Taco Tuesday at The Plum Cafe & Bakery

Yes. Again.

What can I say? The Plum is one of the few places in Sacramento I can go and know that I can order food that is gluten free and doesn't contain any secret meat. So while I won't necessarily go out of my way to eat there (because it's largely out of my way to eat there), I am totally down to give it a try when I can.

So when I invited msyelf to help Simply Luscious Catering taste test gluten free cupcakes, I knew there was absolutely one thing I had to try.

(I totally stole this photo from the Plum)

Taco Tuesday.

I ordered their potato taco and their BBQ Tofu taco. They came out looking pretty similar to this photo. Except, you know. There were two tacos and not three.

The tacos were good, y'all. Really good. So good it inspired me to institute Taco Tuesday at my house (with slightly less stellar success)(alas).

The tortillas were perfect, soft, not super dry the way they can get, and they held together against the filling (am I the only one plagued by tortilla rippage?). The potatoes were crispy and the BBQ Tufo was tangy and sweet, both were just the right amount of warm. Topped with veggies and a kicky, flavorful sauce, each bite was a mixture of flavors, textures, and temperatures that played very nicely together.

Paired up with a Happy Hour Gluten Free Beer (huzzah!), and it was a Tuesday delight I can't wait to repeat.

Of course we were there for the cupcakes. As I've said before, their cupcakes are fantastic. They taste neither gluten free nor vegan, but are moist, decadent and rich. The frosting mimics buttercream or cream cheese frosting almost perfectly, without feeling weird or gritty in your mouth. Disregarding labels, these are amazing cupcakes.

Pictures were a given, although I totally wish I'd thought to take photos of my tacos for you. It was an overcast afternoon, so we had to do some funky things to get the shots, all the while giggling about "fucking food bloggers!".

It was the beer. Honest.

Banana chocolate chip, carrot cake & lemon lavendar

Carrot cake innards

Lemon lavendar innards

Marked Up by Klout

I was on such a roll, and then I ran out of time to write. I didn't want to leave you high & dry, so I thought I'd quickly share this package I got yesterday:

It's from MARKED Nutrition by way of klout. While I prefer getting my protein from natural sources, it can be hard to get enough protein as a weighlifting vegetarian. I plan to try these out in the next couple of days. Obviously two samples won't be enough to judge long term value, but I do plan to have a review covering taste and how I felt afterwards. It is weird to say, but I can definitely tell the days when I don't get enough protein.

And that window cling is definitely going on my van. Klout is so cool!

The Plum Cafe & Bakery - A Review

I know you think I'm crazy. I've already tried Sugar Plum Vegan and it has not ended well. But I've been really curious since it changed hands and became The Plum Cafe & Bakery (or Bakery & Cafe, I'm not sure if they've decided). I've also noticed that they have a large selection of gluten free options, including baked treats, so I stopped in for lunch recently.

I ordered the gluten free macaroni & cheese, and a selection of treats.

The Mac & Cheese was underwhelming. The noodles were good, but the sauce was weird and clumpy and did not taste a lot like cheese. The salad was good, but it's hard to fuck up spring salad mix and vinagrette.

The brownie was ridiculously good. Rich, moist, and chocolatey, it tasted neither vegan nor gluten free. The cupcake, as well, was very good (only one was for me, y'all). I waited too long to try the cake, so I cannot comment other than to say that two days in the fridge do not do it justice.

I will probably give The Plum one more chance before making a final judgement (after all, I did give Sugar Plum two chances). As of right now, I can recommend it highly for vegan and gluten free pastries, but not so much for the rest of the menu.

I do, however, adore the back patio area

It's quiet, cool, and homey, and was a lovely place to while away an afternoon hour.

Saul's Deli - A Mostly Review

The weekend before last, SweetPea and I went on an adventure with friends. They brought their boxer and we brought Gomi and we hit the huge dog park in Richmond called Point Isabel. While I was convinced that we had one good dog and one asshole, it turns out that we have one short asshole and one tall asshole. Apparently my pit bull thinks that mouthing the necks of strange dogs is an appropriate greeting. So that's awesome.

Anyway, after the dog park, a visit to Berkeley Bowl, and trying to figure out where the heck to stop for dinner, we ended up at Saul's Deli.

Saul's is a restaurant and deli specializing in Jewish and Eastern European cuisine. Some of the stuff on their menu I remember from my childhood, with both German and Jewish grandparents. SweetPea ordered the day's special - cabbage rolls - because it was something her mother used to make. We also got an order of potato latkes to split.

I ordered a sandwich.

Now, the thing about being a vegetarian and ordering a sandwich at a deli is that, often, that sandwich consists of all the veggies that would go on a meat sandwich and that's about it. In the same way that vegetarian pizza is often just a meatless combination pizza. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it's boring and kind of sad. There are so many truly awesome, inventive and delicious ways to feed vegetarians (and there are so many of us now), that it really sucks when you lack the creativity to do more than peel the meat off of a regular menu item.

At Saul's, this is not a problem.

I ordered the Eggplant Schnitzel. As you might expect, it came with eggplant cutlets that had been breaded & fried, roasted beets, roasted onions, pickles, arugala, harissa and mayonaisse.

It was kind of amazing.

The eggplant was crisp and warm, the perfect compliment to the cool, sweet beets, and everything else highlighted this pairing. It was perfect.

You can tell I'm not a food blogger, because that's all you're getting.

I had it with the potato salad, which was better than most offerings, but not grammy's potato salad. I also had a Trumer Pils, which I will blog about tomorrow.

SweetPea reported the stuffed cabbage rolls were good, although not exactly like her mom made. The latkes were good, but slightly more dense and less crispy than I would have expected. Having never before had latkes, I have no idea if they were right or not.

I also had baklava for dessert. It was served warm, and the kind of "made right here in the kitchen" flaky that I don't usually see. Most of the baklava I've had has been made elsewhere, so the layers have time to kind of soak into the honey. Saul's baklava was flaky, gooey, crispy, warm perfection.

Saul's is definitely worthy of a do-over, and may even be worth its very own trip to the City.

Sunflower Farmer's Market

Recently (I'm guessing while I was in Texas)(the nerve), the Sunflower Farmer's Market finally opened. It took over the space in Roseville Square that was once a Ross* and is in the same shopping center as one of my favorite non-running stores Trader Joe's.


So pretty & new!
With "Farmer's Market" in the name, I expected way more produce. At first I was kind of disappointed, but the selection of non-produce items was phenomenal, especially for those of us who are vegetarian. They have things I don't recall ever having seen for sale, such as Field Roast products, a huge selection of Tofurkey products, an entire wall of Bob's Red Mill, and I can go on & on.


The prices were good on most things, great on some things and "about normal" on the rest. I loved that I could get almost all of my shopping taken care of in one stop because, unlike Joe's, they carry Chobani (although not my preferred flavors). I did still hit Joe's because there are some things that I can only get there (and their price on Fage yogurt was better than Sunflower's).

I will definitely be back, and I'm sure I'll continue finding things that are new and surprising and not available elsewhere. Definitely awesome (and how often does grocery shopping make you say that?).

*At the time, Ross swore they'd be back after the rebuild. Five years later and the space is finally finished, with a new occupant? Uh huh. Whatever, Ross.

Sugar Plum Vegan

I want so much to like the Sugar Plum Vegan. For no other reason than there are so few places in Sacramento where I can walk in, order whatever the fuck I want and not have to worry about any hidden chicken in my "vegetable" soup.

Two attempts at their "Bottomless Brunch" have, however, yielded less than stellar results. The potatoes are bland, the fritatta is spicy to the point of burning away any actual flavor, the biscuits are hard, the gravy is bland and, let's face it, there's just no way vegetarian bacon is going to work out right. MonkeyDo reported that, after waiting almost 20 minutes to get a chance at some, the french toast tasted like cinnamon apple oatmeal.

I love Sugar Plum's unique, homey (if your home is a commune) atmosphere, and the food seems to be well and thoroughly enjoyed by people a lot thinner more vegan than I, so I assume there's something to say for it. Personally, it seems very "this is what I have to eat because I'm vegan" and not very "taste this, you'll die." I feel like I could whip up a vegan brunch with a lot more flavor without trying too hard.

I will probably be back to sample some of the non-brunch fair, but, so far, Sugar Plum is oh-for-two and the prospects for improvement don't look bright.


Final note: although their website says they "happily accept cash only!", I was able to pay by credit card, which was wrung up on someone's cell phone. It's 2011, y'all. I don't carry cash, and I really don't know many people who do.

All Over the Map. Kind of.

This is the stew I made yesterday in the crockpot. I'm having it with a sandwich for lunch today. Mmm, leftovers!

I made it because I planned on going to the 7pm Mixed Levels Yoga class at my gym, so dinner had to be something that didn't require a lot of time in the evening. We had mounds of stuff left over from the funeral reception*, including about a ton of sliced onions, baby carrots and celery. Sound like a plan?

I tossed a bunch of the onions in, sliced, just as they came. I chopped the carrots and celery into smaller pieces and chopped up a few potatoes. I added a can of diced tomatoes and some "vegetarian chicken broth" powder that I picked up at a local natural foods store. Covered with vegetable broth and a drizzle of EVOO and left it on low all day.

Of course it turned out very good. I probably could have used less onion. Or chopped them more. But I like onion, so it was fine by me.

Tonight I'm making veggie burgers, and I think Thursday the crockpot will get another workout with something splitpea-like.

I don't know why I'm talking so much about food. Obsessed? Maybe.

I had such a great day yesterday and I am so proud of myself! I walked just over 5K on lunch and went to yoga in the evening. Plus I primarily ate produce all day. In fact, I can tell you the non-produce I had: coffee, oatmeal, mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette, half a luna bar and one slice of sourdough bread. OK, fine, and Powerade Zero.

See? What an awesome day. Especially compared to how it's been going lately.

I don't even know why I'm talking about all of this except to keep y'all informed. I haven't mentioned it yet here (because there hasn't been much to mention), but I started a separate blog for my workouts and food rantings. Because I'm trying to make a point to blog about that stuff every day that I have a workout to record and I'm sure y'all don't need to be constantly reading about that stuff here. I'm also hoping to actually blog about different types of workout and fitness related things. Because, really, are there enough fitness blogs? Written by fat girls? Right.

Oh, shut it.

So I totally, well, can't do any of those three things right now, but that doesn't stop me from having been totally enamored of this race since I was wee. It's two years older than I am! Sounds like a goal to me. What about you?

Right now I'm really not interested in blogging about funeral stuff, and I feel well and truly derailed from the things I planned to blog about before grandmother passed. I'm hoping to get back on track soon. But I'm totally not above taking subject suggestions.

*We had the funeral reception catered. Because we're not stupid. OK and because we have connections. If you're local and need totally awesome catering, let me know and I'll hook you up.

Recipe - Hearty "Beef" Stew

I doubled this one, too, and ended up with half of it leftover. This is a really filling meal and so yummy!

1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. faux beef strips (try Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Steak Strips)
4 cups water
1 14-oz. can whole tomatoes, including liquid
1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (available from VeganStore.com)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
6 carrots, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size chunks
10 oz. frozen peas
2 Tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in a small amount of water

• In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for several minutes.
• Add the faux beef strips, water, tomatoes and liquid, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt, pepper, allspice, bouillon cube, basil, and sugar.
• Simmer, uncovered, for one hour, stirring occasionally.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, and peas and cook for another 30 minutes. When it is simmering again, add the cornstarch and water mixture to thicken. Serve hot.


Makes 4 servings

Recipe - "Chicken" Noodle Soup

SweetPea described this as the best thing I've ever made. Even better than the biscuits and soysage-gravy. I used some fake chicken broth powder from the local organic/hippie store and doubled the recipe. This soup is seriously good.

2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 bay leaves
6 cups boiling water mixed with faux-chicken bouillon powder, according to package directions (look for Osem and Telma brands, available in the Kosher section of your supermarket)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. faux chicken, torn into bite-size chunks (try Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick'n Strips)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 lb. eggless flat noodles (try Mueller’s “dumpling” noodles)

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, parsnip, onion, and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the bay leaves, faux-chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the pot, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Add the faux-chicken chunks, parsley, and noodles, return the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the noodles are tender.
• Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe - Savory "Chicken" Pot Pie

I got this recipe from PETA Eats (their Recipe of the Week email, specifically). Yes, I know, PETA is the devil. Can we move on?

When I made it, we didn't have the fake chicken strips, so I made it with fake beef strips. We liked it a lot, so you can either-or.

I made this one year and took it to my dad's for... I don't know, Christmas or something. My dad, who is an avid meat eater, ate damn near half a pie by himself. So this meal definitely gets the Carnivore Seal of Approval.

A thick and creamy sauce complements a hearty vegetable filling for a complete cold-weather meal.

4 Tbsp. vegetable bouillon or faux chicken broth powder (try Osem or Telma brands, available in the kosher section of supermarkets)
2 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes (available at health food stores)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 15.5-oz. can white potatoes, drained and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen or canned/drained mixed corn kernels, peas, and diced carrots
1/2 lb. faux chicken, cut into tiny cubes (try Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick'n Strips)
1 box puff pastry sheets

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mix the vegetable bouillon or faux chicken broth powder with the hot water to make a stock. Set aside.

Combine the nutritional yeast and flour in a large pot and stir constantly over low heat until lightly toasted. Add the oil, stirring to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the stock, garlic salt, and pepper. Add the vegetables and faux chicken. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through.

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry and place it in a 9-inch pie dish, trimming to fit. Place the pastry in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until it starts to puff. Remove the pastry from the oven, pour the filling into it, and place the other sheet of puff pastry on top, cutting and crimping the edges and making several 1-inch slices on top to allow the steam to escape. Continue baking for approximately 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.

Makes 6 servings

Things I Put in my Mouth

Dinner tonight was salad, consisting of the following:

green bell pepper
celery
carrots
broccoli
radishes
sugar snap peas
purple onion
scallions
garlic
mushrooms
tomatoes
oriental dressing
shredded cheese
chopped almonds

All of that spread on a smallish amount of bagged salad mix.

With garlic monkey bread on the side.

There's enough of the salad mix to make three lunches. Yum!

Probably in the next couple of days I'll be making some "taco" salad. I bought some black bean refried beans, and we have avocados and sour cream.

I also bought fresh ground peanut butter and almond butter. I figure those will be better for me than "regular" peanut butter for my breakfast.

So, here's my week:

Breakfast:
waffle or English muffin (both high fiber) with peanut or almond butter and fruit
or
yogurt with fruit and chopped almonds
or
oatmeal

Lunch:
Salad

Dinner:
Who knows. Always the hardest meal, because I'm usually wiped out by the time I get home and it's so much easier to get something than to make something. Tuesday is PTA meeting, so that always makes things harder.

I need to drink more water, but I've been drinking a lot of iced tea lately. In case you're curious, I brew up fresh tea (black or green), and then toss it over a glass of crushed ice. No sugar, no lemon. Nothing.

Divine.

An Ode to Deli Meat

Dear Tofurkey Peppered Deli Slices,

How do I love you? Let me count the ways....

I love you stacked on a Mr. Pickle Verri Veggi Sandwich with pepperjack cheese and lots of garlic sauce.

I love you pinched into a little rosette and shoved into my greedy maw.

I love you on grainy bread with alcoholic mustard and cheddar.

I love you kicking it in my deli drawer saving yourself for later.

I love the way you make my lips burn.

I love the way you make my breath hum.

I love you little pepper slices of love.

I love you love you love you.

Love,
Mah Belly


(clearly I'm still not feeling well)

How does your garden grow?

Because I'm feeling super productive today (HA!), I spent some time planning out my spring garden. OK, mostly just going through the Heirloom Seed catalog and trying to decide what I'll get for next year's planting.

I love trying new and interesting things, and I love things that are not quite the colors I'm used to seeing them in. So, yes, color is often a determining factor in my choices. I had a friend in high school who was a vegetarian. He said that you're doing ok if you're eating from every color in the rainbow. Today, we know that's not so much the case (hello, skittles? taste the rainbow?), but that doesn't stop me from thinking it would be awesome to make a summer salad with all the colors of the rainbow.

When choosing what to plant, I try to stick with things I know we'll eat. No matter what I do, however, I know that we probably won't keep up on all the crop. Which means that I still need to figure out what to do with the leftovers.

First thing I looked at was carrots. We love carrots. Last year we had tons of fun growing carrots and picking and eating them. We container grew our carrots last year in a large pot. I think this year we're going to use some of the rubbermaid bins that we're not using.

I think that the Parisian carrots would be a good choice. They're interesting and fun-looking, plus SweetPea is a sucker for steamed carrots. These should be perfect, no chopping necessary!

Further deliberation may be necessary as to a secondary carrot crop. There are a couple that seem like good choices. The St. Valery, for example, but also the Tendersweet and the Chantenay Royal.

Of course I'll plant tomatoes, because our climate is perfect for it. Ours didn't do so well last year, but I think I learned some valuable lessons for next year. As for what I'm planting, I think I'll start with Brandywine Blacks, and add some Mule Team. Mule Team looks like something my grammy or nana would have grown, back in the day. Since I get my love of tomatoes from grandpa, I think those will be a good choice.

I'll definitely be planting some Sugar Snap Peas, some Dwarf Grey Sugar Peas, and maybe some Green Arrow Peas. I love string beans, but I'm not sure I'll be feeling ambitious enough to deal with a vine that gets as tall as my wife!

We tried bell peppers last year, and, much like the tomatoes, learned some valuable lessons. The crop we did get was pretty good, and our first pepper was ginormous! This year I'd like to try some Miniature Chocolate Bells, Orange Bells, and somewhere there'll have to be a purple pepper.

If I get extra adventurous, I might try growing Watermelon Radishes. Not that I think it'd be particularly difficult. Rather, because radishes are not big eaters here, really, so are lower on the wishing totem-pole.

I'd love to grow me some butternut squash, which is practically my favorite thing ever. Right along with pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and roasted garlic. Yum!

Well this is an awful long post for a glorified wish list! I think, though, I'll make final decisions and place some orders after the New Year.

I'll keep y'all posted!

Noble Vegetarian Redux

In the last two days there have been two seperate visits to my page linked from a google search for "Noble Vegetarian".

I have no idea what y'all are looking for, but I can at least offer some information on the restaurant.

Noble Vegetarian is located at 5049 College Oack Dr., Ste. A (it's the first one on the left) in Sacramento, CA. It's right near American River College, Aida's Bookstore and Wishing Well.
You can call them at (916) 334-6060.

They do have really good food and the prices are reasonable. The first time we went, we got two "family style" dishes and an appetizer, plus iced tea and the bill was about $25 with tax.

I highly recommend the Ruby Pearls and the Roti Drumsticks. SO GOOD. I have heard that the Pho is pretty good, as well.

Everything they serve is vegetarian, and most of it is outright vegan.

The Noble Vegetarian is definitely not a fancy, swank diner. It's clean, friendly and good. Also, one of the few places in the area where you can enjoy vegetarian and vegan foods without having to place special orders.

How granola?

SweetPea, the Monkeys and I were sitting at Mr. Pickle's on Friday afternoon having lunch. One of the novelties about eating out at places like Mr. Pickle's is that they have tv. Since we don't, the kids enjoy the diversion of being able to watch shows & commercials while we eat (and by "kids", I'm referring to all four of us).

Let me digress for a moment to explain the no tv thing. It's not some moral, holier-than-thou thing. We do have tv's, and we have subscriptions to both Netflix and Blockbuster. We just don't have any kind of reception in our house whatsoever, and I refuse to pay for cable. Mostly because my wife has adult ADD, and I've seen how she is about the tv. Since I'm not exactly much better, I really think that I enjoy our having an actual life more than getting to watch Survivor every week.

So we're eating our lunch and a commercial about global warming comes on. If you're in California, you probably know the ones I'm talking about, because they're PSA's put out by the state. MonkeyDo had some questions about global warming. We assured her that she could blame that one squarely on her grandparents. And then we told her more about what global warming is, as we've been told it.

Her father, my exhusband, doesn't "believe in" global warming and you could totally get him started but I would not recommend it. I know there is a lot of controversy over whether or not global warming "exists", and how much of it is being caused by we humans.

Personally, I could give a shit less whether or not it "exists".

As far as I'm concerned, anything we, as individuals, do that harms the environment, when we could otherwise be doing something that causes less harm, is our fault. So I broached the idea of taking next year and making a goal to start reducing our family's impact on the environment. Everyone seemed pretty on board with that, which is a good thing. Because, you know, I do all the damn shopping, so it's not like they exactly have a choice.

In light of this, I'm going to begin a series of posts that explores the things we do now, the things I know we can start doing, and other options for reducing our impact. Hopefully, along the way I can learn something, and share information. I'm not sure yet on the frequency of the posts, but they will be at least once a week and will be tagged "how granola?"

I had, in fact, planned on creating my first informational post today, but I'm running a bit behind on my morning, and I need to get ready for my real job. Oops!

Cereal Killer

Holiday food disasters? Uh... Maybe you're talking to the wrong girl!

Only since SweetPea and I have been together have I taken on the holiday cooking. Most of the time it's just for us, but there have been a couple of years where there have been hapless bystanders involved.

Thanksgiving is the biggie. As I've mentioned before, it was grammy's holiday, and so I attempt to recreate her recipes as closely as possible. As a vegetarian. With a couple of changes, viola! The Thanksgiving show is on the road and ready to satisfy omnivores and herbivores alike.

A couple of years ago, we had a minor pre-Thanksgiving issue. We had bought a couple of types of bagged cereals for the kids (that would be MonkeyDo, MonkeySee and SweetPea), and SweetPea had decided to store them in the oven.

Do y'all see where this is going?

A couple of nights before the big dinner, we decided to bake something for dinner. So, of course, I turned on the oven to start preheating it.

No. No, I didn't check inside the oven. Are you surprised? Uh, yeah, I didn't think you would be.

Needless to say, the inside of the oven was charred and black and covered in melted, scorched and blackened plastic.

Awesome!

On the plus side, this forced our hand and the oven got what was probably the first thorough cleaning since SweetPea bought the house.

Y'all. I had no idea the oven's interior was that color.

We did not end up with a "check oven" sign because of this. I have, however, become obsessive about checking ovens before turning them on. Which, I guess, is a good thing.

I make good gravy for a vegetarian

Our morning started out bad, but the day turned out alright.

We went to SweetPea's grandparents and cooked dinner. We got started a little later than I wanted to, and that last minute crush of everything wrapping up at the same time got a little crazy. But that's ok and normal and no big deal. The potatoes were a little bland, but her grandpa can't have the salt and it's ok because there was gravy. Even for us vegetarians me.

We got things cleaned up and put away and I had a little nap and then we had pie.

At one point, SweetPea said it was the best Thanksgiving ever and cried on my shoulder.

Now we're home and I'm sleepy as hell and I've already had some leftover tofurkey which is always the best part of the day.

I think I'm going to try to round up Neighbor for shots of Amarula and a smoke. Or, hell, maybe some Disaronno. I think that's more grammy's style.


I hope everyone's day was fantastic, and that somebody proclaimed it the best ever, that nobody cried for the wrong reasons, and that you have someone who thinks you look hot while mashing taters the old fashioned way.

Noble Vegetarian

Last Friday SweetPea and had an adventure.

OK, so we had dinner out. But after that night we spent helping Neighbor clean The Nastiest Restaurant on the Planet, eating out – at a new restaurant – is considered an adventure.

During my morning drive, on the way to drop Monkey See off at school, I was sitting at a red light and noticed a sandwich board sign. It said “Noble Vegetarian” and had an arrow and some other stuff that I couldn't really read because it was on the other side of the road. I promptly sent a text message to SweetPea lest I forget about this little sandwich board because, hello, vegetarian? Yes, please!

I did some searching on the internet and found a couple of reviews proclaiming it good stuff and reasonably priced and, yes, vegetarian food.

Noble Vegetarian is a Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a strip mall on College Oak. It's easy to miss if you don't know it's there. And we did. Twice.

Once we got parked and got inside, the restaurant was clean and bright. The tables were well laid out and the décor was nice.. simple, elegant, clean.

We ordered two “family style” dishes, an order of “Golden Rolls”, rice, and iced green tea (for me). Now, some of you may know that I have an issue with the green teas served most everywhere. I like plain green tea. It doesn't need to be flavored or sugared or whatevered. It's good just the way it is. Plain. Well, Noble Vegetarian serves plain green tea, loose leaf no less, hot or cold. Very nice!

Everything came to the table piping hot. The Golden Rolls were very good. Light, crispy and tasty, with a sauce that fit the rolls perfectly. There was a dish called “Ruby Pearls” that SweetPea and I both loved very much. They were described as “sweet and sour 'chicken'” but were so much better than that! Smallish balls of fake meat, with a dense, slightly crispy texture. The “sweet and sour” wasn't the same florescent orange sauce of some Chinese restaurants. The sauce was a dark reddish orange, and it didn't cover and suffocate the way the sauce ordinarily does. It seemed almost like the balls were marinated in it, and then cooked. It was very very good, and our favorite dish of the evening. Much better than anything we get at our usual Chinese restaurant. The other dish looked similar to beef with broccoli, and I'm sorry, I forget the name of it. The “beef” strips looked very realistic, and, had we been anywhere else, I'd have made SweetPea try them first just to be sure it wasn't actual beef. The strips were just a little softer than you'd expect for real beef, but very good, and very “realistic”. The broccoli, carrots and bok choy were all cooked to perfection, and the sauce was perfectly light, just the right compliment.

Service was very nice – friendly, attentive and prompt. Our meal, which included two family style dishes, one order of appetizers, rice for me and iced green tea for me, totalled just $20. Now, let me tell you, SweetPea have been known to spend that at Taco Bell. I was surprised to find the bill so low, actually, with everything we got.

I would highly recommend Noble Vegetarian. Even if you aren't vegetarian, the food will impress you, and so will the service.

Noble Vegetarian
5049 College Oak Dr (Suite A)
Sacramento, CA 95841

(916) 334-6060

Inequity of compassion

Michael Vick has pled guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge and issued a public apology calling his actions “immature” and saying that he “made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions.” The public, in general, is outraged that a person so in the public eye could commit acts so vicious against an essentially helpless animal. An animal that many people have as pets and, therefore, an emotional attachment to and investment in.

For Mr. Vick to say his actions were “immature” is to skirt the gravity of the charges and the underlying actions. To say it was immaturity is to infer that it's acceptable for kids, but not for grown ups.

Mr. Vick's actions were not “immature”. They were callous, cruel, inhumane. What Mr. Vick lacked was not maturity, but a fundamental compassion for other living things. Even children know it's wrong to harm an animal. Not because they are “mature”, but, rather, because they are compassionate.

It does not take maturity to know that it's wrong to beat, starve, electrocute, strangle and fight a dog. It does not take maturity to know that it's wrong to allow two dogs to fight until they're severely injured or dead.

It takes compassion.

The fact that Mr. Vick cannot show even the most fundamental compassion for a living creature should alarm more people. It's not just about the dogs that have already been injured, maimed, killed. It's not just about the dogs whose fates are waiting in the hands of a federal court. If Mr. Vick does not have compassion for a dog, should we believe that he has compassion for his fellow human?

While we're on the subject of compassion and outrage, were is the outrage over the inhumane and callous treatment of the animals that become our daily meals? Why is there so much outrage when a dog is electrocuted as punishment, but not when a chicken is electrocuted and then dropped, still alive, into boiling water in order to create nuggets or buckets of deep fried dinners? How can we be outraged when a dog is hung to death, but turn a blind eye when cows are frequently still alive while being skinned and butchered?

Where is our compassion?