Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery

I met a friend for lunch today at Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery, which is participating in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge this year for the first time. They are expecting to offer different vegan items throughout the month, but at the moment, most of the vegan dishes they're serving are already on their regular menu.


The first course options were either the Pan Blistered Shishito Peppers or the Baby Beet + Brussel Sprout Salad. I'm not big on Brussels sprouts, but I love beets, so I opted for the salad. When the server brought it out, I was surprised to see that, instead of whole Brussels sprouts, there were individual leaves from the sprouts. I don't know how they prepared them, but they were crispy, as though they had been toasted briefly. The beets were diced and marinated, then served on a bed of lentils and some greens that I couldn't identify. As it turned out, those greens were shredded Brussels sprouts. This salad was excellent, and I'm so glad it's on their regular menu.

Next, I had the Risotto Burger, which has received rave reviews from many vegans I know. I liked it too -- a nice thick risotto patty topped with lettuce, tomatillo pico de gallo, and what the menu refers to as "vegan awesome sauce," served on a fresh bun. I can definitely see why it's so popular.

The only disappointment was that the vegan dessert created by Blackbird's chef specifically for the Challenge isn't available at lunchtime. Guess I'll have to head over for dinner some night so I can try that Poached D'anjou Pear with Sangria Sorbet.


Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery is located at 1015 Ninth Street, and their phone number is 916-498-9224. Their website address is http://www.blackbird-kitchen.com/ and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/BlackbirdKitchenBar. The restaurant is open Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Saturday from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- Evan's Kitchen

I had a lovely lunch at Evan's Kitchen Tuesday afternoon. I know I'll go back there at least another time or two before the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge is over, especially since their breakfast is always so good. But rather than writing a big long blog post after I've tried more of Chef Evan's Challenge dishes, I thought I'd go ahead and blog about my lunch experience now, and write another blog post when I go back again.


There are always multiple items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Evan's Kitchen during the Challenge, so I had some choices to make for lunch. There were two soups: Minestrone or Sweet Potato, Leek and Ginger. Since my favorite minestrone soup is the one I make myself, I decided to have the sweet potato soup. It was so good that I wished I'd ordered a bowl instead of a cup.

The lunch choices were the Smokey Mushroom Burger, Grilled Eggplant Sandwich, or Eggplant Lasagna. I went with the lasagna, which was very light and quite delicious. The menu didn't list the ingredients, but there didn't seem to be any pasta in the dish. It had eggplant, tomato sauce, bread crumbs, I think, and vegan cheese. It was excellent.

I don't know whether Chef Evan has decided not to make a special vegan dessert for the Challenge, or if it's just not available for lunch. At any rate, the only vegan dessert available was a simple but refreshing raspberry sorbet.

Evan's Kitchen is located at 855 57th Street, in the 57th Street Antique Row, and their phone number is 916-452-3896. Their website address is http://www.chefevan.com/ and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/evanskitchen. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- Fahrenheit 250 BBQ

My husband Phil and I had dinner Saturday night at the already vegan-friendly Fahrenheit 250 BBQ. Since this restaurant just opened several months ago, this is its first time participating in the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge.


I told the server I wanted one of everything on the Challenge menu. The first item was a Wedge Salad, two crisp wedges of iceberg lettuce with a "blue cheese" dressing made from silken tofu, then topped with cherry tomato halves and "bacon" made from roasted coconut. The dressing was excellent, with a texture and flavor very much like the real thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this salad.

The main course was Smoked Avocado Pesto, angel hair pasta in a sauce of smoked avocado, pine nuts, basil, and olive oil, tossed with chanterelle mushrooms. Very tasty!

The final course was the wonderful Quinoa and Coconut Parfait. Puffed quinoa, fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries were served in a glass that was filled the rest of the way with whipped coconut milk. The crunch from the puffed quinoa added interest to what was already a creative and delicious dessert.

Fahrenheit 250 BBQ is located at 7042 Folsom Boulevard, and their phone number is 916-476-4508. Their website address is http://fahrenheitbbq.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/fahrenheitBBQ?ref=br_tf. The restaurant is open Tuesday 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 noon to 8:00 p.m. The Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu is available for both lunch and dinner.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- Capitol Garage

I'm just back from eating every single item on the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu at Capitol Garage, and I'm so full I can barely breathe. I probably should have had some of the food boxed up to bring home, but I just couldn't stop eating it!


The first course was a pumpkin salad served on a bed of arugula. It was dressed with an allspice vanilla vinaigrette and topped with toasted pepitas. I don't usually care for arugula, but it worked beautifully in this salad.

Next up was the Blackened Cauliflower Steak, which consisted of char-grilled cauliflower and barbecue roasted beets with a coconut leek soubise. I had to look up "soubise," and it's apparently a type of Bechamel sauce with puréed onions. Since cauliflower and beets are two of my favorite vegetables, this spicy dish was perfect for me.

And then came the dessert. It looked like a candy bar, but inside the hard dark chocolate shell was almond cake, pear sauce, and a thin layer of caramel. Oh, my goodness...

Items on the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge menu at Capitol Garage are available for both lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located at 1500 K Street, and their phone number is 916-444-3633. Their website address is http://www.capitolgarage.com/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/capGarage. Capitol Garage is open Monday through Thursday from 6:00 a.m. to midnight, Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge 2014 -- Shine

Yesterday was the first day of the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge. Since I wasn't going to be available to go to dinner at one of the Challenge restaurants, I decided to go to Shine, where Challenge items are offered at lunchtime too. Amanda Lawrence, one of the owners of Shine, is vegan herself, so the restaurant is already vegan-friendly, but they're going all out this month.


A menu board near the cashier lists the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge options. I ordered the Sweet & Spicy Tempeh Torta, a sandwich of tempeh, avocado, spicy chili sauce, and greens served on a ciabatta roll. A green salad with a spicy Thai dressing was served on the side. Delicious!

Everything on the top shelf of the deli case at Shine this month is vegan, so I checked out all the tempting desserts there. I chose a wonderful cardamom and rosewater tapioca, which was the perfect way to follow the spicy torta.

Other vegan options will be offered during the month, including things like Indian chaat salad, Latin quinoa salad, and, for dessert, pumpkin mousse parfait, so you may want to stop in often!


Shine is located at 1400 E Street, and their phone number is 916-551-1400. Their website address is http://www.shinesac.com, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/shinesacramento. The restaurant is open Monday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Fourth Annual Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge Starts Wednesday

The best month to be a vegan in Sacramento is in October, which is when the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge takes place. Throughout the month, local restaurants will be offering a special vegan dinner menu that includes an appetizer or soup, main course, and dessert. Some restaurants will also serve brunch. Diners will be able to vote on dishes in a variety of categories. Bethany Davis, the organizer of this event, and her team have lined up sixteen restaurants to take part this year. Participating restaurants include some Challenge favorites, as well as a few newcomers:

* 58 Degrees & Holding Co.
* Abyssinia
* Baagan
* Blackbird Kitchen+Beer Gallery
* Broderick Roadhouse
* Capital Dime
* Capitol Garage
* Evan's Kitchen
* Fahrenheit 250 BBQ
* Hook & Ladder
* Lou's Sushi
* El Papagayo
* Pizza Rock
* The Porch
* Shine
* Tower Bridge Bistro

This is our chance to remind local chefs that there's a significant vegan community in Sacramento. If large numbers of us dine at these restaurants and order from their special menus in October, maybe more chefs will consider offering vegan options year-round.

I'm going to try to visit all of these restaurants during the Challenge, and I'll blog about them within a day or two after each meal so you'll have a chance to see what's on the menu. I hope to see many of you out there!

The Roaming Spoon's Vegan Farm-to-Fork Dinner

I was really excited about Sacramento's farm-to-fork movement when I first heard about the concept. I thought it would be all about the fabulous fruits and vegetables that are available year-round from small farms in our region.


Not so much. "Farm-to-fork" seems to have morphed into what I call "ranch-to-fork," complete with pig roasts to feed the masses, while expensive meat-centric meals are served to the elite in an annual dinner that takes place on the Tower Bridge. Special farm-to-fork meals are available during Restaurant Weeks in trendy eateries all over town, but I've seen very few vegan options on any of those menus. I was beginning to think I was going to have to sleep through September, just waking up in time for the Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge in October.


But then Chef Sylvanna Mislang of The Roaming Spoon came through with a six-course vegan farm-to-fork pop-up dinner, and my month was saved.


The Roaming Spoon's pop-up dinners are intimate gatherings, with no more than twelve diners sitting together at one long table. The location varies, with diners informed by email on the day of the event about where the dinner will be held. The cuisine is always vegan, and if you want wine with your meal, you bring it yourself.


Last night's dinner was held at The Mill in midtown. Guests were welcomed with a pear and champagne cocktail and mingled briefly until the dinner began. Chef Syl came out at the beginning of each course to introduce the dish that was being served.

The first course was a trio of roasted peppers, dressed with lemon and served with tiny edible flowers and a line of smoked salt. Only the bravest people at the table ate the small fiery red peppers, but everyone enjoyed the flavors of the other peppers in the trio.

Next, we had a salad of avocado, shaved carrot strips, arugula, and black salt. The produce for this and all the menu items was incredibly fresh and seemed to have been picked at its peak, probably due in no small part to the expertise of Chef Syl, who works in the produce department of Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and has built relationships with the proprietors of several local farms.

The third course was a huge favorite with the assembled guests. It consisted of zucchini ribbons, cherry tomatoes, microgreens, basil, and the pièce de résistance -- "meatballs" made from eggplant, white bean paste, and Panko crumbs. They were the best vegan meatballs I've ever eaten, and judging from the comments around the table, I'm not the only person who thought so.

Our next course was a cheese plate, with crostini slices, a wedge of deliciously creamy cashew cheese, and grapes. So good!

Our cheese plate was followed by a palate cleanser, consisting of bites of sweet cantaloupe topped with a "caviar" of tapioca soaked in watermelon juice.

Dessert was a lovely crème brûlée made of almond milk, sugar, and kaffir leaves. It provided a superb ending to a fabulous meal.

This was the second Roaming Spoon dinner I've attended, and I would happily attend many more. If you haven't had one of these special meals yet, I strongly recommend that you treat yourself to this unique experience soon.


More information about The Roaming Spoon is available at http://theroamingspoon.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theroamingspoon916. You can also follow The Roaming Spoon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/theroamingspoon.