Mendocino
Farms, a California-based restaurant chain, is opening a location at the Ice
Blocks on R Street tomorrow. Offering a "chef-driven, seasonal
farm-to-table menu," Mendocino Farms has lots of great options for vegans.
I attended a preview event there
last week, and tried every vegan dish they were passing around. Some of the dishes,
such as the tofu skewers and the crudités with three different vegan
sauces, are available only on their catering menu. However, they were also
serving two items from their regular menu that I know will be popular with
local vegans.
The banh
mi sandwich, served on Mendocino Farms’ excellent ciabatta, is filled with
baked tofu, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers, jalapeños, cilantro, vegan
aioli, and sweet chili sauce. I’m not usually a big fan of banh mi sandwiches,
but I would definitely eat this again.
They were
also serving the Impossible taco salad, which, as its name suggests, is made with
Impossible Burger meat to which chorizo seasonings have been added. This salad
also includes romaine, curly kale, succotash made from black beans, corn, and
jicama, red onions, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. The dressing is a house
vegan chipotle ranch. This salad was a hit even with the non-vegans.
Last
night, I went back with my husband Phil for a staff training dinner, which was
also a fundraiser for three local elementary schools. In lieu of paying for an
entrée and a drink, diners were asked to donate to one of the three schools. I
ordered Mendo’s smokehouse tempeh sandwich, consisting of barbecue house-smoked
tempeh, mustard pickle slaw, tomatoes, red onions, and vegan aioli, served on
toasted ciabatta. I really liked the flavor of the tempeh in this sandwich.
They were
also offering samples of their side dishes, so I ordered the two that were
vegan. The one on the left in the picture below is a mix of julienned raw beets
and carrots, kale, golden raisins, and I don’t know what all. The one on the
right is curried couscous and cauliflower. Both were very good.
Other
vegan items at Mendocino Farms include a falafel wrap, and a Chinese chicken
salad that can be made vegan with a couple of substitutions. They also have an
avocado and quinoa superfood ensalada that, if it can be made without the
cojita cheese, seems like it would be fabulous.
Mendocino
Farms is located at 1610 R Street, and their phone number is 916-368-5400. Their
website address is https://www.mendocinofarms.com/,
and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/MendocinoFarms/.
The restaurant will be open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
