Maybe it's the absence of any background in this photo that makes this vegan burrito from Flore Vegan on Sunset in Silver Lake look so dang sexy. Or, if you're so inclined, maybe it's the absolute lack of any animal product or by-product that is sexy. Maybe it's just lunch time and you forgot your brown bag at home and would rather eat your own arm than eat at Carl's Jr. Our LAist Featured......

It's a rare commodity for street vendors in Los Angeles, especially among the ubiquitous bacon dogs carts. In a city where vegetarian and vegan joints are beginning to become neighborhood staples, eating veggie on the streets is still no easy task. But thanks to one woman in Echo Park, it's getting a little easier. After listening to her customers ask for veggie dogs time after time, Maria, a North Hollywood resident, decided she should give......

Photo by phogel via Flickr After a one year hiatus, one of the best green festivals, Worldfest, is back. Two years ago, the solar-powered festival scheduled near Earth Day was a gem among the numerous green events around the city. Located at Woodley Park in Encino, steps away from the eponymous Metro Orange Line station, a slew of eco-friendly vendors showed off their wares, vegan chefs shared their creations and music and recognizable faces......

Yes, it's Cinco de Mayo, and nearly every bar we can think of is having some sort of fiesta. But here are a few other options for tonight if tequila slammers don't quite fit into your schedule: FILM Today marks the New Beverly Cinema's 30th year in business – and this month’s calendar is a show-for-show replication of the New Beverly’s 1978 debut calendar. The double bill tonight are Sci-Fi classics Soylent Green with......

FILM GOOD Magazine and Paramount Vantage Films are hosting an advanced screening of Son of Rambow. It’s a British comedy about a boy living in seclusion among a religious sect that doesn’t allow movies or TV. But when the kid sees his first movie – a pirated copy of Rambo: First Blood, his imagination is blown wide open. Seating is first come, first-served and you must RSVP by 5:30 pm today. 7:30 pm //......

One of Los Angeles' best, and perhaps the most inventive, vegan restaurants is Pure Luck. Located in the unofficial Bicycle District, also casually known as Hel-Mel (for its Melrose and Heliotrope location), the restaurant, simply put, serves up pub food and micro beer. Above, LAist Featured Photos contributor sadjeans shares these jackfruit tacos, which LAist can confirm as delicious. Instead of tofu, jackfruit is a staple ingredient at Pure Luck and also makes an......

LAist reader Prabhat Gautam is an all around vegan and lives a no-car/all-transit lifestyle. He writes us a note after visiting Sante Cuisine, which was Sante La Brea before Chef Gordan Ramsay tooled around with it for an episode of Kitchen Nightmares which will air next Fall: I had heard about the Hell's Kitchen makeover of Santa La Brea to Santa Cuisine, so I wanted to find out what was different and if it had......

The block on Vineland between Otsego and Hesby is turning into a nice eclectic group of storefronts, even if there are only three. Starting to the north, there is a random Pirate store. Next to that, a fairly new hookah lounge. And then there is Lotus Vegan, which opened last week with a chef from Vegan Express who decided to go on her own. You'll recognize the menu as it is similar too all those......

Photo by ILoveButter via Flickr There are still many comments to be left today by readers, but torrmoz's comment on an earlier story about vegetarian eating highlights points from a New York Times Mark Bittman story (Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler) about meat production and the environment. These are well worth bringing to the forefront: If Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a......

With an American Institute for Cancer Research study in hand, ABC7's Lori Corbin, aka "The Food Coach," visited the Veggie Grill in El Segundo. "Several large studies confirm that consuming more than 18 ounces [of red and processed meat], a little more than one pound of red meat, bacon, and smoked meats per week, increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 30 percent," Corbin writes. "That's worrisome since many shy from this type of cancer......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Soul Vegetarian opened up last summer in the nightclub space, but quickly closed a couple months ago. Not to fear, however, Jewel, who owns the building, continued the short lived soul food vegan restaurant near the corner of Pico and Crenshaw. "I've been a vegan for twenty-some years," she said, "and it was a dream of mine to open up a vegan restaurant." Soul Vegetarian (not to be confused with......

On a side street in Silver Lake, two sisters open up their apartment every weekend to strangers who want to learn how to cook healthy and delicious vegan meals. Spork Foods began in December and has become a hit so far, with their small intimate cooking classes selling out quickly. Upcoming class topics include brunch, pizza, Jewish, desserts and more. A few weeks ago, they held their South East Asian class; here's what happened:......

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level......

EaterLA is on a "Trendwatch" and finds a USA Today article where three Food Network chefs/personalities are asked to give their predictions on the next big food trend. Morimoto, executive chef at Nobu in New York and who competes as an Iron Chef, sticks with Asian foods. EaterLA says he sounds legit telling the masses to look out for more "izakayas, Korean food and shochu." LAist says give the new Little Tokyo vegan Japanese restaurant......

An ancient cuisine is hoping to attract new fans in downtown Los Angeles: Shojin, an organic Japanese restaurant whose menu is inspired by Buddhist vegetarian principles, has opened in Little Tokyo. Traditional "shojin" cuisine is a plant-based, essentially vegan diet, which Buddhists adhere to as a form of spiritual discipline. So, of course, what better theme for a trendy new Downtown restaurant? I kid, I kid: but the menu is bound to appeal to......

Photos by Zach Behrens/LAist It's a sad day week for those who frequent Fairfax Village, for those who need a late-night nosh alternative to Canter's Deli, or for those who love some vegan pizza -- Nova Express Cafe announced (letter below) that they are closing their doors this Wednesday at 2 a.m. (not be too confusing, that would officially be Thursday, 3 hours in). According to Cary Long, the owner of the Sci-Fi 15-year-old......

On the heels of the recent SoCal beef recall and a property being sold abut the Hollywood Sign, PETA announced an idea yesterday of buying or, at least, renting the next-door land to place 5-letters to the left of the Hollywood sign. If all becomes said and done (they wish), Hollywood's icon would read "Go Veg Hollywood." PETA does not have the $20 million needed to purchase the property, but they "did write to the......

Can we now add eating habits to the long list of modern relationship deal-breakers? The New York Times published a pre-Valentine's Day article this morning discussing the difficulties couples face when their diets are dramatically different: Ben Abdalla, 42, a real estate agent in Boca Raton, Fla., said he preferred to date fellow vegetarians because meat eaters smell bad and have low energy. Lisa Romano, 31, a vegan and school psychologist in Belleville, N.Y.,......

Vegan Waffles and 'Chicken' | All Photos by Zach Behrens/LAist All good things come from the Valley first. Lucky for those who stay "over the hill," Executive Chef David Anderson at LA's fanciest and tastiest vegan affair in the Tarzana Safari Walk (yes, that's an official Los Angeles Neighborhood, city blue sign and all), there is plans to open up a new vegan eatery with full bar on the Westside according to VegNews, who......

The Blueberry Bonanza (blueberries, banana, nut milk & dates) and Green Lean (kale, mango, orange juice, cinnamon & banana) Smoothies | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist Is there not a fresher way to start your morning of then with raw food? Eating uncooked (nothing above 110 degrees F) and unprocessed organic vegan food might be just the wake-me-up energizer some need and with two locations in the Los Angeles area, Leaf Cuisine might fit that......

Photo by Wm Jas via Flickr After the Humane Soceity of the United States released a video (seen below) of abused cows at a Chino slaughterhouse, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began an investigation on Wednesday. With a quick response, The California Department of Education Nutrition Services Division urged all public schools to check where their cafeteria meat was coming from and two fast food chains cut their ties with the Chino based Westland/Hallmark......

A previous owner of Pane Dolce (Italian for "sweet bread") in Sherman Oaks, went up and down the immediate neighborhood on Ventura Blvd., taking notes on the neighboring restaurants' soup selections. What he found was little selection for vegetarian and dairy free soups. So he went to work on his cafe's soup menu, which is now the most popular item ordered. Made daily with fresh ingredients, the neighborhood cafe offers two or three soups......

Those of you living meat-free, rejoice! October is World Vegetarian Awareness Month. Some vegetarians are doing it for the health reasons, some to support animal rights and live cruelty-free, and others to protest the increasing McDonald-ization of the world's food supply. The World Vegetarian Day website is offering a free trip to Vegetarian Summerfest for one lucky winner who contributes a story about what they are doing to celebrate their lifestyle choices this month.......

Sitting on my couch, enjoying my freshly baked Carrot Spice Muffin, I noticed the different textures and colors looking back at me from my first bite. This diversity seemed friendly. I was reminded of the first time black children and white children sat in a classroom together. Men hugging men and women hugging women for "one second too long," with people looking on only smiling. A shared tone was felt. "Isn't that just wonderful?"......

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants are starting to become one of the regulars among sushi and Thai joints across Los Angeles neighborhoods. And on Thursday, Silver Lake got theirs with Flore Vegan Cuisine (additionally, Intelligentsia Coffee opened yesterday one block north). Veggies are rejoicing to once again eat owner and Chef Miranda's cuisine after selling Tierra Cafe last year in Downtown (which is still open under new management). She has now brought forth a vegan restaurant......

As a vegan, I enjoy and prefer making my own meals. I never have to worry about what someone is putting into my food, not to mention it’s easier, cheaper, and more interesting than dining out. But when 80% of my waking hours are spent outside my home, biking around the city, I need to have options. I can only fit so much fruit in my backpack. So, I’ve begun building a mental index of......

'SUP CLUB #1 from Hot Knivez and Vimeo. We're totally digging LA food bloggers Hot Knivez, not least of all 'cause they're getting into it with the "food bloggers" over at the Los Angeles Times. They are vegetarian, beer-loving former line cooks who "believe in cheap groceries, cooking with high alcohol content beer and free leisure." We're thinking of asking them to our next LAist barbecue. Check out this clip, in which they prepare......

Like most people, I have gone through my vegetarian phases, my vegan phases and the worst of all - my low-carb phase. So my cooking is pretty versatile. I have a lot of vegan friends who love barbecues, and it only takes a few minor changes to make them more comfortable. Even if you are super-carnivorous, you can still host a barbecue that will make your vegan friends happy. First of all, you want......

Last night we showed you the Rosie O'Donnell vs Elisabeth Hasslebeck catfight. We felt sorta lame posting it because it was already 14 hours old and figured everyone had seen it by then, but today it was the most popular post all day on LAist. During the onslaught of traffic we got an email asking if we saw what happened to Elisabeth right after the break. Whaaaat? Apparently Alicia Silverstone, despite being a vegan......

The goal of Sante La Brea is not to compromise taste over the absence of dairy and fat. And they do that extremely well, except for the falafel which is just ok because the taste got up and left. Sante is not a purely vegan joint, they serve dishes with chicken, turkey sausage, salmon, ahi tuna, sword fish and whatever the catch of the day may be. For meat eaters or veggies, the pizza......