Dining Out: Ninth St. Bakery (Durham)

One cannot say enough good things about this vegan-friendly food establishment, made so by new management. First off, when I feel too lazy to bake my own, I buy loaves of bread because there's nothing disgusting like L-cysteine in their product. (You don't even have to stop by, you can purchase a loaf at your local Harris Teeter.) Second, they can also act as your cafe hangout spot for coffee and vegan pastry. But, most of all, I very much love their specially themed dinner services on weekends!

Menu as of 7/30/2014

Falafel Sandwich (on the every day menu)

Came with a little tub of tahini and these delicious semi-pickled veggies.

Thai Curry Bowl with a Savory Vegan Hand pie on the side

Southern New Year's special event night (2014):

Appetizer of boiled peanuts, pickled veggies, and vegan "deviled eggs" made from potatoes. They were delectable!

Hoppin John's remixed as a salad with a hot sauce vinaigrette.

BBQ tofu with drop biscuit and greens.

Vietnamese night (April 2014):

The lettuce wraps entree with hot sauce and a creamy 'aioli' type sauce, both vegan.

Dining Out: Chapel Hill Miscellany

Soy Chicken Cutlets from Sage Cafe: "Chicken" in a mild coconut curry & mushroom sauce, served with basmati-saffron rice and a side of shirazi.

Appetizer & Entree from Lime & Basil:

Delectable summer rolls stuffed with vermicelli noodles & sauteed TVP; came with a peanut dipping sauce.

Lemongrass stir fry with soy chicken

Dining Out: Bhava (New Orleans)

Bhava opened in November 2013. It's a rad little nook in the Marigny neighborhood above Feelings Cafe. The menu is influenced by food cultures from all over the world, because why the hell not--in general and in a port city like NOLA?

A little gender bending before dinner.

 "Tofu Crabish Cakes - Pan seared atop local greens, green garlic vinaigrette, with remoulade."

"Papas Rellenos- Picadillo stuffed mashed potato cake, creamy cilantro sauce, side salad."

Those damn little tomatoes were as fuckin' beautiful as they were delicious.

Here's an interior pic:

Raw Lemon Tart - cashew custard in an almond date crust with a strawberry jam layer.

Myer lemons--little else must be said. Except that this was one of the best things I've ever eaten--sometimes I tear up a little when I look at the photos...

Although it's menu changes week by week based on changes in seasonal produce, I still thought I'd post the menu for March 20th, 2014. (It's only open Thurs-Sunday. If you find yourself there on Mon-Wed. I read the Feelings Cafe right below has its own vegan menu.)

I swear, if I wasn't tethered to my previously established life, I'd ask Anne Churchill to take me on as an apprentice and move to NOLA. Behold the power of the tart.

Dining Out: New Orleans

NOLA is a great city; lots of character, just as everyone says. But, no, I didn't eat beignets or go to Bourbon Street. I went there to do what the hell I wanted to do (i.e. look at museums and visit the cities of the dead). I still see NOLA as a tourist place to chow down, though.
 

Breakfast

Surrey's Cafe & Juice Bar (1418 Magazine St. location): tofu breakfast platter

Served over rice, the tofu is firm, has been pressed, and seasoned with what tasted like soy sauce. In other words, it was actually treated properly so as not to be squishy meh-I'm-eating-this-for-gleaning-protein nonsense. Also, the tomato, mushroom, poblano pepper veggie medley on top is lovely! I added a little hot sauce to a few bites, just for something different while eating. This, happily, sits on your stomach for a while; thus making it good fuel in the tank for wearing out the soles of your shoes and keeping your patience when tripping on the city's uneven pavement.



Slim Goodies - Garden Slammer, sans cheese: Hash browns, vegetarian chili, tofu scramble, and smokey tempeh. (It's not crispy enough to call it tempeh bacon.) 

As is the tradition of greasy spoon Americana, everything was piled high into a mound on the plate and you're offered hot sauce and ketchup to tack on some additional excess calories. The hash browns were very good, the chili was there in the savory background (but didn't knock you over with flavor), the tempeh was pretty good, and the tofu scramble was lackluster. It sort of tasted like there was only turmeric in the scramble, which is terribly insufficient (as this article can attest). I'm not sure what kind of oil was used to cook all of this, so there might be some fake butter in there somewhere with its traces of dairy and whatnot. Note, also, that it's a true greasy spoon place, so it might not actually be suitable for veg*ns.

Lunch

My trip to New Orleans was cut short by weather issues, and while I was there my giant breakfasts didn't render me hungry until late afternoon. However, the reader can always consider happycow.net. I intended to go to Slice (a pizzeria owned by the same folks who opened up Juan's Flying Burrito that also has vegan options), the menu of which says: "Sicilian marinara: vegan friendly with spicy Marinara, grilled eggplant, kalamatas, capers, arugula." ...Sounds really good; damn that 2014 polar vortex!

Additionally, I really wanted to go to Sneaky Pickle, but I was too exhausted to make the trek and not actually hungry at lunch time. (The latter is quite shocking.) If I had gone, I would've gotten the vegan version of the Patty Melt--"your choice of kaiser roll or sourdough bread, multigrain lentil patty, smoked onions, vegan beer cheese, citrus-kale salad, pickles, and fermented chili veganaise." All that sounds absolutely stellar, so I recommend others going to NOLA visit this newly opened restaurant and support it. 

Dinner

Lola - A Taste of Spain starter:  "Ajoblanco -traditional Andalusia almond soup, served cold."

Before I departed my coworker was teasing me about the almond soup turning out to be almond milk. I laughingly replied that I was going to be a little pissed if this was the case. Of course, no, the soup is actually a thick, delectable concoction that I need to learn to make in order to combat the Dog Days of summer where I live. The little bits suspended in the soup are red grape halves, which add freshness and textual contrast.

The very kind server suggested the housemade garlic spread to go with the $0.25 pistolette, and I loved it because I like the flavor of raw garlic. Although, I admit that it might be too strong for some palettes. As the Lonely Planet guide says about this restaurant: "Vampires need not apply."


Entree: "Pisto - Portabella mushroom stuffed with a vegetarian Castilian dish served w/ black beans, rice & asparagus"

Believe it or not, a Portobello mushroom is under that mound of veggie medley/peccadillo, which was well-seasoned. The black beans were mildly spicy and the asparagus tasted pan-seared or grilled. I saved some of the garlic spread and used it for dressing the salad on the side. (You could also mix it with the beans & rice, if you wanted.) All of this was sheer heaven. 

Other

The Saturday before I departed for my short trip to NOLA was when I learned that Wandering Buddha--an establishment tucked in the Hi Ho Lounge that served vegan Korean food (including  much fabled kimchi)--had closed in 2013. I wailed for perhaps thirty minutes before gaining my composure and searching for other options that could possibly fill that void in my meal schedule. That's when I found this article which mentions two: Bhava and Sneaky Pickle. Bhava was so good and a completely vegan restaurant that I had to give it its own post.