Bellanico, Oakland

I rarely get to Oakland, or to the East Bay at all for that matter (hate going over the bridge, what can I say), and when I do, it is mainly to go to a vegan - or at least vegetarian - establishment.  However, I happen to have a good vegan friend who lives "over there", so on a recent visit, I trusted her to lead me in the right food direction in her 'hood.  This, dear readers, is how I ended up at Bellanico.  On an adorable stretch of Park Street, it looks like any other Italian restaurant/wine bar, but it is so much more!  You can already tell the food is good by the fact that the place is packed, but what you wouldn't know by looking is just how vegan friendly they are... and just plain friendly in general.  The knowledgeable staff, the accommodating chef, the amazing wine list...  the place is just great.  And look, risotto!

They almost always have a vegan risotto (or one easily made so) on the menu and this version had brussel sprouts, almond milk, sliced almonds, and a very zingy and delightful lemon flavor running throughout.  It was mmmmmmmm-inducing.  The salad I had was also delicious, and there were soup and pasta options available to boot.  Here's to finding more omni restaurants with tons of vegan options in 2013, y'all!

Central Florida Eats

I had the pleasure of spending the holidays in Florida with my fam and, as usual, I was pretty amazed at the good vegan eats available there.  In fact, there seem to be more options every time I visit.  The word is getting out people!   Even in places like Disney World, vegans can happily chow down with everyone else.  Check out the burger at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom, for example:

This mouth-watering vegan patty is made up of potatoes and quinoa with a slight hint of spice and is served up with sweet potato fries and a deliciously tart pickle.  No better fuel for a day of characters, rides, and lots of walking, I say!  Unless, of course, you want a sweet treat.  In which case, make your way to the Downtown Disney location of Babycakes:

All gluten-free and vegan, their donuts, cupcakes, and other confections will keep your sweet tooth sated and prepare you to take on any theme park you choose.

And speaking of those parks, when you want to get away from all the madness and dislodge "It's a Small World After All" from your brain space, hit up Falafel in Lake Buena Vista.  Authentic Moroccan food, like that above, awaits you, along with a decent wine list and belly dancing (some nights).  You'll forget all about Mickey with a quickness.

After our trip to Disney, we spent the rest of the holidays around grandma's place in New Smyrna Beach, where we hit up Big Planet Pizza for cheeseless pies (above) and The Breakers for what is easily my favorite vegan burger on the planet:

This housemade patty is so full of flavor from the Mediterranean herbs and spices that everyone who tries it (omnis too!) loves it.   As a side note, I don't trust that the buns are vegan even though they say so, so I always bring my own.  I know that is a bit crazy, but I like Rudi's buns so much anyway, that it ain't no thang to me to bring 'em along.

I've saved the best for last, folks!  New to the New Smyrna scene, and BY FAR, the most vegan friendly restaurant for miles, Cafe Verde is my new fave place near grandma's house.  Any place I can get a kale salad (above) with quinoa and avocado is a winner in my book, Cafe Verde has a ton of other vegan options, like these crazy good vegan tacos:

As super impressed as I was with FL this time around, I'm psyched to be back in SF now and ready to tackle some new eats in my hometown.  Happy New Year... and stay tuned!

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!