SVCC 2018 -- El Papagayo

My husband Phil and I had dinner tonight at the exceptionally vegan-friendly El Papagayo in Carmichael. El Papagayo is beloved by local vegans, not only because of their annual participation in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, but because an entire page of their regular menu is devoted to creative vegan Mexican dishes.

For this year’s Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, El Papagayo created two new dishes -- vegan relleno and vegan cochinita tacos (jackfruit tacos in an adobo sauce). I decided to try the chili relleno, a pasilla pepper stuffed with kale, onions, green beans, carrots, potatoes, corn, and vegan cheese, topped with a roasted tomato sauce and served with beans and rice. It was a delicious and satisfying dish.

I was really full after that, but I asked if they had a vegan dessert anyhow. They had a vegan flan, and a dessert version of a chimichanga, which is what I ended up ordering. Essentially, it was a tortilla filled with chocolate, bananas, and strawberries, then deep-fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. So good!

El Papagayo is located at 5804 Marconi Avenue in Carmichael, and their phone number is 916-487-7742. Their website address is https://www.elpapagayo916.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/El-Papagayo-Restaurant-151929308155836/. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

SVCC 2018 -- Love + Flour Bakery

It’s not only restaurants that participate in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge – chefs and bakers who prepare food for delivery to your home are taking part in the challenge this year too. One such business is Love + Flour Bakery, and how could I resist a name like that?

Christine Ross is the owner and baker at Love + Flour Bakery, and everything she offers for sale is vegan. She has bread, cake, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, pies, and other desserts, as well as an assortment of jams and nut butters. With so much to choose from, I had a tough time making up my mind!

I finally decided to order caramel stuffed chocolate chip cookies, and, in honor of the fall, baked pumpkin cinnamon sugar donut holes and pumpkin bread. Love + Flour Bakery personally delivers orders in the Sacramento area for free, so my baked goods arrived yesterday, two days after I placed the order. My husband Phil and I tried everything after dinner last night, and I’m happy to say, everything was fabulous -- actually, better than fabulous. I’m already trying to decide what to order next time!

Love + Flour Bakery’s website address is https://loveflourbakery.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/loveflourbakery. A minimum of 48 hours is needed to process your order, and deliveries are made only on Monday and Friday, so plan ahead. 

SVCC 2018 -- Capitol Garage

It’s becoming easier to find vegan options for lunch and dinner at local restaurants, but as I’m sure you all know, breakfast is another story. I can’t tell you how many times my breakfast has consisted of a side order of hash browns and a fruit cup.

One restaurant that always offers vegan options for breakfast, however, is Capitol Garage, a regular participant in the annual Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge. I stopped by today to see what special breakfast dishes they’re serving this month.

There were three: tofu scramble, apple cinnamon pancakes, and donuts. For me, the choice was clear – pancakes! The order consisted of three hearty pancakes, stuffed with chopped Pink Lady apples and served with fig jam (for traditionalists, maple syrup was also provided). Vegans who are trying to eliminate oils from their diet will be happy to know that these pancakes are oil-free.

Here’s a copy of Capitol Garage’s Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu. Looks like they have lots of great choices, no matter what time of day you decide to visit.

Capitol Garage is located at 1500 K Street, and their phone number is 916-444-3633. Their website address is http://capitolgarage.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/capGarage/. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, Friday through Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

SVCC 2018 -- The Porch

My husband Phil and I had dinner tonight at the Porch, a restaurant that participates in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge every year. This restaurant is also vegan-friendly year-round, offering vegan options for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

The SVCC menu was dated October 3^rd – yesterday – so the food I had tonight may not be on the menu whenever you decide to go, but I’m going to tell you what I had anyhow!

For starters, I ordered the sweet chili cauliflower, cornmeal fried cauliflower florets in a sweet chili sauce. I thought this was an outstanding dish and I hope they keep it on the menu forever!

For my main course, I had the smoked tofu and beet meatballs. I know that sounds a little odd, but it was actually pretty good. The three meatballs were served on a bed of sautéed Swiss chard and mashed potatoes.

I was way too full for dessert, but I couldn’t pass up apple pie cake, and I’m really glad I didn’t. It was basically a spice cake with creamy frosting, topped with apple pie filling. Doesn’t get much better than that!

The Porch is located at 1815 K Street, and their phone number is 916-444-2423. Their website address is http://www.theporchrestaurantandbar.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ThePorchRestaurant/. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The SVCC menu is not offered at lunchtime.  

SVCC 2018 -- Sexy Panda Truck

Thank goodness for the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge! Without it, I don’t know when I might have found out about the Sexy Panda Truck, which is parked in a location on Arden Way that’s a little off the beaten path for me.

I drove over there for lunch today and had to decide what to order from a menu that was full of things I wanted to eat. Should I get tacos (Can’t Believe It’s Not Beef, Unchicken Bao, or We Harm No Fish)? How about the ImpossiBao or the Vegan Mac? Everything sounded so good! I finally decided on the Loaded Vegan Fries, and when they say “loaded,” they’re not kidding! I was presented with a huge serving of waffle fries, vegan macaroni, Impossible meat, cilantro slaw, bulgogi sauce, and vegan Panda sauce. There was so much food, in fact, that I couldn’t close the top of the to-go box until I’d eaten a good amount. I sat in my car and ate tasty bite after tasty bite until I couldn’t eat anymore. 

Since the Sexy Panda is a food truck, it won’t always be serving up all this vegan goodness in the same location. Right now, it’s at 998 Arden Way, which is at the corner of Evergreen and Arden, near the Harley-Davidson dealer. But you should probably follow their Facebook and Instagram pages so you can keep track of where they’ll be on any given day and during what hours. Whether they’re off the beaten path or not, they are definitely worth a visit!

SVCC 2018 -- Crocker Cafe

I had lunch with my friend Bonnie today, who wanted to go to the Crocker Café. That was fine with me, since Crocker Café is participating in this year’s Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge and I know their food is always good.

There doesn’t appear to be a separate Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu at Crocker Café – their vegan dishes are just incorporated into their regular menu. Their main vegan offerings appear to be tacos and cookies, so I ordered both.

The vegan tacos were filled with house-made vegan chorizo, house-made cashew cheese, and cabbage. Their vegan chorizo appeared to have a quinoa base. It was very flavorful and paired well with the creamy texture of the cashew cheese. I really enjoyed these tacos!

The cookies were on a platter near the cash register. Since they were small, I ordered two. Basically, they were like Russian tea cakes, little balls of baked dough covered in powdered sugar. I love Russian tea cakes, and these definitely did not disappoint!

The Crocker Café is inside the Crocker Art Museum at 216 O Street, and their phone number is 916-808-1865. You don’t need to pay the museum admission fee if you’re only planning to eat at the café and not expecting to visit the art exhibits. The café’s website address is https://www.crockerart.org/cafe, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/CrockerCafeBySupperClub/. Their counter service menu items are available Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

SVCC 2018 -- Revolution Wines

Today is the first of October, which means it’s also the first day of the annual Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge. Every October, local chefs create an array of scrumptious vegan menu items, which are available throughout the month. I look forward to this event every year!

The first thing I did for this year’s challenge was to print out a listing of all the participating restaurants. This list also indicates during which meals the special vegan dishes will be available. This year, there’s a special emphasis on brunch and dessert. Here’s a link to the list so you can print it out too: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nx3pjhRODuEw012bEEV1z2frXZrU5E8-8AM-iuF-eC8/edit.

A few of the participating restaurants have previewed on social media the dishes they’ll be offering this month, so I knew exactly where my first stop was going to be. The always vegan-friendly Revolution Wines shared a photo of the Impossible Stroganoff they had created, using Impossible Burger crumbles, and I couldn’t wait to try it. I stopped in for lunch today, and the stroganoff was every bit as good as I’d hoped it would be. All the vegan items are listed on Revolution Wines’ regular menu, and are clearly marked as vegan. I think the next time I'm there, I’ll try the sweet potatoes and chili.

I was actually too full for dessert, but I couldn’t pass up the Mexican chocolate cake, topped with blueberry compote. The cake was very good, and the blueberry compote was the perfect accompaniment. All the desserts at Revolution Wines are vegan, so if chocolate cake isn’t your thing, you might try the seasonal fruit crisp or the pumpkin cheesecake.

Revolution Wines is located at 2831 S Street, and their phone number is 916-444-7711. Their website address is http://rev.wine/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/revolutionwines/?ref=br_rs. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. They will also be offering special vegan dishes on their brunch menu, served Friday through Sunday.