16 November 2011

Thanksgiving

As it is 16 November, Halloween has passed and (Unitedstatesian) Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  The Holidays are a time of gathering of family and friends.  Last year, my neighbors and I had a friend Thanksgiving and I hosted my family and a couple friends at my apartment on Thanksgiving day (my family's first completely cruelty-free Thanksgiving complete with seitan roast, green bean casserole [all from scratch], stuffing and soy crème brulée for dessert).  This year, skip the turkey and leave the Tofurky Roast on the Whole Foods shelf.  This weekend, I'll be posting recipes for a complete cruelty-free Thanksgiving dinner all from scratch.  Following these recipes will lead to a successful vegan holiday where the only suffering will be by the waist of your pants, struggling to make room for all the vegan deliciousness.

Vegan Chicago on the Road! - NYC

Next month, I will be going to New York City to visit a friend who will be coming in from Italy.  If any readers have any suggests for vegan places to eat in NYC, please let me know, I'll be happy to try them out and review them!

Review: 16.11.11 - Urban Vegan

Kids, in the fall of 2011, I discovered a new vegan restaurant about a mile away from my apartment, Urban Vegan. An asian-themed version of the Chicago Diner. The first time I had it, I I used grubhub to have it delivered to me. I had stir-fry vegetables with pepper steak. Then, I continued to order from Urban Vegan wanting to try the different dishes they offered on their menu. So here's what I think of:


1605 W. Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613


Hours:
Monday
4:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Tuesday - Thursday
11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Friday - Saturday
11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday
12:00 am - 9:00 pm

As I stated earlier, I grubhub from this restaurant frequently. I've been inside as well. Like most small shop restaurants in the city, Urban Vegan has limited seating but the service is excellent. Water and Miso soup are brought to you once you sit down. The menu offers a broad range of dishes and for someone who is used to non-vegetarian asian restaurants, receiving the menu for the first time can be liberating. Orange Chicken, Pepper Steak chow mein, the list goes on, tens of items that shout, "TRY ME!"

Now, I have no experience with the actual dish Orange Chicken, I have no idea what it's actually supposed to taste like, but this was great, truly an enjoyable eating experience. The Pepper Steak, I believe is Vegetarian Plus's Pepper Steak and you can get it with almost anything. The orange chicken is from the same brand. Despite them not actually making their TVP, it's still delicious and dining is an enjoyable experience. They also have veggie fish and shrimp dishes, but I must admit, those scare me a bit.

Taking into consideration that their TVP is commercial product and not homemade or locally made, Urban Vegan still gets a happy bunny rating for making Thai/asian food vegan and allowing me to try things where I never had their meat counterparts.

The service is excellent and deliveries are prompt. I would recommend Urban Vegan over any other Asian restaurant simply because instead of being limited to just curry, you can try anything on the menu and everything is delicious.

Expect a review from Ben soon!