It had been a couple years since I last ate at M Cafe de Chaya, so I was looking forward to having dinner there before a play a couple weeks ago. They used to have this amazing vegan caprese panini (a pressed tomato and vegan mozzarella sandwich that perfectly mimicked my far-gone memory of fresh dairy mozzarella) and I anticipated ordering that. However, that is apparently no longer an option. What I found upon arrival was a meager offering and fairly bare (for their standards) deli case. I had a difficult time deciding what to order because nothing really looked great and I finally settled on the Carolina-Style BBQ Seitan Sandwich with a side of Sesame Soba Noodle Salad.
I must be spoiled by Follow Your Heart's amazing spicy barbecue sauce because this one paled in comparison. It was too sweet, not at all spicy, and just not memorable. On this occasion, the "M" stood for "mediocre."
In fact, my favorite part of the meal was the adorable window-sill-style herb gardens lining the patio. With my favorite Cafe Gratitude only a couple miles down the street from M Cafe, I might not be back.
7 comments:
I'm not much of a fan of BBQ but that looks pretty good. Now that I think about it, I've never been to any vegetarian or vegan restaurants before. Maybe I should start.
mcafe is one of my fave places in LA but i have to say their BBQ sandwich (and falafel) ones are lame. next time get the macro, any of the paninis, and a side of their kale w peanut sauce,
Hm....haven't been to "M" but think it was on the "list".
Like Gratitude but was also a little too weird. LOVE raw food but then sometimes the "wealth" and new agey stuff, when in person, is *odd*. I do like the place though & thought the food was wonderful.
The question of the day.......??
AikoVenus: Definitely dive into the amazing world of vegetarian and vegan restaurants!
The Actor's Diet: As I mentioned in the post, I used to love one of their paninis, but it is no longer on the menu. :( I might try again, but I'm not motivated to after this past visit. I wish I'd ordered the Bi Bim Bop instead. That sounded good.
Get Skinny, Go Vegan: I'm a huge fan of Cafe Gratitude's hippie vibe and question of the day! I'm happy you at least enjoyed the food.
That sandwich looks pretty good to me! :-) But I've never met a 'cue sauce I didn't like.
Sad to hear you had a bad meal at M. I really like that place--their beet quinoa salad thingy is one of my faves and there tiramisu in a cup is awesome. I have had my share of underwhelming meals there tho (esp some of the salads which have come drowning in an ocean of oil.) You should try to the BBQ sandwich at Sage--it is spicy.
MCafe went from being practically the reason I moved to LA, to being a place I probably never visit again. The culver city location morphing into a Native Foods was the best ever.
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