Pete - Thanks for the feedback on Breadbar! I now know that it’ll be safe for me to go and check it out to see how it compares to the Maison Kayser in Taipei.

Bob & Pete - If Kayser is not associated w/ Breadbar anymore (if ever), then did he just license the right to use his name to help Breadbar get set up? Or is this a question I should ask Breadbar when I go try them out?

Will - Thanks for the vegetarian restaurant link! That’s quite a list! I agree that buffet food that’s been sitting out for a while isn’t so appealing. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been impressed with the veggie buffets in Taipei. They have spots for you the choose your veggies and the amount of oil/seasoning you desire, and then you hand them to staff who make them into a hotpot stew or sautee them for you.

Maggie - Thanks for the 99 Ranch tip. $3-5 is still a bit expensive for me, but way better than the $8 I was quoted at Whole Foods!

Reeely…I was led to believe that it fit squarely into his brand (and his plan for world domination). My tastebuds also think that he had more to do with Breadbar than just financing; the bread’s quasi-levain taste seems unique to Kayser specifically because of his process. I even did a side-by-side of Maison Kayser vs. Le Boulanger de Monge vs. Gosselin last year in Paris, and his stood out as fundamentally different from his contemporaries’. The crust is just a hair chewier, the crumb a bit more cream-colored, and, above all, less sweet and more fermented-tasting. That’s my two cents, at least.

Not buffets, but there are a lot of veggie Chinese and Taiwanese places in the greater LA area, as well in the OC. I put a list of a lot of them (at least the ones near the SGV) at:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/350963#2118708

A couple of the Happy Family restaurants, as well as House of Vege in Lomita have an all you can eat dinner deal that’s great - the food is made to order, and you can order two dishes per person at a time; if you finish those (good luck), you can order as much more as you can eat in the restaurant. (I do know of some vegetarian Indian places with buffets; personally I think food always tastes worse when it’s been sitting out.) Keep in mind that this type of restaurant typically uses oil, salt / soy sauce, and processed soy products very liberally, so brown / black rice or not, it’s not necessarily healthy just because it’s vegetarian (and I say this as someone who loves vegetarian Chinese food, and who has been vegetarian / vegan for about 15 years).

Dragon fruit is definitely available; Asian markets should have them much cheaper than Whole Paycheck.

Eric Kayser is not actually involved in Breadbar. He put up a little bit of financing for the initial venture, but is in absolutely no way associated with the chain. In fact, the management there is more or less in direct competition with him…

Anyway. Breadbar has had, by a large margin, the best, most authentic baguettes I have tasted in this area. I realize this is heresy to Euro Pane and La Brea Bakery devotees, but seriously, people, Kayser is without equal. The crust is evenly caramelized, crunchy, and smoky, ears peeking up in all the right places. The crumb has his characteristic (subtle) sourdough tang and bounce. It gives the bread a genuine flavor in addition to that classic Parisian texture, which I really like. While it’s not quite the baguette Monge in his Paris shop, I don’t really mind so much the convenience cost :)

There’s a handful of vegetarian Chinese restaurants in the SGV, but my favorite Vietnamese vegetarian with faux meats is Au Lac in Fountain Valley. The claypot “catfish” flakes like real fish, and the seaweed outside looks like real fish skin.