Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin. Show all posts

Friday, March 6, 2009

Veggie Heaven

R is still in town :).

Veggie Heaven (99% vegan, 100% vegetarian)
1914 Guadalupe St, #A
Austin, TX

We went to Veggie Heaven on Wednesday. It was a typical small cheap place...plastic looking tables, etc. The service was definitely mediocre, our waitress spoke inaudibly softly. The food was fine, nothing to write home (or blog) about really. R got the bamboo tofu and his was pretty good, better than mine (hoisin tofu), but it tasted like the kind of dish you would get at a cheap, bad Chinese restaurant, but minus the grease. Bamboo tofu had flavor and spice (mine did not) but both were drowning in their sauces. We split vegan pot stickers for an appetizer and they were quite good, but didn't really resemble pot stickers physically or in taste. It was basically some kind of veggie puree (with an oddly smooth texture) inside of a rice wrapper that was fried into a circle. Never the less, we both enjoyed them. I have heard good things about their yam dish but forgot to try it. The one perk of this restaurant: options. There were 50 entrees on the menu + appetizers, etc.

We are going to Curra's tonight and I am excited. They boast that they have award winning enchiladas. But, more importantly, they have molletes. A treat I have not had since my summer in Morelia, Mexico. They also have soy chorizo on th menu and I read on one vegetarian website that they will substitute it for any meat in a dish. :-P

Monday, March 2, 2009

Austin, the first of many

As you know, I am living in Austin, Texas at the moment. An oasis in a desert. Literally.

In this blog I plan on not just including purely vegetarian restaurants, but ones that have delicious vegetarian options (plural. I know how frustrating it can be for a vegetarian to go to a restaurant that someone else chose and see that the only thing they can order is a Boca burger or the most plain pasta on the planet).

The first two restaurants listed below I tried within the past few weeks and liked quite a bit. I went to Madras Pavilion last October, but will go again soon and update.

Mother's Cafe and Garden (100% vegetarian)
4215 Duval St.
Austin, TX 78751
http://motherscafeaustin.com/

R (the boyfriend) and I went there yesterday for dinner. I had the Fettuccine Primavera and he had the Garden Stir Fry which came with black beans. I didn't try his, but he was very happy & mine was delicious. The "sauteed vegetables" they advertise on the menu turned out to include: onions, carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and yellow zucchini. Delicious. It was served with a light cream sauce (which was a little too abundent for my taste, but it was a thin sauce so it wasnt overwhelming) and egg fettuccine (which tasted and looked home made). All in all, very good. I hear they have great brunches too.

Swad (100% vegetarian)
9515 N. Lamar Blvd #156
Austin, TX 78753

Finally some good Indian food in Austin!! I have been here twice now and have been very pleased. Their masala dosa is good...but after living in the bay area it is hard to even think of a dosa as amazing as some I have eaten out there. The dosa itself I found to be a little too thick and slightly over cooked. The potato curry inside was plentiful and very tasty. The sambar was solid and standard. Chaat Samosa (samosa with a chick pea curry poured over it) was amazing & I am a huge fan of their plain samosas as well. There was another dish, I cant remember what they called it, but it is also known as Chole Bhature (spicy chickpeas in a thin curry with a fried bread)...maybe they called it Chana Bhature, and that was excellent. Paneer pakora was a little bland and lacked the nutty flavor of well cooked paneer that I enjoy, but the sauce they serve it with makes up for any lack of flavor :). Overall, an inexpensive and delicious Indian experience.

Madras Pavilion (100% vegetarian)
9025 Research Blvd #100
Austin, TX 78758
http://www.madraspavilion.us/MPAustin.html

I went here for the lunch buffet a while back and thought the options were delicious and varied. A little pricy, if I remember correctly. Around $12 for lunch but very good food. I hope to go back there to try some non buffet items soon and I will add to this review then.