The Best of San Diego, California

My vegan food favorites of San Diego...

Best Sangria: The Linkery
      -Both the red and white are to die for. They also have delicious (local) vegan food. Rumor has it that they also serve the same sangria at El  Take it Easy.

Best Vegan "Fish & Chips": Ritual Tavern
      -Beer battered eggplant with fries... genius.

Best Vegan Pizza: Blind Lady Ale House
      -The vegan pesto, topped with arugula, crimini mushrooms, and pickled onions is my favorite.

Best Vegan Veggie Burgers: Veg-N-Out
      -They have a huge variety of veggie burgers- all delicious.

Best Soy Chai Tea Latte: Caffe Calabria
      -Spiced or vanilla, iced or hot. Step aside Starbucks, Coffee Bean, and (sorry...) Peet's, these guys make the best chai latte, hands down.

Best Vegan Mexican Food: Ranchos Cocina 
       -Their vegan lentil, avocado, and vegan cheese burrito is my favorite. They have vegan/ vegetarian specials everyday, like "carne esada burritos". Another plus- it's family run and owned!

Best CSA Box Supplier: Suzie's Farm 
       -Amazing organic and local produce for a very reasonable price. You can find them at Farmers Markets all around San Diego- Little Italy, Hillcrest, North Park, La Jolla, Ocean Beach, etc.

Best Tea Shop: Halcyon Tea
       -Adorable little shop in South Park, with a very nice variety of tasty loose leaf teas.

Best Vegan Popsicles: Viva Pops
       -These guys make some unique pops, and always have a handful of delicious vegan ones to choose from.

Best Vegan Friendly Grocery Stores: People's Co-op and Sprouts

(And I'm sure I'll be adding more.)
xo - T

My most recent foodie adventures...

One of the first things people always say to me after finding out that I'm vegan is... wow, it must be hard to go out to eat. My response- well... it depends on where you go. I think I've proven from my recipe posts that against my brother's beliefs, I do not survive off of rabbit food. When I go out, I refuse to let salads be my only option. Peet's Coffee and Tea has vegan cookies and scones, In-N-Out has their "veggie burger" (with no special sauce and cheese), Thai places almost always have an array of tasty vegan options, Chipotle's got a veggie burrito (or bowl) that can be vegan with black beans (and no cheese or sour cream), the Public House is always serving their (seasonal!) "Public Veg", Mediterranean places have falafel and hummus, and of course there is the Herbivore and Native Foods.... Get my point yet? I like good food, I like my good food to be vegan, and I REALLY like when I can find good vegan food when I'm out and about.

Exhibit A: Vegan mac & cheese, paired with Sterling's Sauvignon Blanc.

Who: Daniel, Nick, Molly, Crystal and me

When: Last weekend

Where: Homeroom, Oakland, CA

Why: Because I've been craving mac and cheese since I've been vegan and nothing has hit the spot like this before. Why wouldn't you want to check out a new restaurant that only serves 9 different kinds of mac & cheese (and of course a great selection of beverages and sweets)?!

Exhibit B: Vegan cinnamon roll with hazelnut frosting, topped with pecans and bananas.

Who: Alexandra, Nick and me

When: Last weekend

Where: Cinnaholic, Berkeley, CA

Why: Because one of my childhood best friends (who is also vegan) lives in Pennsylvania and recommended this place to me... that's saying something. Cinnabun has got nothing on this place. If you're anywhere near Berkeley, you have to taste them for yourself. If you're far away, no excuses- you can order them online here.

Both the vegan mac & cheese and vegan cinnamon roll were dangerously delicious and I will be back for more after a few trips to the gym. Thanks for reading :) - T

the BEST veggie burger ever.

THE PLANT cafe & restaurant
Pier 3, The Embarcadero in San Francisco.
http://www.theplantcafe.com/index.htm

This environmentally conscience restaurant is just a few feet away from the ocean and offers tons of fabulous VEGAN dishes!!

We started with the (gluten free and vegan) "shiitake spring rolls" with roasted onion peanut sauce (amazing). Then decided to try the "PLANT burgers", made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews and bulgur wheat, which ended up being the most delicious veggie burger I've had so far. Check it out!!

Dining Out, Vegan Style.

This weekend some friends and I stumbled upon an great restaurant in Berkeley, Ca called Berkeley Thai House on Channing Way. They have a good amount of vegan options... I enjoyed the Cucumber Salad, the Tofu Tod which is deep fried bean cakes served with sweet peanut sauce, and an amazing fresh fruit smoothie with lychees, mango, and strawberries. Everything was so flavorful and delicious! So if you're ever in the area and looking for some delicious vegan food, I highly recommend the Berkeley Thai House :)