if there’s one reason to drag your ass out of bed before noon on a sunday morning, it’s this breakfast sandwich from a taste of life. that’s right, the makers of the best vegan soul food in los angeles have also created LA’s best vegan mcmuffin—a soft gooey faux sausage and tofu biscuit complete with deliciously creamy cheese. although the restaurant recently closed its storefront, they are still serving food at the hollywood farmers market every sunday from 8:30am to 1:30pm…the only catch is, these hot little muffins tend to sell out. when i arrived last weekend at around 10:30am, there were still several left, but i heard that by 11:30 they were all gone.

vegan breakfast sandwich: sausage, tofu, and cheese on a fluffy muffin. $5

damn, i can’t even tell you guys how much i loved this thing. i unwrapped my sandwich and ate it right there in the street, and it was honestly one of the best breakfasts i’ve had in my life. the biscuit was incredibly soft and fluffy, the sausage was hearty and meaty, and the tofu was soft in the middle and nicely browned on the outside. oh, and the CHEESE….the cheese was just amazing. it’s the same stuff that a taste of life puts in their vegan macaroni and cheese, which is the best in LA.

there is absolutely nothing lacking or meh about this sandwich. it’s seriously decadent, perfectly greasy, and not “vegan-tasting” in any way. my only advice would be to order a drink as well, because this thing made me seriously thirsty. i know i will be returning to the farmers market and buying these on a regular basis…they are total vegan crack as far as i’m concerned.

so who is getting up early on sunday morning to eat the best vegan breakfast sandwich in los angeles? trust me, it’s worth it.

a taste of life
at the hollywood farmer’s market
northern side of selma between vine & ivar

PS: special thanks to brittany from sick of lettuce for telling me about this breakfast sandwich. without her, i wouldn’t know it existed, and my life would suck slightly more.

Lorenzo's Tofu Eggwich: A Grilled Scrambled Tofu Pattie, Tomato and *Pastrami* Wheatmeat, with Avocado and Vegenaise® on our Homemade English Muffin. Served with Fries or Fresh Fruit. $6.95

on a recent trip to FYH, i was jonesing for a burger. unable to order any of follow your heart’s veggie burgers because the buns contain honey (even though the menu claims they are vegan-optional…for some reason), i scanned the menu for other options. hiding out in the appetizer section, i found the meal i was looking for: a tofu eggwich that sounded a lot like an egg mcmuffin…but better, with added vegetables.

the english muffin came stacked with a tofu patty, pastrami wheatmeat, vegenaise, avocado and tomato. served with a generous portion of crinkly fries and costing under 7 bucks, this thing was a bargain! not just was it a good deal, but it tasted awesome too. the patty and wheat meat were perfectly salty, and nicely rounded out by the cool, creamy avocado and vegenaise. the english muffin was warm and toasty, while the tomato was cold and fresh. fucking delicious, all of it!

i honestly don’t know what this tofu eggwich is doing in the appetizer section of the menu. it makes a fine main course for one person, and i may just call it one of the best little vegan sandwiches in los angeles. get over and try this thing when you have a chance. it’s hearty, tasty, and it won’t break the bank.

why don’t more restaurants in los angeles have vegan egg mcmuffins?!

follow your heart
21825 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, California, 91303
(818) 348-3240

flore cafe vegan soul food buffet. all you can eat. $10. (photo courtesy of cuteanddelicious.com)

hey los angeles vegans, we’ve got some news about one of your local restaurants and some important info about what you should be eating this weekend. it turns out flore cafe has switched up their business model a bit. they are no longer open during normal hours, and are instead bringing us a few bottomless epic vegan feasts each week for just 10 bucks a pop. coming up saturday through monday, flore cafe is hosting three vegan buffets consisting of soul food on saturday, brunch on sunday, and curry on monday. this is gonna get awesome. (btw, do not confuse flore cafe with its sister restaurant flore down the street. flore cafe is at the corner of sunset and descanso!)

if you are wondering why the picture above is so damn lovely…it’s because i borrowed it from last week’s review of the flore cafe soul food lunch buffet on the cute and delicious blog. the post praises the buffet and asks, “What could be better than all you can eat vegan macaroni and cheese?…The cole slaw was honestly the best slaw I’ve ever had in my life…It was fresh, crunchy and sweet. So good.”

while flore cafe is still around (they not be for long), you should really take advantage of their ten buck all you can eat deals…starting with this weekend. saturday you have the amazing soul food deal as raved about above, sunday you have the incredible brunch that we have blogged about several times before, and monday you have an all new indian dinner that sounds pretty damn exciting to me.

here’s the full schedule and menus:

Saturday, October 10th Noon – 4pm
All You Can Eat Soul Food $10
Macaroni & Cashew Cheese
Collard Greens
Black Eyed Peas
BBQ Tofu
Corn Bread
Cole Slaw
Iced Tea
Lemonade

Sunday, October 11th – 10am – 3pm
All You Can Eat Brunch $10
Tofu Scramble
Sausage
Bacon
Potatoes
Waffles
French Toast
Fruit
Bread/Jam
Coffee
OJ

Monday, October 12th 6pm – 10pm
All You Can Eat Indian $10
Aloo Gobi
Saag Paneer
Jasmine Rice
Lentil Dal
Kheer (Rice Pudding)
Flat Bread & Raita
Mint Iced Tea

see ya there?

Flore Cafe
3206 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

One of my favorite aspects of Autumn is the desire to make big, comfy breakfasts. Among these dishes include pancakes or waffles, coffee cakes, or the always-favorite breakfast burrito (aka taquito)! Long-time Primate readers will know just how much Jo and I love our burritos – and it must run in the family, right Casey ! Anywho.. here’s some burrito porn for the breakfast burritos I posted On This Day In History.

Or for some delicious variations to include in your breakfast burritos:

3-bean Quinoa

Baked Rice

Lime and Cilantro Rice

And it wouldn’t be a Primate Burrito without Potatoes:

Green Chili, Sara’s Fav, or Papas Refritas

Happy Vegan MoFo!!!

hey los angeles vegans, this just in! saturday through monday, flore cafe (3206 w. sunset blvd) will be hosting 3 vegan all-you-can-eat events! they are each $10 per person, what a deal. i highly suggest you get over there and fill up your plate like 80,000 times. here are the menus:

Saturday September 26th 1pm – 6pm
All You Can Eat Tostada Bar
Fresh Tostadas
Beans
Taco “Meat”
Spanish Rice
Cashew Cheese Sauce
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
Soup
Iced Tea
Lemonade

Sunday, September 27th – 10am – 2pm
All You Can Eat Brunch
Tofu Scramble
Sausage
Bacon
Potatoes
Waffles
French Toast
Fruit
Bread/Jam
Coffee
OJ

Monday, September 28th 4pm – 9pm
All You Can Eat Turkey Dinner
Homemade “Turkey”
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Vegetables
Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
+slice apple pie
Iced Tea
Lemonade

i don’t know about you, but that turkey dinner one sounds fucking amazing. get over there!

flore cafe
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-0116

walking into the 101 coffee shop in hollywood is like sticking one foot back in time. the throwback diner filled with modern-day hipsters is modeled to look just like the coffee shops of the 1960s—complete with retro booths, a stone wall, and a long counter lined with bar stools that stretches through the restaurant.

as stated on their website, “The menu at 101 Coffee Shop features retro diner fare with a Southern California twist.”…which of course means they have a few vegan options! while there isn’t a huge selection for us vegans, the diner does offer a very popular animal-free breakfast item called “no huevos” rancheros.

"no huevos" rancheros: tofu, black beans, corn, soyrizo, ranchero sauce and guacamole. $7.95

i hit up 101 recently with fellow vegan blogger brittany, from sickoflettuce.com…and although it was well into lunchtime, we both opted for the coffee shop’s signature vegan breakfast dish. as you can probably tell by the name, the “no huevos” rancheros is an eggless take on huevos rancheros…and comes complete with scrambled tofu, vegan sausage, black beans, corn and ortega chilies atop tortillas, all smothered in ranchero sauce and topped with a dollop of guacamole. i think this dish incredible because it’s chunky, sloppy, spicy, and savory—everything i love all at once.

the ranchero sauce is bursting with rich tomato flavor, the tofu is well-seasoned, and the soyrizo is perfectly greasy. mix it all up with the chilies to give it some heat, then cool it down with the guacamole, and you have vegan breakfast bliss at any time of day. brittany and i both loved it, and although 101 has a couple other vegan dishes, i don’t think i could ever see myself straying from the “no huevos” rancheros.

whether you live in los angeles, or are just visiting, i would classify a meal at the 101 coffee shop as a “must”. don’t go just for the food, but for the classic diner vibe and the retro interior. the staff and clientele are all ridiculously cool and beautiful, and the 60’s design is spot on. you’ll feel like you’re eating in a time-warp or a quentin tarantino movie…same thing, i suppose. and how great is it that a place like this ALSO caters to vegans?!

go there, and get the “no huevos” rancheros. eat them for breakfast, lunch, or as a late night post bar snack…whenever you have them, they won’t disappoint.

101 coffee shop
6145 franklin avenue
hollywood, ca 90028
323-467-1175

open daily 7am-3am

the sunday vegan brunch is BACK

hey y’all, i got some good news! cancel your plans this sunday and make a date with flore cafe’s all-you-can-eat $10 vegan brunch!

that’s right, our favorite breakfast deal in town is back. ever since it first started, we have been massive fans of flore cafe’s vegan buffet brunch on sundays from 10am-3pm. we were super disappointed when they canned it due to lack of customers, and now we are super excited that they’ve decided to bring it back.

as we mentioned last week, flore cafe has been struggling…and this is yet another reason to go support them. they have decided to start up the all-you-can eat vegan brunch again every sunday for just $10, for as long as they can.

if you haven’t heard…the bottomless tofu scramble, unlimited french toast, endless vegan sausage and refillable coffee at this brunch are all top notch. the best breakfast in town, by far.

SEE YOU SUNDAY. GET THERE, OR SUCK AT LIFE. and don’t wait around, they may run outta food!

flore cafe
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-0116
open daily 10am-5pm

Most LA vegans would put the esteemed Silverlake restaurant Flore in their top five vegan dining options in the city. An innovative menu, all-organic ingredients and incredible attention to detail in both the preparation and presentation of the food really sets it apart from places like Cafe Flourish (fast dining, limited menu). If only parking was easier in Silverlake, we’d probably visit Flore a whole lot more than we do.

Well, rising from the ashes of The Vegan Spot (my favorite ever LA vegan restaurant) just half a mile or so away from Flore is Flore Cafe. While owned by the same people as Flore, the Cafe is not entirely vegan (having eggs and milk products on the menu), but it serves many similar menu items as its sister restaurant a few blocks south – all organic, all very well thought out and all absolutely wonderfully prepared.

On a recent visit to Flore Cafe, we decided to order the Avocado and Seitan Salad and Tempeh Tu-no Melt – boy, we were not disappointed.

Avocado & Seitan Salad: Bed of mixed greens with sliced avocado, sprouts, grilled seitan, tomato and red onion. Served with choice of vinaigrette or tahini dressing. $9.95

The salad was crispy and fresh, perfectly prepared and the seitan was some of the best I’ve ever had (I don’t know how Flore make their seitan, but I wish I could make it the way they do!). In addition to the amazing seitan, all the ingredients in the salad were top notch. At first, nearly $10 seemed like a lot to pay for a salad…but when this bowl arrived overflowing with wheat meat and fresh produce, $10 seemed like a bargain. The tahini dressing was deliciously creamy as well, I couldn’t fault anything about this dish.

Tempeh Tu-no Melt: Tempeh salad, daikon sprouts and cashew cheese layered on organic seeded six grain bread grilled to warm, soulful perfection. Served with a mixed green salad. $8.95

The Tempeh Tu-no Melt was also truly outstanding – a well filled toasted sandwich with a sizable side of equally crispy salad. The melt was stuffed with a creamy and chunky tempeh salad mixture, with just the right amount of crunch. It tasted amazing all mixed up with Flore’s flavorful cashew cheese and the slightly sour daikon sprouts. Like the seitan salad, this melt was enormous. Each half was packed with a ton of tempeh; we ended up taking half of it home for a later meal.

Flore Cafe has a great menu, with tons of options, considering how small the place is. Whether you are in the mood for a full on breakfast, a hearty burger, a toasted sandwich or a burrito…Flore Cafe is your place. Here are just a few of the other things we’ve eaten there. If you are a reader of this blog, you’ve probably seen these pix before:

Smokey Seitan & Portobello Burger: served with red onion, lettuce, tomato, vegenaise and a side salad. $9.95

Flore Cafe offers 4 types of veggie burgers. I highly recommend the seitan and portobello burger—a large patty made of wheat meat and mushrooms all topped off with loads of vegetables.

Tofu Scramble: Tofu, tomato, basil, mushroom, red onion & spinach. $6.95

The tofu scramble at Flore Cafe is one of the best breakfast dishes in Los Angeles, and just about the only vegan one I can think for under $7. It comes with mounds of chunky tofu mixed with spinach and mushrooms, as well as a generous helping of tomato and avocado. Goes great with hot sauce.

Breakfast Burrito: Tofu scramble, cashew cheese, potatoes, avocado and pico de gallo ina whole wheat tortilla. Served with a side of fruit. $6.95

The breakfast burrito is also a good deal at $6.95—lots of perfectly cooked tofu, potatoes and avocado rolled up tight in an oversized tortilla.

I know we have given them flack before on this blog for serving eggs and dairy, but I’d strongly recommend visiting Flore Cafe both in the near future and on a regular basis. Like so many tiny businesses these days the economy isn’t on its side so all the help we can give Flore Cafe to remain on our list as a superb restaurant with a bunch of vegan options will, I’m sure, be much appreciated.

Let’s not lose the entire menu from Flore Cafe due to closure or reassignment of the lease to an omnivorous establishment. We’ve already seen Vegan Spot go away, as well as Flore Cafe cease offering LA’s best ever vegan breakfast deal: the “all you can eat” sunday breakfast brunch. Go pay Flore Cafe a visit… today!

Flore Cafe
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso…not to be confused with Flore at Sunset Junction)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 667-0116

open daily 10am-5pm

vegan tofu scramble + craftsman 1903 lager

a gastropub in los angeles with 25 impressive beers on tap and a delicious vegan option? yep, it’s true. if you wanna get your drink (craftsman-style in my case) and enjoy a two-course vegan brunch, look no further than boho in hollywood.

boho has been open for less than a year, but their beer selection has already made them one of my favorite bars in town. other than blue palms and the verdugo, i can’t think of anywhere with such a great beer selection. plus unlike the two joints i just mentioned, boho has awesome hours and decent parking (they are in the same complex as the archlight theatre, and they validate!).

the rotating beer list that always boasts several international selections would keep me going back time and time again…but as an added bonus, boho also has a vegan option on their sunday brunch menu. while their one vegan item is merely a tofu scramble, it’s a damn good one…and even better when you consider the fact you can eat it while sipping on imported beer for a reasonable price in the heart of hollywood.

the vegan tofu scramble comes with a choice of starter, and i highly recommend the market salad which the bartender confirmed is vegan as well…

while it may not seem like there is much to this small pile of mixed greens, it is absolutely phenomenal. the leaves are all delicate and fresh, extremely high quality. and the light vinaigrette dressing provides the perfect coating; the right amount of oil, tangy-ness and salt.

the scramble itself is a big hot mess of tofu and vegetables that will satisfy your hunger. my plate was stacked high with freshly cut breakfast potatoes, fluffy tofu, sauteed mushrooms, red onion and leafy spinach. (the dish usually comes with roasted peppers as well, but i hate them…so i ordered it without).

vegan tofu scramble with mushrooms and spinach. $12

while this vegan brunch isn’t something i would travel across town for specially—it’s a damn good option, considering you can get drunk on high quality beer while you eat. plus, the atmosphere at boho is just so damn inviting. it’s all so cushy, comfy and plush. you’ll feel like you’re eating in a really cool, rich, old dude’s dining room…complete with antique oil paintings, relaxing couches, chandeliers and beatles music on rotation.

boho might just be my new favorite bar in los angels. 25 beers on tap and vegan sunday brunch option?! YEAH! seeya there next weekend?

boho
6372 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-8500
Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

again, i’m pretty sure the vegan option is only available during sunday brunch…but boho has great beer 7 days a week.