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In a world of burgers beyond store bought, impossibly similar, and black bean bland, @nativefoodscafe has taken the lead in housemade patties. Scoffing at the gluten-free infiltration of vegan menus (no hate my GF friends, but a gluten free diet has nothing to do with veganism) Native Foods loads their Poppin’ Jalapeño Burger ($12.25) with two vital wheat gluten filled patties slipping and sliding on layers of melted @followyourheart american cheese. The pretzel bun is slathered with jalapeño-pimento cheese and green goddess dressing with rings of pickled jalapeños, romaine lettuce, and crispy shallots. • Despite the name, there is nothing spicy on this bun. Still, the layers upon layers of flavor is a stretchy pants day delight I'll be back for. ______________________________________ #VeganBurgersinSanDiego #NativeFoods #AllTheGluten

Brunch was once my happy place. An aspirational meal with tangential ladies who's grace I clung to through bellinis and shakshuka. But by moving cross country, and upgrading my dining predilections, the community of brunch was lost to me. While I miss the sultry slutty cakes and blisters on my sisters, vegan brunch is finally creeping into the mainstream and dismantling that nostalgic. • Through the menu offers little reassurance, I'd herd @snoozeameatery is vegan-friendly. But sitting here, I can see the restaurant clearly suffers from a "let's make out in the back alley but I'm going to ignore you in public" mentality. When I asked what the vegan options were, I was directed to "the scramble" and "we can make the hash browns vegan too." Sauteed with soyrizo, spinach, and caramelized onions with a side of tortillas ($11.75) the dish was, fine. It's a profitable plate build on basic skills and pedestrian seasoning which I'm starting to remember is what's most brunch—vegan or not—actually is. _____________________________________ #VeganBrunchinSanDiego #VeganBrunch #TofuScramble

The scent of banana leaves filled the dining room of @tradewindstavern. We waiting, sipping on wine and kombucha for the orchestrated meal to begin. Fistfuls of rice were laid serpentine between each group as gloved hands ladled Coconut Mushroom Sisig and Vegan Adobo Chicken before us. Chopsticks gently tipped the display with shaved chilies (which I ate all of) while a large mound of Bicol Express (a coconut chili “pork" stew) reached for me as I reached for it. A plump pulled jackfruit stuffed Siopao (steamed bun) arrived and we fingered the food with marked caution that quickly turns into confidence. • The kamayan experience was new to me. Digging into the stews with unprotected digits proved easier—and frankly funner—then expected. The abundant display build by @vegainzcouple was a treat for the eyes as much as the belly. At the end, small cups of fluffy Halo Halo (Filipino-style shaved ice) appeared floating with bits of sweet bean, jellies, and puffed rice finishing off one of the best pop-up meals I've had the pleasure of experiencing in San Diego. ________________________________________ #VeganNightSD #VeganFilipino #Kamayan

The sight of the same Thai menu over and over and over is exhausting. Whatever market forces restricted us to the choice of noodles/curry/stir fry with x, y, or z protein withholds some of the greatest dishes of earth from the American market. Santa Monica's @satdha is one of the few glitches in this matrix of redundancy. • Dishes spotted with banana blossom and sator (stink) beans run free at Satdha, unashamed of their ingredients. Aggressively fragrance, the Koa Kling ($12) steals my heart. Here, ultra firm tofu and mushrooms come stained in turmeric curry paste. Threads of kafir lime leaves weave through pulsating sator beans and the sting of birds eye chili. It's a dish I only learned of recently—as a special at San Diego's @grainscafe—that I now lust for like a teenage crush. ________________________________________ #VeganThaiFood #Satdha #SatorBeans

Of all the labs in all the cities, the Mock Duck Larb ($9.95) at @plumeriavegetarian remains my favorite. Soy sauce seasoned seitan brined in fresh lime juice and chili is dry fried and tossed with mint, green onions, and cilantro. Finished with a sandy dusting of roasted brown rice powder, the wheat flesh seeps a tart but not vinegary sauce into the lettuce leaf bedding which I also devour once I empty the tin foil pod of sticky rice. ____________________________________ #VeganThaiinSanDiego #VeganThaiFood #MockDuck

Lights sweep over the contours of the ceiling, one of the only hints of the restaurant's nightclub past. Ownership departed from their "let them eat cake" attitude for the lighter fair of organic Mexican food under @tocayaorganica. Here, almost all dishes are, by default, vegan—to which one adds a protein and cheese (two of each are vegan). • After devouring a Spicy Pina Taco ($3.45 strongly recommend), Street Corn ($3.50 skippable), half of the Fajita Burrito ($11.25) and all of a small but mighty Hibiscus Margarita ($9) I settled into the Quesadilla ($11.95). It's a simple dish, a pressed flour tortilla stuffed with a hardy handful of gooey vegan cheese, supple sautéed mushrooms, roasted peppers, and grilled onions. Layered with a finely ground vegan picadillo—a Cuban style stew of "pea-based protein" that I would liken to Beyond Meat beefy crumbles, with carrots, zucchini, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes that costs (+$1.95)—the wedges are served with ultra mild chipotle crema, salsa, and guacamole. Not overstuffed, the individual vegetables stand on their own, masking the telltale quality of vegan cheese and tasting noting like the healthy choices I'm actually making. ______________________________________ #VeganMexicanFoodinSanDiego #VeganBurritoinSanDiego #TocayaOrganica

Lights twinkled in @royelam's eyes when talking about @donnajeansd's Tokyo Turnips ($8). So I, of course, ordered them. • Plump roots with seared brown edges peek out from sautéed drapes of their own greens. A puddle of zhoug—a sauce traditionally of green chilies peppers, coriander, and garlic—and a drizzle of house cultured yogurt holds a glitter bomb of dukkah—a crushed blend of sesame seeds, nuts, and spices. This variety of turnip is known for its tender, juicy, flesh—a texture pulled out against the cream and the crunch of the accouterments. • It often seems that the vegetable dishes at Donna Jean are treated like sides... To me, these are the most provocative plates on the menu. ________________________________________ #TokyoTurnips #NotJustASideDish #DonnaJeanSD

Super hungry at @sushi2sd, we were warned that the sushi line was lagging. So we doubled down on deep fried appetizers and ended with what would also be our dinner the next day. • A nest of cabbage holds the ample serving of Popcorn Brussels Sprouts ($6.99). Halved into bite sized portions, the tight cruciferous heads plop into the cups of whipped cilantro sauce and katsu sauce (a sweet and spiced Japanese style BBQ sauce). A thick tempura shell eases under a glassy pour of teriyaki sauce in my always on order, Sesame Tofu ($5.25). Carrying on with the tempuraing, we also procured slabs of sweet potato, broccoli, carrot, and zucchini ($5.25) with a plunge pool of ponzu. • Going heavy on the front end, we took a light approach to sushi. The Buddha Roll ($7.99) comes stuffed with tofu, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, and gobo rolled under thin slices of tomato marinating in miso dressing. The classic Avocado Cucumber ($4.25) offer a light vessel to shovel wasabi and ginger into my body. It's the memories of Pico Inari ($2.99) that drive me back to Sushi 2. The fusion of tomatoes, onion, and cilantro tucked into a sweet Inari (deep fried tofu pocket) shell over glossy bits of sushi rice is what I crave. The plain Inari ($2.50) relieves those who carry distain for cilantro like the human I married. • I added a pic of the bill at to the end to emphasize why you should always expect a wait at Sushi 2. Also, it is an omnivore deep frier but you can clearly see here where I fall on this issue. ______________________________________ #VeganSushiinSanDiego #VeganSushi #VeganJapaneseFood

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In a world of burgers beyond store bought, impossibly similar, and black bean bland, @nativefoodscafe has taken the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 day ago
@obey_little I don't think the non-unicorn versions count in the American mayo commissioned study or appear at Kare… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 days ago

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Recent Posts

Vegan Night 5: The Kamayan Experience
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