FAT update

We are soon going to be reformatting FATHOLES! WOOP!

There is a lot to look forward to as the end of October nears...

Birthday Fattyholes.
Fatholes New York.
New and improved Fatholes (we'll soon have a new URL)

All this is coming soon, I know it is exciting and the anticipation will kill you all!

HUGOS

Tres Tacos
Asian Stir Fry

RATING: 8.9 chili sticks

After studying the menu for days, we formed high hopes for Hugo's and it didn't disappoint, Hugo's was actually very delicious. The Tres Tacos were savory, and filled with corn, guacamole, and a delicious tomato chipotle sauce. The tofu was lacking flavor and could have been marinated longer in the chipotle sauce. Along with the tacos came a tasty caesar salad, which to our surprise was smothered in vegan caesar dressing! Apparently, all the dressings at Hugo's are vegan. The Asian Stir Fry was super good, with cilantro and a mild sesame chili sauce. But, what could have made this dish outstanding was if they kicked the chili sauce up a notch, and gave it some more spice. Hugo's has a very romantic atmosphere and ambiance, perfect place to have an intimate dinner with friends!

TRULY VEGAN

Veganator Burger (Substituted with Lentil Patty)
Soy Chicken Wrap

RATING : 8.8 weiner sausages

Perfect little hole in the wall vegan joint in Hollywood. Looks were very deceiving in this edition of fatholes, to be honest I didn't have high hopes for Truly Vegan, but boy was I surprised. Both dishes were wonderfully satisfying and very large portions. The veganator (points for the best burger name ever!) with the lentil patty was just the right combination of flavors. The patty itself was extremely flavorful and so so good! The consistency was a little strange but really who the heck cares. The soy cheese and the veg bacon were not the best, lacking in flavor and also having a not quite right texture. These two weak ingredients did not effect the overall taste of the burger that much as the patty, the addition of the avocado and the just right combination of the other ingredients was enough to keep me satisfied. The veganator was ginormo :)
The chicken wrap with tahini sauce was also gooood gooood, shockingly good, and the chicken tasted very similar to real chicken, at least what I remember chicken tasting like. The sauce was a perfect addition to the combination of ingredients in the wrap, but it could have been a tad less salty. The wrap was very light for actually being fried, something we did not discover till the last bite.

Overall, Truly Vegan is a good choice for anyone looking for a quiet restaurant, pretty good food and the occasional celebrity(?) sighting (Stephanie Tanner of Full House sat right behind M)!

CAFE MUSE

Veggie Burger
The BLAT

RATING : 9.33 crispy veggie piggies

Cafe Muse ruled hard! The veggie burger was so great, really tasty and flavorful garden patty. As if that was not enough, Cafe Muse went there and made the burger even better with delicious veggie bacon, savory grilled onions and a warm and toasty bun. The BLAT was good, but comparable to other veg BLT's. Must note, the bacon was crisp, while the avocado took it to the next level. The only disappointment was the un-toasted bread.
Overall enjoyed the food, great coffee, tempting vegan desserts and a cute spot.

LAS ANITAS

Soy Tacos
Veggie Burrito

RATING: 8 smokey salty chippies

Fatholes stumbled upon Las Anitas in Olvera Street by accident last week and what a nice surprise! Who knew we would find a place that offered a decently sized and varied selection of soy/vegetarian versions of their classic dishes? Seriously, score!
First off, the chips at Las Anitas, were the best! Nice smokey, lightly salted flavor that stood out compared to all other tortilla chips we have tasted before. The tacos were fairly average, the soy meat was nice and flavorful but because of the unbalanced shell to meat proportion the taco was unable to achieve an excellent review. The portly burrito was good, but nothing special. Nicely filled with beans and grilled veggies (including carrots) and a side of avocado. This burrito got the job done and satisfied hungry tummies but compared to other veggie burritos, there was nothing special about other than it's colossal size.

NITE MOON CAFE

Tiki Masala Veggie Burger
Yogi Tea Latte + Rice Milk
PB & J Chocolate Cup
Vegan Cinnamon Roll

RATING: 9.29 hot and gooey buns!

Nite Moon Cafe is located inside The Golden Bridge Yoga Studio in Hollywood. Overall it is pretty amazing, once inside the very large building you come to find a the tiny cafe and a colorful boutique among the tranquil setting of the studio itself.
Now onto my delicious meal...I enjoyed all the wonderful flavors of the tiki burger, moist tempeh patty, lettuce, grilled onions, avocado and mango chutney tucked perfectly into a toasty wheat bun accompanied by one of the simplest and tastiest salads ever! The salad was topped only with toasted sunflower seeds and shredded carrots, but the thing about the salad that really made me happy was the dressing...so good, just not sure what it was!
As I completed my meal I was surprised and quietly giggled as the meditation chanting began in the back of the studio. I sat for a while and listened until I could no longer fight the overwhelming desire to visit the pastry case!
I finished my time at Nite Moon with a gooood yogi tea latte and carried out with me a pb & j chocolate cup and vegan cinnamon roll.
Will definitely go back and really want to take more peeps with me!

THE SPAGHETTI DANCER (The Cooking of the Fatholes girls)

Post by FATHOLES special guest: Justin


Fiber infused Penne
Mixed Spaghetti Sauce
Meatless Meatballs

RATING: 7.725 Marvelous Meatyless Meat'em Ballski's

Before i get to the actual meal, I would like to comment on the service and cooking skills of the Fatholes girls. To start, half of Fatholes has no idea how to cook... or even boil water. The other half of Fatholes currently has a busted toe, so she had to limp her way around the meal; although, at one point she did begin to dance while cooking. All and all, quite an interesting pre-meal experience.
The actual meal was quite tasty. The meatless meatballs were tasty, although would have been slightly more tasty if they had been lightly pan seared. The sauce and fiber penne made for a tasty combination, kinda like what mom used to make. Overall, the flavors melded very well and the portions were more than generous. Would definitely eat Fatholes cooking again.

THE WHEEL OF LIFE

Pad Thai
Cashew Chicken
Sweet & Sour Pork
Beef Broccoli
Coconut Ice Cream

RATING: 5.4
(Kubs: 6.4 Amanda: 8)

I am beginning to realize it is very easy for vegan restaurants to mimic chinese food, heavily douse some kind of fake meat in some kind of traditional chinese sauce. When this happens the result is mediocre tasting vegan cuisine. There are exceptions and sometimes restaurants do this very well or offer a fresh, unique spin on these typical chinese food dishes, but let me stress, this happens rarely. The Wheel of Life unfortunately falls into the first category described, bland tasting fake meat, heavily covered in sauce to mask the lack of taste and culinary creativity.

AU LAC

Nem Nướng Cuốn - BBQ Pork Roll

Pasta di Amore

Kung Pao Chicken

Gà Xã Ớt - Lemongrass Chicken

Gà Chua Ngọt - Sweet & Sour Chicken

Vegetable Stir Fry

RATING: 6.7 limp porkies

(trimanda & 1/2 chubbiepoles RATING: 6)

Au Lac is good in theory, just poorly executed. Not only was the service terrible (I think that is an understatement) but the food itself did not live up to our expectations.

The BBQ pork rolls were very bland, and would have been in my opinion a total travesty if it were not for the tasty peanut sauce served with the roll. The pasta di amore, or pesto pasta, was extremely sweet, way too sweet for a pasta dish and as a result I was not able to eat more than a couple of bites. The majority of the other dishes were not bad, but were also far from great, middle of the road, satisfying for a hungry stomach but nothing spectacular. There was one dish that stood out among the rest, the sweet & sour chicken, flavorful with a nice texture, was very appetizing and probably the best dish ordered.

Not interested in going back.

CRU

Pumpkin Walnut Chorizo Wrap + Avocado
Pumpkinseed Cilantro Pesto Ravioli
Hawaiian Pizza
Cookies n Cream Ice Cream

RATING: 8.82 frosty coco-nut balls

The food at Cru was great, the menu is mostly raw and all vegan. The pumpkin walnut chorizo wrap was pretty much amazing, we could not get enough of it and actually questioned ordering it again. The raviolis were a tad strange, not to say they weren't good, just a different taste than expected - but it is a raw version of a very delicious and comforting food. The hawaiian pizza was awesome which was very surprising!! Mouthwatering toppings piled high on sunflower seed crust. And to finish off the meal the waiter offered us some free ice cream!! I love free ice cream, but i love it even more when it is made from coconut meat and tastes heavenly.
Overall, cru was definitely gooood! It was a little expensive but that is expected from a gourmet raw food restaurant - So, hats off to cru.

RED VELVET CAFE

Cheddar Bacon Fries
Chicken, Artichoke and Spinach Panini
Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Sweet and Sour Chicken + Sauteed Spinach
Red Velvet Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

RATING: 9
(cecilia vuuus/amanda nicewanker RATING: 8.7)

Red Velvet Cafe is probably one of the best things vegas has to offer...That statement is very true now, but could very well change once we try Ronald's Donuuts.
Anyway...the food at red velvet is outstanding, the only exception being the bacon cheddar fries - the fries themselves were a bit soggy and for having the word bacon in the name of the dish one would expect to actually get some bacon (fake bacon, my friends).
Everything else was so damn good though. The tacos - yummy! Panini with fake chicken - very flavorful and tasted like a real chicken panini, and loved the addition of the artichokes. The sweet and sour chicken was really really good, probably better than it sounds. I say this, because i feel this is a dish that a lot of vegan places offer and may be easy to make, but that doesn't mean it will be good. this fake chicken was just as good as the real deal.
As for the desserts - the red velvet was a nice flavor but a rather strange consistency. The chocolate PB was fluffy and had a nicer consistency, plus the PB goo on top deserved a thumbs up.

THE CROSBY pt. II

Vegan Chili
(not vegan chz tho. couldn't resist the pepper jack)

RATING: 10 sweet sweet veggie meaty balls

My absolute favorite chili, not just favorite vegan chili, but favorite chili of all time!
I love it so so much!

I know the Crosby has been rated before but for some insane reason the vegan chili was not rated. Well the other night I needed a little cheering up so I headed over to the Crosby to see some beautiful faces and get something delicious in my belly.
I always forget how much I love the chili til I have it and enter that amazing euphoric state, my face gets warm and my belly feels beyond satisfied.

My first suggestion is that you go to the Crosby, for anything really. Everything is beyond wonderful! My second suggestion is to try the chili at some point, it will most definitely not disappoint.

Wurstküche

Manhattan Special Black Cherry Soda
Franziskaner
Belgian Fries + (2) sauces
(Sweet & Sassy BBQ and Chipotle Aioli)
Vegetarian Mexican Chipotle
Vegetarian Italian

RATING: 9.78 Wurst BEST küches cootchies!

Wurstküche was so dang good! The space and decor was also notable.
But the most important part, the food. The "sausages" were so tasty: perfect size, great flavor and the right amount of spice. The fries alone were extremely satisfying but once they were dipped in those tasty, tasty sauces they became unbelievable.
Plain and simple Wurstküche rules.

MILLIONS OF MILKSHAKES

Million Dollar Shake: Ferrero Rocher & Strawberries Non-Dairy
Britney Shake: Oreos & Peanut Butter Non-Dairy

RATING: 6.9 malty balls

ASTROBURGER

Garden Burger Deluxe
Garden Mexi Chiliburger

RATING: 9 pickled pepperoncinis

One of our standard faves. Astroburger has a huuge vegetarian menu, making it hard to decide what to order. Everything we have tried so far, which sadly is not much, is absolutely delicious! Conveniently located in two places, we are looking forward to trying the other location and at some point, everything off of their vegetarian menu. The best part : it has drive-thru!

THE STAND

Tamale with Beans & Guacamole
Hummus Bowl
Potato & Guacamole Burrito
Strawberry Peach Smoothie

RATING: 4.8 tasteless tamales

The Stand is not great, everything sounds way better than it actually tastes. Every dish we ordered was lacking flavor. The tamales were the worst by far - tasted like nothing. Hummus bowl tasted sour.
Creepy lady with pink lipstick chillin' by the order window sucked too.

CINNAMON

Potato Flautas
Carnitas Tacos
Chicken Fajitas
Chocolate Pie

RATING: 9.63 más deliciosos alimentos

Cinnamon was so damn good! Chicken fajitas and potato flautas were the stand outs, so flavorful and very authentic tasting. The chocolate pie was good - satisfied the sweet tooth but was not outstanding, tasted like a typical vegan dessert.
Service was crappy but who cares, will definitely go back for that sweet sweet mexican food!

LOTUS VEGAN

Dumpling
Fresh Rolls
Pepper Steak Spicy Mint Leaves
Lotus Vegan Cookie

RATING: 8:69 good ass lil dumplings

Lotus Vegan was so great! Quite an unplanned surprise after a showing of Bruno.
The place was cuuuuute, employees were so pleasant and the food was very pleasing to our ever so hungry tum tums. I would have to say the only un-enjoyable part of the evening was the couple that sucked face throughout their dinner just 2 tiny tables away from us.
The dumplings were so tasty, the fresh rolls were good but could have been better with a little tofu or something - mostly just lettuce inside. Spicy mint leaves dish was all around gooooood, came with a super yummy spring roll and a side of some delicious rice.
Also notable - that lotus vegan coookie, made me so happy!
They have a huuuge menu and everything looked really amazing, if only we had the stomach capacity to try more. Would definitely go back and recommend for anyone traveling through the North Hollywood area.

GREENS CAFE

Yum Yum Fries
Angel's Sticker-Freshly Handmade Chinese Dumplings
Happy Burger
Half Moon Wrap
Happy BBQ Sandwich
Friendship Sandwich

RATING: 5.9 Chubbies
(JUSTIN & TRAVIS' RATING: 5.74 CHUBBIES)

hmm... Not quite sure how to explain this one. Food was not bad but it wasn't great either. Let's say it was just acceptable and almost every dish lacked flavor.

SHOJIN

Yuzu Ponzu Seitan
Spicy Fried Tofu
Dragon Roll
Seitan Cordon Blue
Green Tea Moss Cake
Chocolate Tart

RATING: 9 fabulous fried ponzu rice balls
(Thomas' rating: 8)

Cute place even though it is secrectly tucked up in the corner of the 4th floor of the most ideal Japanese horror film location, that is the Little Tokyo Shopping Center. Upon arrival we were so sweetly greeted by Shojin's staff, for this review other factors aside from the food itself played a pretty large role in determining our final rating. The staff was the best - so awkward in the cutest way possible, but very very welcoming and helpful! Music was the most ideal romantic musical soundtrack, smooth jams to put you in the right mood.
As for the food - everything was extremely unique and actually very strange at first, but all in all I would say everything was very good. I think the standout was the dragon roll, like a sushi roll but vegan - filled and topped with avocado and seitan, rolled in seaweed and brown rice. seitan cordon blue was definitely different, strong taste but good none the less. Desserts - hmm. Ok let's just say they are good for what they are and what they are made from. They are vegan, made from pretty healthy ingredients and some loosely based on delicious Japanese treats - they were def not mind blowing but still satisfying.
We did enjoy the complimentary mouthwash in their silly little bathrooms.

THE CROSBY

Italian Chips & Salsa

Cilantro Corn Fritters

Orange Tomatoes

RATING: 9.9899 mouthwatering best goodness tomatoes
(C Vuz RATING: 12)

Before getting to the food I would like to say a few things about The CROSBY. It is the best place ever, really really. Best employees and cutest owners.

The food yummy yummy tasty, I must also make note of the presentation. When is food ever so beautiful? Not sure, but it is always damn sexy food coming out of the kitchen at The Crosby.

I think I can say without a doubt that everyone's favorite for the evening were the orange tomatoes. Who knew little slices of tomatoes could taste so heavenly - or so much like chicken. The flavor of the tomatoes so perfectly posed as orange chicken but tasted even better, yes it is possible. Italian chips & salsa! I had never heard of anything like this before a giant chip made from parmesan cheese served with homemade bruschetta. Also notable, some good spicy cilantro corn fritters.

MAKO

Miso Soup
Vegetable Rolls

RATING: 8.5 delectable avocados

Hole in the wall.
Cheap.
Good Food.

SUNPOWER NATURAL CAFE

SunPower Burger
Lettuce Tacos

RATING: 6.9 succulently odd sunflower seeds

Very strange little place - odd but friendly employees. The concept for the cafe and menu was very unique, healthy and focused on the power that food can give you; most menu items included sunflower seeds as the base protein.
The food was good - I wouldn't go so far as to say it was delicious but was definitely good. The lettuce tacos were filled with "SunPower" chorizo - fake chorizo made from sunflower seeds and to my surprise, were very flavorful. My only complaint in regards to the tacos would be the size, unless you are on some mega diet and starving yourself, then this is definitely not enough food. The SunPower Burger was also good but nothing spectacular, tasted like most veg burgers with a slight overpowering herb taste. The sprouted sesame bun was a touch too big for the burger, a little too thick and maybe a little too firm. Next time I would like to try the pizza - with crust made from sunflower seeds.

FLORE VEGAN CUISINE

Southwestern Seitan Quesadilla
Tacos de Papas (Wheat Free / Gluten Free)

RATING: 7.69

Food was good - will definitely try again; plenty of options. The quesadilla was freaking good - full of seitan, veg cheese and tomatoes. The seasoning for the quesadilla was perfect. The same cannot be said for the tacos. The tacos were filled with potatoes and topped off with the usuals - tomatoes, lettuce and Flore's cilantro cream sauce. But, the downfall for the tacos were definitely the potatoes and their lack of flavor. The rice and beans that accompanied the tacos were delicious. The hot sauce is not recommended - way too sweet and ruined the tacos.
Flore's sweets looked extremely promising - but our bellies were too full to partake on this trip. If they taste as good as they look, they are sure to satisfy these sweet tooth's - so look out because this post may be continued.

M CAFÉ DE CHAYA

California Club Sandwich
Carolina-Style Barbequed Seitan Sandwich
Panino Provancale
Split Pea Soup
Strawberry Shortcake
Tiramisu

RATING: 4.8 mushy grains

So overrated.
Food was pre-made and totally unsatisfying.
Waffle bread, not good, despite the description. Bread made out of a waffle would probably be the bomb though. This waffle bread is merely named off of it's appearance. Supposed to be like a panini...which is something hard to accomplish when the food is pre-made. What you actually get is some sorry excuse wanna-be hot sandwich which turns out to be a real bummer...accompanied by some chicken noodle soup tasting split pea soup.
Is it really even macrobiotic?

BLOSSOM

Port Wine Seitan
Vegetable Mezze Plate

RATING: 9 tasty veggie steaks

Best part = mashed potatoes wrapped in a fried onion.
Apologies for the terrible picture quality.

BARBUTO

Gnocchi Primavera

RATING: 10 delectable snap peas

TRE

Polpette Di Tonno Crudo
Gnocchi Sorrentina

RATING: 9.8 smoked gnocchi

RICE

Tofu Satay

RATING: 4.5 mushy shitballs

Overpriced.
Dull flavors.

TARTINE

RATING : 7.5 juicy tomatoes

THE ODEON

FRENCH TOAST with fresh berries

RATING: 9.9 crunchy slices of deliciousness

Delish.
Delish.
Delish.

COAST(2)COAST

K is off to New York for a little over a week.
Expect a couple reviews from each of us in the meantime.
Hopefully she will discover a couple NY gems to report on during her travels and I shall continue my hunt on the west coast.

xo.

A TASTE OF LIFE: DIVINE VEGAN FOODS

Mac and Cheese
Lasagna
BBQ Tofu
Kale

RATING: 7.7 savory tofu nuggets

some of their items are delicious.
some items are mediocre.
nothing is bad.
little bit weird atmosphere.

open till 2:00am!

also...

SCOOPS

RATING: 9.1 delicious frosty balls

PURE LUCK RESTAURANT

Rosemary French Fries
Tofu Pesto Sandwich
Jackfruit "Carnitas" Tacos

RATING: 8.74 smokin' hot chilies

URTH CAFFE

Urth Farmers Salad
Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Pesto
Veggie Chili

RATING: 4.5 soggy nuts

food is only ok.
retardedly over priced.
weird staff.
boo.

TEISHOKUYA OF TOKYO INC.

Edamame

Fried Spicy Tofu Bowl

RATING: 8.2 sake bombs