So I was going to write about how great Los Angles has gotten become for vegans in the last few years, but then I heard John's voice mocking my word choice, and then I read this on Super Vegan, and was feeling all inferior again. I want a vegan nacho cheese dispenser in a vegan grocery store in a vegan minimall. I've been thinking about this for some time really. Well, not the fake cheese pump per se, but a little vegan corner of the city with specialized vegan businesses. You know - the vegan donut shop, hotdog stand, the italian deli/cafe, the corner grocer...ah my neighborhood.
A sort of version of this seems to be developing behind LACC, growing up around the Bike Kitchen. First there were all the vegan choices at Scoops, and now there is the neighborhood vegan pub right across the street. Called Pure Luck, or uck, as the old neon sign reads, it shares the name of the Korean place that used to live here, but now offers a daily menu of vegan beer food along with an impressive little list of refreshments on tap.
On the evening we visited we debated between the Rosemary French Fries with homemade aioli, and the Platanos Tacos topped with sweet cream, and the "Avocado Bomba." (I feel like I missed an important opportunity here. It's "2 small whole avocados, filled with tomatillo salsa, covered in cornmeal flour and fried." Seriously, a whole, no two whole fried avocadoes, when am I going to have the chance to eat that again? I hope it's on the menu next time we visit. I can't stop thinking about it.)
It was late and we decided that a grilled tofu torta and the jackfruit carnitas tacos would sit better with two people not that far away from bedtime. We drank something good with this. Was it the Craftsman Triple White Sage, or perhaps the Orange Grove Ale? They have several Craftsman beers on tap in addition to Fat Tire and Heavenly Hefeweizen, though I get the impression that like the food, the beer menu changes pretty regularly. Anyway, in addition to it being late, these were also no where near the first libations of the evening. I want to say that they were out of the summery Orange Grove, and so we both drank the Sage which is a strong beer (sweet, redolent of white sage, and high in alcohol).
Like the beer, the food was good. My mind is still reeling from the concept of jackfruit carnitas. How did that guy come up with this? Has anybody here ever heard of such a thing? This meaty taco filling was flavorful and moist. The waitress told me that the jackfruit itslef has a mild flavor that absorbs the Mexican marinade, but what a clever carne alternative! The beans and rice served on the side were simple and comforting. And we were equally pleased with our torta.
I want to go there right now. Apparently, they intend to open for lunch at some point. Soon I hope. For the moment they open at 6:00 PM. Stay open late, til' somewhere between midnight and 2:00 AM depending on how busy they are. Every time I am in this part of the city, I find myself looking around, seeking For Sale signs thinking, I could live here, in this, my neighborhood.
