Back to Samovar

I'm in NJ now for some early holiday revelry, but before I left SF, I made the rounds to some of my favorite places.  As you may already know, one of my go-to spots for a healthy and delicious meal is Samovar, and they delivered as usual.

There are many vegan options at Samovar, but that right there is the Moorish Service, which includes edamame hummus, eggplant dip, grilled veggies, and marinated tofu over greens.  The tofu is slightly sweet from the marinade and pairs well with the bitter greens and dips.  Plus there are mint-stuffed dates for a mini dessert, and it comes with scrumptious mint tea.  All in all, it's one of the best light meals in the city.  I love it.

Even better?  Our server told us Samovar will soon be replacing their tofu with local tempeh.  Apparently the tofu is the only item on the menu that isn't local, and so they're changing it out.  Sounds good to me, and gives me even more incentive to go back.  See you there!

Up next, a new-to-me and uber tasty spot in the East Bay.  Stay tuned....

An Impromptu Visit to Greens

Happy Monday, everyone!  We had a jam-packed weekend and decided to skip that brandy new place I mentioned in my last post and hit up an old fave in our neighborhood instead.  Hence, we ended up at Greens.  Their regular dinner menu is always vegan-friendly, but I was a little concerned that their Saturday night 4 course prix fixe, with its limited choices, would be more of a challenge.  Turns out I had nothing to fear!

HERE is the menu if you'd like to check it out (ignore the date - it hasn't changed much since then)

When our server came around and explained that everything on the menu with the exception of the griddle cakes appetizer could be veganized, I was ecstatic.  In the first course, delicious roasted almonds took the place of the cheese and butter was replaced with olive oil:

The fennel and radish salad, olives, and baguette rounded out this shared starter, and we were well on our way to food bliss.  In fact, so blissful was the meal that I forgot to take pictures of my pear and watercress salad, and my wild mushroom ravioli.  What can I say?  I was hungry and wrapped up in the lovely ambiance of the restaurant.  I relished every tasty bite while staring out at the Golden Gate Bridge and wondering, yet again, why we don't go to Greens more often.  I did capture dessert, however:

Their signature vegan dessert is a German chocolate cake which always manages to somehow be light yet decadent.  With coconut sorbet as its partner, it was the perfect ending to my meal.

Up next, a visit to another old SF favorite... and soon I'll be on the East Coast, so stay tuned for good eats from the Atlantic side of things, including what's good to chow on at Disney World!

Detox at Blue Barn

When I make a promise, I deliver (most of the time)...  So, as promised, here is my new favorite salad in San Francisco.   Meet the "Detox":

This healthy, yet supremely tasty, concoction is brought to you by the folks at Blue Barn Gourmet on Chestnut Street.  It contains a mix of greens, watermelon radishes, apples, dried cranberries, quinoa, cucumbers, flax seeds, and more!  Plus it gets dressed with their acai-lemon "master cleanse" dressing -the perfect combo of sweet and tart that really completes the salad.  I get it topped with their grilled organic tofu for some extra ooomph, and it is delish.  Seriously, I could eat this every day and be one happy camper.

Blue Barn is slated to open on Polk Street (even closer to me - yay!) in early 2013 and I seriously hope the Detox remains on the menu.  Meanwhile, I suggest y'all make your way to Chestnut Street and get your detox on,  It's the perfect dose of healthy during the madness of the holidays!

Next up, a visit to an old fave and a brand-spankin' new place getting some rave reviews....  Stay tuned.

Skool

Other restaurants could learn a thing or two at Skool!  This omni, fish-focused, eatery is not only adorable and welcoming and making some killer cocktails, but they also have separate veg and gluten-free menus.  Bless you, Skool, for welcoming everyone to the table and serving us all some tasty grub... like this Autumn Harvest Salad:

Perfectly dressed, these fresh organic greens are matched with sweet persimmon and raisins.  The addition of crunchy toasted almonds brings everything together to create a simply delicious start to the meal.  I wish I had another one right now, in fact.  It was so yummy!  As was my Vegan Flatbread:

Topped with a bounty of veggies (love those purple broccoli peeking through) and arugula, this flatbread keeps it simple with just some olive oil, salt, and pepper, proving yet again that you don't need to mess with good ingredients.  Oh, and my husband had the Hoisin Tofu and loved it.  No picture, and I didn't taste it, but just sayin'.

I will totally go back to Skool, and I'll bring my omni friends so we can all enjoy the lovely atmosphere and good food together.  Well done, Skool!   Up next, my new favorite salad in SF.  Stay tuned...

Awesome Burger

There are a ton of good vegan burgers in SF (lucky us), and perhaps this is why I'd never tried the one that Source serves up.  There are MANY more options outside of the burgers at Source, as I've mentioned, but I was in the mood for one when I was there the other day, so here's what I got:

That right there is the ginormous "Awesome" burger.  The "Awesome" is just their regular burger, simply dressed with lettuce and tomato.  It comes with the fries (I LOVE skin-on fries) and I made it "deluxe" by adding a side salad.  Can't live without my greens!

So, in general, I really liked this burger.  It had good texture and flavor and was certainly substantial BUT the pita sort of kills it for me.  I wish this bad boy was served up on a bun like a normal burger.  I know that the pita is homemade and fresh and really tasty, but this burger just screams for a big soft bun.  That being said, I think I'll save my burger cravings for The Plant or ROAM in the future and order any of the other hundred or so delicious items on the menu at Source in the future.

I know I promised you new places, and I'm headed to one tonight....stay tuned for the full report soon!