Q: Why did the drunk vegetarian cross Frenchmen Street?
A: To get to 13 Monaghan!
Don’t you love my jokes? No? Well then, I hope you love Daniele’s latest vegetarian post. –Leslie
Have you ever found yourself craving sustenance on Frenchmen Street after a few hours of drinking and dancing at the various music clubs on said street? I know I have. And when that happens, I usually end up at 13 Monaghan. Past the narrow bar area (and the frozen Irish coffee machine), the back of 13 opens into a restaurant area with about a half-dozen tables. It’s a nice little spot to take a break from the crowds and smoke.
There are 2 main reasons I keep going back to 13:
Reason #1
They have lots of vegetarian options on their menu. Being able to choose from more than one vegetarian dish on a restaurant’s menu is quite a luxury in this town. In my mental list of New Orleans restaurants, I put a little gold star next to the places that offer me choices. 13’s menu has a pretty good variety of salads, pizzas, and sandwiches. They also have breakfast items, though I haven’t tried them since I’ve never been there during daylight hours. Be sure to check the specials board for even more vegetarian options. One of my favorite dishes at 13 is the BBQ tofu po’boy, pictured below.
Reason #2
Tachos. Tater-tot… nachos. Yup. Nachos made with tater tots instead of tortilla chips – it’s basically the ultimate drunk food. I’ve noticed two reactions when I inform people that such a thing exists: they squeal with glee, or their jaws drop in disbelief that no one thought to put this creation on a bar’s menu sooner. They are just as good as you think they are. Possibly better if you forgot to imagine them with black beans, jalapenos, and cups of sour cream and salsa on the side.
One thing to keep in mind is that most of 13’s food is baked instead of fried, so it takes a little longer to make it to your table. But waiting isn’t a problem when there is a fully-stocked bar (and a frozen Irish coffee machine) just steps away.
Winter, summer, it doesn’t matter; I can eat a giant bowl of soup any day of the year. Daniele, our vegetarian contributing writer, shares with us how she gets her pho on in a dish that is traditionally non-vegetarian friendly. If you enjoy Daniele’s vegetarian posts, please leave us a note in the comments and share with your veggie-loving friends. Thanks! –Leslie
With such a large, vibrant Vietnamese community in the area, it is no wonder that New Orleanians love their pho. What’s not to love about a giant bowl of noodle soup that comes with your own veggies to add in as you see fit? Oh yeah… beef broth and meaty bits.
I gotta tell y’all, I feel pretty bummed when I go out for Vietnamese with my friends and they are all chowing down on their over-size bowls of pho goodness while I am left to pick at a pedestrian entree of stir fried veggies. That is if there is anything veggie on the menu at all.
But there is another option! Pho Tau Bay on the West Bank has an all veggie noodle soup that is not an official pho, but is pretty darn close. And pretty darn tasty. Listed on the menu just below the pho bo and pho ga, is the soup rau chay which is described as a vegetarian soup. Along with your choice of noodle type, the soup also comes with fried tofu, fresh veggies, and a basket of traditional pho add-ins like basil and bean sprouts. It makes for a filling, but surprisingly light meal. I was impressed by the quality of the ingredients. It would have been easy to go with frozen veggies, but these were clearly fresh and tasted great.
So while I am going on about soup for vegetarians, I think it is fair to address a common problem that we veggies run into when dining out: hidden meat products. Chicken broth, fish sauce, gelatin – these are things that come from animal sources, things that vegetarians don’t eat. Sometimes well-meaning restaurants just don’t quite understand that vegetarian/vegan means we don’t eat any meat products whatsoever. Bearing this in mind, I tend to err on the side of caution and shy away from soups unless I know and trust the source. But sometimes I am just so excited / curious about a food that I let my guard down a bit.
In the case of the soup rau chay at Pho Tau Bay, I think we veggies are safe. After 19+ years of avoiding meat and meat products, my body does a good job of letting me know if I’ve eaten something non-vegetarian. I’ve had the soup twice and didn’t experience any nefarious gastro-intestinal activities either time. Of course, I understand if my digestive system’s seal of approval isn’t enough proof. I’m sure the good folks at Pho Tau Bay will be happy to answer your questions about the “veggieness” of their dishes.
Last year, Team NOLA Eats raised $905 for the NO/AIDS Task Force for their annual fundraiser walk. Today, Daniele writes about another annual event we like to promote, Dining Out For Life. Check out her list of vegetarian-friendly establishments that will be participating. –Leslie
When I am not prowling the New Orleans dining scene for delicious vegetarian food, I am working at my day job at one of the city’s HIV clinics. So I’m especially happy to write about today’s topic because it involves two of my passions: eating and helping people.
On Thursday, July 15th restaurants through out the New Orleans area will be participating in the Dining Out for Life fund raiser. Getting involved is easy: Just enjoy a meal at a participating restaurant on July 15th and 25% of the proceeds will be donated to the NO/AIDS Task Force. NO/AIDS provides a wide range of support services for people living with and affected by HIV in the New Orleans area.
Did you know that New Orleans has the third highest AIDS case-rate out of all the major metropolitan areas in the country? There are a lot of people in our city who need our support!
Dining ain’t easy when it comes to being a vegetarian in New Orleans. Daniele, NOLA-Eats.com vegetarian correspondent, shares a positive experience with us at one of our city’s most famous restaurants. -Leslie
As a vegetarian in New Orleans (and I suspect the same is true of most cities), it is very difficult to find a fine dining experience that measures up to the experience a meat-eater would have at the same place. Too often my dining companions are enjoying interesting, well-executed meals while I am at the same table staring at a plate full of limp, steamed vegetables with a balsamic reduction thrown on them as an afterthought. Such an experience is sure to make me a one-time customer. If a well-trained kitchen staff at a reputable establishment can’t be bothered to make a veggie dish that is on par with the rest of their offerings, then I can’t be bothered to give them anymore of my hard-earned money.
Okay, enough of my crabbiness. I actually do have something positive (and tasty!) to share with you with regard to fine dining in NOLA: brunch at Brennan’s. Perhaps it is cliché and it’s certainly not cutting-edge. But you know what else I can say about brunch at Brennan’s? It is vegetarian-friendly and it is delicious.
If you are a regular reader of my columns, you know I am a great lover of brunch. So when my boyfriend asked where I’d like to go for my birthday dinner, I told him I’d rather have brunch at Brennan’s. This is how it went down:
I got the prix fixe menu which included an appetizer, a main, and a dessert. A three-course brunch, don’t you love it?
I started things off with strawberries in sweet cream. It was basically like eating strawberry shortcake without the shortcake. Wonderful.
For my main dish I got eggs sardou: poached eggs on artichoke bottoms in a bed of creamed spinach topped with hollandaise sauce. This is perhaps my idea of the perfect brunch dish because it incorporates my favorite way to prepare eggs with two of my favorite vegetables.
As if I wasn’t stuffed enough from all that I still had a dessert to eat. I opted for the Crepes Fitzgerald, since Alex was getting Bananas Foster. The crepes were filled with cream cheese and topped with marinated, flambéed strawberries. These were also great and actually lighter than I expected them to be.
See? My story has a happy ending – I had a great experience at a New Orleans culinary institution and didn’t have to contend with one bland vegetable.
Brennan’s
417 Royal St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 525-9711 Get Directions
Today, Daniele brings us a reminder that even I need to consider once in a while. It’s just too easy to fall back on your edible favorites. Daniele shares with us a new favorite she discovers when she takes a pass on an old favorite. -Leslie
Do you ever get in a rut at the restaurants you frequent? I do. To defend myself a little, sometimes I get in these ruts because the restaurants I am frequenting only have one or two vegetarian options. But other times I get into ruts at restaurants that have plenty of options and I have no excuse. Such is the case with Juan’s Flying Burrito. I was in a Juan’s taco salad rut for a long time. On one hand, it’s not such a bad thing. Juan’s makes a fine taco salad. They have lots of delicious house-made dressings to put on said taco salad. Salad is good for you.
There is a certain degree of comfort in staying in one’s food rut. Eating the same thing is familiar. You know you’ll like what you order. You don’t have to spend extra time agonizing over the menu trying to make a decision. But after a while that comfort can turn in to monotony. And why would I spend my hard-earned money on a monotonous dining experience?
So on my most recent visit to Juan’s I made the conscious decision to branch out and get something besides a taco salad. While I was at it, I chose to try something I’d never had before: the sweet and green quesadilla. And boy was I glad I did! Yum! The quesadilla had sweet potatoes, caramelized onions, and green peppers in it, held together by just the right amount of cheese. Sweet and savory goodness.
The next time you find yourself about to order the same old thing at one of your usual restaurants, take a minute to give the menu a second look. You could find a new favorite dish. And if it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to the tried and true next time you visit.
When conversation turns to brunch, I immediately think of Surrey’s. I have it in my mind that it’s very popular with locals, but you wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve talked with that are not familiar with it. This, my friends, is my ode to Surrey’s.
Surrey’s is truly a destination for breakfast and brunch foods. While known for their freshly squeezed juices, shots of wheat grass and vegan/vegetarian dishes, you can also indulge in one of my favorite selections, the Bananas Foster French Toast. Tucked away inside the butter-laden bread pieces is cream cheese and bananas. The BFFT is the arch nemesis of wheat grass, and it will rock your world.
It’s sweet. It’s chewy. It’s rich. Look at those crispy little bits on the edges! Why eat pancakes when this dish can satisfy so many breakfast cravings?
Speaking of wheat grass, this is what a $9 beverage combo looks like. Pricey? Yes. Quite possibly the most delicious glass of O.J. you will ever sip? Oh, yes.
Perhaps you’re in the mood for something green, but in a solid state. Here’s the Spinach Cheese Melt with Grilled Chicken. If meat isn’t your thing, add tofu, instead. My favorite meatless dishes are the Vegan Avocado Mash and Creamy Black Beans. Those two sides alone make for a delicious and filling meal.
Now, there are a few tips I want to give you if you haven’t visited Surrey’s. First, they are only open until 3:00 pm. Boo! Hiss! Food this good should be available any time I want it. But, too bad. Secondly, while they close at two, for the love of all that is good in this world, do yourself a favor and do not walk in that door at 2:40. You are probably pushing your luck at 2:30. Service can be a little bristly, which I attribute to the table-flipping mentality that is prevalent here. You see, Surrey’s is tiny. In order for the servers to make money, they’ve got to get you in and roll your ass out. So, if you don’t want major attitude, be mindful of the clock. Lastly, don’t forget to bring cash, because plastic is not accepted. If you forget, there is an ATM on the premises.
Now, go out there, eat at Surrey’s and conquer your morning (or afternoon)!
In today’s post by vegetarian correspondent Daniele Farrisi, a nod to an accommodating Mid-City restaurant. -Leslie
I feel like I write an inordinate amount about brunch on here. There’s a reason for that. Brunch is my favorite meal to eat out. I am always excited to try new places for brunch and revisit old favorites. I had been relying mostly on neighborhood stand-bys for the past couple months, but once spring finally came to New Orleans, I got the itch to travel… all the way to Mid-City.
I have a lot of love for the Mid-City neighborhood. I used to live there before the levee failures forced me to seek shelter on higher ground. I try to get back for a visit every now and then and eat some delicious food while I am there. The Ruby Slipper Café is a newer addition to the neighborhood. It’s been open for over a year (maybe even closer to two?), but I just made my first visit there a few weeks ago.
I think one of the reasons that brunch is my favorite meal to eat out is because it is generally much easier to find vegetarian items on a brunch menu than a dinner menu. Ruby Slipper certainly has ample veggie selections to choose from, however, I was specifically craving poached eggs. The Eggs Blackstone dish caught my eye as I scanned the menu: poached eggs… tomatoes…. biscuit (this was looking good) … hollandaise sauce (yes, please!)… bacon. Bacon?! Nooooooo!
Seeing bacon on the list of ingredients was certainly an unwelcome blow, but I was determined to get some poached eggs. So I asked our server if I could get the Eggs Blackstone without bacon. He happily obliged and even agreed to give the withheld bacon to my pork-product aficionado boyfriend. That’s what I call a win/win situation. As the waiter set my plate in front of me, he pointed out that the kitchen gave me some fruit salad on the side to replace the bacon. Little extras like that go above and beyond just accommodating my special requests. They show me that vegetarians are valued customers at The Ruby Slipper Café. And I would much rather spend my money at an establishment that values my patronage rather than one that merely tolerates my existence.
And let that be a lesson, if all that stands between you and a delicious meal is some unwanted animal product, just ask your server if it can be omitted. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Combine new media & social networking with food & libations and you get NOLA Eats, a New Orleans-based social dining group and blog. Founder, Event Coordinator and habitual socializer Leslie J. Almeida writes about her favorites in New Orleans restaurants and nightlife while promoting a "live local" lifestyle.
You can follow more of Leslie's NOLA adventures by connecting with her on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.
