There are so many things that are just not right about Los Angeles. It's 80 degrees in January, bars close at 2 a.m., and rush hour starts at 2:30 in the afternoon. BUT! Then there are other things that are trying for good, they really are, but they just aren't quite making it -- carpool lanes that trap you inside like a high-security prison; a public transportation system that goes from nowhere to nowhere because Beverly Hills, which is smack dab in the middle, wouldn't let us regular people ride through it; and a restaurant grading system with a curve that looks like a ride at Six Flags.

I know what you're thinking, "Did you say restaurant grading system?" Yes, yes I did. Thanks to the LA County Department of Public Health, restaurants are assigned a letter grade based on their inspection, and then are legally required to post said letter grade, in the form of a 12" sign in their front window. Here's the thing though, pretty much every restaurant you see gets an A; there are no Ds or Fs (in open facilities), so how reliable is it? If most places are getting As, what does that say about a B? That it's really kind of like a C-? It passes, but you KNOW there is definitely stuff they're doing wrong. And a C? That's probably akin to an F; you're risking your life by eating there and what's on the plate is anybody's guess.

What if this program existed in New York? My guess: there would be no restaurants and the city's inhabitants would die of malnutrition. It's sort of an unspoken understanding that when you eat food in NYC, it's at least a little bit dirty. My palette has even acquired this taste because to me, B stands for Better in LA cuisine.

Well guess what, East Coast folks, prepare to have your minds blown and your stomachs turned. (WARNING: This is not for the faint of heart.) Go to this website, type in the name of your favorite eatery, and behold their abysmal score (lower is better). You too can know whether your regular lunch spot has mice infestations, rat infestations, or both! And lest you think that vegan restaurants aren't prey due to their lack of meaty supplies to be fed upon, think again. Some of my favorite spots are just one (1!) point away from having to spin their OPEN signs around.

What did you find? Comment!

Eric of Sun In Bloom was on Good Day NY on Tuesday making vegan western burritos! He provides the how-to in the video, and the ingredients are below. Before you watch, I just want to say:

1. I ate these. They are delicious.
2. I'm sorry to make you watch Fox!
3. I'm double-triple sorry for the sloppy eating noises Greg Kelly makes while downing this tasty wrap. Not judging or anything, Greg, but you're miked! Keep it down!
4. Eric is probably replacing some horrible inane news. Yay!


Vegan western burrito
1-1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup peppers
Seasonings
Ranch dressing
Fresh salsa
Shredded cabbage
Zucchini
Avocado
Sprouts
Ezekiel sprouted wrap

P.S., guys, I know you're wondering, since when is SuperVegan the Sun In Bloom Show?? Since SIB is GETTING SHIT DONE! (Also since they're reporting Gyllenhaal sightings on the weekend. You heard it here!)

Guys, so much happened this week, I don't know where to begin. So let's just start with restaurant openings, yes?

• Sun in Bloom opened Saturday, January 2 and, because I am a man of my word, I went for brunch. It was good. Really good. I mean, check out that loaded burrito -- avocado, beans, tofu scramble, and all sorts of tastiness up in that bitch. And no nutritional yeast, thank you.
• On that same magical day, Vinnie's Pizza in Greenpoint opened. Almost makes you want to move back to Greenpoint, doesn't it? (Actually, no, Pizza Plus is right here and I'm laaaazy.)
• Babycakes opened its LA location Sunday, January 3. I know, you're in NYC and you can't do a thing about it except drool. Well, drool on this!
• And in restaurant closings, Red Bamboo Brooklyn closed.
• The New Yorker profiled Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey.
• Food, Inc. is online and free, so no more excuses.
• Hospitals in the UK's publicly funded healthcare system will take meat off the menu to cut carbon emissions and costs, The Guardian reports. Yes, less pollution AND less expense! ALL SIGNS POINT TO NOT EATING ANIMALS.
• 
  Sweden is using bunnies as fuel. They are shooting bunnies, "deep freezing" them, burning them, and then calling it biofuel! COME ON. BUNNIES, NOT BIOFUEL.

Hold on to your avocados, guys -- Bergen Street in Park Slope is about to get even better. Vegetarian restaurant and vegan bakery Organic Heights will close this Thursday, December 31 (sad!) and reopen as Sun In Bloom on Saturday, January 2 (exciting!). Captains of the new ship are Aimee Follette, Tony Lastella, and former SproutCraft co-owner Eric Levinson (whom you might remember as the dude lavishing us with his raw vegan cheese at Vegan Drinks a few months back). My delicate heart skipped a beat when I realized SIB's new address is the same as Organic Heights's addy, so I spoke with Eric to learn about the new menu, hours, pricing, and most important, WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE TEMPEH REUBEN?

The menu, designed by Eric and spruced up by his partners, will feature living, organic, vegan fare, and raw, gluten-free breads and desserts, not straying too far from Organic Heights owner Mark Zumoff's vision for his own restaurant. The juices will stay, and SIB's Norwalk Press juicer, which the owners expect to provide better quality, less oxygenated juice, is new to the spot. Eric says the spiffy new juicer will enable SIB to offer bottled juices and nut milks "for grab-and-go customers, to serve the morning commuting crowd as well as the stroller mafia."

Bottled fresh juice is one of a few planned conveniences. "We're also looking to create a membership program where people can order entire meals for their family and pick up dinner after work, dessert, breakfast, and lunch to bring to work the next day, all in one stop. We want to make this kind of lifestyle more accessible, more available, and more fun," Eric said.

So here's the million-dollar question: will it be 100 percent vegan? "We haven't decided whether to serve milk," Eric said. "It's one thing to stick to your guns and your ideals, but if only one customer out of 10 wants almond milk, you have to kind of watch out for the bottom line. It's such a small thing to do, to just have that one pitcher of milk out there. We'll offer a good quality milk from a nice, organic, small farmer."

It's been a buzzy holiday weekend in the vegan news department. Tonight we catch up on all the goings-on since Wednesday.

• Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey immortalized Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson with a print of his very own. Posters measure 18 x 24", are signed by Watson, and cost $55 each. Buy 'em at Obey Giant. PAUL WATSON CAN NEVER DIE.
• The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund released its 2009 State Animal Protection Laws Rankings. (Old news? Yeah, sort of. Still worth reading? Totally.) ALDF ranked New York in the middle tier -- not laying down the law with the best or permitting certain atrocities with the worst. Illinois ranked highest and Kentucky lowest. Read the full report here (PDF).
• In other ranking news, the Humane Society gave the Obama administration a B- for animal protection. Full report right here (PDF).
• Ingrid Newkirk reminds us via Huffington Post why it's awesome to be vegan, and then she rhymes with food.
• Vegan Twinkies are BACK. No Whey! Kitchen is going to fill the hole left in your heart by the closing of Vegan Honey Bake Shop. No Whey! sells to restaurants and is taking private orders for a limited time.
• Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, will deliver her lecture "The Social and Secret Life of Chickens" at the New York Public Library's Mid-Manhattan branch on December 30. That's 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday. BE THERE.
• Your average dog eats a LOT of meat, VegNews reminds us: "research teams found that a medium-sized dog consumes approximately 360 pounds of meat and more than 200 pounds of grain each year. The agriculture needed to sustain this kind of companion-animal diet emits twice the greenhouse gas emissions that come from driving an SUV 6,200 miles per year."
• MEANWHILE, Annalisa Lazzaro of NYC asks The Ethicist whether it's cool to feed her cat a vegetarian diet. Duh! And you've got to be resilient! If one vegetarian -- or better, vegan -- kitty food doesn't work out, try another one. Then try cooking for Mr. Pus. Why support animal cruelty or slaughter in any way if you can avoid it, right?
• Don't know what to do with your sad, leftover shepherd sticks candy canes? Vegan Cookies brings us this recipe for peppermint candy cane chocolate chip cookies AND shows us how to crush candy canes. Holiday anger issues: resolved.
• Cafe Blossom's UES location opened, so go there and eat everything.

• The Catalan parliament passed a vote to ban bullfighting by including bulls in an animal cruelty law that protects certain animals from any kind of torture. Yahoooo!
• In other animals-are-not-for-entertainment wins, a charity claims to have freed the last dancing bear in India on Friday, December 18.
• The Brooklyn Paper says Red Bamboo Brooklyn's eminent closing is a sign of dying cultural interest in vegetarianism, and notes that RB owner, Jason Wong, is no longer a vegetarian. (Did everyone know that? I didn't know that.) Wong told The Brooklyn Paper, "The concern now is more about locally grown and less of a carbon footprint. Being a carnivore doesn’t mean you don’t care." This is true. It could also mean you are ignorant. What's your excuse, Jason Wong? And where is the hard, non-incidental evidence that vegetarianism is on the decline?
• Pups can thrive on a vegetarian diet, a report published in the British Journal of Nutrition says. But you already knew that.
• This is NOT a zebra. Prepare to be depressed.
• New restaurant reviews on Peacefood Cafe, Cocoa V, Sacred Chow, and HanGawi. Leave your thoughts for posterity, people.

• Vegan Drinks is TOMORROW. Free stuff, and booze, and vegans, and what else could you want for a Thursday night?
• Teany's coming back, y'all! The teahouse/maker of delicious baked goods and light meals just began rebuilding the space, more than six months after a fire put them out of business. Pleasepleaseplease, chicken salad melt, come back!!
• Feeling generous? Or, hey, feeling like a greedy, selfish scumbag? 'Til the end of the year, your donations to Farm Sanctuary will be matched TIMES TWO by some secret and super generous donor for the rest of '09. Easy math: $1 for you = $3 for a cuddly lamb or frisky pig. So if you were planning to give nothing because you thought $20 wasn't good enough (which it totally is!), now you're giving $60, and that's, what? Food for a family of four (goats) for a week or two, right?
• OK, guys, more easy math: Buy one of Isa's cookbooks and she will donate ALL the proceeds to Out to Pasture Animal Sanctuary. Christmas shopping: done.
• Governor Paterson spoke at an NYLHV VIP reception held in his honor. Take a looksee at Ecorazzi's interview with him.
• So there's an octopus...snatching a coconut? I don't know. I mean, I've never seen an octopus run like that.
• One of us (Patrick? Maybe?) ate vegan fried ice cream at Soy and Sake. Devourable or detestable? YOU DECIDE. (I've already decided that every system in my body would shut down if I got near that thing.)
• A Ringling Brothers employee outted those elephant-abusing clowns, the Washington Post reported.
• Garden blend mock meat from Gardein appeared at Chipotle in Chelsea! Vegan mainstreaming, YES.

• A fur retailer is going out of business. Thank you, mindful consumers, the recession, and anyone else who might have had a role in the demise of this.
• Pamela Blackwell, owner of two-week-old Cocoa V and older beloved vegan joints Blossom, and Blossom Uptown, chatted with the Village Voice about vegan chocolates, nut cheese, and bacon. If you've been to Cocoa V, leave us a review, pronto!
• Speaking of Blossom, they're opening a new location next week on the Upper East Side on First Avenue between 79th and 80th streets. GO, BLOSSOM, GO.
• Chef Tal Ronnen of Oprah and Gardein fame was all up in Extra dispelling ridonculous myths about vegans. See: the food tastes bad, vegans are starving, and vegans are poor because we must spend all our money on expensive gross vegetables.
• We respond to the Weston A. Price Foundation's perverse attempts to justify eating animals.
• A little birdie tells us the NYC Chipotle locations might soon be market-testing their Gardein filling.
• Finally, otters are SO ADORABLE. Just try to tell me they're not. I said JUST TRY.

• Did somebody say VEGAN CHALLAH?  Oh yes, VegNews just did! It's going to be a good Hanukkah this year, Jews! (Is eggless challah possible?) Psst...I think I also heard them say "vegan gingerbread cookies." Who's up for a vegan gingerbread house bake-off? Hmmm?
• Farm Sanctuary reminded us to sign their Petition for the Pigs, a letter that asks President Obama to demand that the USDA extend legal protection to downed pigs. Yeah, um, did we all just assume that pigs were covered like certain other large mammals?
• Terry Hope Romero's vegan Latin cookbook Viva Vegan is available for pre-order on Amazon. See how dangerous—and hot—that knife makes her look?
• Metromix declared Dirt Candy's Amanda Cohen Chef of the Year. Amanda Cohen sounds like Samantha Cohen, which means THAT COULD TOTALLY BE ME ONE DAY.
• USA Today reported on school lunch standards: somehow less stringent than fast-food standards! Even KFC won't buy the chickens kiddies are eating as chicken plywood nuggets.