After our East Bay Day, we had a pretty chill Wednesday. We went to see the Japanesque exhibit at the Legion of Honor (go if you haven't, it's awesome) and then we headed over to my mom's favorite place in the city - Underdog.
I never really make it out there myself because A. I don't normally go for the meat analogs, and B. I feel like veggie dogs and tater tots are easy enough to make at home. That being said, Underdog is fantastic. The Vegan Polish (above) has just enough pepper and spices and, when topped with their super delicious fresh sauerkraut and some whole grain mustard, it is cylindrical brilliance. My dad loved his Vegan Italian too, and my mom, always smitten with Underdog, reveled in her plain old Vegan Dog. We all got the perfectly crispy tater tots too of course.... because what goes better with dogs than tots??? Maybe I should head out to Underdog more often!
The next day we went back to another old fave: Saha. I've been there tons of times so I decided to just enjoy the moment and not take pics.
Following that was Christmas Eve and we had a wonderful day! First stop was Ananda Fuara, where I had some really lip-smacking butternut squash soup (above) and this hearty salad with tahini dressing:
I used to go to Ananda all the time when I first moved to SF, but I hadn't been in forever. It may have slightly religious overtones, but the food is quite tasty and reasonably priced. Yet another place I really should patronize more often. (It's also really close to the Symphony, which was our post-lunch destination.) Anyway, I was keeping it kind of healthy at lunch because I knew we were in for some decadence at dinner. Ready for the pictures? Well, too bad because I didn't take any! Apologies really, as our dinner at Fleur de Lys was quite wonderful. If you ever want some super high-end vegan amazingness, just call in advance and they'll hook you up with a feast. My Christmas Eves of past have certainly not contained as many truffles, foams, and nuanced flavors as this one!
On Christmas itself, we kept it low key, opting for the "movie and Chinese food" route. Instead of straight up Chinese, we went for the the Pan-Asian vegan stylings of Loving Hut. My parents were intrigued by all the "Supreme Master" stuff, but we all enjoyed our food, the Veggie Curry (above) and the Cashew "Chicken" (below) being the faves.
All in all, we had such a fun time eating our way through SF for the holidays. What could be better, right? Well.... two days after Christmas, me and the hubby (and 6 of our good friends!) took off for Hawaii! Stay tuned for some great island eats in the near future. Meanwhile, enjoy the weekend and, of course, eat well!
4 comments:
Hey Sky, I have a non food related question. Are you a vegan for health reasons, or because you like animals (or both)? If its because of your love for animals, I was wondering if you use cruelty free products. I am trying to slowly switch to products that do not test on animals, but so many products are made by big companies, and I don't know of any alternative companies. I check the PETA site for companies that don't test on animals, but for example, if I want to buy trash bags, they only list one company that makes trash bags and don't test on animals. Do you have the same problem? I'm just wondering if it is unrealistic for me to think that I can replace all of my products with products made by companies that don't test on animals. Thanks!
That is such an awesome question! I started out with veganism because I love all animals, but the health reasons are very compelling so now I am vegan for both - PLUS the fact that it is the most environmentally sounds way to live. SO.... I use crueltyfreeface.com for make-up, etc., and as far as trash bags go I've been using biobags (http://biobags.com) since they came out because they are compostable and SOOOO much better for the planet. I never even thought about if they'd be tested on animals to be honest. I mean, what would need to be tested? Good to be doing all you can - for the animals, your health, and the planet - in any case. You go!
Thanks for getting back to me. I have found that there are a lot of cruelty-free options for beauty products (although I'm going to have to search for good replacements for toothpaste, mouth wash, and deodorant). But it's a lot harder with the household products. I'll stick with the trash bag example. So right now I'm using GLAD bags, which are manufactered by Clorox. So the trash bags may not have been tested on animals, but Clorox makes TONS of other products that they do test on animals. Therefore, I don't want to use anything made by Clorox. Therein lies my dilemia. I guess I will just try my best (and not make myself crazy trying to go 100% cruelty-free), and whatever products I can find a suitable alternative for, I will switch.
It can be a challenge (and crazy-making!) to try to be cruelty-free down to the very last nook and cranny of life, but the fact that you are making an attempt is fantastic. I use all Seventh Generation household products and I highly recommend the BioBags (here in CA, they sell them in Walgreens). I don't think any of that has animal testing involved. Clorox is definitely a no no. :) Oh, and Kiss my Face makes great toothpaste!
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