Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- The Porch Restaurant and Bar

When I saw that The Porch Restaurant and Bar was going to be offering a fried beets appetizer during this year's Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge like they did last year, I knew a trip to the Porch was going to be in my very near future.


My husband and I headed over there Sunday night, and I was broken-hearted to discover that they were already out of the Cajun Fried Beets. Clearly, I wasn't the only vegan who had been looking forward to those beets since last year. So I skipped straight to the main course, where I had a choice between Frito Pie and the Pulled Squash Sandwich. I had seen a picture of the Frito Pie on Facebook, and it looked really good, so that's what I chose. It was a delicious casserole of corn chips and black-eyed pea chili, with a garnish of avocado and vegan sour cream.

The special Challenge dessert that night was the Apple Pear Crisp, served with vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream. So good!

I couldn't get those fried beets out of my mind, though, so I went back for lunch Thursday and made sure they had them available before I even sat down. They did -- chunks of Cajun-seasoned and floured fried beets, served with a lemon garlic aioli. They were just as good as I'd remembered them.

I also had a small Charred Avocado Salad, consisting of mixed greens, charred avocado, sliced almonds, radish, fresh orange segments, and a burnt orange vinaigrette. It contrasted nicely with the fried beets.

A new Challenge dessert was being offered in place of the crisp I'd had before -- Banana Cake with chocolate "butter cream" frosting and pecans, served with a side of vanilla bean coconut milk ice cream. Just look at it! There was no way I could pass it up, and it was worth every single calorie.

The Porch Restaurant and Bar is located at 1815 K Street, and their phone number is 916-444-2423. Their website address is http://www.theporchsacramento.com/ and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ThePorchRestaurant. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The Porch is serving their Challenge menu during both lunch and dinner. They are also offering a special Challenge brunch on the weekends.