Places to Eat

A tiny - but not horrific struggle with this vegan thing is finding a restaurant to eat.
Okay, wait.
I don't want to EAT a restaurant.
Fuck, you know what I mean...
It's shocking how many restaurants DO NOT have vegan or even VEGETARIAN options.
Check this out:
Gilligan's - NO VEGGIE BURGERS!!
Red Lobster - Unless you're getting a side salad, you WILL be picking dead fish out of your food.
Applebee's - the neighborhood grill...but apparently, it's a neighborhood who can't even make a salad without putting meat into it.
A tad frustrating, but hey - no one's forcing me, right?
Still...you'd think there would at least be the OPTION? I mean - it will only bring MORE people in, right? The meat eaters will still be happy - and the vegetarians can feel like they fit in with all the other normal meat eaters of society....
If the veggie burger is prepared the right way...they MIGHT even blend right in...
In case you don't want to blend in - I've compiled a list of my favorite vegetarian-friendly places around the great City of Roses...

The first off - is pretty obvious:

Place: Bubi's Awesome Eats
Location: 620 University Ave W.
Why: If you're craving a burger - check it out...not ONLY can you get EVERY SINGLE ONE of their UNIQUE burgers in a TVP burger - you can ALSO ask for multi-grain buns!!! Their menu boasts: The World's BEST TVP Burger!! And I have to say...I'm not sure if I've tasted better...
Sure you may have to skip the creamy garlic sauce - but the vegetarian and vegan options are PLENTIFUL all over this menu.
Make sure you check out the Russian Peanuts - DEEEP cooked garlic cloves served with pita.

Place: Taloola Cafe
Location: 396 Devonshire Rd.
Why: VERY vegetarian/vegan friendly - SUPER comprehensive menu spelling out which are vegetarian and which are vegan friendly dishes. Meat eaters will be happy to know they ALSO serve SOME limited meat dishes - but my personal faves are: tofu droo sandwich, The loaded veggie lolla, and - experience an old classic a WHOLE NEW WAY: 100% natural peanut butter on multi-grain w/ jam/banana or grated carrot, and the AMAZING Antipasto Party red pepper spread, eggplant, artichoke and pesto. They also offer raw juices, juiced right infront of you - the ambience is BEAUTIFUL and the people are really friendly. EXTENSIVE loose leaf tea menu as well...and they WILL tell you what each tea does and how long it should be steeped for maximum flavour and effect. FOUR FUCKIN STARS - this place kicks ass!!
It's actually pictured above on this blog today.

Place: Cafe Crepe
Location: 33 Amy Croft Drive Lakeshore,
Why: While it does serve many meat dishes - they do have some GREAT veggie option. And - the bonus - you can make your own crepes – with PLENTY of REALLY cool veggie toppings to put inside – leaks, kale, grilled zucchini, asparagus, spinach..etc. Mega tastey...

Place: Bamboo
Location: 401 Riverside Dr. W.
Why: This is a very vegetarian/vegan friendly catering company! They have a pretty big vegetarian section on their menu - including vegetable parilla, tofu fumar, el terra asparagus, picante haricot vert. Pretty hoity toity...but hey - more options are a good thing!

Place: Three...A Tasting Bar
Location: 63 Pitt St. E.
Why: Very ritzy, but REALLY good. A little pricey too. I highly recommend this place if you wanna go on a like, a date and impress someone, if someone is impressed by hoity toity-ness...
i tell ya...they have this HUGE veggie combo platter - and there is shit on there I never even HEARD of. Never tasted anything like it - didn't even know what the fuck it was - even after the waitor came along and used a fucking pointer stick to tell us about EACH item (true!) - I still had no fucking clue. I THINK it was veggie....regardless - it was FANTASTIC! If you have lotsa money to drop - hit it upstyle the vegetarian way.

Place: World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant
Location: 60 University Ave. W.
Why: They have a HUGE Vegetarian section to their menu including Tikil Goman (Cabbage cooked in martathon turmeric sauce), Goman Watt (spinach, garlic ontion green pepper, tomato), Kik Alicha (mild yellow peas cooked w/onion garlic turmeric + tomato sauce), Meser Wat( red lentil cooked w/ onion, garlic and marathon tomato sauce), Aziffa (green lentil, onion, green chilies, olive oil, lemon dressing served cold), Shiro Wat (ground pea w/ onion, tomatos + green chilies) Leave it to the Ethiopians!!! Yum Yum Yum Yum.

Place: Taj Mahal
Location - Huron Churc Road (near Harvey's)
Why: They are an all-you can eat buffet - fresh nan, chick pea massala, curried veggies, stewed lentils, and fresh naan bread...it's AMAZING.
Also - a PRETTY big salad and fruit bar too! What they do not have in ambience - they make up for in taste! And - very cheap. Fans of Indian food - even the meat eating kind - should really dig this place....

bonne appettite, my dear vegetable-heads...

dan