A Tokyo Tale

Who: VN Senior Editor Jennifer Pickens
What: A long weekend in Tokyo
Where: Tokyo, Japan
When: July 17–22, 2008
Why: To check out a new vegan restaurant + the Tokyo Star Wars Celebration

The Scoop: I'll be honest: Tokyo was never on my list of "Places to See Someday," but when my friend Betty mentioned that the Star Wars Celebration was going to be held in Tokyo for the first time, I couldn't resist. Having never been to any kind of Star Wars convention, I thought Japan would be the best place to experience it for the first time. Also, Mark Hamill was going to be there! I mentioned the trip to my VN co-workers, and like Charlie's Angels, they were on the job. While Aurelia was at Summerfest, she met Mamiko Matsuda, an author from Japan who drew up a couple of maps pinpointing two great new restaurants in Tokyo. Sold.

Our first night in Japan's capital, we found ourselves wandering through a mall near the Tokyo Disney Resort looking for food. Bad idea. I spent $20 on fries and an iceberg lettuce salad with an unexpected, unwanted creamy ranch-type dressing that had to be scraped off. The experience was not unlike an expensive trip to Applebee's … ugh. Surely this can't be a typical Tokyo dining experience?

We spent the next day at the Star Wars Celebration. My veteran Star Wars-convention-going friends assured me that this was a much smaller, mellower version than usual, but since it was the first time for me and my friend Susan, we had a great time nonetheless! The veg options at the convention center were sparse, but we soon discovered something we called "food triangles." They are basically just that—a triangle of rice wrapped in seaweed with various fillings that you buy prefab. Tip: The one in the green package is vegan. Luckily, they're cheap and sold almost everywhere, so we lived on those for the day.


Then it was dinnertime. [Cue ominous "Darth Vader's Theme" here]. We walked over to a restaurant near the convention center and I ordered some noodles with vegetables. What ensued was the third worst meal of my adult life. Instead of mixing the veggies with the noodles, they brought me yet another iceberg lettuce salad with two massive dollops of mayonnaise "dressing." At least I could scoop those off the plate. Then came the plain soba noodles, floating in the most vile-smelling meat broth ever. So, there went $13 for about six bites of plain lettuce and two under-ripe tomato wedges, all the while trying not to gag from the inundating sights and smells.

The next morning, Susan and I set out to find Kappabashi, aka Tokyo's restaurant supply district. Navigating the subway system can be a bit daunting since there are two competing train companies, hence two subway maps are needed to figure out which line to take, which company to use, and if you'll need to transfer between the two. But we found it with just a little local assistance, also discovering the beer and sake vending machines along the way. We skipped the kitchen supply and dishware stores and headed straight for the shops with the fake plastic food models, in all of their kitschy glory.

Then we set out for the Ginza district to find the first of our highly recommended restaurants—Dorobushi—a classy place on the 9th floor above a cosmetics shop. Even though it isn't strictly veg, it's organic, and there are many veg options on the menu. I was thrilled with my meal, which involved miso soup, an array of vegetables, and sautéed green peppers. Now this is more like it! From there we walked through Shinjuku district and had a drink at the Aurora lounge with a view of Tokyo from the 45th floor. An unexpected firework display provided the perfect ending to the day.

The ultimate meal came the following day. Veggie Paradise, which just opened last September, sits on a small street in a residential area that we would have spent a very long time searching for if not for the help of a taxi. But it was so worth the journey. The all-vegan menu includes a choice of raw and macrobiotic meals. This is my new favorite restaurant! Since it was such a warm day, we started the meal with a cool tomato-watermelon soup and a cabbage salad. Susan had the faux-chicken meal, and I opted for the macrobiotic meal. Their wine and beer selections are all organic, so we indulged. After our meal we were lucky enough to meet the owner and chef, Yuki Itoh, and I discovered that she attended the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in Fort Bragg, Calif., and she now teaches living-food and macrobiotic cooking classes in Japan.


Yuki was kind enough to draw us a new map to find our way back, sending us past Levain vegan bakery along the way, where we picked up some snacks for dessert. As we were walking through the Yoyogi-koen Park we found the best flea market (where I scored an adorable vintage dress), before stumbling across some great veg-themed t-shirts at a shop near the Harajuku station. From there, we ran over to Tokyo Disneyland for the night where I had—you guessed it—fries for dinner. Oh well, I still found two really great restaurants in Tokyo, as well as having a great weekend, so it was worth all of the iceberg lettuce and French-fry meals.

Southern Comfort Night: The Full Belly Report

Who: (Almost) All the VN Ladies
What: Millennium's Annual Southern Comfort Dinner
Where: San Francisco, Calif.
When: May 22, 2008
Why: Who would want to miss when haute cuisine goes lowbrow?

The Scoop: Virginia Blue Ridge Mountain Oysters. Yes, those are the small round items with the skewers on the plate you see above. When dinner starts out with faux-bull balls, you know you're in for a certain kind of night. The VN team has made an annual tradition of attending this outrageously fun, decidedly down-home event, and we pretty much spend all year talking about what will be on the menu. This year's lineup was just as artery-clogging and decadent as we were expecting. Along with the "mountain oysters," appetizers included beer-battered onion rings, pickled okra, pizza rolls (in the foil), corn bread, bacon cheese bread, and large, icy buckets of the finest Pabst Blue Ribbon around.

From there things just got greasier. Deep-fried Tofurky sausages, anyone? How about salad with a highly thick and creamy bacon-ranch dressing? Remember, this was all before our entrées came out. We had the choice of tamales, barbecue seitan, hoisin-apricot tempeh ribs, or Doritos-crusted catfish. Yeah, you try and pick from that roster. Just in case there was any extra room in our stomachs, Miss Jazz's DIY brownie sundae bar—named for VN contributor Jesse Miner's chihuahua—completed the meal with brownies, rocky road ice cream, hot fudge and butterscotch sauces, and a smorgasbord of toppings.

To complement the over-the-top eats, a few of our group dressed to their trashiest nines, complete with blacked-out teeth and faux-pregnant bellies. As if all this weren't enough to make for a memorable evening, Executive Chef Eric Tucker took Colleen and Elizabeth into the kitchen for a quick lesson in deep-frying onion rings. Maybe they were ecstatic about it. Maybe they totally freaked out and blushed like schoolgirls. Maybe it's not, you know, every day that you get into the kitchen at Millennium.

Here's the whole group of lovely ladies, all of whom, amazingly, were still able to button their pants at the end of the night.

Will Travel for Food

Who: VN Senior Editor Jennifer Pickens
What: Long weekend in Asia
Where: Beijing, China
When: May 15–19, 2008
Why: Shopping + food + soymilk

The Scoop: With my one-year tourist visa teetering on the edge of expiration, I couldn't resist another trip to one of my favorite cities in the world: Beijing. I first began taking annual trips to Beijing many years ago in my quest to see all of the remaining original Seven Wonders of the World, and the Great Wall was at the top of my list. I loved it so much that I continue happily volunteering to tag along with anyone planning to go. These numerous excursions have resulted in "Jen's Beijing Travel Tips":

1) The Great Wall at Mutianyu is the best place for first-time visitors. Walk to the end of the refurbished part and you'll see a sign telling you to go no further; ignore it and continue your hike as far as you can. No one has ever stopped me!

2) If you look at the map and think something is just down the street, it's actually a very, very long walk and will most likely take hours. Trust me: Beijing is huge, and the scale of the map has tricked me many times. If you’re prone to getting lost, you probably will.

3) The best ways to get around is by subway and bicycle. Taxis are affordable, but traffic is so bad that you'll soon tire of watching pedestrians speeding by as you sit motionless in a clog of traffic. Bicycling is my favorite; though make sure the bike you rent has brakes! The last time I was in Beijing with Aurelia, I didn't realize I was brakeless until I zoomed down a steep descent and almost hit two young girls. But Beijing has a new bike rental system that's very convenient, with stations located near the subway stops. I do enjoy the subway as well; it's clean and easy to negotiate. Line 5 is especially polite and encouraging. While on my way to the lake district, the recorded announcement assured me "We're already at Beixingiao." Oh, already? Thank you very much.

4) HappyCow.net is your best friend. Its Chinese/English translation sheet is invaluable and I love its veg restaurant list. This time, I was excited to visit one of my favorites, Baihe Vegetarian Restaurant, in the Doncheng District (see photo above). It's located down a tiny hutong (alley), so may be a bit hard to find, but it's worth the search! Located inside an old house, you'll pass through an interior courtyard with ancient circular doorways to get inside, and once there, you'll discover shelves lined with books. I dragged two meat-eating friends along, and the food surpassed the challenge with ease. We began with an appetizer of raw shredded veggies rolled in a thin, tortilla-like wrap, similar to a spring roll (that's me eating one of those, below). It came with two tasty sauces: a Hunan sauce and hot chili oil. Then came the One Thousand Layer Cake, a naan-type bread with a Nepalese taste and texture, baked in olive oil and herbs, which was the panel favorite. Next came the Braised Vegetarian Fish and Fried Vegetarian Beef with Peas. The "beef" tasted much more like chicken and the peas were fresh and plentiful. The faux fish was great—the seared seaweed lining the tempeh gave it a good, briny flavor.

5) Go to the grocery store and get yourself some fresh soymilk! And look for the brand with the Roman-alphabet label and the Green Food certification. Of course, the editor in me had to taste-test every flavor, and here's the lowdown: green cap is plain, white cap is sweetened, and the yellow cap is raw (and, in my opinion, the tastiest). I only want raw soymilk from now on.

Expo(sé) West

Who: The whole VN team
What: Natural Products Expo West/Supply Expo 2008
Where: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.
When: March 14–16, 2008
Why: Big-time business

The Scoop: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a private showing of the newest natural products held exclusively for you and 52,000 of your closest friends? That is precisely what the VN team found behind the double doors at the Anaheim Convention Center during Expo West. All the major producers of organic-type goodies (like soymilk/faux meat/organic fair-trade chocolate/organic home and body products) were there exhibiting their new product lines, new flavors, and new formulations. It was our solemn duty to test all the exciting new products and meet as many industry insiders as we possibly could during the three-day show. Suffice to say, we came, we met, we tested. We were lucky enough to have a booth adjoining that of Redwood Foods, the makers of Cheezly. All weekend long, they kept us supplied with hot, fresh pizza,  while the good people from Tofurky kept us sated with sandwiches for lunch every day. These may well have been what kept us sane with the intense over-stimulation of literally checking out thousands of booths. We also awarded 12 outstanding new products with highly coveted VegNews Magazine Best of Show awards. For a full list of the winners, be sure to check out the July+August 2008 issue of VN. If that wait is too long to bear, here’s a little inspiration: vegan frosting, vegan-owned companies, and stellar vegan skin care. It was a whirlwind trip, an almost-overwhelming show, and, all in all, a ton of fun.

Native Foods Night Out

Who: VN Staff
What: Kick-off dinner at Natural Products Expo West
Where: Native Foods in Costa Mesa
When: March 13, 2008
Why: Pass up an opportunity to hit Native Foods? We think not.

The Scoop: Every March, the VN clan hits Anaheim in full force for the world’s largest natural products show—three jam-packed days of schmoozing, product testing, and giving out copies of the magazine. To kick-off the weekend, we always hit one of our favorite vegan restaurants: Native Foods. With four locations (and a fifth coming soon), there's nothing quite like a meal at Native. It was a balmy March evening in Orange County, and our party dined al fresco around a large table complete with a fire pit in the middle. We started with Native’s signature appetizers: “Save the Chicken” Wings (housemade seitan deep-fried in a coconut batter with a side of Ranch dressing), Native Seasoned Fries, and Native Nachos (tortilla chips smothered with black beans, soy taco meat, salsa, guacamole, corn, and soy cheese). For the record, we could eat Native’s (un)chicken wings all day, every day. Having spent all afternoon traveling, we were absolutely famished and inhaled the appetizers. We then ordered individual entrées; everything from Katie’s Philly Peppersteak Sandwich (seasoned seitan with sautéed onions and peppers on an organic French roll) to Jenny’s Gandhi Bowl (Jasmine and brown rice loaded with steamed veggies, blackened tempeh, and a curry sauce) to Colleen’s Mad Cowboy (baked potato topped with barbecue tempeh, grilled vegetables, and Native’s famous Ranch dressing—affectionately named after former cattle-rancher-turned-vegan-activist Howard Lyman). We were all in veggie heaven eating this flavorful, innovative, delicious food. We couldn’t leave without dabbling in a few desserts: the Elephant Chocolate Cake (with cinnamon peanut butter icing), the Key Lime Parfait, and the Native Cheesecake. We were especially fortunate that Ms. Tanya Petrovna, founder of Native Foods, joined us for a while. She even had us taste-test her new coconut-battered oyster mushrooms (which were amazing). And VN has some exclusive scoop! One of our favorite veg boutiques, Humanitaire (located in a very stylish space next to Native Foods in Costa Mesa), is opening up location #2 in the rear of Native Food’s Westwood location. Nothing makes us happier than when veg businesses expand and multiply. Yeah!

Singing for our Supper

Who: Editorial Assistant Lisa Mickleborough, Senior Editors Jen Pickens + Elizabeth Castoria, + Managing Editor Aurelia d’Andrea
What: Sushi and karaoke extravaganza
Where: The Mint, San Francisco, Calif.
When: February 7, 2008
Why: Japanese-style fun!

The Scoop: When I moved to this vibrant and entirely foreign city (I’m from Canada) to begin my stint at VegNews, I knew I would be in for some exciting after-hours adventures. I didn’t, however, anticipate that these adventures would include fellow VN staff members. But having been here for just a few weeks, I somehow reached the conclusion that it would be appropriate to invite three of my new superiors out for a night of karaoke—and they agreed. So after a long week of editorial toil, we set off for The Mint, San Francisco’s long-time favorite Karaoke Lounge. Open from noon until 2 a.m. 365 days a year, we were not surprised to find a decadently deco room filled with a combination of very serious regulars and thoroughly sauced amateurs. We were also delighted to discover an adjoining but independent sushi restaurant, Sushi Delight, offering scores of interesting vegan options and a veg-versed staff who regularly bring orders right out to hungry Mint patrons! Offering such novel delights as asparagus-tempura and pickled burdock root maki, we chose to feast on egg-free vegetable tempura, shiitake maki, and an assortment of other tried ‘n’ true veggie rolls. After a hearty meal and a few cocktails, we were set for a night of belting and boogieing we could only describe as both highly entertaining and astoundingly awkward. Here's the whole gang:

Southern Comfort

Who: VN Senior Editor Jennifer Pickens
What: The southernmost vegetarian take-out in the world
Where: El Bambú, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego
When: January 4, 2008
Why: On my way to Antarctica—for fun, obviously!

The Scoop: I recently embarked on the journey of a lifetime—a cruise to Antarctica! The departure gateway is Ushuaia—a quaint town nestled at the foot of the Andes at the southern tip of South America—the southernmost town in the world. After 22 hours of traveling we checked in to the Hosteria los Canelos. Since it was dinnertime (and as usual, Aerolineas Argentinas didn’t supply the vegetarian meals I had requested) I decided to head out, explore the town, and grab a bite. After patiently listening to directions to the touristy place down the road with the “best” steaks in Argentina from the hotel's concierge, I explained “soy vegetariana” and his face went blank. A gentleman ran across the lobby to tell me about a place that’s “good for vegetarians.” So with map in hand, directions, and a no idea what might be in store for me, I rounded the corner and saw El Bambú—an all-vegetarian take out counter! At this point I was ravenously hungry, and I enjoyed my re-heated vegetable brown rice bowl with gusto. Maybe not the best food I’ve ever eaten, but even at the end of the world, there's veg dining!

La La Land

Who: VN Managing Editor Aurelia d’Andrea + Senior Editor Jennifer Pickens
What: Restaurant soft opening for media
Where: The Veggie Grill, El Segundo, Calif.
When: January 18, 2008
Why: Business

The Scoop: Our fun- and food-filled weekend excursion to Los Angeles began at Veggie Grill which is not technically in LA, but in El Segundo, of all places. It’s a little tricky to find if you don’t know this area, but after accidentally driving into a local air force base, we finally discovered the restaurant tucked away in a mini-mall behind the largest Whole Foods either if us had ever seen. Gregarious owners Kevin and TK met us at the door and gave us the VIP treatment. Choosing which amazingly yummy dish to order off the all-vegan menu proved challenging. Jen opted for the Chop-Chop Chef salad, sprinkled with quinoa and served with a creamy, chipotle-infused dressing. Jen swears it’s the best salad she’s ever eaten. Ever. For reals. Aurelia’s Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ Sandwich came with the crispiest, most heavenly sweet potato fries, and left her feeling full and happy for hours. After an afternoon of shopping for vintage clothes on Melrose, we drove to Venice to meet up with friends and dine at Real Food Daily in Santa Monica—where we immediately spoiled our appetites with the best starter in the world: vegan nachos. They were perfect, right down to the cheesy sauce drizzled all over them. We both wished that we’d ordered individual platters. Not that dinner wasn’t great, mind you. But come on. Vegan nachos?! Yes, please.

Here's a close-up on the awesome grub at Veggie Grill:

Fun(ny) Times

Who: VN Senior Editor Jen Pickens + Managing Editor Aurelia d’Andrea
What: A night of comedy with one of our favorite columnists
Where: The Purple Onion, San Francisco, Calif.
When: February 22, 2008
Why: For fun. Lots of it!

The Scoop: When we heard that VN columnist and world-renowned cartoonist Dan Piraro would be performing stand-up comedy right here in VN’s hometown, and that proceeds from the show would benefit animals at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, Jen and Aurelia didn’t hesitate to procure tickets to the first of two sold-out performances. After scoring rock-star parking right in front of the legendary Purple Onion nightclub’s door, we stopped to chat with the signature gatherers working for humanecalifornia.org, then moseyed downstairs to get our giggles on. Inside the club, we spied Sun Flour Baking Company’s founder, Rey Ortega, who bought us thirsty girls a drink, then settled in for a night of fake-guitar playin’, high-school-photo showin’, hate-mail readin’ hilarity courtesy of a very dapper Dan. Opening act Johnny Steele wasn’t bad, either.