Normally when I think of Vegan food, a bag of freshly ground dirt on a bed of lettuce comes to mind. However, I thought I would give it a chance. 5 of us ended up going, the three bloggers, and two of my roommates.
We arrived around 8:30pm on Saturday night, and every table was packed. It took about 15 minutes to order at the register and we sat down at a tiny 4 person table in a corner that was un-bussed. After another table left, we had enough chairs for everybody.
Our food arrived eventually....
Top Right Clockwise we have: Jack-fruit Carnitas Tacos w/ cesar salad, Torta Sandwich w/ Sweet Potato fries, Burrito Wrap w/ salad, Tofu-Pesto Sandwich w/ Sweet Potato Fries, Burrito w/ cesar Salad
Von Scrumptious got the Tacos, and that is her go to here at Pure Luck, she has already blogged twice about this place and will have another post up shortly regarding our night out. I did not get a chance to sample the dish, as it was gone quickly. Joe had the torta, which I also didn't sample, but his sweet potato fries were delicious. It also came with a side of BBQ sauce which was not overpowering and had a great flavor. I was a little nervous about it but was thoroughly impressed with it's flavor.
My dish was the burrito wrap (not to be confused with a burrito) $9. It contained Jack-Fruit Carnitas, other stuff and sweet potato fries. I elected to add Avocado for $1, bringing the total to $10
I wanted to try the bottomless Lemonade ($2), which was basically a glass full of diluted lemon juice. While not something I would order again, I found it better than the Tea that Liz ordered, and it washed down the Wrap with great ease, helping me to begin my digestion process a little earlier.My burrito wrap was ok, there weren't any fantastic flavors, but there was nothing bad with it. Completely average I would say. However, since we were talking about Vegan food it was pretty good. Some of the best vegan food I have had. Then again I eat real people food so it will be compared as such. The salad was poor. Baby Spinach leaves and tomatoes with a vinegarette left a lot to be desired. I think I would have also enjoyed the sweet potato fries as a side rather than a filler. Rating C
Liz's Pesto-Tofu Sandwich was really good for Tofu, and a vegan sandwich, but paled in comparison to a burger with thick melted Cheddar on it. They have found a good thing in the pesto sauce. It has a great consistency and flavor. Her sweet potato fries were also super, again out of the wrap. Her tea was basically a lightly flavored water. They need to work on that.
Last but not least, Craig's Burrito had rice and beans and had a much more mexican taste to it than my burrito wrap. I did not sample the cesar salad, but it is kind of hard to mess up a vegan burrito. Just leave the cheese and meat out and voila. That said, it was not super fantastic.
The atmosphere definitely brought back memories of Asheville, NC. Without being offensive, because that's not where I want to go with this the best word I can use would be Granola. You either understand it or you don't. That's not saying it's good or bad, just is.
After the meal we went over to Scoops for some gelato or sorbet. They also had vegan flavors for liz. They hit a home-run with the Thai Iced-Tea flavored Gelato. I tried to go back on Sunday night but they were closed. As a note they close at 10pm on Saturday night, we were the last customers getting in the door at 9:59.
A few things I learned from this experience are that Vegan food isn't necessarilly healthy, as was the case with a fried heavy pub food spot, and also that not all Vegan food tastes like ground dirt.
As a Vegan restaurant, overall: A-
As a normal restauran, overall: C+ (slightly above average)
I will go back just for the sweet potato fries, but only because Liz needs a vegan place to eat at. I wouldn't attend without a Vegan in party.
on the other hand,
Scoops: A
Pure Luck
707 N Heliotrope
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.660.5993
Hours: 11am - Midnight
If you would like a place reviewed in the Los Angeles area, please send an email to reviewsandrecipes@gmail.com
