Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/732294
city of angels By Genie Davis TASTE OF LA: VEG STYLE Chickpea meatballs, faux pork sliders, dairy-free gelato! Oh My! A ttending the annual Labor Day tribute to all things food in Los Angeles, The Taste offered a variety of veg- etarian and vegan dishes this year. While most of the booths we visited were not representing strictly veg dining establishments, as is the trend throughout the city, more and more restaurants are offering creative plant-based options on their menus. The Taste offers themed food events throughout the week- end, with Field to Fork representing seasonally sourced cook- ing on Saturday morning, Dinner with a Twist Summer Jam on Saturday evening replete with craft cocktail pairings, and a Sun- day morning Block Party with a backyard-cookout theme. Sun- day's fi nal event, Flavors of LA, presented a variety of cuisines revealing the international fl air of dining in the City of Angels. And through them all, there were plenty of dishes for non-car- nivores to taste. Of course, spots like Doomies, The Springs, 118 Degrees, and Little Pine were present, excellent purveyors of all veg cui- sine. Madcapra chefs and owners Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer also presented a cooking demonstration at the Citi Cu- linary Stage at Saturday's Field to Fork event, too. Morning Star Farms had a sleek Airstream trailer set up, with fun eco-friendly knowledge games, product coupons, and giveaways like oven mitts. They served up a variety of dishes featuring Morning Star vegan products, too – my favorite was a chick pea-based "meatball" accom- panied by a yellow curry slaw. While there were plenty of dishes to choose from, here's a look at some of the top veg dishes and dining choices we experienced at Taste this year. 1. ediBOL - mini miso peanut ramen bowls, which included eda- mame, sweet pep- per, pickled carrot, shiitake, scallion, roasted peanuts, and honey miso dressing. This sleek downtown Arts District restaurant serves vegan, veg, and fi sh/meat options on their menu. 2. Golden Boys - the healthy, fresh Chinese food at this pop up around downtown is always beautifully done, and their shitake mushroom and cucumber plate served at The Taste makes the Boys a must to put on your radar and watch for their next iteration. 3. Doomies - faux pork sliders. Simply scrumptious, this casual little café has been offering meat-free versions of fried chicken, tacos, burgers and other comfort-food standbys in the heart of Hollywood for years. The erstwhile eatery offered different dishes at two additional Taste events, but the Sunday afternoon sliders were the big hit for us. 4. Chiguacle Sabor Ancestral de Mexico - this East LA Mexi- can spot frequently offers sensational vegan dishes, and at The 10 wholelifetimes.com