Friday, August 22, 2008

Yes Sir, I Ate In Big Sur!!

Driving down the coast, we didn't anticipate a stop in beautiful Big Sur. However, due to a blazing wildfire we were forced to turn around and go back through it so we stopped in for some essentials. The small town on the scenic 1 highway is tiny and cute and surprisingly offered up some grub for this traveler who was blown off course!

We rolled into the Fernwood Resort for some roadtripping supplies and ended up staying for din din. The resort was an adorable cabin like place tucked into the trees and had a nicely stocked convenience store with a baby sized deli. They had soy milk for coffees and a fridge full of vegan goodies like a bbq tofu wrap, veggie hummus wrap and vegan staples like tofurky and the like. They've got a camping area, cabins and a proper motel and I promise you won't starve! If you are driving up the Cali coast, make sure you look up Fernwood.

Next to the resort, we ate at the Redwood Grill. Again, I was surprised at my options ; ) They had the Carolyn's salad which was a no brainer for me to order along with a pretty good veggie pasta. They had a veggie burger available and other salads but I was way happy with my choices ; ) Check them out online at the Redwood Grill site.

The next day on our way out, we dined at the Big Sur River Inn and it was awesome! I had a great tofu salad and split some sweet potato fries with my honey before we hit the road. Their dinner menu looked just as nice and I look forward to passing through again. Big Sur River Inn is a hit off the 1!

This stretch of the famed Pacific Coast Highway is breathtaking and even if you are only driving through for a photo op, make sure you drive through hungry!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Santa Cruz is Veggie Paradise ; )

As I searched for vampires, as I always do when I visit Santa Cruz, I had to fuel up the tank. And there is plenty of good fuelin' no matter where you go in tow. It really is a veggie paradise amongst those pesky bloodsuckers ; )

Famous for their surf, their amusement park pier and yes, the Lost Boys, Santa Cruz is also very crunchy! There isn't a place in town that doesn't accommodate their green patrons. My favorite place when I'm in the SC is The Acapulco. A Mexican joint on Pacific Ave that has the yummiest veggie taco meat and cilantro rice. You can get any variety of Mexican dishes made with veggies or the veggie meat and their guac and rice is mega yummm! And you can drag anyone there for margs and meaty dishes while you get to feast on the healthier side south of the border ; ) You can find the melt in your mouth tortillas and beans at 1116 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, (831)426-7588.

For kitsch and late night grub, The Saturn Cafe is the place to go. It's fun spacey decor goes well with a killer vegan milk shake and tuno melt! Definitely not lo-cal but they do have great salads and soups as well as "regular" diner type food for your non-veggie pals. It's great fun with an even "funner" menu, check The Saturn Cafe out online.

If your craving some good Mediterranean while hanging ten on the Pacific, try The Falafel House. They've got traditional medi plates like hummus, dolmas, babaganoush and so on but they are big and fresh and tasty ; ) It's easy and wallet friendly to pop in and out of The Falafel House.

Hula's Island is way fun and way yum!! If you happen to be in Santa Cruz or Monterey, dining at Hula's has to be on your to do list. Hula's has what you would expect, a tiki theme and seafood BUT they do cater to peeps like me! Veggie spring rolls and a ridonkulous tofu and veggie wrap totally hit the spot. I also saw that they had a big ass veggie burger and tofu tacos!! Hop on the Hula's site and salivate ; )

Santa Cruz is full of great health food stores and even more leafy eateries but the Healthy Voyager has to keep movin'!

Friday, August 8, 2008

How To Eat In Half Moon Bay

Of all the small towns we visited, Half Moon Bay was the smallest by far. However, it was beautiful being by the sea and did not disappoint in the healthy food arena. Half Moon Bay is a farming town and most of the restaurants support their local organic farmers and that was music to my ears ; )

Italian is usually a good choice where I can gorge as well as Dan and his buddies so we sauntered into Pasta Moon. I had a lovely artichoke pizza sans cheese along with a hot cup of their minestrone. Seaside in Norcal is quite chilly for this native Floridian so soup and pizza was a hit ; )

The next morning we had a late start so we had lunch at the Mainstreet Grill. It was a simple local diner and I was perfectly happy with my garden burger and a salad. They are a cute breakfast joint and seem to be quite a staple in their community. Look them up online at Mainstreet Grill.

Dinner with our friends was a special one at Cetrella Bistro. This was quite the elegant Northen Cali seaside town establishment! I had an extraordinary seasonal veggie plate with cous cous on flatbread, yummmmm, as well as a ridiculous artichoke appetizer. If you are even passing through Half Moon Bay, Cetrella Bistro is a must!!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Plating it up in Petaluma

On our NorCal trip we spent some time in Petaluma. It had some cute architecture and had a quaint small town feel. And with the small town feel came the small town hospitality and with small town hospitality comes food!!

McNear's Saloon is where I'm standing under the marquis in the photo. It seems to be the town staple for fun bar atmosphere and live music. And with it's big theatre it had a big menu to go with it. Nothing goes with a good band and a beer like a garden burger or their California sandwich (hold the cheese and mayo. To bad we missed the Billy Bob show but I bet it would have been fun while I dug into a veggie burrito with a side of fried zucchini! Check out the menu and the upcoming entertainment at McNears.

We walked along the river and spotted a cute spot called Dempsey's. I was thoroughly impressed with the knowledgeable and helpful staff that we stayed for dinner. The chef was more then happy to veganize anything I wanted and whipped up his Chef Selection veggie plate. They had beautiful salads and Dan was happy with his meaty mcmeat dish so we waddled out of their happily after our tummy filling evening. Make sure you let them know of your dietary restrictions as they will bend over backwards to feed you well at Dempsey's.

The next day on our way out of town we had a refreshing lunch at Cafe Zazzle! With a name like that you just expect fun!! I wanted to keep it light as I knew we would be eating our way south so I grabbed the Mediterranean wrap with no cheese but I added tofu. I was torn but because of the heat I chose not to order the noodle dish but it looked great as it was chock full o'veggies and tofu. This was a great and healthy find and comes highly recommended by yours truly!Cafe Zazzle is at 121 Kentucky St, Petaluma, CA 94952,(707) 762-1700.

Once again the small town delivers and there is even more in the weeks ahead!!

Friday, July 25, 2008

Knowing Where To Go in Novato


Muir Woods is quite the Redwood wonderland in Marin County. We stopped and explored it while we popped up to Northern Cali for a little getaway. We were visiting some friends who lived in Novato and I have to say that I was impressed with the options I had in this little NorCal town!

Our first afternoon there we had a lot to see and do so we needed to grab a quick bite. I got that in a very satisfying way at Hi-Tech Burrito. They had a whole healthy burrito menu that included healthy tortilla options, great veggies and tofu for any of their custom Mexican wraps. Located in the Novato Fair Center, find at more about this chain at Hi-Tech Burrito.

On the main drag there were a number of places to dine and I dug the fun bar atmosphere at Finnegan's. They had a good sized menu that included a veggie burger and a nice veggie sandwich, big salads and a ton of different beers if you are so inclined to imbibe with your healthy meal ; ) For a bar menu I was excited that I didn't get crappy iceberg lettuce and gross fries ; ) Pop in for a pint and a meal at Finnegan's!

Another place in the cute little downtown area was Portelli Rossi. Italian cuisine in the heart of anytown USA ; ) It was super cute with a nice patio (we opted out on that particular day as it was 106 degrees outside!!). They had a great tomato and fennel soup that I enjoyed alongside my artichoke salad. They were very accommodating and I look forward to eating there again when we go back to visit our friends and their new baby. They are at 868 Grant Ave in Novato, CA, (415)892-6100.

Outside of Novato we had dinner at E&O Trading Co in Larkspur. A short drive away we had dinner and it was delish! I ordered a bunch of sides like portobella skewars, jasmine rice and this yummy and spicy naan. This place is a fusion of all Asian cuisine and I dug it as my finicky fiance ; ) Try it out if you find yourself in Norcal, E&O !

I'll be back next week reporting on more tasty treats in Northern Cali!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Veggie Friendly Virgin

I recently had the pleasure of flying Virgin Atlantic and working with many wonderful people that work for them. I can't express enough what a great experience I had with the lot of them as well as on their flights and upper class lounge. The service was extraordinary and the accommodations and food were like no other airline I've ever had the good fortune to fly. Not to mention the great endeavors they are involved in worldwide!

I had the honor of filming a documentary on their Sekenani School Project that fell under their Virgin Unite umbrella. Virgin takes a very proactive stance on world issues and looks to partner with the best people and companies to accomplish the biggest benefit to the communities Unite touches. They are a wonderful group of people with an extraordinary work and social ethic.

On the flights I was able to order a special vegan meal that was absolutely scrumptious. They offered up healthy beverage options throughout the flights as well as yummy veggie snacks. Be sure to order your meal on the super user friendly website before you travel. And no need to worry about packing your sleeping accessories as they give you a cute little souvenir bag complete with comfy socks and eye mask as well as comfy pillows and blankets for your on flight slumber ; ) If you fly upper class you get your own sleeping pod, comforter and pj's!

As for their upper class lounges, that's a whole other story! The Heathrow lounge was a hoot! Complimentary gourmet meals, drinks, wi fi, a pool table, library and more. I ordered a delectable pasta with veggies and then helped myself to a salad and some fruit from the self serve area. They also offer up massages, haircuts and more at the the spa and are very reasonably priced!

I really was blown away by their focus on health and hospitality and I so look forward to flying Virgin Atlantic or Virgin America again very soon!!