Eco-Vegan Gal Says: Carousel - One of the Best Meals I've Had in Los Angeles
source: http://www.ecovegangal.com/2010/03/carousel-one-of-best-meals-ive-had-in.html
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- EthicalVegan
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People often ask me what my favorite restaurant is, or my favorite meal, and that's always hard to answer. To me, eating is all about the energy - who you're dining with, how the staff treats you, the strangers in the restaurant, and how you feel during and after consuming the food.
My experience at Carousel hit all the marks - the energy was great, the atmosphere was beautiful, and the food was outstanding. And it definitely helped that I had some great company - I went as a guest of Sam Khalaf from Cruzer Pizza, as he's a big fan of their food. While I won't call this my favorite restaurant, this was definitely one of the best meals I've had in L.A., and I've been raving about it ever since I left.
Coincidentally, that very day the owner (Mike Tcholakian) of the restaurant was working on the vegan menu, so he brought us out a ton of food to try. While the lentils were my favorite, everything was very fresh and flavorful. The falafel was the best I've ever had - crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The Mousaaka (eggplant) was also fantastic. It was extremely authentic Middle Eastern food - Sam said it reminds him of what his family makes.
Our feast included:
* Hammos
* Tabbuleh
* Mutabbal (Baba Rannuj)
* Sarma (grape leaves)
* Lentil soup
* Falafel
* Mousaaka (eggplant)
* Kebbeh Aadas (red lentils)
Taste: 10/10
Unique menu & flavors: yes
Favorite dish: Kebbeh Aadas
Organic: yes
Healthy: yes
Customer service: excellent
Atmosphere: beautiful,
Location: central part of Glendale, and there's also a location in Hollywood
Parking: street or paid parking lot in back
Price: moderate
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- groups:
- Veganism
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- tags:
- Animal Rights, veganism, vegan food, Vegan Restaurants, 3 more
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ecovegangal
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I hear you Ethical, but as you guessed I'm not a purist.
Most of the readers of my blog are either not vegan at all, or are comfortable eating at non-vegan restaurants as long as the restaurant understands the importance of keeping food separate. Sure, there's always a chance of cross contamination. My feeling is that it's important to show restaurants how great vegan food can be and how much demand there is for it; it's a way of spreading the message.
However, you've inspired me to make sure to ask about the way they cook in the kitchen, instead of assuming there's no cross contamination. Thank you : ) - 2 years ago
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ecovegangal
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EthicalVegan
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ecovegangal:
You're absolutely right about going to such restaurants and asking, asking, asking, just to reinforce that eating vegan food means that it needs to also be COOKED in a vegan way. For instance, there's some kind of popular "joint" in L.A. that has a great reputation for pancakes, etc. I did NOT want to go there, but got pushed into it. My friend was really irritated when I asked the server if she could ask the cook to kindly clean out the grill prior to making my vegan banana pancakes. Luckily for me -- and because I'm such a stickler -- the server said something about this being Hollywood, so of COURSE the cook would do that. Whew!
And yes, I think it's still wise to go to vegan-FRIENDLY restaurants from time to time, just to reinforce the fact that there are more and more of us out there, and we matter. Besides, it's the way of the future, right?
I'm SO glad you came on board, and that you wrote, too!!!! Very nice!
- 2 years ago
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EthicalVegan
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EthicalVegan
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Oh, NO!
I just checked out their menu (and, yes, I should have done that first, but when a VEGAN recommends a restaurant, I sometimes foolishly assume... ), and this is NOT a vegan restaurant. They serve animals and fish. So they are, at best, perhaps "vegan-FRIENDLY," but I always wonder about WHERE they're preparing and cooking our vegan choices when they're primarily non-vegan.
Yes, I'm a purist.
- 2 years ago
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EthicalVegan
