Ode to Studio City

Ahh, the view from my daily hike at Wilacre Park that overlooked my old hood ; ) Studio City is a great little area in Los Angeles and jam packed with healthy and yummy places. This valley town is right at the base of the hill and offers shi-shi shopping and dining but with the feel of a small community. Some of my most favorite eateries are in Studio City so if you live in town or are visiting, it's just a stone's throw away from Hollywood, Universal Studios and just off the 101 freeway.

My first fave is Kung Pao Bistro. When I'd have a hankerin' for Chinese take out, this was the only way to go as they have a a fully vegan menu in addition to their traditional fare. Their veggie chicken drumsticks would make a carnivore salivate as do their veggie beef and broccoli and veggie orange chicken. They have all kinds of veggie stuff like shrimp, skewers, dumplings and more as well as plenty of real meat for your non veggie pals. They have 3 locations however, the one is Studio City is at 11838 Ventura Blvd, (818) 766-8686 .

My next addiction is Leonor's vegetarian Mexican. Yumm-alicious! They make the bomb vegan pizzas, enchiladas, empanadas and so on. Their guac could use a little salt but other then that it's really cheap and they give you a boat load. They have great sandwiches as well as again, non-veggies will enjoy this place as well. They have 2 locations, in Studio city you can find them at 12445 Moorpark St Ste C, (818) 762-0660.

Mexicali & Casa Vega are valley staples for killer mexican food and nightlife. Both places are always busy and full of hotties for those of you singles trollin' for love ; ) Mexicali has fantastic salads as well as awesome veggie burritos, enchiladas and more. If you are in town to star gaze, this is a prime place for it too. Be sure to come by on Monday's for their all night happy hour where the whole menu is 30% off - 12161 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 985-1744. Vega has my favorite spinach enchiladas (I order with no cheese) and the most ridiculous vegetarian mexican pizza!! And of course, huge Margs ; ) Casa Vega is at 13301 Ventura Blvd, (818) 788-4868.

For brunch, lunch and dinner, Hugo's is the place. It's quite busy so expect a wait but it's totally worth it. Vegans and non-vegans can enjoy great meals from pancakes to pizzas to yummy entrees. They also specialize in great teas and juices and opened a taco stand across the road that is so good you'll want to run around the block screaming ; ) Hugo's valley location is at 12851 Riverside Dr, (818) 761-8985 and the Hugo's Taco Stand is at 4749 Coldwater Canyon Ave, (818) 762-7771.

And for those every now and again treats, Studio Yogurt and Humphrey Yogart are an absolute must. Trying to satisfy your sweet tooth and stay healthy is very difficult but either of these places can hook you up. Studio Yogurt always has a dairy free yogurt selection and each day is a new and unique flavor. You can choose any toppings you want from fresh fruit to sprinkles and carob chips. Humphrey's is just as delish with soy yogurt options that you can mix in any toppings and they also have wicked vegan milk shakes!! The mystic union is to die for - chocolate and peanut butter!!! Studio Yogurt is at 12050 Ventura Blvd Ste 105, (818) 508-7811 while Humphrey's is just up the road in Sherman Oaks at 4574 Van Nuys Blvd, (818) 906-2490.

There are still some of my Studio City haunts left to mention so check them out next week!!

Glorious Glendale ; )

So, this is no travel for me but it may be for non LA folk ; ) We just moved from "The Valley" to Glendale so exploring our new place of residence has been somewhat of a trip ; ) It's still LA but a cute city in itself. It's got a great downtown area with a grip of high rises that give some small towns across the U.S. a run for their money. There is some awesome shopping, theatre, galleries, the historical Brand park and library as well as http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gifsome good eats!!

Driving through our picturesque little neighborhood, I found this quaint commercial area right in the middle of the residential hood. It looks like a gingerbread village with cute shops and a small market. This small market happened to be a gem! The Village Market is a natural grocery store and cafe. They have a deli that makes RIDICULOUSLY good vegan sandwiches!! It is a must if you are popping into LA or live here and want to jump on over to Glen-dizzle for some yumminess on bread! Their info can be found at The Village Market Place .

Another gem that I found is right on the border of Glendale and Burbank and it brings me back to my hometown of Miami. Mambos is the closest thing to real Cuban food you can find in LA which means it kicks some serious butt!! Not only is the Cuban food super authentic, they have a vegetarian section on the menu to boot!! They have the staples: black beans, rice, plantains, yuca and awesome bread; but they also have veggie tamales and a veggie version of the Cuban favorite, picadillo. It really is the bomb!! Mambos is at 1701 Victory Blvd, Glendale, CA 91201, (818) 545-8613.

Keeping in the vein of delish Cuban food, there is Porto's Bakery. They have 2 locations, 1 in Glendale and 1 in Burbank. When I saw there was one in biking distance from my "casa" I almost lost it! They have the bomb mariquitas which are thinly sliced plantain chips with garlic, lemon and olive oil dressing. They are finger licking good! As are their veggie sandwiches and variety of fresh made juices. Check out Porto's and go to their about us page for address and info.

I'm off to unpack some more stuff but keep an eye out for the next installment of The Healthy Voyager!!

Summer Lovin'

If you haven't noticed, summertime is wedding time. One of my many hats is that of a wedding planner so I definitely get my fill come fall be it from working them or going to them ; ) And it is very difficult to stay healthy at such events but have no fear as the healthy, voyaging, event planner is here to help ; )

The trip is exhausting enough as flights or road trips are an excuse to eat fast and convenient. Then you get to the hotel and eat a nice, expensive, in room meal that is most likely greasy and eaten at an ungodly hour. Fast forward to wedding day where you spent all morning getting ready so all you had was coffee and maybe a starchy bagel. You arrive at the glorious event famished so you gorge on hors d'oeuvres and alcoholic beverages. You pick at your lame and tasteless chicken or fish or for us veggies, cold pasta, and you feel like a cow come the bouquet toss. Sound familiar?

Here are a few tips to keep your trip to, at and from the festivities enjoyable and guilt free:
* Pack enough protein bars for the flight/ride, wedding day and trip home. Cliff bars and Luna bars are yummy and Vegan!!
* If you are stuck at an airport, there is always a food court that has some kind of place to get a sandwich or a salad that you can order your way. Smoke may come out of the fast food person's ears but just ask and they will do it with proper instruction. I know it's easy to run to Mcd's but take an extra few minutes to scour your terminal. A lot of ports have "Chili's to gos" now and you can great a salad there or my personal fave, a black bean burger with all the fixin's (sans cheese). If you are running late, don't!!! Plan ahead, eat breakfast and get there on time!!
*At the hotel, try to resist temptation and instead of ordering room service, find the local grocery store, get a cheap cooler and stock up with veggies, fruit and sandwich stuff for dinner and breakfast!
*On wedding day, eat breakfast and don't forget to pack your protein bar. Drink lots of water so you feel full and don't cram a million spring rolls in your mouth at the cocktail hour. Make sure you have told the bride and groom what your diet needs are so the caterers have no surprises the day of. Or else your dinner will be worse then dog scraps since they didn't account for you. Again, plan ahead!!
* Try not to eat all of the bread at the table before dinner starts. If you're starving, then you must have forgotten your bar or snack!! I give you permission to devour your salad and be mindful of your portion size at dinner ; )
* If you're not vegan and neither is the happy couple, eat cake! And if you are vegan, reward yourself by boozin' it up!! For Pete's sake, you're at a wedding!!

Enjoy!!!!!

Even a Voyager Needs a Break!!

Due to our big move to our new home, I was not able to get out and seek a new and yummy locale to stuff my vegan face!! So take this week to catch up on past posts while I unpack and settle in so I can leave again on another trip!! See you next Friday from a new city!!

SoCal Wine Country

"I'm not drinking any Merlot!!" - Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Contrary to the ravings of Mr. Giamatti, I dig Merlot and tasted lots of it in Solvang and Los Olivos!!

If you happen to pop into Santa Barbara Wine Country, you must follow up your day of wine tasting at Los Olivos Cafe. It is most famous for it's appearance in the movie Sideways, but it is also well known for it's delicious California/Mediterranean cuisine. They offer up some wonderful dishes that feature flavors from the surrounding farms and vineyards. I was blown away at the variety of choices I had from delicious salads, appetizers, sandwiches and entrees for greenies like me! Their hummus and olive tapenade was to die for and my primavera gnocchi was beyond delicious. And of course, you MUST have wine with dinner!!

We popped into Solvang, the neighboring Danish replica village and had some good eats as well! For the meaties, they will love any of the Danish spots as they serve up some of Denmarks most popluar dishes like Frikadeller and it's popular spirit, Aquavit. My friend's had a great time chowing on the Danish goods and I didn't miss out on the fun as I was able to get salads and veggie sandwiches at all of the places we stopped into. You musn't miss the Danish bakeries either!!

Solvang, Los Olivos and Buellton are the 3 vineyard towns in Santa Barbara wine country and each has their own special charms. Some of the vineyards offer horseback tours of the wineries and others have bed & breakfasts on the grounds. It's a great little weekend getaway for delicious food, wine and fun!!

Don't Forget Ft. Lauderdale!!

I love Miami but I think I might love Ft. Lauderdale just a little more. The vibe is slow paced and the lifestyle is cool and relaxing. Very Florida, very beachy!! And not mention it is home to one of my most favorite places to dine!!

So I will start with that one! Sublime really is Sublime!! It is one of the best vegetarian restaurants around and will not scare meat eaters. They have an imaginative menu that includes sushi, Italian, and american/asian fusion comfort foods as well as some of the best desserts I've ever had. If they have it, you must try their Tiramisu - it's out of this world! I can't recommend this place enough!!

Now another one of my South Florida addictions is Sara's (3944 N 46th Ave, Hollywood, 33021 - at Stirling Rd between 441 and 95). Technically it's in Hollywood but that's about a 5 minute drive from the heart of Ft. Lauderdale. Since becoming vegan 8 years ago, I never missed meat or cheese but I do miss Cuban sandwiches ; ( But that all changed the first time I went to Sara's. They make the sickest, vegan version of a cuban sandwich!! So much so I make my mother smuggle them to me by the dozen when she comes to visit me out west!! Besides that, they have delicious salads, pizzas, and sandwiches. They are 100% Kosher so veggies have a great time here. In fact, I've gotten a bunch of my non veggie friends and family hooked on this place. You shouldn't miss it!!

Las Olas is a beautiful area near downtown Ft. Lauderdale and one of the most hoppin' places on the strip is Cafe Europa (726 E Las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, 33301) (954) 763-6600. They've got great pastries and coffees but you shouldn't miss a meal there. They have a heavy European menu (go figure) and I lean towards their Italian goods. I get a cheeseless veggie pizza every time I go and it is 100% tastiness!!

Ft. Lauderdale is packed with waterfront bars, grills and restaurants and it's not hard to find a healthy yet delicious meal. Some of the best seafood around is found here as well as amazing juice bars and spots to get ginormous salads. Healthy goes hand in hand with this beach city so no worries in Ft. Lauderdale!!!