Beverly Hills Farmers Market

Though it's really hard to put up with sometimes, L.A. really is a great place to live. We are hugely fortunate for all the wonderful vegan options available to us, as well as an abundance of delicious, local produce. There are loads of farmer's markets around the area to choose from, and most of them operate year-round. Though we normally visit the Hollywood Farmer's Market, a few weekends ago Fiancé and I decided to branch out and visit the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market. It is definitely smaller than the one in Hollywood, but the quality of produce was stellar, and it was way less crowded. Here are some shots from our trip.

A sign leading us in

As you can see, not very crowded, but lots of booths

Capay Organic booth. They offer home delivery as well,
which I'm seriously considering!

Beautiful carrots at the Capay booth

Wheatgrass! We bought two of these. Sooo pretty.

It was snack time, and this hummus was delicious. Great ingredients!

Lemon flavored pita chips. They were fresh and delicious.

The artichoke hummus was amazing, and we ate it all. 

The bounty we brought home: tons of greens, daikon,
carrots, apples, & wheatgrass.

Beautiful golden apples (they tasted great in juice)

Rainbow Chard and Kale

If you live in L.A., or come for a visit, make sure you don't miss out on some of its awesome farmers markets. There is a great list here. You can learn more about the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market by visiting their website. They operate every Sunday, rain or shine, from 9 am - 1 pm. Yummy!

Vegan Samplings from the Farmers Market

On Friday, I posted some photos from my visit to Monsieur Marcel's in the Farmers Market here in Los Angeles. Now for the best stuff from the trip: the food! Martina has long dreamt of attacking the Farmers Market from top to bottom, ordering all her favorites in one day. In honor of her birthday, we went for it. We had a ball, and I wound up absolutely stuffed because there are so many vegan offerings.

For those who have never been, the Farmers Market (no apostrophe!) on Third and Fairfax is a tourist's must-see when visiting Los Angeles. The market was established in July 1934, when a group of farmers were invited to sell their produce out of the backs of their trucks at Gilmore Island on the corner of 3rd and Fairfax. The market gained popularity quickly, and soon permanent stalls were built. The market has been operational since, now featuring not only produce but a wide variety of restaurants and shops. It's easy to spend a whole day here sampling all the delicious food!

The famous Farmers Market clock tower

The crowd at the Farmers Market

We started at Lotería Grill, for a little Mexican appetizer of guacamole and chips. I love to watch the staff working at this place, because everything is made fresh, including the tortillas and chips. The chips were still piping hot when we got them, and the guacamole was absolutely delicious. So good. 

The Lotería Staff, hard at work

Lotería's Guacamole

The amazing fresh tortilla chips

Fresh tortillas being made

Our next stop was one of my very favorites, Moishe's Restaurant. They make the best Mediterranean food! We ordered my three favorites: Baba Ghanouj (an eggplant dip), Taboulleh (a salad with parsley, lemon, tomato, and bulghur), and Dolmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, and spices).

The spread at Moishe's

Baba Ghanouj. Oh so creamy and delicious.

Taboulleh. Heaven on a plate.

Delicious Dolmas!

 The final stop was a favorite of Martina's: Sushi a Go Go. The restaurant inhabits the smallest stall in the market, but makes the freshest, most delicious sushi. Their veggie roll is delicious; stuffed with avocado, asparagus, and cucumber. The staff consists of two sushi chefs and a woman working the cash register and taking orders. They were all so sweet, and fun to talk to. The woman at the register gave Martina a free green tea drink for her birthday!

Sushi Chefs at work

Martina with her birthday present

My veggie roll with avocado, asparagus, and cucumber.

Despite our lofty goals of eating our way through the Farmers Market, our full tummies only allowed us to make a dent. I'm sure there are tons of other vegan options there to be had, but one can only eat so much in one afternoon. Have you ever been to the Farmers Market? What's your favorite treat there?

Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market

Recently I took a long, leisurely visit to the very famous Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax here in Los Angeles with my dear friend, Martina. We spent an afternoon there, and ate until we could eat no more (more on that later). We also visited Monsieur Marcel, a beautiful little gourmet food shop tucked in to the southeast corner of the market. While the shop features many non-vegan items, they also carry a treasure trove of vegan delights! This is a must-visit for anyone who is passionate about cooking.

The shelves are stocked with beautiful bottles, tins, and packages, and everything is just so pretty! I couldn't help but take a bunch of photos. Here are some of my favorites.

The view upon entering Monsieur Marcel. Check out those barrels of olives!

The aisles are stocked with beautiful items. I want that clay pot. 

They have a huge selection of tea, all beautifully packaged.

Beautiful vintage-style seasoning tins.

These marinated leeks look scrumptious! 

This Missoni-styled Pellegrino bottle made me smile.

This beautiful pasta was colored using all natural ingredients, like fruits and veggies.
I was impressed that such vibrant colors could be produced naturally!

There were so many beautiful shapes and colors available.

The wine "cellar," with a wide selection of domestic and foreign wines.

This one made me laugh. Really? Gaga?

Aren't these chocolate wrappers lovely? I want to wallpaper my house in these patterns.

Surprise! They're vegan too. What a nice ingredient list.

This was a really special treat that I haven't had since living back East.

They're made of 100% maple syrup! Can't argue with that. 

We wound up purchasing a Mast Brothers chocolate bar (how could we pass up artisan chocolate inside such a gorgeous package?), the maple candy, and a bottle of truffle oil that I didn't get a photo of. We shared the chocolate later that day, and it was delicious. We had the sea salt and almond flavor, and it was just decadent. I brought the maple candy to my future mother-in-law who loved it. I had a piece, too, and it was so good. Just like I remember it! And of course, the truffle oil is amazing. All in all, a fruitful trip!

If you haven't visited Monsieur Marcel, I highly recommend a visit, even if you just go to drool over the merchandise. Se magnifíc!