Jen is vegan — no meat, no dairy, no animal products of any kind. So, now Dan eats vegan, too (well, mostly…he still braves the mercury and eats fish every now and then).
One of the most frustrating things for a vegan in the United States is trying to find a restaurant that serves a decent vegan meal. Walk into a restaurant that isn’t specifically dedicated to vegan fare, and your inquiry into what they can offer a non-animal-product-eater is often “nothing” or “well…there is the house salad.” Of course, you do occasionally get the pleasant surprise of a place that will modify a menu item or custom-create something unique, but these places are few and far between.
It isn’t a cake walk outside the States, either. Even in Buddhist countries like Thailand and Laos, meat reigns supreme. Toss in language barriers, and eating vegan is no small challenge.
As we travel about the globe seeking a decent vegan meal, we’ll offer our observations on restaurants we have visited, cuisine we have sampled, and recipes we have found.
We have also thrown in some restaurant reviews for the San Francisco Bay area, Portland, and Hawaii.
Phuket Thai Restaurant 401 Kamakee Street Honolulu, HI Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: The Spring Rolls The Green Papaya Salad Peanut Sauce Tofu Curry Over all experience: Dan and I decided to search for some good Thai food on Oahu! We used to haunt this little dive in Pacifica CA, cleverly named Pacifica Thai. Pacifica Thai is a dive and […]
Sweetpea Baking Company 1205 Southeast Stark Street Portland OR 97214 Foodies: Jocelyn and Jen Ordered: The Wilson Brothers Sandwich-Thinly sliced roast beef style seitan and grilled onions on house baked bread with au jus and vegan mozzarella. The Katie John Rainboots Sandwich-Chickpea tuna with vegan mozzarella and tomato. Black bottom cupcake Charlie Brown brownie The Elvis – 6? Banana Cake […]
Portobello Vegan Trattoria 1125 SE Division Portland OR 97214 Foodies: Jocelyn and Jen Ordered: Truffle mushroom pate and accouterments. Smoked tomato sausage and cheese lasagna, tomato basil sauce, cashew besciamela. Strawberry cheese cake with shortbread crust and strawberry sauce. Toasted polenta-sour cream poundcake with cherry coconut bliss, amarena cherries, and macona almonds. Over all experience: Wowoowwowowoow! Ok this is by […]
Souley Vegan- 301 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607-3804 Foodies: Paula and Jen Ordered: Corn Bread, Potato Salad, Mac and Cheese, Southern Fried Tofu and cayenne pepper lemon aid. Overall experience: This place has great ambience! Episodes of old Soul Train play on a TV set near the bar which is hooked up to sound system. The food is good. I really […]
Ocean Fish, 455 Oceana Blvd, Pacifica Japanese Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Avocado Maki, Sweet Potato Maki, Garden Roll, and Vegetable Tempura Over all experience: I love this place! Not only is it close to my house the food is always good! The only complaint I have is that they do not offer more Vegan options.
Herbivore – 983 Velencia Street, San Francisco Foodies: Jen and Dan Ordered: Musaka and Penne Pasta with Lemon Herb Sauce. Over all experience: The food and the service goes up and down at this place. I have been going to Herbivore for years and each time is different. But I keep going back for more, so they must be doing […]
Other Avenues Food Store – 3930 Judah Street, San Francisco Foodie: Jen Ordered: Mock Chicken Sandwhich, Potato Salad, and Ginger Beer Over all experience: I eat here M-F for lunch. The selection of Vegan stuff is good when they stocked. The problem is that they are lame about keeping things stocked! The food is always good though. The Ginger Beer […]
Herbivore – The Earthy Grill 983 Velencia Street San Francisco Ca 94110 Foodies: Jocelyn and Jen Southwest scrambled tofu Basil pesto scramble tofu
Firefly: 4288 24th Street, San Francisco CA Eaters: Jen and Dan Meal: Dinner Price: Moderate What we ate: Jen: Local Delta Asparagus Salad with Salt Water Vinaigrette, Walnuts and Slow Poached Egg – HOLD THE EGG!! Griddled Garbanzo Panisse with Meyer Lemon “Aioli”, Asparagus, Moroccan Black Olives and Crispy Artichokes Dan: Lola Rosa Salad with Kumquat Vinaigrette, Fines Herbes and […]
Cafe Gratitude – 2400 Harrison Street, SF Vegan and Raw Restaurant Eaters: Jen and Dan Meal: Lunch Price: Moderate What we ate: Bruschetta Appetizer Sushi Bowl Live pizza Overall experience: Meh~ I have eaten at Cafe Gratitude more times then I can remember but this time for some reason the food wasn’t as good. New cooks? If you can call […]