Chow Vegan

While at the Palo Alto California Avenue farmer’s market today, I picked up a tamale from The Oaxacan Kitchen booth. That was the extent of my Cinco de Mayo activity for the day. It’s not much compared to whipping up a tableful of Mexican dishes or hanging out at a party, but it sure was tasty.

There’s only one vegan tamale, the Roasted Butternut Squash – Fresh corn, guaillo salsa, big chunks of butternut squash and zucchini. Really good flavor. Available mild, spicy or extra spicy. I got the middle spice level, spicy but not mouth-on-fire kind of spicy (at least for me), $4.00 for one.

I haven’t tried anything else there but while waiting for my food, I spotted the lady making corn tortillas to order. She would grab a bit of the dough from a giant pile, flatten it out in a large hand press and then cooked it up. Man, she was fast.

And all this in basically the middle of the street (a section is closed down for the farmer’s market). Next time, I going to have to try to get something that has those handmade tortillas.

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Last week I tried sofritas, the new shredded tofu option that Chipotle is testing out. I’m happy to report it’s really good. And no wonder, the organic, non-GMO tofu is supplied by a local Oakland-based Hodo Soy Beanery. Maybe that’s why the seven test locations are all in the Bay Area.

I got a burrito bowl with brown rice, fresh tomato salsa, the tomatillo green chili salsa as well as the red, guacamole and romaine lettuce. I pushed aside some of the guacamole and lettuce so you can see the tofu there on the left side. Braised with chipotle chilies, roasted poblanos and spices, the tofu has a very nice savory taste and a meaty texture.

I asked the counter people how long the sofritas will be available but they didn’t know. Just that if it does well, they’ll keep it on the menu. If you’re nearby and thinking of trying it, it’s probably best to do it sooner rather than later.

The chosen Chiptole restaurants with sofritas:
525 Market Street, San Francisco
121 Fourth Street, San Francisco
126 New Montgomery St., San Francisco
2019 Chess Drive, San Mateo
251 East 3rd Ave., San Mateo
180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
135 El Camino Real, Millbrae

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Visiting one’s hometown is always a slightly weird experience – you get the “remember-back-when” mixed in with the “oh-that’s-new.” A new to me restaurant is the Rooster Creek Tavern, located in the downtown village of Arroyo Grande, CA (a town halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast). There’s an actual creek behind the storefronts with a swinging bridge and real live roosters and chickens freely roaming around the creek and parking lot area.

I’ve notice the restaurant months before but when asked, there wasn’t anything vegan on the menu. I remember thinking that’s too bad.

Too lazy to drive all the way to San Luis Obispo during this last trip, I looked for some place a little closer that could accommodate the diets and tastes of the whole family and gave the Rooster Creek another look-see. This time it looked much more promising, they must have updated the menu since that first inquiry.

I can only confirm the Veggie Paella is vegan – smoked tofu, bell pepper and onion in saffron veg broth with saffron rice. I didn’t ask about any other items. It’s just nice to not always be stuck with a veggie burger when eating out.

The paella is cooked to your spicy level, I went with medium. It came out piping hot, just perfect for the extra chilly weather. It was so warming, I had to take off my jacket.

The flavor is good, but I didn’t really taste the smokiness of the tofu and kinda wish there was a few more pieces. I normally request no bell peppers as they’re not my favorite by a long shot. But I’m actually getting better about having them in my food. I’ll eat them nowadays if they happen to be in a dish. And if they’re any color but green. But I won’t guarantee I’ll eat all of them on my plate (there was a lot as you can see). Now, that’s real progress.

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It took me almost a year to finally mosey on over to Lyfe Kitchen in Palo Alto. You know, that healthy fast-food place, started by former McDonald’s executives and Art Smith with consulting vegan chef Tal Ronnen. I’ve already reviewed their Sweet Corn Chowder when it was available at Costco so I was looking forward to dining in their actual space.

I was actually pretty excited to try Art’s Unfried Gardein Chicken with roasted vegetables, cashew cream and dijon vinaigrette. While it was quite tasty, I couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t much different than eating the frozen Gardein stuff at home. At this point, I’ve tried almost all of the retail Gardein products at least once so maybe I’m no longer dazzled by it.

I also got the Vegan BBQ Flatbread, whole-wheat crust with sweet corn, roasted onions, agave BBQ sauce and Daiya cheese, which I liked well enough except that the BBQ sauce was a tad too much on the sweet side for my taste. But the crust was nice and thin, just the way I like it.

There’s many other vegan dishes I would like to try for next time, like the Kabocha Squash Risotto made with farro and steel-cut oats or the Gardein Sausage and Mozzarella Ravioli.

Most of the menu is under 600 calories (I’ve heard some people grumble about small portions. They’re actually normal-sized portions but when you’re used to or expect huge portions, it might seem small and pricey). There’s also meaty food and gluten-free options.

The space itself is open and airy with a patio area in the front and a herb garden inside. Ordering is done at the counter, if you’re the type to be overwhelm by a large selection of vegan options when you’re used to just one or two, you may want to check out their menu online beforehand. Grab your own water and silverware before picking out a seat. Servers with your food will find you by a hi-tech buzzer.

For those of you in Southern California, their second restaurant is set to open in Culver City in February 2013.

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On a recent trip down south, I picked up lunch at Sal’s Sandwiches & Beer in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. As always, I’m deliriously happy to see vegan options on the menu.

I got the Just As Good! – vegan turkey, vegan salami, vegan cheddar, sprouts, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, vegan mayo, dijon mustard on a wheat roll. Comes in full or half size. The sandwich for the most part was good; the bread could be better.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, it’s hard not to compare Sal’s to Ike’s Place – from the menu of meat, vegetarian and vegan sandwiches with fun and interesting names down to the lollipop that comes with your order. The space is nicer though with its sidewalk seating, high ceilings, and dark colors for that cool, hip look.

It looks like they’ve since updated their menu – I’m bummed the Just As Good! is now listed as being on a honey wheat bun. Not sure if that’s the same bread as always, but why have vegan fillings on what sounds like a non-vegan bread? Next time, I’m going the custom-build-your-own-sandwich route and have it served hot. And I’m double-checking the bread options.

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Swung by the food truck event at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos for lunch the other day. I usually only stop by after going to the gym – working out justifies the eating out, right? Of course it does.

Asked what’s vegan at the We Sushi truck, the two people at the window immediately said “veggie burrito,” assorted vegetable tempura with WE dressing wrapped in sushi rice and nori for eight bucks. It’s like a giant sushi roll in the shape and size of a burrito and sliced in half instead of a bunch of pieces.

Besides the tempura veggies, there’s also avocado, cucumber and seaweed. I was only able to eat about two-thirds before I was full, and saved the rest for a little later. So good and filling. And the wait wasn’t too long either especially for being freshly made.

I’m thinking next time I try making sushi at home, they’re going to be sushi burritos instead of rolls. They just seem easier and more fun. I sushi. You sushi. We Sushi.

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Intrepid eater that I am, I had to stop by to see what’s all the buzz about the newly opened Asian Box in Palo Alto. Well, that and I happened to be near their location in the Town and Country Village on business around lunchtime. As usual, I was super hungry and I needed something quick but still fresh and healthy.

Enter Asian Box.

Inspired by the food and flavors of street stalls in Asian and using local and sustainable ingredients, your customized to-go box is made to order from various options – a base of rice, salad or rice noodles, a choice of protein, choice of wok steamed or wok spiced vegetables, toppings and house-made sauces. Everything is vegan except the obvious animal items, and the No-Oil Fish Sauce. And it’s all gluten-free too!

My box had Rice Noodles with Coconut Curry Tofu, Wok Spiced Vegetables, All Box Toppers (jalapenos, bean sprouts, peanuts, herbs, pickled veggies, lime, etc) except the Caramel Egg and Miss Jones’ Sriracha sauce for $6.95. I also got a side of Tofu Spring Rolls for $3.25 (told you I was super hungry).

So good! I love the layering of all the different flavors, it’s very fresh tasting and very quick. Although I may have beaten the lunch crowd in, as I was leaving hordes of cars and students from the high school across the street were swarming into the area.

Ordering at the counter, the people are super friendly and patient in explaining the different options. With their open kitchen, you can see your food being prepared and Executive Chef Grace Nguyen, formerly of the famed Slanted Door and Out The Door, in action.

The overall decor is modern and minimalist with its one long table inside but there’s also seating available outside. It’s definitely more of a to-go kind of a place with eco-friendly packaging I should add. It’s fast food eating at its best.

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I’m a little late to the food truck scene only because there wasn’t any conveniently located close by me. Then a few started appearing in the parking lot at Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos and now there’s like a herd of food trucks there each Wednesday – a rotating mix of various trucks, some with veggie options, some with nothing vegan.

One of them, happens to be the Nom Nom Truck. Ever since rooting for Nom Nom on The Great Food Truck Race, I’ve been wanting to eat there. Finally, I had my chance. Asked what’s vegan, I got two vegetarian tofu tacos without the spicy aioli for six bucks.

Alarmed at first, I thought I had mistakenly gotten chicken. Upon closer examination, it was marinated tofu with a nice meaty texture. Piled into two soft tortillas and topped with pickled veggies and fresh cilantro.

If it wasn’t so windy and cold on that particular day, I would have eaten the tacos right then and there. As it was, I went home and made my own spicy aioli out of Vegenaise and Sriracha sauce (bottom photo). Nom, nom, nom!

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