Magpie Cafe

R Street seems to be shaping up as the new go-to destination for Sacramento foodies.  I recently had lunch with a friend at Magpie Cafe, one of the newer R Street restaurants.  When we arrived, I didn't notice any obviously vegan selections on the daily menu that was hanging on the post near the counter, so I took a look at the salads in the refrigerated case.  I asked which of the salads were vegan, and was pleasantly surprised when the man behind the counter responded that they were all vegan except for the pasta salad.  He said the mushroom panini was vegan as well, and that they always have a vegan soup of the day.  He also pointed out a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich on the menu, which he said could be made vegan by substituting avocado for the beef. 

I decided to order the salad sampler, which consisted of three small salad servings.  The first one was a golden beet salad, with beet greens tossed in with it.  The second one was an incredibly tasty burgundy rice salad (my favorite of the three), and the third salad was made of broccolini and golden raisins.  It was a very satisfying lunch!  I was too full to even think about dessert, but I should mention that during a previous visit to Magpie Cafe, I had a delicious vegan chocolate mousse for dessert.  I checked the menu on their website to see if they still offer this dessert, and was interested to see that they list the mystery ingredient that allows them to make mousse without dairy products -- avocado!  If you still have room for dessert after your next meal at Magpie Cafe, the vegan chocolate mousse is certainly worthy of your attention. 

Magpie Cafe is located at 1409 R Street, Suite 102, in downtown Sacramento.  Their phone number is 916-452-7594, and their website address is http://www.magpiecaterers.com/cafe.  According to their website, they are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.