Tuesday Night Fine-Dining at Millennium

Who: VegNews Editorial Assistant Hilary Pollack

What: A VIP dinner with vegan personal chef Rebecca Dienner 

Where: Millennium in San Francisco, Calif.

When: October 4th, 2011

Why: To get the inside scoop on the delicious fall dishes at one of the city's best vegan restaurants.

The Scoop: The first autumn rains of San Francisco touched down this week, meaning that my comfort-seeking winter appetite will soon kick into full effect. I've already started longing for warm, hearty meals instead of the delicate salads that I subsist on for most of the summer in order to stay cool. Thankfully, one of the best vegan restaurants in the country is just a couple of neighborhoods away, and I'm also fortunate enough  to have a couple of friends who work there, holding all of the secrets to the menu's top picks. On a nonchalant Tuesday evening, my dear friend Rebecca—a vegan chef herself—and I frolicked to Millennium for a taste of the finer things in life.

 This is not hokey gnocchi.

We were daunted by the overwhelming appeal of nearly every single thing on the appetizer menu—oscillating between the heirloom tomato and melon salad, the black bean torte with caramelized plantains, and the coriander seed-crusted oyster mushrooms—but my friend Justin, who has worked at Millennium for several years, offered us some real talk by immediately recommending the gnocchi. Not just any gnocchi; this was the Seared Potato Gnocchi with vanilla-braised lobster mushrooms, grilled oyster mushrooms, saffron-lemon cashew cream, sweet pepperonata, and fried sage. It was love at first bite; this rich dish wowed us with its nuanced but harmonious reworking of the pillowy potato pasta. If only I could replicate it for holiday meals to come! Sadly, I am still a Tofurky-baking culinary amateur. We were also treated to the Roasted Fig Bruschetta, which perfectly balanced both sides of our palates with its synthesis of sweet smoked-onion marmalade, macadamia nut cheese, and radicchio-cherry tomato salad. 

Choosing a cocktail also proved difficult, since Millennium's cocktail program is world-class and ridiculously inventive. Ever wet your whistle with a libation flavored by muddled tarragon, heirloom tomatoes, or basil vodka? I opted for the Happy Boy—a concoction of gin, lemon verbena, watermelon, beet purée, and lime juice—which proved refreshing, potent, and totally unique. I am a beet person, but initially even I was skeptical of the root vegetable's inclusion. But one sip, and I was sold. And tipsy.

My artichoke jungle shortly before being scarfed.

Now for the main event. As a mushroom freak—of the non-psychedelic variety—I immediately gravitated towards the Roasted Artichoke, stuffed with a portobello, pecan, and eggplant-piccadillo filling, all resting atop creamy porcini mushroom-toasted farro risotto. Come one, come all, my precious fungi. If I see the word "porcini" in a dish I barely care what else is in it; my destiny is clear. Rebecca was also charmed by her choice: the Heirloom Tomato Coconut Masala, with a butterball potato-chickpea cake, mint chutney, and pickled cabbage. 

After about half an hour of recovery/digestion/sparkling wine time, we were ready for our sweet finale. Upon being presented with dessert menus, we were immediately sent us into a tailspin of indecision. Finally, we pulled our server closer. "What should we really get? We can handle it. Be honest with us," we implored her. The Molten Chocolate Rum Cake had caught our eye, but she caught us off guard with some restaurant philosophy. "Chocolate is always a good choice, but that's the thing—it's always a good choice. Some things, you can't get anywhere," she spoke to us cryptically before nudging towards the Vanilla-Pear Tart. We abided by her suggestion and were far from disappointed. The slightly salty walnut-pecan crust of this delectable dessert gorgeously complemented its syrupy medallions of perfectly in-season pear. 

 The tart that stole our hearts.

 Bellies full, curiosity satiated, and many thank-yous distributed, we wandered back out into the evening's drizzle. Autumn's harvest flavors are as warm and rich as the colors of its leaves, and Millennium was the perfect place to immerse ourselves in them. With the guiding light of its knowledgeable staff, we had the chance to experience the best tastes of the season. 

Millennium Farmers' Market Cooking Class

Who: Associate Editor Jennifer Chen

What: Millennium Restaurant's Farmers' Market Cooking Class

Where: San Francisco, Calif.

When: July 30 & 31, 2011

Why: To take a cooking class at one of my favorite restaurants

The Scoop: It may come as no surprise that I love food and cooking. Millennium is one of my favorite restaurants, so when I read that Executive Chef Eric Tucker would be teaching a cooking class using produce picked at the local farmers' market, I jumped at the opportunity. 

Day One: Shopping Day!

We met at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market in San Francisco to shop for ingredients for Sunday's class. Instead of a set list of items, Eric asked us to find produce we were interested in and we'd base the menu off of what we bought. One of my classmates pointed out fresh squash blossoms so we grabbed a bagful. Next, we stopped by Hodo Soy to pick up fresh soymilk and yuba (tofu) skins. Eric said we would be making a silken tofu custard using the soymilk, and I was thrilled. I grew up eating tofu custard, but never attempted to make my own. Then we went to Blossom Bluff Farm to pick up ripe peaches. Farm Co-owner Fran Loewen gave us each a rare breed of plum to try. Along the way, we snagged snap peas, rose geranium, and abalone mushrooms.

Day Two: Let's Cook!

At 10am, I felt like I was ready for the vegan version of Top Chef, armed with my favorite knives and measuring cups. Eric and his team had coffee and freshly made cinnamon beignets, along with aprons, chefs jackets, and kitchen towels ready for us before we broke up into two teams to make variations on the same menu. My team and I started making the olive oil rose geranium sorbet. I never thought of adding olive oil to ice cream but it gave the subtly sweet ice cream a rich flavor. Next, we moved on to making the tofu custard, combining agar agar and kuzu to our fresh soymilk. Thomas, the line cook assisting Eric, taught me a simple trick to prepare kuzu. Slowly add your liquid then crush up the kuzu, then add more liquid. This way the kuzu turns into a smooth paste rather than a clumpy mess. While the other members of our team prepared the other menu items, we used the restaurant's industrial Vitamix to blend the almond garlic sauce for the panisse. 

Chef Eric Tucker overseeing the panisse and squash blossoms.

We took a break for lunch to taste the fruits of our labor. Ann Wheat, the co-owner of Millennium, joined us for our meals, relishing in our tasty dishes. It was back to the kitchen to make the sunchoke-corn risotto while the other team made a potato-corn risotto. Sunchokes look like knobby ginger root but taste like artichokes. Then we carefully opened up squash blossoms and stuffed them with a savory tofu cheese. Eric showed us how to properly batter them by dipping them in the dry cornmeal mixture, then the soymilk, and back into the cornmeal for a perfect coating. My teammates and I were chanting, "Dry, wet, dry," as we dropped the squash blossoms into the fryer.

What I really loved about the class was learning easy kitchen tips, how to make fresh produce into a stunning dish, and being able to say that I cooked at Millennium. Eric ran the class the way he runs his kitchen, having us taste along the way, creating recipes on the fly, and asking us to work together. When I walked out at 4:30pm, I was exhausted, happy, and full of delicious food. 

Silken tofu custard in a ponzu sauce with 

seared snap peas and yuba skins.

The complete menu is below. Check out our Facebook album for the complete visual tour of our class—from farmers' market to table.

Menu

Squash Blossoms, two ways, stuffed with tofu cheese, 

deep fried in cornmeal batter with a cilantro pesto dipping sauce, 

grilled served with a mushroom corn relish

Panisse (chickpea cakes) topped with 

a sweet-and-sour eggplant and tomato, 

served with an almond garlic sauce

Seared snap peas with yuba skins and silken tofu custard

Grilled romano beans with olives

Vanilla-glazed grilled abalone mushroom, 

served with a potato-corn risotto and a sunchoke-corn risotto

Spelt zucchini rum cake, topped with grilled peaches, 

served with lemon verbena sorbet and olive oil rose geranium sorbet

A Seasonal Celebration

Who: Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: A celebration of The Blooming Platter by Betsy DiJulio

Where: Millennium Restaurant San Francisco, Calif.

When: July 14, 2011

Why: To recognize another great vegan cookbook on the market, and to eat delicious food.

The Scoop: As you may have seen from my previous posts, I'm a huge fan of all things Millennium. Although, even though I post about it frequently, I actually don't go there very often. I only live two blocks away from the place, but it is definitely a rare treat. And this occasion was a special treat, indeed—a wine and dinner reception dedicated to Betsy DiJulio, and her new cookbook, The Blooming Platter. It is Betsy's first cookbook, and one that started from her blog of the same name. I was very excited to meet the lady of the hour, check out her new book, drink some good wine, and eat some delicious food.

The spread of appetizers.

We dined in the exclusive wine room, where we started with some amazing appetizers, including house-made pickled vegetables, herb marinated olives, and the Crusted Oyster Mushrooms—my personal favorite. Betsy and I chatted about both being from Virginia Beach, VA. Before moving to California in 2008, I grew up in the Hampton Roads, where she currently lives, and she teaches high school art. We were amazed by the connection and spent almost half of the night talking about the city, which I greatly miss.

Me and the lady of the hour

After downing the appetizers and socializing a bit, we were asked by our hostess, a close friend of Betsy's, to sit down, and before we began the rest of our meal, she gave a formal introduction of Betsy, then turned the speaking over to her. We learned of how she landed her cookbook deal, which was from her blog. What is really fascinating is that she didn't even venture out to get the deal on her own, but was instead contacted by the publisher through her blog. It just goes to show what a blog can do for you these days. She talked about how she comes up with recipes, making us very hungry in the process, and then finished off with giving our hostess a beautiful painting, which Betsy made herself. It depicted symbols from both the Hampton Roads and San Francisco, and was quite powerful, especially since I've lived in both placed myself. The presentation came to an end and the feast began!

The  Huitlacoche Tamale

The first course was a Grilled Lemon-Herb Salad, and then for the entrée, we were able to choose between three options: The Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu, the Roasted Beet and Hazelnut Barley Cakes, or the Huitlacoche Tamale. It was a tough decision, but I finally went with the tofu. Luckily, my boyfriend, who was my guest, chose the tamale, so I was able to have a little taste of that delicious entrée as well. We finished the evening with one of the most popular desserts at Millennium—the Chocolate Almond Midnight. It was actually my first time trying this popular dessert, and I was absolutely blown away by how rich and decadent it was.

The amazing Chocolate Almond Midnight

It was a wonderful night, which I was so happy to be a part of. Betsy DiJulio is a lovely lady, and I see some other great cookbooks—and gorgeous artwork—in her future. Maybe another amazing night at Millennium as well? I'll be the first to RSVP.

A Bit of Southern Comfort

Who: VegNews Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig, the rest of the VN Crew, plus a special guest

What: The annual Southern Comfort dinner

Where: Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Why: We just can't get enough fried, comforting food.

The Scoop: For those who are familiar with Millennium, their annual Southern Comfort night is something to look forward to all year long. It's also the one time in the year when the restaurant may be a little more casual than usual—plaid and mullets are in abundance, as is the beer. So we at the VNHQ were very excited when VegNews Publishers Joseph Connelly and Colleen Holland invited all of us to this special dinner. We were also extremely thrilled to have a special guest join us—former VegNews Editorial Assistant and VN Contributor Melissa Feineman, who is now living in the SF Bay Area once again!  Delicious food and friends—what more could you ask for?

 Lyndsay and Elizabeth having a good time

Shortly after our arrival, we were served a big bucket of a variety of beer, including such classics as Pabst Blue Ribbon (my personal favorite), Schlitz, Olympia, and Miller High Life. Then came the bread—homemade biscuits, oat-molasses bread, and jalapeño-scallion cornbread to be exact—served with an amazing smoky pecan spread. And that was just the beginning of the appetizers! We were then served Becca's Chili Fries with papadzul, Danielle's Deep Fried Kosher Dill Pickles, and Black-eyed Pea Chow Chow. This was our idea of heaven, but then we were given the third part of the appetizers, which blew our minds—a shredded cabbage and watercress salad with strawberries, spiced almonds, tempeh bacon, and poppy-seed dressing.

 The amazing appetizer—chili cheese fries,  fried pickles, and black-eyed peas

Did I mention that those were just the appetizers? The choice of entrées was up next, and boy was it a hard decision to make! Here were our choices (see if you can decide): a Steamed Beer and Kraut Brat with your choice of toppings, including but not limited to cheese sauce, chili, and pickled mushrooms; Tammy Fae Gomez's Midwest Tamale Pie; Jersey Diner-Style Ketchup-Glazed Meatloaf, served with mushroom-bourbon gravy, and sour-cream-and-chive smashed potatoes; Alice's Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich, with cilanto-red cabbage slaw, mayonnaise, Yucatan Diablo Sauce, and a French bread roll. It was a very tough decision, to say the least, but the chicken sandwich was the big winner, and the meatloaf was a close second.

Two entrées in one—the meatloaf and the popular buttermilk fried chicken

Straight from the ice cream sandwich bar—delicious!

We were completely stuffed, but you can't attend Southern Comfort night without fitting in the dessert. And this was no ordinary dessert, but Anne's Ice Cream Sandwich Bar! First, we had a choice of Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate cookies, but most of us picked one of each. Then we had to choose two fillings to be mixed with the vanilla ice cream, including chocolate-covered pretzels, sprinkles, chocolate chips, brownies, Newman O's, chocolate-peanut butter rice crispy treats, pralines, and rice mellow. Finally, we were able to go crazy with the toppings, which included maraschino cherries, fudge sauce, caramel sauce, strawberry-chipotle sauce, and vanilla bean cream. The decadence nearly killed us, and it took us a little while, but we were finally able to stand up and say our goodbyes. Our satisfaction had hit 100 percent—that is until this morning when the waiting began once again for this amazing dinner! To check out more photos, just go to our Facebook photo gallery.

Berkeley Vegan Earth Day

Who: VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen
What: Berkeley Vegan Earth Day
Where: Berkeley, Calif.
When: April 22, 2011
Why: To celebrate Earth Day with fellow vegans.

The Scoop: Minutes after moving to Berkeley with my husband, yellow lab, and three-legged cat, I knew I had made the right decision. Not only are there vegan cinnamon buns (Cinnaholic, I heart you), there is a vegan charcuterie platter at Gather that will make you squeal. Even better, Berkeley just hosted its very first Vegan Earth Day at the University of California Berkeley, an event that combined environmentalism with veganism. Karine Brighten of Karine Brighten Events produced the evening with co-sponsors Berkeley Organization for Animal Advocacy, which included a screening of the documentary, Call of Life, a panel discussion, and a reception catered by Millennium and Local Love.

Moments before the screening. Photo: Whitney Lauritsen. 

The film was eye-opening to say the least. The producers interviewed several university science professors from UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and other schools about the growing threat to the Earth's life systems and how all species are interconnected. The film warns that factors such as over-consumption of meat, global warming, and deforestation are killing more species than ever before. A fascinating fact that I didn't realize is that when salmon travel back and forth from their breeding grounds, they carry important essential elements that helps the bears that eat them and the surrounding trees survive.

After the screening, four panelists—Hope Bohanec (In Defense of Animals), David Vlansey (Call of Life executive producer), Lauren Ornelas (Food Empowerment Project), and Alex Eaves (Stay Vocal)—spoke about veganism, the environment, food choices, and even how T-shirts can be an environmental hazard. Eaves shared a personal story of how he used to collect T-shirts at an alarming rate. He wore a different T-shirt every day from his collection and it took him more than a year before he went through all of them. After discovering how much waste is made just from making T-shirts (about 400 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make just one brand new T-shirt), he launched the clothing company Stay Vocal that is 100-percent reused attire.

Sushi provided by Local Love. Photo: Whitney Lauritsen. 

After the discussion and Q&A moderated by Rose Aguilar, host of local radio show Your Call, we were invited to a small reception and venue area to meet local vendors and organizations. My husband Brendan and I snacked on a new vegan nacho cheese from Nacheez and ate some tasty appetizers from Millennium while perusing the booths. The reception was jam-packed—you know how much vegans love food—and there were tons of happy vegan chatting it up and getting to know each other. Whitney Lauritsen, aka Eco-Vegan Gal, was the event photographer and documented the whole evening beautifully. After we left Brendan and I were still talking about the film and how we would re-think our consumer choices. We're both so happy that we moved to Berkeley, and I'm really looking forward to Berkeley Vegan Earth Day next year.

"Vegan's Daily Companion" Premiere Party

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly

What: Launching yet another book by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau!

Where: Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco, Calif.

When: Sunday, March 20, 2011

Why: To celebrate the Great American Meatout and Colleen's latest book

The Scoop: As if one needs a special reason or two to trek to San Francisco's Millennium Restaurant at the end of a long, rainy weekend! Last Sunday was, of course, the 26th celebration of The Great American Meatout, started by FARM way back in the decade of big hair and spandex when most of you were busy being born. VN columnist and author extraordinaire Colleen Patrick-Goudreau picked the quite appropriate day to debut her latest book, Vegan's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately. That's like a mini-Meatout, every day.

A full house packed into Millennium's stately wine room, enjoying passed hors d'oeurves that were over-the-top delicious and scooped up before you could stammer, "Pass the hors d'oeurves." And exactly what tiny tasty temptations were served? How about Yuba Spring Rolls? Can you say Black Eyed Pea Fritters? Maybe some Beet Tartar? And don't forget the Sea Vegetables with Avocado. Hey, don't take my word for it; taste for yourself...

From miso-glazed tempeh w/ coconut-peanut sauce skewers (top)

to a beet tartare (above),

the appetizers were astoundingly good.

Next up was the woman of the hour. Colleen spoke about how Daily Companion came to be, read a few excerpts, and posed for many photos with her legion of fans. After three cookbooks in as many years, Daily Companion is a new direction for Goudreau, the first book to show her skills outside the kitchen, a side that followers of her Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast already know well. And up next is The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, which hits bookstore this August.

Author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau models her four books.

After Colleen's talk many of us stayed on chatting, catching up, and nibbling a few of the delicious desserts that somehow materialized right before our very eyes. Yours truly even plated up this array for CPG, fearing that by the time she got to the sweet table, only crumbs would remain. Yes, I'm that type of guy.

Four delicious desserts rounded out the night.

OK. Now go out and buy a copy of Vegan's Daily Companion. Where else can you find inspiring stories, photography, recipes, and much more every day of the year for $20. Well, two places. You can get a subscription to VegNews, and supplement it with a steady dose of VDC from CPG. We both encourage you to eat kale on Mondays.

Annual Chile & Beer Dinner at Millennium

Who: VN Editorial Assistants Brooke Still and Gabrielle Pope and VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: Millennium's Annual Chile and Beer Dinner

Where: Millennium Restaurant, San Francisco, Calif.

When: September 29, 2010

Why: To spice up our Wednesday night ... literally.

The Scoop: When VN asked Gabrielle and me if we would be interested in going to Millennium for their chile and beer themed dinner, I don't think either of us ever responded to an email faster. That is until VN asked us if we would like to try the beer pairings that came with the meal—I emphatically typed YES. So we prepared ourselves for a delicious late-night dinner at San Francisco's classiest vegan eatery. And of course, our beloved office manager and friend Lyndsay Orwig just had to come along for the ride.

• VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still and VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig.

Up until the day of, Gabrielle and I had planned on sitting down to a full night of chili, as in bean-and-tomato-filled stew. Clearly we did not do our homework, because we were treated with instead was a five-course meal based on the multi-faceted tastes of chilies, as in the peppers, from northern California farm Tierra Vegetables, and handpicked by the Millennium staff.

Was there salsa you ask? Oh yes, there was salsa. That and so much more. Our meal began with Seared Chillies and Grilled Flatbread, filled with a white-bean spread and paired with a white beer. Next we had the most savory Blue Corn Mesa Crepe with roasted poblano and tomatillo pozole verde and cilantro salad, matched with a delicious wheat beer. Following that, we were served Steamed Bao, which was probably my favorite course—tea smoked tofu and glazed eggplant atop delicious bread and served with shiitake and mung bean salad.

Steamed Bao with Tea-Smoked Tofu and Anise Glazed Chinese Eggplant

We then had Seared Semolina Dumpling, filled with squash and pepper and paired with a porter. We topped off the whole meal with a decadent Chocolate Ganache Cake and Thai chile-Tom Kha ice cream. I think it's safe to say I'll never eat again.

Chocolate Ganache Cake

An amazing meal at a stellar restaurant was my perfect introduction to Millennium, where I plan to return for every special occasion. My birthday's coming up. Just saying.

Farmers' Market Dinner

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

What: Millennium Restaurant's 11th Annual Farmers' Market Dinner
Where: San Francisco, Calif.
When: July 28, 2010
Why: It's the season to celebrate fresh organic produce and the farmers who grow it

The Scoop: If "but what do you eat?" is runner up to the protein question, how about this retort: A five-course, fresh, organic feast also known as the Annual Farmers' Market Dinner, courtesy of San Francisco's Millennium Restaurant?

First Course: Mariquita Trio

Millennium's much-anticipated FMD is designed as a celebration of both the food as well as the local artisan farmers who grow it, many of whom were in attendance last night. Each course honors one or two of the producers, and for the first time the restaurant also paired the wines of Philip Staley, a small, family-owned vintner from the Russian River Valley north of San Francisco.

Second Course: Warm Butterball Potato & Purslane Salad

If for some inexplicable reason these photos don't have you salivating like Pavlov's companion animal, I can assure you that each course was perfection on a plate, combining the peek-season produce with the proper dose TLC to bring out the intricacies of the featured main ingredients. At the risk of cliché, it honesty tasted as if we were eating produce that had been picked five minutes previously from a garden outside the kitchen door.

Third Course: Scallion & Sesame Seed Pancake

Favorite course? Do I really have to choose? OK, I'd say the Cornmeal Crusted Green Zucchini (maybe because I'm so fried deprived?) with roasted fennel and garlic ragu accompanied by the absolute most buttery snap peas I've ever had. As an added bonus, many of the farmers brought their produce to Millennium, and guests were encouraged to take home a few items. Um, yes, I left with the Happy Boy peas.

Fourth Course: Cornmeal Crusted Green Zucchini

The Farmers' Market Dinner was just one highly anticipated annual tradition celebrated last night. July 28 also just happened to be the birthday of long-time restaurant Executive Chef Eric Tucker, adding an extra layer or celebratory-ness to the night out. Rumor has it that the kitchen staff baked Eric a cake, but the "family nature" of this blog prevents us from showing you a photo of it, so instead I'll tidy this up with our just-as-tasty sweet treat, the Blackberry Chocolate Bread Pudding, which I forced myself to finish, stuffed as I was.

Final Course: Blackberry Chocolate Bread Pudding

P.S. Farms whose produce was featured in the 11th Annual Farmers' Market Dinner included Maraquita Farm, County Line Harvest, Rancho Gordo, Terra Sonoma, Blossom Bluff Orchards, and Happy Boy Farms.

Millennium's owners Ann & Larry Wheat with birthday boy Executive Chef Eric Tucker

Millennium's Southern Comfort Dinner

Who: The Entire Toothless VN Posse
What: Annual staff trek to Millennium RestaurantWhere: San Francisco, Calif.When: May 26, 2010Why: Southern-fried, artery-clogging extravagance. And Beer.
The Scoop: Not sure zackly how long we-all ben goin' to this-here Millennium Restaurant for its annual Southern Comfort Dinner, "an evening of embarrassingly unsophisticated family favorites," but we never miss th' family reunion or chance to stuff ourselves comatose with the down-right tastiest, anti-McDougall menu this side o' Tupelo.

Fer starters we had this ol' bucket of the finest suds money kin buy, seen here wetting the whistles of Miss Lyndsay and Miss Abby.

Olympia, Hamm's, and MHL. Only the best!

Dat's Miss Lyndsay and Miss Abby

Next was a trio of breads plus backyard-raised chicken wing "appeteasers," which left yo' mouth hotter than a half-bred fox in a forest fire.

Cornbread, Cheddar & Green Chili Bread, and Parker Houses Rolls with Pimento "Spam" Butter

Danielle's chicken wings, spinach non-skinny dip and chips

Not sure why we had such a healthy course, maybe health 'surence cause o' dat new law the Prez'dent passed. Check out dat feda cheese!

Fun's Over for the Greek Salad with gov'ment feta "cheese!"

There was a quartet of entrees, which is like four I think, and I'm glad you asked yes we had to try all o' 'em. Loosen yo' belt!

Chef Hot Carl's Roast, straight from the carving station

Dunbar's Missed Bris Minnesota Meatball Sub

Li'l Brother Nic's Crispy Tacos

The M. Crew topped off this bypass brouhaha with a sticky sundae bar jammed with more fixins' than allowed by law. We all managed to squeeze in the "sweat treat with no meats" before crashing and burning. Asked by Grand Ol' Chef Eric Tucker with satisfactory glee, "You feeling comatose?" "Yes." "Good."

The sundae bar included coffee bark, rice mellow creme, and oreos

Praise the Good Lord it's only once a year. See you there next May!

Wined & Dined at Millennium

Who: VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig and Editorial Assistant Liz Miller

What: Dinner hosted by Yellow+Blue Wines at the amazing Millennium Restaurant

Where: San Francisco, Calif.

When: Thursday, May 6, 2010

Why: Because who passes up a delicious meal and wine tasting at Millennium? Not us!

The Scoop: It was late afternoon last Wednesday, and staring at me from my inbox was an invitation from Yellow+Blue Wines to a complimentary dinner at the vegan mecca that is Millennium to taste their newly launched wines, which are certified organic. My taste buds quickly fired up, and I responded with a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

One of the four wines we tasted

The next day, Liz and I excitedly boarded the Muni to downtown San Francisco with every intention to meet new people, taste good vino, and stuff ourselves silly, and we succeeded on all fronts. The hosts were Yellow+Blue (makes green, get it?) founder, Matt Cain, and its PR representative, Julie Conover. While discussing such topics as the wine industry, the environment, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (don't ask), we were served a four-course dinner along with wine pairings, including the Chickpea and Almond Encrusted Oyster Mushrooms paired with the fruity 2009 Torrontes wine, a Mushroom Duxelle Roulade with the 2008 Malbec, and a carrot cake dessert with the 2009 Rosé. Perfection, if you ask me.

The ridiculously good roulande

With are taste buds completely satisfied, Liz and I made our way home. Needless to say, it was a lovely evening.

PCRM Celebrates 25 Years

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland
What: The Art of Compassion: PCRM's 25th Anniversary Gala
Where: The Lot, West Hollywood, Calif.
When: April 10, 2010
Why: Celebrating a quarter-century of PCRM’s extraordinary accomplishments

The Scoop: If you picture the folks at the Physician’s Committee for Responsible donning white lab coats rather than party gowns, it’s safe to say you weren’t in Hollywood last month. The organization known for advancing preventative medicine and ethical research let its hair down for a glorious and star-studded celebration for nearly 500 friends and supporters at The Lot—the former home of Warner Hollywood Studios, United Artists Studios, and the Samuel Goldwyn Studios—a venue which proved as fitting as the dresses and tuxes for the who’s-who of compassion that paraded and pranced around the stages where the classic films Robin Hood and West Side Story were filmed.

Event Chairs Tom and Kathy Freston kicked it all off with heartfelt words on why they are supporters of PCRM, including Tom’s admission that he never expected to end up vegan. Following the Freston’s were four-time NBA champ John Salley, the actors and actresses Marilu Henner, Jennifer Landon, Cloris Leachman, Melissa Rivers, Larry Sullivan, Mariana Tosca, and Persia White, and CNN's Jane Velez Mitchell. The evening’s entertainment included a rousing musical performance by Leona Lewis and a short yet hilarious stand-up routine by comedienne Carol Leifer. PCRM founder and president, the ageless Neal Barnard, MD, closed the ceremony with a recap of the lengthy accomplishments his organization and vision have ushered to fruition over the last quarter-century.

PCRM President Neal Barnard, MD, with VN's Colleen Holland

The gala wouldn’t have been complete without it’s quartet of awards. The Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine was given to Baxter Montgomery, MD, a Houston cardiologist who developed a “nutritional boot camp” to assist his patients in breaking unhealthy habits; The Henry Heimlich Award honored Gilman Veith, PhD, founder of the QSAR Foundation to Reduce Animal Testing, which uses computer models to predict the toxicity of chemicals without using animals; and The Art of Compassion Award, bestowed upon Robert “Skip” Trimble, the legislative chair of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, which promotes the humane treatment of animals through advocacy, education, and legislation. Lastly, two Voice of Compassion Awards were given to Ellen DeGeneres and Marilu Henner, which honors those who, “by word or example, have communicated caring, compassion, and the highest ethical principles.”

VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and Dr. Henry Heimlich share their maneuvers.

The delicious vegan dinner, coordinated by Tal Ronnen, was an all-star line-up of dishes from the nation’s best veg restaurants and chefs: hors d’oeuvres by Millennium, salad by Candle 79, soup and entrée from The Conscious Cook, and desserts from Seed Kitchen, Sublime, and The Veggie Grill.

Congratulations to everyone at PCRM for all the organization has done in making the world a healthy, safer place as well as for inviting us to your party. All of us at VegNews look forward to working with you over the next 25 years.