veggies unite!

to support my friend sarah's foray into vegetarianism, we're going to start exploring some veggie foodie hot spots in the LA area. yay! it's tough getting carnivores to try these places, but i'm personally a big fan of veggies (though not enough to rid myself of evil meat). and i've been waiting forever to check out some of these local joints!

before i forget, if you're new to eating veggie (my personal shorthand for vegetarian), or new to eating *out* veggie, i found this great website:

http://www.happycow.net/browse.html

and of course, it's aptly named happy cow. who would've thunk? : )

so i must admit that this isn't the most polished website (the green/purple combo is cute, but the webmaster seems to have gone buck wild with the icons). nevertheless, all the info is right there. also, for those of you who aren't veggie but have veggie friends, this website is great b/c it also lists places that aren't completely veggie, but rather veggie-friendly. which means foodie fun for all.

of all the places mentioned within a 5-mile radius, i've tried 3 of them: native foods, california vegan, and juliano's raw. all pretty yummy. so here's a quick rundown:

NATIVE FOODS - this place is a bit cramped, which makes for a not-so-great dining experience. however, they're supposedly expanding into the space next door, which should hopefully ease the congestion. i think i went in the first time not too hungry, so i ended up ordering a salad with a *way* too lemon-ey dressing. puke-worthy, i have to say, and i couldn't finish it. however, my attitude is that if you're going to go to a veggie place, you really should get something you wouldn't be able to get at a non-veggie place. so the next time i think i ordered seitan skewers and a sandwich of some sort. (obviously, it's been a while. my powers of memory and description are tres weak.) both were quite excellent, as was the dessert we ordered at the end. (though i'm not quite sure whether we had tofu cheesecake or carrot cake. hmmm....) ultimately, we were squished upstairs at a little table, so i think i would've been able to retain more positive memories if i hadn't been so distracted by the lack of elbow room. in any case, movie stars are supposedly regulars, so perhaps that's another reason to stop by.

http://nativefoods.com/

CALIFORNIA VEGAN - this was a fitness excursion, which means that it was super fun and that i won't be able to say much else. as i've mentioned before, fun meals aren't so great for the foodie blog, considering that i'm usually so distracted by amusing conversation that i end up having little recollection of the food. (that being said, i promise to blog as soon after fun meals as possible going forward. that should help alleviate the situation.) what i do remember is that the food was really yummy. after elisa suggested the rolls, i believe we asked for two orders -- a good thing as these were quickly divided and conquered. for my entree, i think i ordered the spicy eggplant dish, which was immediately devoured. though i think dani beat me to the punch, so her dish must've been even better than mine! from the website, it seems like the restaurant is going for broad veggie appeal. but having been there, the ambiance and menu both seem to have a decidely asian feel. not that that's a bad thing of course....

http://californiavegan.com/index.html

JULIANO'S RAW - considering that my brother and i are fairly adventurous eaters, we decided to check out this place in santa monica. first things first, this place has got to get some serious lighting. yes, i know they were probably going for ambiance, but there are limits. as in, i want to be able to see what i'm eating. second things second, this place shouldn't allow waitresses with migraines to be serving. while i felt bad for her, our waitress was completely out of it and took forever w/everything. i mean, that just can't be good for ratings. setting ambiance and service issues aside (though those things can really f*** up a meal for sure), the food was actually quite yummy. considering that my brother and i are fairly talked out (having known each other for like a bazillion years), we tend to yak about the food as we eat. and from what i remember, we thought the food was pretty creative and yummy. we did have to order quite a few things to get us to that full feeling. but of all the things we tried, i believe the eel roll was the most memorable. it was all veggie, but it totally tasted like eel! i couldn't quite believe it. again, i can't remember what else we ordered (there's a theme here, isn't there?), but i give this place two thumbs up. the whole menu looks great and it's worth the $$$ to sample a bunch of things. be adventurous! it's all veggie, so it's not like you're eating any weird animal parts, right?

http://www.planetraw.com/index.php

eri and i were talking about how her bf thought it was odd for veggies to eat faux meat. like faux beef or pork or chicken or duck, made from seitan and other soy products. his attitude is that if you're going to stick to eating vegetables, why would you want to make them taste like meat? which, to some degree, i have to agree with. i mean, veggies make a choice to eat vegetables, in all their vegetable glory. however, i must admit that there's something cool and creative about transforming something into something else. and perhaps those who grew up on meat and converted for philosophical reasons still love the texture of meat. why should they have to give that up? particularly when food scientists have been inventive enough to make soy protein taste like ground beef or turkey breast! i say, to each their own.

my only advice is this: try something different and see if you like it before you judge it. i say BOO to the boring eater. you're missing out! then again, it's your life, so whatever makes you happy. but i'll still think you're a loser. so there.

p.s. for those of you who want to check out some veggie-oriented writing, look out for michael pollan and peter singer, who make some strong arguments for becoming veggie. (btw, for those of you who don't know already, i'm most definitely carnivorous. but i must admit that the veggie arguments are actually quite fascinating and well-thought-out.)