Saturday, December 29, 2007

quick snapshots of SoCal eats


Well, I've been in L.A. for almost two weeks, and have been eating well. The photos are piling up! Allow me to send you some snapshot postcards of the food of the last couple of weeks, with very brief descriptions. My friends and family have been kind enough to take me to plenty of vegan and vegan-friendly places, so I'll have a lot more to say about these restaurants in later posts. For now, let's look at...








...nachos, portobello burger, and pizza margherita at Native Foods in Costa Mesa...





...edamame and veggie rolls at a sushi place in Woodland Hills...



...rosebud tea with boba (black tapioca pearls) at Cha for Tea in Irvine...









...jack fruit turned into 2 delectable creations - carnitas for a Mexican-style torta sandwich and pulled pork barbeque sandwich (open and shut) - and veggie wraps at Pure Luck in L.A.... (whoever thought to make jack fruit into vegan pork is a genius and a saint, that's all I have to say. I can't wait to get back home and try to replicate this!)



...then across the street for vegan ice cream at Scoops (lemon jasmine flavor- yum!)...



... Wildwood soy yogurt, that I hadn't been able to get my hands on in Syracuse...



... and last, but not least, tons and TONS of fruit! Daiku and I have been gorging ourselves on the produce that we miss in Syracuse, that is abundant and cheap here in southern California. Fresh-squeezed citrus juice in the mornings, buckets of pomegranate juice, melons, smoothies, persimmons, not to mention all the orange and tangerine trees that I'd forgotten about. We are building up reserves of taste and memory for our inevitable return to the east coast and our snow-covered city...

I will have a lot more to write about our time in L.A.- the people we're meeting, the foods and restaurants we're getting to try, and everything else, in future posts. For now, I hope you enjoyed the photos!


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27 comments:

Eve Love said...

jack fruit vegan pork!?

come back soon, do some experiment and tell us the recipe!!!

Anonymous said...

I am drooling...and completely jealous of cheap persimmons!

I hope you are having a fabulous time!

Courtney

Vegan_Noodle said...

Yum yum yum yum yum. I need a few weeks in SoCal to get some much needed vitamin c and sunshine. Actually I shouldn't complain, we have lots of local citrus right now at our farmers market, I just got out of bed too late today to enjoy it :-(

the little one said...

Glad to hear you're having a wonderful time in sunny SoCal! The food all looks wonderful.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

okay, Bazu, here's the deal - you're taking me to Cali next time you go!! haha. wow, you definitely hit the jackpot with vegan-friendly dining over there - I haven't been to Cali in over a year, and have never been to ANY of the restaurants you've been to (heard of 'em, just never been to 'em). Can't wait for more posts about your latest finds over there!! :0)

aTxVegn said...

What a perfect vacation! All the food looks outstanding, but you must explain the jackfruit creations a little more. It looks exactly like pork!

I would love to eat at Native Foods. Was it wonderful?

bjorkedoff said...

SO jealous.i used to live in irvine!and i used to go to the costa mesa Native even before i was vegan(i was a vegetarian though).God,i wish I still lived there and this post isn't helping!i go down every spring,but I wanna go now!
glad yr having fun...i guess.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Ooohweee, I am jealous of those foods! If you come to SF, I'll take you to vegan Japanese & not just sushi, but proper FOOD! woo.

Judy said...

Well it's confirmed: I want to eat every single thing you pictured here. Especially that pizza and those French fries. Yum. Oh, and I wish I was in LA too.....maybe it would be easier to say I wish I was you! lol

Anonymous said...

Bazu!!! trying to make me feel jealous, arentcha? it's good to see/hear from you and I'm not moving from this chair until your next post.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Too. Much. Delicious. Food.

Must. Go. To. California. NOW!

Glad to see you're enjoying SoCal :o).

Unknown said...

it all looks delicious!!! i love avocado rolls!

i'm glad you've been eeating well in CA. HAVE FUN!

Bridget said...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! I am just green with envy.

OMG it seems like you guys have been gone forever. Can't wait till your back to cold and snowy 'Cuse.
Muuuuhaaaaawwww (evil laugh).

Theresa said...

Bazu, such beautiful pictures of amazing food. I love jackfruit, but I'm a bit stumped about how it could be turned into pork! I'm looking forward to hearing more about this....

urban vegan said...

I think we need to rename it SoVeg. And I think we need to ask ourselves a hard question: Why is it. again, that we are living in the Northeast?

Gorgeous shots....the produce pix remind me that summer will get here--eventually.

Anna said...

Bazu! Great to have you back. Mouth-watering eats!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

fun! everything looks lovely!

Ashasarala said...

I have got to get my ass back to LA.

Jenny Wren said...

Hi Bazu. I'm a new blogger and I just wanted to say that I always enjoy your posts. Boy, do I wish there were that many options for eating out in my neck of the woods!

TB said...

I'm so sad that I missed the Pure Luck outing; those jackfruit creations and the ice cream are calling my name!

Anonymous said...

Everything looks so delicious. . . makes me very envious that we have so much less choice in vegan restaurants (even with a few really good ones) over here in Toronto!
Ricki

Anonymous said...

I am just green with envy too!! :)

Ruby Red said...

ooooh! i am excited to hear more about l.a. - i'm so jealous that you got to go to native foods!

i can't believe they made jack fruit into veggie pork! i've never tasted it before, even in its fruit form...

vko said...

Oh, all more reasons to love love love L.A.- looks like a fab time.

Emilie said...

j-e-a-l-o-u-s that spells JEALOUS! Oh, the fruit! The Native Foods! The warmth! looking good, bazu, looking good.

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

mmm, I gotta try Scoops next time! thanks for the tip. Love Native Foods & it looks like they set you up nicely! :)

Monikapolitan said...

Wow. im not a vegan but this sure makes me want to convert. I love what your doing here, everything looks so yummie, i'll be reading daily!