Weddings and WaterCourse

I love weddings. I love the love, yes, but I also love the free food and drinks and DANCING! Try the latter on an empty stomach one too many times, however, and weddings will quickly turn into something to dread. This is the case for many a vegan, myself included. I've been reduced to eating the garnishes off a buffet and/or subsisting on bread and salad at one too many a betrothal, and have since learned to carry energy bars in my purse just to get me through the reception. I know for a fact many other vegans do the same. How do I know for sure? Well a bunch of us were all at a mutual friend's wedding in Boulder last weekend standing around in awe at the spread put out for us and loving the fact that none of us would have to break into our secret stash!The Mexican buffet was plentiful and everything that was veggie was marked with a star; Everything vegan got two stars. I loaded up with tortillas, rice, beans, salad greens, roasted veggies, tomatoes, salsa, and guacamole. Talk about dancing fuel! To all my friends getting married in the future, the bar has been set high. Oh, and did I mention the delicious margaritas???On our way back to San Francisco, we swung through Denver so I could check out WaterCourse. I've heard many a good thing about this restaurant and was not disappointed. The vegetarian menu is HUGE (see left) and everything can be made vegan. Yes, everything. It took us a while, and I almost ordered about 8 different things, but it was their unique salads that kept my attention, and I finally decided on "The Dickens."

The funny name was not explained, but this bed of romaine topped with smokey tempeh, butternut squash, cannellini beans, maple dijon dressing and (drum roll please....) onion rings was the best dang salad I've had in a long time. Maybe ever. The smokiness of the tempeh paired so well with the sweet and savory dressing, and the creamy beans and squash matched up against the crunchy onions rings perfectly. I felt like every taste bud had been hit. A little more about those onion rings, you ask? Best EVER. Seriously, let's take a closer look:

Light, crispy batter with just the right herbage surrounds perfectly cooked (not crispy but not mushy either) onions and the whole thing just melts in your mouth and makes your tummy very very happy. I would go back to WaterCourse just to get more onion rings if I ever find myself in Denver again. Headed to that neck of the woods? Don't miss WaterCourse.

Back by the bay, the eating continues. Stay tuned for my first visit to a San Francisco institution and my second visit to a classic veggie haven before I turn around and take off again - this time for Minneapolis!

Boulder Eats: Sunflower

Boulder seems to have a thing for naming restaurants after vegetation, and Sunflower is my second shining example (see previous post for the first). This is dining with a strong emphasis on organics and a menu of very well-marked and plentiful vegan options. At Sunflower, you can have buffalo, bass, or a "Boulder Bourguignon" - a vegan version of the classic wine-braised beef dish made with seitan and tempeh. Going for brunch meant missing all that, but there were still numerous good eats to be had for us early diners.







The sunshiny juice on the right is my husband's carrot-orange concoction. Using only organics means they get the best tasting and freshest produce at Sunflower. That matters a great deal when you're going to concentrate all that flavor into juice. The husband was pleased.








Knowing I would not eat again until much later at the wedding (that would be the whole reason we were in Boulder in case I forgot to mention) I knew I needed something filling, and this delicious tofu scramble definitely fit the bill. Full of onions, spinach, asparagus, and other veggies, and served up with paprika-doused home fries and toast, this is one great way to start your day and keep you going for a long while.

My only regret is not having the time to go back to Sunflower and try their lunch and dinner offerings. On a much happier note, I didn't even have to worry about being fed at the wedding, as our pals took very good care of their vegan friends.... but more on that next time.

Boulder Eats: Leaf

Boulder is one of my favorite places to visit. Set against a backdrop of gorgeous mountains, wide-open plains, and an amazing and ever-changing cloudscape, it's a cute town of unique shops, hip bars, super-friendly people, and some really REALLY yummy eats. The best of these eats, in my opinion, can be found at Leaf. This vegetarian (not vegan, but with plenty of options) haven will win over even the most heavy-duty carnivore, including the friends I brought along to dinner when we were there. I mean, just look at this food:



I, and one of my pals, started with this Sprout Salad. Crunchy sprouts and seeds on a bed of creamy butter lettuce and topped with tart pickled onions and a lip-smacking sherry vinaigrette makes for an tantalizing beginning to your meal at Leaf. My omnivorous friend told us all - more than once - what a delicious salad it was.... and she was right!

For my entree, the Polenta Napoleon was calling my name. This rustic delight includes polenta cakes that are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, perfectly savory braised greens, artichokes that melt in your mouth, and roasted tomatoes that blend seamlessly into a smoked tomato broth, creating a dish that is comforting, hearty, and satisfying.

So satisfying, in fact, that I had no room for dessert, which is sad because with options like vegan carrot cake and chocolate raspberry cake, in addition to ice creams and sorbets, I'm sure it would have been delicious. No worries, though. I'm sure that I'll be back to Boulder one day in the relatively near future, and I'll make sure to save room then!

Next up: Eating well with others at a Boulder brunch. Yum.

Websites for Breakfast

Good morning and Happy Labor Day! We attended a most fabulous wedding yesterday with some of the yummiest vegan eats... but more on that later. Now I'm a little hungover, so I'm drinking kombucha (hangover cure of the gods) and surfing the magical internet. Since I have a few minutes I figured I'd share some sites I really like.

First up is Everyday Dish. It's the Food Network for vegans. Foodie vegans rejoice.

I recently became introduced to this Vegan Blog Tracker. It's got all my fave vegan-related blogs in one place, and will soon include this one by yours truly.

If you need a good healthy recipe, my go-to site is Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. The recipes here are all delicious, healthy, and inventive - and the food pics are great!

Speaking of food porn, I could spend hours looking at all the food posted by the "dictators" like me over at VeggieThing. Where else can you visually check out restaurant offerings from around the country? Love it.

Alright, that's enough for now. We've still got a whole day here in Boulder, and if the husband ever wakes up, we'll actually get and enjoy it! Have a great day, everyone.

What's Up Dog?

No, the title of this blog is not an actual question, though if you'd like to let me know how you're doing, feel free to leave a comment. :) What's Up Dog is the name of a hot dog mini-chain in the Bay Area that, thanks to its Tofurky hot dog offerings, is a great place to eat well with others. Even better is that their Filbert Street location is open late night and is directly in between the bars in the Marina and my home up the hill.

Nothing soaks up late-night alcohol like a good veggie dog on a soft bun, and this certainly delivers. You can blame the terrible picture on the aforementioned alcohol, but I assure you that my taste buds were still sober enough to tell this was delicious. I went with simple sauerkraut and mustard, but they'll also turn this frankfurter into a "Veggie Chicago Dog" with mustard, onions, relish, tomatoes, pickles, and celery salt. I'll definitely be back to try that at some point and you should make it there too.... no alcohol required.

I'm in Boulder, CO right now for a wedding and I can't wait to tell you about the good eats I'm having out here...... coming soon!

Olea

Being a Gemini, I can appreciate duality. Everyone has opposing forces within, and that's what makes people so interesting. However, if there are two voices inside your head and one says "Let's make really, really good food," and the other says, "Let's serve it in stupidly small, overpriced portions," then I can not be down. Such is the case at Olea.

I wanted to try Olea ever since checking out the menu online. There was a vegan entree listed so I emailed to find out if they always have a vegan option. I got a quick reply (like that) of yes (love that) and was psyched to dine there. So you see, I wanted to like them. Really I did. And then the food came...











And it was DELICIOUS! I mean this stuff was seriously yummy. On the left is a greens and strawberry salad (hold the feta) and on the right is quinoa with purslane and mushrooms. Both were outstanding. Perfectly ripe strawberries and crisp lettuce dressed to perfection followed by mmmmm-inducing, tender quinoa with earthy mushroom and greens. I mean, I loved it. But those were some crazy tiny plates, and with the total coming up close to $30.... well, I think not. My dining companions concurred. Their portions were tiny (though also yummy) too, and we all ended up having to get other food afterward to fill our stomachs. None of us is an ounce overweight or gluttonous by any stretch of the imagination, by the way. This just wasn't enough food for the price. Sad, because it was really yummy. Oh well...

Next up: A late night Marina joint with the perfect post-drinking, pre-passing out eats.

Salad Simplicity at Park Chow

Every now and then even the most prepared vegans among us find ourselves in an omnivorous establishment mightily hoping to find a vegan delight on the menu. Such was the case last week when I met some pals at Park Chow for lunch. A San Francisco institution, the restaurant is a favorite among our town's residents, and with its proximity to Golden Gate Park, lovely upstairs patio, and a menu heavy on local, organic comfort food, I can see why. Still, local and organic does not translate to vegan, so I was a bit wary.

Turns out Park Chow is very vegetarian-friendly, and even has a few options for us vegans. Offerings include pizzettes (sans cheese of course), veggie noodles with tofu and a chili citrus sauce, lots of veggie side dishes, and a number of salads (some need cheese removed) like my organic greens, above.* Dressed in a lemon and shallot vinaigrette, and including some yummy fresh herbs, it was a very solid salad and made for a delicious and light lunch. Because of this, I hereby declare Park Chow a good place to Eat Well With Others. You heard it here first.

Next up: Delicious food in way-too-small portions for way-too-much money.

*There is also a veggie burger on the menu, but I did not find out if it is vegan. If you know for sure, please pass along the info!