mohawk bend for a quick trip down memory lane (echo park)

without specifying the digits that makes up my age, let's just say that i remember mohawk bend as an old movie theater and not as its current fashionable state as a vegan/vegetarian friendly feeding ground. in fact, i even watched "ghostbusters" there as a kid. yup, i'm kinda old and echo park has changed A LOT. trust.

after the theater finally closed its doors, the space remained vacant for a very long time and was a hotbed for graffiti and the homeless on sunset blvd. every time i drove by that boarded up theater, i always hoped it would reopen once again so i can catch a flick and reminisce about growing up in silverlake and watching movies with my cousins in echo park. but alas, any reminiscing will now be relegated to beer slinging in the now sultry, sexy mohawk bend. beer vs. popcorn, you decide.

as my friend and i settled down for our mohawk meal, we were given an extensive beer menu to peruse. i decided on the orange wheat beer ($5) which was delicious, fruity, and absolutely lip smacking pleasant for a non-beer lova like me. if i can swig a few glasses like this orange wheat, i reckon i will become a beer guzzling, beer enthusiast in no time. and for all the criticism about mohawk bend's food, you really can't beat their 72 beers on tap which to some folks may make a fine liquid dinner...screw the stuff that requires mastication and jaw work.

that night, we decided to pad our bellies with their fire roasted artichoke ($9) which was standard eats verging on boring. skip.

the cold jj kale salad ($8) with garlic, chili, and jicama fared slightly better. i enjoyed the ruffage and the acid from the dressing, but again, the taste profiles were neither mind blowing nor note worthy.

the keenwah ($10) salad with organic quinoa, pomegranate, red & gold beets, herbs, lemon-maple vinaigrette was tasty. the pistachios added a much needed crunch since the salad wilted rather quickly under the quinoa and beets.

the side of rosemary fries ($4) with togarashi for dipping were probably my favorite bites of the night. but then again, how does one eff up fries? yup, you just don't. the slightly sweet element to the togarashi makes this a must order beer accompaniment for me.

overall, although i am sad that i can no longer catch movies in this space, i am certainly excited for a place to unwind and hang out with friends over drinks. i think to avoid disappointment, do go in with the knowledge that food will be average but the libations are extensive and will cater to most beer lovers. hip hip hooray for drinking sans eating!

Mohawk Bend
2141 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 483-2337
www.mohawk.la

price: $$
verdict: (food) it's aight (beers) tasty, try it!

happy family restaurant for good faux meats

after watching too many kung-fu movies back in the days, i've always associated vegetarian food with tofu, rice, and bland veggies....well, that's what the shaolin monks were eating before they kicked some serious ass in defensive righteousness. cool, but not tasty.

needless to say, the belief that vegetarian food was flavorless (thank you monks) pervaded my thoughts whenever i came across vegetarian options. why eat bland when i can eat cow? yes, that is a question i ask myself on a daily basis....that is until a few years ago when my practicing buddhist friend took me to happy family restaurant and swore up and down atlantic blvd that it was the best vegetarian eats ever. she was definitely 85% in the right with this one.

i came back a few days ago to their brand new location in the shopping center right off the 10 freeway (the one with the 24 hour fitness). they pretty much packed all their tables and chairs and moved shop, but the food was still as tasty and as righteous as it ever was.

their sweet and sour soup was tart and tangy. this bowl packed as much of a punch as one might expect from the flying fists of a shaolin monk. on a cold day, it immediately warmed my soul and spirit.

the minced squab in lettuce ($7.95) is probably their best selling appetizer and a must order for all. each lettuce cup contained finely minced jicama, marinated tofu, and slivers of fried wonton skins. each ingredient contributed to quite a flavorful explosion of flavors for your mouth.

i.like.this.a.lot.give.me.your.share.please?

since we caught them at their "happy hour" prices which occurs between the hours of 2:45 to 5:00, we ordered two additional dishes at recession friendly prices. this vegetarian fish with spicy sauce ($5.95) has a spongy texture, a fishy taste, and will confound your tastebuds because during certain bites, it REALLY did taste like fish even though it's not. weirdness.

without a doubt, my absolute FAVORITE dish is their vegetarian deep fried house chicken ($5.95) which is battered white button mushrooms slathered in orange sauce. hold the presses, this tastes EXACTLY like panda express orange chicken. and if you flirt with the ghetto fast food side of life like me upon occasion because you hanker after eats like mcdonald's french fries or panda express orange chicken, then this will not disappoint. the only disappointment you will feel is when your dining partner robs you of the last piece.

i really love this place because it's flavorful, reasonable, down to earth, and best of all, i spared a few animals from heading towards the great green pasture in the sky. FURTHERMORE, places like these remind me that explosively delicious flavors need not come from michelin stars or celebrity chefs. tasty is tasty. ok, now i need to go meditate whilst i rub my belly.

Happy Family Restaurant
608 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-8986

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!

a vegetarian taco...oxy moron?

Hugo's Tacos
3300 Glendale Blvd
Atwater Village, CA 90039
(323) 664-9400
http://www.hugostacos.com/

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

hugo's tacos had an all out free food invitational for two hours when they first opened. the manager that worked the lines said it was for "practice." i guess they are training their employees at this new site since hugo's have multiple locations and the one in atwater village is a new addition. my sis and i booked ass to atwater village for some free eats! oh yea!

what makes them stand out from the other taco stands are their organic and vegetarian options. i got the torta ahogada which was phenomenal. the ahogada is a sandwich filled with organic white beans, guac, tomatoes, onions, some kind of mayo, and your pick of meats. i got the carne...never can go wrong with carne. the whole torta is then glazed with this sweet chipotle sauce and grilled to give the bread a nice sweet crust. yummmm. and their horchata was pretty tasty, too. not too sweet. overall pretty delicious. and because this entire meal was FREE, it was EXTRA DELICIOUS.

and i don't understand why people are so pissed about this place, other than the fact that some white guy is trying to make tacos. look, don't think of it as authentic mexican food. think of it as a place you go to when you want to eat organic that looks like a taco.

carne asada nachos with white beans

torta ahogada with a honey chipolte glaze.

a buddhist way of life

Vegan House
2703 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 483-2105
veganhouseonsunset.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

if you had told me that going vegan can be this delicious, i may have eaten one or two less cows in my life. oh my god it's good here. no really, my inner buddha was hom nom nomming.

i ordered the green curry with "fish" which was so lip smacking good! there's something about that "fish" texture that really appeals to me. it's dense...maybe i like dense. the curry was smooth, nicely seasoned, kinda coconutty. i like! drizzle the sauce over the brown rice and you have yourself a winner. i swear, your inner buddha will sing its praises just like mine did.

in the middle of eating, i recalled a comment about their sushi rolls. although i felt pretty stuffed, I HAD TO ORDER IT. lame because the food baby in my tummy was about to explode. anyways, we ordered the "tuna" sushi and the roll was just meh. being the huge sushi freak that i am, it was hard to eat a vegan version of it and be satisfied with it.

here's a few things i got excited about:

-there's lots of parking in the front (though when we went yesterday, it was closed off).
-the most expensive dish on the menu is $10 but most dishes are under $8. whoo hoo!
-the lunch specials are for $6.95 but only for certain dishes (11am-3pm).
-delivery if you order a minimum of $15.
-they are open daily from 11am to 10:30pm.
-only brown rice served.
-you will walk away with the fuzzy feeling knowing that you spared some cow it's flank.

i am SOOOOOO going to come back...again....and again....and again.

squabilicious

Happy Family Restaurant 3
111 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-8986

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

my friend wanted to celebrate her belated birthday with a hearty vegetarian meal at this restaurant. cool for me because i LOVE their food and am always down for a meal here. not only is it tasty, it also allows me to save one chicken from losing its breast to me one meal at a time. good deed, good deed.

you won't miss the meat here because the variety of dishes they offer and the different tastes and textures you'll discover will blow your mind away. we typically order a few dishes because they have a great all you can eat menu under $12 (do check for the time which this applies):

-squab (the lettuce leaf with the crunchy filling )
-fish dish (the texture is a bit bizarre, but quite addicting)
-house chicken (deep fried mushrooms. one of my favorites.)
-fried tofu squares
-string beans (pretty yummy. another favorite.)
-spicy egg plant

the squab really is the star of the show. when you order this during their all you can eat time slots, they will only allow you one order which will give you two servings. we had to order it again off their regular menu (for about $8) because it was just THAT GOOD. the server thought we were silly and said "too expensive." so what, we were silly, full, and happy peoples. good eats.