Fast Food Vegetarian

I've been a vegetarian for almost 10 years now, and that's pretty exciting to me. It's actually been pretty easy. Once I made the decision to go veg, I wasn't too tempted by meat anymore. Mostly, because I couldn't bear the thought of eating cute animals like this...

I love you ZooBorns!

How could I eat that? And soon goats and cats and dogs didn't seem that different from pigs or cows. And how could I differentiate between my pet bird and a farmyard chicken? Or my goldfish and a catfish? Nowadays, meat just grosses me out.

One of the reasons I love living in L.A. is how much easier it is being vegetarian out here than in Iowa. We have Whole Foods and my beloved Trader Joe's (if I ever had to live without one again I would cry). We live around the corner from awesome Thai food and mere blocks away from a health food convenience store and vegan restaurants. Over time, I'm looking forward to highlighting all of my favorite super awesome places.

But today... Today is an ode to Fast Food Vegetarian and the place that made me weep with joy when I first discovered it.

ASTRO BURGER.

This is not to be confused with the place I call "astrOburger" near Paramount on Melrose. That place is OK, but they've got a bunch of Greek food thrown on the menu and their onion rings suck. 

This is Astro Burger at 7475 Santa Monica Boulevard, not too far from the Trader Joe's... I don't know if the two restaurants are related or which one came first, but I know which one I prefer. 

What makes this place so magical is THIS:

Do you SEE that???? GARDENBURGER!

That's straight up, greasy spoon, fifties diner style FAST FOOD for vegetarians. I don't eat it often, but it hits the spot, I'm telling you. Their onion rings are also AMAZING. The place is cash only and a little over-priced...and those are my only gripes.

I love that my photo is focused on that weirdo in back.