Restaurant and Product Shoutouts

Restaurants

Memorable dishes at restaurants that understand vegetarians like tasty food (kudos). Sometimes things that inspire my recipes…

• Chaia Tacos, Georgetown
• El Centro, Georgetown and U Street–tasty veggie friendly items on the menu
• Sprig and Sprout, Simply Bahn Mi, PhoViet–all have great veggie pho and bahn mi
• Beefsteak (Jose Andreas’s very veggie friendly fast casual place in Dupont and Foggy Bottom). Awesome ‘beefsteak’ (as in the tomato) burgers and veggie bowls
• Taqueria National (14 & T)–kudos for always having a vegetarian special. Would I love even more options? yes. but their squash blossom taco is really good. the egg/chili one isn’t bad either. And their other veggie tacos are pretty tasty too.
• So this might sound funny, but chipotle’s new-ish sofrito option is great. tasty, spicy.
• Amsterdam Falafal
• Cava Mezze
• Pho14 in Adams Morgan–a lot of vegetarian options (pho, bahn mi, with tofu and vegetarian stock).
• &Pizza at U and 14th. Lots of customizable options!
• Sakuramen. Wow, I didn’t get the whole ramen craze, til I tasted their “signature sakuramen”–with mushrooms, corn.
• Check out  14th & Q street pizzeria “Etto”.  The two basics and some sides are their veggie options. I like the margarita. The don’t do a lot of changes though 😦
• I haven’t been but wanted to give a shout out to Hanoi House, on 14th near U–a veggie-friendly Vietnamese establishment on 14th street. Thank you for using tofu as an option for multiple dishes. I love that you give me the option of trying things. I’m excited to see how it is.
• Masa 14 many yummy dishes–crispy tofu, mushroom flat bread, wok-fried okra (14th & S NW)
• Agora (17th and Q). Lots of tasty turkish mezze. Imam Bayaldi (baked eggplant with onions and stewed tomatoes), Ottoman rice
• Matchbox–veggie pizza (tell them you want it lightly cooked or it will be charred)
• Rasika–palak chaat, butternut squash samosas (Washington DC Penn Quarter and West End).  I recommend this place for appetizers, not main dishes. Palak Chaat: paper-thin, flash-fried spinach appetizer — lightly tossed in tamarind chutney and sweet yogurt and flecked with red onion
• Julias empanadas (really? yes). The spinach. and sometimes the weekly vegetarian. cheap, tasty, a reliable standard
• Bua Thai (17 and P): Ask for the #31 (Pad Ke Mao) with tofu instead of chicken. they will oblige, and it will be tasty. Tender eggplant, bell peppers, and basil in a tasty sweet-sour sauce.
• Mandalay (Burmese in Silver Spring). Cabbage ginger salad. really, we came home and tried to make it. that good.
• Bangkok Joes (for their dumplings): butternuts quash dumplings, mushroom dumplings
• Inn at Little Washington’s– truffle popcorn. trufly, slightly sweet and salty. soo good. (note: this place is only only for special occasions and you have to tell them ahead that you are vegetarian and then remind and ask…i was served caviar even after I asked the server)

Product Shoutouts

Companies that are making my veggie life better. Are some of these “processed”? Yes. Do I ue them every day and in large quantities? No. But they add add flavor and variety to our meals.

• Gardein (good fake chik’n). I like the scallopini and the mandarin chick’n (I don’t use the sauce packet)
• Field Roast (chipotle mexican veggie sausage, you are a versatile lifesaver in our household. ads flavor, spice, and protein). And for anyone who’s ever been skeptical of seitan, you really ought to try this.
• Trader joe’s meatless meatballs
• SOL Cuisine (korean barbeque, “tinga” vegetables). who knew. some of your your sauces are a little too sweet…but good try.
• Sophie’s Kitchen: I saw the veggie crab cakes and calamari in the freezer section and thought “really”? but two meat eaters in my house said they tasted good.
• Morningstar Farms Sausage Style crumbles: This was our first discovery and we used it a lot those first years of our veggie-meatatarian relationship. It makes a great substitute in tacos, chili, and lots of other stuff. And for over a decade, my fellow girl scout leaders and I have faked out our girls with this. Safer food handling, easier for us, and best yet, they like it.  Only the girls cooking know the “secret”  and we do a “reveal” at the end. it’s kind of funny to watch each time. This year one girl asked if we were going to have the “amazing” tacos again!