Real Food Daily To Open Restaurant In LAX

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Paru's Indian Food

Paru's Restaurant is a Hollywood gem - serving up delicious South Indian cuisine with personality and love. Anyone who is serious about Indian Food needs to make this place a regular stop.

TACO SPOT

This weekend was a celebration in laziness and eating out. From free swipes from the Sis into UCLA's dining hall (not so yummy) to Scoops (very yummy) to my new favorite Mexican eatery - Taco Spot.

I have been searching in LA for sometime for a place that is both authentic Mexican AND vegetarian friendly (hard to do as authentic usually necessitates lard and chicken broth). As much as I love Chipotle, sometimes I am craving somethign a little less California-y and a little more real - the kind of place with orange tables and plain tile floor that offers up a burrito that isnt afraid to embrace its heavy bean flavor, with plenty of the salsa that you are a little afraid of.  No frills no fuss. Just Yum. Taco Spot is the answer.

Tony's Darts Away

Last week a truly remarkable bar opened up in Burbank, of all places. Its called Tony's Dart's Away. This place has something for everyone.

With over 30 local California beers on tap, no respectable beer conusour can turn this place down.  I've already been twice in their first week.

The Alcove Cafe

Last weekend I struck up a new friendship over tortilla soup and lemonade at the Alcove Cafe. Nestled in the heart of Los Feliz, across the street from the Mustard Seed Cafe (another lovely spot), this venue really embraces the surrounding community vibe.

Sunday late-mornings are bustling and packed full of girl dates, bro dates, hangover dates, and family dates. Yet for all the crowd and elbow jostling, there is surprisingly a lot of room, and I quickly found a few unclaimed tables around back. The exterior is full of garden-esque colorful chairs and tables, not quite mismatched and not quite uniform. I kept thinking of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party (not Tim Burton's rendition). The interior has an antique feel, you can imagine just how small and cozy the place once was before it became a hot spot (and might still be at 6am).



The menu has typical LA pricey-ness, but it offers up an interesting array of options made from fresh, local, and hand-crafted ingredients. (The espresso and coffee is hand roasted by Fonte, a Seattle based micro-roaster, their loose leaf teas are also hand-made, and their baked goods come from local artisan bakeries). There is something for everyone, and often more than just something. As someone with an unsteady work schedule, the real winner for me is their 6am-11pm hours.

The Alcove Cafe also serves as a great spot for people watching (Los Feliz attracts both interesting and dull characters of all sorts.)

Not your quiet, unknown, hideout to retreat to for introspection and whispered conversation. But definitely and energetic and fun place to check out when you are in the mood for an interesting, sometimes bustling, vibe. Busy as it is, it doesn't intrude upon conversation, so its still a lovely spot to bring a new acquaintance, or perhaps catch up with old ones. Alcove Cafe is one of those places that makes me excited to live in LA and reminds me that there are interesting, unique places on every corner, home to many stories, a bit of history, and little landmarks of their respective communities

Pizza Fusion

Discovered a great pizza place that opened up a couple blocks away. Pizza Fusion. They offer gourmet pizza, salads, sandwiches, wine, and other tasty treats, both for the vegan and the carnivore. It was a rare treat to find a pizza place that offered vegan pizza (with vegan cheese!). They also offer a lot of gluten-free alternatives. Pizza Fusion has a commitment to organic food free of artificial additives, like preservatives, growth hormones, pesticides, nitrates and trans fats. Even more exciting is their commitment to the environment and sustainable business practices. Furnishing their restaurants in hip recyclable material, participating in and sponsoring community events for the environment, and even proudly declaring that their website is powered by renewable energy, this business seems very sincere in its mission.

Originating in Florida, they have locations all across the US!

Urth Cafe

Lovely lunch at Urth Cafe today. Despite its crowded popularity I enjoyed a wonderfully long lunch catching up with a couple friends over a soothing bowel of tomato and rice soup and a very dense slice of vegan chocolate cake. The rainy week washed away the smog and made for a very clear and sunny sky today. I was able to forget the anxieties plaguing me and the work awaiting me and just focus on the moment at hand which is a rarity for me.

Urth is hardly a buried treasure, and in fact I was rather late in discovering it myself, but when friends of mine come to visit LA I like to take them to Urth because it is a good place to dually satisfy a sincere desire for something organic, healthy, and full of character (by character I mean the homey design with a bookcase in the corner, fresh baked treats, and jars of tea leaves that belong in my great grandmothers kitchen) with the more indulgent desire of something socially crowded, a little decadent (by this I mean pricey coffee that looks like a work of art - see below), and indicative of Los Angeles hip & posh culture.

Cornbread Muffins & Hiking -> Pure Luck & Scoops

I kicked off my morning with some yummy yummy cornbread muffins, whipped up on the spur of the moment from Dr. Oetker's Organic Baking mixes (I used egg replacer for the one egg required). Cornbread is something I oddly crave often and rarely encounter in vegan form. These were wonderful, sweet with just the right cornmeal texture. I find so often with food that texture is everything - especially when dealing with vegan or vegetarian food that is attempting to be a kind of homage to their meaty counterparts. If something is mush when it should crunch or runny when it should be thick, it throws a bad light on the taste. These muffins held there own, warm and crumbly and particularly enjoyable with a dollop of agave nectar (Ever since i made the impulse purchase at whole foods I've been seeking out opportunities to use my agave).

Armed with the success of a good breakfast, I sat out on a hiking adventure with some friends to Santa Ynez Falls. One of these days I'll find a way to do proper justice describing the wonder of tramping through a forest. I think the effect is particularly striking after spending an hour elbowing my car through traffic to get there. I think many would agree, LA can be quite claustrophobic and unyielding. Whereas nature is welcoming and completely supple. For a few hours my friends and I found inspiration while scrambling over rocks, tripping into creaks, and sliding down mudbanks.

This evening, after rewarding my bruises and scrapes with a hot bath, the BF and I headed off to Pure Luck for a BBQ meets Mexican delicious dinner. Pure Luck has introduced me to the wonder that is jackfruit, and its eerie ability to sub in for carnitas. I also owe them for surprising me with the joy of pickle chips and garbanzo bean salad. The best part of Pure Luck is being able to walk across the street and find ice creme heaven in Scoops. Bright blue tile, local art featured on the walls, and a giant mobile made out of colorful oversize plastic spoons, are some of its more notable features. O fcourse the heart of the place comes from Scoops' assortment of quirky flavors (both vegan and not) - from bacon and cheese to chocolate and Guinness. I enjoyed a helping of Oreo cheesecake while Adam chose Oreo mascarpone.