Home | Author Biography | How to Purchase | Sample Reviews From the Book | Links | Mailing List | Contact Us


The Artichoke Trail: A Guide to Vegetarian Restaurants, Organic Food Stores, and Farmers' Markets in the US



Restaurant Reviews
Moosewood Restaurant
Price: $$-$$$
215 N. Cayuga Street, DeWitt Mall
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 607-273-9610 or 607-273-5327
American
Vegan options
Organic produce
Summer dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Winter dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The bar, café and gift shop are open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For years, the Moosewood Cookbook has been THE basic handbook for vegetarian cooking. The Moosewood Cooperative which publishes the book has been in Ithaca for years, quietly testing its famous recipes -- the daily specials changing nightly while waitstaff and co-op members grill patrons about their likes and dislikes.

We started our meal with the herbed potato-cheese pastry puffs, a little dry and not a fair indicator of the goodness to follow. The torta florentina -- a filo strudel with baby portabello mushrooms, spinach, and a rich ricotta and parmesan filling served with a live lemon, beet, and carrot salad -- was right on the mark. The mu shu vegetables was a flavorful, vegan version of the original. Carrots, peppers, cabbage, onions, celery, shitake mushrooms and tofu are stir-fried with tamari and ginger, then served in two wheat wrappers with a hoisin sauce.

Save room for dessert. The Savannah banana pudding is a Moosewood tradition -- pudding with chunks of bananas and pound cake served in a parfait glass. The name changes (sometimes it's Havana) but the pudding is always the same. One entrée and a couple of desserts are always vegan, but keep in mind that this isn't a strict vegetarian restaurant; they do serve fish here. Moosewood has a wonderful selection of local Finger Lakes wines, mostly tart whites that go well with the restaurant's light fare. The McGregor Gewurztraminer -- hints of apple and a floral bouquet -- went well with the mu shu vegetables.

There's a small café and gift shop here as well. Pick up a cookbook and some souvenirs!


Carmelita
Price: $$ - $$$
7314 Greenwood Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98103
Phone:206-706-7703
Upscale Vegetarian
100% Meatless
Vegan Options
Organic produce
Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.

Carmelita is a restaurant that any mother would love. In fact, Michael Hughes, the co-owner of Carmelita, put so much love into his restaurant that he named it after his own mother.

Take a long look at Carmelita's seasonal menu -- well-described dishes, helpful wine suggestions and some quotes from America's founding fathers -- are appetizers themselves. The Warm Goat Cheese and Hazelnut Salad is the real thing. Warm, fresh goat cheese encrusted with toasted hazelnuts is served alongside heirloom apples and locally grown seasonal greens tossed with a pomegranate vinaigrette. The Portabella Mushroom Roulade is a staple on Carmelita's menu. A whole roasted portabella mushroom is artfully wrapped around zucchini, roasted peppers and carmelized onions and then placed atop a potato-leek cake with a mushroom demiglace. A seasonal choice is the Winter Harvest Pappardelle -- homemade fettuccine served with baby spinach and a light, roasted butternut squash sauce.

Carmelita's food is wonderful, but it is the owners' attention to detail and their environmental concern that makes it an extraordinary place. Self-decorated right down to the restroom placards -- Carmelita's is an act of self-expression. It really is a restaurant to love.


Millennium
Price: $$$
246 McAllister
San Francisco, CA 94102
%% 415-487-9800
International Vegan
100% Meatless
Vegan options
Organic foods
Daily from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

If Greens is the mother of all vegetarian restaurants, Millennium is the child prodigy. Located in the basement of a historic hotel near downtown, Millennium's dining room mixes classic architectural lines with industrial motifs to create an upscale, urban atmosphere in which to toast your vegan friends.

Presentation is the hallmark here. The chefs drizzle colorful mango and red pepper sauces on dishes with a purpose. At Millennium, the line between appetizer and art is exceedingly fuzzy. The quinoa corn cake is an earthy, pan-sautéed cake accented with pistachios, avocado, and jicama served over a pasilla chili, cilantro, and pumpkin seed pesto. The plantain torte is a hallucinogen for the taste buds. Disconcerting layers of sweet yet spicy plantains are pasted together with a cool and creamy cilantro-tofu spread, sandwiched in whole wheat tortilla slices and laid over a spicy papaya tomato salsa. After your starters, come down to earth for a moment and try Mariana's roulade--roasted sweet corn, portabello mushrooms, and spicy seitan with corn masa, baked in a crisp pastry shell, then served over a red-pepper and caper "cream" with a side of strawberrry-chipotle chili salsa.

There's no doubt: Millennium serves the food of the future. My only word to the wise is to stay away from the Millennium steak: fake steak is a mis-take, especially with so many original dishes on the menu.


Veggie Heaven
Price: $ - $$
1914A Guadalupe
Austin, TX 78705
Phone: 512-457-1013
Chinese
100% meatless
Vegan Options
Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Bus Route: 1,5,29,LX

Don't trip over the backpacks when you enter, and don't be surprised by all the young faces. Veggie Heaven is a favorite destination for students from the University of Texas at Austin because they enjoy the savory meals, the personable atmosphere and the undeniable convenience. Veggie Heaven is located just across the street from the university campus and brings the unique charm of an Oriental environment to a well-traveled street fondly referred to as "the Drag."

For a full meal, try seventh heaven (with or without spice)-a conglomeration of roasted mushrooms, celery, squash, zucchini, and bell peppers in a delicious basil sauce. If you are not up for a full meal, never fear! The 95% vegan menu also boasts a wide variety of pasta, salads, and wraps. Mt. Everest is a delicious wrap with avocados, mushrooms, chopped olives, herbs, alfalfa, and cream cheese (optional). The tofu dishes at Veggie Heaven are also good choices, so don't forget spicy soybean tofu, hoison tofu, and eggplant tofu.

Veggie Heaven has won several well-deserved awards from the Austin Chronicle, including best vegetarian restaurant in Austin in 1998. It's fast, it's inexpensive, and it's a restaurant you must visit. For a vision that will make your mouth water, check out their menu (complete with color photos) on their web page, www.veggieheaven.org, and give them a call. They have take-out!

- reviewed by Joe Frost


Restaurant Nora
Price: $$$
2132 Florida Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202-462-5143
New American
Organic produce
Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Restaurant Nora and its sibling, the Asia Nora, were the brainchild of head chef and organic food advocate, Nora Pouillon. Nora has been promoting organics for twenty years, starting long before natural and organic foods stores like Whole Foods became fashionable. She has also headed up a campaign to save the swordfish, whose numbers have been depleted by over-harvesting. Nora pays close attention to the yearly crops and only buys in-season produce from local farmers. Her menus change nightly to reflect this, ensuring that diners will be eating the best the market has to offer.

Both eateries are high-society restaurants, but without the attitude that sometimes accompanies nouvelle cuisine. Asia Nora restaurant makes for an enchanting evening with its dark walnut tables, stylish architectural angles and low mood lighting. Restaurant Nora is set in a converted 19th century grocery store transformed into various richly-lit rooms with antique Amish quilts.

There aren't many strictly vegetarian items on the menu (the Asia Nora makes heavy use of fish sauce), but the waitstaff is very honest and knowledgeable about ingredients and will accommodate any reasonable requests. Start your dinner off with the well-presented grilled spring asparagus nori rolls-vegetarian sushi with ponzu (a flavored soy sauce) and wasabe served beside organic bitter greens and colorful edible flowers. The udon noodle bowl is also popular (although it does contain fish sauce)-asparagus tempura, grilled tofu, spring vegetables and sea greens. One night's entrée was the grilled summer squash & portobella tower served with curried tomato vinaigrette, fragrant herbs, and wilted greens.

The Nora Restaurant is the first restaurant in the United States to have been certified as 100% organic. So rest assured that the meal will be chemical free. For $38, the chef will also put together a 5-course vegetarian sampler-it's the ultimate organic orgy, so bring a date and your wallet. Neither the Nora nor the Asia Nora has a dress code, but as in most upscale DC restaurants, a suit and tie is the norm.

Both restaurants are featured on Nora's website, which highlights her extensive wine list.


Irregardless Café
Price: $$
901 W. Morgan St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
%% 919-833-9920
Eclectic/Upscale
Vegan options

In 1974 an NCSU graduate opened a strict vegetarian establishment called the Irregardless, regardless of all his professors who told him he'd never make it. (His English teacher must have had a fit too, when he found out what he named the place.) The restaurant has been going strong ever since, surviving both the conservative 80s and a fire in 1995 which gutted the Irregardless' original space. The key to its survival has been its ability to change with the times. Every night, the Irregardless offers a new menu, ensuring fresh ideas.

Changing with the times has meant that the Irregardless now serves fish and free-range poultry dishes. But don't fret, with the current popularity of veganism, they have added non-meat, dairy-less dishes and marked them clearly on their menu. The night's specialties included the spinach and corn enchiladas -- enchiladas stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese and topped with creamy corn sauce. The rich sauce and filling complemented each other nicely. The vegan special was the sunny pasta sauté -- sautéed zucchini, squash, tomatoes, garlic, leeks, and artichoke hearts tossed with pasta in a sundried tomato, roasted pepper vinaigrette. Two bites are enough of the spinach rolatini--pasta sheets rolled in spinach, mushrooms and three kinds of cheeses. This one was rich! If possible, save room for dessert. The Irregardless' pastry chef likes to show off. Rum raisin bread pudding is layered with flan.

A bonus of the Irregardless is the jazz musicians and lounge acts that add atmosphere 6 days a week on a small stage. It's also one of the few non-smoking restaurants in town.


Grasshopper
Price: $$
1 N. Beacon St.
Allston, MA 02134
Phone: 617-254-8883
Chinese Buddhist
100% meatless
Vegan options
Daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

With all the aging 70s vegetarian restaurants out there, it's good to see a newcomer hitting the streets and gaining popularity. An intelligent and modern interior-with deep green walls, live bonzai plants, beaded candle lamps, and framed magazine cut-outs of herbs-spices up what could have been a miserable strip mall locale.

A strictly vegan establishment, Grasshopper features Chinese Buddhist cuisine. Those familiar with the food will be happy to note that this isn't just another Chinatown fake meat affair. The Vietnamese chef brings a Southeast Asian flair to his dishes with a healthy mix of coconut curries and lemongrass soups on his menu. There are also New American influences here, with heavy usage of asparagus and portobellas.

Because of the expansive menu, the uninitiated should choose from the monthly specials. The happy family--creatively marinated wheat gluten (sausage) with tofu and asparagus, along with a mix of carrots, bok choy, onions, and a fair share of garlic in a chili basil sauce-was well-presented and came with an excellent sauce. Also on the specials list was steamed kale, topped with plenty of black pepper, "beef" and "chicken." Regulars head for the hot pots and sizzling platters which come to your table still cooking. A favorite among the hot pots is the braised spicy tofu and assorted seitans hot pot with pineapple and lemongrass. If you're on a budget, Grasshopper is a great deal for lunch. At $4.75, you get soup, an entrée (such as the spicy lemongrass gluten), and a bowl of steamed rice.

My only complaint about Grasshopper was the frenzied service, but judging from the excellent food and the people pouring in late on a Monday, I'm willing to write it off as growing pains.


Café Brenda
Price: $$ - $$$
300 1st Ave. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
%% 612-342-9230
Organic produce
Vegan Options
Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.; Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Like its peers the Seward Co-op and Mudpie, Café Brenda has been a fixture in Minneapolis for some time. Unlike the others, though, Café Brenda has evolved from its downhome roots into one of the more celebrated vegetarian-oriented restaurants in the country. The restaurant occupies an airy, lightly decorated space in the downtown Warehouse District. Elegant but not pretentious, Café Brenda draws both casually dressed yuppies and an older, health-conscious crowd.

Start your meal with the caspian -- two dips (one of hummus, the other of red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranates) served with pita bread, raw vegetables and olives. The wild mushroom pistachio pate also looks excellent. Vegans can head straight for the sozai -- a macrobiotic plate of organic brown rice, natto miso, savory ginger maple red beans, organic broccoli, arame (seaweed), marinated tofu, red cabbage salad, and baked yams. The special asparagus leek tart was a bit of a disappointment. More of a quiche than a tart, it was heavy on the eggs, and the leeks weren't too flavorful. Brenda Langton, the head chef and owner, was out for the week when I visited; I suspect the specials missed her presence.

Café Brenda has an abundant wine list. Try a glass of the house organic red, Cotes Du Ventoux, or ask your server about the day's wine specials. (They usually go well with the daily entrée specials.)


Herbivore: The Earthly Grill
Price: $
983 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
%% 415-826-5657
International Vegan
100% Meatless
Vegan options
Organic foods
Daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

If you're a vegan, this is your Eden. The place is sparkling, with apples, oranges, lemons, and limes forming an art collage next to triangular-shaped tables lighted with cool, industrial lamps. The prices are unbelievably low ($5 to $8 an entrée)--outrageous considering the expensive organic vegetables and the popular location. And the food is colorful, tasty, and entirely non-dairy, right down to the toasted almond rum cake. I'm convinced this owner is driving himself into bankruptcy -- visit this restaurant soon!

Try the spicy kung pao -- charbroiled veggies with shitake mushrooms, peanuts, and chilies served with your choice of brown or basmati rice. The "I-can't-believe-it's-cheeseless" lasagna is also a good choice -- noodles, tofu ricotta, mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach with marinara sauce.

Herbivore just recently started table service -- at press time, their service was uneven. If you're sensitive to spice, beware: some dishes, like the kung pao listed above, as well as the red curry and pad thai, are very hot. Otherwise, Herbivore comes highly recommended.


Candle Café
Price: $$ - $$$
1307 Third Ave.
New York City, NY
Phone: 212-472-0970
Vegan
Organic Produce
100% Meatless
Vegan Options
Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

This Upper East Side restaurant is out of the way for most visitors to the city, but if you're taking a trip to the Guggenheim or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Candle Café is well worth it. Located in a tiny space next to the Bistro Le Steak, it has a remarkably eclectic all-vegan menu.

If you have a taste for East Coast tradition, try the New York "Seitan" Cheese Steak. Well-seasoned seitan substitutes for the steak and a soy mozzarella for the cheese. On the list of Farmers' market entrées is the Very Veggie Mexican Burrito -- a whole wheat tortilla filled with chili, grilled tempeh and steamed greens. Served over brown rice and topped with salsa and a wonderful non-dairy tofu sour cream. Do-it-yourself-ers will appreciate the "Good Food" side dishes. Make a meal out of baked sweet potato, grilled tempeh, corn bread, sea vegetables and other sides.

Keep your eyes peeled for stars at the Candle Café. Actors like Woody Harrelson often stop by after frequenting their Upper East Side haunts. A newspaper article taped to the front window shows which tables the café's famous visitors like to sit at. You too can request Table #9.


© 2000 James Bernard Frost