Hollywood: Cafe Gratitude

Back in July, I saw this article in the NYTimes about the new Cafe Gratitude in LA and sent it to Andrew.  We thought it would be a fun place to check out, given our propensity for irreverent humor, and we decided the all-vegan menu would be a great way to balance out the Fogo de Chao and bakery indulgences.  Accordingly, on the Saturday morning of our staycation, we drove out to Larchmont Blvd in Hollywood.  Our first impression of the restaurant - besides the fact that there was free parking - was that the space is filled with light, cheery and airy.  All the menu items are named as positive affirmations or adjectives, and with some direction from our very cool server, we went with the following.

I Am Extraordinary, a BLT made with spicy cashew aioli, crispy chipotle-maple coconut (the textural substitute for bacon), lettuce, tomato and avocado.

I Am Humble, one of the grain bowls.  This one has curried lentils, spinach, yams, tamarind chutney and cilantro over brown rice and quinoa.

I Am Effervescent, which is ginger and lemon juice with agave and sparkling water.

I Am Grace, a smoothie of coconut milk, almond butter, date and vanilla bean.

In short, everything was amazing; we were pretty blown away at how flavorful and texturally satisfying both the foods and drinks were (seriously!!).  Plus, the items tasted quite clean, which probably has something to do with the vegan-ness.  We left with some coffee (with almond and coconut milks) and a newly established LA routine.