This past weekend, I helped wrap up the Texas Vegan Tour by hosting an open house and fundraiser. Renee King-Sonnen of https://rowdygirlsanctuary.org/ and her guest Jane Velez-Mitchell of https://janeunchained.com/ , made their way across a half of dozen Texas cities reporting on the vegan scene along the way. You can check out all the videos here https://www.facebook.com/JaneVelezMitchell/.
As Renee sings in her song, Texas is Going Vegan, Texas is really going vegan ya’ll! Seven years ago, when I decided to adopt a vegan diet, I didn’t even know another vegan. Now almost daily, I meet someone who is vegan too. Vegan businesses are increasing like; retail (ummm, hello MendRt!), restaurants, bakeries, rescue and awareness groups. It’s inspiring to see the work of so many making a difference in our big ole state. Yeehaw!
Speaking of my new shop, MendRT, we will have a soft opening this weekend, Saturday from 12-6 and Sunday 1-5. You can find us at 1130 Dragon St, Ste 240C. We’re at the corner of Dragon and Howell. The entrance is on Dragon and though the building hasn’t placed our logo out front yet, look for a sidewalk. Our grand opening will be in a few weeks.
In my continued quest to show you how easy and delicious eating out vegan in Dallas is, I’m sharing my top favorites from March. The list even includes a surprise find, that I’ll be re-visiting soon.
One would never assume that a sushi restaurant would be vegan friendly, but Dallas actually has a few. I’m a big fan of http://zensushidallas.com. To start, they have a dedicated menu for their vegetarian options with vegan clearly marked. Secondly, they serve their rolls simply so that you can enjoy the freshness of the veggies without any heavy sauces or toppings. The quality of their ingredients are top notch and you can taste the difference.
Over Spring Break, I found myself dining at http://www.canerosso.com/deep-ellum/. Known best for their pizza (I’m not a fan) instead, I enjoyed this Winter Salad minus the goat cheese. Loaded with spinach, beets, radicchio and pistachios it was a healthy balance of sweet, crunchy and salty. Unfortunately, the name of the salad gives reason to believe that this may be short-lived on the menu. Better call ahead and ask if you are headed there for this alone. Hopefully they’ll replace with it using Springs fresh bounty.
Of course if salad is what you’re craving, there’s no better option than the various choices at http://spiraldiner.com/. The Buffalo Chik’n Salad is what I get when I want to be naughty spicy. Forgive the heavy dose of Blue Cheese dressing and Ranch on the side, but it was much needed to cool my palate. It’s so good, but spicy sensitives beware. Spiral is an all vegan diner, but don’t let that distract you from visiting. The biggest carnivore in your group will find something pleasing and filling on their extensive menu.
As my luck would have it, I was able to catch the latest V Market (http://www.vmarketdallas.com/) pop-up in Oak Cliff. Lucky indeed when I saw El Palote Panadería was there serving up their to-die-for Mexican food. Vegan tacos never tasted so damn good ya’ll. I would put money on any die-hard meat-eater taco lover to try these and not agree on the same. Enough said, this place has been all over the media lately and for a good reason. Their food is spot-on in delivering the traditional flavors we expect in this cuisine.
Lastly, this was the surprise find I stumbled across, http://paulmartinsamericangrill.com/locations/dallas-restaurant/. Anytime I see a menu that indicates what dishes are vegan or can be made vegan, I get giddy because I know the chef is knowledgeable and flexible. They offer great prices at Happy Hour on drinks and limited food items. I tried out the avocado tacos, that despite my unfavorable photo, bursted with flavor. I’ll be heading back here to try out the other vegan or can be made vegan options. Will report back soon.
On to April menus. Nom, nom.
Kat