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March 20th, 2011london, more restaurants (not LA)
tibits vegetarian restaurant is one of our favorite places to eat in london. we were first alerted to this place when rachel did a field report on it back in 2010…so it’s kinda fitting that we revisit it today on rachel’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHEL!).
we’ve eaten at tibits a few times now, and haven’t been disappointed yet. i’d rank this as a “must visit” eatery when in london. great location, great food, great prices—tibits has it all!
Tags: buffet, england, london -
March 19th, 2011bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco
my friends who live in the bay area jokingly refer to this restaurant as herbi-bore, in reference to what they say is bland food and an unimaginative menu. i don’t know though, it seems like i always end up having a pretty good experience at herbivore.
on our recent trip to san francisco, we decided to hit up the divisidero location for an early meal. one thing herbivore really has going for it is it opens daily at 9am and is one of the few places in the city to get a great vegan breakfast. we weren’t coming for breakfast though, even though it was morning time. after reading on the herbivore website that the “lunch and dinner menu is always available,” we had our hearts set on the grilled seitan shawarma, which we’d had before and is absolutely incredible.
unless i have reading comprehension problems, i think that means shawarma should be available at 9:30am
unfortunately, our waitress informed us that ONLY the breakfast menu is served at breakfast time, and she had no clue about the website. so sad. we’d walked across town for that shawarma, but had to settle on morning-appropriate food instead. luckily, it was pretty tasty.
Tags: breakfast, burrito, san francisco -
March 17th, 2011bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco
on a recent trip to the bay area we decided to check out the plant cafe, a sleek healthy restaurant with loads of vegan options, located on san francisco’s pier 3.
it was late afternoon when we visited and we weren’t super hungry—so after browsing plant’s menu online, we went with the plan to share a tempeh reuben. however when we arrived at 3pm, the hostess presented us with a special happy hour menu, which didn’t list the sandwich. this was okay though, because this menu was loaded with great vegan items from sliders to appetizers, and everything was small and cheap. perfect!
we grabbed a seat across from the long bar and set about deciding what to order. the decor in plant was absolutely lovely—roomy and comfortable with large tables, high ceilings, and moody lighting. it was pretty empty when we were there as well, which suited our misanthropic nature.
they had some pretty tempting boozy creations on the happy hour menu, as well as beer and wine. we were already pretty buzzed from an afternoon drinking session at magnolia though, so we decided to pass on the alcohol this time (crazy, i know!). we started with a plate of the patatas bravas to share, which was excellent…
Tags: happy hour, san francisco, sliderspatatas bravas. $5
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March 16th, 2011lima, more restaurants (not LA)
hey everyone! time for a massive field report from lima, peru by chica vegan. she visited several restaurants and sent us a whole vegan guide of the city. check it!
This was the first time I’ve been back to Peru after becoming vegan, and I found several interesting options all within the same neighborhood.
My first stop was Starbucks. I don’t drink coffee, but I was curious to see their menu and I needed to hog some Wi-Fi. Most famous chains “localize” their menu with ingredients available in the region, and I was happy with what I found!
Starbucks had just as many smoothies, juices, and non-coffee drinks as coffee! I noticed they even had “Algarrobina”, a very popular syrup in Peru, high in protein and vitamins. So I got an “Algarrobina Dark Chocolate Chip Soy Crème Frappuccino”. SERIOUSLY:
I just knew I was going to have a great day ahead of me!
The first restaurant I went to was Govinda, opened decades ago and recently relocated. I checked out the Menu first because I didn’t want to just go to an Indian place, or Thai, or any other non-Peruvian place I could find here in the States or anywhere else. I wanted Peruvian food. But they did have a mix of Peruvian and Indian plates, mostly vegetarian with a few vegan options.
I first ordered the “Anticuchos”, the famous kebabs (traditionally made with beef hearts… gross, I know but) with a great “aji” marinade. I had to try their version. These were seitan kebabs…
I have to admit I was not impressed. I was expecting maybe a mix of vegetables or potatoes with the seitan, not straight up flabs of seitan. The marinade was ok and not spicy at all (which it usually is…we even serve it with corn and potatoes to rinse off the palate from the spice!). So I don’t understand why they even bothered here. I wouldn’t order this again.
Next, I had the “Saltado”, another traditional Peruvian dish. Angelenos may have had it at the “Lomo Arigato” Food Truck. It’s a basic stir fry of lomo (beef), tomatoes, onions, and French fries (yeah, french fries!). I’ve cooked this myself many times at home. You can’t go wrong with this one. Some people do all veggies, but instead Govinda used soy meat.
Tags: field report, lima, peru -
March 8th, 2011london, more restaurants (not LA)
how would you like to spend a rainy english evening with a warm bottle of sake and a massive spread of vegetables, noodles, and sushi? thankfully london has its very own entirely vegan, entirely organic, and entirely delicious japanese restaurant called itadaki zen, where you can do just that.
we checked out itadaki zen for dinner one evening and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, despite the fact that we left the restaurant much poorer than when we arrived.
Tags: england, japanese, london, uk -
March 6th, 2011more restaurants (not LA), santa barbara
we are self-proclaimed vegan pizza addicts, and our favorite place to get it at the moment is pizza guru in santa barbara. we love pizza guru so much, in fact, that in january we made the 90 mile drive up the coast just to eat dinner there and celebrate vegan pizza day. thankfully, we found a great table in the corner, made ourselves comfy, and spent a few hours leisurely dining.
veganized garlic bread sticks
considering it was a holiday and all, we decided to go all out. garlic bread, pizza, calzones, and of course, lots of alcohol. we stared with a huge plate of daiya covered bread (pictured above) and a pitcher of firestone union jack (pictured below). the bread was nothing short of phenomenal—moist, spongy, and packed with garlic flavor. just be sure to specify that you want it made vegan, because by default it comes with dairy cheese.
firestone walker on draught never disappoints, and it was perfect for soaking up all the greasy bread. i love that this place does beer by the pitcher…it’s not something i get to enjoy with vegan pizza very often.
next up, THE PIZZA:
medium pizza with daiya cheese, basil, roasted red potatoes, mushroom blend, and vegan garlic cream sauce
good god, this was the most fantastic pizza i’ve ever tasted.
Tags: beer, calzone, pizza, santa barbara -
March 5th, 2011bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco
not every place we review serves the end-all be-all, best vegan food ever. sometimes it’s nice to walk into a “normal” establishment and get a decent cruelty-free meal at a low price.
vege peppersteak sandwich on a sourdough roll with pepperoncini < $6
such is the case with love ‘n haight in san francisco. the unassuming hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop goes out of their way to cater to herbivores, and the food is pretty damn good.
Tags: san francisco, sandwich -
March 3rd, 2011bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco
you guys already know how much we LOVE gracias madre, san francisco’s entirely vegan mexican restaurant.
welp, we checked them out for a second time over the holidays, and i’m happy to report that our meal was just as epic as on our first visit. here are the pictures to prove it…
Tags: mexican, san francisco -
March 2nd, 2011london, more restaurants (not LA)
there’s no shortage of delicious vegan food in london, and one place that’s definitely worth a visit is vitao in soho. the small eatery has a sort of hippie vibe, and a very complicated menu depending on the time of day you’re dining.
we checked them out back in late 2010 at around 4:30pm on a weekday, during the tail end of their “asian fusion lunch buffet.”
Tags: buffet, england, london, uk -
March 1st, 2011atlanta, more restaurants (not LA)
time for another field report by JL goes vegan. this one comes to us from cafe sunflower all the way over in atlanta, georgia. enjoy!
A few months ago I made reservations for a business trip to Atlanta. I put a call out to my friends on Twitter for dining recommendations and Cafe Sunflower was suggested by many. I now know why.
Cafe Sunflower is located in Buckhead, a short 15 minute cab ride from downtown Atlanta. There is a groovy atmosphere in the restaurant with red walls, large paintings, curtains and mirrors. The host greeted us warmly and the server, Joe, was friendly and fun.
We began with the Butternut Squash Soup…
and Black Bean Chili and Avocado.
Both dishes were on the “Vegan Gourmet Specials” of the day.
Tags: atlanta, field report -
February 28th, 2011bay area, more restaurants (not LA), san francisco
hey everyone! today’s quick bite comes to us from fred (aka @cycled) who visited maggiemudd, a very vegan-friendly ice cream parlor in san francisco, over presidents day weekend. man, i really wanna go here someday. check it out.
We arrived here on a Sunday afternoon looking to indulge in some tasty treats after withstanding the deluge on Saturday. After staring at the menu board denoting a multitude of variations available to make your ultimate frozen treat, I couldn’t help but feel indecisive.
Tags: field report, ice cream, maggie mudd, quick bites, san franciscoMudslide and Birthday Cake, covered with soy whip, sliced almonds, and cookie crumbs. $7
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February 17th, 2011more restaurants (not LA), santa barbara
a friend recently told me that santa barbara has more restaurants per capita than anywhere else in the world…which is why it’s pretty surprising that they have not one vegan establishment. luckily though, they do have spiritland bistro, a healthy-style organic restaurant with very vegan-friendly cuisine.
for ages spiritland was only open for dinner, but they’ve recently added a lunch menu that’s served daily from 11:30 to 2pm. we checked it out on a recent trip up north, and were quite pleased with our simple yet delicious meals…
Tags: healthy, santa barbara -
February 12th, 2011las vegas, more restaurants (not LA)
as you probably already know, since going vegan himself, vegas mogul steve wynn has ensured that every restaurant in his strip hotel has a vegan menu. we’ve already posted most of the menus online for you to check out, but what about the food we’ve actually eaten?aside from pizza place (which we reviewed earlier), the only other wynn establishment we’ve dined at is red 8, a fancy pants chinese bistro.
upon arriving and asking for the vegan menu, we realized it was all pretty standard “vegan 1.0” stuff (meaning mostly vegetables with a touch of tofu), but we decided to give it a whirl anyways…
Tags: chinese, las vegas, wynn -
February 9th, 2011more restaurants (not LA), NYC
hey peeps! time for a field report on one of my favorite foods ever: NYC PIZZA! this one comes to us from blogger JL goes vegan, as she reports on the super vegan-friendly west village pizzeria, slice. i am booking a trip to manhattan as you read this. no joke!
I attended the NYC book signing party for The Happy Herbivore Cookbook which was held at SLICE (on Hudson Street). I’ve been dying to have a slice of SLICE’s vegan pizza!
I started with the Fresh Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing…
Fresh Salad: Organic mesclun greens, carrots, cucumbers, plum tomatoes. Choice of homemade carrot ginger dressing or house balsamic vinaigrette. $4
This is a great, fresh salad. The dressing is good (LOTS of garlic).
This was my first time at a “pizza joint” with vegan choices (you know, other than “hold the cheese”). I went with the server’s suggestion and ordered the Skilled Eggplant.
Skilled Eggplant (vegan): Herb crust, sundried tomato pesto, vegan cheese, sauteed eggplant, kalamata olives. $13
I ordered the personal pizza size (versus one slice). And…
Tags: field report, manhattan, new york, NYC, pizza -
February 8th, 2011austin, more restaurants (not LA)
vegan field report time! it’s another one by bess of i dream of greenie, and this one comes to us again from austin, texas. here she gives us quick reviews on 2 different places. she covers some awesome thai food at veggie heaven, as well as some vegan soft serve from toy joy. i am officially more jealous than i ever thought possible of those of you who are heading to sxsw next month. check it:
Curry Bun: Made of flour dough outside and filled with onions, tofu, vegetable cooked in curry sauce. $2.50
After eating and drinking my weight in vegan tacos, enchiladas and tequila, for my last meal in Austin, I decided to switch things up a bit.
My friend and I spent the day in the UT campus area and after consulting the Compassion Over Killing Austin dining guide, opted to check out Veggie Heaven…
Tags: austin, curry, dessert, field report, ice cream, texas