Friday, April 24, 2009

The Big Vegan Eat SF: 50 Things To Try Before You Die

Pull up a chair - it's time for good eats! I started this list, got busy, started again, went traveling, and now I have finally finished. I present to you, in all its delectable glory, the 50 (Vegan) Things To Try Before You Die. This is a knock-off of the not-so-vegan-friendly list put forth by 7x7 Magazine. Why not 100 Vegan Things, you ask? Well, if I were to include the entire Bay Area, it would have been no problem, but since I wanted to keep the quality up, and keep all the eats within San Francisco proper, 50 seemed like a more reasonable number. I'm sure I'll add to it over time, but for now, it stands strong as is. FYI, there is only one dish allowed from any given restaurant, and they are in no particular order. Go get your grub on, y'all!

San Francisco's 50 Vegan Things to Try Before You Die

1. Cha-Ya Roll at Cha-Ya
2. Roasted Pineapple and Plantain Tamale at Donna's Tamales
3. Pumpkin Curry (ask for no fish sauce) at Osha
4. Falafel Deluxe at Truly Mediterranean
5. Vegan Blueberry Pancakes at The Plant Cafe
6. Soyrizo Burrito with Guacamole at Papalote
7. Masala Dosa at DOSA
8. Vegetarian Spring Rolls at The Slanted Door
9. Olive Tapenade and Hummus Sandwich at Nook Cafe
10. Vegan Cassoulet at Luna Park
11. Moroccan Vegetable Tagine (without yogurt) at Nopa
12. Crispy Tofu Cake with Doc Ong's Chili Sauce at Betelnut
13. Spaghetti alla Pizzaiola st Caffe Macaroni Sciue Sciue
14. Lemon "Chicken" at Golden Era
15. Atlas Salad at The Atlas Cafe
16. Vegetarian Samusa Soup at Burma Superstar
17. Funghi Pizza with Vegan Cheese at Beretta
18. Vegetarian Combo at Club Waziema
19. "I am Perfect" at Cafe Gratitude
20. Chocolate Sorbetto at Ciao Bella
21. Sweet Potato Fries with Banana Catsup at Poleng Lounge
22. Veggie Muffelatta at Estela's Fresh Sandwiches
23. Vegan Tasting Menu at Fluer de Lys (call ahead to special order)
24. Bell Pepper Walnut Spread at Troya
25. Chocolate Almond Midnight at Millennium
26. Hell Fish Taco at Weird Fish
27. Vegetarian Bastilla at Saha
28. Fig and Fennel Sourdough at Arizmendi Bakery (only available Fridays)
29. Raw Carrot Ginger Soup at Alive
30. Spicy Fried Chickpeas and a Valencia Wheat Ale at Thirsty Bear
31. Any cupcake from Sugar Beat Sweets (special order only)
32. Mesquite Grilled Brochettes at Greens
33. "The Virgin" at Pizza Orgasmica
34. Stuffed Grape Leaves at Medjool
35. Soup and Salad Combo lunch at Ananda Fuara
36. Alu Tama at Metro Kathmandu
37. Veggie Beer Bratwurst at Underdog
38. Mien Xao Rau (glass noodles) at Aux Delices
39. Andean Corn Tamale at Pena Pachamama
40. Mixed Green Salad at Roti Indian Bistro
41. Dr. Cow Aged Cashew Cheese (avaialable exclusively at Rainbow)
42. The Bittersweet at Bittersweet Cafe
43. Vegan Backstabber at Ike's Place
44. Hot and Sour Vegetable Noodle Soup at Citrus Club
45. Sherpa Sandwich at Judahlicious
46. Sundae from Maggie Mudd
47. Dessert (check the case) and Coffee at Ritual Roasters
48. Green Salad with Grilled Tofu and Dijon Dressing at Herbivore
49. Quinoa and Tofu at Triptych
50. Avocado at Aziza

Phew! Well, there you have it folks. It's not everything I've eaten in SF, but it's the best. I recommend you print it out and start checking it off. And, of course, bring your others along for the ride. Enjoy! Now I need a nap......

12 comments:

Suzy Vincent said...

WHEW, Sky you made my head spin... though this fine Sonoma Valley Merlot (2004, Benziger Family Winery "sustainably grown") probably helped too!

Okay. I really have to re-think and re-engineer my scheme to get transferred to the Bay Area. A list of 50 vegan emporiums in Atlanta would probably extend to Miami... but maybe I should take up the challenge?

Well done, Grasshopper!

Sky said...

Benziger is one of my favorite wineries to visit - they do a great tour! As for an Atlanta list, keep in mind that only a handful of the restaurants on the list are all-vegan. Surely there are vegan dishes on non-vegan restaurants in Atlanta!

Gary said...

Did you leave out the Japenese Sushi restaurant or did I forget the name? I think of that place alot!

Sky said...

That's Cha-ya, Gary - #1! (Though, remember, these are not listed in any particular order.)

Veg said...

Dosa is good, to be sure, but I'd rather get my dosas from the less expensive, less formal, all-veg Udupi Palace on the next block.

At Cha-Ya, I especially love their Moon Garden (warm tofu custard with veggies) and their agadashi (lightly fried tofu cubes with seaweed strips, sprouts, and radish in a delic sauce). Also their wakame soba noodle soup!

I just had Trader Joe's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies today and they are soooooooo good.

Please visit Eco-Eating at http://www.brook.com/veg for loads of good info and links.

Sky said...

That's quite a website you have there, Veg. Thanks for sharing! I too love Udupi (hell, they catered my wedding!) but I find the food at DOSA more fresh and flavorful. Never had the cookies from TJ's - I rarely shop there because the bulk of my groceries is organic produce (when I'm not eating out I'm mostly raw vegan) and their selection is terrible and all wrapped in so much plastic! I think the main point though is that we San Franciscan's are blessed to have an abundance of good vegan eats at our fingertips...

Anonymous said...

Sky,
Thanks for making the list. Although I am not vegan I am a gluten free vegetarian and I have already found some new places to eat. I intend to pass on the info to my gluten free friends. And I think Babycakes in NYC was great also. Thks

Sky said...

You're welcome, Anonymous. I love my gluten-free friends! Glad you got some new eats to try. And Babycakes is, indeed, great. I'm hoping to check out their L.A. location when I'm down there in July. :)

TJ said...

Thanks for the tip about Beretta. I tried their pizza (spicy marina one and the funghi one) last night - yum! Crust was a bit soggy, but otherwise tasted amazing.

Sky said...

Sorry you got soggy crust at Beretta - mine was perfectly crisp. I guess even the best of us have off nights, eh? Glad you're enjoying the list though! Happy eating....

Duckduck said...

AWESOME

My boyfriend and I are coming to San Francisco (from Monterey) for a few days soon, and I just came across this blog and this list. Definitely going to be hitting up some of these places.

BTW, the original 7x7 list creeps me out just a little tiny bit. Milk-roasted pork? Bacon-wrapped hot dog? Pig parts?? Is this "100 Things to Try Before You Die" or "100 Things to Try to Help You Die"?

Sky said...

Stacy-

I've called the 7x7 list the EXACT same thing. Too funny. Enjoy your SF trip and all the good eats we have to offer!