Parents with young children are doubtless familiar with the very popular Old Spaghetti Factory chain. Especially exciting for kids who visit the Old Spaghetti Factory's Sacramento location, which used to be a train station, is celebrating a birthday meal in the train car that sits in the middle of the restaurant. The restaurant is also a favorite venue for office get-togethers, so between your kids and your co-workers, it's likely that a trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory is somewhere in your future.
Since I went vegan, I've always ordered the spaghetti with mushroom sauce whenever I visit the Old Spaghetti Factory. I assumed it was vegan, but before I put that in this blog, I thought I'd better send them an e-mail to get a definitive answer.
The response I received informed me that the mushroom sauce is, indeed, vegan, as is their minestrone soup and their marinara sauce. Also, their broccoli side dish is vegan if ordered without the Mizithra cheese. Top off any of these selections with a nice glass of chianti, and the vegan life seems pretty good!
The Old Spaghetti Factory has four locations in the Sacramento area: midtown Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, and Elk Grove. More information about their restaurants and their menu is available on their website at http://www.osf.com/.
OSF Fullerton frys their mushrooms in butter then adds to the sauce, not vegan - at least here
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, because I sent an e-mail to the Old Spaghetti Factory before I wrote the blog post, and the response I received said that their spaghetti with marinara and mushroom sauces was vegan. I'll send a follow-up e-mail and see what I can find out. Thanks for letting me know!
ReplyDeleteHere's the response I just received from Julie Newton in the Old Spaghetti Factory's administrative offices in Portland, Oregon:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for your question! The sautéed mushrooms are prepared with Canola/Olive Oil blend, black pepper, salt and lemon juice; and all 41 of our stores should be following this exact recipe."
Maybe there's a renegade chef at Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton.
My friend is a manager there - he said they do cook the mushrooms in butter :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know about the Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton. It's disappointing that they don't follow the company's recipe the way they're suppposed to.
ReplyDeleteI guess the moral of this story is that no matter how careful we try to be about what we eat and no matter how many questions we ask, there's always the possibility, when eating in a restaurant, that a non-vegan ingredient may end up in our food. The only way to be 100 percent sure what we're eating is to cook it ourselves, which isn't always possible or even desirable.