakfast at 11am – no sleeping in if you want to get your waffle fix.

Green Tea Waffles

But of course I couldn’t leave without getting something from their bakery case. Dessert at breakfast is what I call living!

Glorious Bakery Case

The Key Lime Pie ($5.50) has the most delicious and creamy topping. It’s the same topping they put on their Mocha Pie I mentioned in my last post. The pie itself was equal parts sweet and tart. I shared it with my fellow diners and they liked it, too.

Key Lime Pie

They have an annoying online menu that doesn’t list prices. Their paninis run about $11.50, sandwiches are $7.95 for a half and $10.50 for a full, soups are $6.50, brownies/blondies are $3.75, and the cheesecakes/pies are $5.50.

They have a lovely covered courtyard that has heaters going on colder days. Their hours are: Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9pm (closed on Sundays).

191 East Main Street Suite 1B
Tustin, CA 92780
714.371.0976

Vegan Sandwich Shop in Irvine

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Veg Restaurant June 28, 2012

This new sandwich shop opened in Irvine called Phoney Baloney (awesome name, right?). It’s a little hard to find. You first have to find this gym, then go inside, and you’ll see the counter immediately on the right. They have a small seating area where you can feel guilty by watching people work out.

I got the Cali BBQ ($5,95): grilled Phoney’s beef slathered in cherry chipotle BBQ sauce and topped with slaw, pickles, and mustard on a sourdough sandwich roll. I love sandwiches in general, but I really loved this sandwich. The roll was a tad bit thick and hard to bite into, but other than that, the taste was wonderful.

BBQ Sandwich

And of course I had to try their Strawberry Cookie Monster – a spring sandwich special. If they are still offering this sandwich, you have to try it! It’s fresh strawberries, cookie butter, cream cheese, and agave drizzle that’s panini pressed between two slices of whole wheat sourdough. Genius combination.

Cookie Monster

Good luck trying to find this gem. It’s worth it!

4880 Irvine Blvd., Suite 102 (inside Custom Bodies Fitness)
Irvine, CA. 92620
949-885-6237

Monday – Fri 11am – 9pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm
Sunday closed

M Cafe in Los Angeles

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant June 26, 2012

I’ve posted before about M Cafe’s macrobiotic eats and now I’m back again to tell you about another meal here. A nice little pre-meal snack is their Shiitake Inari ($2.25). It’s a wonderful bean curd skin filled with rice and marinated shiitake mushrooms. Sweet and simple.

Braised Shiitake Inari

I think I missed the boat in posting this. This item is off M Cafe’s spring menu, but now it is summer so you probably won’t be able to get it anymore. It’s a Dill Tofu Salad Wrap with a side of their Barley and Green Garbanzo Bean Salad ($8.95). I loved this wrap. It reminded me of an egg salad sandwich. It was so fresh tasting. The side salad was an interesting one. I’ve never seen green garbanzo beans, but they were good.

Tofu Dill Salad Wrap

My vegan guy got the Carolina BBQ Seitan Burger ($11.95): thinly sliced grilled seitan basted with zesty barbeque
sauce and piled on a house-baked whole wheat bun with grilled onions, pickles and creamy cole slaw. This burger has a spicy kick to it, but gets cooled down by the coleslaw. If you can handle the heat, you’d like this one.

Carolina BBQ Burger

Parking is no fun at M Cafe. There are a few spaces connected to the restaurant, but mainly you will have to find a spot on the street.

7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046
323-525-0588

Monday – Saturday 9 am – 10 pm
Sunday 9 am – 9 pm

They also have a location in Beverly Hills at:

9433 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-858-8459

Monday – Saturday 9 am – 8 pm
Sunday 10 am – 7 pm

118 Degrees in Costa Mesa

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Raw, Veg Restaurant June 19, 2012

Awhile back, I had a Groupon to 118 Degrees. It was a great deal. Unfortunately, in my opinion, 118 Degrees is one of those reasons why I was turned off to raw cuisine. 118 Degrees was my second raw restaurant experience (after Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco – also not a very good experience). It just didn’t grab me. After two not so great experiences, I was not very interested in trying more raw cuisine. Luckily, I found some raw food in LA that I liked and the best raw restaurant in Oklahoma City. Be your own judge of the cuisine, but this is what I got.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Fried Avocado Mini Tostadas ($7): crispy buckwheat shells, spicy pepita cheese, chopped spinach, cilantro, corn, and fried avocado. This appetizer is something I have had before and liked it. However, on this trip, that crunchy coating on the avocados was lacking and brought the whole dish down. On a good day, these actually are pretty good. I can never really say anything bad about raw cheeses – I always like them, but I’m not a huge fan of dehydrated things resembling the bread (in this case: the tortilla).

Fried Avocado Mini Tostadas

My vegan guy got the Sweet Corn Tamales ($14): sweet corn masa with marinated portobello mushrooms – served warm with rojo salsa, guacamole, and napa slaw. According to the restaurant, this one sells out fast and I can see why. I enjoyed this much better than the raw stuff. Besides being comforting and warm, it also had lots of flavor.

Sweet Corn Tamales

I had the Fusion Pasta ($16): sweet miso, squash noodles in a chipotle shiitake creme with shiitake mushrooms, avocado, and dulse flakes. When I think “squash,” I mainly think of butternut squash. I’m a fan of butternut squash, so I thought I would like this dish. When it came to me, I saw it was mainly zucchini noodles. I hate zucchini. I had about two bites of this before packing it up and bringing it to someone else.

Fusion Pasta

And for dessert we got the Apple Cobbler ($9). I love baked apple cobbler, but am not so much a fan of dehydrated apple cobbler. The creme topping was nice.

Apple Cobbler

And the Raspberry Cheesecake ($9). I love Earth Cafe’s raw cheesecake, but sadly, I did not like 118 Degrees’ cheesecake. I think I liked the filling better than the crust, but all-in-all, I would never order this again.

Raspberry Cheesecake

If you are into raw cuisine (and even if you’re not), you may like 118 Degrees. I encourage you to try it out yourself.
2981 Bristol Suite B5
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-754-0718

Monday – Saturday 9am – 10pm
Sundays 10am – 9pm
Brunch on Sunday 10am – 3pm

Brunch at Sage Vegan Bistro

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert Shop, Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant June 15, 2012

I would like to share that this week So Cal Vegan Gal hit 1,000 views! That means my vegan guy is super supportive of my blog! No, no – he’s pretty normal… sometimes (wink, wink). But really, I would like to thank everyone who visits my blog. It really means a lot to me knowing that I am not just sending this information out into the cold, black space. And I even get some views from pretty random places around the world. I don’t know what brings them to a blog about being vegan in Southern California, but if you happen to be reading this from overseas, “Welcome! Thanks for reading my blog!!” I say very slowly and loudly, because we all know that if we speak to non-English speakers very slowly and loudly, they will understand.

And now back to the post.

Sage Vegan Bistro is one of those places that has a large and varied menu that changes often. It’s a good thing if you don’t like what they offer one month, because, most likely, the next month they will probably offer something else. However, if you absolutely love something, you might be disappointed the next time you dine here. Both have happened to me. Right now, though, lots look good to me on their menu. I better start making more trips to the Echo Park area before these items disappear.

On a day with tasty-looking menu items, my vegan guy and I went in for brunch. I started with the Polenta Cake ($8.95): fried polenta topped with tomato confit and sautéed spinach with green pesto sauce. What a delightful dish. The tastes just blended so nicely and I always feel like I’ve earned some bonus points by starting off my day with some greens.

Polenta Cake

I also ordered the BLTA ($11.95) served on a croissant. For me, the bacon was too smokey. After eating some of it, I really ended up just wanting that amazing croissant. Next time I’m asking for the croissant with some jam.

Croissant BLTA

My vegan guy got the Spinach Avocado and Walnut Sausage Florentine ($11.95): served over fresh baked baguette, topped with hollandaise sauce, and comes with roasted potatoes. From what I remember, I think he liked it all right. Also from what I remember, I think I liked his dish more than my BLTA.

Florentine

Sage is located at:

1700 West Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-989-1718

Sunday 9am-4pm & 5pm-10pm
Monday-Wednesday 11am-10pm
Thursday-Friday 11am-11pm
Saturday 9am-4pm & 5pm-11pm

Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm

BONUS: Inside Sage Vegan Bistro is a Kind Kreme. Easily get your vegan dessert after your meal!