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Vegan and Vegetarian in Nashville & Middle Tennessee

Posts Tagged ‘Dining Out’

Noodles & Company

April 25th, 2011

Noodles & Company has opened a new location in the strip center adjacent to The Mall at Green Hills. For those not familiar with Noodles & Company it is a fast casual restaurant serving pasta bowls that are freshly prepared. All items are $5.95 for a large or $4.95 for a slightly smaller portion.

We have visited Noodles & Company in Denver on many occasions previously and are very happy to have a location now in Nashville giving us another vegan option.

I received a VIP (read: let us use you for training purposes) invite to a pre-opening event this past Saturday. My sidekick foodie was our 5 year-old daughter who is a pasta-lover. I checked the website beforehand to make sure I knew what was vegan friendly. There is a selection of nine items on the menu that either are vegan or can be made vegan with a simple omission. Tofu is an option to be added to any entree.

Indonesian Peanut Saute
Japanese Pan Noodles
Chinese Chop Salad with no wontons
Penne Rosa with no cream and no cheese
Pasta Fresca with no cheese
Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine with no cream and no cheese
Spaghetti with no cheese
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Tossed Green Side Salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Upon entering we were greeted, asked for our names for the invite list and given a menu. While talking with the greeters, about 2 minutes, no less than 10 people walked in the door only to be turned away when told it was invite only. Most seemed a little angry. I told the employees we were vegan and was quickly and happily handed a vegan menu, not something you get much of around here. Usually when we tell a server that were vegan it’s typically followed by a blank stare and, “What does that mean?”

I had already decided to get the Japanese Pan Noodles and the kid just wanted a pasta so she decided to get Pasta Rosa. We added tofu to each, of course. Our food was served quickly and looked great. The one issue was the kid could not eat hers. It was far too spicy and I wished I had known it would be such an overpowering heat before she had ordered. A little spice doesn’t bother her but the Penne Rosa was far too hot for her. We packed it to go. The Japanese Pan Noodles was very tasty and not over-sauced. The dish was served with flavorful, seared tofu and fresh, crispy sprouts which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed picking from my plate. The noodles were a bit overcooked but I expect that to be worked out as this was, of course, a training session. I had planned on eating only half and boxing the rest but it was gone before I knew it.

The remainder of the Penne Rosa was reheated and eaten the day after our visit and tasted just as fresh as when it was served in the restaurant. I only wished I had some more of the Japanese Pan Noodles to munch on at the time. I plan another visit this week and I’ll likely try the Indonesian Peanut Saute or the Bangkok Curry. You’ll be seeing plenty of me at Noodles & Company in the future.

Noodles & Company
2116 Green Hills Village Drive
Nashville, Tennessee 37215
(615) 383-7740

Japanese Pan Noodles with Tofu

Penne Rosa with Tofu

Little Nashveggie with Penne Rosa

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Posted in Dining Out, Food, Green Hills, Nashville, Noodles & Company, Restaurants, Reviews

Varied Vegan Chatter

January 28th, 2011

Over time I gather thoughts. Some I tell myself I’ll write about and some I think why bother. Most of these thoughts never have enough behind them to warrant a lengthy post for the site so I toss them aside and forget it. What I’ve decided to do is throw those all into one post. There won’t be much to go on but jump in the comments and complete my thoughts. I’m counting on you.

I’ve been on the fake meat bandwagon once in my vegan/vegetarian life. It was early on, of course, as most people who do get into that habit of eating with convenience in mind. I’ve not so recently put that aside. Fake meats are, to me, for transitioning vegetarians. They lend the familiarity of what once once the edible mainstay but as a vegan I have moved on to fresher foods. That’s not to say I don’t eat some here and there and you’ll likely see reviews for them pop up on this site. They are what they are, a transition food and that’s fine.

While on the subject of fake meats Just a mention that one of my biggest dining-out peeves is a vegan or vegetarian restaurant that relies on fake meats to fill their menu. How about the veggies, guys? I don’t want to pretend to chew pork or chicken/chick’n/chic’n, no matter how many letters you remove form the word, when I’m paying $15 to eat at your restaurant. If you can’t prepare fresh vegetables, and I don’t mean prepared in some gourmet-style, just simple fresh vegetables, then you have no place running a vegetarian dining establishment.

I have been noticing Earth Balance soy milks at Whole Foods for a few months. I’ve even bought the milks regularly but it wasn’t until recently that I noticed the absence of Silk products in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods. I asked about the disappearance and was told that Whole Foods had decided to stop carrying Silk due to the changes Dean Foods had made to the product line. Specifically, the dropped “Organic” from the standard packaging and came out with a new package design and marketed the Organic line again though with a higher price tag. There was no marking on the original package to signify it was no longer organic less the absence of the organic seal. Shady? Greedy? Shysters? No big deal?

For the past few months I’ve been doing P90X. I completed the first 90 days and immediately started a second 90 days which, at this point, I’m at day 60. I’ve had tremendous results losing some weight and finding muscles I never though I had. I have discovered that Tony Horton, creator of the series, is vegetarian and is now working on a vegan diet plan for his next workout series. Vegan P90X works!

“Flexitarian” is just omnivore disguised in a fancy catch phrase that makes advertising pop and sounds trendy. You know how people love trendy.

As the father of a vegan 5 year old I ‘ve often wanted to hear from other parents of vegan children. If you fall into that description drop something in the comments about your experiences. I would love to hear from you.

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Posted in Children, Dairy, Dining Out, Earth Balance, Flexitarian, Food, Grocery, Milk, P90X, People, Processed Foods, Rant, Silk, Soy Milk, Stores, Vegan Children, Vegan Kids, Whole Foods

Tags: Dining Out flexitarian Food Organic P90X Restaurants Silk Soymilk vegan children vegan kids Whole Foods

Veganstravaganza At tayst

September 26th, 2010

A quick note for purveyors of pretty food and those of us who just like vegan dining without having to make special requests. Wednesday September 29th at 6:30 tayst will be having a Veganstravaganza. Cost is $45 and includes 5 courses and 5 wines.

UPDATE: The September 29th Veganstravaganza is filled and a second date has been added. Reserve now for October 13th at 6:30.

Quinoa & Pea Cakes
Spaghetti Squash, Pumpkin Seeds, Tomatoes, Pomegranate
Hugel Picpoul De Pinet

Smoked Pumpkin Bisque
Polenta Fritos, Arugula
Pisoni Nosiola

Almonds
Almond Gnudi, Toasted Almond, Almond Froth, Sorrel Pesto, Pepper Sauce
Deen di Bartolo Brut

Tofu
Marinated, Grilled Tofu, Carrots, Eggplant, Crispy Shallots, Roasted Cucumber, Tobacco Potatoes, Beets
Clos des la Bridevid

Dessert Sampler, Warm Flan, Cashew Cheese, Apples, Chestnuts, Dried Cherries
Jean Bourguet Malbec Port

tayst
2100 21st Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee
(615) 383-1953

1 comment »

Posted in Dining Out, Events, Food, Nashville, Restaurants, tayst

Tags: Dining Out Nashville tayst

Burger Up from Frothy Monkey

March 16th, 2010

UPDATE: Burger Up is now open. If you have made a visit please take the time to let me know what you thought in the comments.

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I have been reading of the new black bean/quinoa burger at Frothy Monkey for a few weeks on Twitter and had a standing reservation for one form Miranda, the owner, for some time but never could make it because of other obligations. This weekend we finally made it on the last day they would be available before the opening of Burger Up just down the street.

My trips to Frothy Monkey have only been for coffee in the past I have never really looked at their menu which has a few vegan selections. The burgers are not on the menu but were on a spur of the moment availability. The burgers can be ordered with a wheat bun or sourdough bread. Those working were unsure if the wheat bun contained honey so we opted for the sourdough. Our burgers were served topped with tomato slices and hummus and a side of tortilla chips and salsa. I’m not a big fan of the black bean veggie burger variety. Usually they are over-spiced with cumin to the point there’s no other flavor but these burgers were great. No over-powering spice and they held together very well, something not easily found in housemade veggie burgers. The hummus was a very nice addition.

Burger Up Black Bean Quinoa Burger

We were told by Miranda, the owner, that Burger Up will hopefully open by April 1st. They will also be serving baked fries for those who prefer something hot and crispy on the side.

Future Location of Burger Up:

View Larger Map

9 comments »

Posted in Dining Out, Local, Nashville, Restaurants, Veggie Burgers

Tags: Burger Up Dining Out Frothy Monkey Nashville Veggie Burgers

Taco Mamacita’s New Vegan Menu

March 4th, 2010

Fresh Mexican-inspired food is always good. It is even better when it is vegan. I got the word yesterday that Taco Mamacita’s would be rolling out a new vegan menu this week and also a copy of the menu. This happened around lunch time so where else should I head off to?

I was told the servers may not be aware of the new menu and to take it along. After reading over the menu I was given I quickly realized that there were no vegan options and asked my server, Meredith, if she knew of the vegan choices. She told me she was also vegan and began showing me options on the menu by substituting and adding. Then I asked if she knew of the new vegan menu to which I got a “No”, so I pulled out my Droid which I had the menu on and showed her. Of course, being vegan also she was quite excited.

Vegan Tortilla Soup & Vegan Jerk Taco

I ordered a cup of the Vegan Tortilla Soup and a Vegan Jerk Taco. The soup was poured at the table over fresh slices of avocado and cilantro with a side of tortilla chip crumbles and the taco was filled with one of my favorite delicacies, fried plantains, as well as fresh mango, beans and cabbage. Everything tasted extremely fresh but I thought the soup could have used a little spice as it was a bit flat.

Overall, it was a good lunch, fresh and healthy tasting. The only thing I would like to see improved from what I ordered would be some flavor added to the soup in the way of spice. I left still hungry though I was thoroughly impressed with the freshness of everything. My next visit I will try something else and see if leaving stuffed is possible.

Taco Mamacita's Vegan Menu (Click to view)

View 1200 Villa Pl in a larger map

Taco Mamacita
1200 Villa Place
Nashville, TN
(615) 730-8552