Bows and Arrows Cafe

UPDATE: BOWS AND ARROWS CAFE HAS CLOSED.


Last week, I attended a blogger meet-up organized by Sacramento Connect, a blogger network created by the Sacramento Bee. It was held at Bows and Arrows, a small women's clothing boutique that has a cafe in the back of the store. Naturally, I checked the menu to see if there were any vegan items. Happily, there were a few.

There are three vegan appetizers on the current menu: Spiced Popcorn, Olive on Olive, which consists of green olives dressed in black tapenade, and Seasonal Salsa and Chips. The seasonal salsa was made with strawberries and jicama.

Two of the sandwiches can easily be made vegan by leaving off the cheese. The one I tried was the Mushroom Reuben, which consisted of sliced sautéed mushrooms, kraut, and sauce, served on a grilled walnut bread. It was very tasty, and I especially liked the bread. It came with a side of soup or salad, so I ordered the vegan Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup, which was spicy and quite good.

The other sandwich that can be made vegan if ordered without cheese is the Chili Cheese Carrot Dog, which is described on the menu as including a marinated carrot, veggie chili, pickled onion, and sweet potato chip bits. Quite an unusual combination!

Dessert at the Bows and Arrows Cafe is a variety of popsicles in such interesting flavors as kaffir lime and avocado or hibiscus mint grape. Most of the popsicles listed on the menu when I was there were vegan, but not all, so you'll want to check with the server.

I was impressed with the creativity of the menu, and will definitely go back again. They have a very nice patio, if you're looking to dine al fresco.

Bows and Arrows is located at 1815 19th Street. Their phone number is 916-822-5668, and their website address is http://www.bowscollective.com/cafe.html. The cafe is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.