New menu at Green and Bragg’s Factory Diner coming soon!

In case any fans of Phoenix’s Green Vegetarian haven’t heard the news yet, proprietor Damon Brasch has made some changes to the menu to start the new year. Gone are the flatbread pizzas, the Green burger, the meatball-oriented items (po-boy and bowl) and maybe a few other things I didn’t order frequently.

However, the additions more than make up for the losses. To start, the Big Wac is on the menu! I was never a fan of the non-vegan version, but Green’s is out of this world. It will be very hard for me to not get the Big Wac every time we go to Green.

I resisted the urge today (having already gotten one earlier in the week), and instead tried the Artichoke Chicken Salad, along with the Mac n Cheez from the kids menu.

The blackened mock chicken in the salad was crisp and lightly spiced. I’m not usually one for a creamy dressing, but the light lemon flavor sat well with me.

The Mac n Cheez had a good blend of Daiya and what I assume was a homemade cashew cheese, which made it nice and gooey. I was surprised that there was a touch of garlic in it though, given it was for kids.

My husband’s choice may be a challenger to the Big Wac’s priority status. The new BBBQ Bacon Burger was messy and fabulous.

It was the same thin burger patty used in the Big Wac, but it was covered in tangy barbecue sauce, caramelized onions and tempeh bacon. It also comes with oodles of mushrooms. I’ll be opting out of those when I give it a try.

Next on the list for us to try is the Lemon Pesto bowl or maybe the Black Jack Pita. Other news of note is that the Wendy’s Pickle is now officially on the menu instead of being a whisper item. Also new is a Blonde Alfredo bowl, but I’ll have to be talked into that since alfredo sauce has never been a favorite of mine, even in pre-vegan days. (Although oddly enough, the Ritz Carlton made a vegan alfredo for me at an event I was at recently, and it was outstanding.) Additionally, the menu now features “kids” items, such as a nice basic burger, pita-quesadilla and chicken nuggs or digits. I was assured that immature adults can order from it too!

Get in there and have fun trying all the new items!

Thanks to a tweet from @WesleyTech, I also learned that a new vegetarian and vegan restaurant is opening up in the old Bragg’s pie factory on Grand Ave. south of Roosevelt, which will be called Bragg’s Factory Diner. They don’t seem to have a website or menu up yet, but they are actively monitoring their Facebook page and said they will probably open in March. And there will be pie! However, they are so close to my other favorite, Treehouse Bakery, that pie may be less of a priority than vegan Pop Tarts.

Vegan Eats Above and Below the Rim

When the thermometer hits 110 degrees in Phoenix, the natural inclination of the population is to head for higher altitudes. Two of our favorite destinations for day trips or overnight stays are Flagstaff, which is above the Mogollon Rim (the boundary between “way to hot” and “not quite as hot” in Arizona), or Payson, which is just below it. But what’s a vegan to eat in these small towns? As it turns out – plenty!

The vegan destination of choice in these two quiet towns is Macy’s European Coffee House and Bakery.

In fact, I’ve lobbied to go to Flag just to visit Macy’s on more than one occasion. The menu is entirely vegetarian, and many items are either vegan, or can be made vegan with a bit of tweaking. The atmosphere is seriously mellow, with the staff and patrons seeming to have an unspoken code that even after many visits I have yet to decipher. It’s the closest vibe to that of my old college town of Gainesville, Fla. that I’ve found in Arizona, which makes sense given the proximity to NAU.

First thing’s first, Macy’s has the best coffee I’ve ever had in Arizona. And the prettiest as well.

They usually have a vegan pastry or too if you get there early enough. On this trip we lucked into a vegan almond Danish.

For lunch, my husband had the hummus pita (without the feta).

It wasn’t an adventurous choice, but it was delicious and filling.

I really like their burger, which is normally served as a “mushroom and Swiss burger” but I opt for it without those toppings.

Sometimes I get lucky and they have it on special with toppings other than mushrooms (which I hate) and Swiss (which they don’t have a vegan version of), but on this trip it was a touch plain. The mustard (put accidentally on the hummus plate) livens it up greatly though. And as a bonus – the fresh salsa at Macy’s shouldn’t be missed.

After hiking in the areas outside of town for awhile, we stopped back in Flag for a quick bite before heading back to Phoenix. We decided to try Tacos Locos, a Mexican restaurant right around the corner from Macy’s that has vegan options.

Tacos Locos offers eight different vegetarian options on the menu, all of which can be made vegan with ease. The prices are very reasonable too!

Meals come by default with plenty of chips and salsa, as they should (I’m talking to you, Chipotle).

The chips were fresh and warm, but the salsa was a bit bland so we spiced it up with optional hot sauces, available upon request.

My husband had the guacamole and veggie tacos, neither of which were world-rockers, but they were serviceable. I had a bean and rice taco and a potato taco.

Both were just fine, but the fried shell of the potato taco was the stand-out.

I probably wouldn’t drive to Flag just to go to Tacos Locos like I do for Macy’s, but it’s a nice option for a quick, safe bite.

When we next said, “We can’t take it anymore” and needed to get out of town, we headed to Payson. Lucky for us, our dining choice was not limited to Taco Bell vs. Subway. Ayothaya Thai Café is a decent Thai restaurant in Payson with a wide assortment of vegetarian items on the menu. When we asked if the dishes had fish oil/sauce or if they were truly vegetarian, they confirmed that there was no fish product involved. They menu also clearly states that they use vegetable oil.

Based on how crowded the restaurant was at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday, I’d say it is dining destination #1 for Paysonites. There was an odd duet of acoustic folk singers on a stage at the front of the restaurant, which was decidedly not Thai-esq, but they clearly had a strong local fan base.

We had read in reviews that the service at Ayothaya left a lot to be desired, so we ordered a fresh garden roll appetizer to start just to make sure we didn’t starve.

They came out within minutes, which was a good thing because the meal took another 45 to arrive. But, it also meant they had probably been made hours before, and they tasted like it. The peanut sauce was good enough to cover up what the garden rolls lacked though.

I was intrigued that they had tempeh items on the menu, so I ordered the tempeh with mint leaves.

It was a light stir-fry but while I was hoping for something “minty” and flavorful, it was a little bland and greasy. The tempeh wasn’t very compelling either.

My husband did much better with the almond Thai curry.

This was full of delicate spicy and the tofu was cooked perfectly.

There were plenty of other interesting options on the menu, such as the tofu royale, or the pra ram joe, so I hope to visit again soon!

The Yard House Serves Gardein!

During the Phoenix Coyotes’ great 2012 playoff run (as of right now they’re down 3-1 against the Kings, but regardless of how the conference finals end – we’re still proud of you), we found someplace else to eat other than our usual hummus sandwich at Which Wich. It turns out Yard House, right outside the arena, has a complete Gardein menu! Who knew?

They don’t specify what is vegan and what is just vegetarian, and I appreciate the disclaimer on their site that they are not a vegan environment, but it’s far better than my usual “just give me some fries and a beer” when at a bar. During our visit they were way too slammed with playoff fans for me to be fussy and ask about each ingredient, but it was pretty easy to make educated guesses on what was “fairly safe” for vegans or not, based on the descriptions.

We arrived at Yard House about four hours before puck drop in an attempt to watch the New York Rangers playoff game on one of their tons of TVs before going in for the Coyotes game, to avoid an inevitable spoiler from the Jumbotron scoreboard. We asked to be seated by a TV showing the Rangers and they accommodated us, even when we threw a fit that someone else tried to change the channel. We felt bad taking a table for that long, but oh well. We killed time by getting an appetizer of the Gardein Boneless Wings.

We went with buffalo style, and they were plenty hot and a very generous portion. They are served with ranch dressing, so just put that aside if you’re vegan. I liked them quite a bit but my husband turned his nose up after eating a few. They were deep fried, fairly thick and coated in sauce, but once they cooled off they got too spongy, so there were a few left on the plate at the end. They don’t come close to how great Green’s or That’s a Wrap’s buffalo-style items are, but for veggie bar food, they were just fine.

About two hours later, we ordered our meal (yes, we tipped very well). I got a Spicy House Salad, but had them hold the Asian slaw because it sounded too vague and I didn’t want to ask.

It was fine – nothing to call home about but certainly palatable and healthier than the wings! I’d probably go for the mixed greens next time though as the dressing was a little too meh – kind of fake spicy and sugary with questionable contents.

The highlight of the meal by far and above was the Gardein Burger (and fries). I failed to get a photo because we ate it so fast. It was cooked well, and the fries were really great. You can substitute a Gardein burger for any of the burger options on the menu, but for vegans the only option was “just the burger and veggies please” – everything else looked non-vegan. We also avoided the roasted garlic aioli that comes with it since we didn’t want to ask questions. The sliders might also be an option, without the cheese and probably not the “special sauce.” I wouldn’t be surprised if the bun had egg in it, but there’s no indication on the menu/on their site.

While I won’t be bailing on Which Wich any time soon, it’s nice to know there’s another dining option near the arena when we are able to get to games early either in the finals or next season and want to hang out for awhile. Of course, that’s making a double assumption there will be a “next season” in Phoenix, given the ownership situation and the pending NHL CBA talks! Let’s Go Coyotes! And of course, Let’s Go Rangers! As of today, my dream of a NYR vs. PHX final is still alive!

The Big Tease: Specials at Green

Lately, Green New American Vegetarian’s proprietor Damon Brasch has become the biggest vegan food-tease in the Valley via Green’s Facebook page.

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.

Nami! Green! Downtown Phoenix! It’s all happening!

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!

Fresh Mint: Vegan Vietnamese in North Scottsdale

One of our favorite vegetarian restaurants in the greater Phoenix area is Fresh Mint. It’s on the north-west corner of Scottsdale Rd. and Thunderbird, tucked away in a half-empty strip mall.

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.

Chakra 4: Let Food Be Your Medicine

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!

Tsom: Tempe’s New Vegetarian Treasure

Sorry once again for the massive delay in posting! I’m attempting to adhere to a new diet due to my ongoing gut issues (Dr. Fuhrman’s “Eat for Life” diet). This means I’m eating a lot less processed foods and fake meat, and am now consuming a large amount of nutrient-rich foods like kale and beets. That seriously changed (and limited) what I’m eating when I dine out in the Phoenix metro area. Lucky for me, a new vegetarian restaurant opened in Tempe recently that has a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods (and of course a few indulgences)!

Tsom is located in what I call the “awesome ethnic food corner” of Tempe – the southeast corner of Rural and University. It’s in the same strip mall as the Blue Nile Café, Delhi Palace, Oliveo Grill) and Pho Nhat, with Thai Rama across the parking lot.

Tsom is a very casual (as in, paper plates) counter-serve vegan and vegetarian restaurant that focuses on healthy food and quality ingredients. The menu offers a variety of Middle Eastern, Mexican and other regional  foods, pastas and wraps. They clearly mark what is vegan vs. vegetarian, and several of their menu items are gluten-free as well. You have the option of selecting from their pay-by-weight salad bar, ordering from the menu, or both. They also offer daily specials and have a falafel toppings bar — which is a cool idea!

The first time I visited, I tried a bit of the kale salad, hummus and beets from the salad bar, and couldn’t resist trying a spicy falafel (no, not on my diet…). Everything was vibrant and delicious. The kale and beets made me feel like I wasn’t cheating; while the falafel was clearly fresh-made, and had hot peppers blended into it. I liked adding toppings from the falafel bar such as veggies and sauces to taste as well. It was also all very reasonably priced! I think the total bill was a little over $7.

On my second trip, I brought reinforcements so I could try more items (and a camera because I knew I had to write a post about this place). My husband selected items from the salad bar.

He liked the kale and beet salads the best too, but overall enjoyed how wholesome everything tasted.

I went for the daily special, which was an irresistible “tofu tomatillo stew.”

The stew was loaded with beans, tofu, tomatillos, corn, tomatoes and other veggies combined with brown rice. It was perfectly spiced – causing just a slight nose run. I’ve never had anything like it before – which indicates to me that the chef knows what he’s doing in terms of creating unique flavor combinations.

And to top it off – Tsom features desserts from our favorite local vegan baker – Treehouse Bakery! Even though we’re trying to avoid over-indulgent sweets, we had to split a chocolate peanut-butter cupcake.

It wasn’t quite as fresh as when we had a batch of cupcakes special-made for us, but it was still delicious!

I’ve barely scraped the surface of the menu options and can’t wait to go back – frequently! The two times I visited Tsom, it wasn’t very busy (only one or two other customers there). I hope they start packing them in soon. It’s the kind of place we need to keep in town!

The Parlor Pizzeria: The Crust Is So Good You Won’t Miss the Cheese

When I first moved to Phoenix 14 years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to have my hair professionally styled before an important job interview. I didn’t have a relationship with a salon yet, so I picked Salon de Venus on Camelback Rd. and 20^th St. mainly because I liked the  60s “modern” look of the building. Well, I got the job, but around the same time a friend graduated from cosmetology school so I didn’t continue to frequent the salon. It eventually went out of business, and I worried about what would happen to that cool building.

Much to my delight, we started seeing renovation activity at the location about two years ago. Mysterious signs went up, and eventually we discovered that a pizza parlor was opening up.

What thrilled us even more was to discover that it wasn’t just any pizza place – The Parlor Pizzeria is a high-quality but moderately priced restaurant with fresh ingredients and delicious wood-fired pizza. The first time we went there it was because we couldn’t handle the three-hour wait at Pizzeria Bianco (which also makes an awesome cheese-less pizza). They kept the beauty parlor theme of the location too – including reusing the salon chairs!

There are plenty of reviews online about how great the place is, so I’ll just focus on what I’ve found on the menu that’s vegan.

To start, order the Parlor Insalata but without the salami and feta.

It’s a pretty straight-forward salad but the dressing is light and flavorful, and the crispy chickpeas are a unique touch.

I also love their French fries – they are some of the best in the valley – but they come by default with a parmesan cheese coating. You can order them with “no cheese” without a problem though.

There are a handful of other appetizers that are possibly vegan without the cheese – but these are my standards.

One of the best features of The Parlor is the “build your own” pizza option. For vegans, the process is to cross through the protein and cheese options and write “no cheese” instead. And then, critically, ask for the marinara sauce instead of the pizza sauce, because the pizza sauce has cheese in it. From there you can select all sorts of fresh veggies and herbs. We normally have it with onions and bell peppers, and sometimes vine-ripe tomatoes.

The pizza dough is soft and thin, with just the right amount of slightly burnt crust bubbles. It’s perfect. The sauce is clearly fresh-made and delicious. They grow some of their own herbs and veggies out front, but I believe most everything is local and/or organic.

The whole meal usually costs us under $25 for two people, and although it isn’t Pizzeria Bianco, it’s darn close.

For more information on how The Parlor recycled the building, these two articles are great:

Phoenix New Times: The Parlor Pizzeria: Behind the Design with Aric Mei

Modern Phoenix: One Final Makeover For The Salon de Venus

Vegan with a View: Elements at the Sanctuary

To celebrate the holidays, my co-workers and I decided to go to Elements at The Sanctuary resort on Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley for a change of pace from our usual quick take-out run to Baja Fresh. It’s definitely a “special occasions” or “date night” kind of place, especially if you’re dining with omnivores and want a good vegan meal for yourself as well.

Because it’s a health-focused resort, I can actually order vegan food from the menu at Elements rather than having to ask the chef to make something for me like I do at most high-end restaurants that I’ve frequented for work events. Nine out of teb times that “something” ends up being a plate of roasted or steamed vegetables for the price of a steak.

To start with, the view at Elements is just gorgeous.

If you go for dinner, try to be there for sunset and get a table by a window. I’ve never stayed at the resort but apparently it’s one of the finest in Phoenix. The grounds are gorgeous, with buildings tucked into the landscape. It makes you forget you’re in the middle of one of the largest cities in the U.S.

Since I was with my team, we were able to share a couple of appetizers that I believe were vegan. They have a daily chef’s hummus, and for our visit it was garlic hummus.

I’ll admit I was a touch nervous because I don’t like my hummus to be overwhelmed with garlic, but this was scrap-the plate-clean perfect. We liked it so much that we used the amazing bread they served to scoop it up when we ran out of pita.

We also ordered the tempura vegetables.

Two of the dipping sauces were not vegan, but the soy ginger sauce in the middle was, and it was great. The breading on the veggies was fairly thick – a bit more than I’m used to – but not overly greasy. I did not ask specifically if it was vegan though.

For my entrée, I ordered a barbeque tofu bento box, which included miso soup as well. Of course by this point in time I was already stuffed, so I appreciated that it was fairly light.

The soup was basic, but rich in flavor, without being too mushroomy.

I did confirm that the soup was vegan — no random fish stock or shrimp flakes in it.

The bento box came with a big chuck of grilled tofu with a light barbeque sauce, plus brown rice, steamed vegetables & a pickled cucumber salad.

I understand the aesthetic value of serving a big block of tofu, but I’d prefer smaller pieces that are cooked through a bit more, and covered in more sauce to give the dish greater flavor. The veggies and rice were fine, but they really needed to be dipped in the sauce served with the box to bring them to life.

Despite feeling like an over-stuffed Christmas stocking, I ordered a “light” desert of one scoop of sorbet. But, the waiter decided I should have a chance to try all three of their flavors. I could only handle a bite or two of each.

They were lemon, raspberry and mango. The mango sorbet got most votes from around the table. It was heavenly.

While we really enjoyed the location, plus the quality and presentation of the food, the service was a bit lacking given the foo-foo-ness (and expense) of the restaurant. It wasn’t very crowded, but the service was pretty slow, and just not quite “on it” with requests. Overall, if you’re looking for a high-end place to go to in Phoenix that speaks “vegan,” Elements is a good choice, but it’s not a place I’ll put in my regular eating-out rotation. It’s also worth going to just to enjoy the scenery from the bar if you’re not up for a full meal.