Veggie Goes Vegan

A great vegan meal at a non-vegan restaurant: The Red Cat in Chelsea (NYC)

My last night in New York last week (at the end of a trip that lasted longer than most) was at a restaurant recommended by a non-vegan colleague. She knows the owner and assured me they had vegan options...but non-vegans aren't always expert on the differences between vegetarian or vegetable dishes and actual vegan dishes. Still, I reviewed the menu of  The Red Cat in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan online, and it looked promising. MUch as I love my vegan stand-by restaurants in the city, I do like to show some flexiblity and go to non-veg places, since my dining companions are almost always non-veg.

It was a cold and damp night, but the Red Cat had a warm inviting ambiance. I got there about 30 minutes early, but they happily sat me and let me order a basket of very yummy herbed fries to pass the time until my friend showed up.

My official meal started with a fantastic fall/winter salad. I know the below looks like a piece of fish, but it's actually kabocha sqaush with the rind still on, served with black kale and dried cherries. Great combo

My entree was the second plate of pappardelle pasta with mushrooms I had in as many days. Also good, this time with tomatoes to sweeten and diversify the flavors a bit.

My dining companion used to date someone in the neighborhood and said that The Red Cat was a go-to joint during their relationship. I can see why. I don't get as far as 10th Avenue all that often, but should I be in the area again, I know where I'm going.

The Red Cat
227 Tenth Ave. (between 23/24)
New York, NY 10011 

Sometimes the great vegan food isn't where you expect it to be: db Bistro Moderne in NYC

I spent a couple of days in NYC last week, on my way back from a whirlwind trip to Istanbul. I'll save Istanbul for another post, but this trip to NYC was interesting because I had two great meals at non-vegan restaurants, and one really disappointing meal at a vegan restaurant I'd been looking forward to trying for a long time.

And it actually makes me wonder: Do I write an honest review here of a pretty well-known vegan place and possibly discourage people from going? It was but a week post-Hurrican Sandy, and given the site is in the East Village they likely still had logistical issues. They were also super-cool, because when they noticed I hadn't really eaten my entree they not only asked me if I didn't like it, but they took it off my bill. I'd like to think I had a fluke experience. But I also know I probably won't go back. I'm not a professional restaurant reviewer. I'm not writing this for the column I used to have where I did do restaurant reviews. I'm just an enthusiastic vegan evangelist. What would you do?

While I ponder whether or not to write about the not-so-good experience, I will tell you about one of the two wonderful meals I had at non-vegan restaurants this week.

The first such meal was at db Bistro Moderne, owned by famed chef Daniel Boulud. It's midtown in a fairly unremarkable location. But my salad qualified as remarkable. First take a look at two pictures of the adorable presentation:

What you might not quite be able to see is the dark crumbly "soil" at the bottom of the plate. It's made from dried, roughly ground olives. Seriously. So awesome to add a bit of crunch and salt to the dish. And with all the veggies standing up in it, it was like a little garden in my plate. (I should note that the item on the menu includes goat cheese, but it was easy for them to serve without it.)

I then had a lovely pappardelle pasta porcini, also sans cheese:

And, my lunch companion and I couldn't resist sharing a side of brussels sprouts (made in oil, not butter), which arrived in an adorable little pot:

db Bistro Moderne is on W. 44th St, between 5th and 6th Avenues (closer to 6th), tucked next to the City Club Hotel. Having just stayed at the City Club, can't say I'd recommend it for lodging, but I can definitely recommend db Moderne for a nice lunch...and a flexible open mind for serving vegans! 

Vegan MoFo Day 22: Kokkari in San Francisco (and a recipe tease)

Tonight I'm in the midst of cooking Curried Lentil, Squash and Apple Stew from Chloe's Kitchen...and I'm about half-way done, and a lovely scent is filling my home.

But, I'll be saving my report on that for tomorrow, because tonight I'm going to tell you about my meal out last night. The S.O and I joined another couple for some psot-theatre dinner at Greek restaurant Kokkari.

There's nothing vegan about Kokkari, in general, but I've gone back there many times because they have many interesting vegetable side dishes that can easily be ordered vegan.

Here's what I went to town with last night:

 

 

The table shared some grilled pita bread with Favosalata (which is basically Kokkari's version of hummus, and then I started with a Butter Lettuce Salad, with walnuts, apples, grilled red onions, and a champagne vinaigrette:

Then I had two vegetable sides as my entree: Simple roasted potatoes, and my favorite Kokkari dish: Gigantes (big old beans in a tomato based sauce, hold the cheese!):

Frankly the beans and potatoes would be plenty for a meal...hearty, savory, rich. 

Just like I expect tonight's stew to be! Stay tuned...

Kokkari 200 Jackson Street (at Front) San Francisco, CA 94111 p:415.981.0983  fx:415.982.0983

 

Vegan MoFo Day 17: The Seed in Venice Beach, CA

Tonight my lovely friends Todd & Diane from White on Rice Couple picked me up at my hotel and took me to The Seed Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in Venice with a focus on organic and macrobiotic foods.

Great conversation, great food, in a casual, funky atmosphere.

Here's what we ate:

French fries with a ketchup that tasted a little better than your typical grocery store option:

Cold sesame noodles:

And the piece de resistance: Seitan Asada Tacos, YUM!

It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the conference hotel and eat something quick, fresh, tasty...and vegan, of course!

The Seed Kitchen:
1604 Pacific Avenue
Venice, CA 90291 

 

Vegan MoFo Day 15: My day out and about in NYC

Today I was out of my hotel room at 8AM and didn't get back until 7PM. A long day, but I made sure to eat regularly.

In the morning I gave a breakfast presentation, and since we provided the breakfast I made sure there was a soy yogurt parfait for moi!

Then I had a late lunch at one of my regular haunts, Le Pain Quotidien. It's not a vegan restaurant, but it always has many options. I usually go there for breakfast, so I got to try something new this time, namely an Asian Tofu Salad:

Then I hit a raw vegan restaurant in the East Village for the first time, called Quintessence. I'd had a Groupon for it burning a hole in my pockt for *months*, and it expires in a couple fo months, so I hopped on it this trip...with my vegan blogging friend JL Fields.

We each wanted that evening's prix fixe, but luckily there was an alternate entree choice, so we each did order it, but with the two different entrees, which we shared.

Here's what we got:

A caprese salad appetizer featuring yummy nut cheese:

Then we split the following two entrees:

1. A pizza with olives, pineapple, a nut crust, and some kind of raw, vegan sausage...I have no idea how they make any of it!

2. The Ravioli platter...ravioli made of turnips and squash! We chose the pesto sauce, which was good, since the pizza had a tomatoa-based sauce:

Finally, dessert. The manu said Cherry Pie (which is one of my faves) but they offered Pumpkin instead, which I didn't kick out of the menu for eating crackers. Or something to that effect. The cream on the side was delicious. My cashew cream never came out that yummy (but perhaps I've never actually sweetened it, and this was lightly sweetened). As you can see I had to dig in and take a bite before I remembered to take my shot:

Quintessence is the best raw restauant I've been to. (OK, I've been to two others, Cafe gratitude and Pure), but I'm not certain I'll make the journey to the East Village for it again. I like my cooked comfort food.

Quintessence

263 E 10th Street (btw. Ave A & 1st Ave)
NYC
(646) 654-1823

Vegan MoFo Day 14: If you're gonna be traveling...

...you could do a lot worse than be flying out fo San Francisco International Aurport (SFO).

I'm a Virgin America junkie, and in their terminal is the home of several great places to pick up vegan food for your flight.

Lately I've been hitting Napa Farms Market if for no other reason than they will toast your bagel and offer your *vegan* cream cheese (and the jam of your choice) for just a few dollars. Vegan cream cheese at an airport? I never thought I'd live to see the day.

There is also The Plant Cafe Organic, which always has a vegan wrap choice or two. I'll be honest that once I hate something from there that disagreed with me, shall we say, but I don't hold that against them.

When my flight is delayed I stop and have breakfast at the Lark Creek Grill. Fresh juices, a soy latte, fruit plate, home fries cooked with oil...I can be happy with that.

If I ever have a flight that isn't a the butt crack o' dawn, I might picky myself up a veggie burrito at Andale, too.

And of course, a soy latte tops off any trip to the airport. If I'm there early, I get Starbucks before going through security. If I'm not early I grab Peet's inside the terminal.

Even when you can buy your own food, as you can on Virgin America, it's not guaranteed they will have a vegan option in inventory, so I always make sure to load up before. (Would it be even smarter to bring from home? Sure. I have my limits of forethought and organization, though.)

I'm not in NYC and looking forward to hitting raw restaurant Quintessence tomorrow night for my very first time. Yes, that might make for a more interesting post...at least I hope so!

Vegan MoFo is almost half-over. I hope I have some actual cooking to report on before the month is through!

Vegan MoFo Day 13: New restaurant with ample vegan choices

Today was my S.O.'s birthday, so tonight my parents and I took him out to dinner. Using OpenTable to make the reservation, I finally checked out a restaurant I've driven by a hundred times, but never visited. It's not quite in downtown Campbell,and I've always wondered if it just gets passed by by everyone like me.

Well, Tigelleria Organic Restaurant is Campbell doesn't seem to be getting passed by, and now that I've discovered it (and its ample, creative selection for vegans) I'm sure we'll be going back. I liked the fact that their menu says, sure...you can get a vegan aglio olio or marinara pasta any time, but those aren't the featured vegan menu items. They take a bit more care with it. 

They offer charcuterie, including a vegan one. And they offer three different vegan desserts, including a vegan chocolate mousse!

This is not your typical non-vegan Italian restaurant, that's clear.

The restaurant is a bit expensive (ended up being about $60/person), a bit noisy, and the service was a bit slow, so it wasn't a perfect experience, but the food will bring us back any time we have a special occasion and a leisurely evening available.

Here's what I got:

The vegetable charcuterie (the roasted potatoes and the mushrooms were my favorite):

My pasta with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and a lovely seasoned bread crumb topping:

My vegan chocolate mousse with cherry sauce (served in a mini-Mason jar):

The lovely presentation for my S.O. birthday dessert:

The cute creamer container:

All in all, a delightful evening, a good meal, and a new discovery.

Tigelleria Organic Restaurant
76 East Campbell Ave.
Campbell, CA 95008
(408) 884-3808
info@tigelleria.com

http://www.tigelleria.com

Vegan MoFo Day 9: Pine Nuts Make Everything Better

Today I did a stupid thing.

I had put a meeting in my calendar to hold the time. And when that meeting was canceled, I never deleted it out of my calendar. And promptly forgot about the email canceling the meeting.

The meeting was up in San Francisco. At 5PM.

If you're from the Bay Area you can do the math...although my office is only about 20 miles from the city, it tooke me over an hour to get to the meeting.

At which point I learned I battled rush hour city traffic for nothing. And had to get back on the road for what would surely be about a 90 minute ride home, still in rush hour traffic.

And let's not forget that a Bay Area visit from President Obama made my morning commute worse than usual, clocking in at almost an hour too.

Yeah, I was a tiny bit frustrated by the time I got home.

Not in the mood to cook. Nothing much in the house.

But I finally dragged my ass into the kitchen and made something simple (and sinfully scrumptious): Seitan with Pine Nuts.

I sauteed some garlic and pine nuts in olive oil. (I use frozen minced garlic cubes form Trader Joe's...one of my favorite things, and I buy pine nuts in bulk.)

I added a package of seitan. (No, I've never made my own seitan, but yes, the idea totally intrigues me.)

Finally, I added some vegan "bacon" bits and some nutritional yeast .

That was some lucious stuff. Quick but indulgent. Rich and savory.

No, food doesn't cure intense annoyance at wasting my own time (not to mention gas) but ya gotta eat, right? 

What's you go-to quick meal that you can find the energy to make, no matter how tired (and cranky) you may be?

Vegan MoFo Day 6: Challenge #1: Attending conferences

This week I've been on the road. I was in Baltimore for a day at one conference, and now I'm in NYC for another.

And let me tell you: Conferences rarely rememer to account for vegans. Now, my company (BlogHer) does indeed alway offer vegan selections. (The benefit of a vegan co-founder.) And we offer gluten-free too (the benefit of a gluten-free team member). And there are other dietary needs that we don't meet and hear about. I understand that you can't accommodate every kind of dietary requirement.

However most conferences do make sure to accommodate vegetarians. how hard would it be to simply make it vegan (which would be appropriate for vegetarians too, then)? I wouldn't say it's hard. I'd say folks just don't think of it.

If I were really on top of it, I'd call ahead to the conference facilities or organizers and give them the heads up. But I'm rarely that on top of it.

So here's what actually ends up happening:

1. I eat before heading into the conference.
Like this morning, when I *knew* the conference wouldn't offer soy milk for coffee, so I stopped at Starbucks, grabbed my soy latte AND got an oatmeal, just in case.

2. I make do.
Do I wish I had a more substantial lunch than some greens with vinaigrette and some slided fruit? Sure. But I won't starve. it's actually kind of a boon that I can't end up pigging out on, for example, the cookies and brownies that often serve as afternoon snacks at conferences :)

3. I step out
Yes, it seems a shame to pay for a ticket for an event, and still go off-site to  feed myself. But in the scheme of things, it's no big whoop. I invest in conferences for the conversations and learnings, not the hotel food.

4. I bring my own
Nuts and protein bars are my go-to bring-along snacks...because vegan protein is hard to find at conferences. I acknowledge that it's hard to stay alert and pay attention if you're not eating all day. So prepping with a little somethin' somethin' to tide you over...particularly protein...is a smart way to get through.   

We do live in an instant gratification culture, so I know it doesn't sound like the best advice in the world to say, yeah, sometimes you're not going to eat so well while you're out at professional conferences.

But there it is. 

Do you have any coping tactics that I missed?

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Let's address perfection

I went vegetarian back in 1989. I flipped a switch. Went cold tofurkey. And I didn't even find it all that difficult.

I realized pretty quickly that philosophically I was really meant to be a vegan. I believed in the principles of veganism. So every year, for several years, I made "going vegan" my New Year's Resolution.

And every year I failed.

Oh, I made progress. I became vegan outside my body long before I went vegan. I stopped buying leather, suede, wool, silk, even leather interiors in my cars. 

But I always "failed" at being vegan. And you can guess: It was the dairy that was my downfall. but perhaps even more: It was my own mind that was my downfall.

You see, I didn't plan well; I didn't prepare well; I didn't set myself up for success when I traveled. And then I would think "This is too hard." And I would crumble. And I would allow one crumble to drive me to throw up my hands and admit total and complete defeat.

Now, back in the early 90s it certainly was very different. There were no Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Safeway didn't carry vegan alternatives. Restaurants looked at you like you were speaking a foreign language should you dare to ask what was vegan. The world has changed plenty making it much easier to be vegan.

But I also changed my approach and my mindset. Back in 2006, when that switch flipped again, and I knew I should try again to be vegan (after nearly a decade of not trying at all), here's what I did differently:

1. I started this blog. When this blog started I used to simply post my daily menu. The idea was to track what I was eating, and to track when I had an issue...and to identify what was confounding me about this process. I didn't have any readers at first, so my blog was literally a food diary. Then when people started commenting, I realized people were actually reading, so I used ot feel this pressure to tell a little story about each day's menu. Eventually that grew too pressure-packed for me, so I decided to back off and not keep a food diary, but just blog whatever struck me whenever it struck me. I'm not sure anyone even reads anymore (inconsistency and lack of focus can do that to a blog) but that's OK. I'm just doing what I can do.

2. I gave up the perfectionism. If I crumble, that just means I have to forgive myself and get back on the horse, and, too, that I should try to figure out how to avoid the same mistake again. Yes, planning makes a different. Preparation makes a difference. Yes, travel is hard...foreign travel is really hard. No, I admit, I am not perfect.

But here's the thing: I am not vegan for *you*. I am vegan to live up to my own ideals and for the animals. I have to live with myself about my failings...I don't have to actually live with *you* about them. 

(You being the monolithic critical judgmental plural you, not you, specifically, dear reader!)

I di what I can do, until I can do better. And that's what I hope everyone does.

I am not the person who will criticize the meat eater who's anti-fur.

I am not the person who will criticize the ethics-based vegetarian because they haven't yet gone vegan.

I will be glad for what they are doing, even as I hope to encourage them to do more.

Between someone doing something and someone doing nothing, I will choose something every time.

That is how I roll. 

So, bring it. Are you a perfectionist?