EastSMF

EastSMF, a new restaurant focusing on organic seasonal ingredients from local farms opened in East Sacramento last month. It's in the soft opening phase right now, but judging from the number of people who have been finding their way to the restaurant already, it will be a great addition to Sacramento's dining scene.


Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free items are clearly marked on the EastSMF menu. There are two vegan items, so I tried them both when my husband Phil and I had dinner there this past weekend. Apparently, the soup of the day is always vegan, so I ordered a bowl of the French green lentil soup. It was excellent, with carrots, curly kale, mushrooms, and other vegetables mixed in with the lentils.

The vegan entrée was a hearty winter root vegetable hash, consisting of beets, carrots, curly kale, red onion, and other delicious root vegetables. It was the perfect dish for winter, and I can't wait to see what EastSMF will offer in the upcoming seasons.

EastSMF is located at 3260 J Street, and their phone number is 916-228-4735. Their website address is http://eastsmf.info/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/EASTsmf-411432612323601/timeline?ref=page_internal. The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Corner Bakery Cafe

I checked out the Corner Bakery Café in both Natomas and Elk Grove this past week after someone on my Sacramento Vegan Facebook page mentioned that there were several vegan options on the menu. She was right!


I arrived at the Natomas location when they still had the breakfast menu posted. The only vegan breakfast option was the steel-cut oatmeal, but unfortunately, they were out of oatmeal. So I opted for an early lunch instead, choosing a trio consisting of two salads and a soup. The salads I chose were the seasonal fruit medley, which turned out to be delicious strawberries and blueberries, and the southwest avocado, consisting of an avocado half topped with roasted corn and tomato salsa and tortilla strips. The soup was sriracha black bean, which was very tasty with just a hint of spiciness. Field greens and a focaccia roll completed the meal.

I went to the Elk Grove Corner Bakery Café the next day and got another trio, this time with three salads. I ordered the four-grain tabbouleh, made with quinoa, wheat berries, red rice, farro, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a lemon dressing; the Asian edamame salad, consisting of edamame, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, green onions, basil, cilantro, and a ginger soy dressing; and hummus served with raw vegetables and grilled flatbread. Everything was very fresh and I really enjoyed my meal.

Other vegan salad selections are a toasted sesame kale salad and a quinoa and pico salad. The vegan items are clearly marked on the menu.


The Corner Bakery Café in Natomas is located at 2281 Del Paso Road, and their phone number is 916-928-4500. The Corner Bakery Café in Elk Grove is located at 8235 Laguna Boulevard, and their phone number is 916-478-6250. Both locations are open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. More information about Corner Bakery Café can be found on their website at http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/.

My Sister's Cafe

I was happy this past week to visit a café where I could not only eat a delicious vegan lunch, but support a good cause at the same time. My Sister's Café opened on Capitol Mall a couple of years ago to support the work of My Sister's House, which helps Asian and Pacific Islander survivors of domestic violence.


I found the café in the breezeway of the 455 Capitol Mall building and was happy to see a vegan soup on the specials board. The winter vegetable white bean soup was chock full of vegetable goodness -- kale, tomatoes, white beans, zucchini, carrots, and vegetable broth. I should have ordered a whole bowl full, instead of just a cup!

I debated whether to order the banh mi sandwich or the banh mi salad, finally settling on the salad. I ordered a half salad, but it was more than enough food, consisting of Romaine, tofu, cucumber, cabbage, jalapeños, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, and balsamic vinaigrette. If you decide you'd like to try the banh mi sandwich, I was told that the baguette is vegan.

My Sister's Café is located at 455 Capitol Mall, and their phone number is 916-475-1864. Their website address is http://www.mysisterscafe.org/, and their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/mysisterscafe/timeline?ref=page_internal. The café is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Culinerdy Cruzer Food Truck

I've been wanting to check out the Culinerdy Cruzer food truck for awhile now, but never seem to be in the same vicinity. My husband Phil and I finally caught up with the truck this weekend at Track 7 Brewing Co. near Curtis Park. I sent a tweet ahead of time to make sure there would be a vegan option, and here's the response I got back: "@PamGiarrizzo we always have vegan options!! And not just boring old stuff either!"


The vegan offering on the menu when we got to Track 7 was the Arty & Tom, a panini-style sandwich filled with a mixture of artichoke hearts, fire-roasted tomatoes, slaw, balsamic glaze, and red pepper hummus. It was a great blend of flavors and definitely not "boring old stuff"! I had a choice of sides to go with it, and I probably should have asked for the flash-fried Brussels sprouts, but I just couldn't turn down the fries.

Culinerdy Cruzer's Chef Keith Breedlove was recently featured on Fox 40 explaining how to make vegan and gluten-free burgers. Check out the video here.


More information about the Culinerdy Cruzer food truck is available on their website at http://www.nerdytruck.com/, or by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

VEG

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, filled with friends, family, and lots of vegan treats!


During my holiday break from blogging, a new vegetarian/vegan restaurant opened in Midtown. The owners of the very vegan-friendly Thai Basil restaurant have transformed the Level Up Lounge upstairs from Thai Basil into VEG, a restaurant serving all vegetarian and vegan dishes.


I stopped by twice last week to see what was being cooked up at VEG. During my first visit, I tried the samosas, small turnovers filled with curried potatoes, peas, and carrots. The pastry was flaky and the filling was delicious. I expect to enjoy many more samosas during future visits!

I also ordered the curry bowl, which is available in either individual or family size. Believe it or not, this enormous plate of tasty curried vegetables and brown rice was the individual portion! The cuisine at VEG is described on their Facebook page as being "Ayurveda-inspired," and this dish, with its variety of flavors and colors, is a good example of the chef's culinary approach.

The next time I visited VEG, I decided to try a breakfast item, so I ordered the VEG cakes, made with lentil flour and served with a thick persimmon sauce. I had seasonal fruit added for an extra cost, so my cakes were topped with beautiful persimmon chunks and blueberries. This hearty dish, consisting of two cakes, is also gluten-free.

VEG is currently in the soft opening stage, so the hours and menu may change. The menu is not available online yet, but the vegan items currently offered include fried tofu (definitely trying that on my next visit!), soup, salad, and tofu scramble, in addition to the dishes described above.


VEG is located at 2431 J Street, second floor, and their phone number is 916-448-8768. They don't have a website yet, but their Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/vegcafemidtown/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf. Currently, the restaurant is open Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Monday.

Cheesecake Factory

As I mentioned last weekend, I'm on a holiday break and my blog posts will be sporadic until about mid-January. But I discovered a vegan addition to the menu at the Cheesecake Factory, and for those of you who are spending a lot of time at Arden Fair Mall or the Roseville Galleria this time of year, I thought you might want to know about it.


The Cheesecake Factory has always been an easy enough place to find something to eat, but only if you asked for various ingredients to be omitted from whatever you ordered. I had emailed them several years ago to ask about vegan menu items, but all they said was to talk to the server about any dietary restrictions and that several of their dishes could be modified.


So I was surprised when I leafed through the menu last week and actually found a dish called the Vegan Cobb Salad. It was enormous, as are most of the menu offerings at the Cheesecake Factory, and it consisted of roasted beets, quinoa, green beans, avocado, cucumber, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and lettuce, served with the house vinaigrette. It was just as fresh and tasty as it looks in the picture below. If you're looking for it on the menu, it's listed in the Super Foods section.

My friend Cathryne ordered Evelyn's Favorite Pasta, which is vegan if you ask for the gluten-free pasta. The pasta is tossed with broccoli, oven-dried tomato, roasted eggplant, peppers, artichoke, Kalamata olives, garlic, and pine nuts. I've had this dish before, and it's delicious.

The Cheesecake Factory is a national chain. In the Sacramento area, they have restaurants at Market Square at Arden Fair and at the Roseville Galleria. For more information about locations, hours of operation, or menu items, visit their website at www.thecheesecakefactory.com or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecheesecakefactory.

Sacramento Vegan is taking a holiday break

Blog posts will be sporadic until about mid-January. However, I will post occasional updates on my Sacramento Vegan Facebook page. Happy holidays to you and your family!