Veggie grill

I am not really sure how I have lived in California for 5 years, been a veggie for 3 and not gone to the Veggie Grill  yet. Luckily there are 8 locations to choose from in LA. We went to the one in El Segundo on the way to Manhattan beach. Truth be told, my man and I were looking for a lameass subway to grab a quick sandwich to-go for our beach day. As we were cruising down the road I saw a sign for Veggie grill in a shopping center.

 

I immedietly squealed and practically took the wheel and pointed it in the direction of the building while loudly and enthusiastically yelling about veggies. Nicho was driving. He is always so great about going along with my unexpected and uncontrolled excitement. He safely maneuvered us into the parking lot-which had ample space**bonus points. 

My heart literally started to race, I was that excited about this place. I have heard so many great things about it and my time had finally come to try it for myself.

This place is like the apple store equivalent to the healthy chain food. Modern, clean, neat, staff are super nice and menu is perfectly descriptive.

 

We ordered our food, and was ready to-go in less than 10 min. Off to the beach.  It was pretty hard not to devour the lunch while we were driving up, down and all around Manhatten Beach looking for street parking.

 

Nicho ordered the Buffalo Bomber, and of course he sweetly sacrificed a sample large enough to allow for my research and development of this blog post. It is almost creepy how much the texture is like a real hunk of chicken. I personally would have liked more spice to the buffalo sauce, but I am a spicy kinda gal. The sandwich was perfect in a messy kind of way. Right down to that Ranch dressing.

 

He also upgraded his side to a spring mix salad with more ranch. We love that stuff. The salad  had the delightful surprise of quinoa in it. Yum. 

 

Ill admit, this photo looks gross, it is sloppy food porn. But damn was it tasty. It is the crab cake sandwich. An obvious choice for a beach picnic. It was more than satisfying. They must have used some nori seaweed for the perfect amount of that oceanic flavoring. The crispy outer fried crabby patty paired with the creaminess of the tartar sauce was rich and savory with a hint of sweet and tangy with an added pickle. I ordered the red cabbage 'slaw. The 'slaw was so-so, but the cabbage had a fresh crunch to it. All in all it was an indulgently mellow picnic. 

I must have really worked up an appetite after all the reading and napping that took place on the beach because we also stopped back at the Veggie Grill for dinner on the way home. Twice is nice.

This time we came back at dinner time rush, for another to-go order, be eaten at home later. Even though the place was packed, the food service was quick and friendly yet again. Swoon.

 I just love the easy and simple packaging they offer with their to-go orders.

 Round 2; I ordered the All-American stack, a grilled veggie-steak sammie with pickles, lettuce, tomato, crispy onion rings, and thousand island dressing. And this time I had to upgrade my side to mac&cheese. The mac&cheese was alright, I make a much better one. I did enjoy the fact that the noodles are made with quinoa pasta. Ohhh, the problems of being a foodie,such high standards. Sigh. Don't get me wrong though, I ate every last morsel in that container, so it was not terrible by any means. The sandwich made up for any lack in the mac. A bit on the salty side, but really friggin' good. Good thing this meal was cholesterol free, other wise I would have died of a heart attack.

Oh yeah, and of course I got dessert. Chocolate pudding parfait. Perfectly sweet, layers of chocolate pudding, chocolate sauce, crushed oreo cookies, walnuts, and whipped cream. Creamy and dreamy.

I am in love with this place. The prices are just right, total cheap eats. They have SO many other healthy options like wrapping their sandwiches in kale, and lots of nutritionally charged salads to choose from.... I just chose to eat like a fat kid.

There are not many fast food vegan joints these days. There need to be more. I hope to see this place grow, with branches popping up on every corner. Maybe someday replacing all McDonnalds and Burger Kings. A gal can dream right?!
One thing I admire about this delicious, satisfying, natural, wholesome, casual and convenient establishment is their lack of the scary V word. Vegan. That word tends to scare people away. There tends to be a tainted vision of what vegan means. But their friendly and tasty approach to plant based food can be universally appreciated.

Lots of Love,
Emily