Review of Interim Café

I gave Interim Café an overall score of 4.5, or 5 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 3 of 5, When I'm bored with my other options. price range 4 of 5, I only have a $20. family friendly? 3 of 5, No kids menu. % menu vegan 4 of 5, Hmm, what to have. quality of service 5 of 5, Like family. quality of food 4 of 5, Happy tongue. local mainstay? 4 of 5, Sponsors local teams. Comments: As a grad student at UCLA, I appreciated good eats at reasonable prices. I found a place in LA that was somewhat exotic and fairly cheap for the fare; News Room Café. After moving to Santa Monica, I gave their small local mini-café a try. It paled in comparison to her big sister in LA; it was dark, dirty, cramped, and the staff must have used up all their patience with the disappointed customers before me. Now fast forward to the time of Yelp. I was sifting through reviews trying to find something new, and I did. It was Interim Café, and it was getting some rave reviews. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know about this place. But unlike the Atkins Diet, there was a perfectly logical explanation; Interim Café is the News Room’s mini-café, renamed. But wait, wait, wait… They also changed a lot of other things. Dark, dirty, and cramped is now bright, clean, and, well, cramped. …but I might call it cozy now. And this new bright and cozy interior must have helped in bringing on a bright, friendly, and happy staff. And it gets better. They know vegan, eat vegan, but I somehow forgot if they are vegan. There are plenty of vegan options on their menu including tasty smoothies, delicious soups, and good, imaginative sandwiches. I hear that they have great breakfasts too, but they open for breakfast too late for me. I’ve only been to Interim Café once now, and look forward to visiting again. This place is in the running for becoming a mainstay for me, but I have a lot more research before I draw that conclusion. It’s gonna be painstakingly hard work and will require a lot of smoothies. Luckily they have a large selection and are reasonably priced!

Additional Info Address: 530 Wilshire Blvd, 90401 Area: Wilshire Reviewed Meal: Lunch Ethnicity: American Click for more info.

Review of Fritto Misto

I gave Fritto Misto an overall score of 4.8, or 5 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 5 of 5, Norm. price range 4 of 5, I only have a $20. family friendly? 4 of 5, Wait staff entertains kids. % menu vegan 4 of 5, Hmm, what to have. quality of service 5 of 5, Like family quality of food 4 of 5, Happy toung local mainstay? 4 of 5, Sponsors local teams Comments: Fritto Misto is probably my favorite overall place in Santa Monica. If you’re the “look for crowded restaurants and you’ll find good eats” type, then this place will suck you in if you wander by because their always crowded wait list is outside like an old time theatre marquee. That’s if you wander by; this place is off the beaten path and the building is unassuming. If you do happen across this corner oasis, when you enter you will find those cooking immediately to your left and those slurping it up immediately to your right. The interior stretches across two rooms that are both homey and decorated with art, dishes, and wine crate tabletops. Upon being seated by the vegan host, they will drop bread and butter on your table. Give ‘em back the butter and ask for garlic and olive oil. My wife and I have an agreement that neither of us eat here without the other; we can’t stop because the pureed garlic’s that good. But whether or not you like garlic, the menu’s large, diverse, and most entrees can be made vegan. I order off the “build your own” page with wheatless-eggless pasta, marinara, and then mix it up on the additions. That is unless their vegan lentil soup’s on the board. Then it’s that, another basket of bread, and a usually great, inexpensive bottle of red.

Additional Info Address: 601 Colorado Ave, 90407 Area: Mid City Reviewed Meal: Dinner Ethnicity: Italian Click for more info.

Review of Chandni

I gave Chandni Vegetarian Restaurant an overall score of 4.9, or 5 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 5 of 5, Norm. price range 5 of 5, Pocket change, less than $10. family friendly? 5 of 5, This reminds me of Sesame Street! % menu vegan 4 of 5, Hmm, what to have. quality of service 5 of 5, Like family quality of food 4 of 5, Happy toung local mainstay? 4 of 5, Sponsors local teams Comments: I lived less than a block away from Chandni Vegetarian Indian Restaurant for about 5 years, but never knew of its existence. It is a small retail space wedged between a cleaners and a hearing aide center; each with a bigger, and much less weathered sign. The interior suggests that the creators of the Simpsons may have taken inspiration from this place in dreaming up the aging, poorly lit, booth and mirror filled Moe’s Tavern. As you exit the dining area, down the hallway to the back, toward the restrooms, you’ll find that this place even has a full Indian bar with 2 bar stools taking up half of the hallway. Once I finally found this place, the staff quickly learned our names since we showed up at their doorstep every other week or so. They are extremely friendly without being overburdensome. They have a full menu and the food is aromatic, tasty, and cooked to order meaning that if you want less oil, just tell them. Apart from their menu, they have a great, but limited selection, buffet for lunch; usually 3 items with 2 being vegan. They are rarely busy except for the day of the year that the buffet is free, celebrating a Hindi holiday. But, the free food day isn’t the best thing about Chandni. Unlike other Indian places in the area, the staff at Chandni understands exactly what a vegan is and is quick to point out the dishes that do not contain yogurt, milk, or cheese. I have full confidence in what they tell me and in what they serve me. I usually start with some papadum, hit the buffet a few times, and spice it all up until my eyes water. Oh, and get the naan because it is vegan and delicious.

Additional Info Address: 1909 Wilshire Blvd, 90403 Area: Wilshire Reviewed Meal: Lunch, Dinner Ethnicity: Indian Click for more info.

Against Dairy, part 1

I’ve always argued that lacto-vegetarianism, vegetarian diet with dairy, is a bad idea for many reasons. One of these reasons is that dairy blocks vitamins and minerals that are of concern for the non-meat eaters out there. In part 1, I will focus on a very important mineral that helps regulate metabolism, keeps your heart beating normally, and is essential for a strong skeletal structure; calcium.

Animal protein has more of a specific amino acid named methionine than vegetable protein does. Methionine has come under intensified scrutiny lately due to some studies that suggest that excess methionine reduces lifespan. Aside from that body of research, it has been shown that excess methionine causes blood to become more acidic. When this happens, the sulfur from the methionine combines with exchangeable calcium from the bones to create calcium sulfate which is then expelled from the blood and excreted from the body, thus reducing the body acidity. If our body acidity is constantly elevated from daily consumption of dairy, our bones will constantly leach calcium in a struggle to lower that acidity.

Now, if this were true, shouldn’t populations that eat large amounts of dairy on a daily basis have weaker bones? In fact, they do as evidenced by a study that considers total animal protein. There was a large scale study of animal protein consumption vs bone strength from different populations around the world. This study showed that the more animal protein a population eats, the more likely that population is to have weaker bones, as measured by hip fractures. It should be noted that this study, though large scale, focused on women; the jury is still out for men.

So, if there is indeed a link between calcium, methionine, and strong bones, then the calcium/methionine ratio, though maybe not direct, could shed some light on the subject. The following lists vegetables that are highest in calcium, vegetables highest in methionine, soymilk, and dairy.

Food	Methionine (mg/Cal)	Calcium (mg/Cal)	Calcium/ Methionine	Comment
Soymilk, fortified	0.37	2.85	7.7
Watercress	1.82	10.2	5.6	Highest in Calcium & High in Methionine
Turnip Greens	1.06	5.83	5.5	High in Calcium
Kale	0.64	2.74	4.28	High in Calcium
Mustard Greens	0.96	3.85	4.01	High in Calcium
Spinach	2.31	4.24	1.84	Highest in Methionine & High in Calcium
Milk, nonfat	2.46	3.69	1.5
Soybean	1.23	1.34	1.09	High in Methionine
Asparagus	1.55	1.19	0.77	High in Methionine
Baby Zucchini	1.86	1.13	0.61	High in Methionine
Crimini Mushrooms	1.78	0.72	0.4	High in Methionine
Kidney Bean	1.16	0.43	0.37	High in Methionine
Cottage Cheese	5.18	0.85	0.16

The type of soymilk that I chose is fortified with calcium since it is the most common way to buy soymilk in the US. Notice that the vegetable highest in methionine, spinach, contains 2.31 mg/Cal whereas cottage cheese, like most cheese, is twice as high with 5.18 mg/Cal. On the other hand, the vegetable highest in calcium, watercress, has 10.2 mg/Cal of calcium and milk has 3.69 mg/Cal. It would appear that simply replacing milk with soymilk in our breakfast cereal would reduce our methionine levels and increase the calcium density, calcium stores in our bones. Moreover, if we stick to the vegetables for the rest of the day instead of that hamburger and milkshake, then we will be much less likely later in life to cry, “I’ve fallen, and can’t get up!”

Review of Better Life Cuisine

Update: This place has closed.  :(

I gave Better Life Cuisine an overall score of 4.4, or 4 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 4 of 5, I don't need a menu. price range 3 of 5, Let's splurge tonight; less than $35. family friendly? 3 of 5, No kids menu. % menu vegan 5 of 5, No worries. quality of service 4 of 5, Attentive and friendly. quality of food 5 of 5, Sorry Mom, but this place knows how to cook. local mainstay? 2 of 5, Fresh paint, but it's a good color. Comments: This place was a surprise to me. I ventured in a few years back and it was a yoga studio / wellness center that offered a small selection of clothing and an even smaller selection of quick eats for the yogaites as they ventured out for the rest of their day. However, when I returned recently, I noticed that they ixneyed a lot of the clothing racks in favor of more tables, and greatly expanded the menu. It now includes salads, wraps, fresh juices/smoothies, and some entrees like pizza and lasagna. And the best part about Better Life Cuisine is that all the food is raw/vegan and organic, so you can put down your guard. The first and most apparent thing that struck me about this place was that they were not pretentious. You see, right up the street is Planet Raw which is the only other raw food place in the Mid City area, but Planet Raw is on the other end of the attitude and pretentiousness scale. Aside from the pleasant wait staff, the food was amazing. I haven’t tried a lot of their menu, but so far, everything’s been very tasty. The wraps and salads seem to be their specialty. For the wraps, you have a choice to have them wrapped in collard greens or tortilla. Be prepared if you order the tortilla because it is more like fruit leather than tortilla, so its sweetness may be better with, say, the Curry Wrap than the Tuna Wrap. Overall, this is a solid vegan spot that is both healthy and fun to hang. If you like their food, grab some granola or one of their raved about desserts for a snack later. Update: This place has closed.  :(

Additional Info Address: 717 Broadway Ave, 90401 Area: Mid City Reviewed Meal: Lunch Ethnicity: American Click for more info.

Review of Tacos Por Favor

I gave Tacos Por Favor and overall score of 4.0, or 4 stars, based on the following 7 categories: number of visits 4 of 5, I don't need a menu. price range 5 of 5, Pocket change, less than $10. 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 4 of 5, Happy toung. local mainstay? 4 of 5, Sponsors local teams. Comments: Yes; I finally found a good cheap Mexican restaurant that I can trust. That’s what I exclaimed a year ago when I finally stopped by this hole-in-the-wall, industrial looking building. I probably saw their sign before, but never gave it a second thought because, “it couldn’t have vegan options, could it?” Well, it does, and I have made this place one of my regular weekend stops. Tacos Por Favor is straight out of Rosarito, Mexico. It has a big, open dining area with cement floors that are lazily patched between the slightly different levels, screen doors that slam every time someone comes in or out, a worn and weathered counter, and a second-hand looking, particle board cabinet that holds salsas and, my favorite, hot, pickled carrots and peppers. And if you’re fortunate enough to come on a hot day, you get to experience their air conditioning system; two industrial fans that blow the hot air from the kitchen out the front door, pulling it across the dining area. Did I mention, right out of Rosarito. I haven’t explored the menu much because the veggie tacos, potato tacos, and veggie burritos have kept me content. They use fresh ingredients, no lard, and, as far as I could tell, no special sauces with mysterious ingredients that always make me worry. Overall, as far as Mexican food goes, it’s above average, but not as good as the greasy, disconcerting taco stand food that you might expect from a place like this; think more fresh. However, the prices are similar to those cheap taco stands, which is a rarity in Santa Monica! So, grab a couple tacos, handful of chips and salsa, some pickled carrots and peppers, and then cool your palate with a cold cerveza for a little over 5 bucks. Can’t beat the value; well, unless you are heading to Rosarito.

Additional Info Address: 1406 Olympic Blvd, 90404 Area: Pico Reviewed Meal: Lunch Ethnicity: Mexican Click for more info.

5 Pillars to Healthy Eating in Today's Age

I get a lot of questions from friends, relatives, and colleagues about how to eat healthfully, and usually, how to reduce bad cholesterol. I usually send them some sort of email that includes 5 pillars of eating healthy in today’s age. Here are my 5 pillars in no particular order:

1. No Trans Fats (Partially Hydrogenated Oils): Increases risk of heart disease by raising the bad cholesterol and increasing fat reserves. Several intensive studies showed that trans fats significantly increase the amount of visceral and other abdominal fat.
2. No Artificial Sugars (Saccharin, Aspartame, Sucralose, etc): We have no feedback mechanism for shutting off the intake of artificial sugars. If we eat too much real sugar, our body tells us to stop. This doesn’t happen with artificial sugars. And since most sweet things are high in saturated fat and other unhealthy constituents, we end up eating more of these unhealthy constituents than we would have otherwise.
3. No Red Meat: High in saturated fats which lead to high levels of LDL and obesity. You should intake a modest amount of omega 3 and polyunsaturated fats, lesser amounts of monounsaturated fats, and severely limit saturated fats. By eating red meat, you are doing the opposite. Moreover, you are flooding your body with the opposite which means that you have to eat obnoxiously large amounts of say monounsaturated fats to block the formation of LDL.
4. No High Fructose Corn Syrup: It is believed that HFCS is worse than regular sugar because higher levels of fructose increase triglyceride levels which ultimately lead to obesity. There are a lot of studies that correlate HFCS and obesity, but I think they are a little biased because, in general, cheap, bad foods contain both HFCS and other cheap, bad ingredients; they go hand in hand.
5. No Dairy: After all the journals and papers that I have read on dairy, I have come to the conclusion that it is one of the worst things that we can eat on a regular basis. Dairy blocks the absorption of zinc, iron, and calcium. In addition, it raises the body’s acidity which further drains these nutrients from the body; especially calcium. Also, dairy is very high in saturated fat; 2nd to red meat for the average American.