Based on my my Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/katmossmendenhall/), I ate a lot of delicious food last month. It was a good balance of eating out and my own darn cooking. Therefore, my list of the best things I ate out in July includes a few more entries this month. Let’s jump straight in.
It’s no secret I like to brunch hard on Sundays. It’s also no secret vegan brunch selections can be scarce in Dallas. We have a few spots and Spiral Diner (http://spiraldiner.com) is on the top of the list. Except this is not Spiral, it’s their neighbor VH Casual Dining & Bar (http://www.vhrestaurant.com ). Showing up to Spiral one Sunday with my daughter, the wait was a good hour (more people eating vegan!!!). We headed two doors down for a mimosa while we waited. I know the owner of VH, Victor, so sitting at the bar with a mimosa in hand we were chatting. I mentioned to him he needed to work on his vegan brunch game. Then he made me eat my words by bringing me this off-menu veggie loaded beautiful tofu scramble. It was so good! So here’s the deal, VH is vegan friendly. In fact they’ve hosted a Dallas Vegan Drinks event (http://drinks.dallasvegan.com) in the past. If you plan on eating there, and you most certainly should, I suggest you call ahead to make sure they can accommodate a vegan meal. My bet is they can and will exceed your expectations.
That same Sunday, after our delicious brunch at VH, we headed to nearby Bishop Arts to do some shopping. A couple of hours later parched and needing a rest, we went into Eno’s Pizza Tavern (https://www.enospizza.com). Scanning the menu for a snack to pair with our glass of wine we saw only one vegan option, Italian Bean Dip. It comes gluten free with a variety and generous portion of fresh veggies. This sharable platter makes for a healthy snack or a pre-dinner app and was refreshing on a hot Sunday afternoon.
Ok, so this doesn’t look like much and I have to agree, but I’m including it because in its simplicity it was very good. This the Baby Kale Salad at the Ascension (https://ascensiondallas.com) downtown location. I was headed to Fair Park for a musical and needed a light dinner. This salad did the trick, but what you don’t see is the side order of roasted potatoes. I obviously failed to take not one, but two pictures of them since I ordered seconds. That. Good. If you find yourself in downtown, uptown or in the design district where Ascension has locations, give them a try for a quick light meal and drink. Although this salad was listed as vegan, other items can be made vegan with modifications. 
I mentioned I like to brunch hard and another spot on my go-to list is Trinity Hall Irish Pub & Restaurant (http://www.trinityhall.tv). Vegans love their own menu and Trinity Hall just revamped theirs by adding in some delicious options. I ordered a comfort food dish of tofu scramble with tempeh bacon covered in cheese and fries. A dash of hot sauce added some needed flavor, but you can’t knock their effort for providing a basic scramble.
Overlook the arms in this photo and focus on the Chickin and Waffles also enjoyed at Trinity Hall. This is the brunch dish that stole the show. In fact, less than half-way through the tofu scramble I ordered I asked for a switch of plates and finished the waffle off. I can not be trusted. Trinity Hall has a fun atmosphere with sports playing on scattered TV’s throughout. Their brunch menu is worth a try but don’t miss out on their vegan dinner menu too.
Once again I found myself brunching, this time with a group of six for a pre-wedding event for my daughter. As the only vegan in the group I didn’t want to be fussy so I made plans for us to eat at City Hall (http://www.adolphus.com/city-hall-bistro/) in the Adolphus Hotel (http://www.adolphus.com) downtown. Recently opened, their menu is not yet available on their website. I had no idea if I’d be able to eat anything, but low and behold I enjoyed a delicious avocado toast with fennel seeds paired with simple greens. Now if I recall, and I can’t verify since their menu is still not available, I had to make a small modification. It was either eliminating cheese or maybe an egg. Either way, I didn’t feel left out and managed to fill my tummy before an afternoon at the hotel pool.
In all honesty, this wasn’t my first time trying City Hall. Since I live downtown I get pretty excited to jump on any new restaurant I can walk to. Shortly after they opened I made a visit at dinnertime. This was definitely the highlight meal of the month. The simply decorated restaurant with walls lined with white tile feels clean and open. Upon sitting my daughter immediately told our waiter I was vegan. Don’t you love how non-vegans somehow enjoy shouting it out. Anyway, the waiter was well versed in what they could modify on the menu to make vegan and even went to verify a few things with the chef.
I met the manager too, who at the time was flirting with and enjoying how he was feeling on a vegan diet, and he assured me that they are willing and able to accommodate vegans. The service, food and overall experience was top notch. Here’s what we devoured:
Mezze Platter – I could eat this and only this for dazzz…..
Vegan Paella – enough said!
Roasted Leeks in Romesco Sauce – who knew leeks could be so divine!
These three dishes could easily be shared by three or four people keeping the cost down and the belly less stuffed. I think they are still tweaking their menu so these items may or may be available when you visit. You can trust they can make you something equally delicious.
I hope you enjoyed this months roundup. Let me know if you pay any of these places a visit and what you tried and enjoyed. In the interim, I’m eating my way through August.
Happy vegan eating!
Kat