When I was a kid, I shocked everyone by announcing I was giving up meat (I really had no reason to, except I thought it was โsorta cool.โ) At that time, being a vegetarian was fairly unheard of and caused problems when Iโd eat out with friends or family. Now, several decades later, vegetarian and vegan restaurants are becoming more and more popular, and you can feast meat-free at plenty of amazing restaurants worldwide. These days, those who want a great meal without meat can eat with the best of them, whether itโs at a totally vegan place (about half the ones included here) or a vegetarian spot. The one thing they all have in common is wonderful food.
Beet Tartare at Tian Bistro
TIAN BISTRO AM SPITTELBERG
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Tian Bistro is the casual outpost of Paul Iviฤ, who also created Austriaโs only Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant. I love the bistro, with its low-key look of wood tables and taupe-hued booths, creating a feeling thatโs organic, homey, and welcoming (thereโs lovely garden seating too). At the end of Schrankgasse, a long and narrow street in the hip Spittelberg area, itโs a revelation of great food and friendly service. The cuisine is creative, original, striking, and oh so delicious. You might start with a tartare of beets, a soft and flavorful column, with little gumdrop-shaped dollops of paprika mayonnaise scattered about the plate, and three caperberries resting insouciantly at the top. Another great choice is the watermelon and button mushroom salad. Although it sounds like an unusual combination, itโs actually perfect. The watermelon chunks display a depth of flavor thatโs like the watermelon of my memory, and the whole dish is infused with a mild sesame taste, and little rounds of scallions and sunflower petals completing the beautiful visual and flavor palate. Zucchini blossoms come in a rich miso broth, the crunchy flowers resting atop a bed of potatoes, baby yellow squash, and chanterelles. Wash it all down with organic wine or perhaps lemonade flavored with blackberry/rosemary or elderflower/ginger. Do save room for dessert, which might be their amazing hibiscus sorbet resting on a round of soft, gooey, beautiful polenta, strawberries and toasted oats lending a variety of texture and flavor. If everything on the menu looks great (and it is), you might decide to free yourself from decisions and do the โSharing Chefโs Gardenโ option, where the chef chooses two appetizers, a main, and a dessert for you. It gives you a taste (literally) of the wonders the chef is creating here. Schrankgasse 4, Vienna, Austria. Tel: +43 1 526- 9491. www.tian-bistro.com
Udupi
Photo: Courtesy Udupi Palace
UDUPI PALACE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Udupi Palace, a vegetarian Indian wonder, serves dishes mainly from the region of India that gives the restaurant its name. Located on East Gerrard Street in the heart of โLittle India,โ itโs remained one of the cityโs most popular spots for its tapas-style menu of meat-free delights that are perfect for sharing. Start with crispy onion pakora, or the amazing vegetable samosas. (Note: I could make a meal of the sweet tamarind and spicy mint sauces served with some appetizers). Continue, perhaps, with a dosa, a large coneshaped โcrepeโ made from lentils and rice, crisped on a griddle, and filled with everything from chiles and cheese to spiced potatoes and onions to spicy chutney. My suggestion: the paper dosa stuffed with a mixture of potatoes, black mustard seeds, cumin, white lentils, ginger, and green and red chiles. One of the several โpaper dosaโ selections (the thin, crispy crepe shows you where they got their name), itโs easily big enough for several to share, and served with coconut chutney and sambar. Channa bhatura, meanwhile, is a delicious chick pea dish in a rich curry sauce, served on the puffy bread known as bhatura thatโs made from the same dough as the more familiar naan, but put into hot oil till it puffs up like a pillow. The long, narrow room is unassuming, with a mural of columns and palms at the back, Indian statuary on wall pedestals, and metal/leatherette chairs. 1460 Gerrard St. E., Toronto ON. Tel: 416-405-8189. www.udupipalace.ca
SOULEY VEGAN
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Restaurateur Tamearra Dyson grew up in Oakland, but her family hails from New Orleans, which explains the amazing vegan takes on traditional Louisiana Creole cuisine dished up at her friendly and fabulous restaurant. In the back, youโll see portraits of her Louisiana forbears (โmy comfort blanket,โ Dyson smiles), and on your plate youโll see some great vegan takes on the cookery of that region. Start with their Seitan Spicy Strips, served with hot sauce and vegan ranch dressing (youโll never miss chicken wings again), before moving on to Zucchini Etouffe, with a coconut-based sauce and just a hint of heat. Try their flavorful gumbo, rich with okra, garlic, corn, tomatoes, and a saucy array of spices (along with what Dyson calls โThe Holy Trinityโ of onions, peppers, and celery). Youโll find the gumbo also in the Southern Staples Bowl, in which itโs joined by perfectly-seasoned grits and crispy tofu. Louisiana Hot Links make a perfect sandwich, spicy and toothsome, served with garlic aioli and dill slaw, while Mac & Cheeze is livened up with jalapeรฑos. Oh, and donโt forget dessert, maybe a mini sweet potato pie, washed down with their perfect housemade lemonade. The diverse crowd, young and old, Creole fanatics, and dedicated vegans, with everything in between, has kept this place one of the most appealing spots on Oaklandโs restaurant map. Souley Vegan lives up to both halves of its name: 100% plant based food and a dining experience from cuisine to service to charming setting thatโs unmistakably good for the soul. 301 Broadway, Oakland CA. Tel: 510-922-1615. www.souleyvegan.com)
Cornbread at Souley Vegan
Photo: Courtesy Souley Vegan
24 CARROTS
TEMPE, ARIZONA
My nominee for best name ever of a vegan restaurant, 24 Carrots luckily has much more to offer than just a fun moniker. Opened in 2008, the cafรฉ offers not only a wonderful menu, but a full line of tasty juices. You might start with a zucchini noodle salad (my favorite), where these green โpastaโ strands are mixed with greens and other vegetables into a huge mound of goodness, topped with a balsamic or lemon-tahini dressing (I suggest the latter). Another great use of these โzoodlesโ is in the Alfredo Primavera, where theyโre tossed with veggies and topped with a cashew-coconut Alfredo sauce, with a sprinkling of cashew โParmesanโ: crunchy/smooth, fresh, and clean. Thereโs a great selection of tacos, enchiladas, and sandwiches along with some vegan takes on the old favorites (โMac and Trees,โ anyone?). Wash it all down with an eye-opening Apple Zinger (apples/ginger), Carrots Over Easy (apples/carrots/pineapple/strawberries) or, the best of all, a Beet It (beets/carrots/ cucumber/celery/ginger). With its great food, friendly staff, and homey setting with plants on the tables and lots of art on the walls, itโs no wonder this spot is one of the best vegan restaurants in the USA. 1721 E. Guadalupe Rd., Tempe AZ. Tel: 480-753-4411. www.24carrotscafe.com
VegeNation
Photo: Jackie Sobon
VEGENATION
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
A great vegan restaurant in Las Vegas? If this sounds odd to you, then you havenโt visited VegeNation. Apparently Iโm not the only one thatโs discovered it, as the homey interior full of wood and plants is packed mid-afternoon when I visit. Your starter choices roam the earth, from sushi to bao to dumplings to tamales to hummus (though I admit to being a sucker for the buffalo cauliflower โwingsโ). I love the risotto, rich with portobellos and butternut squash, amazing in its rich depth and variety of flavors, with a close second being the wonderful sweet potato and black bean quesadilla. You might also try the excellent pho (or, as they call it, โpho-king-deliciousโ), or if youโre in the mood for something lighter, perhaps a Miley Cyrus Rainbow Superfood Salad, with quinoa, hemp seeds, and sunflower seeds combining with the fresh vegetables and Green Goddess dressing. Pizzas hit the spot too. From your basic Margarita to a concoction called โMac and Cheese Pizza,โ complete with chipotle ranch dressing and โblazin doritos.โ For dessert, thereโs always a rich, luscious brownie sundae, with vegan ice cream, caramelized bananas, and berries, or a โCrazy Goodโ chocolate molten lava cake. Who says vegans canโt indulge with the best of them? 616 E. Carson Ave., Las Vegas NV. Tel: 702-366-8515. www.vegenationlv.com
Roasted Brussel Sprouts at Fridaโs
FRIDAโS
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
This sophisticated little eatery in the St. Louis suburb University City (just off the famed Delmar Loop) dishes up inventive vegetarian cookery. Marble-topped tables hold flowers in little jars, while cutouts in the gleaming white walls between rooms hold large candles. Wood floors and recessed lights give a soothing feeling. As weโre seated, our server declares, โOur water today is infused with strawberries and hibiscus.โ Though an unspoken eyeroll goes around the table, itโs actually really subtle and good. I start with the roasted brussel sprouts with cherry tomatoes and aged balsamicโa simple yet totally satisfying take on this dish thatโs by now a classic. Orange, beet, and burrata salad melds the flavors and colors of the three star ingredients with ease, while the signature kale salad, with sprouted sunflower seeds, tomatoes, and avocado, is as healthy as it is delicious. The selection of burgers is enormously diverse, from a slightly spicy black bean burger to Fridaโs signature to Impossible and Beyond selections, and if you donโt want the exact burger dishes they offer, thereโs a โbuild your ownโ section where you can go vegan or not, piquant or not, simple or amazingly complex. You might, however, opt for one of the other entrees, from a Mushroom Reuben or mushroom/avocado wrap to an enchilada filled with red beans, a variety of veggies, and a house-made smoked cashew โcheddarโ enchilada sauce. 622 North and South Rd., St. Louis MO. Tel: 314-727-6400. www.eatatfridas.com
