Where to Eat Vegan: Present Moment Cafe - St. Augustine, FL

We drove right by Present Moment Cafe the first time and had to pull around and approach it again. The squat barrel shaped building hugged close to the road had blended into the tightly packed urban blip of King Street in Old Town St. Augustine. 

But this is no urban desert of a restaurant. Within the doors lush blues and greens stream through the jewel toned windows, wood so lustrous it seems to still breathe, coats the walls and a gentle pink emanates from each table set with a Himalayan Salt grinder. 

In a town more equipped to serve novelty fried alligator tail and slippery sweet ice cream cones to tourists, Present Moment Cafe gives one pause. 

This is a restaurant designed to nourish all the senses.

I had convinced my grandmother to bring us into town to sample Yvette Schindler's raw fare not really knowing what to expect. Would there be anything she would dare to eat? 

Salads don't hold much of a place on this imaginative menu. Mango samosas, Viva Burrito, Nachos, White Truffle Pesto Pasta and the Sunlight Burger stuffed with mushrooms and nuts. 

Where to begin? 

Sometimes when I don't know where to start I go back to the start.

 Where did I start this weird food journey? What foods brought me out of the boxed mashed potatoes and microwave mac and cheese dark ages? 

Miso was one of those first foods.

At the Japanese Steakhouse, where charred bits of shrimp were thrown into the grinning gapes of openmouthed spectators, I tasted my first bowl of salty miso.

As a new vegan years later I was heartbroken to find so many restaurants served fish laced broths, so when an opportunity to try a miso made without my swimming friends comes along I take it.

Present Moment Cafe could have gotten away with being mediocre. With few vegan options and no real competition in the way of raw vegan fare, they probably could have gotten by being the only joint in town and could prepare whatever they wanted. But they turned out an amazing meal, a New York quality meal really. 

I was tempted to buy their cookbook before I left but opted to just hold the flavors and textures in my mind until I could make another pilgrimage to the fountain of youth that is Present Moment Cafe. 

22 West King Street

St. Augustine, FL 32084

Monday - Thursday 10am - 9pm

Friday - Saturday 10am - 9:30 pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Ballyhoo's - Key Largo, FL

Ballyhoo's doesn't seem like an obvious choice for vegan food. The warm patio flanked with bananas is inviting, sure, but the ghastly crab legs that hang as a welcoming banner to their website seems, somewhat less than welcoming. 

Push past the obligatory seafood section though and you'll find a whole separate menu of vegan and vegetarian delights like Fried Pink Tomatoes, Vegan Grilled Cheese and Black Bean Soup, Grilled Avocado and a selection of salads that breaches the iceberg and watery tomato protocol. 

As we sipped on our Mason jar tumblers of water and pursued the menu we realized those tasty options from the website were nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me, but we thought we saw online that you have vegan options?" I asked the waitress.

"Oh, you're vegan, we have a whole menu for you honey," she beamed, rushing inside to grab a few of the reserved copies for us. 

"There aren't a lot of vegan options here in Key Largo but it turns out that our chef here is vegan so that's why we have this whole separate menu," she explained. 

We decided to get a few dishes to sample the menu: 

The Grilled Cheese with Black Bean Soup

Joe Vs The Volcano Salad 

and a Sweet Potato Burger with Jalapeño Jelly 

Grilled Mango, Sliced Tomato, Avocado and Noodles are tossed with a Chili Lime Dressing, Fresh Cilantro and Mint and served atop Spinach with a handful of Peanuts and a side of crispy toast. 

The Sweet Potato Burger, which is mixed with white beans and tahini was served crispy and warm on a kaiser roll with a spicy Jalapeño Jelly side and a choice of Green Beans, Black Eyed Peas, Mushrooms, Spinach or Fries. 

We resisted the Fries. 

The Grilled Cheese was the most unique vegan grilled cheese I've yet to experience. Instead of the stringy glue that Daiya can produce or the itchiness that cashew cheese can produce for me, this "cheese" was made of reduced coconut milk and what I assumed was nutritional yeast. Lightly flavored but satisfying in a gooey way that reminded me of childhood Velveta days. 

Ballyhoo's

Open Daily 11am - 10pm

97860 Overseas Highway

Key Largo, FL 33037

305 852 0822

Spring Bowl Trolls

Bok Choy Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa 

I started cooking at home. A lot. Every meal. For about a month. 

It was exhausting and invigorating at the same time. 

Really it was kinda inspiring to see what I could come up with, what I could enjoy. At the time I had a lot of restrictions in my diet. 

Crazy restrictions like no sugar, no yeast, no fungus, no grains. 

Do you know how many foods have yeast in them? Did you know things like peanuts are a no go on this diet because they reproduce by fungus? Vinegar is a produced by yeast? Crackers have sugar in them?! Grains ferment in your stomach and feed the yeast/fungus?

WHAT?!

My breakfast in particular went to very strange, savory new places.

And through it all I documented and Instagramed (@quinoaween) and someone pointed out that I had a lot of bowls on my feed and that I should name my little chapter of Instagenre.

And so I named it Bowl Troll. 

As I eventually eased back into the world of eating out  I kinda stuck with my plant heavy bowls though and its been an amazing learning experience to think so very thuroughly about what I put into my body and what I don't. 

Flax Drizzled Green Beans and Japanese Sweet Potato Cakes

Buckwheat Cabbage Noodles with Crushed Macadamia 

Life Alive Bowl with Tahini Dressing and a Green Juice

Red Cabbage Tahini Bowl and One Strawberry 

Lemon Dill Wild Rice Stuffed Pepper

Artichoke Soup and Crusted Tofu Salad

Sneaky Spinach Chocolate Smoothie

Purple Paprika Miso

Where to Eat Vegan: St. Francis Fountain

Take a seat at the counter in St. Francis Fountain next to mustachioed bike enthusiasts and tottering local ladies and you might feel like you've been taken back in time: a time when you could go to diners and order pancakes and milkshakes all day. For me that time was a few years ago before I was vegan.

On a block bordered by giant murals of chicano heroes, stands selling lucha masks and colorful jewelry and a collection of spanish bakeries to give your whole family a sugar rush, the Fountain looks a little out of place - but the Fountain has actually been fueling this neighborhood since 1918.  

The vanilla soy gelato milkshake - geltao curtsy of local La Copa Loca served with old fashioned paper straws is where I always start a meal at a diner while I decide on the feast that will shortly ensue. 

While the Fountain is mostly your traditional eggs and bacon diner, most things can be made vegan by subbing out tofu scramble, vegan pancakes (blubbery, strawberry or banana-walnut if you please) and veggie sausage patties. There is even the enticing Devil Burger piled with seitan. I resisted.

In the end I went for the Vegan Thing - spuds, cheese and guacamole, blubbery pancakes and a side of sausage for my glutinous treat - and I was not disappointed. 

2801 24th Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

415 - 826 - 4210

Monday - Saturday 8am - 10pm

Sunday 8am - 9pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Saturn Cafe - Berkeley, CA

Saturn Cafe was an obvious first stop in California. There is something about diners that…well it's obvious why diners are amazing and nostalgic and delicious. Milkshakes of course!

Ala the website Saturn Cafe boasts that they "offer traditional comfort food with a healthy twist."

Well I might not go so far as to put healthy in the same sentence as the Vegan BBQ Ranch Chicken Burger I got - but comforting it certainly was after a long flight. 

The service was helpful and speedy and the vegan onion rings were on point. Oh also did I mention every table had a different themed table top? I sat at the Star Wars taro card table and peeked over at the lego table and the pinball table curiously. 

The BBQ Ranch Burger with Gardien Chicken and the Smoked Corn Soup.

2175 Allston Way

Berkeley CA, 94704

510 - 845 - 8505

Monday - Friday 11am - 12am

Saturday and Sunday 10am - 12am

Where to Eat Vegan: Cafe Verde - Richmond, VA

By now everyone should know about RVA Vegan. Hell, even PETA knows about Ed's legendary cupcakes. But does everyone know about Cafe Verde - Ed's newest brainchild?

I spent a day with Ed touring the Capitol building, walking around the murals by the river walk and ended the day with some tacos and cupcakes at Cafe Verde. Cafe Verde sits in Shockoe Bottom across from the giant Never 2501 mural. My first thought on entering the cafe was - wait it's not neon pink?! A la the name, Ed chose to go neon green for his cafe with cheerful accents of pink.

For dinner I tried one of each taco: Beef, Fish, BBQ, Oyster, Mushroom and Carnitas. I skipped the Potato much to the contrary of one of the employees advice just so I would be assured to not run out of stomach room for the 6 tacos I was already committed to eating. This was my very first experience eating jackfruit and I have to say the hype is well deserved. At $3 a pop or 4 tacos for $10 you can easily sample the menu.

My only regrets - not having a big enough stomach to try the Po Boy Sandwich.

 My only complaint - no guacamole.

Ed explained that avocado would raise his price point on the tacos and he wants to keep these little guys affordable, but he might consider it as a side in the future.

***********Update************

Cafe Verde has added Guacamole Nachos as a special! Buy them up and insist on guacamole always!

Since my visit to Cafe Verde I have seen nachos, pupusas, tamales, breakfast scramble tacos and gluten free whoopie pies pop up on the Cafe Verde Facebook page. In other words, I have a lot more to try in my future.

1810 E Main Street

Thursday 5pm to 12am

Friday and Saturday 5pm to 2:30 am

Sunday 12pm to 8pm

Ed touristing me around his cool city.

Where To Eat Vegan: Kaya - Pittsburgh, PA

According to their website the cuisine at Kaya is inspired by the sea and the sun. On a hot sticky day in July with no shortage of sun but woefully short on sea we snagged a collaged, tropical table for lunch. Our gracious waiter, likely cursing our desire to sit outside on such a dripping, humid day, confidently pointed out the options that could be made vegan and we chose two to share. 

As we waited for lunch I toured the flowers growing on their patio and ventured into the dark, temple-like bar decorated in gold and blazing red paint. 

Jamaican Green Curry Vegetables and a Peanut Plantain Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries!

The flavorful curry of mushrooms, swiss chard, potatoes and pineapple is ladled over saffron rice. Unlike the fiery green curry of Thai cuisine, Jamaican curry is sweet rather than spicy. 

Fried plantains, chunky peanut butter, spinach and pickled red onions were deliciously stacked into our sandwich.

Next time you're in the Strip District looking for a meal check out Kaya.

2000 Smallman Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

412- 261- 6565

Monday - Wednesday  11:30am to 10pm

Thursday - Saturday 11:30am to 11pm

Sunday 11am to 9pm

Where to (Tr)Eat Vegan: Oh Yeah! Ice Cream & Coffee - Pittsburgh, PA

Call Oh Yeah! Ice Cream and Coffee and the phone will be answered with a sprinkle encrusted Koolaid impersonation of  "Oh yeah!" 

Ok, kinda cheeseball. Kinda reminds me of the corporate nonsensical naming of scoops at Coldstone but go to Oh Yeah! and you'll be far from corporate but you WILL find a healthy dose of the nonsensical. 

Part waffle and ice cream joint, part mini library and community computer space part bank. 

Wait - bank?

 Whalebone Intergalactic Cafe Banco to be exact. They also sell stamps and envelops.

To be honest I was just here to eat some ice cream on top of a waffle. Let us press on. 

Enter cinnamon waffle topped with soy chocolate ice cream. 

Two modest waffle irons pump out waffles and for a family of 500 like mine this requires some patience. Spend your time waiting by perusing the list of flavors and toppings. Vegans, you've got it easy with only a few of these to choose from but having options at all is a blessing!

They also sell organic coffee roasted at 19 Coffee Company so if you are into that fancy bean water check that out. 

Not everyone loved the idea of soggy ice cream waffles.

I will say that these waffles, as can be the case with many vegan waffles, felt a bit empty. Lots of cinnamon flavor but not much else to give it a full flavor to stand up to the richness of the ice cream. Perhaps because they were gluten free? I don't know. 

Overall satisfying but not a waffle that changed my life. Kudos for carrying Earth Balance and real maple syrup though!

In short this is a homey little spot for a treat, a book and maybe some off the beaten path banking.

232 S. Highland Ave

412-200-5574