Review of Chomp Eatery & Juice Station

I gave Chomp Eatery & Juice Station an overall score of 2.6, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 2 of 5 price range 4 of 5 family friendly? 3 of 5 % menu vegan 3 of 5 quality of service 2 of 5 quality of food 2 of 5 local mainstay? 2 of 5 Comments: Sometimes good ideas don’t pan out. Chomp seems like one of those places. However, they’re still too young to write them off. Customer service was my first indication that something’s a little immature. Calls were taken while assisting us. And, as a direct result, our order was messed up; made not vegan even though we spent time on exactly what vegan meant. Instead of an apology, his brain was forming an argument after I told him. Seeing my look when I noticed this, he bit his tongue mid-sentence and fixed the order. To his credit, he offered an apology later when he realized the right thing to do. …friendly, but immature. Food was decent; though again signs of immaturity. The dishes are great creations and well thought out, but things were a little off because of a lack of process in the kitchen. For instance, the mushroom soup special had all the right ingredients, was fresh, smelled and looked great, but had way too much salt. These are things that will get worked out over time, but they need a lot of time. They are in a good location, serving an area of Santa Monica that seems a little under-served to a vegan, but the strip mall corner leaves more room for improvement. I don’t mind strip malls for cheap dives, but that’s not Chomp. Chomp Eatery & Juice Station has vegan options, upon request, but not as many as you would expect from a place where you can get a juice cleanse. Give them some time to mature, understand their market, and this will probably change. I hope the best for this place, as they have potential, it’s just well untapped at this point.

Additional Info
Address: 1612 Santa Monica Blvd, 90404
Area: Mid City
Reviewed Meal: Lunch
Ethnicity: American
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Review of Ivy At The Shore

I gave Ivy At The Shore an overall score of 3.5, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 2 of 5 price range 1 of 5 family friendly? 3 of 5 % menu vegan 3 of 5 quality of service 2 of 5 quality of food 5 of 5 local mainstay? 4 of 5 Comments: Na, this place isn’t a flower shop; though I am sure I’m not the only one to make this mistake. After finally clearing that up, we decided to brave the floral jungle and see what’s coming out of the kitchen. The floral jungle itself is separated into a couple large rooms and a narrow outdoor seating area with no view. Picture your parent’s house and the high end party planner bringing in 50 tables (and 500 flower arrangements) for the wedding reception. For vegans, options are limited; one entree, not really listed on the menu. But the vegetable plate is something that you’ll wanna come back for. Very simple with spinach surrounded by carrots, zucchini, asparagus, corn, broccoli, and avocado served with a hot marinara. What makes it something to come back for is that it’s cooked to perfection; flavors kept separate and heat removed before texture removed. Oh, and tell them you want some bread cause they will serve you non-vegan muffins if you’re a Silent Bob. Don’t expect to have the wait staff reading your expressions, looking for the right tell to jump into action. In a naturally ironic twist, this visually relaxing floral paradise is a buzz with waiters hopping from table to kitchen and back, not spending too much time at any one place because the next understaffed and packed in table is requesting some honey for their tea. Again, don’t be a Silent Bob or you will view this as bad service. Deep from the middle of Ivy at the Shore floral jungle, we found that the good food and wine made it easy to tune out the commotion of the staff, colors, flowers, and bourgeois adventurers. And, after a somewhat entertaining wait, we finally found what was coming out of the kitchen, apart from the always in motion wait staff; a single plate of exceptionally tasty, though inordinately expensive, fresh cooked vegetables.

 Additional Info
Address: 1535 Ocean Ave, 90401
Area: Mid City
Reviewed Meal: Lunch
Ethnicity: American
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Review of Creation Grill

I gave Creation Grill an overall score of 3.4, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 1 of 5 price range 3 of 5 family friendly? 3 of 5 % menu vegan 4 of 5 quality of service 4 of 5 quality of food 3 of 5 local mainstay? 2 of 5 Comments: As we walked past Creation Grill heading to Native Foods Cafe, both my wife and I looked at each other and voiced, “I’ve heard good things about this place.” So, we skipped Native Foods for the day and gave it a try. Part of the pull is the design and décor. Though the large windows on 2 sides is the main draw, the cleanliness and hip but casual theme helped pull us in. There are a few tables outside, but the inside has a lot of sunlit seating at comfortable, though slightly packed in, tables. We didn’t have to wait long with our number on our table; and the service behind the counter and at our table was relaxed and friendly. No complaints, but no mad props either. “Another Middle Eastern restaurant that has good vegan options” was my thought that was pwned. The pita is crunchy, the humus is blah, and the other things, the same. The food itself was not bad, but less than anticipated. And like the food, the vegan options are less than anticipated. Creation grill has a good spot, nice place, and decent staff; just lacking on the food side of the house. Next time we will keep walking to Native Foods Cafe. And if we are feelin’ Middle Eastern, we’ll head over to Z Garden.

Additional Info
Address: 2901 Ocean Park Blvd, 90405
Area: Sunset Park
Reviewed Meal: Lunch
Ethnicity: Mediterranean
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Review of Fig

I gave Fig an overall score of 3.5, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 3 of 5 price range 1 of 5 family friendly? 3 of 5 % menu vegan 2 of 5 quality of service 4 of 5 quality of food 4 of 5 local mainstay? 3 of 5 Comments: Every now and again, I like to swap the t-shirt for a non-t-shirt shirt and hit a posh happy hour. One of the best happy hours in all of Santa Monica can be found on the ground floor of the Fairmont Miramar; Fig. Or at least that’s what my animal consuming friends would say. Park your bikes or drop off your car under the gigantic fig tree in the courtyard, and head in to find a half indoor, half outdoor restaurant next to the pool. There’s a nice bar on the right as you enter that serves up some good suds, wine, and wells, and tables sprinkled throughout; not too crowded but it can get loud. Service is solid and they always spend a lot of time with me going over the offending ingredients in the menu. On the other hand, the menu is anything but solid. Heavy may be a better description; and almost everything was heavy due to dead animals. They do have one good vegan entre, vegetable curry, and a couple good sides. Oh, and the breakfast menu is a little more vegan friendly. But, even though the vegan food is also heavy, it is very tasty and I have always enjoyed. If you are looking for a posh happy hour with good food and drinks and have an animal eater with you, then Fig is about the best there is. It has a great location, solid service, decent prices (as long as you hit happy hour where everything is half price), and good food. However, if you are looking for a place where there’s not a braised tongue on the plate next to you, throw your t-shirt back on and head down the street to Real Food Daily.

Additional Info
Address: 101 Wilshire Blvd, 90401
Area: Wilshire
Reviewed Meal: Breakfast, Dinner
Ethnicity: American
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Review of LA Vegan

I gave LA Vegan an overall score of 3.2, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 1 of 5 price range 4 of 5 family friendly? 3 of 5 % menu vegan 2 of 5 quality of service 4 of 5 quality of food 3 of 5 local mainstay? 3 of 5 Comments: Upon a friend’s recommendation, we ventured out of town a bit to LA Vegan in West LA. It’s an Asian Buddhist place with a lot of Thai on the menu. It’s fairly typical for this type of place, right down to my “not really vegan” fears. We parked in the street out front and chose to sit inside; they do have 2 small tables outside. The interior is nicer that the exterior and they have some artwork that brightens up the place. Though it has that, “we tried but didn’t try that hard” look. We ordered a couple plates with the friendly wait staff, confirmed that everything is vegan, and got our order fairly quickly. My mouth watered when they arrived because they looked and smelled delicious. However, my 1st bite brought back some familiar fears; something didn’t taste quite right. …could it be fish sauce or egg which is often the case with these cheap imported ingredients. This only turned out to be a minor setback since I was hungry and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Once I returned home however, I found this article which seems to suggest that they aren’t always vegan.  This happens all too often in these restaurants. I find it astounding that SE Asia Buddhists monks justify eating fish and fish sauce by rationalizing that they voluntarily commit suicide by swimming into fishing nets. I think this speaks toward the lax nature at these Asian Buddhist places. I try to stay away from Asian Buddhist places since they seem to always spawn my “not really vegan” fears. I put that aside for this friend’s recommendation and got burned. If you are vegan and want to feel comfortable eating in the area, do your research before making the trek to LA Vegan.

Additional Info
Address: 4507 S Centinela Ave, 90066
Area: Outskirts - West LA
Reviewed Meal: Lunch
Ethnicity: Thai
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Review of True Food Kitchen

I gave True Food Kitchen an overall score of 2.9, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 1 of 5, Once was enough. price range 3 of 5, Let's splurge tonight; less than $35. family friendly? 3 of 5, No kids menu. % menu vegan 3 of 5, At least one good entrée. quality of service 3 of 5, Didn't notice. quality of food 3 of 5, TV dinner. local mainstay? 2 of 5, Fresh paint, but it's a good color. Comments: After True Food Kitchen’s facade caught my eye about 30 times, and after about 30 declarative statements like “we should try that place,” we finally stopped. This place catches your eye because it’s a beautiful location, on the western edge of our stylish new outdoor mall. The interior is trendy, with a sweet, sunlit eating area on the west, kitchen on the east. After we were seated by the energetic hostess, the waiter started his cycle of neglect. We wanted an appetizer, but after the waiter’s first cycle of neglect and apology, we decided that we had better get our entree order in. It came, we ate, and after the 2 quick visits by the mildly apologetic waiter, we decided to take a chance and ask for the desert menu. After realizing that the desert menu wasn’t coming before COB, we put our credit card on the table. They immediately swooped up the card and returned the receipt. Well, that is after the intervention with the waiter and another that we flagged down, again after waiting seemingly forever. Somewhere in this cycle of neglect, I became the waiter. In this flurry of activity, I found myself enjoying a tomato and kale pizza. It was very good with one exception; way too much sodium. This observation was echoed by my wife who had a different entree. They have an extensive menu, with plenty of vegetarian options. But vegans, you’re a little out of luck because they won’t substitute out the dairy or other offending ingredients. …really, a strawberry chopped salad can’t be served without the Goat Cheese! Then again, this may have been intentional misinformation to manipulate us in our waiter’s cycle of neglect. The facade and atmosphere caught my eye, as did the menu, but the service reminded me of an Eminem song. I’m glad that we finally stopped, if not only so we can cease with the declarative statements as we stroll by. Overall, it’s a decent place and it’s nice to have more vegetarian options around, but, for me, service is paramount.

Additional Info
Address: 395 Santa Monica Pl, Ste 172, 90401
Area: Mid City
Reviewed Meal: Lunch
Ethnicity: American
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Review of Le Pain Quotidien

I gave Le Pain Quotidien an overall score of 3.5, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 2 of 5, Every once in a while. price range 3 of 5, Let's splurge tonight; less than $35. family friendly? 3 of 5, No kids menu. % menu vegan 4 of 5, Hmm, what to have. quality of service 3 of 5, Didn't notice. quality of food 4 of 5, Happy tongue. local mainstay? 2 of 5, Fresh paint, but it's a good color. Comments: I really enjoy communal tables and Le Pain Quotidien has a beautiful one down the middle of their slender, cozy, and boulangerie décor restaurant. They also have a small, but nice sidewalk café if you are a watcher rather than a talker, and this is a good location for watching because it’s around the corner from The Promenade. I’m not sure how to comment on the bipolar service; …or that may have captured it perfectly. On our first visit, shortly after they opened, the service was attentive and friendly, though she forgot my toast. On our return however, the service jumped to the other side of the spectrum. A wactor, or possibly worse, an industry keener, was not attentive and seemingly had no patience once we paused while ordering. Given that this place is new, I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. But, I’ll be on the lookout for another too-cool-to-be-cool though. The food was very tasty, but, somewhat as expected for an international chain, a little sterile and conservative. They use top, mostly organic ingredients and have a lot of vegan options, though they seem to love cheese; be careful. The breads are good, but not inspired like you would find at a local artesian bakery that’s baking because they enjoy it. The coffee was really good, but they served it in a metal teapot. If you like hot coffee, you can quickly pour it from the metal teapot to a thin walled bowl, but this is only incrementally better. Continuing my conjunctional phrases, overall, the food was delectable, but overpriced. Le Pain Quotidien has a great location and good ambience, and I look forward to giving the wait staff one more shot on a lazy morning where we wake up late and head for the ocean. This is the type of place that, if they survive, it will no doubt be on the backs of the unsuspecting tourists. Though the communal table and cozy atmosphere should bring about community, the overpriced food will no doubt keep most away.

Additional Info Address: 316 Santa Monica Blvd, 90401 Area: Mid City Reviewed Meal: Breakfast Ethnicity: French Click for more info.

Review of Rae's Restaurant

I gave Rae's Restaurant and overall score of 3.2, or 3 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 1 of 5, Once was enough. price range 5 of 5, Pocket change, less than $10. family friendly? 4 of 5, Wait staff entertains kids. % menu vegan 2 of 5, You can piece something together. quality of service 3 of 5, Didn't notice. quality of food 2 of 5, I guess grease has flavor. local mainstay? 5 of 5, Route 66 hangout. Comments: For quite a while now, this greasy spoon was on my to-do list thanks to recommendations from friends. When I pulled up this morning, there was a cop car outside. But it was a good sign because it wasn’t double parked with its lights flashing. The interior was everything that you would think a Route 66 diner would be. The griddle was behind the counter, and most of the rest of the tables were booths. The menu was a basic diner menu; nothing fancy but with specials that have been specials since 1977. I ordered my nominal early morning vegan special; oatmeal with raisins, toast and jam, and coffee. I wasn’t really impressed with the food or coffee, though my wife thought the non-vegan stuff tasted pretty good. I scanned the menu for vegan lunch options and it was pretty sparse, though there were a couple things like avocado, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. My biggest fear in this place would be cross contamination since they seemed to prepare everything in a common place. Especially don’t order anything off the griddle unless you want to take a chance on what they greased it up with that day, including all the hamburgers and bacon that came before you. Once the bill came, I realized why the cops were at the booth in the corner. This place is cheap for the quality of food that you get. …if you’re not vegan. If you are vegan, move along, nothing to see here.

Additional Info Address: 2901 Pico Blvd, 90405 Area: Pico Reviewed Meal: Breakfast Ethnicity: American Click for more info.