Interim Cafe, Santa Monica, CA

Hey guys!

One of my best friends was visiting from San Francisco and staying in Los Angeles for a couple days. Naturally, we wanted to reconnect at a casual restaurant serving healthy food. So, I queried LA-based vegan blogger Quarry Girl for a recommendation and she came back with Interim Cafe in Santa Monica (530 Wilshire Blvd). I trusted the recommendation without a doubt!

Interim Cafe is located on a corner and the side of a commercial building — it might be hard to spot if you’re driving. But don’t let its subtle presence full you. Interim Cafe offers a diverse menu featuring free-range meats, organic vegetables and plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans. So, it’s the perfect compromise for a vegan dining with an omni. Bonus? They’ve got VEGAN SOFTSERVE, vegan smoothies and lots o’ vegan desserts *drools*

When I first went up to order, I wanted a black chai tea, described on the menu as having soy and agave. I asked the staff member if I could have it without agave (what can I say, I’ve read too much about agave…) and he seemed flustered at the question. The manager piped in and told me he mixed the tea himself and offered me a taste of it. I took one taste and all qualms with agave went out the window as the smokey taste of chai and the sweet taste of soy and agave overwhelmed my mouth with angels bearing trumpets. If this were Jerry MGuire, I’d have said, “you had me at ‘chai.’”

Anyway…

You can view Interim Cafe’s entire menu here. Compared to Real Food Daily, a vegetarian & vegan restaurant, also with a Santa Monica location, Interim is significantly more affordable, and their menu more extensive. Also, if you live closer to the area than I do (it’s a good 35 minutes away in no traffic for me), try to get there for breakfast (before noon) as their vegan offerings look off the hook. For instance, a whole line-up of hemp-tofu scrambles.

Here are our lunch eats:

Tempeh Whole Wheat Pita Stuffer tempeh, hummus, cucs, greens, tomato – $9.00 (served with choice of Terra Chips or organic side-salad)

Super Food Veggie Burger caramelized onion, avocado, sharp raw cheddar, pickles, lettuce, tomato, vegan super-sauce $9.50 (served with choice of Terra Chips or organic side-salad)

Latte, Organic Black Chai Tea and a vegan chocolate marshmallow brownie

But I couldn’t leave it at that. I had to re-visit the restaurant later in the week with my boyfriend.

I ordered the same tempeh pita — it was too good the first time to pass up a second time. However, the boyf tried the…

Fresh Crab Meat Quesadilla fresh real crab meat, Low Fat On Whole Wheat Tortilla Topped With Chipotle Corn Salsa & Avocado, Side Sombrero Salad, Salsa Vinaigrette $10.00 *The sombrero salad, which the boyf handed over willingly, was amazeballs* The boyf loved the quesadilla.

If you’re ever in the LA-area, I full-heartedly recommend Interim! Thanks, Quarry Girl, for the recommendation!

Hope you guys are having an amazing weekend! I’m off for a beach run, and later baking cupcakes for a special birthday girl and then a night of dancing to celebrate.

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: interim cafe, vegan restaurants