Mmm Vegan Pizza that doesn't suck

Last night I had a serious hankering for some pizza, and decided to scratch the itch with some vegan pizza from a place I had previously read about online called Pizza Fusion, located on Sunset between Fairfax and Crescent Heights, right next to the Sansai place. So I'm kinda skeptical about vegan pizza because more often then not the cheese is just nasty. Once my dinner date bit into my vegan pizza and claimed that it tasted like hot garbage. The texture of the cheese is often slippery, slimy and not very gooey in a good way. Anyway, I decided to take my chances on the "very vegan" pizza off of the menu. I ordered it with multigrain crust, and it is topped with mushrooms and chunks of garlic. Oh yeah this little baby hit the spot. Although I can make my complaints about the cheese, not being the best in the world, the sauce, crust and toppings all made up for it. It was savory and aromatic, pleasing my hippie senses. The crust was not too grainy or healthy tasting, in fact it added a nice dimension to the rest of the flavors. The mushrooms were so delicate and soft, I just loved them! I'm a big garlic fan and loved the big chunks. Overall, this pizza was a winner for my veg palate, and I am eager to try it again when I need a pizza fix.

If you guys go out and try it, let me know what you think! I'm curious to see the reactions of others.

Romance and Vegan Finds in the Non-Vegan Jungle (or something close)

I have a new favorite spot in the ever hippie-loving burrough of Los Angeles known as Silverlake. It's this cool little hideaway restaurant called Cliff's Edge Cafe, which is located on Sunset and Edgecliffe. It's hard to spot, and you'll most likely drive right by it, because its shoved back in a corner next to the 99 cent store and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a sign on it. But don't fret if you don't find it on your first try, drive by again and keep looking, it'll be worth it!

First of all, The Ciff's Edge is a great place for a veg head to go if they are 1. on a hot date or even better 2. on a hot date with a non-hippie. The menu is well put together, with enough options for both the vegan and the non-vegan to choose from. Tasty options, mind you. We lucked out, because I had a hankering for some vegan ravioli, and when we arbitrarily decided to take a look at the Cliff's Edge menu, we found it had Vegan Mushroom Spinach Ravioli with Ratatouille on the menu - yay! In addition to this, I also found a Vegan Vegetable Stew with Herbed Cous Cous which I will certainly be trying next time. I went for the ravioli, which was fairly basic but flavorful, and definitely got the job done. I could've gone for more, but they had plenty of tasty bread to fill up on. My date ordered the Braised Short Ribs, which he devoured completely, obviously a good sign. They also have a Spaghetti Aglio e Olio which has parmesan cheese, but could be done without the cheese and would then be vegan. My boyfriend has had that before, and it looked delicious as he claimed it was. There is also a K. Greco Salad with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Lemon Juice that is vegan friendly and would mostly be a clean, light dish.

As well as having a rich menu with vegan options, Cliff's Edge Cafe has one other major thing going for it: the atmosphere. As you can see from the picture above, when you walk into the restaurant, there is a giant tree in the middle. Yeah that's right, a TREE. How hippie-friendly is that? You can eat vegan foods and enjoy nature at the same time. And in the main part of the restaurant, it's completely open so you can see the night sky above you. The walls are covered with foliage so you literally feel like you've somehow escaped into this secret jungle hideaway for a delicious romantic dinner (at least thats how I feel, if I imagine hard enough). This is definitely a place to go for a lovely romantic place to enjoy beautiful LA weather. Which reminds me, it is even good to go on a cold night, as there are heat lamps above and by the tables to keep you toasty. Honestly, the atmosphere alone is enough to go there.

The only downsides I can say about Cliff's Edge would be the $15 cork fee (we brought our own vegan friendly sulfate-free wine) and the light portion of the ravioli, which really wasn't a problem considering how much bread I ate.

I am highly recommending Cliff's Edge, its a find worth being found for both the veg and the non veg patron. Make your way to this Silverlake treasure!

Non-Hippies don't like Hippie Bagels

Flore Vegan

Today my non-hippie man (although he is very indie indeed - plays in a band, has long hair, wears tight jeans - you know the drill) and I trucked down to the dirty hippie watering hole of Silverlake, Flore Vegan, and ordered sprouted wheat bagels with (soy) cream cheese, sprouts, tomatos and onion. Now, I loved mine, its a nutrional, wholesome and tasty way for me to start my day. However, my boyfriend asked me if they had any "normal" bagels and complained that the sprouted wheat bagel tasted like bread and he preferred the "normal" kind. I tried to explain to him the badness of eating lots of starch, which he rolled his eyes to and didn't seem to pay much attention. Sigh, the hippie does only what she can do!

I will say this for Flore, that is unarguable. The coffee is delicious. Its smooth, rich, great flavor, and the perfect amount of strength. They grind it fresh, obviously, and its worth the $2.50 or whatever it is they charge. Yummy!

After eating the tasty sprouted rabbit food, I went on a hike at Fryman Canyon in Studio City. If you haven't been, you should really stop on by. Its a great spot as its very quiet and full of lots of nature. Lots of trees, beautiful mini lush valleys, and usually not too crowded, or at least less busy than Runyon. Definitely a good place for the LA hippie to wander to for some lovely nature bonding or a genuine granola workout.

The day is over - good night.

www.florevegan.com