Bun Mee

Today's post is about yet another place I've been meaning to get to for some time, and I will soon go back, as all the food was so good!  I am quite a lucky gal since these tasty dishes live not many blocks from my house, at Bun Mee.  It's a play on the Vietnamese sandwich banh mi, get it?  Anyway, peep the eats:

First up, fresh spring rolls.  Packed with tofu and noodles and herbs and veggies, these are some of the best in town.  Peanut dipping sauce also stellar.  Sriracha on every table? Perfection.  Just beyond the rolls you can see the also delicious mango sesame salad.  It's tart and bright thanks to the lime juice and ginger and is a great palate cleanser before moving on to the main deal, this Saigon Peanut Rice Bowl with Tofu:

So pretty, right?  The tofu and peanut sauce alone would have been divine but the addition of pickled papaya (say that three times fast) and jalapeno really makes this dish sing.  A lovely blend of textures and flavors that covers all the bases.  The husband tried their vegan banh mi sandwich and loved it, and there are some other vegan options on the menu too, so another trip is definitely in order.

That's is for now but I'll be back soon with some vegan eats from Vegas, baby.  I'm headed there for a vegan friend's bachelorette party, so you know there'll be some yums.  Have a great week, everyone!

Off the Grid

I have no idea why it took me so long to get to Off the Grid at Fort Mason.  It's near my house, has great music being dj'ed, a good vibe, and is full of reasonably priced vegan offerings.  Talk about missing out!  Luckily, it's still going strong and I finally made my way to this weekly meet up of dozens of food trucks, carts, and stands last night, and I'm already looking forward to the next one.  Look at some of the yums:

The husband and I shared this plethora of goodies.  Top left is the "deconstructed samosa" from Curry Up Now.  Smashed samosa on top of turmeric rice with diced raw tomato and onion and mint chutney drizzle.  Flavor-packed and filling.  Next door at twelve o'clock are fresh tofu spring rolls from Little Green Cyclo.  Not the best I've ever had, but decent.  However, they do make the best ever on planet Earth sweet potato tator tots (3 o'clock).  Those bad boys are addictive as all get out and I want more right now.  So good.  Up front is the "donburri" plate from Onigilly.  This rice dish comes with edamame, a side salad (some of the only fresh greens to be found in all the trucks!), and your choice of toppings.  I got all three vegan options - the shiitake mushrooms, hijiki seaweed and umeboshi plums.  All were good, maybe a bit salty, but I like salt.  :)

Fact:  From here on out, Off the Grid is where you'll find me on any given Friday night with good weather.  Hope to see you there, something vegan in your hands!

Tarla Grill, Napa

I love me a gorgeous day in wine country, and this past Wednesday was one of the most lovely I've ever experienced.  Not a cloud in the sky, warm breezes, delectable wines, and a stop at a new-to-me spot for lunch that really wowed both the vegans and omnis in the group, Tarla Grill in downtown Napa.

We started by splitting a Mezes Plate, giving the stuffed mussels and yogurt sauce to the omnis while the vegans devoured scrumptious dolmas and hummus.  Olives for everyone.  :)

Then came this awesome veggie sandwich, ordered without cheese and with the Greek potatoes cooked in olive oil instead of butter.  Piled high with veggies on a chewy ciabatta roll slathered with whole grain mustard, this was the perfect thing to eat between wine tastings.  Flavorful, filling, and fantastic!

Other vegan options at Tarla include salads, including a barley salad with pickled onions, olives, and pistachios, that my mom loved, and a stuffed eggplant that was raved about by a friend.  Next time I'm in wine country and in need of some fuel, I'll definitely hit up Tarla Grill again, and suggest you do that same.

Next up, stay tuned for some more SF eats...

501 on Main, Park City

Happy Monday, everyone!  From last Wednesday until yesterday, I was in Park City, UT, getting some fresh air and staying with friends in one of their family's homes.  It was lovely.  We cooked together and ate all but one of our (very veg-centric) meals in, but when we went out, we made it count.  Picking 501 on Main was an easy choice because of its very well-marked menu (v=vegetarian, v2=vegan, gf=gluten-free), but turns out it is extremely darn tasty as well.  Here's what the vegans among us had:  

The biggest mistake of the evening was the salad, but only because the dressing they put on the side was not vegan (duh).  This was quickly rectified, however, and soon we were devouring this delish pile of greens, roasted beets, dried fruits, and pumpkin seeds.  Winner.

What omni restaurant has vegan chicken bites on its menu???  501 on Main, baby!  These addictive poppers were a hit among the whole table.  Fried and glazed wheat meat, y'all.  Gotta love it.  And I did.

I almost can't even handle this entree.  I mean, it's incredible risotto, chock-full-o veggies, served in a "bowl" made of fried potatoes.  YES.  I don't think I need to say any more.  And yet, it still wasn't my favorite of the night.  Meet the vegan curry:

More of those wheat meat bites get matched up with veggies galore, cooked in a savory and deeply-flavored curry, and served atop fluffy rice... all on another fried potato basket!  Good lord I loved this dish.  From concept to execution, perfection.

Bummer that this place had no vegan desserts (I know, right?) but next time I'm in Park City, I know where I'm going, and if you should ever find yourself there, I definitely suggest a stop at 501 on Main.  Sundance, anyone?

Up next, a bunch of my family is coming to SF, so that means lots of dining out around the whole Bay Area.  Stay tuned!

Radishes and Donuts

Happy Monday, everyone!  Here's a quick post with two yummy items from my weekend.  First up, I took a trip to Radish, an omnivorous eatery in the Mission, and was quite happy with their veg options, including the all vegan tofu sandwich:

With seared and seasoned tofu, avocado, carrots, and vegan mayo, this sourdough sammy is hearty without weighing you down.  I love that it comes with a plethora of greens too (and, natch, radishes)... though I also ordered a side of their addictive root vegetable chips (not pictured because my companions and I devoured them so quickly) and highly recommend you do the same.

On the other side of town, in their Ferry Building kiosk, Pepples Donuts continue to be delicious.  That is all.  Except that I think I've decided 'vanilla glaze' is my favorite flavor... but I'm sure that'll change with whichever one I try next.

I'm off to Park City on Wednesday, so stay tuned for some Utah eats.  Meanwhile, have a great week!

Vegan Iron Chef!

I had the absolute pleasure of attending last night's Vegan Iron Chef competition and, because we were fortunate to snag tasting table tickets, I am still full!  I'm a bit short on time, but here's a run down of the evening in pictures.

For me, the highlight of the reception before the show was all the cheese from Miyoko Schinner.  She was a judge and not a contestant, but as far as I'm concerned her cheeses stole the show.  I have to get her book!

I also loved all the cookies, like these orange chocolate delights, from Picnic Bakery.

Ice cream sandwiches from Green Girl Bake Shop, especially this one in chocolate coffee, were amazing.  Gluten free, soy-free, dairy-free, and full of flavor, you guys.  I hope to see these puppies in stores soon but you can order them online now.

After the reception we got a little break from eating while the competition actually happened.  Here, the chefs are hard at work.   I loved watching them infuse the secret ingredient, tea, into all their dishes.  It was also sweet to see the camaraderie between them and their obvious love for food and cooking.  There was a lot of heart and soul in the food they created.  Speaking of which:

Chef Eric Tucker of Millennium Restaurant gave us this savory lentil burger with smoked mushrooms and green garlic green tea aioli as well as green tea gnocchi with yuba.  The aioli was one of the best things I tasted all evening.  Judge Colleen Holland of VegNews suggested he bottle it and I, for one, support that wholeheartedly.   I totally thought he has this contest in the bag until...

Chef Philip Gelb of In the Mood for Food presented a deeply flavored broth and homemade soba noodles.  He also made a green tea waffle that was my single favorite item of the evening, but I didn't get a good picture because I ate it too fast.  :)

Lastly, Chef Lisa Books-Williams of Thrive Holistic, was  the surprise winner of the evening with her all raw preparation. Hooray Lisa!  It was incredibly tasty to be sure, but I'm pretty sure she beat the boys with presentation points.  I'm also not sure how fair it was that so many of her items were made before the competition (those ice cream cones alone must have taken hours to dehydrate, but then again Eric Tucker baked his buns prior to competing as well, so...) but I enjoyed her plate - the umeboshi plum and green tea ice cream in particular.

All in all, my vote would have gone to Chef Phil, but this was basically a vegan love fest and I am so happy I attended.  With any luck, this will become an annual event and I can stuff myself silly again next year!

The Chicago Diner aka Heaven

I have to admit; I am not that into Chicago.  As a town, it just doesn't do anything for me.  However, I am willing to look past all my MEH feelings toward the Windy City and give it mad love simply for having The Chicago Diner.  We feasted there a couple of times on our trip, but one meal in particular was so awesome that I am still craving every bite of it.  I want a do-over!

Oh boy, look at it, you guys!  It's the Radical Rueben and it is so delicious I can't even stand it.  With kraut and cheese (Daiya) and corned beef seitan, it is the tastiest sandwich ever in the whole world and I love it.  Plus the thousand island dressing and pickle and side of sweet potato fries.  Argh, I am now frustrated that I'm not currently eating this. Please go to Chicago and eat one and bring me back one thanks. Ok, now that that's settled, let's move onto dessert.  We split two items, and I can not even begin to pick a favorite.  First up, a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake:

Yeah, it's insane.  Chunks of cookie dough so big they don't fit up the straw but rather need to be scooped directly into your face with a spoon.  Sweet, awesome, yumness... and the perfect partner to the Peanut Butter Puck:

We all know there is no better dessert pairing than chocolate and peanut butter, but they take it to the next level at The Chicago Diner.  So rich and decadent, we savored every bit with audible moans and scraped the plate clean of peanut buttery chocolatey morsels.  They probably didn't even need to clean it after.

It would be weird to have something called The Chicago Diner in San Francisco, but I will naively hold out hope this could happen one day.  Meanwhile, I will settle for all the goods eats we have more... more of which are coming soon!