bld’s vegan benedict comes with two veggie patties, leafy arugula and thick slices of tofu bacon atop round pieces of crispy bread, all smothered in creamy and slightly spicy hollandaise. every single layer of this thing is perfect—from the smokey bacon and crumbly patty to the rich and wonderfully seasoned sauce. this may very well be the best vegan benedict in los angeles, i think it’s only real competition would be from m cafe.

vegan benedict with house smoked tofu bacon, veggie patty, wilted arugula, dairy free hollandaise, choice of potatoes. $13

the meal comes with your choice of breakfast potatoes, and we went with the olive oil roasted fingerlings. wow, wow, wow, were they amazing. i kid you not, some of the most delicious potatoes i’ve ever eaten. small, slightly oily, and crispy around the edges—these were cooked just right.

eggless egg salad sandwich with tofu, celery, red onion, lemon tofu aioli, avocado spread, french fries or salad. $13

we also shared the eggless egg salad sandwich with a side of fries, which was tasty but not as memorable as the benedict. the sandwich came on soft grainy bread and was stacked with soft pieces of cubed tofu in a creamy sauce. my only complaint is that the filling was a little bland, but that sure didn’t stop me from eating my entire half of the sandwich. the fries that came with it, though, were amazing—super thin, crispy, and well seasoned.

bld has a full bar with a great cocktail, wine, and beer selection. unfortunately when we dined there, it was before 10am, which is too early (even for a lush like me) to start drinking. instead i had small coffee, which came in a french press and was exceptional.

for a hip and popular restaurant that caters to mostly hollywood-type omnivores, bld does an amazing job with their vegan offerings. i highly recommend you get over there and try out the benedict ASAP. i know i will be back to bld very soon and very often.

bld
7450 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2701
(323) 930-9744
Sunday – Wednesday: 8 am to 10 pm
Thursday – Saturday: 8 am to 11 pm

special thanks to lucysnowe from the forums for letting me know about this place. you can read her review of the benedict here.

vegan fiesta burrito: a blend of seasoned vegetables, tofu, house chili wrapped in a wheat tortilla topped with salsa and green onions. served with seasoned red potatoes. $8.95

paradox cafe is a cozy little laid back diner with free wi-fi, bottomless cups of coffee, and organic food cooked to order. their breakfast menu was filled with plenty of appetizing vegan options, and after much debate we finally settled on the vegan fiesta burrito and the vegan paradox benedict.

the fiesta burrito was massive for under 9 bucks and came with a boat load of nicely seasoned breakfast potatoes. paradox certainly didn’t skimp on the vegetables either, this thing was filled with broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and others of the like. the tofu chunks were thick and soft, all mixed up with vegan chili and whole beans. the breakfast potatoes were also top notch; big slightly salty chunks that were great slathered in hot sauce and salsa.

now, whenever i go out to breakfast and see a vegan benedict on the menu, i pretty much have to order it. we have some damn good benedicts here in los angeles, so i was anxious to see how paradox’s would hold up.

vegan PaRaDoX benedict: sourdough bread with veggie sausage, tofu topped with fresh tomato and bon bon's tree hugger hollandaise sauce served with seasoned red potatoes. $9.50

the paradox benedict definitely didn’t disappoint. the heaping plate came with a large soft slice of sourdough bread covered in vegan sausage, tofu chunks, vegetables and a creamy hollandaise sauce. i was expecting the sauce to be more yellow, like traditional hollandaise, but this stuff was more like a brownish breakfast gravy. either way, it was phenomenal and i couldn’t get enough of it. the benedict came with the same excellent breakfast potatoes as the fiesta burrito, which were even better mixed up with sauce and bits of green onion.

in addition to amazing vegan breakfast served all day, paradox cafe also has a quite charming atmosphere. the funky old/new decor and breakfast bar with stools remind me slightly of the RR from twin peaks. if i lived in portland, i could see myself camping out at paradox for hours with a laptop, taking advantage of the free wifi and refillable coffee.

so when in portland, hit up paradox for a great breakfast. they also have vegan lunch and dinner offerings if that’s your thing, but i highly recommend the benedict.

paradox cafe
3439 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97214
503-232-7508 / 503.232.5525
Monday – Saturday 8 am – 9 pm
Sunday 8 am – 3 pm

P.S. this place also has the best fucking hot sauce ever. it’s this stuff called secret aardvark that we saw all over portland. damn, i wish i could get this stuff in LA. i will always remember the fist time i tasted it at paradox. it was magical.

secret aardvark hot sauce