veg st. louis

foundation grounds

2011-12-16T14:10:00.001-06:00

we’ve liked foundation grounds for a long time. who wouldn’t, with their selection of fresh-baked goodies, with a number of them being vegan, and many of them featuring local, seasonal ingredients. the rest of their menu we remained (ignorant) of for too long. this is how we came to full-on crush on foundation grounds.

mission:

foundation grounds

maplewood

terrain:

from the outside, it’s immediately obvious that foundation grounds is a friendly, neighborhood gathering place. the potted plants, fenced seating area, and corner perch are almost mayberry cute. inside, it's even better: it's personal, warm, and completely disarming.

personnel:

all the staff are good-natured and patient while we point and gawk at the bakery case and take what must seem like an eternity to decide what—and how many—to get. they’re helpful with suggestions and knowledgeable about ingredients and prep. unlike so many coffeeshops, the people who work here seem to enjoy being here, which makes the experience so much more positive.

rations:

in a gluttonous effort to make up for lost time, we ordered three sandwiches, side salads and soup, and some desserts. the first thing we knew we wanted was the goddess sandwich, which comes with hummus, kalamatas, marinated red onions, spinach, and a sprinkling of feta. it’s not incredibly original, but what separates this one from the others is the hummus: you might think the olives would overpower it, but, incredibly, they balance each other nicely. and we couldn't get enough of the marinated red onions! all the bread is companion, by the way, and we were happy to hear it, because it toasts beautifully—just enough softness not to shred your mouth, but also enough sturdiness to hold it all together.

the vegan tempeh salad sandwich offers a bright blend of flavors, including dried cranberries, slivered almonds, onion, celery, and vegenaise. it's an updated, vegan twist on the chicken salad you might remember your mom making from chicken dinner leftovers. obviously fogro’s is not made from tempeh dinner scraps, but if it were, we’ve no doubt that the salad would outshine the original dish.

finally, to try something out of our norm, we opted for the perfect pear: sliced pear matched with red onion, lettuce, tomato, parmesan, and brie. usually we don’t much care for the texture or aroma of brie, but it turns into something magical when melted in a sandwich like this. pungent onions, sweet apples and pears, and creamy, mushroomy brie combine sublimely.

foundation grounds makes us wish we worked in the area so we could pop by for lunch every day. the good news is that they’re open late enough for dinner, after-dinner coffee, or any occasion you can think of as a reason to get here. we’re thinking with holiday shopping in full swing, while you’re making your way through all the shops in maplewood, this will be the perfect respite.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

new things!

2011-11-10T22:15:00.000-06:00

we've added a table of contents for your browsing convenience. we know it's a little tough to navigate just by date, plus it provides a quick glance at everything we've covered.

we've also updated the veggie burger list--a little while ago, we slipped in the veggie burger from bailey's range, and yesterday we added grace manor's two very deserving creations. so, read up, eat up...and then let us know what you think!

search and devour: everything at the cup

2011-11-06T18:05:00.004-06:00

true, it has taken us entirely too long to give in to the temptation of the cup. not only was the wait so, so worth it, but we also learned that the real sin here was depriving ourselves of this joy for so long.

pictured here are two of our favorites: their classic red velvet, and a seasonal specialty, the pumpkin harvest. the red velvet is definitely decadent, but not sickeningly sweet--always a plus. the cake somehow manages to be pillowy, soft, perfectly moist (even a day later, no small feat!), and not at all oily. the cream cheese frosting is exactly what you'd expect, but better.

the pumpkin harvest is really pretty special. the cake makes this one almost more like a muffin, in case you need to give yourself an excuse to eat it: muffins are breakfast food, so this is, like, almost good for you. the spice is maybe a tad overwhelming for the light pumpkin taste to show through as much as we would have liked, but the cinnamon buttercream frosting helps tame and balance the spice. playfully topped with a piece of chocolate pumpkin bark, this cupcake has enough happy in it to rally your holiday spirit, enough to brave those crowds of consumers already starting to descend upon the malls.

now if only they'd make some vegan cupcakes...

blood and sand

2011-10-19T10:06:00.004-05:00

blood and sand is one of the newest and most innovative restaurants to open in st. louis this season. what you find here is totally fresh, from the concept to the menu. co-owners adam frager and tj vytlacil (whose cocktail handiwork you may have enjoyed at demun oyster bar) established their restaurant as a members-only endeavor in order to offer their customers a more customized, personal experience, and under their care and focus, blood and sand has been enjoying a lot of positive coverage. basically, blood and sand offers bespoke dining, and we love being catered to.

mission:
blood and sand
downtown

terrain:
as is appropriate for a members-only spot, there's nothing outside to identify blood and sand by, unless you recognize their logo on the windows. once you're swung in through the revolving door, you're greeted by a sleek but comfortable interior. it's not gilded and draped in fur and tapestries, nor is it a shadowy, candlelit hideout. it's very unpretentious: cozy but modern, open yet somehow intimate. the exposed kitchen emits a warm glow and fills the space with the positive buzz of anticipation. in contrast, the light by the bar seems almost a shroud, the perfect place to unwind and enjoy a cocktail after a long day.

personnel:

everyone we’ve interacted with has been very warm and helpful but never heavy-handed with recommendations. adam is very cordial and easy to talk to. he’s knowledgeable without making you feel like he’s talking down to you, but telling a story. that’s sort of the spirit of the place, after all: the cocktail “blood and sand” has a great story behind it, both in the origination of the drink, and how tj and adam were so inspired by it they built a restaurant around it.

rations:

at the risk of sounding hyperbolic and inspiring some skepticism in our readers, we would like to confidently declare that this was the best meal we’ve had in st. louis to date. oh, and if you haven’t applied for a membership yet, you should.

we started off with an order of the truffled tater tots and the hush puppies (the fryer is vegetarian, at least for now). the tots are not what you remember from your school cafeteria days--delicious and addictive as those were--they’re actually better. with a mash-like consistency on the inside that’s so smooth it's almost creamy, and a delicate shell on the outside, they’re an elevated tribute to a classic kids’ favorite. and the truffle oil doesn't overwhelm, as often is the case with anything truffled. hush puppies are another really nostalgic treat for lois and clark, and chef chris bork’s are made with noticeable care. pickled red onions add a welcome hint of tart pungency to the mild sweetness of the pups. they strike the perfect balance of crunch with cake-like softness, sprinkled with just enough salt to get your tongue tingling. and it’s a good thing they’re so awesome on their own, because vegetarians should stay away from the chicken stock-based mole sauce.

on special this night was the spanish omelet, generously drizzled with a vibrant red pepper sauce. we love the comfort-foodiness of the spanish omelet, and we love even more that they left the potato skins on to add a little rusticity.

next we shared the pecan agnolotti. the pasta was hearty, delicate, more delicious than any we’ve had since we can remember: they were smooth with a subtle sweetness from the squash, and tender but with a satisfying thickness. the broccoli puree, pecan and goat cheese toppings were the perfect complement to add some decadence while retaining the “clean” feeling of the whole dish.

as a surprise addition to our table this evening, we also enjoyed a verbena chickpea dish that defies explanation. it can’t be found on the menu because of the limited availability of the hand-shucked, fresh chickpeas, but keep your eyes peeled, because you seriously don’t want to miss out on this when they can make it happen again. it was, quite simply, one of the best dishes we've ever had.

assessment:
A

vegetarian-friendly score:
A

search and devour: veggie burgers at bailey's range

2011-10-16T15:55:00.004-05:00

when david bailey gets involved with a new restaurant, we pay attention. pretty much everything this guy touches turns to gold, and each new restaurant garners even more accolades. so, when a couple of months ago we read about his newest project, we shot him an email to let us know if he'd make sure we were there for the "soft" opening. well, that opening was last night, and we were lucky enough to be in the neighborhood.

what we found in bailey's range was a massive space. we're not sure how many it can seat, but it must be in the hundreds. the biggest surprise, though, was the discovery of mikey warhover manning the kitchen. formerly head chef at terrene, warhover has serious skills, and it's his job at bailey's range to design the menu and make sure bailey's new restaurant is one to remember.

the veggie patty at bailey's range is different than all the others in town, as it's made of pinto beans and hominy. warhover spent many moons perfecting the veggie burger at terrene, and he's using the exact same toppings on his bailey's range version: avocado mousse, jicama, and queso fresco. this new burger is quite good, but it becomes truly memorable when you add the chipotle ketchup to it. in any case, if these toppings don't appeal to you, bailey's range has countless others to sate you, from the exotic to straight up pickles and mustard.

search and devour: food for lovers' vegan queso

2011-10-16T15:24:00.001-05:00

many months ago, a friend of ours in "the business" passed along a tip about vegan queso coming to st. louis. this friend didn't know where or when we'd be able to get our hands on it, but we were told it would be worth the wait. well, it's here (whole foods - galleria, to be exact), and it's spectacular. a company called food for lovers produces the queso in austin, texas, and from what we can tell, it's the only thing they make (!).

the queso is entirely vegan and contains no soy, either. the primary ingredient is nutritional yeast, so the flavor is plenty cheesy enough. (and if you don't know about the magic of nutritional yeast, yet, get yerself over to the whole foods bulk section and buy about a pound of it. it makes almost everything taste better.) the best compliment we can pay this queso, though, is that it doesn't come up short in the spice department. each bite brings the heat, but there's never too much spice standing in the way of all the other flavors.

tl;dr - this queso is daggone good. go buy some and eat it.

best of st. louis: the veggie burger

2011-09-25T21:58:00.010-05:00

we've been compiling notes for months on veggie burgers in the lou, in all their glory or unfortunate lack thereof. we've always been very thankful to be in a city that is so accommodating to vegetarians' needs, so we've been doing our best to take full advantage of it. it seems like almost everybody has a veggie burger, and some places have really surprised us. this may not be as harrowing or historical a survey as lewis and clark's, but we tried to document every discovery with just as much diligence. it's been hard work. grueling at times. but you know us: anything for science.

the burgers are listed in alphabetical order, in three categories: the one you can't live in st. louis without having eaten, the ones we think are pretty damn good, and the ones we've enjoyed even though we might change a thing or two. our aim is briefly to mention anything noteworthy while keeping the reading to a minimum.

do not miss:

sweetart: the most interesting housemade patty in the city. reine bayoc has crafted a burger with the most delightful texture and flavor, striking a delicate balance between smooth and sturdy, sweet and savory. the blend of lentils and carrots with a hint of cinnamon and a kiss of their secret sauce is something you'll crave every day you don't get to have one.

highly recommended:

bailey's range: the basic veggie burger here is essentially the same as the one at the now-defunct terrene, with the chief exception being that the match meat is replaced by pinto beans and hominy. deee-licious.
fozzie's sandwich emporium: both the veggie and the black bean burgers are delicious. while somewhat soft, the boldness and distinction between their flavors is pretty awesome. they even have a vegan menu you can ask to see.
grace manor: chef debra grace boasts two of the most creative burgers in the area and we still have yet to see anyone else make mention of them. the black eyed pea burger, with its bell peppers, jalapeno, carrot, cilantro lime dressing, and sriracha mayo is the banh mi's burger reincarnate--a perfect hybrid sandwich when you can't decide if you want comfort food or ethnic. there's also the ozark forest mushroom burger, made of organic shiitake, oyster, and cremini mushrooms, with some onion, garlic, and rosemary to round out the intense earthiness of the fungi. amazingly, the patty is really sturdy and the awesome flavor and unique texture will put to shame anything out there masquerading a portobello steak as a burger...plus most other ones, too.
local harvest: their pinto bean patty is smooth and subtle, and the hummus, red onions, pickles, and garlic aioli complement it harmoniously. a lovely brioche bun brings it all together.
lucas park grille: a savory, earthy "match" patty accompanied by grilled tomato, rich parmesan aioli, and their delicious housemade mozz makes this healthful lunch only feel decadent.

mokabe's: we really love this throwback burger. a "match" patty is the only thing that makes this different from the burgers you ate as a kid. dressed old-school style with pickle, onion, ketchup, and mustard. the only thing missing is a plastic-wrapped promotional toy.
puravegan: probably the most unconventional burger on here, this one is totally raw and boasts a uniquely smooth, almost creamy texture. we recommend it with their cheddar sauce.

rooster: we recommend going vegan and ordering yours on their housemade focaccia. dressed simply with tomato, greens, and guac, the patty is really allowed to shine.
the royale: since terrene closed, the royale's "match" patties are the best in town. with an interesting toppings list and seasonal, local ingredients to choose from, you just can't go wrong here.

sacred grounds: this unassuming coffee shop offers up a great housemade burger, served up panini-style. try some of their other sandwiches, too, and wash 'em down with an artful, lovingly crafted latte.

schlafly bottleworks: these folks have been perfecting the black bean patty for a while. it's soft inside, crusty on the edges, and seasoned perfectly with chipotle. the toppings add well-balanced flavor, and finishing with the companion wheat bun leaves nothing to be desired. except more more more.

square one: we are huge fans of their build-a-burger menu tuesday nights. they grill up some "match" patties to add flavorful char, and there's a great variety of toppings and housemade aiolis to have fun dressing up your patty.
three kings: this is yet another match meat patty, and it's a very good offering. the burger is definitely a generous portion, and the chipotle mayo is quite nice (though we'd prefer a little more kick).

recommended:
atomic cowboy: saucy, maybe too saucy, but the patty is homemade. soft but not crumbly, and the brioche bun adds a nice sweetness. but we need more heat in the chipotle mayo!
barrister's: the "match" patty is a touch too dry. addition of sprouts and avocado is nice, though there needs to be more of the latter for it to really come through. the housemade hummus is a nice, needed flavor kick.

the bleeding deacon: a vegetarian boudin-style burger. very clever, but somehow slightly bland. we're rooting for improvements, as this is a well-loved place with a lot of veg options.

boogaloo: awesome texture and veg accompaniments, but lacking in spices and too reliant on a dormant "volcano sauce."

cyrano's: lettuce, onion, tomato, and remoulade make this a nice, uncomplicated burger. patty is also nice. but nice burgers don't really stand out, you know?
OR juice & smoothie: technically not a burger since they crumbled their "meatballs," this one is actually more reminiscent of a banh mi. it features daikon, carrot, cilantro, and mayo on baguette. it's a tad dry, but a little drizzle of bragg's can fix that.
schlafly taproom: the grilled veg and black bean patty is made in-house. topped with marinated jicama and sweet corn puree, it's a delightful blend of complementary flavors.
sub zero: you can choose either the falafel patty (but be sure to request a pan-fry to avoid a shared fryer) or the black bean. with a gourmet list of ingredients, you can design a burger uniquely to your taste. we love ours with avocado, fried egg, jalapeno, and pepper jack.
vegadeli: they've got two: the soy patty humburger, and the black bean patty. we've had the BBQ humburger and were disappointed by the lack of sauce and the bun straight from the bag. the bean burger is paired with a mango sauce that isn't for us, but overall, ain't bad.

let us know if your favorite patty's not on here, or tell us what you thought of ours!

city review: northampton, ma

2011-09-07T20:45:00.017-05:00

if you're lucky enough to have reason to be in the pioneer valley, or if you find yourself in boston with time for a daytrip, make a visit to northampton. it's the quintessential college town with five schools in the area; amherst and south hadley are worth seeing, too, but northampton's the best destination for hungry foodies and anyone in the mood to go thrifting, antiquing, and museuming. be sure to see smith college's art collection and the mortimer rare book room.

the green bean:

a favorite breakfast/lunch spot, the green bean serves up wholesome, local, organic eats. they even make their own tempeh, and it's totally unlike anyone else's... which is to say, effing delicious. the vblat--vegan blt--is a divine blend of avocado, vegenaise, their special marinated tempeh, and fresh greens on perfectly toasted local artisan bread. absolutely stunning in its simplicity.

paul & elizabeth's:

a family business and northampton mainstay, they've been dishing out inspired, all natural, health-conscious food for over three decades. the sea vegetable salad is excellent and, to our experience, unique. all the salads are hearty and incredibly diverse in flavor and texture. the broccoli seitan is outstanding and made a confirmed vegetarian out of lois after her first dinner with clark (which happened to be at p&e's). the standout item, however, is the veggie burger: served on housemade foccacia and accompanied by their always-perfect sweet potato fries, it is the best veggie burger on the east coast. once you've had it, you'll truly understand what "crave-worthy" means.

haymarket cafe:

this cafe is the sistine chapel of indie coffeehouses. fresh smoothies and juice cocktails concocted on the spot; an all-vegetarian breakfast/lunch menu; fair trade, house-roasted coffee beans; a selection of baked decadences that cater even to vegan and gluten-free diets--this is a holy place for anyone needing a respite. may we suggest the grilled cheese, featuring gruyere, avocado, tomato, dijon, and basil mayo. wash it down with a captain crunch cocktail (pineapple, mint, banana, apple, spirulina). is your mouth watering? it's because your tastebuds are crying with happiness.

herrell's:

award-winning iced cream by a trailblazer in the industry. they always have vegan options available: usually there are a couple sorbets and a non-dairy iced cream choice, too. with a flavor list of over 200, it's no wonder they keep a phone list to alert customers when their favorites are back. but even if yours isn't currently on, you'll find at least three new faves each time you go. you might even run into ben and jerry here while they stop by to pay homage to the man who inspired them.

bueno y sano:

a local chain, this fast food mexican joint offers seitan and tofu as protein alternatives. obviously, it's not fast food like your parents are used to, but once you introduce them, they'll be converted. it's cooked right in front of you, and the sauces and all the fix-ins are made fresh daily. good and healthy, just as advertised, though they forgot to mention how delicioso, tambien.

india house:

when we crave indian, this is the first place we think of. it's an intimately run family operation, and all of them are super-friendly, warm personalities. the menu features the most sumptuous and enticing vegetarian dishes we've seen, not to mention the most numerous! written with an almost poetic flair, you'll have a tough time choosing just a couple dishes. let us help: makai palak malai is a must. check out this description: "an affectionate pairing of sweet corn and tender spinach seduced in a creamy coconut milk and a slight aroma of cardamom." swoon.

hungry ghost:

without exaggeration, this local, organic artisan bread is the best ever. everything we've had before and since pales in comparison. certainly nothing in st. louis even comes close. they were just nominated by the james beard foundation, if that gives you an idea of the quality this tiny operation produces. they're just now expanding, and we can't wait to see what they do in the future. if you're lucky enough to be in the area, go here first, as they tend to run out. our favorites are the rosemary loaf and the olive fougasse. we've had more than one "bread dinner" just to savor these without distraction.

chava's

2011-09-06T20:56:00.002-05:00

even though it's our favorite mexican in town, we've somehow not yet written about chava's. they've got the freshest, most delicious homemade salsa, the guacamole can't be beat (those of you chanting "nachomama's" might as well be asking "what's guac?"), and how can you go wrong with a selection of fresh fruit margaritas? you can't. duh.

mission:

chava's

soulard

terrain:

the rustic ceiling tiles, bright glass mosaic lamps, swiveling twin fans, and terracotta tiles really make this place feel authentic without trying too hard. you may think sombreros and faux greenery are borderline hokey, but they've really struck a comfortable balance here: it's just festive enough without being cheesy. the building itself is quite beautiful and inviting from the outside, and its proximity to other soulard attractions like the market really make it a prime location. sitting outside really makes you feel like part of the neighborhood, and they even welcome your canine amigos, too.

personnel:

we've had some great servers here, and although a large staff can sometimes mean that tables get overlooked in the chaos, chava's staff are very friendly, observant, and efficient. it's not unusual to have three different people bring us our food. we've found that besides signifying a less personal experience, it just means that when we're out of chips and salsa, they're on it. we may not feel lavished by anyone's attention, but we're there for the food, after all.

rations:

we have usuals when we come here. we almost always get an order of the guacamole to start, because the housemade chips (cooked in a veg-friendly fryer, hooray!) and salsa are delicious, but without their guac, it's a little like having apple pie without the a la mode.

then, we order a vegetarian quesadilla for clark and the vegetarian fajitas for lois. the quesadilla is unique in its vegetable quotient, including not-often- seen ingredients like squash, zucchini, baby carrots, and baby corn. we were skeptical the first time, but it only took a couple bites for it to change how we looked at everyone else's vegetarian quesadillas. we actually feel satisfied and relatively guiltless after eating here--no small thing, as we usually just see bell peppers and handfuls of cheese at other mexican joints. and don't get us wrong, you'll get handfuls of cheese here, too, but chava's just makes sure that there's some actual substance in these quesadillas for the cheese to melt over. who would have thought you could have all the gobs of cheese you crave and feel pretty healthy at the same time?

the serving size of the fajitas is pretty generous, so be prepared to take some home. the vegetables are seasoned lightly enough to be just that much more tasty without overpowering the natural flavors there, and we've never seen them overcooked. the tortillas served on the side are soft and warm, but lois usually finds that the veg medley, guac, and cheese on this happy platter don't require actually being made into fajitas to be satisfying. maybe that's just her impatience--who could wait two more minutes to assemble the food when it's just as good as it is? however you like your fajitas, your tastebuds and your belly will be completely satisfecho.

we do also recommend building your own burrito (the guajillo salsa is great with the veg medley). while these are pretty much the only vegetarian options here, we don't find ourselves missing anything else. with the historic soulard market just a half mile away, this is the perfect spot to fill up for lunch after you've whetted your appetite browsing produce and spices.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

b (because the rice and beans aren't always vegetarian--we've heard conflicting things from different staff, so we just avoid them)

reopened: nosh

2011-08-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

as many of you know, nosh has reopened. their new location is on south big bend, and we'll be visiting very soon. peep our original review here.

update on the new location coming soon...

kakao

2011-08-17T21:38:00.003-05:00

there has been a dire lack of sweets reviews on here. lois is a dessert-hound and she's slowly but surely converting clark; still, the reason for the lack is probably just because we so rarely have room for sweets after stuffing ourselves at dinner. lois has made a solemn resolution to right this sin. (and you can flog her with delicious ropes of gelatin-free sour straws if she lets you down.)

mission:

kakao

maplewood

terrain:

the walls feature bright and playful cacao trees. it's a large, open space with well-loved wood floors, and lots of shiny stainless equipment. the work area is totally open to viewing, which makes it feel like a really intimate, welcoming operation. in front of the register is a long rustic table and benches, the perfect spot to savor your truffles, which you may choose from the case right in front of your seat. other goodie stations are set up on tables nearby, baskets overflowing with delectables so difficult to choose from you'll find yourself walking in circles until you're dizzy. we hear chocolate cures that, though.

personnel:

we can't say enough good things about the staff here! they're always so friendly and excited to tell you more. we always feel like they're excited for us. we get the impression that they love their jobs. no shady wonka business going on here.

rations:

we started with the pink peppercorn lemon thyme truffle. read that a couple times. let it sink in. yummm. the brightness of the thyme paired with the zesty lemon obviously complement each other beautifully, and the mild peppercorn with the dark chocolate add a lovely balancing base. the elderflower truffle, with its delicate little flourish on top was too enticing to pass up. we love edible flowers, and we love floral scents in our chocolate. this one is delicate but not shy, and light yet rich all at once. one of lois's favorite childhood treats were molasses puffs, which kakao calls their "cinder toffee." rich, sweet, crunchy, but with the melt-in-your-mouth magic of cotton candy. perfection.
kakao did some cheese and chocolate pairings a little while back, and we were able to get our hands on a gouda truffle. while the texture was, at first, slightly curious, we let our tastebuds guide us and there are no doubts that that was one of the most fascinating things we've eaten this year. who knew? lastly, we had the smoke truffle. the woman who helped us said that a co-worker likened the taste to "a burning house." the drama is totally appropriate because this little guy really packs a punch. its smoldery flavor comes from lapsang souchong tea, which is made by smoke-drying tea leaves over pinewood fires. you've really never had a chocolate quite like this before; if you see them, buy a dozen.

it's not just that there are interesting and complex flavors at work here. the smoothness and consistency of the chocolate is divine, and the freshness and quality of the ingredients really comes through. if you're not convinced yet, just sample some of the plain dark chocolate bark, maybe with a little sea salt--you can't hide anything there.

we're really proud to have kakao in our city. it's not every place where you can say you have one of the best chocolatiers around, and oh, by the way, he's just a guy who tired of his corporate job and decided to follow his passion. we've heard lots of chefs and restaurateurs say that one of the best things about st. louis is that you can have an ambition here and just go for it, and there's a community of interested people who will support you just for doing what you love and doing it well. we think brian pelletier is one of the best examples of this.

also check out their blog! they have lots of fun recipes and news about how they're giving back to the community. even if you do nothing more than stop by for some truffles, just make sure that you become familiar with kakao... really, they'd be doing you a favor.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

a (anything but the marshmallows and perhaps a thing or two with bacon are safe... vegans, just be sure to ask)

city review: san francisco

2011-08-16T11:55:00.001-05:00

though lois has yet to make the trek to san francisco, it's one of clark's favorite cities. you can get vegetarian food on virtually every block and in every neighborhood, from chinatown to mission to fort mason. as soon as we can, we're heading to san francisco for a vegan tour. it may not match l.a., but i think we'll manage just fine with restaurants like these.

millenneum:

having won numerous awards, receiving multiple nominations for best veg restaurant in the united states, millenneum stands tall as the beacon of vegetarian fine dining. make sure you bring a friend or two so you can sample as many dishes as possible. and don't make the mistake of missing out on dessert.

greens:

as good as millenneum is, clark actually prefers going to greens. much of it has to do with the location of greens, which is nestled up against the marina. if you get the right table, you might even be able to see golden gate! the food is no slouch, either. as is the case with millenneum, everything on the menu at greens must be sampled. you can order simple or complex dishes, and the food here lacks some of the pretense you find at millenneum. clark recommends going to greens for brunch.

cafe gratitude (mission district location):

this is the first place clark visited in san francisco, and he'll forever be loyal to it. no, the food isn't exceptional or even particularly polished, but there's much to like about no-nonsense food delivered in unpretentious surroundings. the people at cafe gratitude--like most of the people in the mission district--seem genuinely good, and they're committed to providing customers with quality ingredients and friendly service. it's not clear to us why their ratings are so mediocre, but we're not deterred. this is the first place we'll visit when we get back to san fran.

golden era:

this is another place with no frills food and big flavors. and it's all vegan! try the spring rolls first. then go with anything from the claypot/sizzling category. you won't be disappointed.

search and devour: drunken noodles at drunken noodles

2011-08-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

when we first visited drunken noodles taste of thai back in june, we were stunned by the quality of food and service, and we vowed to return as soon as possible. turns out two months later was as soon as we could get back, and boy did we miss it. this time we tried two new dishes: cashew curry and drunken noodles. the former exhibited some of the inconsistencies we noticed in our first visit, but the latter was spot on. there's not a whole lot of veg in this dish, but that's what we want from drunken noodles. in other words, carrots and green peppers, stay the hell outta the way! we want noodles upon noodles, and we want them to be savory, plump, and covered in spicy goodness. few things comfort as well as thai food, and drunken noodles's drunken noodles made us want to immediately settle in for another plate. (just be sure you insist that the dish be made vegetarian, and they'll do everything they can to accommodate.)

future projects: pi's new chef

2011-08-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

wow. this came out of nowhere. as first reported in st. louis magazine and then sauce, steven caravelli is taking over executive chef duties at all pi restaurants (including d.c. and the food trucks). caravelli is known for his contributions to some of the finest restaurants in town, so his move to the world of pizza is a bit... curious. still, everything pi has touched has turned to gold, so we're not too concerned.

there are two things here that particularly piqued our interest:

1) a few months ago we asked departing chef marc baltes if he'd sit down for a rap session, and he enthusiastically agreed (once the d.c. pi opened up). looks like we aint gettin that interview, and baltes aint keepin his job (turns out baltes split for san francisco).

2) caravelli speaks of moving pi closer to the green/sustainable movement. that's awesome, but it concerns us that he's talking about multiple pig farmers rather than multiple kale farmers.

in any case, pi is hoping caravelli will keep them ahead of the cuisine-trend curve, and we're anxious to see just how significantly he alters the menu.

city review: columbus, ohio

2011-08-07T15:54:00.001-05:00

this is probably the most underrated food city in the midwest, if not the whole country. literally, we have packed up our car and driven to columbus just so we could eat veggie burgers at northstar cafe. that's 14 total hours for veggie burgers. extra incentive, of course, came from the promise of jeni's ice cream for dessert. point is, if you get a chance to visit columbus, don't turn it down. you will not be disappointed by the veggie options, and chances are that your life will be changed once you sit down for northstar's veggie burger.

northstar cafe:

the menu at northstar is not extensive, and it's clear that this is intentional so that they can focus on perfecting the few dishes they do offer. the veggie burrito is exceptional, the vegetarian options at breakfast/brunch are sublime, but nothing comes close to matching northstar's veggie burger. we've eaten veggie burgers in virtually every major city in the country, and northstar's is unequivocally the best. and every time we go back--every time--we're struck dumb by the veggie burger's flavor. after each bite, we have to sit back, eyes closed, smiles plastered to our dumbass faces, audible gibberish pouring forth from our dumbass brains through our dumbass vocal folds. after the meal, we talk incessantly about the burger for hours: "remember that veggie burger we ate this afternoon?" "oh, totally, it was derp derp derp!" yeah, i know, derpy derp the derpiest!" seriously, folks, you have to put a visit to northstar on your vegetarian bucket lists. right after shojin in los angeles.

dragonfly neo v:

a few years back, vegnews ranked dragonfly as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the united states, and there's no doubt that it offers one of the truly unique dining experiences you'll find in the middle america. we often have to ask for help interpreting the menu, as the chef utilizes some of the rarest ingredients available, and the food is as refined as you'll find outside of san francisco's millennium or new york's candle 79.

whole world natural restaraunt:

at whole world, vegetarian cuisine can be found for much less coin than dragonfly, but you're still sure to find quality food with interesting ingredients. columbus's oldest vegetarian restaurant, whole world specializes in sandwiches and homemade bread, and we recommend you start with "debs on black" and the "broccoli burger." a plus: virtually everything can be made vegan by substituting vegan cheese.

search and devour: tempeh bites at araka

2011-08-07T12:26:00.001-05:00

there's a new chef taking the reins at araka. michael burnau is now in charge of clayton's chicest restaurant, and he's doing his best to represent for the vegetarians (at least for the vegetarians with disposable income). the new menu features multiple veggie options, and you can substitute tofu for most of the proteins in the meatier entrees. the highlight, though, of our first visit to araka was the tempeh bites. the tempeh doesn't taste sour at all, leaning instead on its best attribute: nuttiness. the breading isn't heavy, either, and for a fried item, it's surprisingly light, impressively delicate. we can't necessarily recommend dining at araka for a full dinner, but we have no reservations sending you there for this lovely tempeh and a cocktail.

city review: chicago

2011-07-31T17:37:00.001-05:00

the left and right coasts get all the media love regarding vegetarian cuisine, but chicago can hang with the best of veg-friendly cities. combine great food with less pretense and you've got a recipe for a truly exceptional city. in short: we frickin love chicago!

chicago diner:

this place is legendary. the one absolute "must" vegetarian restaurant to visit in chicago. eat the veggie reuben. you won't find a better one anywhere.

native foods:
one of our top-five places in the country. we could eat here every day for a month and never get the same thing. and it would be delicious every time. completely vegan, completely divine. and don't forget to order the lavender lemonade!

karyn's cooked, karyn's on green, karyn's fresh corner:

karyn was recently featured in vegnews, so you know this restaurateur is legit. if you can't find something you like at one of these karyn's locations, you probably need to see a doctor. if forced to choose, we'd probably opt for karyn's cooked simply because of price point, but we've been awfully impressed with everything we've tried at all locations. we're particularly fond of the lightly dusted and fried veggie baskets.

green zebra:

yeah, this place is a far cry from chicago diner in terms of aesthetics, but their commitment to local, seasonal veg food will make you comfortable enough to look past the pretense. and, anyway, dealing with pretense is hardly an annoyance when you get to sample ingredients as unique as those found at green zebra. this is truly elevated vegetarian cuisine, and you're always going to find something surprising.

charlie trotters:

yes, we know this is an institution of meatiness, but trotter's flagship is one of the best restaurants in the world, and his kitchen takes pride in using the finest local produce available. they offer a vegetarian tasting menu for about 150 bucks a person, but it's sure to be the singular dining experience of your life. or at least it better be.

coming soon: native foods

chicagoans are in for a real treat when california's best vegan chain comes to town this year. native foods serves up incredible food, huge portions, and the freshest ingredients, and everything is priced reasonably. we can't wait to see what they serve up in chicago!

city review: new york

2011-07-30T13:40:00.000-05:00

many publications rank nyc near the top of "best veg-friendly city" lists (another list here), and there are certainly plenty of vegetarian options on nearly every corner of manhattan and brooklyn, but none of our favorite meals have occurred during a nyc visit. this is not to say that you can't find good food; chances are, though, that you won't be overwhelmed. (full disclosure: we're hardly authorities on food in nyc, as we're often more likely to choose a slice of pie than we are to sit down in a restaurant.)

zen palate:

we had a nice lunch here, for sure, but everything seemed just a bit too tame. we'd have liked more spice on everything. still, the space is tranquil and the food is healthful. combine that with some delicious tea, and you have yourself a nice retreat from the manhattan streets.

candle 79:

prices are fairly reasonable for an upscale manhattan restaurant, and the all-vegan menu is as diverse as you'll find in this area. it's awesome that all of their ingredients are local and organic. we recommend the grilled seitan burger.

city review: san diego

2011-07-30T10:58:00.002-05:00

a lot of people talk about the great vegetarian food in southern california, and though we certainly had some good food, we found san diego a bit underwhelming. still, there are some highlights...

stone brewing company and world bistro:

technically, this isn't in san diego, but it's close enough (escondido) and daggone good enough to easily justify the drive north. we had one of the finest tempeh burgers we've ever had. and although we love schlafly for all the ingredients they source locally, not even they can match stone's commitment seasonal and local produce. it's difficult to exaggerate how impressed we were with everything stone showed us. oh, and by the way, their beer is off the charts!

jyoti-bihanga:

this place is hardcore. pretty much anyone you talk to about vegetarian food recommendations in san diego will tell you to go here. of the veg shops in san diego, it's been around the longest, and it's the most philosophically ~~radical~~committed. whether you're interested in the teachings of sri chinmoy or just want a wicked good vegetarian meatloaf, jyoti-bihanga is the place for you.

veg-n-out:

this is the first place clark ate when he visited san diego for the first time as an adult, and it's always on his list of places to visit. the owners have been the same from day one, and they're in the cafe every single day serving local, fresh produce. the food isn't extraordinary, but it's always comforting to know that every aspect of the food preparation is centered on healthful food. try any of the "specialty burgers."

other possible options:

a lot of folks swear by pokez, but we weren't impressed at all. besides, it's not 100% vegetarian, and the care put into the food seems negligible. at ranchos, there seems to be a more attentive chef/kitchen, but the food is just so-so. again, the it's not at all 100% vegetarian, but you can find some decent options here.

ginger bistro

2011-07-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

mission:

ginger bistro

u city

terrain:

it's a terribly confusing restaurant, for sure. garlands, tall vases of plastic granny smiths, landscapes hung seven feet up, geometric "modern" art in the group seating area... trying to make sense of it all, we sort of ~~winced~~stared from our booth, seated at a darkly varnished and "lacquered" table like you'd find in a chinese buffet. despite our head-scratching, we actually found it kind of kitschy. darnit, they tried.

personnel:

the hostess was very friendly and warm, and our server was endlessly attentive and careful--almost personally concerned. even the sushi chef was chatting up customers and keeping everyone good company in the front end. the most striking part to us was that none of the staff's behavior seemed forced or insincere at all. we started to feel a little bad about judging their flower baskets dressed in prim bows.

rations:

as is our m.o., we had a certificate to spend so we went to town on ginger bistro. for sanakuu (starters... get it? :] ), we ordered the spring rolls, which were filled with deliciously crunchy lettuce, carrots, and piquant mint sprigs, folded in a tender but sturdy rice wrapper. the dipping sauce, while not as spicy as we'd hoped, was also quite nice--we even used the rest of it on a later dish.

for entrees, we shared the curry noodles and the house fried rice. we were a little disappointed by the noodles. "curry" promises fragrance, warmth, and complexity, but we found this dish to be pretty flat. not only were there very few actual vegetables in there, but the noodles just didn't seem coated enough and the curry flavor wasn't fully developed. we're not sure what it is, but we've noticed a similar problem at other establishments in the city--that curry powder isn't being cooked or paired with other spices properly to really maximize its full flavor potential. we had much the same complaint with the fried rice: too few veg, unevenly seasoned rice, and a little light on flavor (what they call "delicately seasoned" is somewhat of an understatement). we did opt to add some fried tofu (which our diligent server assured was prepared vegetarian-friendlily), which made a big improvement to the rice. otherwise, the texture would have been too one-note: all a little soft, no chewiness, no crunch. but the tofu had a nice sponginess and crisp outer layer--just enough variation to save the dish, along with the hot sauce from the rolls. somehow, despite our pleading to kitchens across the city to make us sweat, the food still never comes out quite as hot as we'd like.

finally, just to taste, we ordered a side of szechwan green beans and a banh mi with tofu. the portion of the beans was quite generous, and we actually ate all of them smothered over our noodles and rice. perhaps a little salty and coated with that sort of off-putting gelatinous sauce, they definitely weren't flawless, but the beans themselves were fresh and crunchy and actually packed a little heat. the banh mi, on the other hand, was the blandest offering of the night--fried tofu on a loaf with a few greens (albeit fresh and yummy in their own right) just don't offer a whole lot of flavor or texture variety. more hot sauce and mayo should help, though.

we really didn't know what awaited us at ginger bistro before we went; overall, though, we were more satisfied than we expected to be. their menu is crazy extensive and the kitchen seems willing and able to improvise for the needs of vegetarians if you only just ask. if you're looking for great service, some bang for your buck, and a plate of fried rice in the loop... then this is your place.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

city review: bloomington, indiana

2011-07-28T14:55:00.008-05:00

clark's hometown and lois's adopted town for grad school, bloomington holds a special place in our hearts. it's one of the only towns in indiana that's worth visiting, and thanks to the diversity at the university, there are a surprising number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants to be found.

the laughing planet:

clark has been eating here since the early '90s, and it's still one of his favorite places on earth. (note: this is the place that spawned all the laughing planets in portland.) sure, over the years they've become inconsistent, but they do so many things right that it's almost always worth your time. the zapatista is our favorite salad on the planet, just make sure you add seitan and guacamole to it. the burritos, of course, are the stars at laughing planet, and there are just as many opinions about the best concoctions as there are bloomington residents. here's ours: light black beans, spinach, kale, seitan, extra cheese, and no salsa fresca. it's not that the fresca is bad, but if you leave it in you're likely to have a burrito "blow out," which'll leave you forking up the remains. anyway, eat here if you eat nowhere else in bloomington.

esan thai:

known by some as the dragon lady, the owner of esan thai is one tough customer, but boy does she know how to do thai food right. the place is as no frills as it gets, but it's not about ambience at esan thai; it's about the illest khao pad in the country. seriously. we order khao pad pretty much wherever we find thai food, and nothing has come close to esan thai's version. order it "thai hot" with tofu, and prepare for thai bliss.

the owlery:

bloomington's newest vegetarian addition, the owlery is 100% vegetarian, even going so far as to ensure that all of their cheeses are made without animal rennet. it's just one of the reasons we love them; the others include the classic poutine and the b.l.t.

roots:

the first time clark took lois to roots, she cried. in the middle of eating her sandwich. one problem is that roots is inconsistent; the other problem is that they decided to start serving fish. when roots started out, they were 100% vegetarian, and the food was consistently good. when the new owners took over, roots benefited from the addition of thai dishes, but they made a grave mistake by losing their purely vegetarian designation. still, we almost always find time to visit roots while in bloomington, and we think you oughta find the time, too. just be sure to suggest that they stop serving fish.

mostly meaty but noteworthy:

restaurant tallent is probably the best restaurant in indiana, and chef dave tallent consisently gets nominated by the beard foundation. if you've got the dough, and if you let them know ahead of time, they're sure to whip you up some extraordinary veg food. if nothing else, stop by for some wine and top-notch desserts.

upland brewery is a bloomington staple, and it produces some of the finest brews in southcentral indiana. you'll be pleasantly surprised with the vegetarian options, too, and they even have a 100% vegetarian fryer. we enthusiastically recommend the seitan gyros.

city review: los angeles

2011-07-28T11:35:00.008-05:00

so. much. good. food. we actually prefer los angeles to new york, particularly if we're talking about vegan restaurants, and we're already planning our next vegan vacation to l.a.

shojin:

easily one of the top five meals we've ever had. it's rare enough to find decent vegetarian sushi, but to find transcendent vegan sushi is simply unheard of. if you eat nowhere else in los angeles, make this place your priority; if you eat only one thing, make it the dynamite roll. oishii!

veggie grill:

if you're looking for really good vegan grub for a reasonable price, head to veggie grill. we hear that lots of celebs pop in to veggie grill, but you won't be disappointed even if the place is empty. they use gardein as the meat substitutes, and though we're ordinarily not fond of gardein (give us match meat, instead), veggie grill works some serious magic with the stuff. the star: the bayou chicken. the blackening of the gardein transforms it into something totally crave-worthy.

flore vegan:

man, do we love this place. it's crazy tiny, so seating is at a premium, but don't be scared away by the wait. the food is definitely worth your time, and the prices are very reasonable. take a bite of the club sandwich, sit back, smile, thank the gods for badass vegan food. repeat.

stuff i eat:

we're so happy that this place exists. tucked away in inglewood, this unassuming little cafe delivers the good for real. how many places are you gonna find vegan soul food? make sure to order kilamanjaro quesadilla. this dish is epic, y'all. you will need a minimum of two people to finish this thing off, but you'll enjoy every last gut-busting bite.

native foods:

all vegan, all the time. not a single thing we've had at native foods has been less than exceptional. you must try the scorpion burger and the nachos. if you have room--though we doubt you will, considering how generous the portions are--try the saigon roll.

obviously, there are countless other vegan and vegetarian restaurants in l.a. these are just the ones we think you oughta try first, and they all happen to be 100% vegan. viva vegans!

search and devour: sweetart cupcakes

2011-07-28T10:21:00.004-05:00

yeah, we know, sweetart has received plenty of press about their cupcakes, but we want you all to know that the hype is real. reine bayoc whips these things up from scratch with all natural ingredients, and there's a flavor to tempt anyone's palate. can't decide which one to devour? go with the gluten-free, vegan chocolate-red velvet. it's not as airy as the ones with gluten, but we dig the denser cake, and it loses none of the moisture. we seriously don't understand how reine accomplishes such a delicate yet substantial cake, and her icings are even more baffling. that woman is a magician. now get over there and support those fine folks. and eat a banh mi while you're at it!

search and devour: everything at puravegan

2011-07-26T10:13:00.003-05:00

no need for a long review here, folks. puravegan's food is all raw, all vegan, and all gluten-free. almost anyone can eat there without guilt or concern. yes, it'll cost you a pretty penny to get filled up (much like the owners' hummer...), but we're pretty confident that you'll have a helluva good time doing it. if your order nothing else, be sure to get the tacos. outside of chicago, you won't have anything else like them in the midwest. and that veggie burger (pictured above) is mighty tasty, too, but we're even more in love with the housemade kale chips!

search and devour: vegan brunch at black bear bakery

2011-07-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

we've been eating bread and pastries from black bear bakery for a couple of years now. whether we get it at a farmers market or at black bear's storefront on cherokee, the food is consistently good. the other day, we bought a voicedaily coupon to black bear, and clark hopped online to check their hours. much to our delight, clark spotted a tiny announcement of black bear's weekend vegan brunch [since changed to "neighborhood brunch," though we don't understand why they're no longer announcing the vegan-friendliness of the spread]. as you know, we're down with anything vegan, so we hustled over to cherokee for some chow.

choices ranged from fried rice with edamame to tofu scramble to fresh fruit, and everything was quite flavorful. of course there's toasted bread, too, but it was the fried rice that stole the show. in any case, you can get all of this spread for just 10 bucks, and for two bucks more you can get coffee or juice. the bonus is that you get to support an awesome local business--one that's committed to local food and local people--and you get to hang out with their great staff (shout out to janette!).

(side note: the weekend brunch is totally vegan only on sundays; on saturdays, though there are still vegan options, you'll also find eggs and cheese.)

future projects: food truck friday

2011-07-21T09:30:00.001-05:00

not that we need an excuse to visit tower grove park, but we'll be attending the second "food truck friday" tomorrow night to sample as much vegetarian food as our budget (and bellies) will allow. anyone else planning to attend?

rap session with local harvest's clara moore

2011-07-17T22:33:00.003-05:00

Picture courtesy of River Front Times.

a little while ago, we had the privilege to catch up with clara moore of local harvest café. we’ve seen her all around the web in many different capacities and wondered how such a busy chef makes time for all her endeavours. of course, we’re avid—and rabid—fans of her cooking, but her involvement in the community really made us curious to know more about her. she’s down-to-earth, passionate about food in every aspect of her life (and yours), and she’s one to keep on your radar.

on being approached to head local harvest:

i had quit mangia and was in mexico, was there for a while, came back and was like, “i’m sick of the restaurant industry! i’m never going back!” famous last words, right? i was running the mangia pasta factory, training some guys, but got a little bored of that. so i started working at the [local harvest] grocery store, just once or twice a week. it was my first time working retail, and it was pretty exciting. it was really nice to be around the food community but not having to cook. and they had a little food counter, like a sandwich counter, and i helped them organize that—train staff, things like that. so about six months later, maddie and patrick were like, “we’re really thinking about opening a café, and you’re the one we really want to open it.” i was extremely flattered, and i thought about it for a little while, and said, “sure! why not?” it’s exactly what i wanted and was looking for in a restaurant. i can’t really ask for more.

on a fortuitous connection landing her in mexico:

i ended up there out of a friend of a friend situation. i was looking for a reason to learn spanish; i've always wanted to be bilingual. i was just talking to somebody, and a friend of a friend had been down in [guanajuato] and stayed at a bed and breakfast that was looking for someone who spoke english to come work there. so, i emailed them, and they emailed me back, and I emailed them, and they emailed me back. and then they were like, “okay, buy a plane ticket!” sight unseen! it was actually really wonderful, beyond wonderful. the most amazing six months of my life.

on cooking locally and seasonally:

[former employer jim voss at duff’s] introduced me to cooking locally and seasonally, but even before that, my mom always cooked seasonally—went to the farmers market, stuff like that. i didn’t always know what that meant; i just knew that sometimes we got oranges and sometimes we didn’t, and sometimes apples tasted good and sometimes they didn’t. it wasn’t really introduced to me as a concept until i worked at duff’s. honestly, he wasn’t really heady about it, he just ordered from local farmers and it was a thing he did. and on his days off he would drive to the farms that couldn’t deliver and go get the best cherries and the best asparagus. it was his passion; it was amazing to see. he’d get really excited about good food, and you’d taste the difference between the asparagus we’d get in the winter and the asparagus we’d get in the spring. that’s when i started realizing, “oh, there’s a difference!” almost every restaurant i worked at subsequently didn’t really work seasonally (the ones i worked at in st. louis), because it’s too expensive to get from different farmers. it’s easier if you just get it from the same place all year long. it was kind of a sad number of years there where I worked at a couple of places, and i strived and tried. when i was the chef at mangia i got my way, which was nice. not as much as i do here, but i got to order from farmers and started relationships with farmers and things like that.

on her own vegetarian past:

i was, for eight years. started when i was 12. i quit when i went to culinary school. it was my choice to go to a really expensive vegetarian culinary school or a less expensive regular culinary school. i thought, i shouldn’t pigeonhole myself. anyway, that’s why we have a lot of vegetarian and vegan stuff, because i really find it’s important. even for myself as an omnivore, i only eat meat two or three times a week. i really think that everyone could limit their meat consumption, if not completely take it out.

on the vegetarian fare at local harvest:

control of the menu is mostly with me and the owners. pat will say, “i want this!” and we do it. the vegetarian dishes are intentional—we want options for people. the whole point is for people to come here and be able to get good food, healthy food, and it’s for all walks of life—vegetarians or vegans or omnivores. they can all find something to eat and happily coexist. it’s really, really important for people also to understand how to get more vegetables in their diet without just eating a salad. we actually have this joke here that omnivores make the best vegan food, because you’ve learned all the skills and you’re not just holing yourself into only vegan food. you learn how to cook, and you can adapt those techniques [for other diets]. so i’m glad that i [went to a regular culinary school]. i love meat now—i’m sorry, i probably shouldn’t talk about that!

on her many extracurricular activities:

i love working in restaurants, but, as you know, i’ve been frustrated before, and i feel a little boxed in. so i've been working on trying to write and blog, trying to expand the things that i do so it’s not just always cooking. i was listening to podcasts—i got a new ipod and was checking out all the podcasts. indiana public radio has eartheats, which has really wonderful podcasts. not only are they about food, but also food legislation and food safety, and political food stuff. you rarely find recipes and political food stuff in the same place. i really found that was important, and i really liked what they were doing. i checked out their blog and saw that they had a lot of different bloggers, so i emailed them and was like, “hey! how would you feel if i blogged for you?" and they were like, “yup, send it on over.” it was as easy as that, and it’s great.

i’m spying on them because i really want something like that for st. louis. they just do a small podcast and a really nice blog. we could do something like that here, talking about more missouri or illinois issues. the political stuff i always find gets pushed to the wayside. nobody wants to talk about what’s going on. i feel like that’s sad, you can’t divorce politics and food… although…well, it’s hard because you just want to enjoy your food, right? i find you enjoy it more when you know what’s happening to your food and when you feel connected. there’s just a lot of stuff going on that the farmers don’t even want to talk about because they don’t want you thinking about that while you’re at the farmers market. for one, they’re passing a lot of animal legislation where you have to tag—basically barcode—each animal that’s born within so many hours. it’s really hard on the small farmer who has very little support, very little money.

on her old cookbook collection & how they’re still relevant:

i started collecting in antique stores and thrift stores. my collection started with old church lady cookbooks, from the 40s, 50s, 60s. that stuff’s passed down from before there was refrigeration. and then i have some old antique cookbooks from the 20s and so forth. i have a retired friend who lives in d.c. who likes to go hunting. so now i have more than i can possibly ever read. but i do go through them. there’s a lot of interesting stuff out there. it really does help me to work seasonally and also not waste anything.

there are even a lot of vegetarian recipes. pre-50s was a time of not a lot of meat consumption. this is just in the last half-century that americans are consuming five times as much meat as they ever did. there’s really a lot of stuff that is vegetarian, or things that just have ground beef in them that you can omit and still have a really good recipe. [my friend in d.c.] even sends me a lot of natural and vegetarian cookbooks because she knows i’m into that. there’s even older vegan cookbooks out there, amazingly.

it’s really interesting to see the fads and the styles. usually in the beginning [of the book], they talk about nutrition, and what’s the nutritional fad of the day. it’s really, really cool. it makes you put it into perspective. right now you think butter’s bad for you and margarine’s the best, and then ten years later it’s like margarine’s horrible for you, butter’s better, but lard’s even better! they don’t really know. so it puts it all in perspective, which i really enjoy.

on women chefs in st. louis:

i have a couple events coming up that involve other chefs, and i’m the only chick at both of them. whenever we do slow food’s art of food, i’m always the only chick there, of all the head chefs. i never really think about it, but i was just mentioning to a friend of mine—“oh, and then this thing i was the only girl there, too, oh my goodness!” i’m just so used to it. it’s such a man’s world that i’m used to being the only girl around. i don’t really have too many female chef friends. one, cassie vires, she helped open ernesto’s—she’s now working with feast a lot and does a lot of freelancing. and another friend of mine works at frazer’s, doing all their desserts and bread. she is also vegetarian, and she is incredible. her name is kim bond. she is hardworking and amazing and really creative. i mean, insanely creative. she and i actually, a couple years ago, held our own south city iron chef. she was like, “if we had a south city iron chef who would you pick?” i said, “i’d pick you!” and she was like, “yeah, i’d pick you!” we decided to throw one, and we did it in somebody’s backyard. we competed—she won. we’re supposed to have a re-match soon. that was a lot of fun. it was total chick power, it was awesome.

some fun quick-fires, just to get to know clara a little better:

strangest request while at work:

i’m sure we’ve had some great ones! oh man, i got nothing. generally we just kind of brush it off! it's kind of a daily occurrence.

favorite childhood memory:

well, this is on my mind because i was just in michigan and went to the old beach that we used to go to. my mom would get us there with the last ten dollars in gas to go see my grandparents. it was the quietest, calmest area with a little cottage, a little quiet beach, and i was soooo bored when i was a kid. but i thank god that at least i got a week of that a year, to know what comfort and quiet and relaxation can seem like and look like. i miss [that] really badly. [being a chef is] all go, go, go. going back there was a big reminder. you do have to have a little respite at least every once in a while. i have a dog now, which helps keep me tied to my house.

top two bucket list items:

oh, i’m so impulsive that i’ve done most of them already! to go back to being bilingual—i was bilingual when i lived in mexico, but now i’ve completely lost it. so i would really like to live in a south or central american country and really reconnect with the language and reconnect with the culture, because that’s a beautiful culture down there. talk about basic food and basic needs and a really to-the-earth sort of thing. that’s on my scope…eventually. most of it just involves traveling. i just want to travel as much as i can all the time. i really want a house in the city and a house in the country so i can have it all.

on St. Louis as a foodie city:

well, i’m a little biased, of course, because i know all the little niche places. but i think we’re doing pretty well. i was just in detroit recently—the city’s a little bit bigger than ours, but about the same level of stuff going on. but really exciting things. i think we do pretty well for ourselves. it’s a nice community and a supportive community, and that’s the important part: the support. i don’t think we’d be able to exist if we didn’t have a supportive foodie community. things like taste [of st. louis]… a lot wouldn’t be possible if people weren’t slightly enlightened. and thanks to feast, and sauce, and everybody that’s out of there—there’s a lot of blogs out there writing about what’s going on.

some days i’m like “come on, st. louis! let’s do something!” but i think we’re moving forward. i just hope we don’t get too far ahead of ourselves, and we kind of trend out of it or past it. i mean, the fact that sauce has been around for, what, 10 years now…and now there’s feast…they’re making a go at it. it means there’s a large community and there’s a lot of people who are interested in what’s going on. it’s a nice social network that we have here. one of the things maddie likes to say about st. louis is that you can have an idea and go do it here. and nobody else has done it! there’s a big, huge empty canvas in st. louis for you to write on and do whatever you want.

we agree with clara on how interested st. louisans are, and we really admire her pride and dedication to her community. clara reminds us how important it is to stay connected and that there’s always more we can all do. not that we or she are getting up on our soapboxes here—we’re just impressed and touched to find people who genuinely care about the happiness of others, people who use their creativity to spread joy. we know that if you’ve visited local harvest, this feeling probably sounds familiar. so, next time you go, be sure and tell someone what a cool chick you think clara moore is! she might even show you her motorcycle.

farewell: terrene

2011-07-02T17:03:00.001-05:00

terrene was the first place clark ate at when he moved to st. louis, and terrene was the first place he took lois on a proper st. louis date. we've eaten many, many meals there over the last three years, but perhaps the most memorable was our last meal before they closed the doors for good.

because of our close attachment to the people, place, and food at terrene, we decided to document our last meal. the food was extraordinary, which made the evening even more bittersweet. there was certainly no shortage of tears. no doubt, we will miss everything about terrene.

beet salad:

lois is gaga over fresh beets right now, so even though we just ordered this salad a week ago, we ordered the daggone thing again. it didn't disappoint. the highlight: the candy cane beets. close second: homemade ricotta.

asparagus and fingerling salad:

fresh, green, light--this was pure health on a plate. and don't be fooled by the taters, as they have plenty of vitamins and are highly underrated. oh, and that's a quail egg. quail eggs are frickin good, y'all.

veggie sausage flatbread:

this was the very first thing clark ate at terrene, and he's eaten about 30 or so since then. (and, in case you're wondering, he does share. occasionally.) sauce just published the recipe for the flatbread, but we're willing to wager that the odds are slim to none that anyone can recreate terrene's perfect storm of flavor, consistency, and presentation.

veggie burger:

terrene's version stood only behind sweetart's veggie burger in our rankings (to be released soon). chef mykey had been perfecting the patty and the toppings for a couple of months, and we're just terribly bummed that we won't get a chance to eat it again. and, yep, that's an empty plate where once sat a veggie burger and some frites. we were so anxious to eat it that we completely forgot about pics. it can't have helped that we'd already polished off a bottle of wine by then and were having trouble fighting off the tears.

frites:

best. ~~frites~~food. ever. we may never have frites that match these. rest assured, though, that we'll search for the remainder of our days. for you, readers, for you.

closed: terrene

2011-06-29T16:31:00.000-05:00

yes, you read that correctly. we're just devastated that they've decided to move on. of course, we wish the mcelwains and chef warhover and everyone else well and we're looking forward to seeing what happens next. read the official press release at feast.

and by the way, in case you're as bummed as we are about not getting any tofu tacos there this summer, fret not! sauce published it a year ago.

veggielante does frazer's

2011-06-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about frazer's. peep the column here.

veggielante does bobo noodle house

2011-06-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about bobo noodle house. peep the column here.

search and devour: terrene's beet salad

2011-06-24T21:39:00.000-05:00

your opportunity to eat the localest, freshest, yummiest beet salad in town may soon be coming to an end, and you don't want to bid adieu to spring without having really tasted its bounty. terrene's salad is composed of a variety of local roasted beets, house-made ricotta, and sunflower shoots and seeds. we can't emphasize how much a pleasure it is to eat this little plate--the freshness of the ingredients and the care in the balance of flavors and textures is revitalizing for both body and spirit. the candy cane beets provide a playful sweetness that match the understated ricotta and earthy sunflower seeds. sure, we've seen plenty of beet salads with cheese and nuts, but the way terrene has spun each of those ingredients in this version makes it a totally refreshing and unique offering. we highly suggest you pair it with bartender john's "year of the rabbit" cocktail. if these don't make you feel like new at the end of a long day, well...just order another plate and another drink!

reopening: nosh

2011-06-22T14:17:00.000-05:00

excellent news, people! according to an rft report, it looks like we're getting an early xmas present with the reopening of nosh. we're assuming nosh will be serving up their extraordinary hummus plate, which means we'll be paying them a visit very soon. and if all of you get out there and show them some love, maybe they won't have to shut their doors anytime soon. fingers crossed!

search and devour: mushroom strudel

2011-06-21T23:21:00.000-05:00

lots of amazing things come in pocket packaging: turnovers, burritos, falafel, pasties, rockets... (hehe)... and schlafly's mushroom strudel is no exception! they're offering this appetizer for a limited time only, and we're here to tell you you don't know the meaning of that phrase until you're nearing the end of your encounter with one of these. the local mushrooms deliver dynamite flavor, the pastry is simultaneously flaky and rich, and the pesto is smooth, fragrant, and bright--but not too bright so as to upstage the mushrooms. you may not associate a warm mushroom strudel with spring supper, but do yourself a favor and let schlafly school you. this strudel may just be the highlight of your meal. and although all good things must come to an end, you could just order two of these and prolong the joy for at least a few minutes.

veggielante does the royale

2011-06-21T23:19:00.001-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about the royale. peep the column here.

veggielante does tap room

2011-06-21T23:18:00.001-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about schlafly's tap room. peep the column here.

rap session with terrene's john mcelwain

2011-06-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

shockingly, of all the attention that terrene has received over the last six years, almost none has been focused on john, the restaurant's owner. we see him there literally every time we go--and he's not just walking around taking surveillance; he's hosting, he's serving, he's expediting, he's answering your questions. john is like an omnipresent food fairy making sure everything is just right. and it's not because he's a tightass: he just wants you to have a good time, and he's happy to do whatever it takes to make sure that when you depart, you leave with a good taste in your mouth.

on his unexpected start in the restaurant biz:

my friends and i from high school, we all [worked at] kreiger’s pub and grill, just as line cooks. when that place opened, we were some of the first staff in the door. that was my first restaurant job--just making pizzas and salads and things like that. i never wanted to go into the restaurant business; i just did it as a part-time job during the early years of college. then i got a job at cardwell’s busing tables in 1997. i started busing tables there, and i really enjoyed the pace of the business. it's really addictive for somebody with my personality and how my synapses fire: i have to constantly be going. they allowed me to be the only busser, instead of having two, because i was willing to work twice as hard. i kept that going maybe two or three years, and eventually i moved on to become an expediter, which is the liaison between the front of the house and the back of the house. it's a little bit of management in the sense that you are basically communicating for everyone. everything that goes to the chef goes through the expediter; it just keeps it easy. i worked there until 2003 or 2004 with the exception of moving in 2000 to portland, oregon, where i was the site director for a childcare program at a public elementary school. i was hired to develop and implement a before- and after-school program and run it. that’s sort of what i was doing before; i started a double master’s in secondary ed and counseling.

on gaining experience while pursuing his secondary ed career:

portland was just a year, but i went to a lot of really good restaurants and wineries [and] really developed a love for willamette valley pinot, and i think you probably see an influence on the wine list with that. we did some foraging and stuff like that. i was part of a mushroom society out there, just trying to immerse myself in as much stuff as i possibly could in the shortest period of time.

on leaving cardwell's to start terrene and bringing chef dave owens with him:

[dave] was the executive chef over at cardwell’s. he and i opened terrene in 2005, and we had about nine months worth of build-out leading up to that. [our leaving] wasn't a big deal because notice was given, and i think dave was ready to do something else. it's just change, and people in this business need change sooner or later because nobody wants their creativity to stagnate--people like a change of scenery, people like to work with different people. and with the level of intensity that you have to fire with a career like this...it’s okay. we're not going to, but if for whatever reason it’s all over tomorrow...totally worth it no matter what.

on dave's role in establishing terrene as a vegetarian-friendly restaurant:

[dave is] vegetarian, and i think that’s kind of how we got branded as a vegetarian-friendly restaurant. i think that’s a lot to do with dave and the cuisine that he was into. it’s also his lifestyle. he was in charge of the vegetarian sandwiches and entrees over at cardwell’s, but i think one of the reasons he wanted a change is because his food wasn’t so much appreciated by the folks at a mall. people were much more receptive to what he does [at terrene]. he's an awesome chef. and it’s really funny, we were talking about having a photo shoot one time, and he was like, "i want a brick of tofu in one hand and then i want a suckling pig in the other." his approach is just all about taking care of the customer and being a really good chef and respecting the food. he definitely did that. he did the whole animal approach as often as he could, which is similar to what we do right now.

on choosing the role of restaurateur:

i think that true success in st. louis and in the restaurant world is being a chef-owner. if you look at the true success stories in st. louis--at kevin nashen at sidney street, gerard [at niche], steve gontram and now nick miller [at harvest], bill cardwell, fraser cameron--all these places that have stuck around and stood the test of time in terms of quality: they’re all chef-owners. but i never wanted to do that for a living. i enjoy food, but i [also] enjoy people, hospitality, how you make somebody feel when they're in your restaurant. my dad had a relatively good friend named peppe. he had a restaurant on the hill called gian peppe’s, and it's long gone, but i got to go there for my junior prom. huge deal. took my girlfriend there, borrowed mommy’s volvo. and the way this guy made me feel...i thought, "i could do this for a living." that guy made me feel like a rockstar!

on how that experience has shaped his attitude in his own restaurant:

what i want people to do when they leave terrene is just smile at each other and be like, "that was nice." it doesn’t necessarily have to be food or anything--just how it all comes together, how you find yourself with an overwhelming sense of, like, "ahh, i feel good!" but when one thing’s missing, you start to notice and pick apart other stuff. the minute that you’ve waited too long for iced water, the minute you’ve had to reach for some seasoning, whatever it is. you can watch it on people’s faces; i know this from my own dining experiences. it has to be consistently good. it’s the little things.
there's always going to be somebody that's working harder than you, [or] that's more successful, but the flipside is that you find yourself comfortably in the middle...it's okay. the first few years of working six to seven days a week--and it's no exaggeration--in the very beginning, i worked from about eight a.m. to one o'clock in the morning about six days a week because we were open for lunch and dinner, and i did that for two years straight. and it went really fast. dave was here at six a.m., seven a.m. if i worked 90, he worked 110. it's just nuts, but when you're surrounded by people that do this.... it's important to be strong from the beginning.

on his own experiences with vegetarianism:
my wife, for a very long time, maybe until a month before the pregnancy, has been a very consistent vegetarian. since i've known her she's only eaten fish occasionally, but for the most part [she's vegetarian]. so i've developed an appreciation for being able to cook with tempeh, with tofu, with some of the different match products, and things like that.
i was a vegetarian--and i totally picked the wrong time--but i was a vegetarian for three months. i [was training] for the st. louis marathon and i remember hitting a wall one day. [i was] running forty miles a week to get ready for this thing and i would say midway through, my body wasn't taking it, and i wasn't feeling good. i tried; i just picked the wrong time.
i was also taking a class at webster with professor corbett called "man's relationship with animals." i read john robbins's book called diet for a new america; it's an awesome book. it will strengthen your belief in being a vegetarian. it just hit me, learning about factory farms--and i'm just talking about a very objective standpoint about where food comes from. and, you know, meateaters like to say, [pointing to his mouth] "well, man has canines," but i just don't buy all of it. i could probably do the vegetarian thing for the rest of my life, but if there's one thing, it would just be seafood.

on his relationship with farmers:

we definitely adhere to the "naturally-raised" no matter what. i'm not going to say we can do that every single time we're at dierberg's, [but] i try to be as aware of the food that i’m buying as i possibly can be. it’s also wondering, what’s the credibility with these farms? have you been to these farms, have you seen these farms, how do you know? people challenge me on that all the time, [and that’s] why i’ve got the menu laid out the way that i do; and it’s no problem if somebody wants to see a mussel tag from when the mussels came in or you want to see an invoice from missouri grassfed or something like that. it’s frustrating as a business owner because i know it incurs more cost to me, and i don’t know if people appreciate it the way that i'd hoped.

what i enjoy [about] the relationship that i have with the farmers is being able to call them and say, "hey, what root vegetables do you have? we need some new beets for this salad, we’d like to mix up the colors, do you have anything going?" kirk and sally scott are my good friends out at buck creek farm in cedar hill. they went to an heirloom seed convention two years ago for tomatoes, and they called us while they were there and asked us if there was any specific varietal [we'd like]. and I was like, "awesome! just get what you want, i'm sure we’ll love it!" sometimes your farmers are the ones who are giving you ideas for your menus.

on his role in menu development:

the message of terrene has never been lost in translation with a menu change. so: here we are, philosophy’s here, these are the ingredients we're using, these are the local guys that we've been using, [and i ask the chef] is there anyone else that you want to bring on in terms of farmers? and he gives me a menu. mykey [warhover] will hand-write it and i'll look at it and make any immediate suggestions that i see, and then we'll go into the process of actually making the food. mykey will make the food, and--usually its just me and mykey--we’ll taste the food and talk about what needs to change, then we’ll have a line-up where all the servers taste it and we get feedback on that, go back to the drawing board, and then we go live with our menu. i let them have free reign over the presentation, and every once in a while i'll offer up a different cut of meat that i’d like to try, maybe a different starch that i think is appropriate for a dish, and then ultimately my palate will decide. so i guess my palate is sort of the barometer for what gets served to customers. and i thank my mother for that because she is an amazing cook and the house that i grew up in was a lot of that: always really good, clean, fresh food. so, thanks, mom!

on how vegetarians factor into each new menu:

i will say this: if i had to give a percentage of the menu that is vegetarian right now or can be made vegetarian, i bet it’s about 15 or 20 percent. and i do it based on the needs of my customers and what people ask for. if i thought i needed two vegetarian/vegan entrees, i would do it in a heartbeat, but the business doesn't warrant it. but if people are doing a dinner and i know they're vegetarian, we can do something special for them. so i would say it's dictated by business; that’s the bottom line. vegetarians are really easy to accommodate, we have all the stuff here. vegetarian food goes into every single freaking dish we cook, so it's not difficult.

some quick-fires, just to get to know john a little better:

favorite childhood memory:

i guess it would just have to be just summers of skateboarding and swim team, and just being a kid and not having any schedule whatsoever. just feeling like six a.m. to ten o'clock that night just lasted a year and you got everything that you wanted done. i was a big swimmer, that was my thing. it was a life that was so simple. very good childhood. i grew up in st. louis county, by laumeier sculpture park. my mom was a docent there, and i got to learn a lot about art. culture’s good. we got to travel as kids all throughout the united states, but i want to expose my child to as many cultures as i possibly can. it's going to be difficult with a restaurant, but we have a few years to figure it out.

top two bucket list items?

i've gone skydiving tandem, so i want to do an advanced free fall and just jump with nobody. i would say the wingsuit, but that’s unrealistic because i would need, like, 2,000 jumps to do that. so jumping out of an airplane...oh! and the nurburgring. it’s a 14 or 15 mile roadcourse. i would love to take a lambo. i wanna go, like, 200 miles an hour. i want to go faster than 200 miles an hour in a car. i love adrenaline, jumping out of planes, fast cars, stuff like that! two very attainable things!

though he may be an adrenaline junkie, nothing about your visits to terrene make you feel rushed, and the pace is never frenetic. john's intuitive approach to hospitality and his obvious love for his business make terrene feel like a home away from home. we're thankful for the great food, but we remain terrene's biggest fans because of the relationships we've formed with the people.

drunken noodles taste of thai

2011-06-09T16:02:00.004-05:00

we were already anxious to find some vegetarian thai food when we got a tip from a fellow veghead (shout out to laura!) about this awesome little restaurant. we know that most city folks avoid south county eateries as a matter of habit, but this place is good enough to make you rethink your south county aversion.

mission:
drunken noodles taste of thai
south county

terrain:
drunken noodles is a small, family-owned operation with a menu a mile long that features a bunch of thai and chinese favorites, plus a few things you may not have seen before. we actually like that this place displays their specialties in lit-up photos above the register--it reminds lois of singaporean food courts (except these photos are much more appetizing and you don't have to guess at the ingredients pictured). they've decorated with a couple silkscreens and elephant carvings, but overall it's very modest. very comfortable, and with a lot of sunshine--so beware sitting in the light if you plan on eating spicy.

personnel:
our server was awesome--he was helpful and reassuring about what they could do vegetarian, and he made it pretty clear that the kitchen could be as flexible as we needed them to be. as we chatted with him after we ate, we found out that he helped our friend earlier that day when she stopped by to pick up some lunch!

rations:
we started with an order of thai spring rolls: fresh, soft rice paper stuffed with vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber, lettuce, and mint. dipped into their [assuredly vegetarian] housemade sweet and sour sauce, we cleared our plate in no time.

next we ordered the spicy thai fried rice with tofu. the kitchen accidentally forgot to add all the heat, so our server brought us a little dish of minced peppers and chili oil that we stirred into it. just that little half ounce of heat, and the rice got "thai hot" in a hurry. the green onions, garlic, egg, and bell peppers were all fresh and cooked to perfection, and the rice was seasoned beautifully throughout. the tofu is lightly coated and fried, sealing in its velvety suppleness. we would have loved to see more vegetables, but we were thankful not to see any of those itty bitty chopped frozen vegetable pieces you get in fried rice from places that don't care this much.

next, we shared the pad see eiw and, again, we were surprised by the freshness and quality of ingredients. this dish was the highlight of our day. while we would have loved to enjoy more chinese broccoli, we know that next time we'll just have to ask for a little more. the sauce had a great consistency, dressing the noodles without sopping them, and the flavor struck a lovely balance between sweet, smoky, and savory. the noodles themselves were entirely different from what we've had before. they were almost pillowy: wide and flat, but still somehow plump without being dense like udon. if this intrigues you, you better just go check them out for yourself.

we so thoroughly cleaned our plates of every last bite that our server felt compelled to comment on our ~~gluttony~~ well-mannered wastelessness: "good job guys, my aunt would be proud." our mamas taught us how to put away good food. we'll be back soon for more. please and thank you.

assessment:
b+

vegetarian-friendly score:
b-

veggielante does mangia

2011-06-08T15:21:00.002-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about mangia. peep the column here.

search and devour: sweetart's cheddar and scallion scone

2011-06-06T15:41:00.003-05:00

by now, most of you know about our love affair with sweetart, but they just keep on surprising us with new concoctions. recently, chef reine released some new sandwiches (expect a veggielante review soon!), some appetizers, and a scone that's had us daydreaming about it for days now. the flavor is cheddar and scallion, and it has the texture of a biscuit more so than a scone (not that we're complaining). the offering of cheddar is ample in each scone, and the the earthy green flavor of the scallions is never lost. the best part: even though the scones taste buttery, you never feel gross after you've eaten one. we love that reine never rests on her laurels, and if the current innovations are any indication, she's perfecting her craft and we have lots to look forward to.

here's the thing, though: you good people, faithful readers and new, need to get to sweetart asap, and you need to visit them often. they've brought an immeasurable amount of joy to our lives, and we want all of you to experience at least a fraction of that joy. now get yer butts on over thar.

search and devour: spicy billy goat chips

2011-06-03T13:27:00.003-05:00

aptly called their "kicker chip," these things are so good, you'll not only lick your fingers but probably the inside of the empty bag, too. don't be ashamed, the strength to resist such a temptation would be superhuman

billy goat chips have been on the scene for a couple years now, and restaurants all over the city have been serving this snack-crack straight up, with a variety of dips, or as a side. but no matter how you order them, it's going to be good and too short-lived. we've been waiting for the spicy chips for months and finally saw some at the grocery store yesterday! (see where to buy here.) we snatched a pack and hurried home, where we summarily devoured them (and almost the bag). unlike their smooth-surfaced older sister, these Kickers are ridged (a design we suspect allows for better spice adhesion). they've got a slow-burning, mild heat that stays with you, and combined with a little sweetness and a little pungent garlic, they're undeniably some of the best potato chips you've ever had.

veggielante does barrister's

2011-06-01T21:42:00.008-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about barrister's. peep it here.

closed: portabella

2011-06-01T21:38:00.008-05:00

there were quite a few closings this past month, but the most notable was clayton's portabella. we didn't give them a glowing review, but we certainly had some decent dishes the few times we visited. here's hoping a 100% vegan korean joint opens up in the empty portabella space. [edit: sauce reports there's just another italian joint going in the old space. bummer, dudes.]

search and devour: the sweet divine cupcake

2011-05-31T21:53:00.007-05:00

last week, we attended the "cooking with food" event, the most recent brainchild of rue lafayette's marc felix. the details of the show are a bit muddy right now, but from what we gather, it's going to be a cooking show devoted to vegetarian food! for now, chef felix is still shopping the show to various networks, and we sure do hope he's successful. as most of you know, most of us vegetarians would love a cooking show to call our own.

in any case, while at the event, the sweet divine truck dropped to supply event-goers with one of their signature cupcakes: vanilla toffee caramel. the cupcake is remarkably good-looking, with just the right density-to-fluff ratio, and the crunchy toffee pieces worked beautifully with the smooth caramel. these cupcakes are daggone good, y'all. and although you'll definitely have to search a bit harder for their truck (affectionately called "georgie"), it'll just make the cupcake reward that much sweeter.

search and devour: terrene's newest veggie burger

2011-05-30T13:28:00.006-05:00

terrene's ever-changing menu always reflects the bounty of the season, and that means that chef mike has lots of opportunity to change up the specials. on our most recent trip, we spied a new veggie burger special and promptly ordered two, knowing it could not possibly disappoint. it features a smooth layer of avocado mousse; crunchy, sweet jicama slaw; and some lightly pungent queso fresco for contrast. the delicate balance of light, fresh flavors and the play on textures really makes this burger a unique treat. terrene's specialty really is how they can embody the season in a meal, and this dish is no exception. a bonus, too, is that they've been experimenting with the match patty and have achieved a strangely not-unappetizing meaty yet matchy patty that could silence anyone's doubts about the char, richness of flavor, and texture of veggie burgers.

savor it all the more knowing it's a limited-time offer.

veggielante does good pie

2011-05-29T15:45:00.005-05:00

the veggielante has a new post about the good pie. peep it here.

search and devour: schlafly bottleworks's spring salad

2011-05-24T20:56:00.007-05:00

from the field green salad with the best vanilla vinaigrette we've ever had to the greens and grains (substitute baked chicken for match meatballs, of course), we almost always make room for the salads at bottleworks. on our most recent visit, we were lucky enough to discover a salad on the specials menu: the spring salad. with greens straight from schlafly's garden, the freshness and vitality of the salad were impressive; we loved, too, the mellow but delicious turnips and radishes. combine all of that veggie goodness with the pistachio-encrusted goat cheese, and you've got yourself a helluva salad. schlafly was serving the salad with some kind of meat, but we substituted match chicken, instead. dear gods, is that stuff good! it turned a very good salad into something exceptional. here's hoping they make this a staple on their next menu.

search and devour: rasoi's pudina paneer

2011-05-21T14:58:00.005-05:00

duh. derp. um, yeah, like, this stuff is make-you-stupid good. rasoi takes their homemade cheese cubes and gives them a tandoori and mint leaf rub, and then they stick them in the tandoori oven for a nice grill session. the result is magic. the rub gives the cheese cubes a green shell, which only gets further enhanced by the char from the oven. they're so crispy you might think that were flash-fried, but rest assured they aren't saturated in an oil bath. think of them as the fitter, prettier cousin of paneer pakora. and once you add the delectable rasoi chutneys into the mix, you've got yourself one of the finest appetizers in the city. quite literally, we moaned from bite one til the nearly-tearful end. we probably would've ordered another helping if not for the whopping 12 dollar price tag. yeah, like most of you, we think 12 bucks is usually too much for an appetizer, but rasoi's is one of the few that's worth it.

vegstlouis content changing

2011-05-19T11:53:00.003-05:00

beginning today, clark will no longer be writing reviews for vegstlouis, as he's now writing a column for the river front times. (here's a link to his first post.) rest assured that vegstlouis aint closing up shop, though. we'll still be posting "search and devour," updating restaurant openings and closings, and providing intimate portraits of local chefs and owners in our "rap session" series. (by the way, we're curious if any of you are enjoying those interviews. if you are and you want some more, please let us know. in general, we'd love to hear more of anything from all of you.)

in any case, we really hope you'll keep checking in with us here at vegstlouis. we also hope you'll support clark (aka bryan peters, aka veggielante, aka all around great guy) in his new endeavor at rft. please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested. the more readers he gets, the better chance he has of 1) not getting canned and 2) spreading the word about st. louis's great vegetarian scene.

thanks to everyone who has visited us over the last year, and thanks to everyone who keeps coming back for more!

now, here's a picture of some chard. go get some from whole foods, lightly sauté it, eat it, and marvel at its wonder.

search and devour: taste of maplewood

2011-05-18T09:33:00.003-05:00

this saturday, may 21, we'll be heading over to one of our favorite neighborhoods for the taste of maplewood. we're looking forward to getting samples from our old standbys--monarch and schlafly--but we're even more excited to try some new places. the new kid on the block is water street, which serves up contemporary american/fusion cuisine, and we're curious to see if they cater to vegetarians at all (from the looks of the menu, it doesn't look promising, but we'll stay open-minded). we're also looking forward to tasting food from some maplewood standards that we just haven't had a chance to visit yet. acero and maya cafe are at the top of our list, but we'll also be on the lookout for some guacamole from las palmas. and, of course, we'll save room for some baked goods from foundation grounds.

please let us know if you're also planning a trip to the taste of maplewood, and we'll try to arrange a time to slap fives with you. then we'll pound some black pepper and cheddar scones together.

[update] as much as we love some of the maplewood purveyors, we were really disappointed with the taste of maplewood. we couldn't believe how un-veg-friendly everything was. so, we still haven't tried acero or las palmas or maya cafe, and we're beginning to wonder if we ever will...

puravegan: vegadeli's new restaurant opening!

2011-05-13T22:00:00.003-05:00

if you haven't heard, vegadeli is set to open the doors of a new restaurant in the cwe. according to their website, they'll be kicking things off tomorrow morning, may 14! located on belt avenue, just north of forest park, the new restaurant is called puravegan, and it features a 100% raw, 100% vegan, 100% gluten-free menu. they'll be offering cooking classes, as well as other community-centered events. they're taking a pretty big risk with this venture, and they're going to need as much support as possible from the vegetarian community. please hop over to belt avenue and show them some love.

search and devour: malted mayhem

2011-05-10T13:10:00.007-05:00

cruisin' around for a light lunch, we decided to head over to jennifer's pharmacy and soda shoppe for some old school eats and treats. behold the malted mayhem: a glassful of delicious chocolate, hazelnut, banana, and malt, this beast will unleash absolute bedlam on your tastebuds. it is out of control good. we think it's a fun experience best shared with a pal, but if you're alone, all the women behind the counter are good company and you'll feel right at home. jennifer's really feels like a neighborhood place, and it's clear to see what keeps their dedicated regulars coming back. next time we go, clark is going to have to get his own shake, because lois won't spare a sip.

revisited: schlafly bottleworks

2011-05-08T21:57:00.008-05:00

not long ago, schlafly released a new menu, and so far we've been quite impressed with the quality and consistency of the new offerings. on our most recent visit, though, we were there for some old-school dishes. we had two primary objectives: 1) try the portobello sandwich again, and 2) review some breakfast/brunch options and compare them with our current favorites (sweetart and local harvest). (you can peep our original schlafly review here.)

mission:
schlafly bottleworks
maplewood

rations:
we got the party started with one of our all-time favorite schlafly concoctions: "match" vegetarian biscuits and gravy. many a morning we've warmed our tired bodies and souls with this starch and gravy goodness. it's on the short list of our ultimate comfort foods. and as most of you know, it's not often you can find vegetarian gravy, particularly of this quality. no, the gravy aint purty, but boyhowdy, it shore is good! schlafly's unique version relies mostly on the faux-pork from "match," which is pure gold in terms of flavor and texture. when we interviewed scot smelser, he told us a number of his meat-eating customers don't even notice the difference. this is not to say, though, that the gravy tastes like a freshly-slaughtered "babe"; it just tastes more of spices and light sodium, just savory enough to pose as the meat most folks are used to seeing in traditional milk-flour baths. in any case, on this visit, the gravy was a little underseasoned, but this is not typical of bottleworks. honestly, we won't think twice about ordering it on our next visit.

because we've heard from a number of readers and other acquaintances who love the bottleworks grilled portobello, we decided it was time to give it another shot. it's been a couple of years since we've ordered a portobello sandwich anywhere, you see, because we not only believe portobello mushrooms are overrated to begin with, but we also believe any restaurant offering up yet another boring portobello on a boring bun is just not interested in a vegetarian's wants and needs. of course, there are exceptions to this rule, and we figured if any place would handle this mushroom with care and creativity, it would be schlafly. bottleworks serves their version with provolone, spinach, roasted garlic and green olive mayonnaise, and a wheat bun. it also comes with a side of their three grain blend, which is something we usually adore; on this morning, though, it tasted like metal, and we could stomach no more than three bites. anyway, we were worried about the provolone not carrying its weight, and we were right. (frankly, we're baffled as to why restaurants insist on using this uninteresting and played-out cheese.) the spinach was scant at best, and the mayonnaise was unevenly applied, leaving parts of the bun dry and other parts grossly thick with sauce. the portobello itself was palatable, but it was not good enough for either of us to want to finish it off. overall, it was a disappointment, but we weren't really expecting that much from a portobello, anyway.

we concluded with the build your own frittata. we ordered ours with the cheese blend, kalamata olives, "match" meatballs, mushrooms, and onions. lois has ordered this a few times in the past, and more often than not it has been pretty good. this time, too, it was pretty good. what prevents this frittata from becoming great is that, unlike local harvest's slinger, nothing about it communicates "comfort food," nothing about it transports you to another, happier place. we've noticed, too, that there never seems to be as many vegetables as we'd like; instead, the frittata gets dominated by the cheese. we understand that most patrons probably prefer the salty gooeyness of the cheese, and many of you may prefer it, too. we'd just rather have more veggies. so, if you're like us, be sure to order your frittata with light cheese.

as most of you know, we're big supporters of all things schlafly, so it's not like a mediocre portobello sandwich is going to sour us. neither is it likely that we'll ever order a portobello sandwich again, here or anywhere else. as for the brunch offerings, schlafly comes in a close third behind local harvest and sweetart. no doubt, before it's time to pay the piper, we'll be snarfing down grub many more times from all three of these treasures.

assessment: b+

vegetarian-friendly score: a-

search and devour: cheddar and black pepper scone

2011-05-07T20:20:00.007-05:00

while making the rounds of the maplewood coffee crawl last week, we made a pitstop in foundation grounds for a little sample of goshen coffee company's java. not only did we get an entire bag o' beans from the very generous owner of goshen coffee, but we also picked up one of foundation grounds's glorious scones. it was a tough choice, but we decided we wanted something savory. the result: lives changed forever. see that molten cheddar pouring out of the scone? glorious isn't it? but it's not just the cheddar that makes the scone noteworthy; it's the inclusion of black pepper that makes us want one of these every morning FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES. combine the cheddar and pepper with a crumblybiscuity texture and you've got some kind of magic. and we can hardly wait to try their other flavors!

mango madness

2011-05-07T09:46:00.005-05:00

when clark first heard about the "mango hometown tour taste-off," he knew immediately that vegstlouis had to make it a priority event. lois, you see, is gaga over mangoes (particularly ataulfos, aka champagne mangoes). so, yesterday we attended the show-down between chef galliano of monarch and chef miller of harvest. galliano's monarch was the host restaurant for the competition, which was cool with us because we're more comfortable at galliano's place.

now a quick rant: about a week before the scheduled taste-off, clark sent a letter to both chefs to inquire about vegetarian options for the event. the letter was quite clear: if you're not going to be offering veg-friendly options, it's no big deal and we'll just pass along our tickets to some of our omnivore friends. as we've mentioned before, it doesn't bother us at all if a chef only wants to serve only bloody meat in his or her restaurant. what does bother us is when a chef can't be bothered to communicate with potential customers. chef miller falls into the latter category. now, you can make a hundred excuses for miller--too busy, too distracted, too many letters--but the facts are the facts, and the facts is these: chef galliano responded to the letter within a day. a day. countless other chefs and/or managers across the city have managed to send replies to our inquiries within 24 hours, too, and these people work in some of the busiest places in st. louis. so, yeah, we don't want to hear excuses for miller or any other chef/kitchen (we're talking to you, highlands brewery, amongst others). we think it speaks volumes about a person or place that isn't willing to interact with its customers. and, again, we wouldn't have cared if chef miller had written back and said, "nope, i'm not making anything for vegetarians." from there, he could easily have said, "but please visit harvest for dinner, and i'll be sure to whip you up some wicked good veggies." how hard would that have been? not at all. how much would it have done to encourage us to tell our vegetarian friends that harvest is a great place? a lot. so, chef miller (a guy we're sure will never read these words, but we insist on typing them anyway), we bid you adieu, as we will not be joining you for that dinner you never invited us to. never again, good sir, will we send hungry patrons your way. (side note: the food wasn't very good, anyway.)

lest this post devolve into more of a mudslinging event, let's get back to the mangoes. the mangoes! upon arrival, we were given gift bags full of mango literature and one gigantic haden mango each. we took a seat at the bar where we served iced tea and a cup of freshly diced mangoes. after we listened to the event coordinator speak about mangoes for a bit, she introduced the judges (shout out to a vegstlouis reader, alanna kellogg, who was one of the three judges!), and soon after chef miller delivered his food for scoring. we, of course, did not receive a plate. not long after, chef galliano's food made an appearance. true to his word, he had two beautiful plates made up just for us. gorgeous, vibrant, stunning--these impotent adjectives cannot adequately express this brilliant presentation of color, texture, and flavor. there was a mango vinegar that is as difficult to describe as it must have been to execute, but it was the grilled mango that had us crushing hardest on galliano's skills. oh, yeah, and galliano was the winner on this day. as you might imagine, we were delighted to see galliano send the interloper home with his meat-loving tail between his meat-loving legs. (btw, we're just having a little fun at miller's expense; we don't really hate the guy. and, as lois rightly said to me yesterday: "it's hard to hate a guy when his dad is sitting across the bar.")

all in all, we had a lovely time. it was enough to be a part of such an interesting and quirky community event; the icing on the cake was experiencing galliano's culinary virtuosity.

revisited: modesto

2011-05-05T14:57:00.008-05:00

we recently brought a bunch of friends with us to modesto to contribute to the "dining out for life" event. not long ago, we had an awesome meal at modesto, and we wanted to spread the good word about chef grace's food. (peep our original modesto review here.) unfortunately, as you'll see, the results were quite mixed. still, with 25% of the bill (for a table of 7!) going to a great cause, we felt good when we left.

mission:

modesto

the hill

rations:

we kicked things off with a couple of new plates: the coliflor refrita and the tortilla espanola. knowing that chef grace insists on keeping one fryer exclusively meat-free, we (and you) don't have to think twice about ordering fried foods at modesto; still, we're pretty sure these cauliflower florets were pan-fried rather than deep-fried. either way, we enjoyed the coliflor refrita well enough, even if they were a touch underseasoned, and we were more than satisfied with the quantity of florets. (if you're thinking about preparing fresh cauliflower at home, you're in for a very labor-intensive endeavor.) but the highlight of this small plate was the subtle truffle notes. truffle oil = love.

the tortilla espanola was a new experience for us, and, despite its humble composition, we have to admit that it was our favorite dish of the night. the menu says it's a spanish omelet, but it's more like a quiche/pie. comprised of potatoes and onions, the flavors were mild yet complex, and the texture was divine--tender and occasionally flaky. the sauce was lovely, too, but it was the caperberries that really sent us over the moon.

from here, we moved on to two of our favorite dishes from our last visit. we both badly wanted to again sink our teeth into the ensalada de verduras mixtas, but we were sorely disappointed this time. the marinade seemed to be of an entirely different composition than last time, and the flavors overall were just... flat.

as bummed as we were about the grilled salad, we thought surely the vegetable paella would save the day. it did not. as it was with our very first visit, the paella was under-seasoned and the vegetables were overcooked. it wasn't inedible by any means, but it wasn't the sensational dish we remembered from our second visit.

it's possible that the preparation of food was rushed this night, what with the full dining room from the charity event, but we fear that the underseasoning is more status quo than exception. we've now visited modesto three times, and though that's hardly a large sample, we feel uneasy about the prospect of returning. we had such a lovely meal on our second visit that we thought for sure the vegetarian food was trending toward "awesome," but now it appears it might just be "good."

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

search and devour: pepperjack daiya

2011-05-03T11:16:00.002-05:00

not long ago, we wrote about the magic of daiya, and in the post we mentioned that a new flavor was rumored to be coming soon. well, people, it's finally here, and it's fantastic! daiya's newest cheese-substitute is "pepperjack," and it melts as beautifully as the other daiya offerings. though not as peppery/spicy as we'd like, the pepperjack does distinguish itself enough to make it a permanent fixture in our fridge. we found the new pepperjack flavor at the brentwood whole foods. if you spot it anywhere else, please let us know.

if there's a better cheese-substitute than daiya, we haven't found it. and if you've been waiting to try it, don't delay any longer. just make sure you melt the cheese in the oven (we broil ours), as the complexity of flavor is vastly improved with the addition of heat.

closed: fond

2011-05-02T13:57:00.003-05:00

just tried to go to the fond website to book a table for our anniversary, but the site is down. after doing some more digging, we can confirm that fond is now closed for business.

this is just devastating news. we have no idea why chef amy has decided to close up shop, but we hope it's because she's decided to move closer to st. louis. eating at fond was one of the most memorable dining experiences we've had, and we're awfully sad that others may not get the chance to try amy's food.

so. frickin. bummed.

the scottish arms

2011-05-01T16:17:00.005-05:00

countless times while on our way to terrene, we've driven by the scottish arms, mistakenly assuming that they wouldn't feed "our kind." we'll be the first to tell you that it was our mistake (you know what they say about making assumptions...), and we're glad to have been proven wrong. vegetarians don't usually have a lot of options when it comes to finding good pub grub, let alone some homemade, traditional scottish and english favorites. whiskey and veggie pasty, anyone? cheers!

mission:

the scottish arms

central west end

terrain:

it's comfortably lived-in, with all the nicks and scratches and the accumulated chotchkes to prove it. the scottish arms almost feels like it's been here for generations, your local cwe public house. the old ceiling tiles, the mantle-like bar, and the tall, sturdy booths make it a cozy spot for a post-work happy hour or an evening nightcap.

personnel:

one of our favorite things about the scottish arms is that the servers are decked out in kilts, and it somehow manages not to be self-conscious, costumey, or gimmicky in the least. our server was really helpful with suggestions and didn't hesitate at all when we informed her of our diet. she quickly fired back with all the options we had and made clear that she would talk to the chef for us if we had any concerns. we did have a miscommunication at one point, but she took care of the issue without us having to prompt her to. bonus points in our book.

rations:

we started with the cheddar ale dip and melted brie over black garlic baguette. originally, we were trying to ask for the black garlic baguette with the dip (in lieu of its usual bread), but we got both instead. it was a happy accident, and that's saying a lot because neither of us likes brie--but it was smooth without being waxy and had a really subdued pungency. usually brie rind is just a touch too keen for us, but apparently melting it makes all the difference. once again, we were glad for the scottish arms to prove us wrong. the dip was unlike any other beer-cheese dip we've had before. this one managed not to separate at all--even when it cooled off--and it showed off both flavors equally well. the only criticism we have for this one is really only a half-criticism--it was a little thin and has the consistency of a soup more than a dip. still, it was fun to soak our breads in, and when the flavor is this spot-on, we can forgive a little soupiness.

to supplement our entree, we got some roasted root vegetables and a couple orders of colcannon (a combination of mashed potatoes, cabbage, caraway seeds, and red onion). the roasted roots were well seasoned and had a nice browning on them. they were tender but not overdone, and they featured a nice variety. really simple, really lovely. the colcannon, on the other hand, were strangely unevenly seasoned: pockets of salt made our faces pucker, while other, unsalted pockets just tasted sort of starchy and bland. we know not everyone else will agree, but we also thought they were too buttery (or maybe it was also just that the butter was also lumped in there unevenly). the caraway seeds (which are actually technically fruits, did you know? us either!) add deliciously nippy kicks of flavor to balance the richness of the butter. it's definitely worth a try, just maybe give it a good stir before you dig in.

finally, we finished with the vegetable curry pasty. it was served fresh out of the oven, piping hot, with a brilliant brown on the pastry. pasties are truly a comfort food: warm, flaky, buttery, reminiscent of family dinners around the dining room table. even if that never really happened, pasties can transport you there. we were glad to have such a vibrant side salad because, unfortunately, the pasty is not as wholesome as you might think it would be. there just isn't the space for a whole lot of vegetables in that pastry pocket, and the proportion of dough turns out to be a bit generous. it's a good dough, no doubt, but once it cools off and the vegetables are gone, it's not enough on its own. the curry sauce, too, isn't loud enough (even for english curry) to make it a dish we'll crave. it's not a bad dish by any means, just not one we'll opt for in the future. still, we think it's pretty awesome that they offer a meatless pasty, and we certainly weren't displeased enough to discourage anyone--vegetarian or omnivore--from giving it a try.

all in all, we were pleasantly surprised with our meal at the scottish arms, and we're grateful to know that whenever we're craving a taste of the u.k., we can head over to sarah street and see what they've got cooking.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

sub zero vodka bar

2011-04-26T22:35:00.005-05:00

for a couple of years now, sub zero vodka bar has made a reputation for itself by (duh) slinging vodka to thirsty central west enders. what many folks still don't know, though, is that sub zero has garnered plenty of attention from local publications for their food. we tried their veggie burger about a year ago, and it was good, but sub zero fell off our radar simply because...well, we're not really sure. but in our continuing efforts to sample all the veggie burgers our fair city has to offer, so we recently gave sub zero another shot. as it turns out, the food is better than we remembered, and we're sure to pay sub zero another visit soon.

mission:

sub zero vodka bar

central west end

terrain:

like many restaurants on euclid, sub zero gives you the option of outdoor seating. we, however, prefer our food to be exhaust-free, so we opt indoors. inside, it's divided three ways between bar and two dining rooms. you could sit at their famous "ice bar," but it's usually crowded and not very conducive to eating a full meal, so maybe migrate over there for a post-meal drink. the rest of the restaurant is decorated minimally, with a lot of metal and cool colors, like a big, modern icebox--one that serves up over 350 vodkas from 26 countries. cheers.

personnel:

the servers we've had at sub zero have always been solid. on our most recent visit, our waitress was awesome. she did everything she could to get answers to our questions about vegetarian options/ingredients, and even though she was attending to multiple parties, she managed to make us feel like we were her only table. if we had thought of it at the time, we would've asked for her name and then requested her for our return visits.

rations:

for starters, we ordered the hummus and pita. surprisingly smooth and flavorful, this is definitely a hummus that can hold its own. (seriously, we may start a campaign to make hummus one of st. louis's signature dishes. it's definitely plentiful around here, even more so than toasted ravioli...!) there's a subtle kick to this dish, like a little flirtatious tongue-footsie. turns out it's from some white pepper and a dash of sriracha. yum!

we were pleased to see that they offer an edamame dip, so we shared a plate of that, too. this one comes with fried pita triangles (but caveat herbivore, they are fried in a mixed fryer). maybe we shouldn't be surprised, but this was delicious, too. we do love a good edamame dip, and this was neither too pasty nor too oily, and it had a unique flavor. almost minty, the taste was zippy, green, fresh. we could see them using this as a spread or even on a salad.

for our first entree, we built our own burger--we got the black bean veggie patty and added arugula, avocado, jalapeno, chipotle mayo, and pepperjack cheese. our concoction was, we think, pretty brilliant, but there was a drawback: there didn't seem to be enough of any of the ingredients, so maybe the key is to order fewer so you actually get more. that way you don't end up paying a buck and a quarter for two slices of avocado. however, the patty was a treat; it's housemade, sturdy, savory, slightly smoky, very satisfying.

we also tried one of their signatures: the falafel burger, made of chickpeas with tahini, and served with cucumber, lettuce, and tomato in a pita (though we substituted for a bun). we ordered this burger not realizing that the patty is actually deep-fried, but we contacted them later and asked if it'd possible to get it pan-fried. a manager wrote us back immediately to let us know that they would give it a try in the kitchen that night and then get back to us. the experiment was a success, but if you ever want to request it this way, they only ask that you understand it'll take just a tad longer. we are definitely impressed by their flexibility and eagerness to please, and we feel a whole lot better knowing there's a way around the fryer. that being said, the patty itself was a refreshing change of pace. you get all the good things about falafel without the chalky dryness you so often associate with it. the toppings add some fresh crunch to the sandwich so as not to feel too heavy. all in all, it's an interesting dish and while it's not the first time we've seen a falafel burger, we've never had one quite like this.

nota bene: all but two of the sides are fried, and about half of the appetizers are. you're pretty limited to building your own burger and a few small plates, but the quality of the patties and the abundance of gourmet toppings easily makes sub zero worth a pit stop. so even though you may have cocktails on your mind for your sub zero visit, it may be your food that makes the biggest impression.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:
b

closed: nosh

2011-04-26T16:58:00.002-05:00

we're bummed to learn that nosh has gone out of business (thanks to the folks at rft for breaking the news). we worried this would happen, as there were virtually no customers pretty much every time we passed by or stopped in. it's a real shame, too, because we enjoyed their food quite a bit, and we absolutely adored their to-die-for hummus platter. still, we're most saddened by the fact that yet another veg-friendly establishment has gone under. here's hoping the owners find a way to revamp their original concept and soon open an improved restaurant in st. louis. how about a restaurant devoted to hummus?

rap session with sweetart's reine bayoc

2011-04-24T22:44:00.006-05:00

if you're familiar with our blog at all, you know how head over heels in love we are with sweetart. this family operation is one of our standards, and we just can't get enough. sweetart has received plenty of glowing press in st. louis, but we have always been curious to know more about the brilliant mind at the helm of the business--reine bayoc. we've kept up with their blog and have been aware of some of reine's struggles balancing the restaurant, customers, and her family. there's a lot of love and consideration that keeps this place running, and it's almost palpable when you walk in. we were lucky enough to steal some of reine's precious time for an interview recently. not surprisingly, reine (pronounced "rain") has an easy-going disposition, and she instantly made us feel like part of the family. we loved getting to know her, and we know you will, too.

on discovering her talent:

you know, i was in editing--i majored in english and french in college and i was freelancing a lot of articles i had absolutely no interest in doing. the subject matter was a bore to me, and i just was losing passion for that. but i wanted to be a writer. i still consider myself to be a writer. i was looking for full-time work, and i couldn’t find anything that would fit the type of schedule that i had because i had three little kids. so i thought, let me do 8,000 part-time jobs and sell cookies, too. and i started tinkering with cookies, and then people started telling me, "oh! i’d like to buy some!" and i thought, "okay, i’ll sell you some!" then the cookies started replacing the part-time jobs one at a time. at one time I had four part-time jobs; i did some of everything. and slowly but surely, i started getting more and more orders, and that would take away a part-time job. then i did tower grove’s farmers’ market. and that was it!

on becoming a restaurateur:

my husband already had a studio on meramec in dutchtown, and we said we should have a place together--we’ll have one rent; we’ll just make it happen. i thought, i don’t know... it’s a lot of pressure! you put yourself out there, anybody can say they love you, anybody can say they hate you. you just have to have the thickest skin and go for it and deal with people and their issues. i didn’t think i was ready for it, but i thought if i didn’t do it now, i wouldn’t do it in the future. so i just said, "okay, we can try it and see." we gave ourselves four years. we started year three in december.

on how she feels today about it:

i'm still feeling great about the place. yeah! you know, every now and then you feel like, "is this working? does this still feel good?" and right now in this moment, it feels really good and it’s working.

on evolving from bakeshop to cafe:

i started just doing sweets. i've been a vegetarian for years, [but] i remember when we were going to open, we weren't going to have food; we were going to have quiche, brownies, cupcakes, that sort of thing. i understand why a lot of places open up and they're just baked goods: it's easier to maintain. but my girlfriend said, "you have to sell food," and i said, oh, maybe. and then people kept coming in asking for food. so i said, okay, i'll put five things on the menu. i thought, it'll just be food that i make at home. and she said, "you have to sell meat." i said, no, everybody sells meat. you can get a chicken salad sandwich anywhere. you can get a turkey sandwich anywhere. so i figure the people who really want that have plenty of choices. we, on the other hand--my kids are vegetarian, too, and cbabi's a vegetarian--we can't go everywhere to eat. so i thought, why not just make food that's vegetarian--people will either eat it, or they won't. everybody has a choice.

on her vegetarian family:

[my kids] have always been raised vegetarian. we also go vegan from time to time. it's usually by my doing. at home what they eat is mostly vegan food. i say [they're] "vegetarian" because when they get with their grandparents, it's hard enough to get my mom not to feed them white castle, so if she wants to give them a grilled cheese sandwich, i say go for it. it's better than giving them a pork chop, which she would love to do. at home our diet is mostly vegan, and the lunches that they take are vegan. it's very hard in the kitchen when we're experimenting with something new [for the restaurant] and we're trying to do it vegan, and we're trying to do it regular, and you have to taste it.

on the formation of the menu:

[when creating a new menu item] i try it on myself, and if it makes me giggle, i don't let anybody else taste it. because if it makes me giggle, i know it's the one. it's just so good that it makes me laugh, and then i'm like, oh, this is it. [giggles] nobody has to taste it.

but yesterday, we were experimenting with a turtle bar off of some cookies that our newest person left something out of... we didn't know what it was, but they weren't baking right. so we were trying to manipulate it, so we didn't waste what was already made. and we were tasting, and we were like, oh, it tastes a little burnt. so that way, i'll let other people try it. usually when we bake anything new, the other bakers will taste it so they know, one, what it tasted like, and two, whether it might inspire a different product. you never know.

conceptually [the menu is] all me. i like to say that we're not fancy, by any means, and nor do i want to be. we've had some press where people will say "pastry chef reine bayoc," and i just laugh because i am not a pastry chef. i'm making things my grandmother could do. i'm just using really great products, and i'm trying to get as much stuff local, as many things as we can organic. it's not fancy, it's just simple. so if i like it, i think other people will like it.

on staying true to herself:

i like to say i’m catering to vegetarians and vegans and meat-eaters--i don’t want to exclude anybody. i think our veggie burger is good even if you like steakburgers. i would think it tastes pretty good! but i have to be sure that people know that you must do what you love. i'm creating things that i love, and i get a lot of people who come in here and--"oh, they have vegan food!" and they want something 100% raw, and i have to direct them to vegadeli because they cater to that more than we do. it's good to have people out there who are giving options. so, yes, i want to feed vegetarians and vegans and meat-eaters, but i also want to stand true to the things that i eat and enjoy. and know that the kitchen is about the size of this table, so... the things that we’re able to get out: small miracle! you just do what you can.

it’s really hard to stay true to yourself once you become public. it was really easy for me to decide what i wanted to do when i was baking in my house. when you have a storefront, you start hearing, you should do this and this, and why don’t you do this? we just had someone come in and say, "you really need to put chicken on the menu." i always hear things from everybody. so we try to focus on what’s near and dear to us and what we love. coming in in the mornings and seeing my grandmother’s picture, [i think], would she eat this? yeah, she would eat this.

on her source of inspiration:

we try to do things that are homey. like you would go into your grandmother's house and feel like... i have a picture of my grandmother on my mantle. every morning when i come in, it’s pitch black dark because it's that early, and i go over to her picture and i say good morning. and whatever i’ve made that day that seems like it’d be something that she'd like, i'll take it and put it on a platter by her photo and tell her what it is. or if something breaks, i'll give it to her.

i lived in france for a short time, and i loved their desserts. i thought they were spectacular. my french housemother even taught me how to make some things that were wonderful, beautiful! but at the end of the day, i’d rather have a piece of chocolate cake. you gotta know what you love. at the end of the day, i don’t want the fancy french dessert that i love so much there. it was comforting there because my grandmother wasn’t there, my mom wasn’t there. so i ate that there. here--this is what i like, so you have to do what you love.

some fun quick-fires, just to get to know reine a little better:

strangest request at work:

sometimes people come in and they say, "my great-grandmother made this filling for every cake, can you make this filling?" and they give me the recipe, and there are no directions. it’s just x, y, z as far as ingredients, and you have to figure out what their great-grandmother did. i know a lot of people who just say, "no, we don’t do that, we don’t re-create." but if it’s near and dear to somebody, i’ll do it. i’ll just figure it out. and usually it turns out great. nobody’s called to say it wasn’t!

what she does for herself:

i meditate twice a day. and i usually fit in a walk or yoga every day.

favorite childhood memory:

i have three brothers; i’m the only girl [and] i’m just real tomboysy. my brothers [and i], we would have parties. we were very poor. every now and then we'd scrounge up a couple dollars and we'd go get those cheap little sandwich cookies...like the very generic oreos, and popcorn, and chips, and [we'd] mix together the popcorn and chips. we would sit and just have a party. my mom was very protective. we weren’t at people’s houses. there were four of us, so she just figured we could play together, so that’s what we did. we would just sit and have our little snack food, and we would have rapping contests. we would have a tape recorder and rap, or we would see who could write to 100 the fastest. i mean, you would think we were raised on a farm somewhere, the things that entertained us. that’s what we did. i’m still close with my brothers. i think that’s one of my favorite memories.

top two bucket list items:

i want to go to fiji. don’t know why. i saw it once on [the today show], and I was like, "(gasp) wow, that looks amazing!" and i want to take my daughter to paris because i experienced france, and i just want to be the first one to take her. all my kids, but she’s the oldest. so i see taking her to paris, just to have my daughter time. i remember reading this book not long ago, molly wizenberg's a homemade life. she had been [to paris] before with her family many times, but before she got married, her mom said, "i want to take you to paris because this is the last moment that you’re going to be my single daughter. soon you’re going to start your own family." i enjoyed france for the time that i was there. i think it's good to go somewhere else and see what living is like. i think here we work way too much; we're not enjoying life. i say that almost all the time to everyone else, and i have to remember it for myself, like, "okay, you’re supposed to be enjoying life! that’s really why you’re here!" you have to focus on what brings you joy. there are many things on that list, but those will be the top two for now.

reine is, not surprisingly, very modest about sweetart's presence in the st. louis food scene. to understand her approach to her business is to understand her dedication to family, doing what she loves, and loving what she's doing. when asked about all the new and exciting things happening in st. louis kitchens, reine encourages us all to take chances:

so many people are afraid to come in, and then they do, and they look at the menu. i don't have enough digits to count the people who come in and say, "there's no meat," and then walk right out. it's all about opening your mind and trying something new. you just gotta go, go, go. i think st. louis is really getting out there. i can't wait to see what happens.

milagro

2011-04-19T16:01:00.004-05:00

many moons ago, we ate at milagro and had mixed results. nothing was egregiously bad, but there wasn't anything that made us want to return, either. for the sake of the blog, though, and because we like to give a place a second (or third) chance, clark recently returned for a solo assessment. we knew that milagro uses a vegetarian-friendly fryer, so if nothing else, clark would be in for mad helpings of chips and salsa.

mission:

milagro modern mexican

webster groves

terrain:

the owners of milagro recently gave the restaurant a facelift, and though the difference isn't radical, it is significant. the dining room is now divided into sections that allow for more privacy, and there just seems to be a better flow through the place. the vibe certainly feels more modern than other mexican joints in town, and milagro has done much to distinguish itself as the upscale version of its sister restaurant, tortillaria. clark sat in the bar area but only because there was better lighting there for photos.

personnel:

clark's waiter was solid, attentive enough but never intrusive. food came out a bit slowly, but this had nothing to do with the server. the waiter was quick to get feedback about vegetarian items, and he never seemed put out by clark's inquisition. at the end of the meal, clark had an opportunity to talk to a manager (owner?) to inquire further about the meal. though not terribly personable, the manager was obviously knowledgeable about the menu and knew exactly which items were vegetarian. it was clear that the chef had put much thought into the vegetarian options on the menu and that this philosophy had been clearly defined for the front-of-the-house crew. very reassuring, indeed.

rations:

being a sucker for guacamole, clark started off the meal with milagro's version of this blended-avocado goodness. the portion is ample, no doubt, and the avocados were fresh and plump. there was just the right amount of chopped vegetables to give the guacamole some color and flavor contrast, and the texture was sublime with its blend of smooth and chunky avocados. unfortunately, though, the guacamole was undersalted and underseasoned, leaving the relatively mellow veggies and avocados to sing a flat note; the fresh mexican cheese didn't contribute any significant flavor, either. it was close--really close--to being very good, but the guac needs some help if its to become crave-worthy.

next up were the traditional quesadillas, which were unlike anything clark has ever eaten. instead of the typical fold-over tortilla style, these quesadillas are more like indian samosas on steroids. these "corn masa turnovers" are not just unique because of their shape; they're also unique because of their exotic filling: huitlacoche. for those not in the know, huitlacoche (aka "smut," aka "mexican truffle," aka "crow poop") is a corn fungus that most modern farmers consider a blight. for hundreds of years, some folks in mexico have been eating huitlacoche as a delicacy. certainly, this is the first time clark has seen it, and had he known what it was prior to ordering, he might have passed it up. it's difficult to explain the flavor of huitlacoche, but there's something just a bit "off" about it. it's neither delicious nor disgusting; either way, though, it was because of the oily pastry, not the corn fungus, that we won't be ordering this in the future. still, it was very cool to try something entirely different. crow poop. hilarious.

last up was the grilled vegetable burrito, which is one of the entrees we tried the first time around. stuffed to the gills with cilantro rice, black beans, squash, grilled corn, spinach, and zucchini, the burrito delivers the veggies better than any other we've had in the area. the sauces were solid complements, even if they were lacking a bit in chili heat. what makes this burrito noteworthy, though, is that it's vegan--not something one can request vegan but something that is designed to be vegan. as most of you know, it's a rarity to find 100% vegetarian items on a mexican restaurant's menu; to find a vegan burrito is virtually unheard of. according to the manager clark spoke with, this vegan burrito is the direct result of an omnivore chef collaborating with his vegetarian wife. (note to clark: always listen to the wife. she's smarter than you. always will be.) unlike the guac, though, the burrito was a touch on the salty side, but it wasn't obnoxiously savory. clark suspects that the slightly excessive saltiness is due to the kitchen's desire to compensate for the absence of cheese, and we'll gladly deal with a little extra salt when a kitchen is trying so hard to accommodate the vegan/vegetarian community.

milagro's salsa, by the way, is quite delicious and has a beautiful color and consistency. still, like the rest of the food at milagro, there's a noticeable absence of chili heat, and we wish very much that they would deliver bolder flavors. still, the fact that vegetarian needs are not secondary at milagro makes them a place worth considering the next time you're in the mood for modern, inventive mexican cuisine.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

everest cafe & bar

2011-04-17T15:46:00.003-05:00

we've been dreading this entry for a while now. we want very badly to give everest a glowing review; we want very badly to love the food. to un-originally wax philosophical: often in life, you don't always get what you want, no matter how badly you desire it.

mission:

everest cafe & bar

the grove | manchester

terrain:

we've always liked everest's interior. it's a no-frills space, to be sure, but there's plenty of color and texture to keep the place looking lively. it's a noticeably small space, too, so expect to sit relatively close to your tableneighbors.

personnel:

though the servers have always been friendly, the service is a bit spotty. for sure, you do not want to be in a hurry if you're planning to have dinner at everest. of course, we don't mind waiting sometimes, particularly when we're expecting to. the primary concern we have with service at everest is the conflicting messages we've received during our visits. just last fall, clark was assured that the kim chi was totally vegetarian, but we felt compelled to get confirmation on our most recent visit. sure enough, the waitress told us that the kim chi--a dish traditionally prepared with at least a smidgeon of fish--did not contain fish, so we gladly ordered some. minutes later, though, with clark feeling slightly less than assured, we took advantage of the chef's brief appearance in the dining room to inquire again about the kim chi. the chef unequivocally, without hesitation, told us that the kim chi does contain fish. (then, and we quote, "but only a little bit [of fish]." guhhh?) now, we're relatively easy-going folks, and we're not "soap box vegetarians," but if your menu announces that an item is vegetarian, it had better be vegetarian. most disconcerting is not that the server was misinformed; it's that the chef, fully aware of the fish in the kim chi, has not made an alteration to the menu. we wonder how many vegetarians have gladly ordered and consumed the kim chi at everest; we wonder, too, how many noticed a strange fishiness but chalked it up to some kind of seaweed. we don't want to belabor the point, but the mislabeling of the kim chi calls into question all of everest's vegetarian items, and this, of course, is a real drag.

rations:

we began the evening with the special everest appetizer, which consists of various vegetable fritters, samosas, and momos. the tray of primarily fried foods comes with a deliciously hot and sour achar (something we hope, but cannot confirm, is vegetarian). the momos are by far the stars of this platter, and there's very little reason we can give for not just ordering the momos by themselves. in fact, the momos have always been our favorite item on the menu, and despite our reluctance to return to everest soon, there's a decent chance that the momos will call us back sooner than we think. mostly, the downfall of this platter is how greasy one feels after finishing.

next up was the bi bim bop, which is one of clark's all-time favorite korean dishes. in korea, bi bim bop is the meal of the people. comprised solely of whatever vegetables and proteins one has lying around, bi bim bop is as working class as a meal gets, and it's supposed to be simple and clean. we both prefer dolsot ("hot pot") bi bim bop, but everest doesn't offer this option; nevertheless, we were both excited to dig into some deliciously healthful korean goodness. as you can see from the photo, the vegetables weren't as abundant as one would like--a couple pieces of romaine, some shredded carrot, and a few bean sprouts--and the serving was on the small side. of this latter point, we're not too fussy about portions, so long as the price point is reasonable. at 10 bucks, though, we wonder what we were paying for, particularly considering the majority of this dish (and all bi bim bop) consists of white rice. in any case, the flavors were fine if unexciting, but it's the tofu that really let us down, lacking virtually all semblance of flavor. the dish needed something original, something interesting, to make it worth our time, and the tofu would've been the perfect ingredient to show off. no such luck.

in an attempt to sample everest's most representative dish for vegetarians, we concluded with the complete nepalese meal. a medley of daal (lentils), bhat (plain rice), mixed veggies, and tarkari ra saag (spinach curry), the platter delivers a variety of flavors (though not textures) to sample. traditionally, the nepalese mix everything together with the white rice and the lentil soup to make one big starchy stew. we're fans of smashing up different flavors (hello, sweet corn and mashed potatoes!), but the result in this case is not something worthy of exclamation points. as with everything else, it's not that the food is bad at all; it's that the food is just food.

it's awesome that everest uses organic veggies when available, and we couldn't be more impressed by the owner's commitment to making the world a better place. it's cool, too, that everest gives you a chance to sample south asian cuisine (korean, indian, and nepalese). but if we're talking about food that makes us want more, we can't say that this is the place. combined with our reservations about everest's definition of "vegetarian," we can only hesitantly recommend a visit. nevertheless, we do think vegetarians can find something to satisfy their needs; it'll just take a few visits to figure out which items are worth their time. we suggest starting with the momos.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

cafe eau

2011-04-16T11:44:00.006-05:00

we want to be clear about one thing: we WANT to write positive reviews for all local restaurants. we don't enjoy doling out criticism and negative feedback. unfortunately, encountering praise-worthy grub is only part of the foodblogger's job. so, as much as it pains us to write two lukewarm reviews in a row, write them we must. hopefully, as has been the case with a couple of st. louis restaurants, our review will get them to rethink their vegetarian offerings. if nothing else, though, we're giving you all a little something to consider before making your way to one of these bland establishments. to be clear, though, cafe eau wasn't a horrible experience at all; we just wanted/needed more.

mission:

cafe eau | chase park plaza

central west end

terrain:

situated across the lobby in chase park plaza, cafe eau serves as the more informal counterpoint to eau bistro. the vibe in the cafe is certainly more modern than the bistro, and the clientele, too, seems to be a bit more "hip." (note: we are infinitely not "hip.") the few times we've passed through the cafe, we've noticed that most of the cwe urbanites perch or stand at the bar; for our meal, we opted for a seat at a table, far away from the cwe urbanites.

personnel:

service was brusque and inattentive, from hostess to server to bartender. (at one point, another server, possibly noticing our dissatisfaction, stopped by to see if we needed anything, and she was a delight to speak with.) in a nutshell: we were brought glasses of water at the beginning of the meal, and none of us got a refill until clark walked up to the bar to get one. as we've mentioned before, we actually prefer a slightly more hands-off approach from our servers, but let's just say we wanted a bit more attention from cafe eau.

rations:

we were encouraged with cafe eau's first offering: the cranberry spinach salad. cranberries and walnuts are always good companions, and the spinach was plump and properly dressed with a refreshing cranberry champagne vinaigrette. the slivers of granny smith apples provided a crunchy and tart one-two punch, and the goat cheese (as usual) brought everything together, keeping the tartness of the salad from overwhelming us. it was a lovely salad, no doubt, but at a whopping 9 bucks, we're not sure it's worth it.

considering that hummus rules our world, sampling cafe eau's version was the main reason clark purchased a restaurant.com to this cwe hotspot. as hummus goes, this one was oddly sour but competent, and we enjoyed the roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. what we didn't understand was the olive oil and feta combination. it may be that the feta mellowed out too much from the oil bath, but primarily we were just unimpressed by the quality of the olive oil. and the pita, though grilled, needed some kind of seasoning to make it worth the calories. again, overall the hummus is competent if underwhelming.

because of the paucity of vegetarian offerings at cafe eau, we had few options for our concluding dish, so we went with the tuscany flatbread. if, as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words, we would've been in hog heaven with this flatbread. in this case, though, we'll go with something else they say: don't judge a book by its cover. as you can see, the flatbread is gorgeous to look at, what with the bright red peppers and the abundance of feta and goat cheese. unfortunately, on the palate, this flatbread is only ordinary. suffice to say that the various ingredients lacked any distinctive character, and the crust, despite its good-looking char, had very little flavor. the most glaring flaw, though, was the sauce. it may be homemade (we don't know because we didn't get a chance to ask), but it tasted like tomato paste from a can, with seemingly no trace of the basil pesto it claims as a base. to be sure, by no means we were disgusted by the flatbread; in fact, it's thoroughly edible. it just needs a ~~face~~saucelift if we're to consider ordering it again.

now for a couple of notes about the menu. cafe eau does offer a black bean chili, which we were very excited about, but they add meat to it. why? why not use that option to appeal to a crowd that might be interested in healthier eating? they also offer one other vegetarian option in the "sandwiches & more" section, but it feebly combines the two things most often found at restaurants that haven't thought much about vegetarian cuisine: portobellos and wraps (aka, the double whammy). cafe eau's vegetarian menu is typical of most mainstream restaurants in a city: uninventive and uninspired. yes, the food is decent, but in a city like st. louis where extraordinary vegetarian food can easily be found, cafe eau has a long way to go if they're to lure us back. that said, we understand some restaurants/chefs/kitchens just aren't meant for vegetarians. that's cool with us. but, if you're in the cwe and looking for some quality veg fare, head across the lobby to the bistro, where you're sure to find something of interest.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:

search and devour: hummus bar at cafe natasha's

2011-04-12T15:20:00.006-05:00

we're sure most folks in the tower grove neighborhood have at least heard about cafe natasha's hummus bar, but we'd be remiss if we didn't spread the word to the rest of the city. (sometime in the near future, we'll be returning for a sampling from the menu, at which point we'll give a full write-up.)

here's the first thing you need to know: everything on the hummus bar is vegan. vegan, we say! even the falafel is vegan. the second thing you need to know: everything other than the pita is homemade. homemade, we say! from the succulent mushroom curry to the creamy hummus to the delectable falafel, cafe natasha's delivers a unique medley of flavors and textures. the vegetables aren't overcooked or mistreated; in fact, one of the most delicious options was the basil tomatoes (just look at how vibrant and fresh!). there are also two rices to choose from--saffron and traditional biryani--and each is worth your time if you're down with starches. add in a complimentary cocktail, and you're talking about one of the best bargains on the st. louis happy hour scene. most of all, though, we just loved how relaxed we felt in the cafe. yes, the service was great (as was the interaction with cafe natasha's matriarch), but as we've mentioned before, it's difficult to overestimate how comforting it is to sit down to a vegan meal. when we're lucky enough to find ourselves in front of such a meal, we're willing to forgive some of the shortcomings of the food; at cafe natasha's, though, there are no shortcomings to forgive.

terrene: spring menu

2011-04-11T21:03:00.008-05:00

by now, most of you know that we're big fans of terrene, so when we found out about their new spring menu, we got our butts over there for some eats. rest assured, though, that our assessment is in no way biased.

mission:

terrene

central west end

personnel:

we've written extensively about terrene's staff before, but we want to relate to you our most recent experience. as usual, we perched at the bar for our early-evening dinner, and we had a nice conversation with our favorite bartender john. another familiar face brought us our first dish, and after chatting with him a bit, we discovered that the man we've exchanged pleasantries with upwards of 30 times is actually the owner (his name is john, too). we've always been fond of him, but now we're even more impressed because he doesn't feel compelled to flaunt his ownership. very cool. even cooler? he asked us to give him our candid impressions of terrene's newest vegetarian options. he sincerely wanted to know if the food was to our liking and if there was anything they could do to improve it. as it turns out, and this should come as no surprise, the food didn't need any improvements.

rations:

the spring menu doesn't radically depart from winter's offering, but there are some significant additions and subtractions. (we're including a snippet from the new menu, as terrene has yet to post it to their website.) gone is the wild mushroom flatbread; in its place is a chicken flatbread. now, obviously, we vegetarians want no part of this chicken, but we took advantage of our circumstances and encouraged john to consider using match's chicken substitute. considering terrene has been using match for quite some time, and considering john's willingness to embrace all things local, we wouldn't be surprised at all to see a vegetarian "chicken" flatbread sometime soon.

a sidebar: if you visit terrene soon, it wouldn't hurt if you requested the match "chicken," too.

gone, too, are the gnocchi, which have been replaced by the stuffed grape leaves as the new "small plate" vegetarian option (you'll have to wait til summer to see the tofu tacos again). the delicately-wrapped grape leaves are filled with sundried tomato and kalamata tapenade, and cous cous replaces the oft-seen brown rice as the starchy stuffing. the stuffed grape leaves tasted "clean" and made us feel light. the yogurt sauce provided some nice tang, too, and we really enjoyed the cucumber and watercress salad. we just wish more restaurants would use watercress. it's so underused.

next up was the new vegetarian option on the "big plate" menu: vegetarian pasta. this pasta is the replacement for the sublime vegetarian meatloaf--a dish we will sorely miss until next winter--so we were a bit skeptical when we ordered the pasta. though no match (bad pun intended) for the meatloaf, the pasta was exceptionally good.

assessment:

a- (a "minus" primarily because of price)

vegetarian-friendly assessment:

miso

2011-04-10T22:17:00.007-05:00

this was one of the first places clark took lois early in their courtship. lois, being half-okinawan and having spent some of her childhood in singapore, is always on the lookout for good asian food. clark, too, loves asian cuisine both traditional and contemporary, so we went back to miso for the first time in a while. their menu offers a contemporary american perspective on dishes from around the asian continent, not just japan (as the name may suggest). itadakimasu!

mission:

miso on meramec

clayton

terrain:

upstairs and downstairs have completely different vibes, but both are modern and casual chic. downstairs, the lounge can provide more privacy or just more of a nightlife feel if you're there for some cocktails and a few rolls to nosh on. in both areas, they've waived decoration for interesting textures and materials. upstairs, there are two huge vases holding armfuls of bamboo, one wall features a mosaic of light peach stones, and the tables and chairs have a zebrawood-like veneer that might recall zen rock gardens. the windows open on nice nights, and there is some outdoor seating, too. it's a very comfortable space: it doesn't feel conceited, but it doesn't venture into cheesy, either. (though we wouldn't complain if a maneki neko settled in the host's station.)

personnel:

we don't like to use this word because we know how patronizing it can sound, but our server this evening was really sweet. always attentive, never nettlesome, he was just what we like. it's never easy for a server to constantly assure tables that food is coming (albeit slooowly), and we were actually glad this evening that he didn't try--for both our sakes. we could see him keeping an eye on the kitchen. we had limited interaction with anyone else, but about three others waved us goodnight as we left, and it seemed genuine. we were comfortable here.

(a quick note on the aforementioned delay in service: we noticed sushi plates were prepared very promptly, and only cooked items coming from the kitchen seemed to take a while. but we aren't assuming or even suggesting that it's commonly this way.)

rations:

to start, we had the warm mushroom salad, featuring enoke, shiitake, and grilled asparagus in a sesame-citrus splash. the dressing didn't really come through, but it's actually alright because the mushrooms were so fresh and flavorful. what we could actually taste more was the butter sauce they were lightly cooked in, which also included mirin--just to give it a little lift of sweetness to complement the savory fungi. the asparagus was a nice touch, although we'd like a little more. their crisp, green flavor really stands out and adds a necessary difference in texture to an otherwise very soft dish.

for entrees, we stared with the tokyo street noodles. the noodles seemed somewhat overcooked and had a resulting doughy mouthfeel. the description on the menu says this dish is "wok tossed," but it tasted like the snow peas were actually cooked separately; when we ate one pod on its own, it never seemed to have the seasoning of the rest of the dish. it's not a huge flaw, but it causes a sort of disconnectedness where the ingredients just don't feel married. the addition of shiitake and scallions were a nice touch, and we did love how fresh the snow peas were. cooking them as lightly as they did was a treat, but the over-generous amount of oil in the dish made it feel inappropriately heavy.

we also shared a vegetable fried rice, to which we added tofu. served with a nice variety of vegetables, neither too salty nor too oily, this was a comforting version of an old favorite. you may notice the photo of this dish is conspicuously eggless, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that miso's fried rice doesn't suffer from this omission in the least. there's nothing too inventive here, but the clean flavors and crisp vegetables make this one a very satisfying option--for vegetarians and omnivores alike. and it turns out, the optional tofu was the standout of the night. the texture was soft, but not spongy or soggy. the flavor was nutty, and had a delicious fermented taste, not sour or cardboard-like at all. the seasoning and the light crispiness developed on the outside was outstanding and reminded us of nutritional yeast: slightly cheesy and really savory, yet not so loud as to drown out the other elements of the dish. this fried rice is really a chorus of ingredients all working together, but there's no mistaking that that tofu is the star.

overall, we enjoyed our meal at miso--despite the wait and despite our preference for less butter and oil. we know what kind of crowd they're cooking for, and they're not looking for traditional japanese cuisine. while these dishes do deliver the vegetables (see how green, how abundant those snow peas!), our prior experience here with vegetarian makimono has suffered the same pitfalls as other sushi joints around the city. vegetarian sushi options are usually meager and ludicrously overpriced (anyone who thinks $5 for a cucumber roll is fair is, as lois's mom would say with disbelief, baka!). however, miso at least offers a dinner menu with more options than most for vegetarian fare, so we know where to go when we're in the mood for a fried rice and some sake.

assessment:

vegetarian-friendly score:
b+

search and devour: gelato at the gelateria

2011-04-09T14:44:00.007-05:00

we stumbled upon this place while walking to the car after dinner at cafe natasha's. we were actually heading up to tower grove creamery, but the gelateria looked too good to pass up. turns out, our instincts were spot on. lois went with a hazelnut and vanilla earl grey blend, and clark went with the pistachio straight up. we've been searching all over the city for a decent pistachio, and we're just tickled to report that we've found it. the gelateria gets its ingredients straight from torino, italy (a place we hear knows a little some-some 'bout gelato), and then the good folks at the gelateria work their magic to create some of the creamiest gelato in all of the lou. this place is ridiculously cute, too, and sports an intimate patio on the backside, tucked away from all the noise coming from south grand traffic. with warmer weather on the way, we know this won't be the last time we wolf down the gelateria's delectable treats.

rap session with schlafly's scot smelser

2011-04-07T21:44:00.002-05:00

we sat down last week for a little q & a with scot smelser, g.m. and executive chef of schlafly. it's been one of our standard spots in st. louis from the beginning, and we've always been curious about the menu--like, when it's being designed, how much of a focus are vegetarian options and how do they decide on what specific vegetarian items to add? (we could ask questions like this at a number of places around the city, and in fact, we will. stay tuned for more interviews to come periodically.) schlafly has a daring and forward-thinking philosophy, so we thought it fitting to make them our first interview. one of the many interesting things we learned is that scot is a former vegetarian, which obviously has great influence over the shape of the menu. we hope you have as much fun finding out about scot and schlafly as we did. enjoy!

on designing a brewhouse menu for vegetarians, too:

when i moved back to st. louis, i saw a big emptiness. we moved back in 2001, and there was no vegadeli--there was really nothing, and so when we were designing the menu here, we weren't necessarily going to be a strict vegetarian place. we have a pretty broad base of people we cater to in our restaurant, but i knew there was a void that could be filled with some nice vegetarian options.

i've always wanted to have more than just the raw veggie sandwich that you get just as a token sandwich. i hated that when i was a vegetarian. we wanted something that was unique for vegetarians, and i think right now we have three vegetarian sandwiches on. i just always want [there to be an] option, and another option that i wanted to have was to make sure we always had a vegan cheese. we serve a lot of different animal proteins, so obviously that's the furthest thing vegans want to be by, but they can still [eat here] with meat-eaters.

the schlafly beer name is really an excellent thing to be associated with for this restaurant because we can get people in here for schlafly but then actually showcase what we're trying to do food-wise. because it's local beer and then local food. it's a nice tie-in.

i have a chef [matt bessler] i work with and he runs day-to-day operations, and we've worked together for ten years. we're constantly battling because i always want to add more vegetarian options and he's like, 'well, we're not a vegetarian restaurant!' but even people who aren't vegetarians are trying to eat healthier.

when we first opened, i really wanted to have tempeh. i think i had just moved back into eating meat again, but i still wanted to have veggie meatballs. the tempeh wasn't holding [the meatballs] together, and then when match came along, we found it. so we have match chicken and match beef, and the match pork is in our biscuits and gravy for brunch. that's something we don't even tell people about when they're ordering. when people find out, a lot of times they're surprised. they're like, 'this is phenomenal!' it's right on it. that's a fun one that we won't be changing. we've had a good relationship with [match owner allison burgess] for years. we're constantly working with her to get some new products in here to expand it.

on schlafly's dedication to supporting local businesses:

something i found out about out west [in boulder] that really went hand-in-hand with the vegetarian movement was the local movement. that's really caught on in the last ten years, which is awesome, [and now] it's one of those things you can see even in the grocery.

[for vegan cheese] we're using teese right now, and teese is out of chicago, so that kind of spills back into our local philosophy. we actually just sourced a missouri guy making tofu; we're gonna call it "mofu." it's gonna be fun, yeah, and that's coming on with this new menu. it'll initially be in our tofu curry.

in both schlafly restaurants, [the food] is from scratch and...we get a lot of our stuff locally. the purveyor list is maybe up to 40 local businesses we're supporting. and it goes beyond food, even. it goes into the chemicals that we wash our dishes with: they make those chemicals here in st. louis and they're designed [with the environment in mind]. we're trying to spread it as close as possible.

on schlafly bottleworks's philosophy:

we still don't have fryers here. when we opened, that was part of the concept. at the time we called it--and we never really wrote it down--but we said we were celebrating the midwestern table. that was kind of what we were doing, but we had stuff not from the midwest; we're getting closer to celebrating the midwestern table now more than any time. we also said we're not going to have a hamburger, so we have a bison burger. it's still a red meat burger. and we said we're not going to have fryers because there's a health benefit to not eating those kind of fats, but there's also the good feeling about the food that you're getting, that you don't have this greasy slop.

we definitely have had people that are really surprised when they come into the brewery and they can't get a burger and fries. or hot wings, or toasted ravioli. i'm okay with it; i try not to eat that kind of food anyway. it was a big move when we added those [billy goat chips] and tortilla chips, because for the longest time we were like, 'okay, no fried food.' but then we thought maybe we're not really selling ourselves out by selling these fried items because at least they're not ruffles and tostitos.

on vegetarian options in st. louis:

we've had our [tofu curry] since the beginning, and i was telling the chef in the back that i want to move to this tofu sandwich i used to eat when i was down in the south. when i lived in atlanta, there were a lot of vegetarian restaurants, and we're just now in st. louis getting that open-mindedness to the vegetarian diet and even vegan diet. it's really awesome that there are even strict vegan restaurants out there. it's really cool to be part of that scene, to say the least.

some fun quick-fires, just to get to know scot a little better:

strangest request at work:
one time when we were at the taproom, where we do a lot of private parties, and i was trying to help cater food. this person really wanted me to make an authentic chinese dinner. asian food is some of my most favorite things to eat, but i didn't know anything about how to cook it. but they loved it! the bride was a caucasian woman and the groom was chinese, so here i am cooking for all these chinese people. that was pretty weird. i did it, but i don't know how, really.

favorite thing to do when not working:
i like to hang with my children. we like to do whatever...make art, go hiking.

favorite thing to do when working:
it's really about beer and people. so. beerpeople.

favorite city:
ooo. gonna have to say maplewood; it's where i live. but #2's brooklyn.

top two bucket list items:
samuel smith brewery and take the kids to the redwoods.

sitting down with scot for the first time was like sitting down with an old friend. he really made us feel welcome. not only did we learn a lot about schlafly's philosophy, we learned a lot about the type of people who are transforming st. louis into a destination rather than a layover. when we asked scot how he felt about st. louis as a foodie city, he was, as expected, optimistic:

i think we got a lot going on. for a long time i think people in st. louis kind of looked down on themselves, like, 'well, we're not chicago'...but in a sense there's a lot of pride now because there's a lot of treasures here and there's a spirit that we're stronger than that. i think people are happy. i think we're good!