In late September I was delighted to receive an email from a representative of Araka in Clayton informing me that the chef had recently added a number of new vegetarian and vegan items to the menu and suggesting that I come in to give them a try so as to post a review here. I was about two seconds from leaving for vacation but I quickly hopped on over to the site to see what was on offer and replied that I would definitely make a reservation when we got back in town.

Fast forward to last week when my husband and I made good on my promise to visit in celebration of our anniversary on the 24th. I decided to put off the reservation until then because Araka is a little fancier/pricier than an average (non-occasion) dinner out for us. I checked the menu online that day just to be sure all the new items were still available and proceeded to get super excited about trying everything out!

When we sat down at our table, I opened the menu just to take one last glance and to my great dismay, found that two of the three items I had planned to order were nowhere to be found. When I questioned our server about the differing menus online and in the restaurant and the whereabouts of the “new” vegan items I’d heard so much about, I was told that the menu had been changed again just a day or two earlier and obviously, not yet updated on the site. Ok…

What I had planned to order was the crispy tempeh bites appetizer, simple green salad (which featured raspberries) and soy-mirin tofu as an entree. The one new item I was interested in that still appeared on the new, new menu was the crispy tempeh bites appetizer. The salad was still there, but had a completely different description that included gorgonzola cheese crumbles even though it was marked “v” (for vegan) on the menu (more on that later). I was told the soy-mirin tofu had morphed into a pasta dish now branded “Green Tea Noodles” and covered in a ginger-hoison sauce. Color me unhappy.

I went ahead and ordered the tempeh bites, new simple green salad sans cheese and the green tea noodles (despite the fact that I loathe ginger). I was told that the only vegetarian entree still on the menu, roasted acorn squash, could easily be made vegan, but as luck would have it, I hate squash even more than I hate ginger, so there you go.

My husband enjoyed the crispy tempeh bites, and they weren’t bad but I think there’s way too much tempeh, not enough crispy going on there. And the sauce was unpleasant. My entree was so-so. The tofu was a little too soft for my tastes and, of course, I could have done without the ginger. You’ll notice that I skipped over the salad. That would be because as mediocre as the rest of my meal at Araka was, the salad was dynamite!

I assume the ingredients on this change with the season. Right now it’s apple cider vinaigrette, red pear, gorgonzola (optional), croutons and toasted walnuts on a bed of baby greens. You all know I’m not big on salads, but this salad was SO good I was almost mad I had to share it with my husband! The dressing was uh-mazing. I’ve since tried to duplicate it at home, to no avail. I’m not giving up though! I enjoyed this so much that I obviously forgot to take a picture of it before I ate it all.

So, the salad and the fact that Tony LaRussa was seated a few tables away from us about mid-way through our meal, totally saved the Araka experience for me. Sans Tony sighting though, that’s pretty thin ice to be skating on for a meal that cost as much as it did.

Although I was ticked that the menu items I’d been asked to try weren’t still available just one month later, I’m told that frequently changing up the menu is pretty standard here, so I suppose that’s forgivable. What is not cool though, is not immediately updating the online menu anytime there is a change. If there is a menu available online (and there should be!), it should be the exact same menu that customers are handed in the dining room – no exceptions. This is especially important for diners with restricted diets, for health reasons or otherwise.

Also not cool, botching menu designations for items that are appropriate for special populations. In Araka’s case, that’s  gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan. I certainly appreciate the effort and I see that this has since been fixed on the online menu (which has also since been updated). I”m also sure it was an innocent mistake, but it’s a problem for two reasons:

1. If I restrict my diet for health reasons, an allergy to dairy for example, I may be less careful about reading descriptions or asking questions on items that are marked dairy-free (vegan). If something is mistakenly marked and I eat it, it could be life threatening.
2. I noticed two items on the menu that were marked vegan that had cheese listed in their descriptions. As a vegan, this makes me nervous that the chef doesn’t really understand what it means for a food to be vegan. I start wondering about what might be lurking in the other things I ordered.

So, overall not the most awesome experience. However, if you’re a vegan in St. Louis, your options for higher-end dining are a tad limited and you certainly have to appreciate that Araka is really trying. I would definitely consider this place for a special occasion, but just be sure to check the menu to verify that there will be appealing vegan items available before you go (and confirm that the online menu is up to date) and read descriptions carefully when you order.

I still can’t believe how long it took me to get to SweetArt. This adorable little bakery/cafe is nestled on a quiet stretch of S. 39th St. and is arguably the city’s best source of vegan baked goods and treats. Considering that, it seems rather ridiculous that I only just visited for the first time this past weekend!

Unfortunately, part of that is due to SweetArt’s limited hours. Since they close throughout the week (W-F) at six, our only option really is Saturday, when they’re now open from 9-5. We decided to stop in for lunch last weekend, and apparently, so did everyone else! Because they make everything to-order, it seems there is some significant lag time between placing orders and receiving your food. If you stop in during a particularly busy time, say lunch on a Saturday, that could mean you’ll be spending a little more time than your tummy would like waiting in line.

The good news is, it’s worth the wait! While everything at SweetArt is vegetarian, not all items are vegan. There are still plenty of outright vegan choices on the menu though, and there is a prominent note that mentions how anything on offer can be made vegan upon request. Cha-ching!

Andy ordered their classic Sweet Burger, which is the only constant on their ever-changing lineup. I myself had a vegan BLT, sans “magic,” which is some kind of vegan mayo concoction.  Sandwiches can be ordered in half or full portions and most entrees come with a choice of fruit or Billy Goat Chips on the side. I ordered a half size sandwich (because there were treats to be had!) and it was still plenty big.

Both of our meals were yummy, though Andy was slightly disappointed that the Sweet Burger is more of a faux-meat burger rather than a “not trying to be beef” veggie burger. That’s just his personal tastes though. I like both styles. Really just depends on what I’m in the mood for.

We took our desserts to-go…but they didn’t last long! You know I didn’t miss the opportunity to sample at least two cupcake flavors, ordering a vegan red-velvet and vegan “harmony” (yellow-ish cake w/chocolate icing). Andy ordered himself a non-veg “hummingbird” cupcake which is an old-fashioned layer cake loaded with bananas, pineapples and toasted pecans with a cream cheese frosting.

I ate the harmony cupcake as soon as we got home and enjoyed it thoroughly. I had the red-velvet on Sunday (shortly after breakfast!) and it too was good. One thing to note: both cupcakes tasted quite a bit alike. Considering how different those two flavors are supposed to be, that’s a little weird – no complaints though!

Maybe the best thing about SweetArt is the atmosphere. It sort of doubles as an art studio for the couple who owns it (she’s the cook, he’s the artist). It’s clear that the entire place has been thoughtfully decorated by the two of them and all the small, personal touches are nice. It makes for a very casual and comfortable place to enjoy a meal. Or a treat. Or both!

Oh, one more thing!  As you would expect from any bakery, SweetArt accepts custom orders for cakes, cookies and other goodies. So the next time you’ve got a celebration planned with a vegan guest of honor, this is the place to order up something delish for dessert! This is probably also your best bet for a lovely vegan wedding cake in St. Louis. Stop in or call for more info.

Bobo Noodle House is another one of those places that has been on my list to visit for way too long. We live really close to this place, so I had high hopes going in that it could become a new go-to.

I checked out the menu at Bobo online long ago and was thrilled to find several possibly vegan options including vegetarian pad thai with tofu, vegetable dumpling pho with shiitakes and crispy vegetable spring rolls. Just a few months ago, Bryan Peters reviewed Bobo in his Veggielante column for the RFT and seemed to confirm that the pad thai and vegetable dumpling pho were indeed, vegan (no mention of the spring rolls, but I can’t imagine they wouldn’t be) – which renewed my desire to stop in for a meal, and soon! Seasoned veggie’s know that a good vegan pad thai isn’t all that hard to come by, but veggie dumpling pho? Not so much.

This is exactly what I planned to order last Friday when Andy and I stopped in Bobo for dinner. It seems they do a pretty solid take-out business in addition to their dine-in customers because we stepped into a moderately sized group gathered right inside the door that was waiting to place and/or pickup orders. With no signs about seating or directions of any kind posted, we were a little lost about whether we should have a seat or place our order at the counter, but quickly figured out that we were supposed to order at the counter and then sit to be served.

One thing I’ve learned (the hard way) about eating out as a vegan: never make assumptions. Even though I was fairly certain from the RFT review that both the items I was interested in were vegan, I asked the guy taking orders to confirm that the pad thai was, in fact, vegan, to which he replied that it was the only vegan item on the menu. Whaa? When I asked specifically about the vegetable dumplings, he wavered a bit but eventually settled on this “I’m not sure and I don’t have time to check.” Noticing my obvious dissatisfaction with that answer, he then told me that I didn’t need to order anything else because the pad thai was big enough.

Now look, I understand they were busy, but that’s a totally unacceptable thing to say to a customer. I guess if I’d have lied and said I had an allergy, maybe I’d have gotten to order what I primarily came there to try. That’s not really my style though and I don’t think I should have to resort to lying to make sure that a meal I’m paying for is suitable for my dietary needs. Also, if I was a more sensitive gal, he might’ve caught some serious hell for that “what you ordered is enough food for you” comment.

Anyway, the pad thai was good – though in dire need of some Sriracha, which they provide, if requested. I especially like the extra-wide noodles.

My husband very much enjoyed his meal and is interested in going back to check out a few other things on the menu, so I’m sure we’ll be back now and then. Hopefully next time someone there will have time to look into the ingredients for the pho and spring rolls so I can try something new too.

I’d say if you find yourself with a crowd in the mood for general pan-asian fare, keep Bobo in mind. If it’s just vegan pad thai you’re jonesing for though, go right up the street to Thai Cafe and ask them to hold the egg.

Once again, I didn’t remember to take a picture before I started eating. Awesome.

I have been wanting to stop in at Atomic Cowboy for ages! This past weekend, Andy and I finally got around to trying this place out. Overall, the food was pretty decent but I think the main attraction at Atomic Cowboy is the atmosphere and frequent live music guests.

We arrived pretty early because I know this place tends to turn into much more of a venue than a restaurant in the evenings and I was really primarily interested in the food. We ended up catching the tail end of the St. Louis “Slutwalkers” who congregated here at the end of their demonstration. Needless to say, there was some great people watching to be done over the course of our meal.

There are several vegan options on the menu at Atomic Cowboy and even more when you consider that the kitchen is willing and able to veganize anything else they possibly can. I had the “vegan version” of the grilled portobello mushroom sandwich with mexican rice instead of chips and salsa (only because we had ordered chips and salsa with guac as an appetizer). Though this wasn’t really anything I couldn’t easily duplicate at home, it was a perfectly tasty meal.

Given the atmosphere, don’t expect to be able to carry on much of a conversation when you dine here, as the music is just a smidge too loud to talk over comfortably. I also highly recommend avoiding the bathrooms, if possible. Aside from those two caveats, I’d say this place is definitely worth a trip if you’ve never been. The service was very, very friendly and the prices super affordable. I’m not sure how it’s possible that I didn’t sample an order of the Gaucho fries while I was there, so I’m certain we’ll stop in again at some point to rectify that glaring oversight.

I promised another Local Vegan Eats post was on the way and here she is!

Black Bear Bakery has been on my list of places to check out for-ev-er. They actually ran a Groupon a while back and I super-enthusiastically bought it only to hang on to it until it was almost expired. That turned out to be a good thing though because it was the impetus for getting us there for brunch a few weeks ago.

Aside from the huge variety of vegan items on their (ever-changing, totally vegetarian) menu, the coolest thing about Black Bear is that they are 100% worker owned and operated. You can really feel that collective, community vibe there and it’s really nice. They also make a huge effort at being sustainable, supporting their neighborhood and using quality, local and organic ingredients in their goods. Love it!

As I said, we visited for brunch a few Saturday’s ago. We got there around 12:30 or so and though we each had plenty to eat, there was really nothing left to choose from but the brunch buffet. It seems the bakery shelves are picked bare pretty early so if you want to catch some of that action, get there early! Also unbeknownst to us, Sunday is the day for vegan brunch, as the buffet then is entirely vegan. There was still plenty of vegan grub to choose from in the Saturday morning lineup, but I’m interested to stop in and check out the Sunday offerings now too.

On my plate were vegan buckwheat pancakes (which were SO yum), home fries and a follow-up serving of homemade guacamole and chips. Good stuff.

Fun tibdit: there was a really great violin and guitar duo there playing some sweet acoustic music. They did a kick-a$$ rendition of Sweet Child O Mine while we were there. It made for a pretty cool breakfast soundtrack.

Anywho, the brunch buffet at Black Bear is $10, all-you-can-eat. Though there was nothing left to sample from the bakery, prices on those items look to be pretty reasonable too. You can also place custom orders for a variety of items including cakes (take note stl veggie brides!).

The atmosphere at Black Bear Bakery equals the quality of the food. I definitely recommend it as a place for a nice, casual brunch and/or a sweet vegan treat. I will be back for a vegan lemon bar. Oh yes, I will.

Black Bear Bakery
2639 Cherokee St.
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 771-2236

Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday, 8am-5pm

Neighborhood Brunch
Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-2pm

Unfortunately, this series hasn’t gotten much love. That’s about to change though! In addition to this post, I’ve got another Local Vegan Eats feature in the can and plans to kick things into high-gear as we ease into summer. So stay tuned!

We actually happened into Duff’s by accident. Last Friday evening we were in the mood for something fast and light for dinner and had planned to finally stop in at Audi K’s in the Central West End to test out some veggie dogs. Despite having walked by it on a Saturday evening a few weeks prior and noticing that it was not open, I somehow failed to see on their website that they close every day at 4:00 pm. On Friday and Saturday they re-open from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am but that didn’t do us much good at 6:30.

As we wandered around the CWE looking for other options, we passed by Duff’s and gave the menu a look. Much to my delight, I spotted several items available with Match™ substitutes. Score!

As an appetizer we decided to try the Vegetarian Albondigas.  Although we had no idea what the name implied, the description read black bean and Match meatballs with avocado pico and chipotle cream. The base of the chipotle cream was actual sour cream, but with that on the side you’ve got a perfectly delicious (and different!) vegan appetizer. We obviously forgot to take a picture, but I promise it was yum-o.

For my entree I ordered the Jerk Chicken sandwich with Match. The spice on this was slap-yo-mama good. Since I cannot resist the opportunity for french fries, I partook in an order of those as well.

Both of the dishes I had at Duff’s were very, very good. As I said, several of their regular menu items are available with Match substitutes or tofu, which gives vegan diners several great options here. As an added bonus, the outdoor patio is beautiful (though we sat inside-which has an equally cool vibe) and the service was really friendly.

This ended up being a little less fast and simple (and cheap!)  than we’d planned on, but I’m still glad we stumbled upon Duff’s and we’ll definitely be back!

Eating out is something I get questions about pretty often. If the person asking isn’t vegan, it’s typically something along the lines of “can you ever eat out?!”. If they are vegan, it’s “give me the scoop!”. As I’ve explained over on the FAQS page, there are plenty of opportunities to eat out as a vegan, even if the restaurant doesn’t cater to veggie-diners, but seeking out and savoring a meal at a vegan-oriented place is a special treat!

As such, today’s post is the first in a series I’m (obviously) calling “Local Vegan Eats.” The plan is to explore the St. Louis vegan dining scene (and yes, there is one!) and take all of you along for the ride! If you’re thinking about giving veganism a shot, stopping in for a meal at a veg-oriented restaurant is a great way to test the waters. The restaurants you’ll see in this series are also a great idea if you’d just like to shake up your routine and try something new. If you’re already vegan, hopefully you’ll find a new place or two to add to your “must-try” list!

First up: Shangri-La Diner.

My husband, the sweet, supportive guy that he is, offered to treat us to a vegan dinner out on Thursday in celebration of the launch of this blog (I know, right?!). I chose Shangri-La because we’ve only been once before and I’ve been itching to go back ever since (not least because they were out of their famous “fauxstess” cupcakes the first time we went).

Shangri-La Diner can be found in the heart of Antique Row on Cherokee Street. As you might expect, the menu is classic diner food: burgers, fries, chili, etc. Very unlike a classic diner though, you won’t find any meat at Shangri-La. This is one of the few totally vegetarian, veg restaurants in St. Louis.

The actual restaurant looks and feels exactly like the website: funky, colorful (ie: pink) and fabulously psychedelic. When you you walk in, the staff is likely to greet you casually and invite you to have a seat wherever you’d like. As I said, the entire menu is vegetarian, but items that are (or can be made) vegan are marked on the menu. The staff is careful to ask whether you want the vegetarian or vegan version of whatever you’re ordering – which is really nice.

I had the vegan burger with oven-baked fries. Hubs ordered the vegan meatloaf with sweet potato fries and green beans. Both were DELISH. After we finished cleaning our plates, Andy decided he also needed a post-meal bowl of chili. I am not a fan of chili – vegan or not – so he polished that off himself, but I’m told it was very good.

And now for the best part: dessert (which, I’m not going to lie, I asked about before we ordered our meals. I needed to know how much room to leave!). I finally got to take a crack at their famous “fauxstess” cupcake and let me tell you, it was worth the wait! I have no idea what they make the “cream” from, but whatever it is, it’s naughty.

Andy finished things up with a slice of vegan peach and blueberry pie (also available that night: apple and pomegranate – YUM). You may notice the tiny cup of vanilla ice cream in the corner of that picture as well. Not vegan – but neither is he, so no big deal. I mention it because it is further evidence of the outrageous amount of food we consumed while we were there.

Overall, a very good meal for a very reasonable price. I really love the free-spirited atmosphere at Shangri-La and the fact that eating there supports a great, local business. We’ll definitely be back for dinner and I’m dying to go for breakfast. Vegan french toast? Um…yes, please!

Shangri-La Diner
2201 Cherokee Street
772-8308

Hours: 5pm-9pm, Wed/Thurs
11am-10pm, Fri/Sat – 9am-5pm
Sunday Brunch Buffet served until 2pm (Sun)