Farmer's Kitchen Cafe

I was shopping for gifts last week at The Artery, an artists' collaborative in Davis. It's full of lovely things, and I had fun looking around. Afterwards, I went searching for a place to eat with vegan options and came across the Farmer's Kitchen Cafe, a small restaurant and natural food store.


The menu changes daily, but I was told there's usually (but not always) something vegan available. The day I was there, both the soup and the salad were vegan, so that's what I ordered. The soup was Curried Carrot Soup with Coconut Milk. It was very spicy, but quite tasty.

The salad was the Bioregional Salad, which was chock full of seasonal, organic, and locally-grown produce. It was so much fun to eat, since there were so many different fruits and vegetables in it that I never knew what the next bite would bring. Beets, oranges, carrots, grapefruit, strawberries, lettuce mix, kiwi -- I can't even remember everything that was in this salad. It was wonderful, and I would definitely order it again.

Farmer's Kitchen Cafe is located at 624 Fourth Street in Davis, and their phone number is 530-756-1862. Their website address is http://www.farmerskitchencafe.com/#, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmers-Kitchen-Cafe/179033945469117. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 7:00 p.m.

Liquidology

I went to the grand opening of Liquidology over the weekend. Liquidology began selling their juices last year at the East Sacramento Farmers Market in McKinley Park. Now they've taken their business to the next level and moved into a permanent location at 46th and H streets.

My first experience with Liquidology was at the annual Christian Brothers High School Wine, Beer & Food Extravaganza last September, where they were pouring samples of their delicious juices. Also on-hand at that event was Chef Brooke Preston of the Green Boheme, whose tasty raw vegan treats paired nicely with the juice. It was like a lovely little vegan oasis in the midst of all the restaurants offering meat and cheese dishes.


Chef Brooke is partnering with Liquidology in their new location as well, offering raw vegan salad, snacks, and desserts to go. Veggie burgers, pesto pizza, and brownies are just a few of the Green Boheme items you can buy to go with your juice.


The juice selection at Liquidology provides a nice variety of flavors, and you can sample them before you buy. The cold-pressed juices are made from raw, organic, and locally-grown produce. They're mostly vegan, although a couple of them contain honey. After sampling a few different juices, I bought bottles of The Alchemist (coconut water, coconut meat, turmeric, Madagascar vanilla, and nutmeg) and Main Squeeze (pomegranate, pear, and apple), one of their Seasonal Harvest juices, to take home with me. Fabulous!

Liquidology also sells kale chips and cashew cheese from The Cultured Kitchen, draft kombucha from Kombucha Kulture, and shots of blue-green algae. It's mostly a take-out restaurant, although one table is on-site for those who wish to enjoy their purchases there.


Liquidology is located at 4601 H Street, and their phone number is 916-970-5102. Their website address is http://liquidologybar.com/ and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/liquidologybar/timeline. They are open Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The New Year Brings an Abundance of Dining Out Options for Vegans

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season.


There are several special dining out opportunities for vegans in Sacramento during January and early February. Here are the ones I know about. If you're aware of any others, please feel free to list them in the "Comments" section.


SHINE AND THE ROAMING SPOON


Tonight from 6:00 to 10:00, there will be a Monday Funday event at Shine, featuring vegan treats prepared by The Roaming Spoon. There will be beer, wine, and Temple Fine Coffee and Tea, an art exhibit by Ron Kenedi, and music by Classical Revolution Sacramento. Shine and The Roaming Spoon collaborate on brunch and happy hour fairly often, so if you're not following them on Facebook, you should be!


DINE DOWNTOWN


January 15th through January 24th is the annual Dine Downtown event, where participating restaurants offer a three-course fixed-price meal for only $31, with a dollar from each meal donated to the Food Literacy Center. Most of the restaurants taking part in Dine Downtown don't offer vegan options on their special menus, but a few of them do:


Blackbird Kitchen+Beer Gallery will be offering Vegan Truffle Mushroom Soup, Vegan Risotto Burger, and a vegan dessert. I've had the Vegan Risotto Burger there before, and it's excellent.


Capital Dime lists a Vegan Bolognaise tossed with egg-free pasta and pine nut "Parmesan" as one of their Dine Downtown entrees. They're offering an appetizer that appears to vegan -- House Pickled Vegetables with hot mustard and grilled baguette -- but I've sent them a message to double-check. I also asked them whether the salads on the menu can be "veganized" by leaving out the cheese. I'll update this post if I hear back from them.
UPDATE: Here's the response I received from Capital Dime.
"Absolutely! The pickled veg are vegan -- just let your server know and the kitchen will take care of you! The brussels salad can be done without cheese and is still incredible!"


Dawson's at the Hyatt has indicated on their Dine Downtown menu that vegan options are available. I've sent them a message to ask what their vegan options will be, but I haven't had a response yet. Check back for updates either here or on my Sacramento Vegan Facebook page.


Ella Dining Room & Bar has also indicated on their menu that vegan menu options will be available, but I haven't heard from the restaurant as to what those options will be. I'll post updates as they become available.


TOWER BRIDGE BISTRO


Chef Clay Purcell, who creates amazing vegan dishes each October during the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, is having Vegan Weekends at Tower Bridge Bistro at the Embassy Suites Hotel on Friday and Saturday nights through February 7th. Each weekend, he'll offer a different fixed-price, three-course meal during dinner hours only. If the pictures from this weekend's menu are any indication, these are going to be some not-to-be-missed dinners.


EL PAPAGAYO


The third annual Vegan Super Bowl Party will be held at El Papagayo in Carmichael on Sunday, February 1st, at 3:30 p.m. The cost is $15 for an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet. If you're planning to bring someone who's not interested in watching the game, a masa class will be offered for an additional $7 materials fee. Tickets are available at this link.


With so many restaurants catering to vegans this month, the year is off to a good start!