MÄNI'S BLOG CAFÉ
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08.06.08
While we are over-indulging in our new menu’s offerings (mmm...tempeh bacon...), we know that some of our rookie plates had a rough takeoff.
Not to be discouraged, we took a glass-half-full approach with the constructive criticism we’ve received by realizing our devoted customers care enough to let us know where our shortcomings are. One customer told us via blog comment that she was disappointed by the Vegan Black Bean & Plantain Quesadilla. Not satisfied by the consistency or moisture of the plantain, this customer’s high hopes for our new quesadilla were a bit dashed. In the same letter, she wrote that our veggie patty was not cutting it. It “used to have a nice ‘meaty’ consistency, with great flavor”, she said, while she’d experienced our new patty to “mush and crumble meekly out the side of the bun”. Her comments were a buzz through the cafe this morning, and immediately ideas were exchanged. What can we do to make sure the plantain in the VBBP Quesadilla is consistently delicious? What’s up with the veggie patty, and how can we fix it? While opinions were voiced and potential changes were planned, we realized this customer’s insights (like many we’ve received from you) were just what we needed. It still stings a little to hear a customer’s tale of an unsatisfactory meal, but we can take it! Your input helps us focus on what you want for your next Mani’s meal. So let us know; don’t hold back. The good and the bad, we want to hear what’s on your plate.
07.31.08
Celebrate Summer - Two Weeks Only
We’re at the end of an excellent blueberry season. While they’re fresh, with a slight tang and lightly sweetened with our famous fruit juice reduction.
Starting this week-end at Mäni’s on Fairfax. From the kitchens and pastry chefs come a taste delight, our new Blueberry Cheescake Tart.
Only one word.... A M A Z I N G ! ! 
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07.24.08
Our new menu has garnered such rave reviews from our customers that we decided to make ordering available online! Mäni’s new service invites you to order online for pickup or delivery. It’s fast, convenient, and above all, delicious! We’re excited to offer the speedy delivery of your favorite Mäni’s meals and bakery products right to your home or office. Visit order.manisbakery.com to place your order. When we call to confirm your order, mention this email and receive a complimentary cookie of your choice. 
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07.22.08
Our new menu polished off its first week of residency with flying colors! We’ve received a lot of great feedback about the bevy of new flavors on the table.
A new favorite is the Quinoa Tabouli & Roasted Garlic Hummus Mini-Wraps. So refreshing and so healthful, these little bites have won rave reviews so far! The BBQ Ranch Salad is making waves. Creamy and tangy with those crunchy baked tortilla strips atop, this salad has been a hit with the Mäni’s team and customers alike. In fact, all of the salads (like the vegan Caesar Salad) are experiencing a Renaissance in the café thanks to the crunchy, zesty crackers in the bowl (not to mention our new vegan tempeh and seitan options). We’ve also had great reviews of our new Balkan Wrap. The combination of creamy Feta crumbles with our savory Black Bean Hummus is a longtime favorite; formerly the Pita Stop, we gave it a makeover to meet your requests. It has been flying out of the kitchen! So, all in all, we think the new menu had a pretty fabulous debut. We love to hear from you! Email us or comment here to tell us about your experience with the new menu!
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07.15.08
 Spring brought us inspiration in the kitchen, and we began dreaming of fresh new ingredients and flavors. Soon our dreams materialized in the hands of our skilled chefs, and a new Mäni’s began to emerge.
We’re excited to pioneer a new menu that continues our focus on fresh, organic ingredients and comforting, classic tastes. Most of your old favorites, our signature dishes, are still on the roster because they’re too darn tasty to let go. We’ve also introduced new combinations (like vegan seitan and tempeh in our sandwiches and salads, for example) to further our quest to serve delectably healthful food to our diverse fans. Come by and check it out, and let us know what you think!
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06.14.08
Some of you may remember back to 2004, when I was fortunate to marry my partner of 14 years in San Francisco. Since the courts then invalidated that marriage, we’ll be getting married again this summer along with thousands of others who live in California and even more coming to visit California and getting married here. It’s an exciting time to be in the hospitality business, and especially the bakery business. And it’s especially exciting if you have gay and lesbians in your family and friends and are attending their wedding. For every same sex wedding cake ordered between now and November, we’ll donate 10% of the sale to Equality California to help defeat the November ballot initiative meant to take away the right to marry just awarded the gay community by the California Supreme Court last month. We’re doing all our custom wedding cakes as usual and including more diversity along the way. Pictured below was a quick wedding cake for my first marriage in 2004.
 We’re now offering catering for corporate events and special events. So call us for a consultation on any upcoming event: Kristina, Senior Pastry Chef 323 964-0840 ext: 19
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06.06.08
 Mäni’s is creating our very own eco-friendly reusable shopping bag! Since your input is so very important to us, we would love your help deciding which one to make! Which of these two bags would you be more likely to sport all over town? Are you a circle or stripe? Click on Comments below and tell us your choice!
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05.28.08
We’re proud and excited to be using Follow Your Heart brand Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese. It’s an excellent product and great tasting, according to our customer feedback:
“The apple cake is my favorite thing on the menu! I think it actually tastes better with the new cream cheese.” Comment by Rebecca
Come by and try it yourself and let us know what you think. To read more about the Carmelized Apple Cake
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05.23.08
This cake is now made without tofuti. That’s been replaced with a new wonderful soy cream cheese.  btw, we don’t use tofutti at all here any longer!
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05.22.08
My name is Meredith and I am relatively new to Mäni’s. I have a background in vegetarian and vegan cooking, and am interested in creating deliciousness for special dietary concerns across the board. So, naturally, Mäni’s was a destination for me when I moved to L.A. from Chicago in January, and I was lucky enough to be brought on to work in the kitchen and in the bakery. I’m currently making my way through culinary school, and am having an amazing time with all of the immensely talented people here.
I’m blogging it up today to tell you about a change to our lemonade recipe. As with many of our other signature menu items, we’ve striven to take a classic recipe and update it with a more healthful touch. As summer approaches, we’re drinking a lot of our fresh-squeezed lemonade and one day we took a long hard look at the glass. Then we looked at our supply of fruit juice reduction. And then a light bulb went off! “Eureka!” we cried. And thus, friends, our new classic lemonade was born. Out with the old (organic cane sugar) and in with the new (fruit juice reduction). The fruit juice reduction lets our lemonade be sweet without the excess sugar content. It’s a little tart, more like an old-school lemonade recipe where the lemons really pack a punch, and less like the powdered stuff that comes in a plastic 25-pound jug. We think you’re going to like it, but we want to hear what your taste buds have to say. So log on and let us know!
05.01.08
Monday:
• Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles. Tuesday:
• Chunky Vegetable W/Tofu
Ingredients: vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, Zucchini, Spinach, Tomatoes, yellow corn, green cabbage, tofu, thyme, sage, oregano, sea salt, garlic, tamari. Wednesday:
• Cream of Asparagus
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Canola Oil, Asparagus, Celery, Yellow Onions, Spinach, Sea Salt, Tamari, Soy milk. Thursday:
• Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper. Friday:
• Light Tomato & Basil ( NEW )
Ingredients: Tomato Stock, Olive Oil, Onions, Celery, Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Basil, Sea Salt. Saturday
• Black Bean
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro Sunday
• Zucchini & Spinach Bisque
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, Zucchini, Spinach, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cashew Cream.
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04.17.08
Dine Out Los Angeles is sponsoring AFA’s event to raise much needed funds to benefit people living with HIV. Dine at Mäni’s today, April 17, 2008 and we will donate 20% of your check to AFA. Help us make today a successful event and enter the drawing to win a stay a one of two Loews Luxury Hotels. Come in today and enter the contest! Thanks for your support. 
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04.11.08
I’m excited to announce that we now have our fabulous Mäni’s Cards for sale online! Now you can share Mäni’s with your friends and loved ones in one click of a button. You choose the amount—$25, $50, $100 or you select a custom amount—and we put it together for you. Redeem your Mäni’s Card by visiting our Fairfax Avenue location and use it toward any item on our menu or in our retail shop. Just click the link at your left that says: “GET MANI’S GIFT CARDS” and buy a card through April 25th, we’ll add an extra $10. Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?  For example you click “GET MANI’S GIFT CARDS”, then buy a $100 card and we’ll send you a $110 card. LIMIT IS ONE $10 BONUS (FREE LUNCH) PER CUSTOMER!
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03.31.08
Monday:
Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles Tuesday:
Cream of Broccoli
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, potatoes, Broccoli, Spinach, Sea Sal, Black Pepper, Tamari, Soy milk Wednesday:
Carrot and Ginger
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Onions, Celery, Carrots, Garnet Yams, Fresh Ginger, Nutmeg, Sea Salt, Soy Milk., Carrot Juice. Thursday:
Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper Friday:
Minestrone
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, parsley, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, cumin, olive oil, red beans Saturday:
Spicy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Onions, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Tamari, Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika
Sunday:
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro
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03.22.08
Check out our new look. Identify your favorite Mäniac and see how they look in their new shirts!
Who can identify the most?
Happy Spring. Come by, dine outside and enjoy your favorite salad, sandwich, turkey or vege chili or your favorite breakfast bakery item
Comfort food at Mäni’s on Fairfax. Good and good for you!
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03.13.08
You may have driven by Mäni’s on Fairfax one morning this week, and noticed us giving away FREE coffee and mini muffins.
That’s because we’re having a breakfast promotion lasting until the end of this month. Just print out the card at the end of this article and receive a FREE coffee with any breakfast item from 6:30 to 11, Monday through Friday until March 31, 2008. 
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03.13.08
Wax Orchards is a wonderful company located in Washington state that makes natural fruit sweeteners. These recipes are quite similar to the blends of fruit juice reduction we use at Mäni’s to make many of our desserts and snacks.
In additional we’re carrying syrups and fudge sauces have at home on all kinds of foods. Come by and check them out. Wax Orchards was founded in 1920 by August and Johanna Wax. With origins in fruit farming, the family began processing upscale natural foods in 1981. We pioneered the use of concentrated fruit juices instead of sugar and coined the term “fruit sweetened.” This led to the production of unique preserves and toppings that filled the niches shown above and brought nationwide attention from the media. Wax Orchards Fruit Sweet® and Pear Sweet™—natural fruit sweeteners—provide the basis for our entire product line. Our fruit-sweetened preserves and condiments contain only fruit. The result is unusually fresh, intense flavors as well as fiber on the nutrition label, unusual in preserves. The sugars on the nutrition label are the natural sugars in fruit, a complex blend. The American Diabetes Association featured Wax Orchards products in their “Gift of Hope” holiday catalogues for the eight years that they were printed. USA TODAY: “Delicious all-natural fruit butters, toppings, sauces ... luxuriously thick and fruity.” DALLAS TIMES HERALD: “A no-sugar fudge sure to fill our sweet dreams. Even joggers stop for this one, a hot fudge with no refined sugar in it.” 
03.05.08
It’s not a coincidence we’ve created a bakery restaurant where I love to eat. I have lunch here five days a week. I usually eat breakfast at home, before coming to ‘work’.
But often I have a mid-morning snack at work. Today I had the banana nut muffin which our fab pastry chef, Kristina has recently re-designed. I almost always look for snacks that are made with whole wheat or whole grains. Why? Because then the snack is not just dead calories, but it’s nutritious, meaning that I’m going to get a real energy infusion. To me, it’s the best way to enjoy food and eat what’s good for my body. I guess that’s how we came up with our simple, true slogan: “Good, and good for you” Enjoy!
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03.03.08
WiFi on Fairfax
We’re close to getting all the bugs worked out in our new service here at Mäni’s. Watch for an announcement on the blog in the next few days.
If you’ve been using the WiFi during this development and have some feedback for us, please let us know. Happy Browsing.
03.03.08
Soup Menu: March 3 through April 1 The soup menus will now rotate on a monthly basis and we introduce two new soups this month: Lima Bean on Tuesdays and French Onion Soup on Fridays. Monday: Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles. Tuesday: Lima Bean (New)
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Lima beans, Potatoes, Celery, Carrots, Miso, Garlic, cayenne pepper, thyme, basil, black pepper, tamari. Wednesday: Chunky Vegetable W/Tofu
Ingredients: vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, Zucchini, Spinach, Tomatoes, yellow corn, green cabbage, tofu, thyme, sage, oregano, sea salt, garlic, tamari. Thursday: Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper. Friday: French Onion Soup (New)
Ingredients: Olive oil, Vegetable stock, Red Onions, wine, thyme, tamari, black pepper (served in herb bowl bread). Saturday: Julio’s Enchilada Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Garlic, Pinto Beans, Onions, Kalamata Olives, Peeled Tomatoes, Organic Yellow Corn Tortillas, Enchilada Sauce, Cilantro, Sea Salt Black pepper. Sunday: Zucchini & Spinach Bisque
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, Zucchini, Spinach, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Soy milk.
02.27.08
I found it interesting, to say the least, about comments made on yelp.com. There’s almost 60 of them, some wonderfully complimentary, others critical in certain areas. All in all I believe there’s tremendous value in sharing information. Although positive feedback is great, constructive criticism is helpful to be told what needs our attention. In any case I think you may find this entertaining and some useful info from other Yelp commentators.
02.25.08
This apple cake, is one of our most popular because it tastes great and is VEGAN and Wheat-Free.
It was discontinued last year due to an ingredient, non dairy cream cheese which become unavailable from our supplier. That disappointed many of our customers who really liked it’s gourmet quality and complex flavors. But it’s back now and hopefully here to stay. The cake looks the same, and the taste difference with the new ingredient, tofutti, is negligible. Still available in any size and buy the slice.
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02.19.08
Due to the huge success on Valentine’s Day, we are now offering the Chocolate Raspberry Passion Cake everyday in our pastry case.
This is our super moist vegan chocolate cake layered with raspberry and passion fruit crème and topped with fresh raspberries. We use real raspberry juice and passion fruit puree so the flavors are intense and delicious. The Chocolate Raspberry Passion is $14 and big enough for two to share. So, if you missed it on Valentine’s Day, come by and try our newest Vegan creation.
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02.19.08
The new Broad Museum at Los Angeles County Museum of Art is only an 8 minute walk from Mäni’s. Click here for live webcam broadcast from the new addition of LACMA. Enjoy the museum and then relax and have a hearty meal, choose from our daily soups or enjoy a salad or sandwich. Or just have a latte and cookie, eclair, lemon tart and ENJOY! Come by and tell us how you enjoyed LACMA.
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02.18.08
Yvette and friend (eeks I forgot his name!!) recently re-located to LA from NYC. They found us through a green site, I think it was greentopia?
Anyway I need to connect with them again to get all their info.
But the point of all this is that because of Valentine’s Day, a holiday week-end, we had almost no selection left in our bakery cases.
So I grabbed a peanut butter cookie hot out of the oven and smothered it in our barley malt sweetened choclate.
I wanted to make a good impression on these new Angelenos. They loved the cookie. Hope they comment on this story so I can get all my facts correct! 
02.16.08
On these chilly winter days and nights, our soups can really hit the spot.
Our soup schedule is partially revised every two weeks.
All our soups are vegan EXCEPT on Mondays, when it’s the best chicken soup since your Mom made some. Here’s the current menu until February 25th: Check our daily soup menu here
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02.12.08
The Valentines day buzz has begun!
 It’s one of our favorite times of year because we love seeing the rush of customers coming in to buy our specially made treats for their loved ones. “They are selling as fast as I am putting them out,” says head pasrty chef Kristina Montaine. We are feeling the love!!! It’s worth making more than one trip to visit us. Come by either tonight before 11PM, anytime tomorrow, Wednesday, or on Thursday of course! You can’t miss this!
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02.11.08
Tune in this Thursday, February 14th to see Mani’s vegan wedding cakes featured in a KTLA TV, channel 5 news segment about green weddings! Our fabulous pastry chef Kristina Montaine was interviewed about how she has perfected our vegan cakes and why it is something everyone should try. We were told that the story will be airing a few times throughout the day so we hope you catch it!
02.11.08
See our entire line of Truffles, Sweetheart Cakes, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Giant Truffle Heart Cookies, Mini Chocolate Heart Brownies are all in our bakery case.  Don’t be left out. Come by and make your selections early. First come, first served. Sorry no reserved orders for this holiday. But we’re making tons of these fabulous items, so we’ll have a good choice of products Wednesday and Thursday, February 13th & 14th. Feel free to call or email for more information:
323 938-8800 or 323 964-0840 Ext: 10
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02.10.08
New soup menu as of February 11 through February 25: Monday: Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles Tuesday: Chunky Vegetable W/Tofu
Ingredients: vegetable stock, onions, carrots, celery, Zucchini, Spinach, Tomatoes, yellow corn, green cabbage, tofu, thyme, sage, oregano, sea salt, garlic, tamari Wednesday: Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper Thursday: Minestrone
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Carrots, Celery, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Parsley, Basil, Mushrooms, Tomato, Tomato Paste, Pasta, Sea Salt, Black pepper, Oregano, Garlic, Cumin, Olive Oil, Red Beans Friday: Spicy Tortilla Soup
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Onions, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Tamari, Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika Saturday: Black Bean
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro Sunday: Tomato Rice
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Olive oil, Celery, Carrots, Yellow Onions, Tomatoes, Brow Rice, Thyme, Oregano, Sea Salt, Black Pepper
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