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25 Jun 2011
dishcrawl • Palo Alto • Vegan

Green for Go! in Palo Alto

Palo Alto welcomed us with a warm breeze and friendly company. There’s nothing better than to be able to enjoy great people and great food on a beautiful day. The peninsula has so much to offer and we were so excited to get a-Dishcrawlin’ in Palo Alto in this playground of techies, students, and hungry people.

We started off the night by taking in the fresh air at Garden Fresh. Owner Alice Liang greeted us as if we were all family. She believes that patrons that visit the restaurant are more than customers, they are friends. Alice believes in treating the things she cares about, her friends and the environment, good.

Garden Fresh has healthy, plant-based dishes that people ranging from vegans to meat-lovers can enjoy together. Discrawlers got to enjoy a sampling of orange beef with broccoli, chicken curry, scallion pancakes with brown rice. This humane planet-certified restaurant tucked away on a side street off of University Avenue surprised many with its flavorful, meat-less and animal free food.

Across the street there was a beautiful park where we met Nuttawee Taasevigen from House of Siam on Wheels. This mobile vendor that serves Thai food (the first of its kind in the Bay Area) has something for all the senses. The experience of eating this delicious food is heightened through each bite with an array of colors, flavors, textures, and even sounds!

Spunky chef and owner, Nuttawee, served us a roti bouquet over rice, papaya salad and mango sticky rice for dessert. She drives this behemoth of a truck all on her own with no trouble and also spends time in the physical restaurant in downtown San Jose. Getting to know her food is like getting to know her… you know it’s going to be a good time!

With many of our Dishcrawlers already feeling a bit on the full side, we took a stroll down University Avenue as the sun set to digest what we had taken in so far. Showing up at Shokolaat to unwind with some wine and spirits was a great stop to take a break and take in some wonderful conversation. Along with the great exchange of words, a Dishcrawl stop is incomplete without delicious food. The pastries at Shokolaat, and most of the seasonal menu, uses local, organic, and sustainable ingredients.

We were served a square lemon tart and house made artesian chocolates in their beautiful enclosed outdoor patio. The hand crafted chocolates take anywhere from a couple days up to four weeks to create… and only a few seconds to devour the tasty morsels! The indoor/outdoor patio was starting to get a small chill so as the drinks turned to drops, it was time to make one last stop.

Joya specializes in tapas (although they also have a wonderful full menu) and a lively atmosphere. It was a great place to pick on small yummy appetizers of mini corn dogs, croquettes, and chicken skewers. The night ended on a happy note with fried oreos and churros as the drinks kept flowing along with the conversation of new and old friends.

Still hungry for more Dishcrawl? Here’s what’s next in the Bay Area!

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With hugs, kisses, and delicious dishes,

Jenn

 

More about Garden Fresh

More about House of Siam on Wheels

More about Shokolaat

More about Joya

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22 Apr 2011
dishcrawl • Filipino • Oakland • Vegan

No Worries Dishcrawl: Eating Vegan in Oakland

Vegan, Filipino cuisine, and Oakland are not words that would be uttered in the same sentence in normal circumstances a year ago. Thanks to Jay-Ar Isagani Pugao for bringing us Dishcrawlers a night to remember and you food lovers out there a vegan Filipino restaurant to be proud of!

The night started off with #Fildishcrawl partners in crime, Tracy (@ladyleet) and Jo ( @joanneisafoodie), introducing the chef and owner of No Worries, Jay-Ar.

This Oakland establishment has been open for less than a year but No Worries Catering is a seasoned veteran in the food game. Jay-Ar had a dream in high school of bringing Filipino vegan cuisine to the masses and was so passionate that was approved for a grant to start his business. Using traditional recipes as a guideline, chef Jay-Ar creates meat-free cultural dishes for all to enjoy. In a culuture that is based around many meaty dishes, No Worries finds great ways to imitate those tastes and textures by using substitutes such as soy protein, wheat gluten, tofu, and seitan.

No Worries is the perfect place for vegans because you really don’t have to worry with the ingredients that chef Jay-Ar uses. He is a vegan himself and takes pride in quality animal free elements in cooking his traditional foods using groceries bought at Layonna Vegetarian Health Food Market right down the street. He believes that eating local and vegan helps to minimize the impact that we have on the environment but almost as important is the taste of the food. Lucky us Dishcrawlers to be able to eat scrumptious food and fight for sustainability all in one night!

Mel ón is a water drink with shredded melon and brown sugar which was a sweet beginning to what the rest of the night had to offer. Appetizers of lumpia alongside pancit were presented with a fresh cut lemon and came out promptly smelling of deliciously organic aroma.

Next, Chef Jay-Ar gave us a cooking lesson. He showed us how to make vegetarian bistek using soy beef strips with onions, green beans, and broccoli.

A large bowl of communal rice was passed around as “chicken” afritada came out. A combination of soy chicken, potatoes, peppers, green peas are combined into a tomato based sauce to make this aromatic dish.

Kare-Kare is a Philippine stew traditionally made with ox tail but this vegan version uses eggplant in its place along with soy meat, string beans, and cabbage in a peanut sauce.

The last savory dish was a tasting of lugaw, a rice porridge with vegetable broth, ginger and fried soy chicken strips. What a way to warm the soul!

Last but certainly not least was dessert. Turon served with vegan coconut ice cream from Maggie Mudd which can hardly be found anywhere else.

 

Feel the Dishcrawl love and join us for a future event near you! Check out our upcoming dishcrawls in other cities!

Don’t forget to add us on Facebook and Twitter!

More about No Worries . 

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28 Mar 2011
Berkeley • dishcrawl • Vegan

A Great Evening at the Berkeley Vegan Dishcrawl!

Last Thursday, we were so fortunate to have the very lovely and zen, Colleen, from Dinner Peace guide our tastebuds through some of Berkeley’s best vegan spots. She proves, once again, that vegan can be delicious and fulfilling to the palate and the soul.

Colleen will be leading another fantastic vegan tour with Dishcrawl again next month. From what I’ve heard it’s already looking to be very, very yummy! Below is her guest post wrap-up of the event

 

Last night, I had the opportunity to share dinner with an amazing group of vegans, vegetarians, and the veg-friendly. Yes, I’m talking about the first Vegan Dishcrawl in Berkeley! Excepting the weather, it couldn’t have been a better evening. It was such a pleasure to meet the enthusiastic Dishcrawlers I had been corresponding with for weeks. Like Jaime, an omnivore who came with one of his vegan friends, who described the event as “having a Parisian stroll feel.” Or Megan, who surprised her husband with Dishcrawl Date Night.

We started our evening at the Epicurious Garden, living life to the fullest, and eating dessert first. Panos Panagos of Alegio Chocolate gave us a guided tour of the island São Tomé, off the coast of Africa, where Claudio Corallo makes the world’s most perfect chocolate. It was my first opportunity to try 100% pure chocolate, intensely bitter, but unequivocally rich and chocolatey.

After an extensive tasting at Alegio, we visited Lush Gelato and Café. Lush’s owner,Federico Murtagh, hails from Argentina which harbors one of the largest Italian populations outside of Italy, and as such, knows a thing or two about making gelato. Murtagh has dedicated his company to producing the purest, simplest, most exquisite representation of natural flavors. Lush obtains their fruit from local, organic sources, like Frog Hollow and Bellwether Farms. Made of fruit, sugar, and water, Lush’s sorbetto provides the cleanest representation of nature’s sweetest treat. Dishcrawlers were given tastes of Kiwi, Lemon-Cinnamon, Chocolate-Orange, and Pear sorbetto.

Our next stop was Café Gratitude, a mecca for vegans, vegetarians, and raw-enthusiasts. Manager Alice Liu provided a feast for our group. First up was a raw lasagna, made with the creamiest, lightest cashew ricotta I’ve ever tasted, and layers of basil, spinach, and tender zucchini noodles. The raw lasagna was accompanied by spicy-sweet raw enchiladas. I don’t have a lot of experience with raw food, but this was spectacular. Only my professionalism kept me from licking the plate. Café Gratitude finished our visit with one of their grain bowls, quinoa, kale, carrots, teriyaki almonds dressed in a garlic-tahini sauce. Heaven.

Although Café Gratitude can be intimidating to omnivores, vegans and non-vegans alike seemed delighted with the food. Café Gratitude’s playfulness with flavor and textures resulted in a uniquely delicious experience. While at Café Gratitude, artisan bakers from Zest Bakery shared vegan brownie bites with our guests.

Dishcrawl ended the evening at Mint Leaf Indian Bistro for samosas and vegetable pakoras and a variety of dipping sauces. The stylish interior, cozy tables, and sophisticated lighting provided the perfect setting for the end of the evening. Dishcrawlers lingered over finger foods and drinks for the rest of the night.

I was inexpressibly delighted to see people mingling, and groups of friends incorporating new members. It truly was a communal experience for vegans, foodies, and Bay Areans. After the success of last night’s event, we will definitely be doing another one of these soon, so stay tuned for all the details!

In the meantime, check our our photos and don’t forget to add us on Facebook and Twitter!

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