Orchid Thai Restaurant & Bar

Businesses are beginning to open at the new 16 Powerhouse building at 16th and P. Insight Coffee Roasters and Sun & Soil Juice Company are already serving customers, and Magpie Cafe is expected to open there shortly.


The reason I stopped by the building for lunch last week, though, was to try the new Orchid Thai Restaurant & Bar. I was not disappointed. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, and they have a vegetarian menu the server told me is completely vegan -- no fish sauce in any of the vegetarian items. With that in mind, my biggest problem was trying to decide which of the long list of dishes to order.


I started with the Tofu Thai Lettuce Wraps and received a plate of lettuce leaves, tofu, slivered ginger, peanuts, coconut flakes, and lime, served with sweet chili sauce. This dish usually includes red onion, but I had them leave out the onion in mine. I really enjoyed the mix of flavors in this appetizer.

The server brought me a complementary portion of Tofu Satay, deep-fried tofu served with a thick peanut sauce and a light cucumber sauce. The tofu was delicious, especially dipped in the sauce that came with the lettuce wraps.

For my entree, I ordered Pra Ram, a stir fry with tofu, broccoli, cauliflower, and a thick peanut sauce. Loved it!

Orchid Thai is located at 1609 16th Street, and their phone number is 916-476-3681. Their website address is http://www.orchidthai916.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/orchidthai916?fref=ts. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Revolution Wines

My friend Cathy and I had lunch at Revolution Wines last week. I go there from time to time, and I can usually veganize something, but mostly I just eat some of the smaller appetizers, like the mixed nuts.


This time, though, they actually had a couple of substantial menu items that were vegan or easily made vegan, so I had quite a feast. For starters, I ordered the olives, which are citrus-marinated Castelvetrano olives. They're served warm, and they're absolutely addicting.

I couldn't pass up the roasted cauliflower, since that's one of my favorite vegetables. It was described on the menu as being served with caper-piquillo pepper-golden raisin relish. I couldn't even begin to imagine how that would work with the cauliflower, but it was excellent. I'd go back again for that dish alone.

Finally, I had the veggie banh mi, without the cilantro aioli. It consisted of ginger-soy marinated tofu, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and jalapeno slices, served on a delicious crusty baguette. All in all, it was a very satisfying lunch.

Revolution Wines is located at 2831 S Street, and their phone number is 916-444-7711. Their website address is http://rwwinery.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/revolutionwines/timeline. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Road Trip! The Dancing Fox Winery in Lodi

A few weeks ago, my husband Phil and I took a drive down to Lodi to see the Seward Johnson sculptures that will be on display there until mid-July. They include sculptures of iconic American images, such as Marilyn Monroe with her white dress blowing up in the breeze, and sculptures of every-day people, like a woman reading on a bench. If you haven't seen them yet, they're definitely worth the trip.

We stopped in at the charming Dancing Fox Winery for lunch. They had a few items on the menu that were vegan or looked like they could easily be made vegan. I started with the Mediterranean Hummus plate, a very flavorful, slightly spicy hummus served with tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, and crackers. Loved it!

I also ordered the cranberry walnut salad without the feta cheese. It consisted of mixed greens and Romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, and candied walnuts, tossed with a cranberry vinaigrette. It was very good!

Other items I'd like to try during future visits to the Dancing Fox Winery include the Tofu Scramble they serve for breakfast, the house-made Veggie Burger (without the aioli), and the Tempeh Tacos offered on their dinner menu.


The Dancing Fox Winery is located at 203 South School Street in Lodi, and their phone number is 209-366-2634. The website address is http://www.dancingfoxwinery.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/dancingfoxwinery/timeline. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sacramento Vegan is taking Mother's Day off

Esquire Grill

My husband Phil and I had dinner at the Esquire Grill on K Street last night. I used to check their menu periodically to see if there were any vegan items, and it didn't seem as though there ever were. A recent look at Esquire Grill's website, though, turned up two vegan options.


I started with the Wood-Fired Castroville Artichoke Hearts appetizer, a delicious dish with an interesting combination of tastes. The artichoke hearts are garnished with toasted Marcona almonds and charred navel oranges, then served with a black olive vinaigrette. I'd tried this dish on a previous visit to the restaurant, and I liked it just as much the second time.

Next, I had the other vegan item on the menu, the Farro & Arugula Salad, which includes asparagus, red onion, walnuts, pea shoots, lemon, and olive oil, in addition to the farro and arugula. It's listed on the menu as a "small salad," but as far as I was concerned, this hearty dish was big enough for an entrée.

One other dish I've had previously at the Esquire Grill, was the tasty Roasted Beet Salad, with Cara Cara oranges, avocado, and pickled beets. I veganized it by having the chef leave off the creme fraiche. Sorry, I guess I didn't take a photo of it.


Esquire Grill is located at 1213 K Street, and their phone number is 916-448-8900. The website address is http://www.paragarys.com/sacramento-restaurants/esquire-grill/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/EsquireGrill?fref=ts. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner Monday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Thai House

I've shopped at Loehmann's Plaza for years, but until this weekend, I'd never eaten at Thai House, which is located on the Munroe Street side of the shopping center. To remedy that situation, my husband Phil and I had dinner there Saturday night.


It was fairly busy, with people dining in the restaurant as well as waiting for food to go, which is usually a good sign. I asked whether the sauces used in the Gang-Pak (Vegetable Curry) contained fish sauce, and I was told they did not. In Thai restaurants, I've found that it's always best to specify that you don't want fish sauce, regardless of what dish you order.


The curry sounded good, but I decided to order the Pad-Ped-Maklu-Ah (Spicy Eggplant) with tofu instead. It consisted of Japanese purple eggplant, bell pepper, tofu, and Thai basil in a spicy red curry sauce, and it was excellent. I could see why the restaurant is so popular, and I'll definitely go back again.

Thai House is located at 527 Munroe Street, and their phone number is 916-485-3888. Their website address is http://www.sacthaihouse.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thai-House-Restaurant/120494254632874?fref=ts. The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m. They are open for dinner every night from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

IKEA

I love my occasional visits to IKEA, where they sell so much cool stuff. But I'm always sad when I stop in at the store's restaurant after all that shopping and find nothing vegan on the hot food menu. That all changed this month with IKEA's introduction of Grönsaksbullar vegetable balls, vegan "meatballs" made of chickpeas, green peas, carrots, corn, kale, and red bell peppers. IKEA had originally intended to offer "meatballs" that were only vegetarian, but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was able to convince them to leave out all animal-based ingredients.


I stopped in at IKEA in West Sacramento over the weekend to see if they were available yet. Sure enough, a sign over the hot food section said "Vegetable Balls." I waited in line, noticing that there was also an asparagus salad that appeared to be vegan, but I held out for the vegetable balls. They were served ten to the plate in a sweet potato and cauliflower sauce, along with mixed vegetables consisting of squash, eggplant, and red bell pepper. A smaller serving is available on their kids' menu.

The veggie balls were actually pretty tasty, especially with the delicious sauce. They weren't a nondescript brown mass like most meatballs are (vegan or otherwise), but had whole peas, corn kernels, and other vegetable bits rolled into them. I ate every bite. Now if they'd only start serving a vegan dessert!

Eventually, IKEA will offer these Grönsaksbullar in their frozen food section, but they didn't have them yet when I was there. I don't know if they'll sell that wonderful sweet potato and cauliflower sauce to go with them or not.

More information about IKEA's restaurant is available at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/food/.