Pita Kitchen

I had some shopping to do in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood the other day, so when I finished, I went looking for a restaurant offering something vegan for lunch.  Luckily, I came across Pita Kitchen.  Restaurants serving Mediterranean cuisine can almost always be counted on to have vegan options on the menu, and Pita Kitchen was no exception.  Even better, the menu had a "V" in a circle next to every vegan item.  Normally, that would make ordering very easy, but because Pita Kitchen had so many vegan options, it took me awhile to choose among them.

I decided to try a few things.  I started with the dolmas (hold the yogurt), grape leaves stuffed with rice, vegetables, and spices.  I thought the grape leaves were very tasty, just briny enough to go with the delicately-spiced rice mixture.  My entree was the falafel hummus plate, which included six pieces of falafel, tahini sauce, hummus, salad, and fresh baked pita.  Everything was quite good, but the falafel, deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas, onions, parsley, and spices, was excellent.

Among the vegan menu items I didn't order were baba ghanouge, a mashed roasted eggplant dip; tabouleh, a salad with a base of cracked bulgur; spinach kibbeh, deep-fried balls of ground bulgur, onions, spinach, onions, and spices; spinach pie; various roasted or grilled vegetable platters; and all of the soups (lentil, potato, and something called Freekeh, which is a roasted wheat soup).  Clearly, I'll have to take several more trips to Pita Kitchen!

I didn't have room for dessert (as it was, I had to get a to-go box for part of my lunch), but I did look at the dessert menu.  I was surprised to see a few desserts with a "V" next to their menu listing that I wouldn't have expected to be vegan, so I thought I'd better inquire. 

First, both the baklava and the chocolate baklava indicate that they're topped with a "honey syrup."  I asked the owner if honey or butter is used in the baklava, and he said no.  They use a sugar syrup and palm oil, so I guess the word "honey" is just used in the sense of being sweet, not in the sense of actually being, you know, honey.  Since baklava is one of the things I really miss since I went vegan, I bought a box of vegan baklava to take home.  It's not as sticky sweet as regular baklava, but it was a nice treat.  Next time I visit the Pita Kitchen, though, I'll try the chocolate baklava.

The other dessert that was marked with a "V" on the menu was the coconut cake, which has as one of its ingredients "vegetable ghee."  Since "ghee" generally refers to clarified butter, I thought I'd better ask what "vegetable ghee" is.  Apparently, it's an ingredient made from palm oil.  The owner of the restaurant assured me that they don't use butter at all and don't even have any on the premises.

Pita Kitchen prides itself on serving healthy, all-natural food, and all of their dishes are made from scratch.  They don't use any additives or preservatives.  The owner of the restaurant is very knowledgeable about veganism and says that he has many vegan customers.

Pita Kitchen is located at 2989 Arden Way, and their telephone number is 916-480-0560.  They don't appear to have a website.  Pita Kitchen is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Doughbot

UPDATE: DOUGHBOT HAS CLOSED

Now that I'm writing this blog, people tell me about all sorts of restaurants offering vegan options that I might not have heard about otherwise.  For example, over the weekend, I ran into a couple of friends and during the course of the conversation, I mentioned the blog. 

"Oh, you should check out Doughbot," I was told.

Doughbot?  I had never even heard of it.  Turns out it's a new doughnut shop that just opened September 3rd near the corner of 10th and W, and they sell vegan doughnuts and fritters!  Believe me, I was there the next morning!

Not being an early riser, I didn't arrive at Doughbot until about 11:15, so they were out of most of their vegan doughnuts.  Apparently, they're very popular with the folks who patronize the Sunday morning farmers' market a couple of blocks away.  But they still had some vegan chai and vegan lemon-glazed doughnuts left, so I bought one of each.  They tasted a little different than my memories of doughnuts past, but they were still delicious and I devoured them in no time.

The main thing I missed by not arriving earlier, apparently, was the chance to experience Doughbot's blueberry fritters, which were highly recommended by the young woman working the counter.  I'll be sure to try one of those if they're available on my next visit.

Doughbot is located at 2226 Tenth Street, and their phone number is 916-444-5157.  Their website (http://doughbotdonuts.com/) is still very much under construction, so if you want further information, it's probably best to check their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/doughbotdonuts#!/doughbotdonuts?sk=wall.  They are open every day except Tuesday from 5:00 a.m. until they run out of doughnuts, usually between 10:00 a.m. and noon.  They post daily updates on their Facebook page to let people know what doughnuts they're offering, or when they've run out of doughnuts completely and have closed for the day.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge!

Apparently, I'm not the only person wanting more vegan choices in the restaurants I patronize.  The folks at California Vegan Restaurants have launched the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, which will take place October 1st through October 31st.  During that time, several local restaurants have agreed to offer specially created vegan items on their dinner menus.  People who order these dishes will be asked to vote for their favorites online at the California Vegan Restaurants website.

If you want to encourage local restaurants to offer more vegan menu options, this is your chance to get out and let the participating restaurants and chefs know how much you appreciate their efforts.  The restaurants that will be offering special vegan selections during the month of October are: 

Kru

Michelangelo's

Tower Bridge Bistro

The Broiler Steakhouse

58 Degrees & Holding Co.

Capitol Garage

Hot Italian

Cafe Capricho

Bombay Bar & Grill

Aioli Bodega Espanola

Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe

So I guess you know which restaurants I'll be blogging about in October.  Personally, I can't wait!

More information about the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge is available at  http://www.californiaveganrestaurants.com/.

Gogi's Korean BBQ Street Tacos

One of the really great things about writing the Sacramento Vegan blog is that I have to keep going to new restaurants in order to make sure I don't run out of places to write about.  So while I used to eat at the same few places over and over again, I am now on a mission to find restaurants I haven't tried before.

It's a good thing, too, or else I probably never would have gone to Gogi's Korean BBQ Street Tacos.  I've seen this stand at the corner of 15th and L many times, but it never occurred to me to try it because I'd never eaten Korean barbecue before and didn't know if I'd like it.  How pathetic is that?

But when I saw that they had tofu tacos, I knew I'd have to give them a taste test.  I'm so glad I did!

The tacos consist of corn tortillas, seasoned tofu cubes, and a vinaigrette coleslaw with cilantro.  It sounds like an odd combination, but the flavors really work well together.  The seasoned tofu was spicy enough to be interesting without being oppressive, the coleslaw was tangy and crisp, and the taste of the corn tortillas blended well with the other ingredients.  I just wish that two corn tortillas had been used with each taco, as the seasoned tofu soaked through the single tortilla in no time, making it impossible to eat with my hands.

Since I didn't know if I was going to like the tacos or not, I only ordered two of them.  If I had it to do over again, I'd order the #1 combo, which is three tacos and a soda.

Gogi's also serves burritos and burrito bowls with tofu.  The burrito consists of chipotle rice, seasoned tofu, and vinaigrette coleslaw wrapped in a flour burrito.  It also comes with pepper jack cheese, so if you're vegan, you'll want to ask them to leave that off.  The burrito bowl is the same as the burrito, except without the tortilla.

Gogi's is located at 1431 L Street, across from Capitol Park, and their phone number is 916-442-7333.  I haven't been able to find either a website or a Facebook page for them.  Gogi's is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday nights from 9:00 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.

Freshii

UPDATE: FRESHII AT 400 Q STREET HAS CLOSED.

I had lunch with my friend Philly last week at a restaurant we'd both been wanting to try.  Freshii is an international chain, offering, as you might expect from the name, fresh and healthy meals.  According to their website, "Freshii is focused on becoming the most convenient choice for healthy and fresh meals and snacks served quickly in a cool, clean, and environmentally sustainable setting for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between."  Sounds like a vegan's dream!

I checked out their menu online, and found a very cool feature.  They have a "custom built" option that allows you to create your own salad, wrap, soup, or bowl.  If you check off the items you want using the interactive online menu, it will calculate the calories and other nutritional information for you.  For example, if you decide you want a salad, you can choose the type of greens you want, add various unlimited toppings (included in the base cost of the salad), pick some premium toppings (these cost extra and add up quickly), and then choose your salad dressing and portion size.  The interactive online menu will then tell you the number of calories, and the amount of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and protein in the salad you've created.  If you find that you have more or less than you want of some nutritional element or another, you can tweak the ingredients using the online menu until you have exactly what you want.

Freshii also has set menu items.  For vegans, these include the Vegan Wrap (spinach, avocado, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, sweet corn, chick peas, sun-dried tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar); the Spicy Noodle Bowl (rice noodles, grilled tofu, chopped almonds, bean sprouts, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, and spicy lemongrass sauce); and 7 Vegetable Soup (100% vegetable broth, brown rice, grilled tofu, spinach, diced tomatoes, sweet corn, broccoli, carrots, and celery).  Looking at the menu, the only breakfast item I saw that was potentially vegan was oatmeal, but when I called the Sacramento location to make sure that it didn't contain any dairy products, I was told that they don't offer oatmeal anymore.

Freshii has two locations in the Sacramento area.  The Sacramento restaurant is located at 400 Q Street and their phone number is 916-538-6644.  The Folsom restaurant is located at 2776 East Bidwell Street, Suite 500, and their phone number is 916-983-1400.  More information about restaurant menus and hours is available on their website at http://www.freshii.com/index.php.

Sacramento Vegan Is Taking the Weekend Off

Blogging will resume on Monday.

Preaching to the Choir?

If you're a vegan, you're probably already aware of the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  But if you're not a vegan, you might not know that switching to a vegan diet can help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, and improve your blood sugar levels. 

This is a message that Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has been delivering for many years.  He is the author of several books offering advice about why and how to switch to a plant-based diet, and his newest book, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart: Boost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health (http://amzn.to/mSQKED) challenges people to try a vegan diet for just 21 days. 

Why am I blogging about the 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart program today?  Because Dr. Barnard will be in Sacramento next Tuesday to talk about the benefits of a plant-based diet and to sign copies of his new book. 

If you're already a vegan, why attend?  Wouldn't Dr. Barnard basically just be preaching to the choir?  Not necessarily.  I think even the most dedicated vegan needs a little support and inspiration from time to time, which is why I am planning to attend this event.

And if you're not vegan, all the more reason for you to go and hear what Dr. Barnard has to say.  Who knows?  Maybe if you decide to try this program for the full three weeks, the health benefits will be so noticeable that you'll willingly give up all the animal-based foods that can lead to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 

If you can drop a few pounds and feel better with only a 21-day commitment, why not give it a try?

Dr. Barnard's talk and book-signing event will take place Tuesday, September 13th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Artisan at Uptown, located at 1901 Del Paso Boulevard.  Copies of 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart: Boost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health will be available at the event for $25.  More information about the program is available by calling 916-929-9900 or 866-416-7276 or at the following website:  http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/.