A Tale of Two Weekends in Los Angeles; part 2!

As I mentioned last week, I recently found myself in Southern California twice in a 2 week span. While it's bit much for a gal who'd rather walk 5 miles than get in a car, I was happy to take advantage of all the amazing food Los Angeles and beyond has to offer. After a busy weekend that included the Sugar Beat Sweets sponsored Vegan Valentines Dance & another successful Vegan Bake Sale, Ryan & I set out on our adventure. We always take the scenic route 101, which has far better views, but also we can stop in our former home San Luis Obispo, see our good friend Josh, pick up some vegan chocolates, & of course, eat! While I've mentioned the fabulous Tempeh Tacos at Shine Cafe in Morro Bay, another place we often go is Big Sky Cafe in downtown SLO. While the vegan options at Big Sky have dwindled in recent years, my heart still belongs to the Chilled Sesame Ginger Noodles in all its spinach covered glory! I recommend you stop there for a meal, when you're in the area.

We arrived in Southern California on Valentine's Day, met up with Erika from Purrfect Pineapples (NSFW?!) & our friend Joe, then headed over to Follow Your Heart. While they seemed to be especially on hippie time that day, we still enjoyed our meal. I started off with an Orange Shake, my favorite diner treat, then moved on to a half order of thick, fluffy french toast with pecans & lots of maple syrup. They ran out of home fries, so I went for a bean hash which was just alright in my opinion. FYH is a great place to stop when you're in the Valley, the food is pretty solid, plus they have a market where you can pick up veg staples, like a million types of non-dairy ice cream, or in my case chapstick, cough drops, & a giant bottle of Dr. Bronners! Aren't I a barrel of fun?!

On the night of Valentine's Day, we headed to a benefit for Compassion Over Killing, an excellent animal rights organization. (Go check out their Dunkin' Donuts campaign & make your own vegan donut!) With promises of food from local vegan joints like Cinnamon & the proceeds going to a great group, Erika, Adriana from Anarchy in the Garden, & I couldn't help but attend to support it! While the music certainly wasn't our taste, the assortment of cupcakes from The Fakery Bakery & Cafe Flore were! We also noshed on assorted savories like Tofu & Nopales, mini Tofurky sandwiches, & vegan quiche.

After we left the party, we decided to grab a bite to eat at my new favorite spot, The Veggie Grill. After my tasty meal the weekend before, I wanted Ryan to experience it for himself! We decided to share the All American Stack, a monster burger with the works, including onion rings stacked inside & the Chinese Chickin' Salad. Once again, I was impressed! Not only did I eat salad, but I ate mock meat, & actually enjoyed it! The blackened chickin' is pretty amazing & almost scares me to a point where I don't want to eat it. Don't worry, I ate it! Hey Veggie Grill, can you please open in San Francisco next?

The next morning, I knew I had a day of tattooing with Hannah Aitchison ahead of me, so I filled up at a favorite spot, M Cafe. Ryan & I started with a tender, flaky Almond Croissant that we both loved! As my main, I opted for the Carolina-Style Barbequed Sandwich, a big, messy creation piled high with coleslaw & seitan in BBQ sauce on a wheat bun, with a side of broccolini. It certainly was filling & delicious! For dessert, we shared the Banana Millefeuille, which has flaky layers of pastry with banana slices, cream filling, and sliced almonds. I had heard rave reviews about this, but thought it was just pretty good, possibly because the croissant was so lovely!

After a long session of tattooing, my appetite was raring to go, so I headed to a great spot for a big appetite, Vinh Loi Tofu. We had to wait a bit for a table, but it proved to be well worth it. The Udon Stir Fry dish with their freshly made tofu & vegetables was a perfect conclusion to my LA adventures! It actually reminded me a bit of Pad Thai, which I didn't mind at all. Ryan enjoyed his (creepy) Ham Rolls & Banh Mi too! I was surprised when the owner Kevin remembered us from the time we visited with QuarryGirl & Ms. To Live & Eat in LA, especially when he reminded us it was 1 year earlier on Valentines Day! I don't know if he has veganism to thank for his incredible memory, but I was suitably impressed!

Well, that should conclude my Southern California travel for some time. Of course, I'm always ready for my next adventure, so stay tuned for next week when I'll make a big announcement & reveal my next destinations!