Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP
| Driving back home from the airport the other day I came across one of the VeggieGrill locations here in town. I had left LAX hungry as currently all restaurants at the International Terminal are closed due to construction. The VeggieGrill had been on my "vegan restaurants to go to list" anyway, so it seemed like perfect timing to pop in for a bite and a sip. | 
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The fast-food style restaurant offers a nice variety of dishes, from Starters to Bowls - the Bombay Bowl with herb-roasted veggies, super grains, steamed kale, cannellini beans, cilantro/green curry sauce with coconut milk, almonds, hemp seeds was very tempting - Homestyle Plates, Burgers, Sandwiches, Soups of the day, Taco Plates and plenty of Sides to choose from. Patrons may pick pairs from each menu category.
After some consideration I decided to order 2 Sides, Steamin’ Kale for $ 3.50 with ginger-miso dressing, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and Cauli-Mashed Potatoes + Gravy for $ 3.25, made from fresh cauliflower blended with mashed potatoes, topped with porcini mushroom gravy with fresh rosemary, a combination that's right up my alley.
| The Strawberry Lemonade from the drinks bar was most refreshing, I mixed it with organic unsweetened green tea and while waiting for my food to be brought to my table I noticed that the VeggieGrill even offers locally produced craft beer and wine choices. Even though the interior has "fast food" written all over, the silverware sets wrapped in napkins already waiting on each table give the place a bit of a more upscale feel. The steamed kale was just right, tender but not overcooked, and so was the perfectly seasoned ginger-miso dressing. Mashed potatoes is one of my comfort foods, the blended in cauliflower and the savory mushroom sauce turns this simple dish into a creamy and fluffy delicacy. There was no room left for one of the reasonably price desserts, Carrot Cake for $ 3.75, with fresh carrots, walnuts, topped with cream cheese frosting. Maybe next time. I must have liked the food, when I was done the bowls were (almost) licked clean. | 
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Links:
The VeggieGrill has currently 24 restaurants in Southern and Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
http://www.veggiegrill.com/index.html
Photography: http://www.cocoonworx.com
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