I had brunch at a new Boston area restaurant today, Vej Naturals, and very much enjoyed my Southern Platter...

(Pan-fried seitan cutlet served with Home-style Gravy, scrambled tofu, grits, and greens)

...and the bites of French Toast my friend (the photographer, Laureen) was kind enough to share with me:


Just a brief reminder how, ahem, "deprived" vegans are.

Labels: tofu, vegan food, vegan restaurants

Quick trip with my spousal unit to Manhattan this weekend. We only had limited time in the city, but managed to finally try a Dosa from N.Y. Dosas at Washington Park before eating at Sacred Chow.





I enjoyed everything from both places, though none of it was really hot. We caught N.Y. Dosas just as they were wrapping up, so we didn't exactly get fresh food, but it still satisfied my craving until we went to an Indian restaurant in Jackson Heights the next day.

I got the feeling that Sacred Chow reheats food, at least at the time of the day we went (about 5ish on a Friday afternoon), because our orders did not come out very hot, and they cooled off rather quickly. The orange blackstrap bbq seitan was terrific, though, regardless of the temperature. If the sesame greens had just been hotter, they would have been awesome. Instead they were just fine. Though more than each of the tapas plates at $6, the Gym Body smoothie with soy milk was totally worth the money (not that I would have complained about a little vanilla extract and/or agave nectar in there).

No pictures of food, probably because I was too hungry to do anything but start eating immediately. At least I had the presence of mind to take those two location photos above.


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Labels: restaurants, vegan food, vegan restaurants

Last Sunday, my spousal unit and I celebrated our 6th veganniversary. That is, we marked the 6th anniversary of the day that I chose to go vegan and my wife more or less went along with it (took her awhile to finish off the honey). 

Labels: raw, restaurants, reviews, vegan restaurants, veganniversary

I've been meaning to write up BuyKind.com for weeks now. For some reason I thought I had, but a quick search revealed that, no, I haven't.

So, if you aren't yet aware of BuyKind, let me paint you a picture.

Ever wanted to visit any of the following top-notch vegan restaurants?:

• Sublime in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida


• Good Karma in Venice Beach, California


• Lovin' Spoonfuls in Tucson, Arizona


• The Vegetable Garden in Rockville, Maryland


• Red Avocado in Iowa City, Iowa


• Spiral Diner & Bakery in Ft. Worth, Texas

Me, too. I imagine if you live in a city with no creative vegan options, you're even more keen to try some of the amazing food these restaurants serve. And, with BuyKind, you can.

Now, you're not getting the experience of the decor and being surrounded by other people sampling delicious vegan food, plus you're basically just reheating meals as if they're leftovers, but I've tried this service a couple of times now, and, for the most part, it works. Packing up gourmet meals and shipping the via DHL does bring with it some compromises, but the food still tastes great, even if sometimes shipment co-mingles certain items or shakes up your key lime pie a bit too much.

My wife and I had a couple of entrees from The Vegetable Garden, including the Veggie Sesame "Beef" with Yams. My wife got a similar entree, I want to say the "chicken" with asparagus, but it might have been the "beef" with pineapple (hazards of waiting too long to write the review!). At any rate, the ideal preparation for both was pretty much the same.

Since the veggies and fruits heat up much faster than the faux meats, you can either separate them first and add the produce once the mock meats are getting hot or, if they're too stuck together, you can warm them all at once in a large frying pan, separating out the yams and such as they get hot, which is what I did, though I recommend the other option to make sure everything is hot at the same time.

All it took was a little olive oil and some heat, and the entree was good to go. Instructions for the brown rice were to reheat in a small saucepan with a little extra water, and this actually worked out great. The meals were delicious, if unevenly heated. The key lime pie was a bit on the chalky side, but that didn't stop me from eating every last bite for dessert.

Now, there is a fair amount of packaging involved. I couldn't reuse the boxes the meals were shipped in, since they were so beat up, nor could I reuse the foam (my main strike against ordering food like this), but I have reused the ice packs a couple of times (they're super-handy!) and my wife reuses the take-out containers to bring other leftovers to work. But, if you're only doing this once in a while, and ordering maybe a few meals at once, then you're probably getting the most out of this service.

One delivery could save you 2-3 trips to restaurants in your car, and this adds up to a financial savings, too. It may seem expensive to order online, but if you factor in the cost of driving to and from 2-3 restaurants like this, and tipping a server each time, you start to find the expense closer to the real cost of eating out, so the price is not unreasonable at all for people who'd be dining at a restaurant for $10-15 meals anyway.

You can place your order at BuyKind.com. It's definitely a home-grown website, with awkward navigation, a couple of broken links, plenty over-sized (but mouthwatering) photos that take too long to download, etc., but don't let that dissuade you from getting your tastebuds on some delightful food!

In fact, soon BuyKind will be offering delivery from Madeleine Bistro, my favorite vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, so keep checking back, and please comment on your experience below.

PS - BuyKind has kindly offered to donate to the Boston Vegan Association 10% of the profits on any purchase you make when you use the BOSTON code at check-out. These proceeds will be used to promote the expansion of veganism in the Boston area.

Labels: vegan food, vegan restaurants

I am chin-deep in work I need to do just to catch up with where I was at before uprooting myself from Los Angeles and transplanting myself in Boston so my wife could start her post-doctoral fellowship, so entries may be few and infrequent, but they are returning! I'm also working on a number of animal-friendly projects that may bear fruit in coming months, so I will certainly post about those here.

In the meantime, I'd like to take a moment to consider what I've been through and register my pleasure at how easy it was to be vegan on this trip across country, despite the unusual kitchen hours of certain restaurants that thwarted some of my plans. I only had to rely on Taco Bell for vegan options three times in three weeks, which is pretty good, if you ask me. I'm partial to making a 7-Layer Burrito into a 5-Layer Burrito by removing the sour cream and cheese, and going Fresco style (the pico de gallo instead of the cheese), if you can get the undertrained staff to make it properly. Then I like to grill the burrito the same way they grill the Stufft Burrito. Throw in some Fire sauce, and you have something palatable enough to get you to your next destination.

But the food highlight was Dragonfly in Columbus, Ohio. My wife and I weren't expecting to stop there originally, but after realizing how much time we were losing due to the trailer we were hauling, we re-routed away from Chicago and took a more direct route from Kansas City to New England. You can read my review at VegGuide.

By far the biggest disappointment was Moosewood, in Ithaca, NY. Way overrated. You can read that review at VegGuide as well.

Once I arrived in Boston, I spent a handful of days getting settled into my new home and hosting the Boston Vegan Association's first social event, a fun dinner at My Thai restaurant in Brookline. Then I had to turn right around and drive the SUV I'd been borrowing to tow the trailer. That was two twelve-hour driving days back to Missouri (yuck), but I ended up having a relaxing visit, though busy. So much for posting while on my 'vacation.'

I stayed a few days to visit family, particularly since it was my younger brother's 16th birthday. My brother is an interesting case. He's growing up in a very rural part of the country, doing 4H, ag class in school, and is even raising pigs. My family lives on property that is big enough to let four horses roam, and they care for 3 dogs and 2 cats. Every time I visit, my veganism is a presence, of course, but my family has a fundamental philosophical difference about whether or not animals ought to be used as means to our own ends.

That said, my mother has been vegging up her diet a bit, primarily for health reasons. My brother, who unfortunately enjoys hunting, shares my disgust with factory farming and institutionalized cruelty, though he has yet to make that connection with the McGriddles he eats on occasion, among other animal-derived foods that most certainly are the products of factory farm operations. He does prefer to eat local, including animal flesh produced right in his own back yard. With 4H and ag class a part of his curriculum, it's tough to convince him that veganism is the way to go, especially when he is raising pigs himself and doesn't see the cruelty in confining them and later taking their lives for food that we don't need to be healthy. Like most people in that program, he believes his duty to animals is to care for them on the level one might care for a pet, and to make sure they are extinguished as quickly and painlessly as possible when their day to become food arrives.

However, while some of his friends I met thought I was perhaps a bit odd at first, he has always been respectful of my choice, and even his friends demonstrated respect for me. At one point over the weekend, I had an occasion to share some Soy Dream vegan ice cream with a few of them, and they all exclaimed that they couldn't tell the difference from ice cream derived from cow's milk. They were open and genuinely curious about why I was vegan, with none of the defensiveness you get from city meat-eaters while out advocating veganism. I was flattered to learn that some of them had even visited this very site in their ag class. I had to wonder what exactly they read, what the context was, and what conversation this might have sparked in their classroom. Several of them said they wanted me to come in to speak to their class and even debate their teacher, which would have been a fascinating opportunity, had that been feasible during this visit.

So, I'm not sure what kind of impact I made there, but I felt very comfortable in a room full of football-playing, hunting, farm-bred teens talking about why I was vegan, and that was a positive experience. I can only hope that not only do they now have a positive experience with veganism to carry with them, but that they heard some things that could someday affect how they look at animals.

The fact is, urban influences are influencing even this rural area, including a small-town type coffee house that wears religion on its sleeve, but also offers free wi-fi and soy milk for your coffee, along with Alternative Baking Company cookies. A small natural foods and remedies store does business nearby. And a short drive around the lake takes you to a town that features a supermarket with a rather large natural foods selection, where you can find items as rare as (3 varieties of) Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, though seitan and tempeh were nowhere to be found.

This isn't to suggest that rural America is going vegan any time soon, but I think it does demonstrate that the animal-optional mentality is growing in unexpected pockets of the country. If, with with smiles on our faces and positive attitudes, we continue promoting animal-friendly behavior and engage in such behavior ourselves everywhere we go, this growth can be expected to continue.

Labels: animal agriculture, meta, restaurants, travel, vegan food, vegan restaurants, veganism

Special thanks to all the readers and friends who wished me a happy birthday by email and at MySpace yesterday (and the days leading up to it). It's been an incredibly busy week, so I didn't really have the time to make the birthday much of an occasion. One reason I've been so tied up is that I'm prepping to shoot an interview Friday morning with Lorri Bauston at Animal Acres for the documentary I am slowly but surely putting together.

My wife and I did go out to Real Food Daily for dinner to mark the occasion. RFD is a bit over-rated, in my opinion, but it's usually pretty good if you order selectively, and it's a lot easier to get to than my favorite organic vegan resturant in L.A., Madeleine Bistro, especially without a car (we sold ours off back in January).

I could swear that the formerly divine Club sandwich has gotten smaller. I could eat each of the four corners of that sandwich with one bite, leaving only a little bread attached to the crusts. Very disappointing, and a lousy deal at $10.95. There's no comparison to Madeleine Bistro's club sandwich. When they open a new location nearer to RFD, Madeleine Bistro is going to toast these guys. Even the house salad that came with The Club wasn't as good as usual.

At least the BBQ Tofu Chop was solid and filling, and a somewhat better value for the money. We shared a slice of peanut butter mousse pie for dessert, but it was too mild, and not very moussey for that matter. So, not to be a downer, but we probably would have been better off making the trip to Madeleine Bistro, or even Native Foods, which rarely disappoints.

All that said, RFD did send me an $8 coupon for my birthday, so I'll probably go again after my vegan toastmasters group on Saturday and take advantage of that little bonus. Their Caesar Wrap has always pretty good!

On a related note, I did see some delicious vegan baked goods at Mäni’s Bakery today. I haven't been through Mäni’s in a while, since their regular menu is not as vegan-friendly as I'd like, though if you Angeleno vegans need to meet somone in the area, there are some options and substitutions that make it doable. What's really exciting about Mäni’s, though, are the numerous vegan treats that are made without refined sugar (unlike some baked goods made this way, their desserts are good!). Over half the items in the display case were tagged with a big V inside a circle to indicate they are vegan. I saw cookies, muffins, a variety of turnovers, apple pies and cakes, including a rich-looking German Chocolate Cake. That would have made a nice birthday cake last night...

Speaking of sweets, I sent Bob Barker a dozen Mighty O donuts after I wrote my previous post... Hopefully he actually gets them!

And that reminds me of notable veg*ns... I have not forgotten about the Dennis Kucinich post, but I've been so busy that I haven't been able to bring it to the top of the list. That, and no one has sent me pictures from the event yet, so I'm not sure if it will even happen as of now. Regardless, if you're an animal-lover who also believes in peace-based policy, you must read through Dennis's site!

Labels: events, restaurants, reviews, vegan restaurants

Spent most of Sunday in Brooklyn for the wedding my wife and I traveled out from L.A. to attend, though my plans got turned around when we arrived at Foodswings and found out it doesn't open until 2pm on Sundays now. Should have read the restaurant's own site instead of one of those restaurant databases.

So plan B was to go to The Green's, which turned out to be a better option, though we could have worn our wedding clothes there and had no problem. We originally wore jeans and such to cover ourselves for Foodswings, which we knew to be greasy and without bathrooms. Anyway, The Green's was a better option for my mother-in-law, though she ended up being timid and ordering zucchini pancakes. They were slightly overdone (she had us try a few bites), but tasted great dipped in the soy sauce that was brought with them.

My wife and I had a hard time deciding what to order. Quite a few things looked rather good. We both ordered miso soup, which wasn't my favorite broth ever, but it did have my favorite seaweed ever. The tofu was pretty much par for the course.

Jen ended up deciding on the Heavenly Vegetable Cod, which was basically soy "fish" (tofu with seaweed stuck to it) and veggies in a light sauce:


I ordered the Yin-Yang, which was a sort of shredded mushroom in a delicious brown sauce, with sesame seeds sprinkled on top, and surrounded with broccoli:


I preferred mine, and was disappointed that I could not finish it. Shouldn't have had the appetizers, I guess. Looking forward to trying the place again. While the service was rather unfriendly (it seemed like we were imposing on our server, almost), we had a neat view of Montague in Brooklyn Heights, which is a lovely little neighborhood in downtown Brooklyn, and the menu had many other unique and tasty-looking options to incite future plans.

After the wedding ceremony, my wife and I slipped off to Foodswings, knowing that we wouldn't be getting fed anything both vegan and good (turns out later we did get a small, passably decent rigatoni with marinara served before the awful salad, and the rest was either meat or spoiled by dairy).

I had been warned that Foodswings is not as good as its reputation, but I wanted to check it out anyway, having heard so many good things about it, and knowing that it was quite different than any vegan place we've ever been.

I liked the atmosphere. Very punk and fun, yet down to business. However, the lack of a bathroom is a bit of a pain. There's not even a community sink. While they may be wasteful, moist towelettes might go a long way toward alleviating that issue.

The food was the greasy stuff you'll expect from every review you read about this place. What we did sample was not something I'd necessarily go out of my way to eat again. It wasn't bad, mind you, but I just couldn't see myself gorging on this stuff unless I had a serious craving for what basically amounts to junk food, especially as a late night munchie-killer.

We tried the mock beef quesadilla, which was okay while still hot, but not as good after detouring into the Pu-Pu Platter for a while. We left about 1/3 of the 10" quesadilla uneaten.

The Pu-Pu Platter was a mixed bag. The Sea Styx were only so-so, but the mock chicken nuggets were much tastier, especially in the excellent BBQ dipping sauce. The various drumsticks were good, too. I think I've had variations on these at other restaurants in Los Angeles, and these were simply decked out differently. I can't remember which was best, but they were all good enough. Ultimately, it's a pretty cheap way to try different items Foodswings sells, and you can see for yourself.

The shakes were all right, and would have been a real treat if I had not already had the best I've ever experienced at Red Bamboo Brooklyn so recently. I did find it hard to drink all the chunks of snacky stuff through the thin straws, so I ended up having to take off the lid, scooping out the whole cookie and bigger chunks, then drinking the rest right out of the cup. We tried The Tank and The Hurricane, both of which tasted pretty good, but still fell short of the best vegan shakes I've ever had.

The counter service was friendly but could have been more informative. I asked enough questions to make it obvious I'd never been before, but I was not told what any of the dipping sauces were for the sampler basket, so I did not know which went to what item without having to ask or look at the menu. That said, it was fun to experiment. It was kinda like eating kids' finger food. The bleu cheese was interesting.

The place was pretty empty when we came in, and was getting pretty busy by the time we left, with a young, punk-style crowd coming in and hovering hungrily over their food. Devotees, most likely. While I don't expect to miss Foodswings after I return to L.A., if I end up drinking too much in Brooklyn some night off in the future and end up wishing I could go to a Denny's to satisfy my hunger for fried food at a late hour, I could definitely see myself looking for a way to get to Foodswings to do it the vegan way.

Labels: travel, vegan food, vegan restaurants

Madeleine Bistro - Organic Vegan Cuisine

I just finished eating one of the finest vegan meals of my life at Madeleine Bistro in Tarzana (of all places). While there are many delicious animal-friendly restaurants, there haven't been any on par with Manhattan's many fine veg restaurants, or even San Francisco's Millennium. I haven't been to many of those, since I'm not that well-traveled or well-heeled, but I certainly have rued that L.A. was lacking in an establishment that could at least be the peer of those restaurants.

Proprietors David and Molly Anderson opened the Bistro with an eye toward letting the ingredients dictate the menu, rather than getting locked into some sort of box. David's experience as an executive chef at Real Food Daily has clearly served him well (you have taste what he can do with seitan), but being out on his own has allowed him to draw on influences like Wolfgang Puck, whose various restaurants serve disparate cuisine unified by adventure, quality, and attention to detail, and have been host to many a fine chef. This is the start of what I hope will become a trend in L.A., particularly as veganism finds its way out of its niche.

It's nice to finally have an animal-friendly restaurant of this ilk in L.A. For those that can afford its relatively high (but by no means Juliano-style outrageous) prices, it is well worth the trek to find this nearly invisible restaurant on Ventura Blvd. The tacky neon strips seem a holdover from a previous tenant, and many of them don't work. They certainly do not hint at the warm, tasteful, but not ostentatious interior makeover you'll find after parking on the street nearby and heading in. No valet parking - at least, not yet - saves you about $5 over dining out for a similarly upscale experience, which is good news for my humble means. I found a spot on the street right out front, and used the valet money at dessert time to splurge on cannoli, which I haven't had since well before going vegan over five years ago. The cannoli was served with a sprinkling of berries, which were organic, as is I believe everything they serve, making their prices seem all the more reasonable.

While I had a $2 green tea, a variety of wines were also available by the glass from around $8. Two entrees - including their most expensive, a $16 portobella mushroom filet mignon - along with two teas and the cannoli ran only $42. While this firmly establishes Madeleine Bistro as a special occasion restaurant on my budget, it easily supplants all my previous choices for anniversaries and the like, and makes me excited about dining out at a vegan restaurant again.

And don't get the idea that this place is posh or pretentious. David and Molly are as nice and personal as can be, and the overall dining experience tonight was made very comfortable by their presence in the dining room. Our server, Hop, was attentive and helpful, certainly a far cry from the burn 'em and turn 'em atmosphere of RFD. Hop, if I remember correctly, was vegetarian 20 years, and has been vegan for 6, so it's nice to have him there to attend the needs of guests, especially people who might be less familiar with vegan cuisine and what veganism is all about. For us vegans, it's nice to go to a restaurant where the menu and the service is all oriented to your philosophy, and that is yet another great reason to pay a visit.


Madeleine Bistro
Organic Vegan Cuisine
818-758-6971
18621 Ventura Blvd.
Tarzana, CA 91356
(Exit 101 at Reseda and turn West on Ventura, N. side of street)

Hours of Operation:

Dinner:

Tuesday through Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:30pm
Friday and Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm

Lunch:

Tuesday through Friday: 11:30m - 2:30pm
Sunday Brunch: (beginning Sunday, June 12th)
Sunday: 10:00am - 3:00pm
Closed Monday

Labels: vegan food, vegan restaurants