New Camera AND a Walk Around the Block

Ben and I recently bought a new camera and are super excited about it. A bunch of our first shots weren't so awesome, but we went on a walk today and I'm actually really happy with a bunch of our (mostly Ben's) shots! Our camera is a Canon Rebel t3i and it's pretty different than our old point and shoot (or camera phone, which is usually the case) so it's taken some getting used to. But Ben enjoys the challenge and it's been a fun new habit--I especially love the photo walks we've been taking lately. Anyway, enjoy!

Cafe Gratitude in Santa Cruz, California

The last (interesting) place we went during our trip to San Francisco was down to Santa Cruz.We had a ton of fun walking along the boardwalk and going on cheesy rides after a yummy lunch at Cafe Gratitude. Ben and I have been to Cafe Gratitude before, but the location in Berkley. The one in Santa Cruz is a lot smaller and feels more like a cafe than an expensive restaurant, though the prices are the same.

I had remembered liking the food from our first time there, but all Ben could remember was it being expensive. After visiting again I tend to be more on Ben's side. The food was decent and I liked everything we got, but for the prices I would have liked to get a LOT more food and top notch quality. I understand high prices with raw items because of the time they take to prepare, but Ben's sandwich (he got the BLT with coconut 'bacon') served with a small salad was $12! I think that's a ripoff.

I got the raw enchilada with sprouted seed filling, spicy mole, cashew sour cream and scallions served with a spicy Mexican coleslaw and salad. It was pretty dang good but, again, for $14 I don't think it was worth it at all. ONE enchilada, a cheap coleslaw and then mixed greens with a dressing filling up almost half my plate? I don't think so.

We also got some drinks, which were good, and some desserts, which were pretty good but not amazing.

ALSO the service was horrible and they were out of half of the things on their menu. So, even though their food is good and they are 100% vegan I can really only give them a 3/5. I honestly wouldn't go there again if I had another option, and there are so many better options in Santa Cruz and Berkley!

Millenium Round 2 in San Francisco, California

Well, Ben and I finally made it back to Millennium for the second time after having tried restaurants of a similar par in New York (Pure and Candle 79) aaaaaand we still like it! Still love it, actually. This time we decided to splurge on the 5 course chef's tasting menu ($72/person) AND opted to do the wine pairing (an additional $28/person) since we had such a good experience with the tasting menu at Pure. I would definitely recommend the tasting menu and I think it's well worth the money. It's nice to go and pick what you want from the menu and get a big portion of it, but it's also super fun to get to try a bunch of different things, be surprised, and make a whole experience out of it. As far as the wine pairing goes, I wasn't blown away by it since I'm not a huge wine fan or connoisseur--but Ben thought that it improved his taste buds and all that so he really enjoyed it.

Anyway, here's what we ate! I tried to get descriptions of some things from their website but their menu changes so much I couldn't find everything.

Whole wheat bread with a garbanzo bean and thyme spread

Black Bean Torte

whole wheat tortilla, caramelized plantains, smoky black bean puree, pumpkin-habanero papazul,

cashew "sour cream", cara cara salad

Crusted Oyster Mushrooms

rice flour and coriander seed dredge, radish salad with kaffir lime

and pickled ginger vinaigrette

Some kind of salad with asparagus and sunflower seed sprouts

Millys Wilted Spinach and Bitter Greens Salad

heirloom apples, smoked tofu, ume marinated red cabbage, red onions,

ginger-red miso vinaigrette, sesame-chile Togarashi

Some kind of curry with sauteed bok choy and other vegetables including mushrooms, toasted edamame, broiled tofu

Pumpkin Seed and Cornmeal Crusted Portobello Mushroom

masa arepa, yellow eye bean and corn hominy stew with coconut

and aji chile, sauteed greens, nopales and Cara Cara orange ceviche with

avocado, chimichurri sauce

Maple-Black Pepper Glazed Smoked Tempeh

olive oil mashed potatoes with horseradish, sauteed spring onion,

asparagus and baby carrots, dijon-dill cashew cream, grilled lemon,

parsley and radish salad

After dinner coffee

Chocolate Almond Midnight

almond cashew crust, mocha chocolate filling, raspberry sauce, white chocolate mousse

Sweet Ending

assorted house-made cookies and truffles

Tropical Crème Brûlée

pineapple crème brûlée, macadamia nuts, and other stuff...

Casbah Cafe in Livermore, California

While in Livermore, the city outside of San Francisco where Ben's sister lives, Ben and I felt like going out to dinner. There isn't much by the way of vegan food in downtown Livermore except zPizza, but we had already eaten there once. So, we decided to try Casbah cafe at the recommendation of Happy Cow. They had a few vegan things on their menu, but Ben and I both decided to try the falafel pita with tahini dressing. I also got the Casbah cooler.

The falafel was really good, the veggies were fresh, and the pita was home-baked and warm, but the dressing left something lacking. I had to get the waiter to bring me a second cup of it and even then I felt like it was a bit bland and dry. BUT it was decent and the price was reasonable. The Casbah cooler was interesting. It was basically cucumber flavored water with a tiny bit of sugar and fresh mint. Very light, I almost felt like I was drinking water. I honestly don't think it was worth the $3 I paid for it, but it was interesting.

In the end, 3/5. I would probably normally give it a 2/5, but since it's in an area where there's not much else to eat I think it's a viable option.

Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant in San Francisco, California

While in San Francisco, Ben and I happened to stumble across Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant. I had never been there or heard of it, but we were hungry and it was close by. And it turned out to be fantastic! Seriously, a new favorite in San Francisco. Everything we ordered was delicious.

Matcha green tea frapp--amazing! and not too sweet

Tofu and veggie pot stickers with soy and ginger sauce

Garden vermicelli--like a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl but served more like a salad. Their 'beef' was fantastic!

Vegetable black bean with brown rice--yum!

The happy couple, taken by Ben's brother Josh

Ben's first time trying flan and it didn't disappoint!

Cinnaholic in Berkley, California

After stopping by Souley Vegan in Oakland, we dropped by Cinnaholic to get some dessert. Cinnaholic was listed as one of the bucket list items on the VegNews bucket list (see bottom right of this blog for the list), so I was pretty stoked and looking forward to some seriously tasty rolls. Ben and I both got one of their pre-designed rolls, and at the cashier's suggestion I got the cookie dough roll. Unfortunately, neither Ben and I were that impressed. The rolls were sickeningly sweet and the toppings didn't help. I couldn't even finish mine, which is pretty out of character for a sugar-loving chocolate-hoarding creep like me. I think it was just a combination of the sweet white flour roll, the frosting that was so sugary it was kind of crunchy, and then the dessert within a dessert toppings. I'm thinking maybe a custom-designed roll would be better with some fruit or something? But, if all their rolls have the same dough and frosting base I'm not sure I'd be a fan... In the end, 3/5.

Souley Vegan in Oakland, California

Our first stop during our trip was to Souley Vegan at a vegan friend of mine's request. He's a vegan comfort food connoisseur, so I was expecting it to be pretty good--and I wasn't disappointed! It was seriously amazing. Ben and I both got the 'toasties' and then ordered a selection of sides. The toasty was basically a burger with 'southern fried' tofu and BBQ tofu. DELISH. I loved all the sides, too. Definitely a 5/5!

Mustard greens

Fries

The infamous toasty... hard to eat

Nonchalant exterior

Incense Haul From Japan Town

Ben and I go visit Ben's sister in San Francisco every year, and every year we make a point of going to Japan Town. We love all the shops and knick-knacks, the book and manga stores, and the incense shops! The incense shops are fantastic because they are tiny and the owners are always there. Since you're usually the only ones in there (the shops are tiny) they give you the royal treatment--letting you smell all the new stock, lighting anything at your whim, giving you suggestions on what smells good together and letting you smell them, and brining you fresh coffee beans to clear your nostrils. AND since we always buy so much incense they always give us samples of incense they've gotten from manufacturers. Sometimes those are my favorite ones! It's such a great experience every time and we always LOVE the incense we get there.

Adorable incense burner

It's so cute!

Trying out some new scents--we didn't get too much this year, we still have some from our splurge last year!