LA Favorites #5: Veggie Edition with Sean Bonner

Erin's Kitchen is leaving LA! Before I go, I'm asking Angelenos to share their favorite food spots--east to west, high to low. Want to share your favorites? Email me: erinskitchen [at] gmail [dot] com.

LA Favorites #4: Sean Bonner, the force behind the always entertaining blogging.la and the whole Metroblogging network

How long have you lived in LA? I moved to LA from Chicago in mid 2001, so almost 6 years now.

What neighborhood do you call home? Silver Lake definitely, I've been here for almost 5 of those years, which is actually longer than I've anywhere else in my life. And I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Quick--a favorite LA food memory. What's the first one that comes to mind? First time I got to the front of the line at Pinks, that smell is something you never forget.

What food or drink does LA do best? And where can I find it? Being Vegan I'm probably not the best one to critique all the LA has to offer, and most of my favorite items are from some other part of the world I'd feel bad suggesting they were done best here. The fried "chicken" fingers at Native Foods in Westwood are pretty fantastic, and definitely a SoCal exclusive.

Top three spots (restaurants, taco stands, stores, bars, etc) I should visit before I leave LA? What should I order? Paru's on Sunset - The mulligatawny soup. Orean's Health Express in Pasadena - The strawberry shake. Tuk Tuk Thai on Pico in Beverlywood - The Tom Kha Gai soup.

LA Favorites Bonus Round--
(Mostly) veggie recommendations from the Urban Epicurean: Elf Cafe (Echo Park) a vegetarian/vegan gourmet restaurant run by members of a band; Cliff's Edge (Silver Lake) serves eclectic food, sit in their exotic patio under a landmark tree and dine on dishes influenced by the Mediterranean and French cuisine; also in Silver Lake, at the Saturday Farmers' Market the friendly, muscled up chef at "Yummy You Love" serves deliciously rich savory and sweet crepes - don't let the Russian accent fool ya, he knows his crepes!; Fatty's gourmet and organic vegetarian restaurant (Eagle Rock), open only for dinner and well worth the wait; and Paru's (Hollywood) creates delicious Southern Indian vegetarian fare - must try their nut cake for dessert! The Avatars will be happy that you did (or at least watching you - their photos are everywhere!).

palm tree photo by Eric Richardson.