October 2011
62 posts
Always A Winner at Ping Pong
This is my Monday morning confessional. Every day I drive by Ping Pong Thai Restaurant on E. Sunset. Every day I want to stop. Every day I want to stop and eat there. It might have something to do with the terrific service there where they take such good care of you. It could be the lovely owner Nina, who is always a joy to see and makes you feel like such a welcomed guest. Or it just...
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
– G. M. Trevelyan
Colorful Kale Saute with Pesto Polenta Rounds
I love to cook…actually, I think I enjoy cooking more than I enjoy eating. And you know I like to eat. I find great satisfaction in preparing something for someone to eat in which I know every item that has gone into it and it is starting out with a premise of kindness and compassion. Then all through the process I infuse my love into it. I don’t need to eat it to enjoy it...
“There is such a thing as a general revolution which changes the taste of men as...”
– Francois De la Rochefoucauld
Sometimes All You Get Is A Salad
And that can be a very good thing…I do enjoy a great salad. But this is what it is reduced down to at times. Not very often. I rarely walk into a restaurant and cannot in some way find a vegan-friendly meal. A little modifying here…a little modifying there…but some places just make this a little more challenging than others. This is what happened when I wandered into the...
“There will come a time when civilized people will look back in horror on our...”
– Dennis Weaver, actor
That's Why They Call it Veggie Delight
If you have been a vegetarian or vegan here in Las Vegas for any length of time you may already know about Veggie Delight in Chinatown. It is a little place that offers a lot of vegetarian and vegan offerings on Wynn Rd. near the corner of Spring Mountain. To say that Veggie Delight is vegan-friendly is indeed stating the obvious. As I continue my adventure of 365 days and 365 vegan meals here...
“Irony=Using bolt guns, cattle prods, genetic engineering, and chainsaws on...”
– Jason Dunn
Having a Portobello Picatta Dream
Well…I had a little errand to run in Summerlin. I also needed to eat some lunch. I was definitely in a very blog-able eating mood. I had just recently gotten another tip from my FB friend Alison about a new wonderful vegan dish on the menu at Vintner Grill…one of the most popular off-strip restaurants in town, located on Charleston Blvd. about a block east of Town Center in the...
“I think there is something odd about eating another living anything.”
– Shania Twain
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”
– Charles Darwin
Origin India Speaks To Me
It speaks words of comfort and elegance. A commitment to providing a wonderful dining experience with a menu full of vegetarian and vegan options. Food that is fresh and flavorful so that my taste buds are always on edge with every bite. It speaks of food from Northern India that is traditional on one hand and inventive on the other. It speaks to me of food that is plant-strong and full of...
More Vegan Menu Love at Bar+Bistro
I just have this feeling about downtown. Every time I go there I just sense that this is an area that is going to grow and develop beyond most people’s imaginings. First Fridays are fresh and alive and the feeling is spilling over to the rest of the month. I think it going to continue to emerge as a destination area for people to live, work, play, shop, and create. That has to be great...
“Animal factories are one more sign of the extent to which our technological...”
– Peter Singer
Healthy Mex at Rubio's
There were many people who responded to an earlier visit and blog that I shared about a visit to Rubio’s and enjoyed the Portobello and Poblano tacos. They just had no idea that this was even a possibility. A great vegan-friendly fast food alternative with only a little modification needed. Since my last visit to Rubio’s they have added a Healthy Mex section to their menu. I was...
“First it was necessary to civilize man in relation to man. Now it is necessary...”
– Victor Hugo
Ancho-Marinated Portobellos with Warm Black Bean...
I love adapting recipes in the kitchen. Taking recipes that were meant for a less-compassionate route and putting them through the sieve of kindness. Most of the time it works…sometimes spectacularly. If a recipe does work in its original form without the use of animal products you just keep modifying it until it does. Usually along the way some inspiration comes and what you come away...
“We know we cannot be kind to animals until we stop exploiting...”
– Cesar Chavez, farm worker, labor leader, civil rights activist
Delights at Dang Dee Thai Cuisine
I love Thai cuisine. Their use of vegetables and sauces together, primarily peanut sauce and curries just sends me. It is healthy and delicious. And while Thai Food is not primarily plant-strong, you can always find something vegan-friendly on any Thai restaurant menu. You may need to modify a few things…but once you are there…it is usually a complete and wonderful one-plate...
“It is increasingly obvious that environmentally sustainable solutions to world...”
– John Robbins, author
A Fleur To Remember
There are times as I travel on my adventure around Las Vegas to find a different vegan meal each day that I decide that I am just going to enjoy the moment fully and just linger with a full compliment of wine, appetizer, entree, and dessert. Such was the case as I revisited Hubert Keller’s Fleur at Mandalay Bay…this time for dinner. I had enjoyed my veggie sandwich there for lunch...
“The fact is that there is enough food in the world for everyone. But...”
– Dr. Walden Bello, author academic, and political analyst
Getting A Raw Deal at Whole Foods
I made the determination yesterday while trying to decide what to eat at Whole Foods that I could possibly eat all of the remainder of my meals of 365 days and 365 vegan meals here in Las Vegas…right at this store. It would be entirely possible. When you look at…the choices and combinations are seemingly endless. And each day is something a little different. Outside of Pura Vida...
“As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he...”
– Pythagoras, Greek Philosopher
Just Oh My Goodness at DW Bistro
I love getting good recommendations from people on places to try around town to find wonderful vegan-friendly meals. It is so much better for me than reading the comments of people that I don’t know on some of these review sites. I just don’t care for those too much at all…though some people do refer upon them heavily. Just not my thing. I do love hearing from people through...
“Humanity’s true moral test, its fundamental test, consists of its attitude...”
– Milan Kundera, writer
Lunch is on Trader Joe's
I have had lunch on Trader Joe’s before. They always take good care of me. I have actually had breakfast and dinner on them a number of times as well. They carry a great selection of fresh produce. Artisan breads. A wonderful selection of specialty goods. I particularly like many of their frozen food items. Many vegan items are now being stocked. They just started carrying vegan ice...
“The vegetarian (vegan) movement is an ancient movement and is not quite a modern...”
– Morarji Desai, former Prime Minister of India
Something Great at Red 8
Dear Mr. Wynn…it was a pleasure once again to be able to dine at the Wynn this past evening. It has been a few weeks and I was very interested in trying some of the vegan offerings at one of the restaurants I have not been able to visit as of yet. I was meeting a new friend of mine, Joe Buda, who is the editor in chief of the Las Vegas Informer…”if you are smart you will read...
“One of the most powerful ways to make a difference is to become a...”
– Robert Alan, writer
“I take vitamins daily, but just the bare essentials, not what you’d call...”
– Clint Eastwood
Fettuccine & Vegetables with Black Pepper Bread...
It is Sunday and it gives me the opportunity to to go back to one of my old recipes and to not only make it vegan…but to also make it better. I enjoy this very much. The original recipe did not call for the use of any vegetables and I will rarely make pasta without vegetables these days. I wanted to incorporate vegetables in the dish and I was going to use what I had on hand; cauliflower,...
A Savory Breakfast and A Dessert Chaser
I was at Pura Vida…certainly now one of my favorites…all vegan all the time…and I was just about at that point when breakfast stops and lunch begins. I was in the mood for a little breakfast and wanted to take a look at the new menus. They turned out beautifully and are filled with customer favorites. They will still have their daily specials on the board and that is where I...
“Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as...”
– Donald Watson, founder of the Vegan Society
Yo Quiero Taco Bell...
I don’t really want Taco Bell. But I know that some people do. So is it possible to build a bridge to one of America’s favorite fast food restaurants and find something that could possibly be vegan-friendly? When I set out upon this adventure of finding 365 vegan meals in 365 days in Las Vegas I am not sure that Taco Bell was on my list. Yet it does pose an interesting challenge....
“For me, going vegan was an ethical and environmental decision. I’m doing...”
– Alexandra Paul, actress
Bacio...This Kiss is On My List
Just borrowing a little Hall and Oates 80’s musical reference. There is just something about Bacio that just puts me in the mood. It could be the pictures hanging all around of people kissing. It might be the candlelight. It perhaps could be the lovely and exotic executive chef. All of the evocative music playing in the backround certainly helps. Oh, it all definitely puts me in the...
“Without pushing an agenda (okay, maybe I’ve pushed a bit), I’ve...”
– Tal Ronnen, chef and author
To Know Is To Love The Baguette Cafe
Do you know about this place yet? If you do not…it is time to get it on your radar. I was out and about and decided to give the west side of town a little love. The Baguette Cafe is in the back of a business park on W. Sunset near Durango. You can see it off of the 215 coming up to Durango. All I am saying is that whatever it takes to get you there…you need to go. This was not my...
“Any religion or philosophy which is not based on a respect for life is not a...”
– Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician
Small Plates Hit The Beat
I think you know by now that I love The Beat Coffeehouse and Record Shop downtown in the East Fremont District. And really, what is there not to love? It is eclectic…it is down to earth…it is hip…it is definitely one of a kind. Housed on the bottom floor of the Emergency Arts Building filled with artists and creative energy. It houses its own record store in one corner with...
“I’ve found that without question that the best way to lead others to a...”
– Bernie Wilke
Vegan To Go At Fresh And Easy
Fresh and Easy neighborhood markets are one of my go-to places to shop. I have a few of them between Whole Foods, Sunflower Markets, Trader Joe’s, Fresh and Easy, and of course, farmers markets. I like the size and convenience of Fresh and Easy. They have almost everything you need fit in a space usually even smaller than Trader Joes. Easy to shop and to check out. A recycling center and...
“Kindness and compassion towards all living things is a mark of a civilized...”
– Cesar Chavez, farm worker, labor leader, civil rights activist
“Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every...”
– Jane Goodal
Spinach, Mushroom, Sundried Tomato & Grilled...
It was time to make a pizza at home. One of my favorite things to do. What I didn’t have was a lot of time so I could not try out a couple of pizza dough recipes that I had. So I did the next best thing…I went and picked up some garlic and herb pizza dough at Trader Joes. This is one of the best store bought pizzas doughs that I have tried and it is vegan. They also have regular and...
Finding It Fresh at Panera Bread
Sometimes I will drop by a Panera Bread & Bakery Cafe to pick up a cup of coffee on my way by. Are these places always busy, or what? The first thing that hits you as you walk in the smell of freshly-baked bread. That is always a good one. People hanging out playing on their laptops in the little lounge area. Other engaged at nearly every table inside and on a nice day, outside as well....
“If you could see or feel the suffering you wouldn’t think twice. Give...”
– Kim Basinger, Actress
I Love a Nice Sunrise
The intersection of Eastern Ave. and the 215 Beltway can be a little crazy at times. There is a lot going on and a whole lot of people pass by there on any given day. And no doubt that most of them know about The Original Sunrise Cafe on Eastern near Starbucks in the same center as the Las Vegas Athletic Club. One of those places only open for breakfast and lunch giving a good meal at a decent...
“You make so much more of a green statement with your fork than what you drive.”
– Carol Leifer, comedian, writer, and producer 