Viva Herbals

I really love Viva Herbals Pizzeria in New York City. When I stay in NY, I'm alway somewhere in the vicinity of it and they always have vegan slices affordably priced and ready to go! My favorite is the pictured slice covered in all things green. There is no tomato sauce on this slice, only a nut-free pesto. So green and delicious!

In addition to an awaiting plethora of vegan slices that they reheat in the oven for you before serving, there are also vegan garlic knots, soups, drinks, and a cooler full of sweets from Vegan Treats.

I will admit that many times in the past, I have been leaving dinner with friends and walking back to our hotel with my partner and we've stopped and picked up a slice from Viva Herbals to eat in the hotel room. It's kind of a tradition. When I was recently in NY, I wasn't eating quite that indulgently, but I did stop by and get this green slice and a kombucha for dinner one night.

At any rate, I really recommend Viva Herbals! Their ingredients are fresh-tasting and they have a variety of vegan pies ready to go. Since it's by the slice you can try a few different varieties if you're hungry (or dining with a friend).

Blackbird Pizzeria

Okay, so I have to really really apologize that the only photos that I have from Blackbird Pizzeria are of half-eaten food, but holy cow, this place is good. Back in June, we were traveling the East Coast for work and my birthday coincided with our visit to Philadelphia. I also lived in Philadelphia years ago and still have some friends out there, so I decided to have a birthday party! At Blackbird! With pizza and delicious cake!

Since we are friends with Mark, Blackbird's owner and chef extraordinaire, he kindly welcomed us with open arms. Our little party had a few pizzas (the Yukon with salty, thin-sliced potato is pictured along with what I believe is a custom pizza), sandwiches (they make a great Seitan Cheesesteak!), some experimental "wings" (also pictured), and an amazing "Oreo" (they were 365 brand) cake that Mark made just for the occasion! Seriously, how lucky am I??

A few of my friends who came out were not vegan, but had no complaints nor any idea that vegan food could be so tasty, so Blackbird was a big hit with everyone. Blackbird is located in the former Gianna's location off South Street and is doing vegan food way better (and for real this time)! If you are in Philadelphia, you MUST go! Also, I've gotta recommend going with a group so that you can try a little bit of everything. You will not be disappointed.

Lou Malnati's Chicago-style Pizza

So, I live in Chicago. I'm not from Chicago originally, but now that I'm here, there's this whole "Chicago-style Deep Dish" thing and, don't you know it, there's currently no restaurant that I know of in the city making a vegan Chicago-style deep dish with a cheese alternative. Well, don't worry about that! You can get deep dish that is completely amazing without the cheese and Lou Malnati's will make it for you. We recently had out of town guests visiting (from Portland!) and knew that they had to try this local cuisine. There are a few things to look out for when ordering from Lou's, like that their usual pizza spinach is soaked in butter, but they also have a fresh version for the salads that they can substitute. You have to be pretty clear, but their dough is vegan and this pizza is worth the effort. We had ours with spinach, olives, and hot giardinera (another Chicago food that I had never eaten before moving here), all topped with tomatoes (Chicago-style). This baby is loaded, oily enough that I couldn't dream of missing the cheese, and supported by a perfectly crunchy crust. I've seen attempts made at eating this by hand, but these are fork slices, for sure. Next time you're in Chicago, this is a food that I recommend not missing out on.

Beyond Sushi

I arrived home yesterday from spending the last 11 days in New York, most of which was engaged attending the first-ever 800 hour training with my teacher, Yogi Sri Dharma Mittra. It was an indescribably amazing experience that I will forever be impacted by. At the end of the final day, I found myself on the streets in Manhattan looking for a simple, enjoyable dinner to treat myself to! The Happy Cow app informed me of the existence of Beyond Sushi, an all-vegan sushi restaurant right on my route (though all of the main food ingredients are vegan, it appeared that maybe two or three of their sauces are not vegan from the menu, I'm not totally sure).

I was greeted as soon as I walked in. The space is small, as are most NYC restaurants, with 3 4-person tables, a small food prep area behind the counter, and a take-out case. I made my choices: a Sweet Tree roll (6-grain rice with avocado, sweet potato, and sprouts, topped with a White Miso sauce - I subbed the white miso for the standard Toasted Cayenne, as I don't like much spice - and the standard ginger and wasabi on the plate) and a Nutty Buddy rice wrap (with buckwheat noodles, crushed peanuts, cilantro, jalapeño peanut butter, avocado, sesame oil, carrots, baked tofu and romaine and a Sweet Soy Mirin sauce - this was a little spicy, but not much). I also took one of the pre-made blueberry lemonades from the ready-case as the man working told me they were made with no sugar, just lemon and blueberries and made fresh that day. The wraps were made quickly as I finished paying and were ready to consume pretty much right away. I have to say, this food was DELICIOUS. Super fresh and not too heavy, though plenty filling (the wrap and roll ended up being slightly too much food for me). Every ingredient was perfectly chosen. I loved the White Miso sauce dabbed onto the top of each of the pieces of the roll. The buckwheat noodles in the wrap were the perfect hearty addition. The lemonade was not too sweet or too sour. And the service was really really excellent (as much as counter service can be). An overall great meal.

When looking Beyond Sushi up online, I also see from their website that the restaurant was created by a finalist from the tv show Hell's Kitchen, so if you're into that kind of stuff, an added bonus. It always makes me glad that high-profile people are diving into the world of great-tasting vegan food. This one is a winner. Definitely visit if you are in the area.

Cafe Gratitude LA

I am currently in Southern California in order to attend Mercy for Animals' Justice for All party tonight in Hollywood. I love MFA and am so glad that we were able to help sponsor this party and I'm still floored that we're attending. Most of our travel involves visiting health food stores and VegFests, which I LOVE, but which does not involve a fancy dress. This is truly something new.

At any rate, we are staying at a guest house over someone's garage in the Hollywood Hills that I found on airbnb and about to start getting ready for party time. This morning, we woke up, lazed around (for the first time in a long time), and then headed over to Cafe Gratitude LA for some lunch. I had heard about this place extensively, but never eaten there. All of the menu items are named "I am..." followed by an attribute like grateful, thriving, pleasant, etc. When they deliver your food, they say "you are..." and the menu item you ordered. Kind of touchy-feely, but also pretty nice!

So, for my first visit to Cafe Gratitude, I was Fortified (Sauteed seasonal vegetables and kale, brown rice & quinoa, topped with sesame-ginger sauce and avocado) and Worthy (Kale, beet, celery, apple and ginger juice). The juice was good and reasonably priced and the bowl was amazing. So much food that I'm not sure how I finished it. It felt very fortifying, delicious, and energizing. Highly recommended!

This restaurant strongly suggests that people with nut allergies not eat there as they use nuts in so many menu items, but I just avoided ordering anything with nuts in it. I don't have an allergy that prohibits me from eating where nuts are present. It did prevent me from ordering any dessert however, but my partner was happily Awakening (Key lime torte). He was also Awesome (Herb-cornmeal crusted eggplant parmesan on toasted Panini with marinara sauce, cashew ricotta, sliced tomatoes, arugula and basil. Served with a side salad), but what's new? I've known that for years.

Red Lentil

I am currently in Massachusetts, which is very exciting as I haven't been here in about a decade. It is also exciting because this is a work trip, which means that we've acquired business in Massachusetts (and the rest of New England). Love it!

Last night, after a long day of work, we headed to Red Lentil  in Watertown and had a wonderful dinner. As you may know, I LOVE any meal that can be described as a "macrobiotic plate" (or "bowl") and when I saw one on the menu at Red Lentil, I had to order it. The macro plate consisted of pinto beans with sea vegetables, brown rice, seasonal veggies, plum sauce, and your choice of seitan, tofu, or tempeh. I chose tempeh (Dan actually ordered the same thing) and loved this delicious plate of flavorful, healthy veggies and protein. The squashes, sweet potatoes, and carrots were grilled, which is something I hadn't expected, but really enjoyed. This was a great meal! I finished off with a banana, raspberry, mango smoothie for just enough sweetness (I also asked for some added cinnamon). If you are ever in Watertown, head over to Red Lentil for some super tasty, fresh food!

The Spiral Diner and Bakery

"The Mitch" Tofu Club with Potato Salad.

One of my favorite things about going to visit my mom in Dallas, TX is that I know we're going to go eat at the Spiral Diner (they also have a location in Fort Worth)! I love this place. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is comfortable, the staff is welcoming... what more could you want!? The food is satisfying, filling diner-style food without being heavy or overwhelming. They have a list on the wall of which ingredients are currently organic and a great list inside the menu of what "tempeh," "seitan" and other potentially mysterious ingredients are actually made of for the veggie diner first-timer. Each location has a great self-serve drink station with natural sodas on tap. In addition to being a great diner, they are also a bakery and always have a good selection of tempting vegan treats on hand so that you can end your meal with a cookie topped with a scoop of house-made ice cream anytime you like! The Spiral Diner also has a small "grocery" section at the front of each location with a few vegan staples, candies, books, tshirts, and more. Dallas is fortunate to have a place like this and I am fortunate to have another reason to visit Dallas more often!

Tableside Guacamole

So, making your own guac at home is easier and probably cheaper, but it's kind of fun to be out at a restaurant and request exactly how much of each ingredient you want without having to be the one to chop it, scoop it, or mix it up. In other parts of the country, tableside guacamole can be a pricey novelty, but not in Texas! This tableside guac is from Christina's, a  small non-vegan chain near Dallas, Texas where my mom and stepdad like to eat. I like my guac with cilantro, tomatoes, a little salt, and lots of lime.

Macrobiotic Meals

Back in April, we visited a new market for us, Southern California. It was a great trip and we didn't even get to eat a fraction of the things we wanted to try while we were out there, so I guess we'll just have to go back sometime soon!

Despite all of the vegan indulgence (and oh, there was plenty, like a tasty trip to Doomie's), one of the best meals we had was at macrobiotic restaurant, Seed in Venice Beach. It's a friendly, unpretentious space located just off the Venice Beach boardwalk with affordable, tasty, nourishing meals. They also have some killer dessert options which are almost too fancy for a beachside cafe (but don't let that stop you). I can't recommend this place enough. Definitely check it out if you are ever in the area! In the meantime, the owners Eric and Sanae have some macrobiotic cookbooks out for sale which I haven't tried, but flipped through at the restaurant and look stellar.

Masala Dosa

Ah, Masala Dosa. Cheap, delicious, filled with potatoes and spices, and topped with dal. You are a beautiful thing.

This particular Masala Dosa is from Annapurna on Devon Ave in Chicago. I think it runs between $3-4 and is filling and tasty. You can go down the street before or afterwards and get an equally inexpensive fresh juice or a macheted-on-the-spot coconut at Fresh Farms International Market.

Perfection.