City O' City, Denver CO, second visit

From Vegan Gastrobot

The last place we ate in Denver was a second visit to our first stop - City O' City. There were a lot of items on the dinner menu that we wanted to try so we ordered a lot of food and brought some home with us.

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The first thing we ordered was the fork & knife sandwich - Meatless loaf with gravy and fries on a pretzel, served with sauteed greens. I ordered this one mainly for the pretzel as I love a good soft pretzel and why not get it with some extras? I was a little disappointed in this - the pretzel just tasted like bread, the meatless loaf was good but not amazing, but the fried and gravy were good. I think I also had high expectations since the other food we had had was so amazing.

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We also ordered the mac and cheese because I have to try it if it is an option. This one was pretty good, even though the photo is blurry. It wasn't incredibly cheese, but it had a nice smooth flavor.

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We also got some BBQ seitan wings. These were very good. The BBQ sauce was a little spicy and I normally don't like ranch, but it paired perfectly with these and helped cut down on the spice. They were very chewy and toothy and we brought most of them home with us.

Overall - definitely go to City O' City. Most of the items were amazing, I am told the pizza is great, and the savory waffle was Raymond's favorite food on our Denver area adventure.

Wayward Cafe, Seattle WA

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We go to Wayward Cafe almost ever week for breakfast after the farmers market. It is our Saturday morning tradition and one of the few places to get amazing breakfast in Seattle as a vegan. On this trip we ordered the lumberjack - scrambled tofu, sham, sausage, tempeh bacon, hash browns

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and three silver dollar pancakes. The pancakes were delicious as always, though larger than a silver dollar. The sham I wasn't a fan of...I am not sure why. Raymond thinks it is because it tasted like ham where as the fake ham log doesn't. Really he hasn't had ham in probably as long as me so can you really say what it actually tasted like? In any case he enjoyed it. Everything else was great as well.

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We also tried the McWayward - an english muffin with tofu, cheese, and ham served with has browns as well. This was really good - better than the breakfast sandwich from Georgetown Liquor Company.

Overall - Wayward is definitely our favorite breakfast place in Seattle, and really one of the one places to get options for breakfast. Definitely check it out. And they are you to be open for dinner soon! I cannot wait to see what the dinner menu will look like.

Hurricane Cafe, Seattle WA

From Vegan Gastrobot

We used to live closer to the Hurricane Cafe and we would walk down after having some drinks and get some greasy food. Then we moved and I went vegan and we just forgot about it until recently. Their menu is not very vegan friendly but they do have veggie chili and veggie chili fries! Their chili is actually really good with big chunks of vegetables in it and goes perfectly with the fries.

Overall - There are not very many options here for vegans, but they do serve very good chili fries.

Dragonfish, Seattle WA

From Vegan Gastrobot

My one friend loves Dragonfish in downtown Seattle. It is her favorite restaurant and she goes there all the time. I have been a few times and while it is good food, it is not the best food I have ever had. Also, it is fairly expensive for just okay food so I don't go with her often. She wanted to get together for happy hour and she had some coupons to use here so we agreed to meet up. While their normal menu is quite expensive, their happy hour menu is well priced.

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First up was a tofu veggie roll - cucumber, kaiware, avocado, yama gobo, and tofu. This was simple, but really tasty. I keep venturing farther into my sushi tasting - I was never a fan but I have found that as long as the rice is on the outside and the first thing that hit my tongue I enjoy it (I really dislike seaweed).

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Next we had some curry fries. My friend thinks these are the best thing ever, but I think they are just okay. I mean they are good, but not remarkable. I would never say you have to go here and try the curry fries like my friend does. They are fried nicely, with a hint of curry flavor.

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Next up was lemongrass tofu. This was just alright. It did not have much flavor which was disappointing, especially since it was the most expensive item we ordered from the happy hour menu. It was just not remarkable.

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We also ordered some vegetable spring rolls. These were just alright - not the best spring rolls I have ever had and the sauce that came with them was not the best either. We also had some edamame which I forgot to take a photo of and as always it was delicious.

Overall - if you are in the area and want some cheap drinks and food then this is an okay option. The food is not the best food ever, but it is good. We would go back for cheap sushi happy hour.

Sweet Action, Denver CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

Sweet Action is an ice cream shop in Denver that always has a few vegan flavors. They use a coconut milk base so I was a little iffy on it - sometimes the coconut ice creams taste too much like coconut for me (I dislike the flavor). The flavors the day we were there were Blueberry and Pumpkin Pie, and sorbet flavor of Raspberry Lime. We tried the sorbet and the pumpkin pie and both were very good. The raspberry lime sorbet was very light and summery - it would be very refreshing on a hot day. The pumpkin pie was also good, but not the best ice cream I have ever had. Yes it was creamy and the flavor was there, but...it was good. Not the best (though we have had a lot of absolutely amazing ice creams before so there is a high standard). One of the people we were with had the blueberry and I tried some of it - I am glad we didn't get that one as it just tasted like coconut. Overall - if I lived in Denver we would go here for a treat once and a while. The sorbet would be refreshing in the summer and what I would probably stick with instead of the ice cream.

Square Lotus, Bellevue Wa

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We don't often venture over to Bellevue, but we had an event to go to so we decided to find someplace to eat close by. While looking for options I found Square Lotus and decided to try it out since it reminded me of Moonlight Cafe. I was hoping it would be just as good and... it was much better! We ordered some veggie summer rolls which had tofu, carrots, jicima and rice noodles served with a peanut sauce. These were really good, but fresh rolls usually are (they are one of my favorite foods).

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We also ordered the square lotus veggie curry - veggie chicken in green curry with bell peppers, eggplants, green beans, and basil served with brown rice. I like most curries - most of them taste similar and are quite good. This one was amazing! They use the same mock meats as Moonlight Cafe and I have no idea what they did different, but whatever it is it works. It was super creamy and so so good. I would definitely recommend this.

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We also tried the Vietnamese rice noodles. I know the photo doesn't look very good, but again this was amazing! The flavor was light, but it was probably one of my favorite rice noodle dishes I have ever had. Everything was cooked perfectly.

Overall - Square Lotus doesn't look like much from the outside. It is in the corner of a strip mall, but the food is fantastic! Highly recommend dining here if you are in the area. Everything we had was unbelievably good.

Le Bon Ton Roule, Seattle, WA

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We have driven by Le Bon Ton Roule numerous times and every time I think we should check it out as they have some tasty sounding vegan options. We finally remembered and tested it out a few days ago. The inside seems very small, but they really were able to fit a lot of people in there. Our waiter was also super friendly and I loved him. He just made you feel at home and joked around with us and was all around awesome. We tried the vegan gumbo which was really tasty. It was a little bit sweet and did not have a strong flavor which I was surprised by, but it was very good. The menu states it is made with at least 7 different types of greens and white beans, but I didn't see that many greens in the dish. There were plenty of onions and peppers though.

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We also tried the vegan jambalaya with chipotle sausage. I was worried that this might be a little bit too spicy for me as I think spice when I think jambalaya. This was very disappointing. Raymond enjoyed it, but I felt it laked flavor and just tasted oily. There were tons of onions and peppers, but it was like they were cooked so long they tasted like nothing. You did get a huge helping of it so we had it for dinner later in the week as well, but...I expected more.

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The last thing we tried was the Vegan Get Down - Vegan Hazelnut Patties and Mushroom Gravy served with Lettuce, Pickles, and Veganaise. This was so good! I would definitely go back and get this again and skip everything else. The odd thing was the mushroom gravy by itself was kind of bland as well, but it really worked well with everything else and pulled the sandwich together. The french fries that came with it were delicious as well. I highly recommend this sandwich and one would probably be enough food for Raymond and I to share for dinner.

Overall - I was overall disappointed in the food. I expected a lot more flavor from the New Orlean style cuisine. The sandwich however was amazing and I would go back to get it again. That and possibly the gumbo.

Rebellion Pizza, Denver CO

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Rebellion Pizza is a small pizza shop in Denver with no seating (take out or delivery only). You can make most of the pizzas vegan and they have vegan "wings."  I had never had wings before so we had to go and check it out. We got 10 teriyaki "wings" and they were amazing! Just tofu with teriyaki sauce, but they were cooked to perfection. Chewy and a little bit salty and I wish I could get more here.

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We also ordered the BBQ Chicken pizza - chicken, onions, bacon, BBQ sauce and Follow Your Heart cheese (Raymond doesn't like Daiya). This was great pizza! We got a medium to share with our couchsurfing hosts, but they had already eaten so we ended up eating the whole thing ourselves! The cheese was not overpowering, the BBQ sauce was perfect - everything went together very well. If I lived in Denver this would be a place we would go to regularly.

Georgetown Liquor Company, Seattle WA, Brunch

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We go to Georgetown Liquor Company dinner at often, but when looking for happy hour options there I saw they had a brunch menu. Last weekend we decided to try it out. Hogtown Breakfast Sandwich - house made vegan sunny side up egg with vegan mozzarella, Happy 'ham' on a toasted English muffin. Served with fresh herb roasted potatoes and fruit and a side of 'bacon.' The bacon was good - just some of the ham fried up with some seasonings - it almost reminded me of jerky. The potatoes were a let down - they didn't have any seasoning and were just blah. Really you should be able to make some potatoes and I should be happy with them - they are not that hard to make and it was very disappointing that they couldn't get something so simple right.

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The sandwich was tasty and they made the vegan egg look like an egg! The parts didn't taste any different, but I liked the visual. While the sandwich was good, it wasn't the best breakfast sandwich I have had.

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We also ordered the biscuits and gravy with sausage - these also came with the potatoes and fruit. This was my favorite of the two - the biscuits was delicious, the gravy I really likes and no mushrooms to pick out. The gravy was supposed to be like country gravy, and Raymond didn't like it that much. He felt it was more like gravy for mashed potatoes, but then again he loves Wayward's gravy. If I found myself here again for brunch this is definitely what I would order. The only issue I had with this is it wasn't as much food as I am used to for breakfast on the weekends. During the week I just have a smoothie, but on Saturdays I like my big breakfast. After sharing this meal with Raymond I left and was still a little hungry.

Overall - I really enjoy Georgetown Liquor Company for happy hour or dinner, but for brunch I would rather go to Wayward.

Moonlight Cafe, Seattle WA

From Vegan Gastrobot

Moonlight Cafe is a Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle that is one of my favorites. They have a separate vegetarian menu where all the items can be or are vegan. On this trip we ordered the tofu salad rolls. They were delicious as most are. I especially love their peanut sauce that comes with them.

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We also ordered the bamboo hot pot with mock chicken. This was the first time we tried a hot pot and I didn't really know what to expect. This was also the first time I have had large pieces of bamboo and it was all very good.

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We also ordered the fried rice with egg roll and grilled pork skewer. The pork skewers are one of my favorite things ever so I thought I would try a dish that came with one. The egg roll was alright (I have to be in the right mood to eat deep fried food like that). The fried rice was alright - not the best option here as it just seemed like rice and frozen veggie mix with not much in the way of flavoring added to it. Good, but not the best.

Overall - Moonlight is still one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. Their vegan menu is extensive and we still have many items to try. I would definitely recommend stopping here if you are in Seattle.

Atomic Tamale, Denver CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

I heard Atomic Tamale had free vegan menudo on Sundays and I didn't really know what that was, but since I wanted to stop by anyways why not stop on Sunday and check it out? We walked into this place and it...well it is a bit strange. I thought we got the wrong door as there were day of the dead items (dresses, jewelry, etc) and so it looked like a store, not a place that would serve food. In the back of the store however (it is a tiny place) there is a window to order food from and 2 small tables to enjoy your food. There is also a table of toppings (shown above) and chips that you can help yourself to.

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The menudo was simple, but really good. The top photo is is the menudo when we got it and the bottom is with our added toppings. The broth was delicious, the vegan meats tender, the hominy perfect! I wish I knew how to make this. I am going to have to try and recreate it at home.

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We ordered 3 falafel taquitos and 2 tamales as it was the special - only $5! This coupled with the menudo was plenty of food for both me and Raymond which made it a very cheap lunch. The taquitos were not my favorite - too greasy for me, but they did have a good flavor. I just don't like taquitos that much, but Raymond enjoyed them.

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We tried two different kinds of tamales, both special - One was filled with corm and zucchini. This one was my favorite. The filling was sweet and just really worked well together. The other was filled with red sauce, potatoes and pinto beans. This one was also good, but the corn and zucchini one overshadowed it (Raymond liked the red sauce one better so it worked out).

Overall - check Atomic Tamale out, especially on Sunday when you can get the free menudo.

Watercourse, Denver CO - meal 2

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The breakfast was so good at Watercourse the first time that we decided to go back for a second visit. When we walked in there were cinnamon rolls in the case by the door so we ordered one of them. It was really good - gooey and light and not too sweet.

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We also tried the Firenza scramble - basil pesto with carrots and zucchini served with homemade whole wheat bread and sweet potato hash brown. I thought this scramble sounded very good, and I love pesto so it should have been a great combination. It was...not. I mean it was alright, we did eat it, but I wish we would have gotten something else. It just wasn't good. Then we paid extra for the sweet potato hash browns as I love sweet potatoes. I love sweet potato fries, mashed sweet potatoes, pretty much any way you make them. These however were..somehow they didn't have much flavor. I was very disappointed. The one standout on this dish - the bread. It was amazing! Some of the best bread I have ever had. I would gladly just eat slices of this bread for breakfast every day! Amazing. Definitely choose the bread whole wheat bread from the bread options. Amazing!

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We also tried the half order of biscuits with tofu. I wish we wouldn't have gotten this with the tofu as it really detracted from the biscuits and gravy. I don't know why that is as I liked all the individual pieces, but combined they were not good. This was another miss when ordering.

Overall - I still really like Watercourse, but if you go I would get the banana bread french toast - they are one of the best things I have ever eaten.

Cafe Sanora, Denver, CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

One morning while in Denver we got up later than expected so we did not have much time to get some food for breakfast and get out to roller derby. We decided to stop by Cafe Sanora for some tea and I had heard they had some vegan baked goods. The only vegan treats they had was a sweet potato scone. Normally I am iffy on scones - a lot of times they are really dry and crumbly and just not very good. After eating this one I have come to the conclusion that I have just not had scones. This was unbelievably good. It was moist and just a little bit sweet with walnuts and...just delicious. Definitely pick one up if you stop by for some morning coffee.

Zudaka, Boulder CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

We had a busy schedule of roller derby while in Denver/Boulder area, but we also wanted to try as many things as possible. When I saw there was a vegetarian Latin restaurant where most things could be made vegan and I could try foods I have never heard of before I knew we had to try it. We could only fit it in after we had already eaten so we got some take out to eat in between bouts. Zudaka is a tiny hole in the wall place that we drove right by the first time. When we arrived there was no one else there, but the place smelled amazing and the lady working there was incredibly nice.
We ordered two Arepas (traditional Venezuelan gluten free corn meal dough pocket sandwich) - One Negrita Dulce - black beans, white cheese and sweet plantains (no close up photo of this one as it did not look very pretty, but it is the bottom left item in the photo above). This was really good - I have only ever had plantain chips before so it was fun to taste a cooked plantain. It was a little bit sweet, and the black beans and cheese paired nicely with it. Really good.

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The second Arepa we tried was La de Pollo - chunky meatless chicken with caramelized onions and green peppers. This was amazing! My definitely my favorite of the two. Really savory and yum!

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The last thing we tried were the Hallequitas - two hallaquitas (venezuelan tamales) served with black beans, fresh salsa, guasa and one little arepita. When we got our food the lady working told us how we should eat these - unwrap them and put everything on them including the juice from the beans - the messier they are the better. So we took her advice and these were very messy, but so good. I love tamales and these did not disappoint.

Overall - Zudaka was very good and I would go back if I am in Boulder again.

Sun Deli, Boulder, CO

From Vegan Gastrobot

After the disappointing pizza at BOP Pizza we were not expecting to find much any good pizza in Boulder/Denver. Sun Deli had many tempting vegan options including homemade sausage and pepperoni and homemade almond ricotta so we had to check it out. On Saturdays they even have a vegan special with discounts on all vegan pizzas and calzones. We ordered the Baked Buffalo Pizza - pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions. We had the option of daiya or the almond ricotta (or both), but since we have had daiya before we went with just the almond ricotta. This pizza was amazing! One of the best pizzas I have ever had. The crust was perfect, the almond ricotta was amazing, the seitan sausage and pepperoni were delicious! If we are ever in Boulder again we will definitely be going back here - we tried to fit it in again on our trip, but there just wasn't enough time.

Overall - definitely go here if you are in Boulder! The pizza was amazing!