Osha

I will preface this by saying that I am prone to exaggeration, but holy crap, Osha has the best Thai food. Like ever. I should also say that I've been craving their pumpkin curry for about a week now, so finally having it tonight was like a bit of savory spicy creamy heaven. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I also split a bottle of wine with Sara, my awesome "other", so forgive me.

Osha, from afar, is everything I hate about restaurants. It's got hipper-than-though decor, overly-dim lights, and numerous locations throughout the city. However, the food is so damn good that it totally makes up for all that. Not to mention that the service is ridiculously fast and friendly. In fact, whenever I used to get the Thai food itch, I would drive across town to the Valencia location. Luckily for me, the Union Street locale opened in the last year or so, and now I can squelch my curry craving with a quick walk.

This evening, I started with my favorite of appetizers, the fresh spring rolls. This rice-paper bundle of tofu, mint and basil pairs perfectly with the accompanying peanut sauce. I really can't say enough about the mint/peanut combination. I can still remember years ago when I first discovered the complex flavors of Thai food, and this particular combo remains one of my favorites to this day. I love food that continues to impress!



Next up was the star of the evening - the pumpkin curry. Now vegans, you must be wary with Thai cuisine in that fish sauce can be found in most everything, even the "vegetarian" dishes. One of the reasons I love Osha so much is that, in addition to nailing the flavors every single time, they are also the only Thai place I've found to consistently execute my request of "Please, no fish sauce" with accuracy. On top of that, it's so damn good. The pumpkin and bamboo and peppers and tofu are blanketed in this reddish curry deliciousness that just has to be tasted to be appreciated. I first discovered this dish while actually in Thailand in 2005, and I'm happy to say Osha's version is just as good, if not better!

So vegans, grab your others, head to any of the Osha locations, peruse the extensive veggie selections, and then do yourself a favor and order the pumpkin curry. :)

Oh, and if anyone cares, I highly recommend a good pinot grigio with Thai food!

Hope

There's been a lot of talk about hope lately, and yet I've been feeling more hopeless than ever. This week was particularly hard on my spirits as I watched people handing out eco-friendly light bulbs and biking instead of driving and planting trees and doing all the things we're supposed to do on Earth Day. All of these things felt like a show - a parade of deluded people who think changing a light bulb is going to do a damn thing, while not a single person was talking about the one thing that would really help. Consume less meat. I was especially devastated as I began looking up facts to share with my co-workers. It would appear that when the majority of the population dies from meat-related diseases, they will have left us healthy people with a planet that can no longer sustain life.

So, where is the hope?

Well, I'm hopeful that I'll be able to participate more actively in the animal rights movement as my schedule eases up soon. I'm hopeful that I can help get the message out because I really feel like once people have the facts, they'll at least think about what the hell they're doing. I was hopeful last night when Bill Maher (LOVE him), on his Real Time show, called the link between meat and climate change "the most under-reported news story ever." It was heartening that someone with such a large audience was trying to get the point across. And, lastly, I was hopeful while giving my 3rd graders a talk this week about vegetarianism and how it can help our planet. It made me hopeful that I was even offered the opportunity to do so by my colleague, and that I work in a place where it would be an okay thing to do so.

I mean, why should telling kids the facts - the TRUTH - be so damn controversial? Why, when we are told all the time to eat our fruits and veggies, do people freak out when we say to eat ONLY fruits and veggies? But here I start getting into health issues, and for this particular talk I wanted to focus strictly on the planet. (For more on the health benefits of veganism, please visit Dr. John McDougall's website.)

Here's the poster I used to help make my point. Yes, I am artistically disabled, and of course I passed out vegan cookies at the end to help make the point. :)

So, while things are still pretty dire, I'm making peace with what I can do to help, and I'm starting to do it. I hope you all do the same, no matter the cause. This concludes my rant for now. Look out for more dining soon.

Happy Earth Day

Just a friendly reminder that the number one thing you can do for the planet is to stop eating meat. Better than hybrids, better than changing all your light bulbs. Try eating less of it this week to start. You'll be healthier, and so will the planet.

Roti

This may be a bold statement, but I make it without hesitation: Roti Indian Bistro is the best North Indian food in the city. Hands down. I know people love them some Indian Oven and Pakwan, but this place has them both beat. Never greasy, and always using the freshest ingredients, Roti is well worth the trek to West Portal. They use just the right amount of spice, and every time I've been, the servers have been wonderful about the whole vegan thing.

As most vegans know, "ethnic" foods (am I the only one who hates that term??) are often a great place to take their others because there will most likely be vegetarian offerings. Now, with Indian food, you do have to watch out for the ever-present ghee (clarified butter) but simply ask to have your veggie curry cooked with oil instead and it's all good. Also, watch out for the naan because it probably has some animal stuff like milk or eggs in it. Roti (I'm talking about the bread now, not the restaurant) is a good bet as long as you get it without the butter most places slather on.

Anyhoo, Roti the restaurant is a beautiful, warm, and friendly place. Yesterday, I started with the salad because I'm a fennel junky, and this gave me my fix. So good. My hubby ordered eggplant pakoras for his app, but needless to say I ate them as well. Savory warm circles of yum. Those were the only two things I got pictures of (and not very good ones at that) because it was getting dark and I didn't want to use the flash. If you want more, check out the website. Everything really looks as good in person as it does on the site, and tastes even better.

So vegans, drag your other out of that ridiculous line at Indian Oven, and head on over to the quieter side of town. (If gas is the issue, take the M!) Your taste buds will thank you.

The Visit; Last but (indeed) least

We were feeling pretty tired after our action-packed Friday and Saturday, but we still got up early Sunday morning and decided to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Such a touristy thing to do, but good exercise all the same, plus it was another gorgeous day. Afterwards we headed home for a simple fruit breakfast (a walk + fruit = the best hangover cure) and then just relaxed for a bit. Mom was having a major Mexican craving so I took her to my fave burrito spot, Papalote. Again, it's the well-marked menu denoting the vegan stuff (all the beans!!!) that I love about this place. I had had some granola with my fruit and wasn't hungry, so I passed, but she claims her burrito was quite yummy.

Realizing I should probably do some grocery shopping and that mid-day on a Sunday might not be a terribly crowded time, we headed off to Rainbow. My most favorite of grocery stores, it's also a good place to take any foodie in your life just to peruse the bulk bins alone. My mom got some organic powdered stevia, since she can only get the processed white stuff at home in NJ. She found it hard to believe it's actually a green leaf. Why we must make all sweet things look and perform just like sugar is beyond me. ANYWAY...

I stocked up, and we drove home to put it all away and relax some more. Mom actually fell asleep, but not for long since we had a mission to accomplish: Get my dad a new City Lights t-shirt, since his old one was worn out. I wanted to walk to North Beach, but that idea was vetoed by both my mom and husband, so we took the good old 45 bus and were there in no time. All of this worked out perfectly, by the way, because our dinner choice was in the neighborhood. So, after we picked up the shirt, we walked the few blocks (in now freezing weather, mind you. Good old San Francisco.) to Pena Pachamama. I've wanted to go here for a while, after reading their unique menu online. Heavy on the Bolivian-influenced tapas, they also have a raw food and vegan section. I was down to see what it was all about.

The place itself was mighty colorful and looked like Carnaval waiting to happen. This was made weirder by the fact that we were the only people in the place at 6:30 on a Sunday. They have performances every night, but we were too early. I can imagine it would be a much more fun place to go with your drunken pals to see the show. That would also make the fact that the food was just mediocre not really matter so much. For us, however, it was the main focus, and it wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. We all started off with the organic green salad, from the raw menu, and this was by far the highlight of the meal. Fresh greens and veggies, with a little scoop of sweet fresh corn "hummus" (I believe our waitress said it was simply corn, agave, and cinnamon), it was unique and tasty. I kind of wish we had stuck with the raw menu the whole way, since it seemed promising. Instead, my husband went completely insane and got the fish (rolls eyes) and my mom and I then split a few of the vegan tapas - fried plantains with black bean reduction, yucca fries, corn tamale, and sauteed spinach. It was all just okay, and we could have used an extra order of spinach to balance out the rest of the heavier plates. All in all, we were satisfied, and had we had some beers in us and were enjoying a good show, I think it would have been much more enjoyable.

Vegans, try it for some new tastes, but don't expect to be wowed. If you try the rest of the raw menu, let me know. It could be pretty yummy.

PS. My mom is back in NJ now, which is sad for me, so make me feel better by suggesting some vegan-friendly places in the Bay Area to go. Maybe we can even go together!

The Visit, Part Two

After the Ani concert, we headed back to our hotel in Santa Rosa, very excited to get up in the morning and hit some wineries. Waking up to a sunny day was a lovely gift, and with fuel in us from the Whole Foods salad bar, we headed off to Frog's Leap. My hubby and I have been to this organic and biodynamic vineyard before, but have never taken the tour. I now know that we were totally missing out. It was an informative, casual, and FUN romp around the grounds and I highly recommend it. I could live at this place, with it's huge gardens and sustainably-built and powered house. But, alas, if we wanted to taste more, we had to leave. I had intended to stop for snacks at Oakville Grocery, since it's the best place to do so IMO, but we weren't all that hungry and had to save room for our awesome dinner (be patient, it's coming). We ended up stopping anyway, and stocked up on some kickin' mustards, olive oils, and jams. Probably the other three things Napa is known for besides wine. All are calling my name from the pantry right now.... We also got some water since our sunny day was approaching 95 degrees. Yeah, time to get out of the sun.

For some shade, and more wine of course, we hit up one of my personal faves - Robert Sinskey. As far as my palate goes, his wines are the perfect compliment to just about any veggie dish. I love his Abraxas blend, and his 1999 Vineyard Reserve, a mostly Cabernet blend, was our wedding wine (we started dating in '99). In addition to making just damn tasty vino, the tasting room in Napa has a bar in which you are invited to eat the yummiest olives and sea salt/rosemary almonds. Can't beat it.

Okay, so we've had some fruit and Synergy at Whole Foods, some samples of mustards and olive oils at Oakville, some almonds and olives at Sinskey, and lots of wine. Definitely time for dinner. I was so psyched because of all the hype around my choice for dinner: Ubuntu. Write ups always claim that it is a "vegetables" restaurant, as opposed to a "vegetarian" restaurant. And, as is so hip and chic these days, most of these veggies come from their own biodynamic garden. Their short trip to the table is the ultimate in freshness, and it undoubtedly comes through in the food. Hearing about all this, and reading a sample menu online, had me very eager... and I came hungry.

From the sign outside which reads "Practicing Humanity Toward Each Other" to the clean and natural feel of the rather large interior, I was sold. Then, the menu came. Now, we all know I'm a sucker for a well-marked menu. In this case, all the vegan items have a nice little "v" by them and all the items with a star can be made vegan. They don't even mind, promise! My mom and I decided to split three small plates, and then get larger offerings individually, which turned out to be exactly the right amount of food for the two of us hungry ladies. To start, we split a salad of grilled strawberries, greens, and pistachio "pudding", a beet and avocado salad, and some lemon asparagus. All were ridiculous, the beets so much so that I was unable to snag a picture before they were devoured. Everything was fresh, joyously flavorful, and insanely pretty. Definitely the best start to a meal I've had in a long time.

For our entrees, my mom had a broccoli and farro dish in which everything was drowning in a technicolor broccoli-stem sauce. It was gorgeously green, yet it somehow managed to taste even better than it looked. As for me, I kicked it comfort food style and got the greens-laden pizza with their own vegan cheese. Oh man, was this heaven. Kale and pesto and spinach and almond cheese bliss. I can almost still taste it if I try.... Yup, there it is. Amazing.

Now, just for the record, we were totally full at this point. Maybe it was the Sinskey Pinot Blanc we were splitting, but we just couldn't say no to the vegan dessert. Plus it seemed so light and refreshing. Indeed, the sorbet in rose soda float was just that. The most beautiful and tasty sunset-colored ending to our day.

The verdict? Vegans, take your others by the hand, put them in the car, forcibly if you must, and drive the hour or so up to Napa. You won't regret it, and they'll thank you for it later.

My Mom's Visit, Part One

It's always a good time when my mom comes to town, but a few things made this trip especially fun. Like the fact that I got to take her on her first wine tasting in Napa. Or that we saw an amazing Ani Difranco concert in Santa Rosa. Or that we got to witness my silly, silly friends play "bar golf" upon our return to SF. But, of course, what I want to write about is the fantastic meals we experienced along the way - all at other-friendly establishments.

First up was the East West Cafe in Santa Rosa. I found this gem using the mighty Happy Cow, a must-use resource for all vegans. Now, here I should mention, rather, announce with glee, that my mom has been vegan for over a year now (thank you Earthlings) and is healthier than ever! So, while this place is other-friendly, it was so nice to be able to pick at each other's plates for once. But I digress.....
It was a hot day and the breezy high ceilings and eclectic mix of Native American and Asian-inspired art was welcoming. Wanting to avoid wine because we knew we'd be up to our gills in it the following day, we settled in with two beers and took a look at the menu. So many things sounded so good that I'm already looking forward to going back and trying more. My mom ended up going all out and getting the taco plate - a pile of veggies, rice, beans, and a unique walnut-basil pesto to go inside of the prettiest blue corn tortillas you ever did see. Yum. It was too hot for me to consider anything but a salad, so I went for the organic green one and ordered a side of falafel to smash on top. It was perfect with the vibrant lemon-tahini dressing, which was not nearly as heavy as I feared it would be. Hit-the-spot perfection. Upon inspection of the bakery case, however, I suddenly had more room for vegan chocolate cake. Funny how that happens. I only agreed to share with my mom because I know she has no sweet tooth. Good for me, because this was dense, gooey, fabulousness. I'm pretty sure I closed my eyes with every bite.
The perfect meal to send us into the night...