VegNews, McDougall, and Searching in the Right Places
I'm very excited to announce that FatFree Vegan Kitchen has been selected as one of the 21 best blogs in VegNews magazine's first annual VegBloggy Awards. This blog and 20 others--several of my favorites as well as a few that are new to me--will be featured in the July-August edition of the magazine, available on newsstands on July 1. (Though I did a mini-interview with them a couple of months ago, I haven't seen what they printed and can only hope that I didn't say anything too silly.) For links to all the chosen blogs, visit fellow VegBloggy-winner SuperVegan.
I apologize for my recent lack of posts, but I've been concentrating all my efforts into getting ready for the McDougall Celebrity Chef weekend, which is less than two weeks away. I'm putting the finishing touches on my recipe list and can tell you that it will include 4 of the following: Mac and Cheeze, Banana Coffee Cake, Smoky Refried Bean Soup, Skillet Gardener's Pie, and Impossible Pumpkin Pie. I'll be continuing to test and narrow down the list over this weekend, so I'm still open to suggestions.
After the McDougall weekend, I'll have a day to kick around in San Francisco, so I'm also looking for suggestions for places to eat and things to see. I missed a big opportunity to get help on my Arizona trip by not mentioning it here beforehand, and I'm not making that mistake again! So if you have any advice, please drop me a comment.
Finally, I've added a new little gadget to the left sidebar that will allow you to search either this blog or all of the 344 blogs in the Google Veg Blog search engine. So, if you're looking for something specifically on this blog, be sure to type it into the top box; on the other hand, if you're not sure on which blog you saw a recipe, try typing some key words into the second box. And, if your blog is completely vegetarian and isn't listed yet, be sure to drop me an email with the URL and I'll be glad to add it.
That's all. Carry on with your summer (or winter if you're Down Under)!
Labels: life
posted by SusanV at 6:42 PM
46 Comments:
hey there susan - deep fried southern girl in sf here! great places to eat as a veggie. you must try millenium. or greens. two amazing veggie only places that will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. do you know what area you will be staying in?
Welcome (in advance) to San Francisco! For restaurants, there are of course Greens and Millennium (the former veggie and the latter vegan), which are famous in their own right. If you're willing (or eager) to go a little downscale, there is Cha-Ya, a vegan Japanese restaurant in the Mission neighborhood; my favorite vegan Chinese restaurant (though the neighborhood isn't the best, the food makes up for it), Golden Era; a raw establishment called Cafe Gratitude at two locations in the city; another all-vegan restaurant with two locations, Herbivore; and don't miss Maggie Mudd's ice cream shop for the largest and most delightful vegan ice cream selection you can find (they have dairy ice cream too)! Or if you want cake, Just Desserts in the Castro has vegan items available. The good news, too, is that wherever you go in SF, the restaurant staff are likely to know what vegan means, and at least one vegan option should already be on the menu. I haven't even listed all of my favorite haunts - I hope my fellow SF vegans (there are lots of us) will chime in and really get a good list going; I'd like to know what I'm missing!
Wow -- congrats on your VegBloggy award! It's great to be recognized for this wonderful site.
I just moved out of the Bay Area, but I still know a couple of tasty veg places. Golden Era and Cha-Ya are definitely tasty, and Maggie Mudd's is a must-go. I hear the weather is great down there right now, so I reccomend you pick up an all-vegan sunday with flavours like Peanut Butter Palooka and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (with marshmallow topping, maybe?).
Also, Ananda Fuara on Market (near 10th) has some good food. I suggest the BBQ Tofu and Veggie burgers (not your standard veggie burgers to be sure). And their strawberry cake is to die for. They give you a big piece and drizzle raspberry sauce on it. Be warned though, it's sweet cake.
If you're looking for vegan breakfast, you should try Fellini across the Bay in Berkeley. They serve breakfast (until 1pm I believe) on weekends.
Enjoy San Francisco!
I don't think my tiny blog is there: bluerthanpink.blogspot.com
Love your blog. Congrats on the award. It's well deserved.
Okay, born & raised Bay Area girl here with many of those years in San Francisco!
There's plenty of veg options here, but not all of them are worth bothering with! I have few places I seriously recommend to people, but here they are!
Millennium! There's a reason everyone will mention this place. It is WONDERFUL, creative, & everything vegan food should be. The prix fixe menus are the star here, they're impeccable!
Cha Ya- Japanese vegan food & I'm not talking some measly veg sushi. A FULL menu with soba, gyoza, sukiyaki, tempura, & of course a large sushi menu.
Cafe Gratitude- Raw food, if you like raw food. The mexican inspired dishes are best, especially the taco salad & enchilada of the day. Stay away from any "bread".
Maggie Mudd- The only place to grab a vegan ice cream sundae! Not healthy AT ALL, but it's seriously fun to have a loaded up sundae from time to time! It's not too far from Cha Ya either.
The Usual Suspects cafe- A new comer in North Beach, it's only been open 3 weeks, but they have great salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizza. The Shawarma is AWESOME! They're also the only place with vegan dessert that's not by Black China (bland, icky cakes). Theirs is baked in house by Sugar Beat Sweets (www.sugarbeatsweets.com) & the menu rotates.
PLEASE skip Herbivore! It's convenient, but the food is BAD & it's owned by omnis cashing in on being one of the only all vegan places. It's fine for brunch, but the entrees are NOT good (their pad thai = peanut butter dumped on spaghetti).
If you need a tour guide, I'll be around! I have a car if you need to get across now. Just let me know!
definitely try cha-ya. millenium is good but expensive and a bit overrated... also hit the ferry bldg for veggies and such.
congrats, Susan! This must be immensely exciting for you. i'M afraid I be there: I live in the UK
Congratulations with the blog-award. Mine isn't that impressive as yours, but if you want to add it to your roll?
http://tofuparty.wordpress.com
Hello Susan! I was looking at the recipe for the re-fried bean soup which looks rather tasty and I will most definitely recreate it as I found some chipotle sauce in tomato paste in my local supermarket (Discovery Foods for anyone in London, UK, in the Mexican World Foods section). I was looking at the comments under the recipe and I noticed one of your readers asked if she could use some "vegan Quorn mince" in it, just to let you know and anyone else who is interested, Quorn is not vegan, its a laboratory grown fungus, which when reformed resembles chicken, i believe the protein strands are held together by rehydrated egg white. I used to really like Quorn. Well done for your award, you thoroughly deserve it :D
Congratulations Susan! It could not have gone to a more deserving blog/blogger--your blog is lovely and thank you for all of your wonderful posts and recipes!
Courtney
Congratulations on the veg bloggy award! You totally deserve it!
If you have some extra money on your hands treat yourself to Millennium. 5 star and really not as expensive as it could be.
My second favorite restaurant in the city behind Millennium is The Usual Suspects, maybe that's because the chefs were trained there? I love the lasagna and pizza, but everything I've had (and I've had a lot) is great. The house made cashew cheese and seitan are wonderful. You also have to leave room for a desert!
Skip Herbivore. My nickname for it is Herbibore. I go there for breakfast sometimes since it's near my house but since you'll be here for a limited time you should do yourself a favor and go to Weird Fish or Fellini's (it's in the east bay) for breakfast. Weird Fish also has good lunch, but avoid at dinner time.
Honestly, I could go on forever, but these are my top places in the bay area.
Love your blog - it is so helpful!
you must, however, visit WEIRD FISH while you are in town.
I just had a vegan tofu scramble at Weird Fish this morning and am dying to go back - not really low fat but so many vegan treats on the menu it is hard to pick.
when they have it the vegan cheesecake is also amazing... the only reason to avoid dinner (i think) is that it gets really crowded and there is a long wait.
Thanks, everyone for the congratulations and suggestions. Pooja, I haven't reserved a hotel room yet, so I'm also open to suggestions as to which area to stay in. Also, I wanted to add that I'll be traveling alone, so I'm a little apprehensive about eating in fancy places, especially at night. So I'm leaning toward the very casual spots--unless someone wants to organize a meet-up, which would be wonderful.
Ditto to everyone's Millennium suggestion. You might also visit Anada Fuara.
Congratulations on the award Susan--that is just wonderful. I am so happy for you and look forward to hearing about it all when you return. I vote for Banana Coffee Cake and Skillet Gardener's Pie to be included. They were an absolutely delicious and fabulous success here, and I will make them again and again for vegans and non-vegans alike. Good luck with all the preparations for this fabulous adventure!!
I'd really recommend Green's, the best vegetarian: the atmosphere is not fancy, per se, just beautiful and on the water, and in case you change your mind they also have a cafe. When I went, there was an MFA exhibition of a San Francisco art school right next door.
Congrats on your award-so totally well-deserved!
Congratulations on the award!! Will you be in S.F. for the launch party? It would be great to meet you (I will be there as well)!!
Susan, I don't post often, but I do love your blog. I just wanted to say if you are looking at additional recipes, two of our favorites that are not on your short list are the mini tofu crustless quiches (without the yeast flakes - we've never developed a taste for them), and the curried sweet potato and kale soup. Both have broad appeal and well tested appeal in our house and amongst our friends.
Susan,
I have a blog that should go on the list... and which also may be of help in finding places to eat in San Francisco. It's www.eatswellwithothers.com and is all about dining out as a vegan. (And, between dining out experiences I name a favorite vegan thing of the day.) As for my favorite places in SF, I go with Millennium, Herbivore, and Cha-ya. Enjoy!
-Sky
Congrats Susan, but of course we all already knew you'd make it on that list;-)
I don't believe you have my blog listed. It's: http://web.mac.com/chrisnshelley/Shelley/Foodie_Thoughts/Foodie_Thoughts.html
Good luck with all your preparations for the McDougall weekend!
That's great -- congratulations!
You have to try the Millenium restaurant, and if you call in advance to let them know you are coming, they will make the meal fat free vegan for you. The lady who owns Millenium will probably be at the celebrity chef weekend, she usually goes to them and is very nice. :)
Have a great time!
Another vote for Millennium. Best restaurant I've ever been to, vegan or non. It's expensive, but totally reasonable for what it is. My boyfriend and I got one appetizer, entrees, a few drinks, drinks, dessert for just over $100 I think.
Places to stay: We stayed at Hayes Valley Inn and it worked quite well for us, especially since it was quite affordable. We did get the smallest room, and the bathrooms are shared. Not for everybody, but we didn't mind at all. There's a lounge and kitchen with breakfast available every morning.
Another vote for Millennium and Greens!
And check out the farmer's market on the water in the ferry building for sure!!
It was a kick to receive the annoucement from McDougall and see your name on it! Have fun - I'm sure whatever you make will be fabulous!
You mentioned being aprehensive about eating by yourself at a fancy restaurant. Millennium has a bar, so you can eat there if you feel awkward sitting at a table by yourself. Also, the food maybe gourmet, but the attire is casual. You can wear jeans and no one would think twice. I think they do lunch, which would be less crowded. Seriously...don't miss Millennium.
I know a lot of people are suggesting Green's, but I wouldn't waste my time or money. I've been to Millennium about 8 or 9 times since moving to the city. I've been to Greens once. Millennium cares about organics, sustainability and they're entirely vegan. Greens is none of those things. I feel as though they almost go out of there way to be unaccommodating to vegans. The menu is very dairy heavy. Plus, at Millennium the food is just plain better. I don't even remember what I ate at Green's.
I definetely recommend you have the Banana Coffee Cake on your recipe list!
If you would be so kind, we would appreciate it if you could add us to your blog list!
http://lksistersveg.blogspot.com/
Congrats!
Congrats on the VegBloggy Award :)
Congratulations on your award! I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now and love it!
I love your blog, so I'm really excited that you will be in SF. Definitely go to Millennium. I would describe it as high-class, gourmet vegan. Once they had tiramisu with chocolate stout ice cream. But their Chocolate Almond Midnight is a must. Cafe Gratitude. It's raw, except for their grains. I think their Yo Soy Mucho or Taco bowl is great. Cha-Ya for vegan Japanese. Maggie Mudd for a sweet indulgence.
Congrats! Truly well deserved!
Congratulations with your award!
I would love it if you add my blog to the list. It's quite new, but totally vegan...
http://coconutandraspberry.blogspot.com/
Hello,
Just wanted to say I'm really enjoying reading your blog. I am BRAND NEW to vegetarian and vegan ways of approaching diet. I'm determined to make some very healthy changes regarding what I prepare for my family, and intend to very slowly move them in the direction of vegetarian, and vegan for myself (they're welcome to join me though). Thanks for such an informative blog about vegan diet. I don't recall how I found you, but I'm sooo glad I did.
Blessings,
~Toni~
I'm thinking of going to this on Monday night. Wine and vegan food.
I believe that the celeb chef weekend is in Santa Rosa, so I'm going to give you a few places to check out in Sonoma County. A small hole in the wall place called Govinda's is up on Mendocino in Santa Rosa. It's a small salad and lunch/dinner buffet style veggie place, but only open M-F. East West Cafe up in Santa Rosa right next to the Rialto Theater is AMAZING. I love it. All their soups are vegan and oil free but full of flavor and on almost everything you get a big scoop of homemade hummus. If you make it over to Sebastopol in west county there is a small place called Slice of Life that is really yummy too. Congrats on the award and have fun in the bay area!
I love your blog!!! Totally deserving of the award...
Mines small and pretty new, but I'd love for you to check out www.bokchoybohemia.com and if you like it, add to your blogroll...
Susan, You may not have time to make the trek north over the Golden Gate to the Napa Valley, but if you do try Ubuntu in downtown Napa. Not only is it delicious but you can have a yoga session too. (upstairs is the yoga studio, downstairs is the restaurant).
I'm so excited for you to be part of the celebrity chef weekend in Santa Rosa. I wish I could be there. I hope you take lots of notes and write some juicy posts when you get back.
Cheers! Kathy in Napa, CA
I hope it's not too late for me to recommend Medicine Eatstation (http://www.medicinerestaurant.com/), a vegan-friendly and casual Japanese restaurant. It is located downtown in the Crocker Galleria, which also hosts a fantastic farmers market on Thursdays.
I'll put in my two cents -
1. Millennium (San Francisco)
2. Ubuntu (Napa)
3. Cha-Ya (Berkeley or SF)
4. Cafe Gratitude
Beware Ananda Fuara - they have a lot of dairy in their food (the "Neatloaf" has ricotta and egg).
"Golden Era" is just weird chinese - it's mediocre at best, but good for a fix of fake soy-based meats (like once a year).
How do you get the Google veg blog search widget?
Jennconspiracy, thanks for your suggestions. As for the Google veg search widget, I built it with Google's custom search feature and have been adding blogs to it for a while. If you have a google homepage, you can add the search box to it; just go to this page and look for the link to add it to your Google page. At some point in the future, I hope to be able to share the code so that other people can add the search to their blogs. Stay tuned!
I would definitely love to add it to my blog! Let me know as soon as I can put it up or help you test/troubleshoot...
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