House of Blues - Dallas

Yes, there are bites from the slider.  It looked too good.  Went to House of Blues so my wife could see Luke Bryan (no review on that).  Made reservations so we didn't have to stand outside in line with the masses, so had a Sam Adams beer (or three) and got some chips and hot sauce while I waited for my wife to arrive.  They were lacking in flavor, but filling I guess.

I didn't expect to find much tasty here for a main course, some fries or a salad maybe.  I was very pleased to see this on the menu - portabello sliders.  Described as two marinated portabello mushroom sliders, topped with smoked Gouda cheese, roma tomato and crispy field greens served on a brioche bun.  Well the brioche bun wasn't even an option so I didn't have to not order it, but I did, of course, have to request no Gouda.  I got a side of BBQ sauce and put the spicy pickles that came in the center dish on the sliders and they.were.GREAT.  My only regret was that I filled up on the chips and couldn't order another side of these.

Service was good, bill was not representative because we both had several adult beverages, which are way over-priced.  I like House of Blues (even though the booking guy is a pain in the backside when I am booking my band) - I am glad they have some food that is vegan-friendly.  

Mooyah Burgers - McKinney

Ahhh - finally a burger place that does it right for us vegans.  BWW had a great burger, but they also have a wider menu so you expect more options.  Mooyah is a burger joint that only sells a few other non-burger items, and those are on their kid's menu.  You go in, mark down what you want on your order form, and above is what you get.

For starters you'll see the iceberg lettuce wrap instead of bread.  I THINK their buns are safe, but this way I don't feel so bad about eating so many of the sweet potato fries (pictured).  And no, I did not eat ALL of those!  Can you believe that is a medium order of fries that 'serves 1-2'?  But boy are they good.  What I did eat all of was the burger, which I will order with all the free toppings they offer - lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, grilled onions, jalapenos, relish and mushrooms.  They also have an assortment of sauces - the BBQ is safe and they also have a buffalo wing sauce and others depending on your taste. 

So here is another similar issue to the one I posted in my Scotty's P's write-up - I saw a review elsewhere that complained they cook these on the same grill as the meat burgers and thus you are getting 'meat transfer'.  This might be a location by location issue.  I saw them scrape the grill before they cooked mine, and I take solace in the fact that I did not order meat and thus did not create more demand for said meat patties.  This is probably hard to police anywhere you go unless it is a vegan restaurant (which kinda defeats the purpose of the blog).

That said - great burger, very filling, truly a black bean patty so no concerns about dairy content and the iceberg version with small fries is under 600 calories.  This order plus a tea was around $11.  There are a lot of Mooyah burger locations now days, so pop up a location on your smartphone and check it out! 

Ruang Thai - Plano

So here is the Thai restaurant I really enjoy in Plano that was closed last week.  Thankfully it was only for the morning!  Ruang Thai always has exceptional service and a very nice variety of food to choose from, both vegan, vegetarian and otherwise.  While the owner's first language is not English, they understand my request for vegan entrees and have yet to disappoint.

The meal comes with complimentary soup - today's was Tom Gai (Thai coconut soup) and it was pretty tasty.  I still prefer the Miso at some establishments, but again I appreciate the vegan option.

My favorite dish here is the curry, and today I selected the Massamun curry with coconut milk, bell pepper, potato, onion and peanuts.  The peppers are crisp and the potatoes are fresh and not soggy.  It comes with the vegan egg roll and white rice pictured above.  The spice goes from one to five - I ordered the three and it had just the right kick for me.

The food comes out fast and hot, the service is excellent with each empty dish being cleared almost immediately and the tea staying full.  While they offered my coconut ice cream for dessert I did not accept nor ask if it was actually made from coconut milk or just coconut flavored.  With the drink and tax the meal came to right at $15.  Again, there are a lot of vegan options here and plenty of dishes that can be made vegan (without egg, etc).

From the flavor to the service to the price, this is definitely one of my favorite authentic Thai restaurants I have been to.   

  

Whole Foods - Arlington, TX

Whole Foods?  The grocery store?  Really?  Yes, yes, yes!!!  Okay, not for a family sit-down meal, but if you are ever on the go and need to eat, check your smartphone and see if there is not a Whole Foods around.  While they have flavorful food for all diets, they really do cater to vegetarians - and more so vegans. 

Pictured above is how I like to eat it - I get the smaller of the two recycled cardboard food containers and fill it until it is overflowing.  The food blends wonderfully and there are containers for the soup so nothing is runny and goes where you don't want it to.  Today I had Greek cabbage, chicken friend tofu, roasted garlic, hummus, baba ganoush (not blended but whole chunks of eggplant and peppers), 'cracklin' cauliflower, baked tofu with cilantro pesto, red and white quinoa, artichoke salad and marinated spelt salad. 

I can't even start to tell you how pleasant all the flavorful tastes are when you are randomly dipping into your stack of food.  I don't mix them up, mind you, but some are buried and it is nice to strike upon the different flavors.  Whole Foods clearly marks what is vegan and also lists ingredients.  No hunting and pecking or worrying.  On occasion there is a vegan chicken salad or the like and almost always one of their soups is vegan (today's was Black Bean Espresso Chili).

So the small dining area is what it is - a grocery store dining area.  Complimentary water and recycle bins for your plastic ware and cardboard food holders. It is around $9 for a pound of food (the picture cost just over $10) and afterward you can buy what you liked most from the deli to take home.

The ever-changing options and plentiful vegan choices will keep me coming back!  Don't think of this as just a grocery store, especially if you need a quick but delicious vegan meal.     

Scotty P's - Plano, TX

I started out headed to my favorite Thai restaurant only to find it closed without a sign up or anything, the closest Fuddruckers GONE, and two other establishments closed on Tuesdays.  So maybe I was destine to come here.  Scotty P's in Plano brings up what I feel is probably a common issue to vegans - is it vegan? 

Scotty P's boasts a decent menu (think Fuddruckers without the unnecessary bells and whistles) with an assortment of burgers, salads and fried sides.  They also have the (now more common) veggie burger.  But is it vegan?  I feel much more comfortable having a black bean burger (a la my BWW post), but without it stating 'black bean burger' all I can do pre-order is ask the order-taker if it is vegan.  She says yes and there are people behind me, so I do not ask the brand as some of the more common patties have cheese or dairy in them.  So the next clue I get is the visual inspection of the patty.  If it is a black bean or griller version, usually safe.  If it is the kind pictured above, kind of a crap shoot as to if it contains dairy.  My order-taker seemed confident in her assessment of the food and I had no reason to doubt her, so there ya go.

I got BBQ sauce and guacamole added to the burger and the pictured onion rings as a side instead of the fries that comes on a 'platter' meal.  The burger was very messy (due to my order) but yes, it was good.  The onion rings seemed more home-style than others I have had and they tasted, well, like fresh cooked onion rings.  The web page boasts no microwaves anywhere in the establishment, so that's a good thing.

Meal plus tea for $12 and change.  They also have the aforementioned variety of salads and sweet potato fries to go with the regular ones. 

For a hamburger joint, not a bad vegan option.     

El Norte - Plano, TX

El Norte Mexican diner near Custer and Parker is a family favorite.  The service is usually quick and the food good.  All of the normal Mexican selections are available as are a good assortment of flavorful adult beverages.  Daily specials are offered as well.

Vegan options consist of veggie fajitas and table side guacamole, both of which are excellent.  Pictured above are a few vegan sides - guacamole, sauteed veggies, and black beans (no cheese on top).  Filling enough for lunch along with the excellent salsa and usually good chips.  There are a few other vegan sides - black beans and corn relish for example.   

Vegetarian options are more voluminous including spinach and/or cheese enchiladas, chipotle sweet potatoes, stuffed jalapenos, white queso, and an assortment of salads.

Again, the service is usually fast and friendly and this restaurant definitely has the feel of a neighborhood diner.  Prices are very reasonable - lunch for two with tea to drink was under $20.  Although I'd rather have more vegan options, there are enough for me to have a meal when the family wants to go here.    

Luby's - Plano, Texas

Pretty disappointing.  I have enjoyed Luby's for a long time, and I know I have been there since going vegan and had more selections, but today - pretty disappointing is all I can say.

The salad bar was ample - fresh spinach or lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, corn and black beans, onions, cucumbers and the such and several good vegan dressings to chose from (I got the balsamic vinaigrette).  There were other salad options such as a cucumber salad, fruit salad, fresh pineapple, and a shredded carrot salad, and had I known the limitations of my options down the line I might have gotten one of those as well.

Past the salad bar, I encounter vegetable soup and a nice assortment of vegetables.  Problem was the soup was cooked with beef stock and, without exception, all the vegetables were soaking in butter or, for the bean sides, cooked with some form of meat (either ham or bacon).

All the rolls were pre-buttered or contained milk and the desserts consisted of jello, cake or pie.  In the condiment area I was able to find the pickle pictured above, but past the salad bar that is literally the only vegan option outside the lemon slices or pico de gallo (also by the pickles).
 
I get Luby's does not cater to vegans, but it seems even just for health purposes they could steam the spinach, red potatoes and other vegetables without soaking them in butter, cook their beans with flavorings such as jalapenos and onions and not meat, or allow people to decide themselves whether they want butter on their bread or not.

I love Luby's.  My family loves Luby's.  But if salad is the only choice for me I would go elsewhere for a full bar of options.