choctastic's Profile
Vet my vegan List for SF?
Pizza Orgaasmica sounds pretty cool, but for those prices, i'd rather eat UPN (or TPN, I guess), or Delfina's marinara. I loved Motorino, want something like that.
Vet my vegan List for SF?
I will try Minako, but I'm not a fan of Cha-Ya, and I work too late to enjoy the view at Greens, though the food is good.
Vet my vegan List for SF?
I was looking at Gather, actually. 20 mins, not including the schlep to the station and the wait for the ride. Still, good call; I may have to just suck it up and cross water for this.
Vet my vegan List for SF?
I'm sold. I've heard conflicting reports about Millennium, but since my budget is pretty high, might as well give it a whirl this time. thanks
Vet my vegan List for SF?
Thanks. I was thinking about Minako, but I was scared away because I hate Cha-Ya. I might give it a try.
Vet my vegan List for SF?
Oh yeah, I forgot about that kiosk. It's right next to the doorway and I always pass it by. I'll have to make a note to try it this time.
Vet my vegan List for SF?
I am in SF for work for a few days and I was wondering if the vegans out there could vet my list, or suggest others. I will be working the Embarcadero area and don't really have the time on this trip to get out to the outer limits of the city, the way I would like to.
1. Loving Hut (of course), Westfield Mall and possibly the Irving location
2. Plant Cafe Organic
3. Thai Idea Vegetarian
4. Millennium
5. Marinara pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletano
6. Enjoy Vegetarian
7. Gracias Madre (desserts only) if I have time
I've been to Lucky Creation, Golden Era, Herbivore and Ananda Fuera, so I am not interested in those three. Also, not interested in Indian restaurants. Thanks in advance!
Where can I get a vegan cake in San Francisco?
Sprinkles vegan red velvet is pretty good, but I do find it heavy and oily. I'm vegan, so I eat it, but I do wish for a lighter version somewhere.
February 2012, Grocery Outlet - Is it worth it anymore?
Agreed. There are still a few deals here and there, but prices do seem higher. The Lindt bars used to be 75 cents, about 5 years ago, remember that?
That said, I did score a bunch of Scharffenberger bars at GO this year. I think they were 3 for a dollar, or 2 for a dollar. So, I still go in occasionally.
I also scored some Rice Dream chocolate bars, 4 for a dollar. That was a screaming deal.
Vietnamese in Orange County (specific dishes)
I agree wtih you on #3. Finally got my butt to this location and wow, I feel like an idiot. How did I miss this place all these miserable years?
ORANGE COUNTY-Best 5 over $25 and Best 5 under $25
Add Bo De Tinh Tam Chay on Beach Blvd to my under $25 list.
Vegetable Juice bar
Mother's Market does juices to order. I always go there and get a carrot juice and specify lots of kale added. Other fruit/juice blends are available.
ORANGE COUNTY-Best 5 over $25 and Best 5 under $25
Mine is all vegan (well, hey some vegetarian might be interested *shrug*)
Over $25
Au Lac
True Food Kitchen (actually this place does meat but has some killer vegan desserts, like the apple cobbler)
Under $25
Veggie Grill
Loving Hut (especially Orange location)
Pho Veggie (previously Thuyen Vien)
Mitasie 3 (for the "chicken" pho)
Deen - Why did she keep it a secret for three years while deep frying butter?
He's a good writer, but not a good chef, by any stretch of even my imagination.
Vegan or vegetarian Chinese?
I've been to Garden Wok. It's decent, if unspectacular.
Vinh Loi Tofu is close by; I'd go there instead, even though it's Vietnamese.
Vietnamese in Orange County (specific dishes)
Shows what you guys know. After trying vegan pho all over the place, I've come to the conclusion that the only thing I really wish I could have is the raw beef cooking in the hot liquid. But I recall many times when I was a meat-eater when the broth was insipid and the meat...questionable.
Vinh Loi Tofu is this place in Reseda that changed my mind about vegan Vietnamese food, and vegan food in general. The banh mi at that place really rocks, and the pho was pretty damn good.
Right now, I'm a fan of the viet food at the Orange branch of Loving Hut.
Vietnamese in Orange County (specific dishes)
Thuyen Vien has a vegetarian version of the dilled "fish" dish on a sizzling platter. It's vegetarian, but might not be vegan. I believe this item is marked on the menu as not being vegan, but I could be misremembering.
Vietnamese in Orange County (specific dishes)
I remember this dish back in my meat-eating days. Ha Noi's was great.
Vietnamese in Orange County (specific dishes)
I personally think the vegetarian (actually vegan) pho at the Orange branch of the Loving Hut chain is better than Thuyen Vien's. TV's used to be great, but now that the wife is in the kitchen, I personally do not think it's as good as when the husband was cooking. My personal opinion is that the food in general is not as good, for this reason, not just the pho. Just my $.02, others will disagree.
Also, in Huntington Beach, there's this vegan Viet place called Mitasie 3 in a dingy strip mall, off Beach. They have the best vegan chicken pho I have had so far, though they do put in a ton of noodles, which I don't like. Overall, great. The barbecue pork rolls are overrated imho, but many yelpers are big fans of those things.
If you're in El Monte, there's several very, very good vegan Vietnamese places. I ate at an unnamed one that I really liked and I'll have to review one of these days, if I can ever figure out what it's called.
Vegan restaurant near airport?
BART is about $8 from the airport.
Herbivore would be my choice too. I enjoyed my last breakfast at Herbivore. I got these roasted banana pancakes and tofu scramble. The banana pancakes were great, huge portion. Tofu scramble was tasty, even though I like my homemade version better, as I bind mine with a little sauce to make it just like soft egg scramble.
There are several vegan Chinese places, like Golden Era, sprinkled through the city, but none really stand out in my mind. If you're in Chinatown, you might as well try a charsiu bao at Lucky Creation, I guess. Golden Era is probably the overall best in the area, I think it's near Civic Center Station.
Too bad you probably won't get to Judahlicious. They have a hemp milk soft serve that looks divine.
Vegan Chinese in Orange County??
Well, there's Happy Family in Costa Mesa. They have a great lunch deal where you get soup, white or brown rice, and two small entrees, all for $6.75. The hours for this special are between 11-3, I think every day. Note: I think there are a few dishes here that contain egg. They should be clearly marked, but I would ask, just in case. The food isn't the absolute best vegan Chinese I've had (my favorite for now is New Happy Family in Rosemead, or maybe Fine Garden Vegetarian in San Gabriel), but it's pretty good, at least I think so. I like the black bean tofu "oysters" a lot. Oh and the kung pao "chicken". They will also cook in less oil, if you ask. Yes, this place is owned by the same family that runs the Happy Family restaurants in Rowland Heights and I think Rosemead?
There are also four Loving Huts, which are more Vietnamese, but do have some Chinese-Am dishes like beef with broccoli, sweet & sour pork, etc. My overall favorite for price and food is the one in Orange. My least favorite, but most convenient one is located inside the Brea Mall.
Au Lac has very good cooked dishes, many of them ChineseAm dishes. I like their sweet & sour pork and their raw "donut holes".
Mitasie in Huntington Beach is Viet, but does a great fake chicken dishes. i was just there and had a pretty decent meal for $7.
That's it for now.
Shibucho (on Beverly): A Pictorial Essay
Huh, I'm on the same wavelength as Porthos today, because when I first saw that photo I thought it was shako too. Weird.
Q: Where to Purchase "Gourmet" Tea (OC)
south of the Y, I only know of Teavana, in the Mission Viejo mall, and I'm not sure I count that...
Personally, I go online, these days to Red Blossom Tea co, which is a good company located in SF's Chinatown, but they ship all over. Just finished a big bag of their Wenshan Baozhong oolong (Spring 2011). Very good. http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/oolong/wenshan-baozhong.html
Grocery Outlet, January 2012
The Lindt chocolate bars are no deal either. Remember when GO was selling them for 75 cents? That was only a few years ago, too.
My Urasawa Report
Yeah, it's obviously BS, but in Urasawa's defense, I think he just says this to customers, with the understanding that they not take him *so* literally. Basically, *I* took this to mean that he likes a consistently-sized rice pad, with pretty close to 170 grains in each pad. His nigiri are pretty consistently sized, but I didn't take the time to count the grains, because I was too busy enjoying myself...
Uses for leftover caramel??
I work at a soup kitchen and we got a couple jars of caramel sauce from Trader Joe's the other day. We peeled and cored apples and put that sauce in the hole in the middle, added raisins, cinnamon and some butter. They turned out beautifully.
Chinese Vegetarian in SGV
I really like Happy Family too.
I also like Happy Veggie Garden, inside the 99 Ranch Mall, in Rowland Heights. I love the hot and sour soup that comes with the lunch special, the best I've had so far, and I like how my dishes have been cooked so far. I've had basic stuff like sweet and sour pork, various versions of "chicken", and whoever is cooking back there is a-ok with me. I like going here for the lunch specials. Brown rice is like a dollar extra though.
I recently got the three cups tofu dish at Fine Garden Vegetarian Cuisine in San Gabriel, and it was phenomenal. Brown rice came free too. I got the lunch special and it was a lot of food for about $6. Amazing. I need to try this place again. The hot and sour soup was good, but not as good as Happy Veggie Garden's version.
Also, there's a Happy Family in Rowland Heights (located on second floor of a strip mall) and it's pretty good as well, in fact some of my friends prefer it to my overall favorite, happy Veggie Garden, but I like the food better overall at HVG, even if it's a dollar more.
If you're into fast food, go to LA or OC and try the fried chicken sandwich at Veggie Grill. I've taken meat eaters there and they are blown away by that sandwich. Not so much the cheeseburger. I like the portobello burger there.
If you're in OC, Thuyen Vien (aka Pho Veggie) is easily my favorite vegan Vietnamese place. The pho is great, as is the amazing "flan" which has a texture just like eggy flan, without milk or egg. I like the Thai iced tea, which is made with vanilla scented soy milk. another table recently had some dilled fish on the sizzling platter and that smelled amazing. Coconut juice comes in the coconut. The owner is a genius, and justly proud of his cooking skillz. He knows what an accomplishment the flan is and he has the bad habit of asking why you didn't finish it, but i totally understand.
99 for Vegetarians
Radjhani's in Artesia - a must try for anyone but vegans (ghee is used liberally unless you tell them no)
Surati Farsan Mart in Artesia - must try
Merit Veggie Place Chinese Vegetarian/Vegan in El Monte
Thank you very much. I will definitely check this out.
Incredible Cookies from Lousy Ingredients and Pedestrian Recipe
These cookies are not great by chance or "magic". I watched the video twice and it struck me that the ingredients and steps have been very carefully thought out and edited by someone with exacting tastes. Weighing the ingredients? Heath bar bits addition? Crisco sticks for uniformity of measurement? Changing of the pans midway? Double pans on the bottom? While he's forgiving on the measurement of the nuts and Heath Bar bits, that's because they do not affect the texture of the dough as much as the other ingredients. They're just flavor additions, though the heath bar bits do melt into pockets of deliciousness.
