agreed. Thats why i said they shouldnt do it because its false advertising. And also, it's silly when to go 98% of the way and not just make it 100% so that vegans can eat there with peace of mind.

I frequent those restaurants ALOT, especially Vegan Express and I am gonna bug them about this everytime i go in there. hopefully if everyone acts annoying about it, they will change.

I didn't realize I had so many VB members dining a block away from me. What a trip.

Does anyone ever eat downtown at Tierra Cafe? I eat there every day. Except Thursdays when the tamale stand is downstairs.

-Kevin

I work on Saturdays. Otherwise I'd have brunch there every week, because it's amazing. Looking forward to when they move to Silverlake. Then I'll at least be able to have dinner there.

Tierra Cafe is on my Friends list at MySpace. :)

Tomorrow and Friday they are having an "Almond Butter Smothie" special due to my non-stop hounding. Can't wait!

-Kevin

Hey there Cal-Vegs! Is anyone else in the Sacramento area? I'm thinking of starting a monthly vegan community get-together at the Co-op, like a Vegan Brunch Cafe on Sunday once a month (taking a cue from Isa Chandra Moskowitz). Anyone else interested? Let me know!

To the point: Vegan Express, California Vegan, and Hollywood Vegan are all serving food which is NOT VEGAN!

At each one of these restaurants the staff revealed ingredient lists which showed whey in several items, and California Vegan all but refused polite requests to prove what was in the food they were serving.
eek, that's horrible. i've been eating at california vegan a lot recently because the santa monica blvd location is just a few blocks away. :(

eek, that's horrible. i've been eating at california vegan a lot recently because the santa monica blvd location is just a few blocks away. :(

If you go there again, you probably just need to ask to make sure everything you're getting is actually vegan. But it certainly was nice to be able to go to a restaurant and order anything off the menu without having to worry about dairy...

-Kevin

OK, this is kind of weird, but I had a dream last night that I was taking a vegan cooking class and some old woman who was also taking the class brought bacon for everyone to try. Everyone got upset and it just got stranger from there…Anyway, it got me thinking, I haven't taken a cooking class in ages. Has anyone taken a vegan cooking class in LA or do you have a recommendation for one? I still make a bunch of the stuff that I learned to make in previous vegan cooking classes that I've taken but it would be good to learn how to make some new stuff.

I'd love to find a cooking class myself. Preferably on the Westside.

I have no experience with any cooking classes, but maybe the list of Cooking Classes on this site will be helpful...

http://www.vegparadise.com/yellowpages.html#Cooking

I have no experience with any cooking classes, but maybe the list of Cooking Classes on this site will be helpful...

http://www.vegparadise.com/yellowpages.html#Cooking

Thanks for the link. I should have known to check Vegetarians in Paradise first. They have everything!

-Kevin

Does anyone ever eat downtown at Tierra Cafe? I eat there every day. Except Thursdays when the tamale stand is downstairs.
-Kevin

too funny. i was in town for the weekend last week and we were starving/desperate to find a place for a late lunch/breakfast. luckily the folks at the standard knew about tierra and directed us there. it will now be a regular on my downtown l.a. visits.

by the way the standard is great for late night eating downtown - they have a yummy hummus plate.

i will be visiting california for the first time next month. i am flying into los angeles and spending 4 days there, spending two days driving up the coast and then spending 4 days in san francisco.

i would like to check out the best vegetarian hotspots while i am in LA/west hollywood/santa monica. where are the best places to eat and shop? if i can only choose 1 or 2, what would you suggest?

since it is my first time in LA, i would like to also eat somewhere where the stars eat, even if i dont actually see any. any suggestions? also, i think it would be cool to shop at the whole foods market that the stars shop at as well. would this be in LA, santa monica, or a suburb?

i would also like any suggestions for stops on the way to san francisco and vegetarian places to eat in san fran.

i would just go through all the 50 previous posts, but my computer is too slow! thanks again!

taran80@aol.com

My mom's favorite place in SF is The Greens. I haven't eaten there yet, but she says it is fantastic.

I live near Fresno, CA. We are here until my husband finishes this sea duty tour and I finish my MA in speech language pathology. Then I have no idea where we will be going.

Hello, just discovered this thread -- I'm glad! Didn't realize there are so many veg places around. I sure would like to check out Tierra Cafe...

i will be visiting california for the first time next month. i am flying into los angeles and spending 4 days there, spending two days driving up the coast and then spending 4 days in san francisco.

i would like to check out the best vegetarian hotspots while i am in LA/west hollywood/santa monica. where are the best places to eat and shop? if i can only choose 1 or 2, what would you suggest?

since it is my first time in LA, i would like to also eat somewhere where the stars eat, even if i dont actually see any. any suggestions? also, i think it would be cool to shop at the whole foods market that the stars shop at as well. would this be in LA, santa monica, or a suburb?

i would also like any suggestions for stops on the way to san francisco and vegetarian places to eat in san fran.

i would just go through all the 50 previous posts, but my computer is too slow! thanks again!

taran80@aol.com

When are you here? You're visiting my home. I live in Hollywood, basically. I see stars all the time (Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Paquin, et al) at the WFM on Fairfax and Santa Monica. I've seen stars galore at M Cafe de Chaya near La Brea on Melrose. It's macrobiotic, with tons of vegan options, including a yummy breakfast. I can't list all the people I've seen there, but the list includes Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Thandie Newton, Giovanni Ribisi, and so on. It's crazy. Also, Real Food Daily is a good option. Some celebrity sitings, but not as many. Still, the food is generally pretty darn good, and all vegan, and pretty much all organic, too, I believe. Native Foods in Westwood is one of my all-time favorites. And Madeleine Bistro is a nicer, gourmet-style vegan restaurant. I've seen celebs there, too, though mostly doing take-out, like Jason Schwartzman. Drop me a PM and I can give you more info, or maybe we could connect while you're out here.

I'm going to be out of town from 8/8 - 8/22, but hopefully you'll be here before or after those dates. I love showing off the vegan best this town has to offer, and there's some stuff I've wanted to explore that I have yet to get to.

I would also suggest Real Food Daily for celebrity sightings. I see them there all the time.

-Kevin

Sadly, Tierra has stopped their Saturday brunch for the time being. They are opening up a second vegan restaurant and are concentrating on getting that done by September. Hopefully they will resume it in the future.

To Los Angeles area readers:

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier has just introduced a new Vegan Menu.

http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=3595

Former Santa Monica Mayor Michael Feinstein enjoys healthy new Vegan menu with vegetarian guidebook author Cherise Leana Bangs at Bubba Gump Shrimp on the Santa Monica Pier.
I found the above posted in the online version of the Santa Monica Mirror newspaper. I can't find anything else about it on the Net, even on the restaurant chain's website.

I'm willing to bet the food at this type of place isn't especially outstanding, but, let's say you're entertaining an omni from out of town who really wants to eat on the Pier; now you don't have to worry about what YOU'RE going to eat.

(by the way, the Mirror misspelled the former mayor's last name. I corrected it in the quote).

To Los Angeles area readers:

The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier has just introduced a new Vegan Menu.

http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=3595


I found the above posted in the online version of the Santa Monica Mirror newspaper. I can't find anything else about it on the Net, even on the restaurant chain's website.

I'm willing to bet the food at this type of place isn't especially outstanding, but, let's say you're entertaining an omni from out of town who really wants to eat on the Pier; now you don't have to worry about what YOU'RE going to eat.

(by the way, the Mirror misspelled the former mayor's last name. I corrected it in the quote).

I've eaten at Bubba Gump's a few times-the food is expensive and awful. Go for the atmosphere, not the food.

I've eaten at Bubba Gump's a few times-the food is expensive and awful. Go for the atmosphere, not the food.

Thanks for the warning. :wall:

Thanks for the tip about the vegan menu, Amy. That's very good to know!

Hooray for a Tierra Cafe opening closer to where I live, and soon...

Hooray for a Tierra Cafe opening closer to where I live, and soon...

I guess they are also going to have a deli counter, sort of like Whole Foods, where you can get salads/entrees by the pound. I can't wait to try it out.

-Kevin