it looks like the wynn is really upping its game when it comes to vegan offerings. several of the hotel’s restaurants now offer gardein, and terrace pointe cafe has even introduced a vegan fast food menu! WTF?! i was at terrace pointe less than a year ago and was stoked to see tofu pockets, hummus and soy milk on the menu.

above is a pic of the burger, shake, and fries i got from a reader named anita. here’s what she wrote…

Read the rest of this entry »

when planning my trip to the east coast i started asking around for friends’ favorite spots to eat and drink. Red Bamboo came up undoubtedly every single time. i’m talking even from omnivores. so after walking around all day in the rain and having a few beers we strolled on over in anticipation of a great meal. we walked in and there were already several people waiting before us but fortunately for our empty tummies we only had to wait about 10 minutes. the seating was a little close for my taste but what’s new in new york city?

for dinner my partner went with tonkatsu “chops” that were served with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes. the faux meat was breaded and covered in sauce (as the traditional meal is done) and was pretty tasty. the texture of the “chops” in my mouth was really smooth and unlike other fake meats i’ve had.

Tonkatsu Chops: Lightly seasoned gluten pork chops served with a side of steamed vegetables, sweet corn mashed potatoes and savory tonkatsu sauce… 9.95

Read the rest of this entry »

roll up, roll up! the magical mystery tour has nothing on this—it’s a VEGAN PIZZA BUS.

on october 1st, scott’s pizza tours is giving a bus tour of the best vegan pizza in NYC, and it’s gonna be co-guided by our very own vegan pizza field reporter jon!

check it out…

Read the rest of this entry »

we’ve already blogged about the pizza port location in solana beach, and i’m happy to report that their carlsbad restaurant is even bigger and better, but with the same excellent beer and food.

that cheese in the background isn't mine

pizza port brews their own beer on the premises, and the staff are very knowledgeable about which ones are vegan. in addition to their own beers, they always have tons of local vegan-friendly guest taps from the likes of stone and lost abbey. i don’t just go to pizza port for the grog though—the grub is also outstanding. while nothing jumps out immediately as particularly vegan-friendly, don’t be fooled. both the regular and whole wheat crusts are vegan, as well as the tomato sauce—so you can create a pretty mean cheese-less pizza.

Read the rest of this entry »

here at quarrygirl.com, we are always on the hunt for the latest and greatest vegan pizza. “normal” pizza is the very last thing we gave up as vegetarians, so finding a good substitute is a quest that’s very near to our hearts. our latest pizza breakthrough was a big one, and it took place at sizzle pie in portland.

let us play your party: house red sauce, muchrooms, spinach, black olives, white onions and not-a-ricotta. $4

although sizzle pie is an omnivorous establishment, their vegan options are plentiful, creative, and even sold by the slice! on top of that, it’s honestly some of the best pizza i’ve ever had. in a city with an overwhelming amount of vegan-friendly restaurants, we went to sizzle pie TWICE during our recent 4 day PDX trip. that should tell you how much we enjoyed the place.

on our first visit, we just stopped by for a couple slices each at 4 bucks a pop. sizzle pie has something for all vegan pizza lovers: they’ve got daiya for fake cheese fans, creamy spreads made from cashews or caramelized onions, nutritional yeast covered pies, and a cilantro pepitas pesto topping. the menu items all have fun names as well—we went with a slice of “let us play your party” (pictured in the center above) which came with house red sauce, mushrooms, spinach, black olives, white onions and not-a-ricotta. plus 3 slices of “spiral tap”…

spiral tap: creamy caramelized onion spread, house marinara red sauce and a light dusting of nutritional yeast. $4

the vegan slices were incredible! the spiral tap especially with its rich spread, topped off with tangy tomato sauce and creamy nooch. another thing i loved about this pizza is that the slices were massive, thin, and proper. you know, you could fold them in half. respect…

our next visit to sizzle pie was even better. this time we got a couple slices and a normal pie to share.

Read the rest of this entry »

summer is almost over, and what better way to make it count than to plan something epic for the 3 day labor day weekend? i suggest taking a vegan road trip to san diego and kicking it off with LOVELIKEBEER at hamilton’s tavern on september 2nd, where they’re celebrating to-firkin friday.

Read the rest of this entry »

RIP souley vegan sunday brunch. it was fun while it lasted.

i guess you can file this under bad news and potentially good news?! the incredible sunday brunch we ate at souley vegan in oakland recently was one of their last. according to an email from the owner, the restaurant has currently ceased brunch service, but they plan on re-introducing it soon on tuesday through saturday mornings. let’s hope this plan takes off quick, because souley’s brunch is one of the best on earth.

we’ve already raved about the lunch options at souley (EPIC), and their brunch menu was/is just as stellar. they offered a la carte options as well as a build your own combo plate for ten bucks. we shared a whole bunch of stuff including the tofu breakfast sandwich…

breakfast sandwich: scrambled tofu, vegan cheese and tomato on an english muffin with toast. $4

the 4 item brunch combo with scrambled tofu, smothered tomatoes, and 2 orders of biscuits and gravy…

4 item brunch combo. $10

plus an order of grits…

Read the rest of this entry »

we may not like it, but on occasion we vegans have to travel to unvegan-friendly places or dine out with omnivores…and sometimes we find ourselves at the most dreaded establishments of all: chain restaurants. don’t fret though, team QG is here to help! here at the blog we are committed to helping vegans find edible food at “normal restaurants”. we’ve covered fast food joints like chipotle and baja fresh, as well as higher brow chains like CPK and macaroni grill. today we’re all about the super tasty and vegan-friendly il fornaio.

if you haven’t been to il fornaio yet, you are missing out on one of the best vegan chain dining experiences available. their freshly baked ciabatta is unmatched, and it’s FREE with every meal. not just that, but their vegan options are plentiful…

Read the rest of this entry »

hey everyone, time for a vegan field report from north carolina! today’s post comes to us from amy to zucchini and she’s reviewing the very first vegfest in asheville. i’m actually pretty jealous of all this delicious looking food—we should start up an LA vegfest, stat!

Asheville is a unique little city in the hills of western North Carolina. By tourists and locals alike it is often described as a ‘hippie town’ and lives up to the reputation with street performers and buskers on every other corner, a penchant for open-air markets and fairs and at least 4 fully vegetarian/vegan-friendly restaurants. (In fact Asheville’s only all-vegan restaurant, Plant, opened just a few days ago). So I was pumped when I heard about the first annual VegFest that would be taking place downtown on Sunday, August 7. It was Asheville’s first and mine too!

I took my omnivore dad with me, just to keep things interesting and get him excited about veggie eats. It was a fun event, with lots of vendors selling food, local restaurants representing, and booths with animal rescue shelters and sanctuaries providing information on their causes. There was a whole kid’s section too with games and activities. After doing a lap and scoping things out it was food time.

We started off with a tofu dog from Avery’s Hot Dogs A hearty and delicious dog, we went classic with mustard and sauerkraut for $5 With Highland Brewery’s Gaelic Ale.

Tempeh reuben from Green Light Cafe, $7. Difficult decision over their tempeh tacos with avocado, slaw and cilantro-lime cream sauce but glad we went with the reuben. Wonderful flavors and great bread.

Read the rest of this entry »

hey everyone! i’m very pleased and honored to report that today we have a guest post from one of my favorite bloggers, fat gay vegan. he usually writes about places in london where he lives, but today he has taken time from his relaxing spanish vacation to send us a review of a vegetarian restaurant in barcelona. my mouth is watering…enjoy!

If you are ever fortunate enough to find yourself in the breathtaking city of Barcelona, you certainly will not go hungry. This world-class destination is packed solid with vegan dining and shopping options. There are at least two vegan grocery stores as well as a vegan deli, numerous restaurants, falafel merchants, juice stands, organic grocers and even Indian cuisine suitable for cruelty-free diners. I have taken leave from my own blog to wander across to talk to you about that last category… Indian food.

Veg World India is situated in the historical inner-city neighbourhood of Gràcia that once stood alone from Barcelona as a separate village. This district is cluttered with bars, coffee shops, cinemas and boutiques. It delicately treads that fine line between local tradition and chic progress perfectly. Veg World India slots effortlessly into this bustling bohemia and offers a satisfying food experience.

A sign outside reading “90% Vegan” was a lovely welcome on my visit and the knowledgable servers went out of their way to ensure all my vegan concerns were met. The starter plate for two was modified to remove paneer and we were informed our choices would be cooked in separate oil.

Everything on the plate was fabulous with special mention going to the outstanding onion bhajis.

My main meal was a stunning combination of lemon rice, cauliflower/potato curry as well as a spinach/tofu curry. A basket of naan bread was supplied with the meal and refilled as quickly as I could empty it.

Read the rest of this entry »

there’s an old 80’s pop song that says heaven is a place on earth—and if that’s the truth, then it must be referring to portland. the city is a sylvan paradise with more vegan restaurants than i could eat at in a lifetime, and a brewery on almost every corner.

the food options are so plentiful, they can actually be a bit overwhelming…so trust me on this one: all vegans visiting portland must eat at homegrown smoker.

the small vegan soul food cart in the university district keeps limited lunch hours, but it’s worth planning your trip around. the menu is massive (click here to peep it) with all kinds of crazy creations like a mac and cheese burrito, chili cheese fries, and smoked “loafaroni”.

Read the rest of this entry »

san francisco seems to be the city of awesome sandwiches. they’ve got fried tofu banh mis at dinosaurs, fake meaty masterpieces at ike’s place, and now i’ve fallen in love with the wheat meat cheesesteaks at jay’s.

mushroom style seitan cheesesteak with vegan mayo, mustard, lettuce and tomato. $8.45

although jay’s cheesesteak isn’t a vegetarian restaurant by any means, they do their vegan sandwiches right with over 10 seitan styles to choose from and a vegenaise option so we don’t have to skip the mayo altogether.

Read the rest of this entry »

portland is a vegan paradise, and i think i need to move there someday. the city has not one, not two, but THREE vegan bakeries. back to eden is one of them, and when we visited the storefront on our recent trip, i instantly fell in love.

back to eden is awesome because in addition to baked goods, they have build-your-own ice cream sundaes with temptation soft serve from chicago soydairy. we had a hell of a time deciding what to order, because everything looked so good. from the chocolate gluten-free cupcakes…

to the massive creamy pie…

Read the rest of this entry »

no trip to san francisco is complete without visiting ike’s place. the small hole in the wall in the castro consistently turns out the best sandwiches i’ve ever eaten. i’m on a mission to try everything on their vegan menu, and now i can officially cross the vegan reuben off the list.

vegan reuben: vegan turkey, homemade poppy seed coleslaw, french dressing, soy cheese. $9.99

this sandwich is no joke. it’s fully loaded, costs just under ten bucks and could easily feed two people.

Read the rest of this entry »

i’ve said it before, i’ve said it again, i’m saying it now, and i’ll probably say it in the future: pokez in san diego serves up the best vegan mexican food ever.

chimichanga: a flour tortilla, deep fried and loaded with beans, onions, peppers and tofu. topped with guacamole and salsa. $5.50

Read the rest of this entry »