Kung Pao Tots and Tofu photo from Fat Choy

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Fabrik Austin, 1701 E. MLK Blvd., Ste. 102, Austin, TX 78702

Fabrik constantly changes its menu according to the season. Their summer menu has had the option of a 5-course meal or a 7-course meal. Menu items have included Salt-baked beet tarlette, House made sourdough focaccia, Marinated and Smoked tomato, and Cashew Cheesecake. If you want to try Fabrik, reservations are available on their website.

Fat Choy, 52 E. Palisade Ave., Englewood, NJ 007631

The name Fat Choy was inspired by the colloquial Cantonese greeting for New Year’s (gong hei fat choy), where fat choy means “wishing you great happiness and prosperity.” Fat Choy has a Chinese menu with dishes including hot and sour soup, cauliflower bao buns, Kung Pao tots and tofu, wide rice noodles, not quite beef and broccoli, bananas rangoon, and more. They also offer mocktails.

Francis, 2422 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis MN, 55418

Francis specializes in making delicious plant-based burgers and has loads of creative burgers to try! Their couch potato burger is an Impossible patty topped with potato chips and their baconator burger is a burger topped with homemade veggie bacon. In addition to their burgers, they also have chicken sandwiches and melts.

Kensho, Westminster Shopping Center, 16511 Magnolia St., Westminster, CA 92683

The artful chefs at Kensho have proven that vegans do not have to be relegated to avocado and cucumber rolls to satisfy their sushi cravings. The bountiful menu of sushi options and the beautiful presentations will satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike. Popular items include the Crunchy Cali and the Jalapeno Popper. For a particularly hearty roll, try the DaKine Roll, made with crab, cream cheese, and jalapeno, and topped with seared Spam, avocado, and eel sauce. They offer non-sushi items as well, such as the Bulgolgi Fries—crispy fries topped with vegan short-rib by Next Meats, kimchi, garlic aioli, and spicy mayo—and desserts including Matcha Cheesecake and Mochi ice cream.

Soca Vegan Kitchen, 630 Crane Creek Dr., Ste. 103, Augusta, GA 30907

This vegan Trinidadian-style restaurant offers many options such as curry, fried plantains, mashed potatoes, dhal, and potato salad. Socas’ mission is “to provide a place that will satisfy every customer’s desire to relax and enjoy a delicious meal they won’t feel guilty about afterwards”!

The Cake Bar, 214 E. 13th Ave., Denver, CO 80203

Design your own cake cup. Eat your dream cake as you would ice cream in a cup. What a concept! Here’s how it works: Select 4oz, 8oz or 12oz size. Start with your Cake Flavor: Choices include: Chocolate, Strawberry, Lemon and more, including a couple of Gluten Free options. Next of course, is Frosting. There are several Buttercreams including Chocolate, Oreo Vanilla, Lemon and more. There are also Vanilla Expresso and Maple Vanilla frostings. Choose up to 3 Toppings which could be challenging since the list is wonderfully long: Chocolate Drizzle or Lemon Lavender Drizzles might rain down some deliciousness. If all the delightful possibilities drive you Nuts, there are those options too, as well as Marshmallows, Graham Crackers, Caramel, Berries, Strawberry Oreo Crumble and lots more. If you’re not feeling the cake, there are Cookies such as Red Velvet Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup, or Banana Cream Pie to name a few. Want more: how about a S’mores Brownie? You can also opt for Ice Cream Pints, variously flavored Pocket Waffles, or Macarons in varieties such as: Rose, Pistachio and Key Lime.  There are also sweet Pastries and savory ones too.

Twelvemonth, 330 Lorton Ave., Burlingame, CA 94010

Twelvemonth’s menu reflects a myriad of culinary influences including Middle Eastern, Asian, Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican and more. Strongly eco-minded, even their building aspires toward sustainability with solar panels and more. They source food locally and aim to keep waste to a minimum while creating inventive dishes. You might Start Dinner with roasted bets accompanied by house cultured yogurt, zhoug, (a spiced cilantro pesto) and zaatar (a gluten-free spice blend which includes coriander and cumin), or Cucumbers & Melons with green tahini dressing, mint and lime tajin (a citrus, salted chili sauce). Two of several Main Course possibilities are: Radish Cake, a steamed and griddled rice cake with shiitake, carrots, turnips, seasonal greens, chili crisp and soy saba (a gf vegan “fish”) or Crispy Maitake Mushrooms with pickles, whipped ranch, and hot nash seasoning, which traditionally imbues a sweet, hot, smoky flavor. Of the many imaginative Bar Bites, here are a couple: Candied Peanuts with Meyer lemon zest and togarashi, which is known for its toasty taste of sesame, ginger-orange sweet spice and the umami of seaweed, or the Gyro–“Black Sheep” Merguez “lamb” sausage spiced with a fennel cumin blend, served on a pita with tzatziki (a Greek yogurt sauce), salad greens and sumac onions. A couple of Desserts choices are coconut rice pudding with roasted strawberries, pickled rhubarb, coconut crunch and mint oil, or Malasadas (Portuguese fried donut-like confections popular in Hawaii) with chocolate ganache and seasonal jam.

XO Bar, 906 N. Fremont St., Portland, OR 97227

A pink neon Open sign shines on the corner of Fremont and Mississippi, letting you know you have arrived at your destination. XO Bar teleports you to a tropical mini-vacation with its design, music, craft drinks, and Southeast Asian bar snacks. Cocktails are made with coconut oil-washed rum, flavored with tropical fruits and herbs. XO’s savory full vegan menu consists of small plates, like jalapeño-cream cheese wontons with citrus agave, and barbecue sambal vegan drumsticks. Larger items include sesame ginger soy curls with black rice, tempura-battered “chicken” sandwiches, and rice noodles with deep-fried miso zuke tofu and kombu-mushroom broth. For dessert, the chef prepares tempura-battered bananas with peanut sauce, toasted hazelnuts, pickled ginger, and vanilla ice cream. Outdoor seating is available.