He’s driving me “specials” crazy. It’s bad enough that I crave Green’s thyme fries and spicy peanut chicken salad on a daily basis. And now that Green’s Phoenix location is 10 minutes away from my home and/or office, I go there far more than anyone should. But to make matters worse, Damon has twice the ability to tempt me to make an extra trip with his somewhat-weekly and always intriguing specials for both locations, which he teases his loyal patrons with on the Facebook page days in advance.

Case in point: Damon posted last Friday that there would be new specials coming up soon. I hadn’t seen any posted over the weekend, but twisted my husband’s arm that we should go to the Phoenix location on Saturday to get salads, since we’d be “in the neighborhood.” While there, the person taking my order said they should have new specials on Monday. I had the day off on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so beginning at about 10:30 a.m. I stalked the Facebook page to see what they’d be, hoping to go for lunch. By 1:15 I had given up, figuring “maybe Tuesday” and made lunch at home. At 1:30 p.m. The Teaser posted that the Tempe location has an amazing sounding special: “The 1970′s PO BOY- our tasty throwback Nature Burger patty with a tahini lemon dressing over fresh lettuce, tomato, sliced cucumber, and alfalfa sprouts. A bit of vegan mayo on a toasted po boy roll make this classic, one vintage sandwich – comes with a side.” I griped, and then realize I have a meeting tomorrow right by the Tempe location and can squeeze in a visit before or after.

Then the fatal vegan food-addict blow came. Fifteen minutes later Damon posted that the Phoenix location special is an “Aspen Mountain Grilled Cheese n Tomato Soup – Colorado cracked wheat, buttered and toasted with vegan American slices and a side of house made tomato soup with organic elbow corn pasta- Throwback- Just like mom used to make.”

That was it. I couldn’t take it. I finished up my household chores (a rationalization/justification for having a second lunch) and hit the road. Here’s the result:

The bread was grilled perfectly – just greasy and crispy enough to give it some bite. The “cheese” was a bit dry/flavorless, but I think we all know that my penchant is for Daiya (which this wasn’t). I should have asked for pickles (which I always put on my grilled cheeses for some reason).

The soup was spot on — tangy and robust, and given some extra boost by the pasta.

Once it clicked in my brain to dip the grilled cheese into the soup, my day was made.

Of course while I was there I had to pick up a couple of brownies from Nami – which I swear are the world’s most perfect brownies (vegan or not).

Crisp on top and on the edges, chewy inside, and with just the right amount of chocolate decadence.

As to that special in Tempe, I’ll be trying it tomorrow for sure! Be forewarned that the best specials usually only last a couple of days. I’ve been burned too many times waiting til the weekend only to hear “we just ran out.” Get there soon!

Special note: for those not “in the know” – there is an off-menu  special that is always available and definitely worth trying – the secret wendy’s chicken (but I call it the Chick-fil-a because of the pickles).

It’s fried “chicken” pieces with hot sauce, pickles and mayo (but I leave off the mayo).

It’s become a regular for me (much to my waistline’s chagrin) – almost surpassing the no harm chicken parm or the secret bbq chicken sandwich.

Run run run to a Naked Pizza soon! Or, given that there aren’t any locations in central Phoenix yet, maybe take a bike, car or bus.

I received a friendly note that Naked Pizza is test marketing my favorite vegan cheese —  Daiya — in the Phoenix metro but it took me a few weeks to make my way to one. When I finally did, the pizza completely blew me away. Not only are their pizzas made with healthful ingredients such as probiotics and multi-grain flours, but they also taste great.

We tried the Superbiotic (but without the mushrooms) with Daiya cheese and gobbled it up so fast we burnt our mouths.

The dough was delicious – both light and flavorful, the wide variety of veggies tasted fresh, and they used just the right amount of Daiya to make it cheesy without being too gooie. The only downside is they aren’t really set up for dine-in (their website touts “no freak chemicals or dine-in”) and only had small tables outside. It’s still pretty hot in Phoenix and the smell of parking lot isn’t really my favorite dining ambiance.  Since it was so far away from where we live, bringing the pizza home wasn’t really an option.

Please go to Naked Pizza soon and let them know how much you loved having a vegan cheese option for your pizza so they keep it on the menu once they open new locations in Phoenix! They plan to have 12 locations open in the metro by early 2012! You can also leave a comment for them on Facebook or Tweet them your thanks.

This is just a quickie in case anyone hasn’t heard the most exciting news to hit Phoenix in 2011. Both Nami and Green are open in the “downtown” location: 2014 North 7th St. Nami opened Friday, and Green opened today, on “World Vegetarian Day” – how fitting!

Nami features tsoynamis and delicious vegan desserts (cookies, cupcakes, etc.). Green has the same vegan menu as the Tempe location.

We popped in for dessert after having a Berkley Vegan at zpizza (because we didn’t know Green was open too!) and picked up a few treats to go.

It doesn’t look the the Green/Nami websites are updated with info for the new locations yet, but the Green Facebook page should give you all the info you need. Nami is open Monday – Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. but I don’t know the Green hours yet.

Congrats to the Green team for making it happen!

Less than a mile from my old house sits Paco’s Mexican Restaurant – so it was a mainstay for us. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. Actually, it doesn’t look like much inside either. They’ve been in business for almost 30 years, and the only thing I know of that has changed on the menu (aside from prices, but only slightly) is they now serve Pepsi instead of RC (darn it). While Ralph would always say “you’ve got to have the beef tacos when you’re at Paco’s” (and was indeed right – they are great tasting if you’re a meat eater), I used to always get the bean burrito, which is covered and baked to a crisp in cheese, or the cheese and onion enchiladas. Both are vegetarian, but not vegan. However, the beans are vegan, so on this visit I “got the tacos” but with beans instead of beef, and no cheese.

They were loaded with beans, lettuce and a tomato slush. The thing about Paco’s is that the food isn’t fancy – it’s just simple and good. And these tacos didn’t disappoint. I didn’t ask if the rice was vegan or not – I was too tired hungry to be a fussy vegan – but it was lightly flavored and well prepared. I fantasized that if I still lived in Orlando, I’d regularly go to Paco’s with a bag of Daiya and make them bake me a vegan burrito or enchiladas. Maybe someday…

Sadly, I discovered another favorite restaurant of ours, Don Pepe’s Cuban Café (which was renamed to Habana Grill after I moved away but will always be Don Pepe’s to me) closed for good sometime in the last two years. Ralph and I used to go there for breakfast after late nights out, just to get their awesome Cuban coffee, but the food was great too. No worries, I went to our other favorite Cuban restaurant, the Black Bean Deli, which Ralph always argued had better food anyway.

If you’re ever in Orlando and have time to go to just one restaurant, GO HERE. It’s tiny, impossible to park at, always packed, and has only about six seats (is best for take-out) but it is just awesome! Similar to Paco’s, the basics haven’t changed at the Black Bean Deli since I moved. However, one huge thing did happen – they now have vegan empanadas on the menu! The person taking my order was also very fluent in vegan – and pointed out options to me.

It’s probably good that I moved, because I’d be there every day getting seriously fat on fried vegan pies. The empanada was stuffed with potatoes and a saucy picadillo-like fake beef substance – incredibly tasty. The black beans and rice were so good that one of the first things I told my husband when I got home was “I’m never eating black beans in Phoenix again” (which I’ve already violated due to Green’s amazing Tres Tacos special). The tostones were fried to perfection and covered in garlicky mojo, but a touch thick (I like them thin and crispy).

Another favorite we used to go to often is the Thai and Vietnamese restaurant Viet Garden. It hadn’t changed at all! Viet Garden was my “intro course” to Southeast Asian food, and in many ways – tofu – because they have great tofu dishes on the menu (I guess I was a vegan in training). One “must order” menu item is the garden rolls delight.

These fully-packed tofu rolls come with a thick and slight sweet (not spicy) peanut sauce that is lick-the-bowl good.

I had a hard time choosing between the Panang curry, which is quite delicious and can be made vegan with tofu, and the Buddha’s Crispy Noodle Delight. I decided my stomach wasn’t up for spicy, so the more mellow crispy noodles got the nod.

The tofu was very fresh and I still love the sauce. It’s similar to the Chow Mein at Fresh Mint in Scottsdale, but a bit more flavorful. They have plenty of other vegetarian and mock meat items on the menu too (but I’m not sure that they’re vegan).

In addition to my old favorites, Orlando has blossomed with vegan restaurants in the 14 years since I moved away to Phoenix. Ethos Vegan Kitchen was near my hotel and made for a great spot for quick bites. I decided it is Orlando’s version of Green, but with beer and Sunday brunch available (C’mon Damon – we want a Green brunch!).

The menu isn’t extensive, but it has a good variety of light eats and full meals. I tried the Buffalo Chickun Wrap daily special when I arrived in town.

It didn’t hold a candle to That’s A Wrap’s Buffalo 66 with tofu in terms of knock-your-socks-off spice, but it was worthy of a try. The mock chicken tasted great.

On a return visit with a friend, he ordered the Creamy Potato & Broccoli soup and Spinach Salad (a safe option for non-vegans) and enjoyed both. In fact, he might go back again!

I tried the What’s the Dilly, Philly? with a side of the macaroni & cheese daily special.

The seitan was a bit thick for a Philly, but the onions, peppers and cheese brought it all together just fine. The mac & cheese was exceptional. I don’t think they used Daiya because it wasn’t melty and stringy, but it was perfectly flavored and very comforting.

Since I was headed to the airport, I ordered one of every cookie to take home with me. I’m sorry I didn’t order two of every cookie – especially the orange sugar cookie and the cowboy cookie. Bring them to all your non-vegan friends and they’ll all say “I can’t believe these are vegan!”

If you’re looking for an excuse to go to Orlando, maybe these dining tips will motivate you. If you need another reason, on Oct. 23 there will be a Ralph Fest in downtown Orlando to honor an amazing guy with great taste in food and music. I suspect there will be at least one chart-topping band playing – keep an eye on the Orlando papers to find out who. And I hope the Black Bean Deli sets up a food cart in his honor. Although he certainly would have gotten the pork instead of the vegan options, and lectured me on what I was missing.

Woodlands Vegetarian South Indian Kitchen in Chandler, Arizona (NE corner of Ray Rd. and S. Rural Rd.) strikes me as a counter-service version of our other favorite 100% vegetarian/vegan Indian restaurant in town, Udupi. Both restaurants feature the less common Southern Indian cuisine, and I believe the previous owner of Udupi now runs Woodlands. They have similar menus, however Woodlands doesn’t have a lunch buffet (but they do have lunch specials). They also do a great job of marking which items are vegan on the menu. The dining experience is much more casual than most other Indian restaurants in town. For instance, your meal is served on Styrofoam plates. However, what Woodlands lacks in pleasantries, it more than makes up for in flavor.

I have a serious weakness for vegetable samosas, and Woodlands serves some of the best in town.

They are perfectly fried and, like everything else at Woodlands, very spicy. The filling isn’t unique, it’s just really good.

Woodlands’ specialty is the flavorful and interesting South Indian-style dosa (crepes full of a variety of great stuff). My favorite of the ones I’ve tried so far is the Pav Baji Dosai.

The filling is a similar to what’s in a standard Masala Dosai, but taken up a notch with spice and, for lack of a better description, “good goo.” I think the goo is essentially a tomato and potato-based gravy, with garlic and chillies added in for good measure.

My other favorite is the Chole Dosai, which is filled with a standard spicy chick pea curry and a heavy dose of onions.

One time when I had it at Woodlands it was awfully greasy, but on our last visit it was just fine – maybe even a little on the dry side.

The dosa are served with a standard rasam soup as well, which, like everything else, is very intense.

If for some reason the food you ordered isn’t flavorful enough for you, Woodlands also offers a full chutney bar.

They don’t have a sign indicating if their mint chutney is vegan or not, but it doesn’t seem like it has yogurt in it to me and it’s so good I’m just not asking (bad vegan of me).

Other items I’ve tried include their vegetable curry and dal curry, which were both excellent.

I don’t make it to Woodlands very often – mostly because we live too far away, but if you’re in the neighborhood and up for a quick and spicy meal, give them a try! They’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. You can also “fan” them on Facebook but they don’t seem to be very active posters.

I think they may suffer from not being close enough to ASU to attract the younger crowd like at Green. However, I believe they’ve managed to stay in business throughout the recession based on the quality of their food, the interesting menu and the always excellent service.

Fresh Mint is on our “high rotation” list, which means we usually make it there about once a month. The owners are from Hawaii, but most of the menu leans toward Vietnamese, Chinese or Thai flavors. Almost everything on the menu is vegan (except the Fried Imperial Rolls, the Imperial Roll Noodles and I’m not sure about some of the desserts). They use a lot of mock meats and tofu, and some of the sauces can be a bit salty so I wouldn’t say they’re a “uber-health-conscious” restaurant, but most of the items are fairly light and not greasy. They also don’t seem to do “hot” – even the curries are very mellow.

On our first visit, we grabbed a to-go menu and started marking each item we tried with a one to five rating. The menu has so much to offer we wanted to keep track of what was best. We haven’t tried everything on the menu yet but we’ve zeroed in on a handful of “fives.” These are the Lemongrass Soy Beef Delight, Golden Soy Chicken Delight, the Fresh Lemongrass Tofu, the Sesame Soybean, the Spicy Ginger Soy Beef and the Vegetable Chow Mein. And be sure to save room for the Banana Fritter — it’s a “five,” and definitely vegan!

During our most recent trip, we revisited a few of our favorites. Fresh Mint’s appetizers are mostly a variety of different rolls. Two we had most recently are the Fresh Summer Rolls:

And the Fresh Cucumber Rolls:

I normally get one or the other of these because I like their peanut sauce. While some restaurants’ peanut sauces can be spicy, Fresh Mint’s is pretty mellow — it’s thick and slightly sweet. Out of the two, I’d recommend the Cucumber Rolls because they are very unique compared to what you can get at other Asian restaurants.

We also had a couple of our favorite entrees – both “fives.” The Fresh Lemongrass Tofu is a totally unique dish.

They roll tofu and seaweed together with spices to create crunchy, slightly flaky bite-sized nuggets that are covered in a great sesame ginger sauce. I’ve never had anything like it anywhere else. The only downside is that sometimes the sauce can be a little salty.

One of my other favorites is the Vegetable Chow Mein.

Chow Mein isn’t something I’d normally order on a menu – it sounds so generic and reminds me of when my parents would make Chung King Chinese food from a can. However, since we were making our way through the menu I had to try it and now I’m stuck on it. Fresh Mint’s house brown sauce is very mellow, but delicious. Typically my husband takes whatever he ordered and dips it in my Chow Mein sauce. I also love the crispy noodles when they get just a little bit soggy. Like the Fresh Lemongrass Tofu, it’s very unique. It’s also beautifully served!

Although I don’t have a picture of it, I’d also say that you must try the Golden Soy Chicken Delight. They combine ginger and lemongrass to make what they call a “master flavor” and I don’t disagree – it’s masterful! It’s so popular that sometimes they run out of it!

For dessert, beyond the Banana Fritters, the Mango Coconut Tapioca and the Plantain with Coconut Sauce are also vegan. But the Banana Fritters are just too good to have anything else. Unfortunately we were too stuffed to have them on our last visit.

As I mentioned earlier, the service at Fresh Mint is always impeccable. The restaurant is family owned and run. The husband and owner (I think his name is Michael) typically greets and serves all customers, while his co-owner, wife and executive chef Mai Ly prepares the meals to order. He’s always incredibly friendly but not intrusive, and doesn’t act “too familiar” with regular customers but acknowledges repeat customers with little gifts like Fresh Mint pens and stuffed animals from Hawaii. How could you not love that? I know they’re trying to franchise the restaurant, but I think they need a little help with marketing, like, how about a Twitter feed or Facebook page? I’d also love to see them start offering specials as I have no doubt Mai Ly could come up with some knock-outs using seasonal ingredients.

Last week, I found myself in north Scottsdale, looking for quick lunchtime options off the 101 freeway at the Raintree exit. As I neared my default destination for that area (good old reliable Kokopelli) I noticed a commotion in the parking lot of the nearby Whole Foods Market. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a half dozen or more food carts cordoned off behind yellow tape.

I’ve enjoyed the food cart experience in other cities such as Portland and Austin, but I was surprised to find this kind of activity in my own backyard — especially in July. I learned that the Raintree Whole Foods has been hosting regular events by the Phoenix Street Food Coalition for some time.

There among the hot dogs, ice cream, pastries and chicken burritos, I discovered the beet strEAT truck and their lentil tacos. The beat strEAT menu was full of vegan enticements — hummus, veggie burgers, raw salads, etc. — but there’s nothing we at “Four Legs Good” like better than lentils and tacos. This was a match made in heaven. I had to ask them to leave off a couple non-vegan toppings, but after that it was off the races.

Since I was in somewhat of a rush, I made short work of the meal. I had little time to savor the generous twin delicacies I received, but they were both excellent. My only regret was the absence of your regular reporter. She would have loved these tacos.

We are not the first blog to take notice of beet strEAT. The Phoenix New Times recently interviewed owner Clea Senneville for “Chow Bella.” But we are happy to join the clamor for more food carting in the valley. We look forward to more beet strEAT events in the future.

Today I was drawn to the restaurant for their blueberry and lemon flapjacks special and out of curiosity to see if their frittata special was vegan (it wasn’t), but we ended up ordering two different specials. It’s the only place in town where it actually pains me to have to decide what to get each visit because I want to try everything. When they keep featuring such creative and tasty specials, it makes it even harder for a Libra like me to make a decision!

After ruling out the frittata, I went with the summer vegetable quesadilla special.

It was a lot better than the last quesadilla I had at Pomegranate, because it was full of sweet potatoes, zucchini, green chili peppers and oodles of my favorite vegan food item – Daiya cheese. It was served with a side of baba ganoush, which I didn’t think was necessary. I’d rather have chips or a green salad instead.

My husband settled on the scramble special.

This consisted of vegan chorizo; tofu; sautéed peppers, onions and zucchini; avocado; pinto beans and Daiya vegan cheese, plus a spinach tortilla. The chorizo was full of flavor and spiced up the dish.

We also got a slice of strawberry cake to-go.

That’s going to be dessert later tonight, but I took a nibble and it was outstandingly yummy.

Pomegranate was absolutely packed today, which leads me to believe they need to expand soon! Here’s hoping they open a  restaurant in central Phoenix someday!

Our all-time favorite is the Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus.

Get an extra pita because you’re going to want to scrape the dish.

The Hummus & Taboule is also great, if you’re okay with mixing textures.

We also recently enjoyed a side of Lentils & Rice.

It’s enough for a whole meal actually, and next time I may ask for double the amount of caramelized onions. Yum.

While there are plenty of other vegan salad and main meal options to pick from, such as the falafels, pita burrito, or veggie garden wrap, I always default to the Macro Platter.

It’s a lightly seasoned combination of brown rice, fresh steamed veggies, grilled tofu and Pita Jungle’s delicious variety of beans. It’s fairly basic, but enough for two (with a side of hummus, of course) and very satisfying!

Because the menu is so vegan-friendly compared to most, it’s easy to make assumptions on things that are usually vegan. Thanks to the vegan chart, I know to avoid the Greek pitas, veggie & black bean patties and buns.

A Pita Jungle can be found just about anywhere you go in the greater Phoenix metro – even in the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall! The only downside to the restaurant chain is no matter which one you go to, it’s always loud. I used to bring family and clients to Pita Jungles because of the “something for everyone” quality of the menu, but it’s just too hard to have a conversation. If the weather is bearable and there is a patio spot available, I usually default to that option. To-go is always a nice alternative too – especially for the hummus.

Several years ago, I eagerly anticipated the opening of the vegetarian café inside Chakra 4 – an herb shop two blocks from my office. My excitement was dampened after I tried it a couple of times and experienced extremely slow service, high prices ($15 for a wrap?), and average-quality food. In short: I wrote it off.

However, during the past few months I’ve been struggling to find places to dine at in Phoenix that aren’t “cheats” on my new “nutrient-focused, food-as-cure” vegan diet (i.e. tons of greens, less wheat and salt, no processed food). Let’s face it, I grew up in the high-salt, everything fried, processed food generation. I love Green the most in town and can’t live without Daiya now that I’ve found it. But given my new commitment to “eating for health,” I took another look at Chakra 4’s menu online and thought it might be worth revisiting. I’ve been there four times since. They clearly made improvements to the food since my previous experiences, and the slow service issues have been fixed too.

On my first re-visit, I tried the Black Bean Sunflower wrap (made vegan). Sorry – I didn’t take pictures as I wasn’t expecting much. The veggies were all incredibly fresh, the black bean hummus was entirely unique and flavorful, and I loved the chipotle salsa. I immediately called my husband and told him we’d be going there together soon.

During the next visit, husband in tow, I tried a seasonal special — the “Hercules” burrito.

It was at its essence a bean burrito, but it was full of fresh veggies and excellent salsa. It’s been hard for me to not order it on every following trip, but I had to try more items!

My husband ordered the Basil Pesto Foccacia (made vegan with raw nut cheese).

It was loaded with great veggies, and the pesto was some of the best I’ve ever tried. The bread (while not gluten-free) was also incredibly tempting. I had to try several bites (just to make sure it was as good as the first bite, of course).

Within a week or two, we were back again. This trip, I tried the Veggie-Dilla with a side of soup.

It was similar to the Hercules, but less dense, more crispy, and I really enjoyed the soup – which I think was a red bean soup but can’t remember for sure. I had yet another favorite.

My husband got the Mediterranean Wrapsody (again made vegan with no feta).

This was a lighter choice – full of fresh, crisp vegetables that are perfect for the summer heat. The kale wasn’t too tough (they got rid of the stems), the wrap was flavorful, and the cashew cheese added taste and texture but wasn’t overwhelming. He ordered it with the quinoa pilaf, which was a nice side but nothing out of this world.

I took a business colleague with me for trip number four, and unfortunately forgot my camera for this visit. It was a hard decision for me to not order something I’d already tried, but this time I selected the Green Lentil Curry. Sadly, this menu item reminded me of why I didn’t like Chakra 4 when I first visited years ago. Instead of being a saucy rich curry over rice, it was a tiny dish of lightly flavored and fairly dry lentils, a separate small dish of rice, another one of bland steamed veggies, a side of darn good chutney and for some odd reason, a few big pieces of collard greens. I didn’t know what to do with it all so I made little collard wraps out of the items. The lentils were “okay” but it certainly wasn’t what I’d consider to be a curry. It left me feeling pretty disappointed, in that “I should have ordered the foccacia or veggie-dilla” way.

My colleague ordered the half Nutty Rawvocado wrap and miso mushroom soup. He seemed particularly pleased with the soup, but fully enjoyed the wrap too! I’m not a fan of avocados or mushrooms, so I didn’t sample either.

In summary, some things I like about Chakra 4 are:

• They understand how to make healthy vegan food taste good and have a very creative menu. The restaurant’s motto is “Organic Vegetarian Food to Nourish the Body and Soul” and they aren’t fibbing.
• They serve fresh, organic food and have tons of gluten-free and vegan options.
• All the wraps can be made with a spinach tortilla, sun-dried tomato tortilla, whole grain bread, or kale leaf.
• It’s in a great location – tucked behind the Trader Joe’s at the Town and Country shopping center on 20^th St. and Camelback Rd.
• They have a tremendous variety of hot teas (but need to offer more iced versions during the summer!).
• They’re open on Sundays! Seven days a week actually!

Things that could still use help:

• The two-top seats are very small and they don’t let you move to a four-seater unless they’re completely dead.
• The prices are still pretty darn high.
• I haven’t found a vegan dessert worth writing about yet… but I’m still trying.

No doubt I’ll be back again soon to keep working my way through the menu. Next on my “to try” list is the Apollo Pomodoro wrap, or maybe the Golden Hummus wrap. I can’t believe I could have been eating here for years, so I’m going to make up for lost time!