Grills & Greens

A while back, I posted something on social media about the really good falafel I'd eaten recently. Someone responded that I really needed to try the falafel at Grills & Greens in Rancho Cordova, so a few days ago, I drove over to do just that.


Grills & Greens has a very helpful menu, where they specify which items can be made vegan. I was momentarily distracted by the eggplant sandwich option, but then they gave me a sample of the falafel to try. It was delicious, with a combination of spices that I couldn't quite identify. Whatever they were, they made all the difference between the run-of-the-mill falafel that many places serve and a falafel that was really special. That was all it took -- I ordered the falafel sandwich combo.


What a combo it was! There was an enormous sandwich consisting of a thick flatbread stuffed full of falafel and dressed with tahini. In addition, there was a side of salad greens with vinaigrette and a large portion of hummus with more flatbread. Needless to say, it was way too much food to eat in one sitting and I had to take some of it home.

Grills & Greens is located at 3040 Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova, and their phone number is 916-853-2265. Their website address is http://www.grillsandgreens.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/GrillsGreens/. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Wild Rooster Bistro

For some reason, I rarely visit charming Old Fair Oaks Village, known for its population of feral chickens. It's off the beaten path for me, so I just never think about it. Recently, though, I saw comments on Facebook about a new café in Fair Oaks offering vegan options. So I headed up there a few days ago for lunch at the aptly-named Wild Rooster Bistro.


The cuisine at the Wild Rooster Bistro is Mexican, and the menu is conveniently marked to show which items are veganizable. There were three dishes on the lunch menu that could be made vegan -- sopes, tostadas, and nachos. I opted for the sopes, thick cornmeal cakes topped with sautéed vegetables, shredded lettuce, salsa, and vegan sour cream. They were served with refried beans, rice, and a dollop of vegan cream cheese. I really enjoyed everything on the plate.

The veganizable items on their breakfast menu are huevos rancheros and chilaquiles, in which they leave out the eggs, add sautéed vegetables, and use vegan cheese and sour cream. Their menus are not posted online, and the server seemed to think they'd be changing the menu soon. At any rate, I am posting pictures below of both current menus so you can have a more complete description of their vegan offerings.

Wild Rooster Bistro is located at 7984 California Avenue in Old Fair Oaks Village, and their phone number is 916-966-6384. They don't appear to have a website, but their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/wildroosterbistro/. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Seasons

My husband Phil and I met up with family from the Bay Area for dinner at Seasons in Davis over the weekend. I checked the online menu ahead of time to see if there were any vegan or veganizable options, and was happy to see "Summer Vegan Spaghetti" listed.


Of course, it hasn't been summer for a few months now, so I was not surprised to get to the restaurant and see that the vegan listing had been changed to "Vegan Pesto Spaghetti." That was fine with me, as it sounded delicious.


I started with the warm California olive and Marcona almond appetizer, which I somehow forgot to photograph. It was a great way to start the meal, though.


Then I had the spaghetti, which included potatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and pesto. I thought it was unusual to find potatoes in a pasta dish, but I really enjoyed it. All in all, this was a very satisfying meal.

Seasons is located at 102 F Street in Davis, and their phone number is 530-750-1801. Their website address is http://www.seasonsdavis.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/SeasonsinDavis/. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Seasons also serves lunch Wednesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and brunch on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Three Ladies Cafe

I had a little holiday shopping to do in Davis a few days ago, which gave me the perfect opportunity to check out Three Ladies Café. This mostly vegetarian café, which just opened in October, serves smoothies, coffee drinks, baked goods, and a few breakfast and lunch items.


I ordered the Ploughman's Lunch, consisting of bread and three side dishes. The vegan bread option was a hearty soda bread scone. There were four vegan side dish options, so for my three, I chose the white bean hummus, the organic roasted pepper and winter squash salad, and the organic egg-less salad. The fourth vegan side dish, which I'll order the next time I have this dish, was house marinated chickpeas. It was the perfect lunch to carry me through the rest of my shopping!

Other menu items I'll want to try during future visits are the tofu scramble plate, which is served for breakfast only, and the roasted tomato sammie, a sandwich consisting of roasted tomatoes, garlic hummus, and slaw on a vegan scone.

Three Ladies Café is located at 130 G Street, Suite A, in Davis, and their phone number is 530-302-3434. Their website address is https://www.threeladiescafe.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/threeladiescafe/. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (with breakfast served until 11:00 a.m.), and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (with brunch served until 1:00 p.m.).