Le Pain Quotidien, Arlington VA

From Vegan Gastrobot

While walking from Red Velvet to Bakeshop in the Clarendon area we walked by Le Pain Quotidien and I decided to spy on the menu. They have everything labeled that is vegan, which I always like, and they had a few baked goods that sounded delicious. We walked in and the space was very open with long tables for people to sit together and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We were just going to get a few baked goods and decided to eat them there. Once we sat down though and I looked at the menu we changed are mind and decided to share a Tartine as well. The menu started Tartines were a Belgium open faced sandwich, and I was intrigued as a few of them sounded amazing. We opted for the seasonal special - Sweet Pea Hummus Tartine. This had sweet pea hummus, carrots, radish, cucumber and smoked green tea vinaigrette. The presentation was lovely (though it doesn't really look like it from my photo) and the sandwich was delicious. It tasted light and felt summery even though it was a chilly overcast rainy day. The sweet pea hummus was flavorful and the green tea vinaigrette gave it a little kick. All the veggies were crisp and the bread was very crusty and rustic which I loved. Overall the sandwich was delicious, though a little expensive.

From Vegan Gastrobot

After finishing our sandwich we ordered our baked goods - An Apple Cannele, A Carrot Muffin and an Organic Hazelnut Flute.

From Vegan Gastrobot

The Hazelnut Flute was just like a very crusty bread stick with raisins and nuts and all kinds of goodness in it. Almost like a crunchy raisin bread stick - I really liked it, but I really like crusty bread. The Apple Cannele was amazing - really moist with lots of apple pieces, a bit of a sharp vinegary flavor and it reminded me of a dense apple cake with apple slices baked in. Delicious! The carrot muffin was really good - cinnamony and savory with a little bit of sweetness. I wish we would have picked up more baked goods to bring home with us as they were very tasty.

Overall - If you are in the Clarendon area definitely check out Le Pain Quitidien if you have some extra money to spare. It is not cheap, but the food was very good.

Don and Clare's Beach Shack, Falls Church, VA

From Vegan Gastrobot

Clare & Don's Beach Shack is a fairly large restaurant that was very popular even though we stopped by early on a weekday. They have a few different types of tofu (buffalo, coconut, bbq, grilled and traditional) to choose from for their sandwiches and other options. There is even a tofu sampler for dinner. We were there at lunch so we ordered the fried tofu sandwich. This didn't look like much so I was setting myself up for another disgusting disappointing sandwich like we had at Smoke & Barrel. However, this was really good. The tofu was seasoned well and the sandwich came with lettuce and tomato. This was surprisingly good. The fries were just alright - they tasted like frozen fries you get from the store, though they were seasoned with salt and pepper so I enjoyed them. It was really busy so everyone working there was rushing around, but the waiter did check to make sure everything was vegan for us which is always nice.

Overall - If I were in the area again I would stop by for another visit, especially if it were trivia night. The multiple flavors of tofu is a nice addition even though the menu is fairly simple.

Soul Vegetarian, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Soul Vegetarian is a tiny little takeout place with one table to sit at. If not for the mac & cheese offered daily we probably would have just walked right by this place without giving it a second glance. Even with the promised mac & cheese I almost bypassed it as...it didn't look like much. We went inside and the lady working was incredibly friendly. She helped up pick out a few things to take with us and eat later. We ordered some of the mac and cheese and the BBQ twist. The BBQ Twist I really enjoyed - it was chewy and like BBQ meatloaf - delicious! The mac & cheese was different...I cannot put my finger on what it tasted like and what was different, but it was so good mixed with the BBQ sauce. We got the take out with the BBQ Twist on the bottom of the container and the mac & cheese on top. Next time I would definitely get the mac & cheese on the bottom so the BBQ sauce would mix with it better.

Overall - I would definitely go back here. The food was cheap and pretty tasty.

Amsterdam Falafel Shop, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Normally I wouldn't go to a falafel place on vacation in the US as I can get good falafel in Seattle. I saw that Amsterdam Falafel Shop had a toppings bar that you could use to doctor up your sandwich however you would like I put it on the list.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We ordered a small white pita with cucumber salad, hummus, cabbage, beets and a few other salads on it. This was very disappointing. The toppings were really good - the beets very sweet and pickled, the cucumbers crisp and tasty, but the falafel...the falafel did not have much flavor except hot spice, and it was incredibly greasy. Raymond made the comment that they left them in the oil too long or left them sitting in oil or something...they were just spicy hot grease balls. I really don't know why people like this place. We spoke with numerous people about falafel while we were in DC, and overheard people talking about it, and the common consensus was that you have to go to a place where that is all they make - like Amsterdam Falafel - for good falafel. I just don't get it. Maybe they just have never had an actually good falafel sandwich and everything else is worse than this in DC? That is the only thing I can think of.

Overall - Skip Amsterdam Falafel. The falafel is greasy and lacks flavor and it just not good.

Smoke & Barrel, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Smoke and Barrel was the restaurant I was most excited to try in Washington DC. They have smoked foods which I love! I use my smoker all the time at home. We ordered the smoked vegan wings served muddy (wet and rub). These were so good! Just the normal vegan drumstick, but so much better. The BBQ sauce that was served on the side was incredibly spicy so I did not use that, but the BBQ spice rub was perfect. I would definitely go back and get these again.

From Vegan Gastrobot

We also ordered the BBQ Smoked Tofu Sandwich (Hand pressed, rubbed with our house bbq rub, cold smoked, then grilled and served "all the way" - coleslaw and a pickle slice - like a traditional bbq sandwich). This sounded delicious, but it was sooo disappointing and gross. The roll was not good - mushy and not tasty. The tofu was mush and had no flavor. The coleslaw...I don't even know why they added it as it tasted like nothing. The whole sandwich was like eating mush with no flavor. It was really not good. I would not recommend ordering it....I still can't get over how bad it was. How can smoked tofu and BBQ spice rub and coleslaw equal no flavor?

Overall - I would go back here as I really liked the atmosphere and would just hang out with some drinks and smoked seitan wings and a few friends. We sat on the porch which was open to the outside and it was perfect as it was a beautiful day. Just don't get the smoked tofu.

Radius Pizza, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

We had a full day of eating in Washington DC so while we were walking to Radius Pizza I mentioned how I wish pizza places had personal pizzas all the time, or slices of vegan pizza as I we couldn't eat a whole pizza. We walked in to Radius Pizza and what do you know? You can order a slice of any pizza until 7pm! Perfect! We ordered a slice of the Giler made vegan - onion, spinach, red pepper, and Teese. Pizza Pi in Seattle uses Teese and it is my favorite vegan cheese. On this pizza however...there was too much of it. I would have preferred no cheese and just veggies. The crust was really thin and tasty - not really filling like a tick crust pizza. They have a special 5-7 every day - $5 for a slice of cheese pizza ($1 extra for vegan cheese) and a pint of beer. Pretty good deal and I would check it out next time we are in the area.

Overall - This was pretty good pizza. I say skip the cheese and just get veggies.

Julia's Empenadas, Washington DC

From Vegan Gastrobot

Julia's Empenadas always has one vegan option. The have multiple locations throughout the city so you can stop in and pick one up. We shared one of the vegan options of the day - broccoli, sweet potato, onions, spices.

From Vegan Gastrobot

I was really excited to try this. I make empenadas at home and I love foods I can eat on the go like that - hand pie type things. This was...VERY disappointing. The dough was very thin and crispy like a cracker. The insides were like curry, but just an okay curry. Really if I would have like the crust better it would have been good, but unfortunately it was just lacking. I am not sure if that is the way the empenada dough should be as I have never had it out, but if so then I just don't like empenadas as much as I thought.

Overall - I would skip Julia's Empenadas. It was just not that good.