Contra Costa Vegan

  PACIFIC CATCH Our son and his family paid us a nice long visit during the holiday season. This generally involves a lot of dining in restaurants or ordering take-out, and this visit was no exception. One day, as I was struggling to think of a place we hadn’t eaten yet, I came across Pacific Catch in Walnut Creek on my list of local restaurants offering vegan options, and that’s what we chose. Pacific Catch has a link on their website to their vegan options, of which there are two. I ordered one, and my son ordered the other. My West Coast Bowl was great. It consisted of grilled tofu, roasted cauliflower, avocado, cucumber, and radish salad, topped with cilantro-pepita pesto and soy-tahini sauce, then served over a brown rice/quinoa blend and mixed greens – basically, lots of things I like and nothing I don’t. It was a generous portion, so I had some left over for the next day. My son liked his Japanese Wasabi Bowl too, although the way he was eyeing my food, I think he’d

  MIXED GRAIN KOREAN CUISINE I am a complete neophyte when it comes to Korean food, but in the interest of showcasing vegan dishes in Contra Costa County restaurants, I decided to take myself to lunch today at Mixed Grain in downtown Walnut Creek. They make it very easy for vegans by clearly identifying their vegan dishes with a (vg) on the menu. I ordered the Veggie Jhap Chae, a dish consisting of stir-fried glass noodles, mushrooms, carrots, onions, spinach, cabbage, and bell peppers. For an extra cost, I had fried tofu added to the dish. Not knowing what sort of heat to expect from the spices in this dish, I requested mild spice. It was just the right level of heat for me, but I wouldn't consider it mild. If you don't like spicy food, this may not be the dish for you. I thought it was delicious, and I plowed through the whole thing. But then came the food that I wasn't expecting. In tiny type in the "Noodles" section of the menu, it says "Served with side

  BLOSSOM & ROOT Oh, my goodness, today's lunch at Blossom & Root in Danville was such a treat! For starters, there was the luxury of knowing I could order anything I wanted from the menu because the restaurant is 100 percent vegan. Then, even though I'm not much of a day drinker, I decided to try this fabulous lavender champagne cocktail, because how could I resist? That set the tone for the rest of the meal. Since I couldn't possibly order everything I wanted to try, I just picked an appetizer, a soup, and a dessert. The soup was a wonderful butternut squash pear bisque, served with grilled sourdough. The soup was seasoned with curry, which really brought the butternut squash and pear flavors alive. I love almost any version of butternut squash soup, but this one was really special. Next came the fritters, described on the menu as seasonal vegetables with a chipotle glaze and sesame seeds, served with a creamy herb dressing. The seasonal vegetables were carrots,

  SOCIAL BIRD After moving to Contra Costa County four years ago, I joined a few local vegan Facebook groups to find out which restaurants were vegan-friendly. The group I follow most closely is Vegans of Contra Costa County, which is how I came to discover that Social Bird , a restaurant in Lafayette that describes its cuisine as "Sustainable American" has a whole vegan menu. (Thanks for the tip, Colleen!) My husband Phil and I had dinner there tonight and I was not disappointed. Our server told us that their food is "farm to table," meaning that the staff buys their produce at the farmers' market and serves it at the restaurant the same day. I'm not a big eater, but wanted to try at least two things, so I started with the Avocado Bruschetta. The bread wasn't the traditional sourdough that's used for most bruschettas -- it was a heartier bread, possibly a whole grain bread. The avocado spread was delicious, and the pickled sweet peppers were the per

  MENDOCINO FARMS I had lunch with my mom today at the new Mendocino Farms restaurant, which opened in Walnut Creek in August. Mendocino Farms is a restaurant chain with locations throughout California, as well as in Texas and Washington. Mendocino Farms' menu includes a vegan sandwich, a vegan salad, and a couple of vegan side dishes. The Impossible Taco Salad sounded good, but when I saw the 1/2 sandwich combo on the menu, I decided to order a half Vegan Banh Mi sandwich with a side of the Pickles & Dill Potato Salad. I enjoyed the sandwich, but I loved the potato salad. It's made with sweet-hot mustard, chopped pickles, and dill. The potato salad is only on the menu for a limited time, so I may have to go back again soon for more. The Vegan Banh Mi sandwich consists of baked tofu, vegan aioli, sweet chili sauce, pickled daikon and carrots, cucumbers, and   jalape ñ os on ciabatta bread. The half sandwich was the perfect size for me. The other vegan side dish on the menu

  OAKLEY RESTAURANTS WITH VEGAN OPTIONS Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop , 3080 Main Street: Mr. Pickle’s has a sandwich listed under the Wholesome Choice section of their menu called the “Truly Vegan.”