Tawon Thai

Tawon Thai is my favorite of the Thai restaurants in little Thai village that Fremont has become. I like the way the place feels: it is clean and spacious (able to handle the inevitable Fremont lunch crush), and has high ceilings and dark wood furniture.
Another reason I like Tawon Thai is because they have the vegetarian thing understood. They understand about a vegetarian not wanting fish sauce or shrimp paste, and they have a nice section of the menu dedicated to vegetarian options (Spicy Thai Pumpkin, Grilled eggplant, Spinach Soup, etc). But it gets better than that: they also have an indicator (a J for "Jain") next to any other item on the full menu that CAN be made vegetarian/vegan.

And the most wonderful thing is that all of their curries can be made vegan.

Most recently a dining companion and I ordered food to go. We got the Spicy Szechuan green beans with soft tofu (you always have a choice of soft or fried), and a Green Curry with Tofu, which comes with tofu, zucchini, bell pepper and lots of stewed fresh basil in a rich and spicy coconut milk sauce.
Both were excellent. The green beans were cooked until tender crisp and the sauce was spicy and delicious without being too oily. The curry was outstanding. It is rare to be able to order a fully vegetarian curry in a restaurant, and this one wasn't lacking in any dimension.

My only tiny complaint would be that everything was a little bit saltier than it needed to be, but that seems to be par for the course in restaurants, and especially in Thai restaurants.

From a vegetarian perspective, this place is awesome.

Tawon Thai
3410 Fremont Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 633-4545
http://www.tawonthai.com/

Joey's Lake Union

I was recently down in the South Lake Union area with people who were growing hungrier and crankier by the minute. I did the quick vegetarian swoop of the menus in the immediate area... chowder houses, crab houses, expensive seafood restaurants that didn't offer anything vegetarian. I even went into Hooters, ready to resign to a plate of jalapeno poppers, but was offended enough by the entirely beige and deep friend menu (the girls looked wholesome in comparison) that I couldn't bring myself to suggest it in earnest.

Joey's Lake Union ended up feeling like the best of all bad choices. We entered the restaurant, which was classy but had a critical problem in ambiance: The restaurant was really dark. It had dim lighting, dark furnishings etc. But on one wall was a gaping floor to ceiling window view of the extremely bright and glaring Lake Union. The contrast in brightness was enough to give me a headache in a few minutes and blind me no matter which way I looked.

All that aside, Joey's ended up being a surprise winner, relatively speaking, because there was an unusual detail at the bottom of the menu: For the vegetarians, some dishes can be made with a "high quality" meat substitute. YAY! I ordered the "Grilled Chicken Souvlaki" vegetarian style.
And it wasn't too bad. It included a warm soft pita stuffed with fake chicken, lettuce, and some kind of creamy sauce. Also on the plate was a rather large bowl of "skinny fries" which were fresh and tasty and had a flavour bizarrely reminiscent of Pik-Nik shoestring potato chips.

I probably wouldn't choose to eat here again for my own pleasure, but am glad to know that there is a vegetarian option available in the conglomeration of seafood and seeboob in the South Lake Union parking lot.

Joey's

(206) 749-5639

901 Fairview Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
www.joeysrestaurants.com

Beni Hoshi

Beni Hoshi, which used to be a Yasukos, has tempted me from the west entrance to the West Seattle bridge for years and years with the promise of "West Seattle's Best Teriyaki."

I finally stopped and ordered some food to go. They didn't have tofu teriyaki, but they did have tofu yakisoba, so I ordered that.

Food smelled great on the way home, and I was excited to open up the tightly tied plastic bag to reveal my meal. Like at almost every Teriyaki restaurant, the folks at Beni Hoshi take care to double knot the plastic bag that surrounds the Styrofoam carry out container before handing it over the counter, to prevent you (I'm assuming) from adding extra sauce before leaving.

Got home, opened it up, had a bite, and was disappointed. The tofu had the very obvious spongy texture from being frozen, and spooged oil when pressed. The noodles were gloppy, and the vegetables were few. There was a pile of white rice along side the noodles that could have benefited from some of the forbidden sauce.
While it is nice to know that this place has a tofu option, I wouldn't choose to eat it again unless circumstances were really dire.

Beni Hoshi

(206) 932-3395

4402 35th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126

Bombs Away

Corvallis was surprisingly full of vegetarian friendly restaurants, and we are really well fed while we were there. The last stop of our vegetarian feasting tour took us to Bombs Away Cafe, a mostly Mexican themed restaurant near the University.

In addition to meat items, they have a huge vegetarian menu, including vegetarian tortilla soup, savory tofu burritos, potato enchiladas, green chili cheese tamales, tempeh burritos, tofu enchiladas, etc. It was pretty much everything you could hope for as a vegetarian at a Mexican restaurant.

I ordered the tamale, and it came well stuffed and aside a big pile of black beans and brown rice.
Also ordered was a vegetarian Chimichanga, a menu item that I immensely appreciated. Vegetarians don't always want whole wheat/brown rice/steamed vegetables/non-fat dressing. Sometimes we want our meals made with deep-fried white tortillas drizzled in sour cream. I have to admit, after tasting this, I wished I had ordered it instead of the tamales.
Thanks so much to our knowledgeable hosts for sharing some of their favorite spots. I miss you guys!

Back to Seattle.

Bombs Away Café
2527 NW Monroe Ave
Corvallis, OR 97330
http://www.bombsawaycafe.com/

Interzone

Interzone is a Corvallis cafe with broken WiFi (at least when we were there trying to use it), slightly chaotic service, and excellent vegetarian and vegan breakfast options.

The menu was entirely vegetarian, with some rather spectacular vegan options (tofu rancheros, tofu scrambles, homefries with veggies, etc) available on the weekends.

I ordered some tasty mac and cheese that was made with mixed vegetables and crumbles of veggie sausage.
D ordered a breakfast burrito with beans and eggs and cheese and vegetables. L ordered scrambled eggs with veggie sausage patties and toast on the side.
I tend to judge a city by the ease with which one can get a good vegetarian/vegan breakfast, and Corvallis has been a surprisingly awesome place in that regard.

Interzone Inc
1563 NW Monroe Ave
Corvallis, OR 97330
(541) 754-5965
http://www.interzoneorganic.com/

Evergreen Indian Restaurant

While in Corvallis, one of our hosts took us to her favorite Indian restaurant (also the only Indian restaurant in town), and it was excellent.

There was a huge emphasis on vegetarian dishes on the menu, and the three of us ate vegetarian. We each ordered a different vegetarian entree Thali style, which, in addition to the main dish, included a wide plate of rice and 5 little metal bowls each full of a different delicious vegetarian Indian specialty.

Our dinner started with a big plate of papadums, the crispy, savory crackers typically made from the flour of legumes and rice. They came with three delicious sauces, one of which was cilantro based, another tomato based, and the third, coconut based.
After we finished the papadum, the very nice and attentive waiter came and replaced the plate with a basket filled with piping hot, buttery naan covered in the delicious charred blisters that come from cooking in a hot hot oven.
I ordered the Lentils cooked with tomatoes with onions, and my little bowls included a lentil soup, some creamy spinach with paneer, curried chickpeas, a dish with cauliflower and potatoes, and a cool yogurt sauce with cucumbers. The others ordered variations on this, and their little bowls rotated around the menu accordingly.
It was extremely delicious. Not too salty, not too heavy, but full of flavour and just enough spice.

Dessert was also included with our Thali meals, and we ordered mango/cardamom/almond ice cream and gulab jamun, the warm little egg shaped doughnuts that come to the table floating in a bath of hot, honey sweetened ghee.
The ambiance was relaxing and quiet and the space was made beautiful with Indian art and decorations. The server was really pleasant and attentive, always coming by to refill a water glass or offer more rice (he even went out on a limb and brought me a new plate of rice, after I had devoured mine but declined any more).

I can see why our Corvallis hosts love this place!
Evergreen Indian Restaurant
136 SW 3rd St
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
(541)754-7944
http://evergreenindianrestaurant.com/

New Seasons Market

I recently took a little trip to Oregon to visit some friends in Corvallis. On the drive down, D and I were able to stop off at one of our favorite easy places to eat in Portland: The New Seasons Market grocery store.

This place is great for so many reasons, starting with being easily accessible from I-5. Second, it is chock full of all of the organic, fancy, conscientiously made natural market type delicacies that we are used to breaking the bank for in Seattle, but at prices that are significantly cheaper than what we are used to. And third, they have an excellent deli/sorta restaurant/salad bar/fresh food area that is full of variety and delicious things.

To start this particular visit off in an extra nice way, we were greeted upon entering with a butter tasting extravaganza. There were probably a dozen or more butters, ranging from Parmesan butter from France, to local goat butter, to vegan butter. They were set out for sampling with pieces of delicious bread.

Look at all that butter!

After eating perhaps more than a recommended daily amount of butter, we set off to the hot foods section. D ordered the "farmers plate," which is an often changing plate of food made from the in season produce and animals of local farms. On this day, it was a pulled pork sandwich made from local, organic, humanely raised pork and all sorts of salads and fixins. Not vegetarian at all, but the "right" way to do meat, IMHO, if you're going to do it.
I had an excellent plate of food from the "build your own" wok station, a sort of salad bar full of Asian food inspired ingredients that you pile into a bowl then hand over the counter to a nice employee who adds some sauce and cooks it up. I had green and purple cabbage, bell peppers, edamame, fresh tofu, bok choy, baby corn, water chest nuts, peanuts, broccoli, fresh ginger and garlic all stir fried with some noodles in a spicy red coconut curry sauce.
They had maybe a dozen sauces to choose from, and at least half of them were vegan.

The New Seasons Market has a clean, pleasant eating area that felt calm and relaxing where you can take your fresh meal and sit down.

I always look forward to eating here, and there are always more than enough vegetarian/vegan choices to keep me standing around hmming and hawwwing for a long time before ordering.

New Seasons Market
Multiple Locations
http://www.newseasonsmarket.com/

Boom Noodle

I've skirted around Boom Noodle since it opened, getting excited about it, then having my excitement dampened by all of the fish used in the broth. Recently another vegetarian friend recommended that I give it a shot because she thought it was good, and I was really happy to go and find that she was totally right.

Boom Noodles has an airy, clean, bright, modern feel and has rows of communal tables inside. I am not necessarily a fan of communal tables in the sense that I sometimes don't even want to talk to my dining companions, much less to strangers, but the wait staff were seating people a respectful distance apart. So no problems there.

It is true that the menu has more non-vegetarian options than vegetarian ones, but they've done something AWESOME that makes up for it: They have two little symbols, a V to indicate vegetarian items, and a little fish icon to indicate items made with fish stock/bonito/whatever. I was so appreciative of the little fish icon- whether there is something fishy in Japanese food is always the trick to eating it as a vegetarian and I was so appreciative of this measure they've taken to make it easier.

We started with an appetizer that exceeded both of our expectations: The miso broiled rice cakes.
They weren't rice cakes in the crunchy styrofoamy sense, rather they were little cakes of regular rice that had been compacted and broiled to get a slight crust just on the outside, covered with carmalized miso and Asian slaw, and then placed in a pile of creamy garlicky tofu sauce. The plate had a miso sauce and a spicy sauce drizzled onto it.
For the main entree, I got a really wonderful surprise: The roasted beet ramen, which I had both admired and loathed from a distance due to its contents of fish stock, now came with the choice of being vegan. I couldn't believe my luck. Ordering was a no brainer.

The soup came and was gorgeously red in an off kilter white bowl.
The broth was fantastic. It was everything I could ever want in a broth... it was rich and complex and vegan and beautiful (and salty, perhaps a bit too salty, but not sweet). It had bits of delicious, salty, vinegary pickled umeboshi plum, and savory, herby shiso. It also had some wakame, which I let float around and flavour the broth but didn't eat.

Also in the broth was a pile of sliced roasted beets, which tasted excellent and were surprisingly not too sweet.

The soba noodles were a lovely shade of smoky pink, but were a little bit too gritty in texture for my preference. I realize this is often just the nature of soba noodles.

I could have enjoyed some tofu cubes for a little variety and added nutrition, but it was pretty darn tasty as it was. I did enhance the broth with some spices, which they had present on the table.

My little friends

One disadvantage was a friendly but pushy waiter who was hell bent on selling us drinks and desserts, two items that we didn't indulge in. I generally don't have a problem saying no to waiters trying to do this, but he was so persistent it was starting to feel like we weren't being good patrons or were too nerdy to be there just because we were in the market for just dinner (and heck, an appetizer!).

We had many interactions along these lines:

Him: Are you guys going to just drink water or get something more exciting?
Me: We're just going to to drink water
Him: (sarcastic) Uh, yeah. It is Friday night, you better take it easy.
etc.

Not a big deal in the scope of things. Just be prepared to potentially put up a guard if you don't want to end up with an "all the expensive extras" type of meal.

Thanks E for the suggestion!

Boom Noodle

(206) 701-9130

1121 E Pike St
Seattle, WA 98122
www.boomnoodle.com

Red Hook Brewery

D and I rode our bikes to the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville. The ride was 38.5 miles round trip from where we hopped on the Burke Gilman trail in the U District, and consisted of easy, fun, scenic riding along the Burke Gilman Trail, and then along the Sammamish River Trail.
I was pretty excited about eating lunch at the brewery because I tend to have a strong fantasy about factories, and breweries, and wineries, etc... places where things are made! I always hope that the food is going to be specialized and feel close to the source. But it rarely does.

And this was (as I should have forseen, ARG!) no exception, more like a money trap full of expensive but average pub fare. (Where was the beer battered ____? Or the cheddar beer soup? Or the beer bread???)

I started off sort of peeved in a spoiled way by a detail on the menu: It was possible to substitute a Boca burger for any meat patty on the menu (nice!), but it would cost an additional $1. WTF? There is no way a Boca burger costs that much more than meat. And a boca burger can be frozen for a long long time, making it even cheaper for a restaurant to provide. But the other vegetarian options (salads, nachos, etc) weren't feeling appealing, so I sucked it up and ordered a burger.

And it was fine. Not remarkable in any way really, other than being made slightly unpalatable by the additional cost. I did appreciate the addition of some grapes to the plate.

The bun looks sort of good in this picture, but it was served cold and had that bad cold bread texture

D ordered vegetarian nachos, and got a huge pile that was pretty good. We were able to exercise one of the things I've learned about getting better value (IE: not getting screwed over) as a vegetarian in a restaurant:

If there are two versions of an item on the menu, say:

Nachos 1: Include all kinds of fixins', including meat and beans. Cost= $13
Nachos 2: Includes a subset of the fixins', excluding meat AND beans. Cost= $9

It is almost always a better deal to order the Nachos #2 and ADD beans than it is to order #1 and subtract the meat.

Ok, Nuff said.
They did have a dessert on the menu that was totally intriguing to me: the Blackhook Porter Sundae, and I was quick to forget that I still needed to ride my bike home and decided to go for full indulgence.

It was right up my ally: ice cream made with Blackhook Porter ice cream covered with whipped cream and caramelized bananas, caramel sauce, and candied walnuts. These add up to nearly my favorite ice cream sundae. The Porter ice cream was interesting... I could definitely taste the almost smoky flavour of the beer and it left a hoppy bitter aftertaste. It took a little bit of conscientious appreciation to enjoy, but I did enjoy it and was totally glad to have ordered it.
The whole ordeal, including the bike ride to an indulgent destination and then the ride home that starts with groans (and perhaps a bit of weaving depending upon level of indulgence) but ends feeling awesome, was really fun. What would I do different next time? Maybe (if the weather was nice enough, and it wasn't when we went)... I'd take a picnic and spread out at one of the nearby wineries, and then drop by Red Hook for a beer and dessert. Or maybe for a big pile of chips and salsa. Or a plate of nachos to share with a group. But I probably wouldn't go for the full meal again unless circumstances other than my own dictated the situation.

Red Hook Brewery
Forecasters Pub

(425) 483-3232
14300 NE 145th St
Woodinville, WA 98072
www.redhook.com

Szechuan Noodle Bowl

The Szechuan Noodle bowl is a little restaurant in the International District that would be easy to pass by. The windows are plastered with sun faded menus and it is hard to guess what kind of noodle magic is occurring within. But once inside the tiny quiet restaurant you can see the secret: there is a woman there, sitting at a table, quietly cranking out homemade dumplings.
The restaurant is also extremely reasonably priced, underpriced possibly, and we ordered liberally. Our first appetizer was Seaweed with Garlic, which had a pleasing texture unlike that of any land vegetables, but tasted a bit too fishy for my liking.
We also ordered "Peanuts", for $2, which came to the table boiled soft with spices and salt and the distinct flavour of anise.
Next we ordered Cold Noodles with Sesame sauce and Vegetables (around $5.00). The noodles were fat and square and homemade, and were perfectly chewy in texture. The sauce was similar to a rich peanut sauce, but was made with sesame seeds instead. The vegetables were carrots and cucumber and a little chopped green onion.
Then came our dumplings, and I am delighted to report that they have 2 vegetarian dumpling choices, including the wonderful Spinach and Tofu, which I ordered with a hot and spicy sauce. A (filling) bowl of 10 dumplings cost $5.75.
Each dumpling had a belly full of delicious perfectly steamed and lightly seasoned spinach with bits of tofu, and was surrounded by another example of homemade noodles done right. They were soft and chewy and firm at the same time. The sauce was really tasty too... a little bit spicy, a little bit vinegary, a little bit oily.
What a delight to find such inexpensive, good simple food. I think that when I go back I'm going to skip straight to the dumplings.

Szechuan Noodle Bowl
420 8th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 623-4198

Taqueria Guaymas

Taqueria Guaymas has multiple locations in Seattle, including a few called Tacos Guamas, and they are all more or less the same: murals of the same fantasy rural Mexico scene, horchata and jamaica, and a kickass salsa bar. The main difference between locations, far as I can tell, is the freshness of the salsa bar and the general cleanliness of the place. My current least favorite is the one in Renton, and my current best favorites are the ones in Fremont and West Seattle.

The Guaymas standard has fresh pico de gallo, not-super-hot pickled onions with jalapenos, very-spicy pickled onions (pink), a deep red pepper sauce, radish slices, a thin avocado/cilantro sauce, my favorite smoky charred salsa and lime wedges.

I enjoy eating here. There are a couple vegetarian options, including big burritos and tacos. I never really stray from the tacos because they are chubby, cheap and delicious. The amounts of various ingredients vary a bit depending on the day and location, but they always consist of: two soft warm corn tortillas, pinto beans, Mexican rice, pico de gallo, sour cream, a little shredded cheese, and a line of red taco sauce. They are generally burstingly large, and two tend to make an almost impossibly large meal for me, especially once covered in more pico de gallo and salsa and pickled onions.
Ordering chips is a nice idea, though I rarely do it for one reason or another. They come out hot and lightly salted and are really nice to have along side the variety of salsas.

I guess Tacqueria Guaymas is a chain, but it doesn't have the typical fast food chain (Taco Bell, etc) feel in the slightest. I once brought a Mexican friend to eat here, and he wasn't very impressed with the tacos al pastor, but as far as veggie taco needs are concerned, they provide. And I really do enjoy the charred salsa and other salsa bar delights.

Cafe Flora

I love Cafe Flora. I think it is one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Seattle, and it has long been one of my favorite places to go for a special (read: slightly pricey) meal. And so it was with great joy that I recently received an unexpected Cafe Flora gift certificate from some friends for whom I had done a favour a while back.

D and I decided to use it on a recent stormy evening. We were seated in a portion of the restaurant that feels like a greenhouse; the room has plants, a waterfall, slate floors, and 3 walls covered in wood-trimmed windows overlooking bamboo and other pretty foliage. Of course on this night all we saw from the windows was the wash of rain and and the occasional leaf, lit by the streetlights, blowing past. No matter the outside conditions, this room feels peaceful and like a clean version of nature.

We decided to order more lavishly than usual, and started with a salad and an appetizer. We began with a Cesar salad with vegan dressing. I've recently discovered the joys of Cesar salad, and this one was spectacular with homemade croutons, fresh Parmesan cheese, and the kicker: fried capers. I am not well acquainted with anchovies, but I think that these delectable fried capers added a similar intrigue to the flavour of the salad.
For our appetizer, we ordered coconut battered tofu. It came with a big pile of lettuce and herbs, and the tofu was meant to be wrapped in the lettuce, packed with herbs, then dipped into sweet chili sauce.
As we waited for our main courses, the waitress offered a couple slices of bread to snack on while we waited. I actually appreciated that there were just two slices. Just enough to keep us busy and help ward of the hunger, but not enough to allow us to gorge before the rest of the food arrived.
For dinner, I eschewed my usual Cafe Flora favorite (Oaxaca tacos), for a seasonal option: Sage polenta with port soaked plums and a sautee of green beans, onions, and Parmesan (original dish had Blue Cheese, but they were willing to substitute in Parmesan).

It can be tough to successfully meld sweet fruit with vegetarian dishes because it is the rare vegetarian item that can stand the sweetness and remain well balanced (in the way that some meat can). But this dish did a pretty dang good job. The savory sage polenta with the nutty Parmesan was deliciously complemented with the sweet rich port plums, and the rest of the veggies were enhanced by the occasional sweet tang from the sauce. It was only at the very end of the dish that I became a bit overwhelmed by the fruitiness.

D also ordered a seasonal item: lemon pepper linguine with a pistachio mint pesto sauce, cooked with green beans, seared peaches, cherry tomatoes, and some delicious savory greens.

Don't be alarmed by the tiny looking portion- the plate itself was huge.

Both items (along with much of the menu) could be made vegan. In addition, many of the dishes were made with local produce.

For dessert, we had a big slice of vegan German chocolate cake.
D and I had differing opinions of the cake. I am not a big cake eater, and tend to find most cake not worth the calories. This particular slice looked delicious, but had a problem that I've found in other vegan desserts: it looks and feels right, but just doesn't quite deliver in all dimensions. The frosting was goopy and had coconut in it, but I wasn't really detecting anything satisfying or rich or even flavorful about it. The cake was moist and reasonably textured, but again, I didn't get any of that mouth orgy blastoff that a dessert should provide. There were a handful of other excellent looking desserts, and I wish now that I had ordered something else.

D, on the other hand, is a cake lover and he thought this cake was pretty dang good, especially considering it was vegan. He said that it "didn't seem like some lame vegan cake." So there ya go. I am not the cake expert.

Overall, this was a fantastic meal in a lovely setting and it was such a pleasure to go into the meal with the luxury of a gift certificate. A big thanks to S and N for such a considerate gesture! You were the subjects of a long winded mental toast filled with hilarious jokes and loving words that I gave in my head before eating- you guys are awesome!

Cafe Flora

(206) 325-9100

2901 E Madison St
Seattle, WA 98112
www.cafeflora.com

T & T Seafood Restaurant

I didn't expect much from this dinner going in. There were 7 of us, and while the planner made the incredibly considerate gesture of calling ahead of time to assure me of a vegetarian option, I had gladly assumed survival eating mode (where the company takes priority over the food) and had very low expectations.

And the vegetarian options, while present, were indeed few. The menu was huge and dominated by meat and seafood. There were tanks of lobster crawling on top of each other and aquariums packed with frantic fish. The occasional peek into the kitchen provided a view of glistening bald ducks hanging from their drooping necks, and the large restaurant was packed with hungry diners seemingly appetized by it all.

The table ordered some steamed bok choy that tasted pretty good. It was covered in a garlicky cornstarch type sauce and sprinkled with deep fried garlic slivers, which were a nice touch.

I was really uninspired by the rest of the vegetarian menu (my personal taste is to fault... it seemed the majority of the few veggie dishes were mushroom dominant), and was thrilled and greatfull when the waiter obliged my not-on-the-menu special request: broccoli with soft tofu.
And I thoroughly enjoyed it. The broccoli was plentiful and lightly steamed, and the tofu was silky. The whole dish, which also included some steamed carrot slices, was covered in the same totally inoffensive and pleasing garlic sauce (with perhaps a bit of tongue caressing MSG) that was used on the bok choy.

I added a little soy sauce and chili oil (on the table), and it was satisfying and delicious in a simple food type of way that I tend to really enjoy. The main disadvantage was the oilyness of the sauce, but my dinner seemed to be dominated by lightly steamed vegetables, so I didn't leave feeling totally gross in spite of that detail.
Not the sort of place I'd choose to go to with a crew of vegetarian friends, but managed a reasonable meal anyhow.

T & T Seafood
22511 Highway 99
Edmonds, WA 98026

(425) 778-8973