Vegan

Vegan Friendly: Blissful Gatherings Monthly Vegan Pop-Up

The Short and Skinny

Each month, plant-based diners gather in the hills of southern San Diego for a stylish, intimate backyard dinner party.

The Vibe

Guests slowly meander along a path winding between Chula Vista homes in order to find the affair, taking in the falling light of dusk.

They know they have arrived when they spot the artfully set table and are approached by staff offering Sol-ti juice and Kombucha, often including Boochcraft, a high alcohol kombucha brewed just a few miles west.

A spray of eucalyptus leaves run along the center of the communal table, while floral vignettes from local growers rise from small globe vases, set mindfully so as to not block plate space or lines of sight.

Read more: http://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-blissful-gatherings-monthly-vegan-pop

American Vegan

Vegan Friendly: Bar Snacks at Madison on Park

The Short and Skinny

This hip space, which undulates between indoor and out, is known for creative cocktails, but they also have some seriously great vegan options.

The Vibe

The soft blue paint of the simple façade blends into the clear skies above. Window frames popped up like visors offer glimpses of the wood-rich interior. Cedar planked walls are accented by geometric pops of blue, mustard yellow, and soft pink and modern fixtures resemble drops of white glass clenched in brass. Unseen from the street is the modern basilica of a dining room—a breezy semi-outdoor space enveloped by a 20-foot high arch.

Read more at: http://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-bar-snacks-madison-park

Asian Vegan

Vegan Friendly: BESHOCK Ramen & Sake Bar in San Diego’s East Village

The Short and Skinny

Quivering curls of springy ramen noodles bathed in a creamy vegan both and inventive vegan buns await under the hospitable gaze of the East Village’s BESHOCK Ramen & Sake Bar.

The Vibe

Sunlight streams through the floor to ceiling glass walls into the modern interior of BESHOCK Ramen & Sake Bar. Stamped tin tiles and Gaslamp-style pendants line the far wall, reflecting the historic core of the city. Above a matte black counter, large windows provide an open view into the kitchen where steaming curls of noodles slip into deep bath of carefully crafted broths. Rustic wood tables and steel-backed chairs are set under an industrial steel rack neatly lined with sake bottles.

Owner Ayaka Ito, a certified sake master, opened BESHOCK in 2016, but the journey to get into this space was a long and winding one.

Ito spent nearly three years traveling thought over 100 ramen houses in Japan to learn the craft. Though her eyes were always focused on San Diego, she built her first ramen house—Three Little Pigs—in her hometown of Nagoya, Japan, a sister ramen shop—or “ramen lab” as Ito calls it—where she developed the recipes that would become the cornerstones of her East Village restaurant.

Read more at: http://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-beshock-ramen-sake-bar-san-diegos-east-village

Asian Vegan

Loving Hut Mira Mesa (San Diego, CA)

 

Delving into new-to-me dishes at Loving Hut Mira Mesa, I was sure to order a known ally: Amazing Chow ($10). Toothsome wheat noodles, echoing the Chinese egg version, twist around charred soy protein and vegetables. The sauce, sweet and one dimensional, caramelized like soy-candy on the seared edges of everything. Overflowing from the plate, this ample dish makes a meal for days to come. 
… Loving Hut Mira Mesa (San Diego, CA)

Vegan

Vegan Friendly: FaVe Tacos in Hillcrest and North Park

The Short and Skinny

Sustainable, farm-savvy T. Elizabeth Cramer fills house-made tortillas with fresh produce pulled fresh from the earth for vegan friendly tacos worth the queue at the Hillcrest and North Park farmers markets.

The Vibe

A smile breaks through the hustle of the Hillcrest Farmers Market, as San Diego native T. Elizabeth Cramer stirs enamel pots filled with locally sourced vegetables—many purchased from the farms just a few stalls down. Curls of cabbage and flutters of cilantro drop from the tip of her tongs. Each day the offerings are slightly different as the rhythms of nature are embraced.

After walking the standard line of life, Elizabeth stepped away from an office job and onto a popular DC food truck to study the food business (something she strongly recommends to anyone wanting to start their own edible empire). Invaluable lessons were learned, followed by a spell of disenchantment, replaced ultimately by a deep desire to really understand farming and sourcing.

Read more at: http://ediblesandiego.ediblecommunities.com/eat/vegan-friendly-fave-tacos-hillcrest-and-north-park

Japanese Sushi Vegan

Vegan Friendly: Sushi 2 Launches a Vegan Sushi Menu

The Short and Skinny

After the wild success of their “All You Can Eat (and Drink!) Vegan Sushi” nights, downtown’s Sushi 2 has put their vegan sushi on the permanent menu.

The Vibe

Crowds clamor on the sidewalk outside of Sushi 2. The dining room windows seem to allow the baroque decor of the adjacent Spreckels Theatre lobby to spill inside, so much so that you might think the crowds are here for a show. But, don’t be fooled, they’re here for the sushi.

Owner Kuniko Holmes roams the aisles of her beloved restaurant, smiling over tables filled with colorful cuts and sparkling Sapporo towers. Warm red-orange walls rise high to the paper lantern lit ceiling.

Once the downtown outlet of the Sushi Deli restaurant group, Holmes’ dedicated management won her the opportunity to buyout location, whose menu still holds memories of its past, while carving out its own niche in the market. Ever popular for riding the cusp of quality and affordability, the vegan expansion (officially debuting on 3/28) is perhaps the clearest example of her thoughtful, purposeful changes.

Read more at: Edible San Diego Vegan Friendly

Sandwich

Influx Cafe (San Diego, CA)

This 2/3 bread sandwich is a gift to San Diego.

A faint twinkle of sea salt dusts the surface of Influx Cafe‘s house baked focaccia. The thicc crumb rises with tender, slightly sweet, and yeasty tones, offering a springy hand when clenched between the fingers.  That focaccia is not the focus of this cafe confuses me—but I guess in today’s gluten-fear environment, the many are still dull to the fine breads of San Diego.
… Influx Cafe (San Diego, CA)

Pub Vegan

Beelman’s (Los Angeles, CA)

At brunch with the super smart, funny, talented and all around good person, Stacy Michelson we dove headfirst into this relaunched, 100% vegan, pub in Downtown LA. Easily agreeing on two cocktails to share, we sat back to enjoy good conversation and me accidentally smashing a glass candle holder. After the candle mishap, we shared the Accidental Guru ($13)—a blend of Jameson with forward notes of peach liquor, tempered with ginger, lime, and hefeweizen, served on the rocks—and the Trinidad Sour ($13)—a boozy crush of Redemption rye, angostura bitters, orgreat, and lemon served Snoopy sno-cone cute with a polkadot paper straw.
… Beelman’s (Los Angeles, CA)