On the Road: Chipotle Mexican Grill, Fountain Valley, CA

Chipotle Mexican Grill

California's Chipotles have been testing out the vegan Sofritas filling option for their burritos, bowls, salads, and tacos. Lucky them. However, I did hear that the Phoenix metro area should also be featuring this option starting in September. So, here's a sneak peek about what we can look forward to!

The sofritas: shredded organic tofu braised with chipotle chilis, roasted poblanos, and a blend of aromatic spices.

Sofritas Burrito, Chips & Medium Salsa

Chipotle is very vegan-friendly and has a Build-Your-Own system for their food. Here's what you should avoid: pinto beans (cooked with bacon) and chipotle-honey vinaigrette, in addition to the obvious meats, cheeses, and sour cream. Also the location I went to today told me they had cheese in their guacamole, but I don't think that is standard, so check the location you visit.


Sofritas Burrito Innards

I ordered a burrito with the sofritas, cilantro-lime white rice, black beans, and pico de gallo. The burrito was humongous, filling, and delicious. I would have liked the guac on it too, but I didn't really miss it. I also got a side of chips and medium salsa. The salsa was nearly too hot for me to eat, but that could easily have been me.
All in all, the sofritas is a great addition to the Chipotle menu. It's fantastic when chains add solid and reliable vegan items like this. The lunch hour and travel-eating have just gotten much easier.


Chipotle Mexican Grill
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chipotle Mexican Grill
18951 Brookhurst
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 968- 4003
http://www.chipotle.com

Hours
Monday - Sunday 11am to 10pm

Featured Item: SOFRITAS!

On the Road: Bo De Tinh Tam Chay Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant, Westminster, CA

Bo De Ting Tam Chay Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant

Bo De Tinh Tam Chay Vegetarian Restaurant has two locations, the original small restaurant off Moran Street and their bigger second location on Beach Boulevard. Both are located within Orange County's Little Saigon, specifically within the city of Westminster. I happened to visit the location on Beach Blvd, which was tucked into an unassuming shopping center.

 

The dining room was elegant and peaceful full of dark woods, restful browns, little burbling fountains, and just an all around pleasant atmosphere. This would be a fantastic place for a date night or just a nice dinner out. I was told that usually the place is very busy, especially on the weekends. I was there on a Monday evening, and I got my food to go, so I didn't take advantage of the environment beyond the 15 or so minutes I waited for my order.

 

Beautiful Dining Room

The all vegetarian menu has approximately 200 items, and I was told only a few of them are not vegan... which unfortunately included the banh mi ca ri (French bread with veggie curry) which I initially had my eye on. But I moved on to choosing some vermicelli and rolls. The menu listed the Vietnamese name of the dish and the description in English, and many of the items had photos next to them. I didn't copy down the names of what I ordered, but I know they were #7, some kind of 'eggrolls', and #80 the vermicelli with sour ham.

Both were delicious. The 'eggrolls' were nice and crispy with a light, almost sweet dipping sauce. The vermicelli had a base of greens, topped with noodles, peanuts, pickled carrots and radish, and the sour ham which resembled small slices of Spam. I was a little nervous about eating anything labeled sour, since that is not my favorite taste, but the sour was understated and a nice contrast to the other ingredients.



#7 Eggrolls, #80 Vermicelli with Sour Ham

I'd really like to go back and explore the menu more thoroughly, but in the meantime, I highly recommend you pay this place a visit if you're in Orange County.


Bo De Tinh Tam Chay Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bo De Tinh Tam Chay Vietnamese Vegetarian Restaurant
15352 Beach Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 891-4455

No website, but here's their HappyCow Listing.

Hours
Monday - Thursday 9am to 9pm
Friday - Sunday 9am to 10pm

On the Road: The Donuttery, Huntingon Beach, CA

The Donuttery's Vegan Donuts

The Donuttery is tucked in a busy strip mall in Huntington Beach. I was there just before 8am on a Monday morning and the place was hopping. They had a nice big sign on the counter indicating they served vegan donuts and quite a few racks were dedicated to the vegan donuts, which were all clearly labeled.

The vegan donuts were all cake style, but the toppings differed in combinations of thick vanilla, chocolate, lemon, strawberry, and maple glazes with some plain, nut-covered, and coconut-covered.

I sampled the strawberry, maple coconut, and chocolate peanut and they were all delicious.  I was a little nervous when I found out they were cake donuts and not yeasted or raised donuts, but these were lightly fried and not dense at all. My omnivore family that shared the dozen donuts I picked up also enjoyed them, and were happy to inform me they couldn't tell they were vegan. This place is a definite win for vegan donuts!

The Donuttery

The Donuttery
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Donuttery
17420 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 847-7000

Facebook

Hours
 Monday 12am - Sunday 3pm (almost 24/7)

On the Road: Mai Thai Restaurant, Fountain Valley, CA

I was recently in Orange County, California visiting family, and as a result frequented quite a few vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants. So, I have a bunch of reviews to share over the next few weeks, starting today. Some are old faves and some are brand new. Yay!

Spicy Basil Tofu with Rice

This little Thai and Chinese place is vegan friendly, and their website even talks about their vegetarian options. They offer tofu as an option for most of their dishes, and they will easily remove egg or other non-vegan ingredients. I've eaten here a couple of times because it's a nice place to go when you need to accommodate omnivores and vegans.

I've previously enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Tofu, but this time the only thing I got was the Spicy Basil Tofu. It was really nice. The tofu had nice texture, but could have been a little more flavorful. The spicy sauce was tasty and just spicy enough for me. A very respectable place to visit.


Mai Thai Restaurant
Ranking: ***1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Mai Thai Restaurant
17938 Magnolia St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 963-4929

http://maithaifv.com

Hours
Sunday to Thursday 11am to 9pm
Friday to Saturday 11am to 10pm

On the Road: Chocola Tree Organic Vegetarian Eatery, Sedona, AZ

Chocola Tree Restaurant

Chocola Tree is a charming organic gluten-free vegetarian eatery located in Sedona. It's practically vegan, is free of processed sugar and hosts plenty of raw and healthy-focused items. Chocola Tree has lots of beverages to choose from plenty of teas, plus coffee, smoothies, kombucha, and even a Chocolate n Maca drink which I ordered an enjoyed. I do like maca!

left to right: Tea, Ginger Lemonade, Chocolate n' Maca; flanked by waters

Patio Hammocks: There are quite a few available for a light snooze.

Hummingbird Mural

Chocola Tree does have a small interior dining area but when I was there for lunch, no one was using it. Everyone was enjoying the beautiful day in the backyard patio area, which is nice and lush with fountains and plenty of birds, butterflies, and lizards.

Menu



from front to back: Sedona 2012, Banana Bread n' Butter, Spring Rolls, Morrocan Magic, Kefir Parfait 

For an appetizer, I had planned on sharing the Banana Bread n Butter, but it really was a one person serving. And it was incredible! So delicious, and then I didn't even want to share it. I also ordered the Sedona 2012 which is a tasty cooked tomato wrap filled with quinoa, potatoes, carrots, cilantro, hot sauce, vegan cheese, pico de gallo, mustard and guacamole. The Sedona was so filling, I couldn't finish it.

Sun Mural

My dining companions had the Spring Rolls, Morrocan Magic, Kefir Parfait, and another Sedona 2012 and everyone was very happy with the meal. We were definitely too full for any type of dessert, though there were plenty of options including a large case of fancy chocolates, and at least some of the chocolates were vegan.

I enjoyed my visit to Chocola Tree, but this is definitely a place with food geared more towards the health conscious, organic, raw foodies who will find their bliss there. A place perfect for the good energy of Sedona.


Chocola Tree Organic Vegetarian Eatery
Ranking: ***1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chocola Tree Organic Vegetarian Eatery
1595 W. Highway 89A
Sedona, AZ 86336
(928) 282-2997
http://www.chocolatreecafe.com

Hours
Monday - Sunday  9am to 9pm



Chocolates display

Sedona 2012

Chocola Tree Benches and Greenery

Side view of the front entrance



On the Road: MitAsie 3, Huntington Beach, CA

clockwise from top: Take Out- Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce & Greens, Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour "Chicken"

MitAsie³ is the third incarnation of the restaurant that focuses on healthy Vietnamese food. It first started out with an omnivore menu, then a few years ago it shut down for a short time, revamped all of its menu items and reopened as a vegetarian place. And now, I am happy to report that MitAsie³ is a completely vegan restaurant.

When I am in southern California, I visit Huntington Beach (HB) quite a lot. Bella Terra is a big shopping center in the area, and this little food gem is tucked into a strip mall by Michael's (the big arts and crafts store chain), directly across the street. I am very chagrined to say I didn't even know it existed until my most recent visit to California.

But, boy, am I glad I found it! I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

MitAsie3

The entire building complex was under construction when I was there, and so the photo of their front facade is not particularly great. But I am sure it will look nice when they are done. The dining room is not very stylish, with its eclectic whatever-we-have-on-hand decor, and it's rather small with just a few tables, but the food is really good.

I ordered take out; Sweet and Sour "Chicken", Fried Rice, and Spring Rolls. However, I don't even know the proper names of what I ordered. I neglected to write them down, and MitAsie³ doesn't have a website. Sadly all of the menus online for them are the very old omnivore ones, and very outdated. So, we'll have to make do without the official names, but I am sure you can figure out what I ordered.



MitAsie3 Dining Area

The Sweet and Sour "Chicken" was soooooo good! So good. My mom and grandmother were sitting with me while I was eating it. I think they were jealous of all the contented noises I was making. When I was growing up, Sweet and Sour was my absolute favorite Chinese food dish, and while I realise this was primarily a Vietnamese restaurant, I swear this reminded me of what I grew up with.

The Fried Rice was quite a surprise with its various mock meat bits. I think it had three different kinds. I am used to just little bits of fried tofu, but this one definitely had mock pork chunks and another kind that I wasn't sure about. Perhaps a little too greasy for some, I was very impressed and thought this was excellent.

The Spring Rolls were the only item I was a little bit disappointed with. And the fault lies directly with the crunchy rice paper casing. At least I think it was some kind of fried puffed rice shell. I was not a big fan of the taste or texture of it. The innards were just fine and the dipping sauce was nice and spicy. This had been a back up appetizer, as I had really wanted to order the one that seemed to be like a bahn mi sandwich, but they were out of some of the ingredients. Next time!


MitAsie3 Dining Area, Fish Tank, & Cooler

I highly recommend MitAsie³, and I hope you get a chance to visit.

MitAsie³
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MitAsie³
7636 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 847-5262
No website but you can check out their Yelp page.

Hours

Monday - Saturday   11am to 9pm

Sunday   11am to 8pm

On the Road: Seabirds Truck, Orange County, CA

Seabirds Truck

Seabirds Truck! Infamous from their run on season 2 of the Food Network's Great American Food Truck Race, the Seabirds have returned to their normal routine of serving food, gourmet truck-style in Orange County. I had been to California a few times recently but was unable to track them down. They move around a lot and if you don't have a certain time frame free, they can be  tricky to get to. The menu changes weekly too, but  a couple of the usual suspects tend to be on it, like the Sweet Potato Fries and the Beer Battered Avocado Tacos. Just follow their menu and schedule online. If you can manage it, the trip is worth it.

Sweet Potato Fries with Dipping Sauce

Before my visit to Seabirds, I had declared The Veggie Grill's Sweetheart Fries the best sweet potato fries I had ever eaten. And then I tried the ones from Seabirds. Oooooh. Even better! Lightly dusted with cinnamon with a delicious cilantro/jalapeno dipping sauce. Hello. Sounds like the flavors would conflict but not so. Really good. And it's your lucky day, because I just found a copy of the super tasty Seabirds Dipping Sauce recipe online. I can't help you with the fries though, unless the recipe is in the Seabirds Truck ecookbook.

Tempeh Biryani

I also ordered the Biryani because I had to try everything. While it was respectable, it was only okay. I am not a huge fan of Indian food to begin with (I wish I was-I keep trying), and I don't really like curry spice. Sadly, I think its biggest downfall for me was there were too many different ingredients mixed in. Eh. I wouldn't order it again.

Jackfruit Asada Taco

Next up I tried the Jackfruit Asada Taco served with salsa verde, chopped onions, and  cilantro. I was super intrigued by the jackfruit tacos and had heard many good reports. This version is the most popular, I believe, but they also use jackfruit in other menu items like the Island Jack Tacos and Jack Shwarma Tacos. Plus, jackfruit...what the hell was jackfruit anyway and why did it resemble pulled pork? The Jackfruit Asada Taco was spicy, sweet, and tangy. Pretty good.

Beer Battered Avocado Taco

But holy insane tastebuds, the Beer Battered Avocado Tacos were a.maz.ing. Served with the Seabirds Dipping Sauce, red onion, and cabbage slaw, these things are little slices of fried HEAVEN. I can't wait to go back for more of these and the fries. Mmmm.

Couple more things, Seabirds usually has about half their menu as Gluten-Free. And they used to do Raw Wednesdays, but I'm not sure if they do that anymore since I think Chef Raya is doing her own thing now, like giving raw food demos at Whole Foods Huntington Beach.

Seabirds Truck with Customers

Seabirds Truck
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seabirds Truck
Location/Hours: Varies
Check the schedule on their website or follow their stops on Twitter.
http://seabirdstruck.com

Special bonus interview with Stephanie Morgan, Owner/Creator of Seabirds Truck

On the Road: zpizza, Huntington Beach, CA



zpizza, Huntington Beach

zpizza, Surf City HB

zpizza is a pretty big chain in California, with 49 restaurants. In fact, Huntington Beach has not one, but two locations. In comparison the Phoenix metro area has a paltry five zpizzas. I've been to the Downtown and Midtown Phoenix locales, but I've really only reviewed the Downtown location.


Anyway, I visited the Beachmont Plaza HB zpizza one fine evening and picked up a Berkeley Vegan. I *needed* pizza. I've reviewed the Berkeley Vegan before, but shall I refresh your memory? The pizza is topped with Gardein veggie burger crumbles, which is like a mock spicy sausage. Plus, marinara, zucchini, red onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and the Daiya mozzarella shreds.

Berkeley Vegan

I wasn't blown away by the pizza this time around, but it was still quite tasty. I don't know if I've had better vegan pizzas since the last time I ate at a zpizza, or what the deal was. Regardless of the quibble, zpizza is definitely a good place for a pie.

What I love about Huntington Beach restaurants is they often have surf art, historic photos, and/or paraphenilia on the walls, and the Beachmont HB zpizza was no exception. We'll have to make do with the subpar photos from my phone for sharing the experience.

zpizza, Huntington Beach Historic Photos and Surfboard

zpizza - Huntington Beach (Beachmont Plaza)
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

zpizza - Huntington Beach (Beachmont Plaza)
10035 Adams Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
(714) 968-8844
http://www.zpizza.com

Hours
Not sure. Not listed on the website.

On the Road: Loving Hut, Huntington Beach, CA

Loving Hut, Huntington Beach, Ca

I adore the two Loving Huts we have here in the Phoenix area. I do notice a slight difference in taste for the items that are served at both locations. Sometimes they have different entree names on the menu, which might be differences in ingredients and preparation, but the images and look of the dishes are still quite similar and seem to be the same base recipe.


My recent trip to southern California only heightened my sense that each Loving Hut kinda does its own thing while still serving the basic menu. All three locations have a variation of this delicious crispy soy protein with lemongrass and red chile flakes; the Golden Beauty (Glendale), Sage Lemongrass (Central Phoenix), and the Lemongrass Beauty (HB). This is my favorite dish and so I had to order it.

While it was quite tasty, my taste buds rebelled a little at the differences. The Lemongrass Beauty was served in something of a light sauce, whereas I'm used to a drier, crispy nugget. By no means untasty, in fact it was very good, but it just seemed to be a little too different from the dish I was expecting and craving. This despite trying to go in knowing it was likely made a little differently.

clockwise from top left: Lemongrass Beauty, Lemongrass Tofu, Blissful Fried Rice
with Thai Iced Tea

Loving Hut Counter & Seating

While there I also ordered the Lemongrass Tofu because I adore lemongrass and the pictures and descriptions of the two entrees sounded just different enough. The Lemongrass Tofu was okay. It was a bit on the spicy side and had curry powder. Oops. I am not a huge fan of curry, and I must have missed that in the description, focusing only on the lemongrass, otherwise I would probably have asked for it without (an option per the menu) or tried something else.

I sampled their Thai Iced Tea which was decent, but I think I like  Fresh Mint's better because they use a coconut cream instead of soy. Lastly, everything was accompanied by their Blissful Fried Rice. Fried Rice, in general, is a perfect food. It definitely tasted like Glendale's Blissful Fried Rice, only greasier. Which was not necessarily a bad thing, since it reminded me a bit of the fried rice I used to get at Chinese restaurants growing up. Sure, prolly a little less healthy, but no less tasty.

The restaurant itself is tiny and tucked into a small strip mall. But its clean and has the same cheerful yellow and white decor as all of the other Loving Huts. Overall, a nice place to visit. Just check the hours before you go. Seems like they might vary.

Loving Hut, Fridge Case and Behind the Counter Scenes

Loving Hut - Huntington Beach
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving Hut - Huntington Beach
19891 Brookhurst St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
(714) 962-6449
http://lovinghut.us/huntingtonbeach/

Hours
Call for Hours (per website)

On the Road: Veggie Grill, Irvine, CA

Despite frequently being in the neighborhood, I kept missing chances to visit The Veggie Grill. But, finally, success! The Veggie Grill is a chain with about 7 locations in Southern California, and a new one in Oregon as well. The Irvine Spectrum Center location is smack dab in the middle of a busy and popular outdoor mall. How cool is that! I love that vegan(-friendly) restaurants are quite a bit more plentiful in California.


Santa Fe Crispy Chickin' Sandwich and Sweetheart Fries with Chipotle Ranch Dip

I had heard good things about their Sweetheart Fries, sweet potato fries served with vegan chipotle ranch sauce. And I have to say they did not disappoint. While not a big fan of sweet potato fries, these were particularly good. I was also in the mood for a sammie, and had a hard time picking between the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin', Bayou Chickin', or the VG-Cheeseburger. I finally settled on the Santa Fe which was crispy fried chillin' chickin', lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, and southwestern spiced vegan mayo. I really liked it too. Simple sandwich toppings, with a nice and crispy breaded faux chicken.

The Veggie Grill...Outdoor Patio looking In

They have indoor and outdoor seating, and I spent my time on the patio people watching. It was evening, and low lighting, so the pictures are a little dark, but what can ya do. Anyway, I would really like the chance to go back and try those other two sandwiches, and maybe some of the other items on the menu. But with the meal I had, this place is solid, and I would recommend anyone check it out. 


The Veggie Grill - Irvine Spectrum Center
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Veggie Grill - Irvine Spectrum Center
81 Fortune Dr
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 727-9900
http://veggiegrill.com


Hours
Sunday - Wednesday 11am to 9pm
Thursday - Saturday 11am to 10pm

On the Road: Avanti Cafe, Costa Mesa, CA

Avanti Cafe

I first visited Avanti Cafe about a year ago, when I picked up their holiday dinner. Since then, they redecorated their little dining room, making more space for tables and chairs. It's a very cute little cafe, with great attention to detail, and it was nice to actually sit down and enjoy the atmosphere. They had these cute little spice boxes which held black pepper, Himalayan salt, and red pepper flakes. The wait staff was very friendly and solicitous. And they served water in green glass bottles, and left the bottle on the table so you could refill your glass as desired. I always love that.

  

Spice Container...Black Pepper, Red Pepper, and Himalayan Salt

My grandmother and I were lunching and we both had pizza. Avanti is a vegetarian establishment, with lots of vegan options. My grandmother who is an omnivore, had the One Eyed Pizza which was a vegetarian pizza and loved it. I ordered the vegan Arugula and Spinach Pesto Pizza and enjoyed it. My experience with Avanti Cafe is that their food tends to be good, but has more of a health food taste.

The Arugula and Spinach Pesto Pizza: organic sauteed kale & chard, spinach & arugula pesto, BBQ tempeh, falafel crusted onion rings, organic heirloom tomatoes, and Avanti pepperoncini.

Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pizza

Avanti Cafe Seating

Avanti Cafe...More Seating

Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pizza...Again

Avanti Cafe is a good choice if you're in the area, and they have nice atmosphere, but there's quite a lot of stiff competition in vegetarian, vegan, and vegan-friendly restaurants in the Costa Mesa area. And if you are going down a list of choices, I'm not sure they would be in my top 5. I'd definitely eat there again, and they are worth checking out for yourself...especially since maybe I just haven't had their to-die-for menu items yet.

Avanti Cafe
Ranking: ***1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Avanti Cafe
259 E.17th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-2224
http://www.avantinatural.com/


Hours
Monday - Friday 11AM - 10PM
Saturdays 10:30AM - 10PM
Sundays 10:30AM - 8PM

On the Road: Lovin' Spoonfuls, Tucson, AZ

Lovin' Spoonfuls

Lovin' Spoonfuls is a 100% vegan restaurant located near the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. I'd say that, overall, they serve vegan comfort foods; a wide variety of them at that. You can find tofu scrambles, country fried chicken, lasagna, fries, chocolate cake, stroganoff, and veggie burgers but also thai curry, dolmas, egg rolls, and polenta. They also have a separate gluten-free menu.

Lovin' Spoonfuls, Interior

They have a nice dining room with plenty of tables and booths. Or you can eat on the patio.


Two omnis accompanied me to Lovin' Spoonfuls for this visit. One got the Southwest Breakfast Burrito which wasn't as spicy or "chorizo"ed as he would have liked. I didn't try it, but it was huge.

Southwest Breakfast Burrito

Southwest Breakfast Burrito, Innards

My other companion took on two appetizers for her meal, the nuggets and fries. I stole some fries, which were average (and they needed more salt). And I snared a good few of the nuggets too. We dipped them in an apple-y sweet and sour sauce which I liked. I thought the nuggets were good, but maybe a teeny bit skimpy on the mock meat parts. I wouldn't hesitate to order their fried deliciousness again.

Golden Nuggets and Shoestring French Fries

I ordered the Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger because I am a sucker for them. I didn't realize the burger came with chips or I would not have picked the potato salad as the side. Oh well. The potato salad was ok. It was better than my own homemade attempts have been, so I was satisfied. I'm just having trouble finding the perfect potato salad these days. Maybe it's like an alchemical delusion- the perfect version doesn't exist. The sandwich itself was good, though I have to admit I have had better vegan bacon cheeseburgers....Native Foods comes to mind.

Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger with Potato Salad & Poore Brothers Chips

I also made sure to sample the Tempura Shrimp. These battered shrimps were so delish! My only problem was they were served with a spicy cocktail sauce which did not complement them at all. I would love for these to be served with that sweet and sour sauce or some kind of sweet chili sauce. I really want a do over on these faux shrimps, where I can eat them properly sauced.

Tempura Shrimp with Spicy Seafood Sauce

We also shared a piece of Raspberry Orange Cake. The cake was slightly orange flavored with raspberry filling and a light chocolate frosting. I neglected to snap a picture, but we all agreed the cake was really good.

Lovin' Spoonfuls even placed 3rd in PETA's Top 5 Vegan Pies ranking with their Banana Cream Pie. That's a pretty high honor!

Lovin' Spoonfuls is worth the visit. The food is pretty good and the owner is super nice. If you are in Tucson, it would be silly to miss this place.


Lovin' Spoonfuls
Ranking: ***3/4

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovin’ Spoonfuls

2990 N. Campbell Avenue

Tucson, AZ 85719

(520) 325-7766

http://www.lovinspoonfuls.com/

Hours

Monday - Saturday 9:30am to 9pm

Sunday 10am to 3pm