Author Archives: UncouthGourmands
By: Veronica Flores I’ll admit it: I’m one of those self-professed, frozen patty hating, arugula worshipping, ground prime on brioche loving burger snobs who had never set foot inside of my neighborhood burger joint. But when I found out that Jamie Oliver was revealing a new, healthier burger menu this week at a fast food place a stone’s throw from my house, my curiosity was certainly peaked. If you’ve been following along, you might’ve heard that Jamie’s “Food Revolution” has hit a myriad of road blocks this season trying to gain access to LAUSD cafeterias. But being the tenacious naked …
Josie and I were thrilled to go to the opening of Mas Malo in downtown – We seldom trek out of the office for lunch so this was a nice change of pace. As we walked in, we were taken back by the grandeur of the space. There were three floors: the main dining room, the mezzanine, and the lower room which is known as the ‘late night dining’ area – all of which were stunning. We were also pleasantly surprised to run into our friend The Minty and Miss Megan as they were touring the new facilities. <From the …
I must start off by saying how amazing dinner at Joe’s was. I have heard Josie rave about Joe’s in the office, but I needed to find out for myself. So when the opportunity arose I jumped on it. Everything was delicious but the first dish that made me realize Joe’s was in a whole league of its own was the eastern fluke crudo with finger lime, radish salad, salted grape and saletta. It had a wonderful light, refreshing taste and the finger lime popped in your mouth. This was a fun innovative dish that everyone enjoyed and kept you …
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been a New York “hater.” Granted, I’ve never actually been to New York but from everything I’ve seen in the movies, heard from my NYU friends and read on the internet, it wasn’t anything compared to LA’s beautiful weather and beautiful people. So, when I heard that BABYCAKES Vegan Bakery in downtown LA was actually New York based, I had to check it out. The location is ridiculously New York. The bakery is located on busy 6th street on a downward slope with a rail separating the shops from the sidewalk. The BabyCakes name …
Living in downtown has a lot of perks. Everything from movie sets on the street, Starbucks on every corner and vegetarian-friendly restaurants everywhere! So when I heard that there was a vegan café in walking distance of my home, I woke up early, threw on a flannel and asked my brother nicely if he’d be interested in taking me out for lunch. Since the place was so close I took my sweet time (literally because I thought Mexican cookie bread would be a nice appetizer) and enjoyed the cool air that random LA weather blessed us with this week. Upon arrival …
I’ve been looking for a new Thai place for about a year now, so you can imagine my face when on a mission to find some hip/hookah vegetarian café on Melrose, I stumbled upon BULAN Thai Vegetarian Kitchen across the street… This hole in the wall, wasn’t much to look at on the outside, but I can assure you that once I stepped inside, the saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” never rang so true! Psychadelic acrylic art, Jeff Buckley in my ear and a mini bamboo garden really pulled the place together, so when I was escorted …
For my birthday my boyfriend decided to take me (Lea) to dinner at a restaurant that he knew I would love, but had never been to. No matter how hard I tried to pry it out of him, he would not crack. On the ride over there I was puzzled because we were in my old stomping ground, Glendale. The secret was finally revealed – Fresco! It is a small restaurant on Brand I couldn’t believe I haven’t come across it before considering I used to live at the Galleria and the Americana. When we walked inside I fell in love …
Lee Healey and former UG pal Carina, who is now at Ink Foundry, were kind enough to invite me to the LA Live Fleming’s for a wine tasting and dinner. The wine tasting was intimate and there was a great selection of 20 different wines. The wine manager, Evan, was incredible. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. My favorites of the night were DMZ Western Cape South Africa 2008 Chardonnay, Orin Swift The Prisoner Napa Valley 2008 Zinfandel, and Hess Napa Valley Allomi Vineyard 2007 Cabernet. To start off the meal Evan recommended the calamari and it was delicious. Fleming’s …
I was quite excited when I found out I would be covering a craft beer and vegan tasting. I indulge in all types of drinks, but I have a special place in my heart for craft beer. Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank proudly proclaims to be an all-craft, all draft, vegan /not-vegan refurbished dive bar, for beer or wine, with basement couture I must add. Tony’s serves draft craft beer and draft wine. Wine in a keg? I know what you are thinking… UNCOUTH! I must say the Pink wine is just right; it is not too sweet and not …
When I received the invite to O2 Sushi’s tasting party I was thrilled. Since I am part Japanese, I thought it was right up my alley. I was excited to see what the new Old Town Pasadena restaurant had in store for me. My favorites of the night were the Tuna Sushi, Seared Albacore Sashimi with sautéed spinach, Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno, and Sweet Chili Shrimp. O2 only serves the highest quality sushi and it was apparent with their Tuna Sushi. It was so fresh and the Chef prepared it wonderfully. I savored every bit of the Seared Albacore Sashimi. …