I feel like I’m reminiscing a holiday romance.  Heart longing, stomach rumbling.  Recalling that first bite...first thrilling taste that got my heart beating faster..rendered me a little breathless.  I find myself doing the ...head to on side.... goon smile, as I pour over slide-shows of entrees I’ve set on ‘continuous’..  I jealously wonder who is enjoying you now?  SAN FRANCISCO.  Five weeks were not long enough......so many VEGAN options...so little time..



How do I whittle it all down?...   WRITE A LIST!?

This is by no means an extensive list of ALL the vegan places or vegan friendly joints in SF, that would take a lifetime.  Though I would be very happy to make it my life's work!   Here is my 'buffet' list. Mostly from eateries in the Mission District...


BEST SALAD...Persimmon with chipotle vinaigrette from Gracias Madre.  So amazing, the flavours and textures are fresh...triumphant almost.  Like a party where everyone gets on well.
BEST FRENCH FRY...........Pica Pica.  Garlicky, salty, with a happy crunch and a little oozie oiliness.

Garlicky yucca fries and crispy, salty plantains...Oh sweet Jesus these were DELIGHTFUL

BEST TAMALE - (I obsessively, sampled a few)...One in the Sunshine Cafe, the Tamales de los dias served up at Gracias Madre, Amy’s Kitchen (frozen but not to be sniffed at), I’d made a promise to sample one in Sugarlump, a retro cafe in the Mission...this was not to be.   They were good, but all them were beaten hands down, by a fling with a perfectly spiced and spongy, sweet bean tamale, handmade, organic and delivered STEAMING to your door by La Guera Tamalera.  I know, I know, it is not from San Francisco but Silverlake, Los Angeles.  But I'd moved on..I needed a hit...It isn't cheating!

PICA PICA -

Yes...I ate the WHOLE LOT!  The arepas were stuffed with deep fried plantains, avocado, perfectly seasoned black beans and a warm tomato salsa

BEST VENEZUELAN  - Pica Pica Maize Kitchen.  Pica, meaning a little bit of this..a little bit of that...Their menu is gluten free and VEGAN friendly.  Their arepas are corn flour cakes.  Soft on the inside but crispy on the outside. 
BEST MEXICAN - Gracia's Madre

VEGAN FROZEN DINNER!  WOW!

 BEST 'GRAB IT FROM THE FREEZER' ENTREE....Joint first listing goes to...

GRAB IT FROM THE FREEZER

 MOST FRIENDLY & PASSIONATE RESTAURANTERS - Souley Vegan

The EVERYTHING plate from Souley Vegan in Oakland.  The deep fried tofu and herby cornbread are FABULOUS!

 MOST OVERPRICED (they should be ashamed of themselves) 'concept' restaurant - Cafe Gratitude!

No calories...fizzy, spices...catch the back of your throat loveliness.  Made in the Bay by a passionate brewer!

 

BEST SODA  - ~Taylor’s tonic. 

BEST GROCERS - ~Rainbow foods - THIS PLACE IS VEGAN UTOPIA...I spent hours wandering around in here, marvelling at the inventiveness of VEGAN BEINGS.

Oh so moreish...they make chocolate flavour too....One for my 'to try' list..

BEST SNACK - KALE CHIPS!  Blue Mountain Organics.  AN EXPENSIVE ADDICTION!  But SO  blooming good!
BEST RAW - Lydia’s Kitchen.  The Varta Plate .  I enjoyed this TASTE SENSATIONAL raw entree at a Green Fayre in the Bay and the drove all the way to Fairfax..across the Bridge, to have Varta, The sequel.

Not very photogenic but filling and DELICIOUS.  Vegan sourcream, nacho cheese, creamy avocados and curried cashew cheese.

MOST INNOVATIVE VEGAN CREATORS - Gracias Madre.  Hands down...Their quesos blancos, nachos cheese and guac, partnered with their home-grown, heirloom corn is nothing short of hands in the air, praise be, gorgeousness.

Quesadillas de Calabaza - RAMJAM PACKED with butternut squash, topped with Nacho cheese made from cashews and a sunflower salsa.  HEAVEN!

UDUPI - Indian food extraordinaire!

BEST INDIAN - UDUPI PALACE - I went to this place on Valencia Street 4 times, just to make sure the quality prevailed.. The DOSA's where so good they induced, in me, fits of giggling!  Highly embarrassing when dining solo! The sambal pasted on the crispy pancake, greeting the perfectly spiced potato curry inside was MANNA!

BEST SOUP - Whole Foods Market hot counter - Moroccan lentil - these fellas know how to use those Middle Eastern spices.  Comfort food on a spoon!

BEST ICE-CREAM - Coconut Bliss  ANY FLAVOUR

How can i sum up VEGAN San Francisco, when I feel I only scratched off the first layer...the crust?  How about entrees I wished I’d tried?  Like the Tamales at the Ferry building or Sugar Lump Coffee Lounge, Potato Pie at Herbivore (instead of ordering the sugar laden carrot cake....regrets I have a few..) or the tofu scramble at the Sunshine cafe.  Millennium.how about Millennium?  How could I have missed that?!  No, NO, I will have to go back.  San Francisco, this is not the end....

Carrot cake at Herbivore... Too much sugar!

THE BEST TAMALE...SO GOOD THEY SHOULD NAME IT TWICE!  La Guera Tamalera

My late night writing haven in the Misson...Sugar Lump Coffee Lounge



Tamale and tea at the Sunrise Restaurant









PICA PICA .....A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE!

I was HUNGRY and my mouth craved a flavour party and my stomach shouted FEED ME NOW!  I'd been to the Venezuelan inspired Pica Pica Maize Kitchen the week before and had enjoyed it but I wasn't desperate to go back again, it was tasty but not wow and the tofu in my vegan was too soft and bland.   Nevertheless, I found myself walking back through the doors on Mission Street.  This time I decided to make the menu my own, I smiled with all the sweetness I could muster, as I asked the helpful, but dour, manager for the grilled corn flour cake, the No.5 La Shuli to be stuffed with plantain in addition to the tomatoes, black beans and herbs.  I also caved into my yearnings and  ordered the smashed, crispy plantain cake and the yucca fries, oh and a small side of avocado.

I don't know what happened since the previous week,  but Oh my good GOD!  The food was amazing.  AMAZING.  The arepa was transformed and made a thing of utter bloody perfection by the omission of boring mushy tofu and the take-over by the sweet plantain. A genius move by me (thank you me).  The slightly sweet plantain, the earthy black beans and the finely chopped, herbed tomatoes were a perfect marriage, and their take on guacamole that I smeared with abandon on the roof of the cornbread nearly had me in tears.  My eyes tolled reverentially to the heavens.  I was undone with joy.  Oh Jesus..... and the fries.....oh, bloody hell they were salty, garlicky, crispy and left a yummy film of oiliness on my lips.  Oh feck.  I was in LOVE.  Right in the middle of it; if love was a spinning of flavours and textures and gorgeousness then I was at its CORE.  Ha, ha.  I could of laughed at the joy of it all.  I was so happy I could of danced on the tables and done star jumps all the way to the counter before planting a huge smacker on the chef's fissog and bursting out onto the street to tell the WORLD of the scrumminess I'd discovered!  But...I didn't.  I quietly told the chef he was fabulous and walked out with a smile like you get when you've just had great sex.

GO THERE NOW!

PICA PICA...THANK YOU  THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!!  times a million.