Post Season Follow Up

I know that the season is OVER for the Dodgers, but allow me to post an October follow up to my previous post on baseball ballpark food.

There are veggie dogs at Dodger Stadium! I had one at the end of the season. Keep an eye out for "Healthy Plate" booths on each level, located near home plate (Get it? Healthy plate? Home plate? Clever.). At $6.00 each they certainly aren't a good deal, but you should expect to hemorrhage cash when you go to the ballpark, so get over it. And guess what? They're not half bad.

Remember: just because you can have a veggie dog doesn't mean you can't have nachos too...

Vegidays

Mark your calendars!

September 28: PETA's Hug a Vegetarian day

October 1: World Vegetarian Day, which kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month.

October 6: Animal Acres is hosting a Compassionate Cuisine Celebration in Long Beach. It's $35 per person; see their website for more info.

Vegetarian Resources

The internet is becoming a big thing these days. Seriously, it's true. And it has all sorts of cool, interactive, useful stuff - including resources for vegetarians like YOU.

Check it out: Happy Cow meets Google Maps. Click on your area and find veg-friendly places to pig out. Or cow out. Or whatever.

Are you planning to venture out of Los Angeles into the great wide world? Check out ComunityWalk before you go. It's a global map with vegetarian info if you are planning to roam far from the Southland.

And don't forget those links over there on the right side of the screen. Those are other folks out there who care about net-saavy vegetarians. Also, make sure you subscribe to this blog's RSS feed and get the latest posts as soon as they're on the web, and search previous posts with that handy-dandy search box in the top left corner (courtesy of Blogger).

Meltdown

Where I come from, people call it "toasted cheese." Yeah, I know. When I moved to So Cal, I learned the hard way that the rest of America calls it a grilled cheese (try ordering a "toasted cheese" in a college cafeteria and enjoy the blank stare from the grill cook. I dare you.). Whatever the name, it's still melty cheese on buttery bread, and you can't go too far wrong.

The people at Meltdown took that simple concept and turned it into an overpriced restaurant! Admit it, you're kicking yourself. You could be pulling down some serious bank - they charge $6.75 for the "classic" melty version - muenster, fontina and cheddar on sourdough. I'll tell you, it's good. But honestly? You can make it at home. Ta da! You just saved about $6.25.

Speaking of which, just consider their menu a list of recipes and save yourself a whole pocket full of green. Pretty much all of it is easily replicated at home - PB&J for $4.25? Come on. Really?

Meltdown
9739 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.meltdownetc.com

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm only

Vegin' Out

Ok loyal readers: have any of you tried Vegin' Out? It's a vegan meal delivery service with enough grub for a week or more (even dessert).

http://www.veginout.com/

Prices vary according to size - $100 for the single order, $180 for a double. With the former you receive eight containers of food from their weekly menu, plus five vegan cookies. They say you can get eight to ten meals from each order.

So, in an unprecedented move, I'm asking one of YOU to give the food a try and report back! Or send me a $100 and I'll let you know what I think...

Pat and Lorraine's

Yes, you've heard my rant on coffee shops. Ideal conditions, menus, etc. Pat and Lorraine's makes the grade, but that grade is a solid B+.

People make a big deal about this place because it's where they filmed the intro scene from Reservoir Dogs. You know, the Madonna Like a Virgin conversation?

Anyway, most of the people eating there couldn't give a damn about Tarantino, they just want breakfast. And breakfast they get.

The menu has a variety of egg dishes and the like, as well as pancakes and french toast. You know, normal breakfast fare. Their signature home fries just aren't my style - peppers and onions with potatoes. I'd rather just have the potatoes, oil and a ton of salt, but maybe that's just me. The novelty here is that in addition to the standard bread options (wheat, white or sourdough) they offer tortillas, so presumably you could assemble some sort of breakfast burrito on the spot if you wanted to. But I didn't.

Overall, P&L's is just fine. The food is fine, the service is fine, the pricing is fine. A reliable, comfortable breakfast spot, but nothing that sets it apart.

Other than Mr. Pink.

Pat & Lorraine's Coffee Shop
4720 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 257-7926
Map

The Soy Wonder: Los Angeles Tofu Festival

Don't forget: the 12th Annual Los Angeles Tofu Festival is August 18-19. I went last year and plan to stop by again. It's a great way to sample lots of local vegetarian fare for little money, plus it's great people watching.

Find out more:
http://www.tofufest.org/