New Veg Parents MeetUp in the Triangle

Sangeeta Godbole and Dilip Barman of the Triangle Vegetarian Society have started a veg. parents MeetUp group!

You don't have to be vegan or even vegetarian to join, just interested in veg. parenting. They hope to meet monthly for outings, restaurant dinners, potlucks, playdates and whatever else might come up in town of interest.

http://www.meetup.com/trianglevegparents/

Alladin's Eatery - Mediterranean - Raleigh

Large selection of veg. options. The service was excellent and the waiter was very helpful at helping us choose vegetarian options from the menu.

http://www.aladdinseatery.com/

Men's shoes at Rack Room Shoes

For vegan casual and athletic shoes, there are plenty of options (such as many of the New Balance styles).

For men's dress shoes, though, it is a lot harder to find non-leather choices. I was happy to find some snazzy, all man-made material shoes at Rack Room in Cary yesterday: Borelli Mason shoes.

They are pretty nice looking, reasonably comfortable, and - hey - cheap too! I particularly like the brown ones.

Also, see the posts about women's shoes here and here.

Simply Thai - Durham/RTP

This little restaurant opened in the always-depressing Big Lots strip at NC-54 & 55 near RTP. It was "Simply Thai and Sushi", but has since dropped the Sushi part. The menu at lunchtime had a lot of options in the $6-$7 dollar range, and almost all of them let you pick Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, Tofu, or Vegetables. So there are lots of vegetarian options! The waitress was careful to point out that one of the soups had chicken stock when she realized that several people were ordering tofu dishes. I tried Drunken Noodles with Tofu and it was very spicy (but not TOO spicy) and delicious.

Address: 4731 N.C. Hwy. 55, Durham
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rtplunch/380926658/
(Much nicer on the inside that in looks from the outside)

CLOSED: All Vegetarian Asian Restaurant - Bright Palace - Cary, NC

Bright Palace
1207-J Kildaire Farm Road
Cary, NC
919-468-7238

I ate here with friends tonight. It is an ALL veg. Asian restaurant. It is huge, nicely decorated and the menu has so many selections that it's a little overwhelming. They have faux meat and sushi, but also a large selection of vegetable dishes.

They are so new that they don't have a website yet. They will also eventually have dim sum, but do not offer that at this time either.

Abyssinia - Ethiopian - Raleigh

Pretty much the only Ethiopian restaurant in the Triangle, and certainly rated as the best, according to people I've talked to.

Get the Vegetarian Combo. It gives you a taste of everything.


http://abyssiniarestaurant.net/vegetarian.html

Vegan Ranch Dip - In the Store!

This isn't a restaurant post, but I stumbled upon a vegan ranch dip mix and had to share it with other vegans looking for a decent ranch!

Lipton makes a vegan ranch powder that is in the Kosher section of the grocery store. I take a tub of Tofutti Sour Cream and mix in the packet of ranch. I found you only need about 1/2 a packet. You can adjust it to suit your taste, but I found that you don't need much of the ranch powder to make a flavorful dip.

Anyway, easy vegan ranch dip/dressing is not only a dream anymore! Yay!!!

P.S. Lipton makes several powdered soups that are vegan and can make great dips. The French Onion and even Beefy Onion are vegan. I believe most of the "Recipe Secrets" packets they have are vegan, but check the labels. Again, just dump it into a tub of Tofutti Sour Cream and you're on your way to easy party dips! No one will even notice they are vegan!

Belted Goat - Fearrington Village - Pittsboro

I will give them credit for offering a veggie wrap sandwich in their cafe (plus, they have cute cows, goats and a donkey to visit with at the village entrance).

I am surprised over and over again by the number of restaurants here in NC (even "rural" farming towns) that accomodate vegetarians and vegans....

It's a good sign for the future of dining in this area!

http://www.fearrington.com/village/beltedgoat.asp

Carolina Brewery - Pittsboro and Chapel Hill

We went for a brewery tour and stayed for lunch.

They offer a black bean veggie burger as well as a good selection of other veggie items, all marked clearly with a carrot icon to signify that it is vegetarian.

http://www.carolinabrewery.com/downloads/CB_menu.pdf

General Store Cafe - Pittsboro

Who would have thought that in a little town like Pittsboro you can find a decent vegan meal? I was surprised and happy to find the General Store Cafe, which does have a nice variety of vegetarian and vegan items on their menu. (We tried them for dinner before a trip to the Carnivore Preservation Trust, which is another place I recommend in Pittsboro).

The General Store Cafe even offers tempeh in place of meat in any of their burritos! They also have a veggie BLT, but it is vegetarian and not vegan. (They sub smoked mozzarella in place of the bacon).

http://www.thegeneralstorecafe.com/home.html

Serena Restaurant & Bar - Durham

Has several vegetarian options, including the "TAG" - Tomato, Avocado, Gardenburger

http://www.serena-rtp.com/menus/Serena_Dinner.pdf

HOURS
Open Monday - Friday
NOW OPEN ALL DAY! Come join us for an off-site meeting with the team, a late-late lunch or early break on the way home.
Lunch: 11 AM - 4 PM
Evening: 4 PM - 9:00 PM

FEATURES
Always Smoke-Free Dining
Outdoor patio dining (weather permitting)
Free Wireless Internet Access
A location central to Chapel Hill, Durham AND Raleigh guests within 1/4 mile of interstate 40.
Wheelchair accessable - no stairs or obvious obstacles for those with limited mobility.

LOCATION
Serena Restaurant and Bar is located at 5311 South Miami Blvd, Durham, NC 27703. Our location is within 1/4 mile of interstate 40. We're on the very southeast edge of Durham, the northern tip of Morrisville and the eastern edge of Research Triangle Park.

Abbey Road - Hamburgers etc. - Cary

Offers a few vegetarian (not vegan) menu items. A veggie burger can be substituted for any of their burgers.

http://www.abbeyroadgrill.com/cary.bar.grill.restaurant/abbey.road.to.go.menu.for.pdf.conversion.htm

Little Caesars Pizza - Nationwide

From their website: http://www.littlecaesars.com/

Vegetarian Options at Little CaesarsLittle Caesars wants to help meet the growing needs of our vegetarian customers and offers them many appropriate menu choices. Vegetarian diets that allow dairy products can easily be planned to meet nutritional adequacy using any of the Little Caesars vegetarian-style pizzas. Little Caesars pizzas can be ordered with cheese-only or with any of our fresh vegetable toppings including onions, green peppers, and tomato slices. Mushrooms, ripe olives, and pineapples are also available toppings. Banana pepper rings can be added to give some "zip" to any vegetable-topped pizza.

Please note: Topping selection varies by location. Visit your local Little Caesars Pizza restaurant for topping availability.


For the Strict Vegetarian Diet (Vegan Diet) A strict vegetarian diet requires a little more planning for nutritional adequacy because it may require special conditions such as no animal by-products. Little Caesars' pizza crust is made with a quality, high-protein flour and contains no animal products or by-products. The sauce is made from crushed tomatoes and is seasoned with a special blend of herbs and spices - it also is made without animal by-products. This means that customers who are strict vegetarians can order a Little Caesars vegetable pizza, without cheese, and still fulfill their needs.

There are other items that can be special-ordered from our menu that are acceptable for a strict vegetarian diet. For example, Crazy Bread® can be ordered without Parmesan cheese along with an order of Crazy Sauce® on the side.

Announcing VegAsheville!

Everyone that is veg in NC knows that Asheville and surrounding areas are very veg friendly, but in trying to plan my own trip I found that there is no single dedicated website of vegetarian/vegan listings.

So that is why I've created VegAsheville - to aide other veg*ns in their travels to the mountains. This new blog will encompass all of Western North Carolina, as I dig up more info.

I hope everyone finds it helpful!

Blue Corn Cafe - Latin American - Durham (Ninth Street)

Too full from Twisted Noodles and Soy Cream from Francessca's, we were unable to try Blue Corn Cafe, but strolled by it and stopped to read the menu and were intrigued.

They have a separate Vegetarian section on the Dinner Menu, with the disclaimer that the items are not vegan, but that they can be prepared vegan. A few appetizers appear to vegan also, and any place with fresh Guacamole is worth a try to me.

It may just be a contender for our next Date Night.

http://www.bluecorn-tosca.com/bc_home.asp

Thai Spices & Sushi - Thai - Cary

This restaurant is the one that has gone into the space where Mama Wok was once located.

It looks like they've expanded the Vegetarian menu item selection since they first posted a basic menu before they opened.

We have yet to try it but it looks like they did a nice renovation to the interior and if they are as good as their website claims, hopefully we'll have a new favorite place in Cary for takeout (although it's still not Chinese and we're still, still searching - suggestions welcome!).

http://www.thaispicesandsushi.com/ThaiSpice_Test/vegetarian.php

986 High House Rd.
Cary, NC
(919) 319-1818‎

Francesca'ss Dessert Caffe - Durham

Fun place to visit on Durham's 9th Street, with vegan soy ice cream. We tried the hazelnut and chocolate flavors, with some tasty decaf to go with it.

http://francescasdessertcaffe.com/

Saladelia Cafe - Breakfast/Sandwiches/Salads - Durham

We didn't try this place but saw it on our way into Twisted Noodles - it's in the same shopping center. I noticed the "Vegemeaty" logo truck in the parking lot and was curious. They even have a Vegetarian Resource Group sticker on their door by the entrance.

We grabbed a menu and peeked inside. It looked to hold a fairly large amount of tables and the atmosphere was nice. It was almost completely empty though since it was about 8pm on a Saturday night and I'm guessing this is more of a lunch spot. They also do catering.

According to the menu:
-They use free range eggs and claim to use "fresh/homemade/Organic" ingredients
-They always have a Vegetarian Soup option on the menu
-You can get Soy Milk in your coffee (I know it's not THAT exciting, but not every place offers this - Panera and Bruegger's and other cafes like it usually don't, so it's something at least)
-Juices on the menu, like the Orange Juice, are always squeezed fresh
-They offer Free Wireless in the cafe

From what I can tell, they are very Vegetarian Friendly, but if you are a strict Vegan you might have trouble finding too much. Although, they do have a Greek Sampler platter that you could easily pick 3 vegan items to include in the platter.

* My suggestion to the Owner would be to add Scrambled Tofu to the Breakfast Menu. Anyone in NC is hard pressed to find a breakfast place if they are vegan and a cute cafe to have a leisurely breakfast or brunch is a much-needed niche to fill.

I'd be all over any place I could get a vegan breakfast burrito and a soy espresso drink on a lazy Sunday morning (when I'm too lazy to make it all myself!)

4201 University Dr # 100
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 489-5776

http://www.saladelia.com/home/

Twisted Noodles - Thai - Durham

We tried this place for "date night" and found ourselves at a run down strip mall, a little overdressed and left with too much time on our hands due to the insanely quick service, but hey, who's complaining? We had a nice time (in the 30 minutes we were there!)

They do have a beautiful fish tank with pretty blue and yellow tropical fish, and fast service is a good thing. We were just hoping for a little more I guess. It is lacking in decor and ambiance though and we noticed they weren't playing any music either.

But despite all that, I give this place a high rating. The location doesn't matter, the food was tasty and it's good to know it's a casual place we can grab a quick bite at in the future.

The menu used the words "vegetarian" and "vegan", which is a HUGE plus. The menu also says most dishes can be prepared with tofu or vegetables subsituted for meat.

We tried the "Vegan Delight" and "Potato Corn Cake" for appetizers. Both items are deep fried and much like a tempura. I suggest getting one or the other, otherwise it's too heavy before your meal.

For entrees we tried the Thai Spicy Salad (with Tofu instead of chicken)and the
Tom Yum Chili Oil Noodles (served as an entree and not a soup and with Tofu for the "meat") - Rice noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro and scallion in lemon grass and chili oil soup broth with your choice of meat or summer style with no soup

I suggest giving this place a try for a dinner out with friends you need to catch up with or lunch on the run. If you ARE planning a date night here, make sure you either have a LOT to talk about or a Plan B as to where to go next, or the date might over with in the same time it normally takes you to get through the Drive-Thru at Taco Bell. :-)

4201 University Dr
Durham, NC 27707
(919) 489-9888
www.twistednoodles.com

P.S. We went to Francesca's Dessert Cafe afterwards (review posted as a separate entry - http://francescasdessertcaffe.com/)

Raleigh Times Bar - American Menu - Downtown Raleigh

We haven't tried this place, but I just thought I'd note that if you are Downtown, but away from Glenwood (by the Imax/Moore Square area), this place at least has a veggie burger (but not much else on the menu for veggie people).

http://www.raleightimesbar.com/

Satisfaction Restaurant - Burgers/Pizza - Durham

Sports Bar/Restaurant with Pizza, Burgers, Salads etc. and a separate vegetarian menu.

http://www.satisfactionrestaurant.com/NEW%20DINNER%20MENU%20FINAL_files/page0006.htm

Spinner's - Veggie Burger - Wake Forest

A reader named Laura wrote us:

Hey,
I love your blog. Thank you so much for the great info! I just wanted to let you know that Spinner's in Wake Forest will let you substitute a veggie burger for any of their burgers (8? choices).

There have been a couple of times that I have gone and they were out, so people might want to call ahead and ask if they have veggie burgers ready. It's great to have a local place to grab a burger. :)

Do you happen to know of any way (website, local store) to purchase Worthington products? (Wham, Chickettes, Fripats,etc)

Thanks,
Laura


Thanks, Laura! We'll have to give Spinners a try!

I haven't seen Worthington products in local stores. I think we bought some Skallops in Wilmington, but that isn't exactly local. I searched online and found them at Amazon. You might also check Pangea or VegeFood.

Lotus Leaf Cafe - New Menu! - Cary

Lotus Leaf Cafe now has an expanded vegetarian menu!

http://lotusleafcafe.com/

*Update: I believe they are now closed all day Sunday and don't appear to have dim sum anymore :(

Red Bowl - Asian/Sushi - Cary

This restaurant is in same shopping center as ZPizza is in Cary. I went there with some co-workers today. I had the sesame tofu and vegetable spring roll lunch special. The sesame tofu was good and spring roll was about what you'd expect (greasy and yummy).

I thought it was more of a fast food place, but it turns out it's actually a sit-down restaurant with waiters.

They also have vegetable sushi (a vegetable roll and an avocado roll)as well as a few other veggie items.

I will definitely go back and try out more of the menu.

http://www.redbowlcary.com/

Gregory's - Brunch/Lunch - Cary

I haven't been here yet, but I found the menu online

http://www.gogoraleigh.com/uploads/GregorysMenu.pdf

Looks like they have a veggie burger at least and a vegetable stir fry.