California Vegan - At Least No One Had to Die

California Vegan
7300 Sunset Blvd. Unit A
Los Angeles, CA
11.7.06 - Thursday, 12:30 PM
Me, myself, I, and our imaginary friends






RESTAURANT REPORT CARD - Visit 3

Ambiance - D-
Service - D+
Food (Taste) - D
Food (Presentation) - D
Wine/Drinks - N/A (just had non-alchies)
Value - B-
Vibe/Energy/Scene - D

Overall Experience - D+

I had an actual paid assignment to rush out and sample some vegetarian restaurants *hand on forehead*, and having hit up California Vegan previously, I decided to give it a gander again. My first two trips went well-ish, but I keep having the same experience here: great menu, nice web site . . .blah food. Would the third trip serve me well?

California Vegan is a strip mall hideway, which as we LA-ers know, can actually be the mark of greatness. It's a truly vegan restaurant - no meat goods to be found. There are lost of substitutes, however - they don't just limit you to good old tofu. Service is slow and disinterested, and the decor sucks. It actually feels dirty in there, which makes me a tad fearful for the food. The kitchen is open, and that's a saving grace, but I hate the feeling that grime is lurking, well, everywhere.

I'll admit that this time, I ordered wrong. Let it be known that previously, I did a better job. The raw wrap I had months ago was actually damn awesome. The stir fry is - eh - healthy, but bland. But oy vey did I hit a strikeout on swing three.


Drinks:

Water. Though they have smoothies and the like, so in retrospect . . .

Entree:



Lentil Burger
-- With lettuce, onion, tomato
Um, where to begin. First, it looked atrocious, but lentils aren't pretty, so whatever. The burger was MASSIVE - the bun had a thickness that could double as armor, and the burger itself was the size of a flying saucer. But it lacked density, so trying to pick this sucker up was a losing battle. Then, there's this pesky little "taste" issue. The texture was mushy and gross, and the lentil mixture damn near flavorless. Well, pooey.

Sides:

Vegan French Fries
I'm not sure why I thought vegan fries would be healthy. Perhaps I am just missing the air fries at Nature's Pantry in the valley - sooooo fantastic. These were so crazy greasy, I'll admit the girl who misses fast food, who I taunt and yell out occassionally, found a little glee. But they had zero seasoning and were just too fatty to really enjoy. Vegan or no, I just couldn't go there.

Damage for 1 soda, 1 burger, and a side of fries: $11 before tip. At least the price was right. Too bad it wasn't edible.

Parking: Easy schmeezy - little lot, and loads of street options.
Attire: Super casual
Pros: Cheap, 100% vegan
Cons: Not exactly flavorful, awful decor, slow service

Final word - for a vegetarian fast food experience, this will do.

Come Over