Alamo Drafthouse New Vegan Menu - Austin, TX

I got a tweet the other day from the Alamo Drafthouse telling me that I was invited to a tasting for their new vegan menu (which will be available at the Village location only). This is awesome, and something I've been hoping for since I starting going to the Drafthouse 11 years ago.







The tacos were tasty, with crunchy tortilla chips in it, and slightly spicy salsa that complimented it nicely. The bruschetta was also good, with super creamy avocado and good flavors provided by the lemon vinaigrette and balsamic reduction. The samosa tasted fairly standard for samosas (delicious, in my opinion), and have my vote for the easiest thing on the new menu to eat in the dark). The cookie was warm and chewy, with a nice fruitiness from the cherries.

When the menu launches tomorrow, the bruschetta will be a full cup of avocado and tomato mixture, with crostini all around the edge of the plate.

Some of the other people at the tasting mentioned that a chocolate dessert would be quite welcome, and Trish, the chef, said that she'd had a hard time finding vegan chocolate at a good price point. We told her about the vegan chocolate chips in bulk at Wheatsville, and suggested that she contact some of the vegan bakers in town to get suggestions from them about where to buy. I also mentioned that I would love to see soy milk for the coffee drinks at all I the locations, and Trish said that she would make sure that it happened, since it should have been happening already (she said if it wasn't, it was an oversight).

RESTAURANT REVIEW, Part Deux - Blue Koi, Kansas City, MO

April visited Blue Koi in 2011, but the hedgehogs insisted on going to see it themselves. April met a few omnivorous friends there for a nice lunch.

Blue Koi
1803 W. 39th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111
(also at 10581 Mission Road, Leawood, KS 66206)







The last time April went to Blue Koi, she made a meal out of the Crispy Tofu With Spicy Awesome Sauce and the Veggie Dumplings. This time, she was excited to try the Eggplant Pockets, but the server told her that they were out of those. Vowing to come back before the end of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival to try them, April and her dining companions decided to split the Crispy Veggies (tempura coated fried mixed vegetables with a cool basil sauce and a semi-spicy sriracha sauce), the Spicy Chili Tofu Wontons, and the Crispy Tofu with Spicy Awesome Sauce.







The Crispy Tofu with Spicy Awesome Sauce was just as awesome as April remembered; the tofu is nicely fried and the sauce is just the right combination of sweet and spicy. The Crispy Veggies were also good - April got lots of the delicious cauliflower, since her companions weren't big fans of that particular veggie. The sriracha sauce wasn't overly spicy, but has a bit of a kick of one gets enough of it at one time. The Spicy Chili Tofu Wontons, however, are April's new favorite! Incredibly flavorful, with just the right amount of spice.

April and the hedgehogs were impressed to discover that Blue Koi actually offers more vegan options than they had originally thought. Besides the appetizers listed above, there's also Lettuce Wraps that can be made with tofu. For main dishes, the Firebird Duck and the Black Bean Chicken can be made with tofu instead, and in addition to the Vegetable Noodle Soup shown on the online menu, there's a Vegan Delights soup that April very nearly got, Tofu with Chinese Curry Sauce, Braised Tofu with Shiitake Mushroom (can be noodle soup or just over noodles or rice), and Ants On A Tree, which can be made with tofu, and which is what April decided to get. (The hedgehogs wanted to see if it really had ants. It didn't.)


Hedgie offers April her collapsible chopsticks.

The bean noodles were very tasty, and the fried tofu stood out well among the rest of the veggies. There was a ton of it, as well, and the hedgehogs helped April pack half of it into her reusable to-go box to have for dinner.

For a beverage/dessert, April had the Sweet Red Bean Bubble Tea with pearls. The server told her that they use soy milk, so it was vegan. Yay!

Mud Pie Vegan Bakery & Coffee House - Kansas City, MO

Mud Pie Vegan Bakery
Facebook Page
1615 W. 39th Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111
(816) 931-4539
Mon - Fri: 6 am - 9 pm
Sat: 7 am - 9 pm
Sun: 8 am - 7 pm


Yesterday, before my 12 hour drive from Missouri to Texas, I decided to stop at Mud Pie Vegan Bakery, Kansas City's only 100% vegan bakery and coffee house. A warning to all of you who might have problems making decisions - everything in there looks absolutely delicious (and it's all vegan, so that doesn't help narrow anything down!)




Check out all the milk options! Also, soy is standard and free- take *that*, Starbucks!

I ended up getting a vegan cheddar scone, a slice of coffee cake, and an almond milk chai latte. Upon further reflection, this is a bit out of character for me - no chocolate at all?




I liked what I got, but I'm thinking next time I'll pick something chocolate, because it's bound to blow me away. (I'm still dreaming of those mini chocolate bundt cakes...)

Coffee, Soy, and Starbucks

For the record, if I'm in Austin, I buy coffee drinks from independent local establishments. When I travel, I try to do the same. However, in the middle of nowhere, in between point A and point B, Starbucks is sometimes the only solution to keep me awake and driving.

For those of you who haven't heard, on October 16, Starbucks will no longer offer free soy milk to its Gold Card members. They're saying that the gold card points can be used towards food as well, but there are little to no vegan food options at Starbucks.

This first petition for Starbucks to keep free soy milk only needs 724 more signatures. The second only needs 497. It's the principle of the thing. Just say no to the "vegan tax".

http://www.change.org/petitions/starbucks-keep-free-soy-and-syrup-for-reward-card-members

http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/bring-back-the-soy