#mandoline grill

LA Vegan Beer & Food Fest

I was a naughty blogger at the LA Vegan Beer & Food Fest this past weekend. I ate my way through it with reckless abandon, but barely documented any of it. I had a fully charged battery & well intentions, but I just didn't make it happen. Apologies.

Truth is, sometimes I don't want to be "that blogger person." The one that lets my food get cold while I try to get that perfect shot, the one that tells everyone "hands off the food" until I get said perfect shot, the one that turns everything into a photo-op, the one that misses the party because she's hiding behind the camera the entire time. So at the LAVBF I decided to kick back & enjoy the party. And it was a blast! 

I had the pleasure of making the trek from SD to LA with the LOVELIKEBEER boys. In exchange for my driving they treated me to the food & I absolutely took advantage of that. First stop: The SEABIRDS Truck! I've been reading & drooling about Seabirds forever. So intrigued by the Jackfruit Tacos, & dying to try everything else they create. We ordered almost everything on the menu.

My faves:

Spinach Artichoke Dip - spinach, artichoke hearts, white beans, panko, served with truck made corn chips. Yum! I'm a sucker for anything artichoke & a creamy dip is one of my favorite indulgences. 

Chipotle Jack Tacos - grilled jackfruit, chipotle sauce, pickled red onion, & mango salsa. I've never had "pulled pork," but everyone who had said the texture is spot on. I don't really know how I feel about that, but I do know that these were so tasty, & full of spicy flavor. 

Avocado Beer Battered Tacos - fried avocado, creamy jalapeno-cilantro sauce, red onion, & cabbage slaw. One word: heavenly. I could happy live inside that tortilla filled with that fried creamy goodness.

My friend Kevin, my guest blogger Andi's husband, ordered up a bunch of yummy cupcakes from Life is Sweet Bake Shop, who offers their decedent desserts via Seabirds. He ordered one of each of the day's special offerings:

Chocolate Stout Cupcake & Buttercream,

Blue Moon Cupcake with Orange Buttercream

Chocolate Stout Cupcake with Peanut Butter Buttercream. 

Clearly by the look on his face above he is beyond excited, & with good reason - these cupcakes were to die for! After gorgefest part one, we settled our tummies a bit for round 2 & then hit up the Mandoline Grill Vietnamese Truck& shared the:

Tofu Bahn Mi - cucumber slices, pickled carrot & daikon, cilantro, jalapenos, vegenaise, & scallion oil.

Vietnamese Nachos - cripsy tortilla chips with jalapeno, mint, cilantro scallion oil, & vegan Sriracha aioli. 

The Bahn Mi was good, but for me tops the one from San Diego's Miho Gastrotruck. I did, however, love the Vietnamese Nachos. Sriracha aioli, what's not to love?!

I'd pretty much reached my limit before a friend of the group handed me the uneaten 1/2 of his hot hog from The Frankenstand, LA's horror movie themed vegan hot dog cart. I have a (not so secret anymore) dream of having a vegan hot dog cart. I have a thing for veggie dogs. So when I started to research the idea, I came across The Frankenstand & was instantly intrigued by their quirky concept & simple menu. You order the frank of your choice & load it up with your preferred fixins. I'm not sure what frank my friend ordered, but it was so good that Andi & I decided to create & split our own. We ordered "The Franken" sausage with sun dried tomato & basil. Super, super yum & only confirms my desire to be a vegan hot dog cart entrepreneur.

As the day progressed, I managed to indulge in a stout & vegan chocolate ice cream float, french fries, more cupcakes, fried plantains, & the famous "Buffalo Style Cauliflower" from Mohawk Bend. Want more now please!

So that's how one eats her way through a vegan food fest. And maybe next year I'll arrange to stay the night in LA so I can actually enjoy the beer too! While pretty much everything that I stuffed in my face was amazing, I must say that my favorite of the day were the Avocado Tacos from Seabirds. Ridiculously delicious. This was the most fun I'd had in quite a while & wish this was happening every Saturday for the rest of my life!

(click through the gallery to enlarge the photos)