Hello, from Seattle! I’m visiting my sister Erin, for an extended stay in this rainy city. And let me tell you, it has been rainy. It’s funny to think that less than a week ago I was laying on a warm beach in sunny Santa Monica. Now I’m bundled up head-to-toe like Ralphie’s little brother in the movie, ‘A Christmas Story.’ Ok maybe not that bad, but close. Despite the cold weather, I’m loving this city. It has the perfect blend of classic and new both in the look and feel that I adore. I have never been to Seattle before and have been pleasantly surprised at the abundance of vegan restaurants.
The first night out to dinner we decided to check out Pizza Pi in the University District. I came to find out this was the first all vegan pizzeria in the country! Awesome. They have an extensive menu, including wings, calzones, sandwiches and of course, pizza! My sister got a veggie calzone with a dip she said was ‘the best ever.’ And I got a Hawaiian pizza with ‘Canadian bacon’ and pineapple. Y-u-m. They use the vegan cheese brand Teese, which was melty and delicious on top of their fantastic pizza crust. I decided to order a medium pizza which gave me super easy left overs to snack on over the next few days. I was happy to see they were busy on a Wednesday night. There were animal activist and vegan related events posted on the wall near the register, which was nice to see too. I felt a great sense of community buzzing in the small-quarters of the pizzeria. The guy working there was also really nice and happy to suggest lots of other vegan places for me to try during my stay.
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| Chai Yam Bruschetta |
A few days later we decided to go to the highly recommended Plum Bistro in the Capitol Hill area. This was the most fancy vegan restaurant I’ve ever seen. The restaurant itself was beautiful: grand wood ceilings, flowing plants, a very organic-earthy chic kind of place- fitting for an all-organic vegan restaurant. We decided to start with the Chai Yam Bruschetta. It was perfect. The saltiness of the sourdough bread complimented the sweetness of the yams. I decided I was going to have to attempt to recreate the bruschetta when I am back in California. I couldn’t for the life of me decide what I wanted for an entree. Everything on the menu looked innovative and delicious. I wanted to try it all. Sadly, that was not an option, so my sister and I decided to split two entrees. The first being the Crazy Jamaican Burger, a jerk tofu burger on a freshly baked bun with ripe plantains, grilled sweet onions, potato salad, tomatoes, and house vegan mayo.
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| Crazy Jamaican Burger |
And the second, the Double Dipped Seitan Steak with sauteed asparagus and chive & roasted garlic mashed potatoes with a country-style gravy.
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| Double Dipped Seitan Steak |
Both were really good but my sister and I thought the Double Dipped Seitan Steak was the winner of the two. As much as I wanted to, I was just too full to try a dessert after dinner, though they sounded awesome.
I am in town for a couple more weeks and seriously looking forward to trying all the other vegan places on my list. I will keep you up-to-date on what I find!
