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.

Four Events in Five Days

Who: VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland
What: The Maggie Awards, a VegNews Vacation Reunion, a Restaurant Review, and a Film Screening
Where: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Campbell, Calif.
When: April 29–May 3, 2011
Why: A week in the life of a magazine publisher!

The Scoop: Being the publisher of a vegan magazine definitely has its benefits. Although our pace never seems to slow down and the workload continues to grow (I thought this was supposed to get easier?), we have an opportunity to attend all kinds of events and constantly meet interesting and inspirational people. In the last week alone, I attended one of the largest magazine award shows in the country, lunched with one of our VegNews Vacations guests at LA's Veggie Grill,  hit up a brand-new veg restaurant in San Francisco, and attended a film screening of a documentary that has huge potential to change the way people think about food and their health.

Last Friday, VN publisher Joseph Connelly and I made our annual trek to Los Angeles for one of the big industry award shows, The Maggies. We dined with the creative directors of Mother Jones and Yoga Journal (both based in San Francisco), ate some pretty decent vegan food (it's the Westin, but the meal was quite good this year!), met lots of people in the magazine world, and took part in a very entertaining awards program. Thankfully, Mother Jones, Yoga Journal, and VegNews all took home Maggie awards (including one for Best Magazine eNewsletter), so the spirits were high at our table of 10. Congratulations to all of our fellow publishers and award winners.

Tim of Mother Jones, Charli of Yoga Journal, Joseph of VegNews, and me at the Maggie Awards

Last year, we launched VegNews Vacations and have now been to India twice with VegNews readers. The trips are nothing short of fantastic, and one of the benefits is that we have made a lot of new friends from around the country. We've had several reunions from both journeys, and we met up with the lovely Brenda from Redondo Beach (VegNews Great Adventure to India 2010) this past Saturday for lunch at the newest Veggie Grill location in Torrance. We reminisced about the trip, talked about her new Etsy store, and ate a delicious array of food: buffalo wings with barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, the Santa Fe Crispy Chick'n sandwich, Papa's Portobello burger, the (best-ever) All Hail Kale salad, the mac 'n' cheese, and sweet potato fries. Yes, it was a good lunch, and, yes, we were full for the next 24 hours.

VegNews Vacation reunion at Veggie Grill! Me, Brenda, and Joseph

When our appetites finally returned, we were back in San Francisco and ready to try out the city's newest vegetarian restaurant. The Source, owned by former New Yorkers (and brothers) Andrew and Mitchell Fox. The restaurant bills itself as a "multi-dimensional dining experience," and we were impressed. The space is modern, the food is innovative, and the menu has something for everyone. We loved the Mushroom Onion Swiss Burger (served with cashew cheese and wrapped in a house-made flat bread) and the Almond Joy smoothie (freshly made cashew milk whirled with raw chocolate, coconut, and almonds). All of the pizzas and breads are made in the restaurant's brick oven, and a variety of juices, elixirs, lattes, and shakes are on offer to wash it all down. We are excited to welcome The Source to the San Francisco veg dining scene.

Overstuffed mushroom onion burger with cashew cheese and French fries, I love you

And to cap off the four events in five days, I headed down to Campbell on Tuesday night with Joseph for the Northern California premier of the the new film, Forks Over Knives. Joseph was on the post-film discussion panel along with The Engine 2 Diet author Rip Esselstyn and San Francisco Vegetarian Society President Dixie Mahy, and we hadn't seen the documentary since its latest round of editing. Whole Foods sponsored the event, the 200+ seat theater was packed, and the audience was very moved by the film. In essence, the documentary examines the relationship between what America eats (excessive animal products) and how sick we are (diabetes, cancer, and heart disease), and has enormous potential for reaching the masses. In fact, I predict that it will be nominated for an Academy Award. Forks Over Knives opens in theaters this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, and rolls out across the country throughout the month. Tell everyone you know!

The line formed early for the Forks Over Knives screening in Campbell

Adventures in the Inner Sunset

Who: VN Office Manager and VN Editorial Assistant Alexandra Chang

What: The Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair and lunch at Loving Hut

Where: The Inner Sunset, San Francisco, Calif.

When: April 10, 2011

Why: To get a break from the bustling Tenderloin, and check out some cool books!

The Scoop: I have now been a resident of the historical Tenderloin neighborhood for more than a year, and let's just say that I have many stories from this eclectic part of San Francisco. I've also been spending a lot of time at home lately, if I'm not at work, and I personally haven't been to the Sunset in months. When I heard about the Anarchist Book Fair taking place in the Golden Gate Park, I decided it was a good time to venture out, and meet up with my friend and co-worker Alexandra to check it out.

Checking out AK Press' awesome selection.

It was a lovely day, so I decided to ride my bike, and although I made a few wrong turns, I made it to Alexandra's humble abode in good time. We then set out to the book fair, which took place at the same location as the World Veg Day Festival, which usually takes place at the beginning of October. There were plenty of books for fair prices, which always makes me happy, and Alexandra and I took our time scoping out each booth. Our favorites were the booths of PM Press, AK Press, and Food Not Bombs, but all the booths were great, and offered good selections.

Alexandra with her fun purchase.

Hunger eventually got the best of us, and unfortunately there was not food at the book fair, so we decided to head out into the Inner Sunset for a late lunch. After much deliberation, we finally decided upon Loving Hut, because neither of us had been to the one in the Sunset before, and they were voted the 2010 VegNews Readers' Favorite Restaurant, so why not give it a try? Everything was good, but our favorite was our appetizer, which was the Ocean Basket. It was a fried basket of yam shrimp, mushrooms, seaweed fillet, green beans, served with a dill and Vegenaise sauce. It definitely hit the spot!

Loving Hut's Ocean Basket.

However, we were not yet satisfied, and longed for dessert. I have been dying to try Holy Gelato! for some time now, which serves up to 12 flavors of vegan gelato on a daily basis. There was no stopping me, so we were off to this sweet spot, and once we stepped through the doors, I was in heaven. How have I not been here before? There were so many flavors, and I wanted to try them all, but I finally chose the Mint Cookie and Charlie Brown's Nightmare served in a waffle cone. It was so good that I gobbled it up before taking a photo—so sorry! Alexandra opted for a warmer dessert, and grabbed a vegan cupcake and a tea from a nearby café.

After a day's worth of adventure, we walked back to Alexandra's house, and we said our goodbyes. Luckily, much of my bike ride home was downhill, and I arrived back in the Tenderloin in record time, feeling refreshed. I love my crazy neighborhood, but sometimes it feels great to get out—even for a little while.

Isa Chandra's Cooking Demo

Who: VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig

What: Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Cooking Demo

Where: The Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market in San Francisco

When: February 12, 2011

Why: Being an aspiring cook, I wanted to learn from the very best.

The Scoop: I have been a vegan for nearly 10 years now, but I just recently discovered my love for cooking. Ever since, I've been voraciously reading cookbooks to try and get my skills up to par, and like many vegans, I am a huge fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's cookbooks. I honestly can't get enough of her Gigantic Peanut Butter Cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance, or the Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon (co-written by Terry Hope Romero). Her new book, Appetite for Reduction, hit shelves earlier this year, and I'm loving the back-to-basics, whole-foods approach that the book has to offer. So when I found out that Isa was coming into town to give a cooking demo, I marked my calendar right away! Also, I'm very sad to say, I had never visited the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, so this was a great reason to see it for the first time.

The two cookbooks every vegan knows and loves

It was a gorgeous Saturday morning, and I was running late. Luckily, the farmers' market was running behind as well, because the first cooking demo was still going and I had enough time to grab a spot, even amongst the big crowd. And it was crowded—people were literally fighting for chairs around me, and we were told during the introduction that it might have been the busiest cooking demo yet!

Of course, there was no introduction needed, and Isa was very comfortable with the crowd from the get go, with many funny jokes and witty remarks to keep us smiling. She informed the crowd that her main goal with the cookbook was to teach various cooking skills with each recipe, which is important with a whole-foods diet. So one of the first things she mentioned was how to properly hold a chef's knife, and how to go about cutting and chopping different vegetables. This may sound tedious, but I, for one, realized that I was not doing it correctly—and I thought I was getting so good! She went on to make the Thai Roasted Root Vegetable Curry from the book, as well as the Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits. Unfortunately, due to the crowd, and the fact that I had to head out of town after the demonstration, I was unable to try a sample, but boy did it look good, and I will be making the recipes myself in the very near future.

Isa, showing off her knife skills

Isa is currently living in Omaha, NE, but it seems like she does a bit of traveling. Be sure to check her out if she comes to your town—it's a great cooking lesson, and will definitely inspire the chef in you. Also, check out the recent VegNews interview with Isa to hear more about Appetite for Reduction.

Bold Native Premiere in San Francisco

Who: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria

What: Premiere of feature film Bold Native

Where: Red Vic Movie House, San Francisco, Calif.

When: November 18, 2010

Why: A packed theater of like-minded folks

The Scoop: When was the last time you heard of the release of a full-length, ALF-themed feature film? I thought so. Bold Native tells the story of uncover activist Charlie Cranehill's (played by Joaquin Pastor) attempt to mastermind a couple dozen simultaneous animal-rights actions across the United States while being pursued by both the FBI (trying to capture him) and his food exec dad (trying to save him). While the film hasn't been picked up for nationwide theater distribution, it has screened around the country to much acclaim—including this NYC event hosted by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. The San Francisco premiere was an event in its own right.

Author John Robbins opening the evening

Author and activist John Robbins eloquently introduced the film to a who's-who crowd at the historic, independent Red Vic Movie House, located in SF's famed Haight-Asbury district. After the screening film makers Denis Henry Hennelly and Casey Suchan took to the mic, talked about the making of the film, and introduced members of the cast. Finally, released SHAC-7 political prisoner Jake Conroy spoke passionately about his journey of activism as well as his time in a federal prison.

Producer Casey Suchan with writer/director Denis Henry Hennelly in San Francisco

Bold Native is a powerful and educational fast-paced film with a mission. It includes graphic images of animal exploitation, along with frequent cameos by real activists, each weaved seamlessly throughout the movie. Those familiar with the animal or vegetarian movements will smile as they recognize friends and colleagues often on the silver screen, giving the film a very documentary-like feeling for those in the know, without compromising its serious subject. Raw foodist Tonya Kay has a memorable role, playing a hippier version of herself as I Rock. Bold Native is now available on DVD. Purchase two copies, hold a screening in your town, then give away the second copy, to keep the momentum moving forward.

Second Annual Curry Cook-Off for Bhopal

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Gabrielle Pope

What: 2nd Annual Curry Cook-Off
Where: The Women's Building, San Francisco, Calif.
When: October 21, 2010
Why: Curry for a cause!

The Scoop: When I read about the Curry Cook-Off on the amazing SF vegan blog Vegansaurus, I needed no further convincing. So maybe it was initially the promise of unlimited curry-tasting that drew me in, but the cause was certainly what solidified my commitment to the event. This was the second year of the annual curry cook-off, organized by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal to raise funds for the victims of the world's worst industrial gas disaster that occurred in Bhopal nearly 26 years ago. Far too often suffering is forgotten as the years pass, but the effects of a disaster resonate for years afterward when it comes to victims, families, and communities effected. Victims from Bhopal are still struggling to obtain access to medical care and other forms of aid, so help is very much needed.

Original photography of children in Bhopal

I arrived at the Women's Building on 18th Street feeling very much like a neighborhood guest, seeing as how VNHQ has now moved to the Mission district, and even received a welcome to the neighborhood when I introduced myself to a woman who revealed to be, like myself, a British Columbia transplant. My new friend and I eagerly lined up for the curries, which were all vegetarian, and mostly vegan. I tried 5 or 6 curries out of about 9, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were properly spicy. I'm a humungous fan of spicy food, and am always disappointed when curries are too mellow. My new friend and I compared notes on our favorite Indian restaurants in Vancouver while we were dished out curry after curry. Though most of the curries were North and South Indian-inspired, there were some definitely Thai- and Southeast Asian-influenced offerings. How lovely it was to breathe in the aroma of sauteed spices among a roomful of people eager to eat veg curries and learn more about the cause in Bhopal.

Not the best photo, but definitely some quality curries!

The event also featured a silent auction featuring items such as Ayurvedic consultations, handmade bags from an artisan in Bhopal, original art, and contributions from local businesses. A slideshow was set up featuring images of the disaster and its victims. I can confidently say that this evening greatly inspired me, and reminded me about just how powerful community incentives for change and charity are.

The curry line, pre-serving

The evening ended with a beautiful traditional dance performed by Christine Germain, and what reputedly followed was an announcement of the curry winner, but I was admittedly already back on MUNI on my way home in a curry-induced food coma. I had had such a hard time voting anyway, which is somewhat remarkable since I can be somewhat of a curry snob! I can't help it, Vancouver's South Indian and Thai restaurants have left me with high standards, which were happily met last night. The Curry Cook-Off was a wonderful event, and one that I will happily return to next year. I sincerely hope that the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal raised a significant amount of money for victims of the disaster, because they certainly left an impression on us guests.

Slideshow featuring protests for Bhopal

Tofu U and Skinny Bitch's Kim Barnouin

Who: VN Editorial Assistants Brooke Still and Gabrielle Pope

What: Tofu U Event with Skinny Bitch's Kim Barnouin

Where: San Francisco, Calif.

When: October 7, 2010

Why: To learn about Nasoya tofu's latest project and mingle with Kim

The Scoop: As vegans, we need little convincing of the benefits of tofu. But preparing it day-to-day can be another story. Draining, dressing, and devouring tofu at home can be somewhat of a difficult task for those of us who are culinarily challenged (Read: Yours truly). To answer the frustrations of amateur cooks everywhere, tofu brand Nasoya has created Tofu U—a virtual campus that schools the public on how to transform that watery block of soy into something edible, and delicious! To learn more about Tofu U and have a mini-, mid-day-celebration of veg life, Gabrielle and I went to The Plant Café Organic yesterday afternoon for a lunchtime event.

This was my first trip to The Plant Café Organic on Pier 3 in San Francisco's Embarcadero, and it was amazing. The restaurant is on the water (and by on the water, I mean RIGHT on the water), giving us a beautiful view of the ocean and the Bay Bridge. We nestled into our seats, right near the demonstration table. Skinny Bitch's Kim Barnouin, whose new book Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook is due out in mid-October, soon graced us with tofu demonstrations. I loved her idea of cutting tofu into strips, brushing them with almond milk, then dusting them with panko bread crumbs, and baking to create crispy treats, great for salads, stir-fries, or by themselves with a dipping sauce. And Kim was a sweetheart—such a treat to listen to her speak!

Barnouin's tofu demonstration

A treat, of course, nearly upstaged by the scrumptious lunch. We enjoyed a savory salad, tofu tacos with mango chutney, and finished the meal with a heavenly chocolate volcano cake—the kind you cut into a find a warm, gooey center. Delicious!

Our chocolate cake, aka heaven

After we ate, Gabrielle and I mingled with the Nasoya folks and Kim, chatting about tofu, veganism, and California. We were most pleasantly surprised to receive copies of Kim's new book—which this morning Gabrielle and I discovered we both read in bed last night! I for one know it gave me sweet dreams of all the tofu and Skinny Bitch meals to come.

Kim, Brooke, and Gabrielle

Vaute Couture San Francisco Pop-Up Show

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still and VN Associate Editor Liz Miller

What: Vaute Couture's San Francisco Pop-Up Show

Where: San Francisco, Calif.

When: August 29, 2010

Why: Vaute Couture was visiting San Francisco with a new line, and we just had to check it out!

The Scoop: Famed vegan coat designer Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart was recently on tour throughout California presenting her newly designed fall and winter line of Vaute Couture. As as Leanne fans and certifiable shopaholics, VN Associate Editor Liz Miller and I decided we just had to check out her San Francisco show. So we headed to the Mission on a sunny Sunday afternoon only to wish it was colder so we could properly bundle up in her adorable coats.

The pop-up show was held in a.Muse Gallery, where we were greeted by natural light, vegan chocolate cupcakes, hot tea, and Leanne's new collection, fresh off the runway of Fashion Week. I got the opportunity to live out my model dream, which was stunted at an early age when I stopped growing at 5-foot-2. First, I tried on Leanne's newest creations: the urban snow coats. The coats are the vegan answer to insulated, warm, wind- and water-resistant winter coats. No geese were harmed in the creation of these hand-stitched beauties, made at living wages in Brooklyn, aka Leanne's new hometown, having recently moved from Chicago. And each style is named after one of Leanne's favorite teachers.

Me in the Audrey coat—so warm!

Next, we moved on to the pieces that made Vaute Couture famous—her gorgeous winter coats. Again, Leanne uses all-vegan materials to create a unique, wool-like blend made from recycled fibers. The texture of the coat is so scrumptious, it won a Polartec APEX award—an award that normally goes to such giant mainstream companies as The Northface. The upcoming line had some new styles and updates of some old favorites. I fell in love with the Audrey coat, inspired by Audrey Hepburn. It's hard to fall in love with the details in all her coats, which are origami inspired with a blend of old Hollywood glamour. In addition to the treasures I tried on, Leanne is introducing for the first time a men's line, modeled in her look book by The Discerning Brute's Joshua Katcher. To top it all off, Leanne also showed us some of her mini dresses, tanks, tees, and soy-based knitted scarves, hats, and headbands. The scarf/muff creation is already at the top of my holiday wish list.

Some of the new dresses and windbreakers

Before heading back to Brooklyn for the launch of the new Vaute Couture line, Leanne dropped by the VNHQ. After spending time with her and her creations, we can't wait to snuggle up this winter with her compassionate fashion—coats like that make the winter cold worth it!

Touristing in San Francisco

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Gabrielle Pope

What: Touristin'

Where: San Francisco, Calif.

When: August 14, 2010

Why: Because Saturdays should always be spent shopping, wining, and dining.

The Scoop: Brand new to both San Francisco and to the concept that summers are not actually warm in this city, I braved the chilly morning fog on my second weekend here and set off downtown to be a shameless tourist. Tempted by promises of doughnuts and Vietnamese food, I decided to head down to the Ferry Building where an old friend—the sun—had showed up to greet me. San Francisco’s Ferry Building is more than just some random building you pass through to catch the ferry to the East Bay. It’s a veritable food-lovers paradise with a produce market, chocolate shop, restaurants, bookstores, a boutique wine store, and more.

Photo via ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

Prioritizing doughnuts like any other self-respecting Canadian, I quickly found the Pepples Organic Donuts display. Made in Oakland, these cake doughnuts are beautiful to look at and even better to devour. I grabbed both Lemon Poppy Seed and Salted Caramel flavors for later. The Lemon Poppy Seed was to die for!

Photo via pepplesdonuts.com

After getting the requisite photo of the Bay Bridge and enjoying the sun, I headed back into the building to hunt down the Vietnamese fusion restaurant. Slickly designed, The Slanted Door drew me in with its promises of vegan options and requisite Vietnamese Spring Rolls. I tend to judge a Vietnamese restaurant by the quality of its rice paper rolls, and the Slanted Door’s refreshing rolls filled with tofu, shiitakes, cabbage, and mint, and served with a zesty peanut dipping sauce, exceeded my expectations. For my main, I wisely selected the lemongrass tofu. Made with local tofu from Oakland’s Hodo Soy Beanery (seriously, what’s up with Oakland and when can I move there?), this dish was expertly spiced with garlic and lemongrass, and complemented by onions, shiitakes, and roasted chilies. I should have trusted my gut and polished it up there, but in an effort to save room for wine tasting I got it packed to-go, later resulting in a lemongrass disaster at the bottom of my bag. When in doubt, kids, finish your plate.

Hailing from beautiful British Columbia with its abundant vineyards and charming wineries, you could say I’ve become a bit—enthusiastic, shall we say—about exciting wine varietals. In preparation for my trip out to Sonoma next weekend, I found a table at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants tasting bar and tried a trio of Northern California reds, which my knowledgeable server confirmed to be vegan.

Seriously now, I’m sitting in a wine bar with a full belly and excited palate…could this get any better? Yes, it could, as I also took that opportunity to break into the brand spanking new VegNews September+October issue, now on its way to eager subscribers. The issue includes an article about my homeland, the great white north (and birthplace of Daiya cheese), which may have made me homesick had I not been sipping reds and living the good life on a sunny Saturday in California.

Three beautiful reds and a peek at the new VegNews

Outside Lands 2010

Who: VN Associate Editor Liz Miller and VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still

What: Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival

Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif.

When: August 14-15, 2010

Why: Because nothing says summer like live music, outdoor dancing, and free vegan beer.

The Scoop: San Francisco might not have the same sun-kissed summers as Chicago or Austin, but that doesn't mean SF's answer to the summer music festival is left out in the cold. Depending how you view it, in 2010, the third-annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival got a facelift: The festival was cut from three days to two, and the lineup included a more eclectic set of musicians. While the 2009 festival featured mainstream names including Tom Jones, Jason Mraz, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Lucinda Williams, and Dave Matthews Band, the 2010 line-up was significantly dialed-down, with a shorter list of heavy-weight headliners such as The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Gogol Bordello, and Phoenix, decidedly skewing more indie-rock than soft-rock.

Brooke and I couldn't wait to take in the sights and sounds of some of our favorite acts. We arrived on Saturday just in time to catch the end of Electric Six's high-energy set, and then went in search of lunch. With tons of veggie options to choose from, we felt slightly overwhelmed, but finally settled on moderately priced veggie burgers—with two sides of free curly fries courtesy of the generous concessions man. Score! After mowing down our festival fare, we trekked over to the main stage to see self-described "gypsy punk" group Gogol Bordello tear it up with their raw, revivalistic blend of multi-national music, incorporating influences ranging from Eastern European-inspired accordion to Ecuadorian rap riffs.

A tattooed stranger fist-pumping during Gogol Bordello

After Gogol Bordello we crossed the field to the Sutro stage, where Bassnectar had just begun to spin his signature, soul-thumping sounds. Somewhere between Lil Wayne synths and his big beat "Seek and Destroy" remix we remembered why summer music festivals are awesome: kids with no rhythm shamelessly dancing in public at 3pm. It was fantastic. As Bassnectar wrapped up, we headed back to the main stage for indie darlings—and Brooke's favorite act of the day—My Morning Jacket. Their unmistakable melodic, crowd-swaying songs were just what we needed after Bassnectar's danceable set, and MMJ didn't disappoint, playing all of our favorites, closing with their classic from It Still Moves, "One Big Holiday."

My Morning Jacket rocks out

With our minds sufficiently blown by MMJ's powerful performance, we staggered across the field yet again to watch Wolfmother bring metal to the day's overall electric mix of music. We're not sure if it was the driving metal chords or the six hours between meals, but near the end of Wolfmother's set, our stomachs were definitely rumbling. We figured this was the perfect time to head over to the Chase Freedom Lounge, where our press passes (hey, that's the name of this blog!) allowed us to enjoy free dinner and drinks. On top of complimentary wine tasting and snacks, we enjoyed free beer and a vegan-friendly buffet.

Brooke enjoying the free vegan skewers and ale

Yes, it was a buffet situation, but a classy one nonetheless, offering vegan jasmine-coconut rice, salad, and marinated veggie skewers. Then, as hippie-children relived their youth to the sounds of Further at the main stage, we relived our own bygone 15-year-old fandom by dancing to Saturday's other closing act, The Strokes. Publicity was buzzing around the band's performance at Outside Lands, as it marks their first touring summer in four years, and the second of three stateside shows before finishing their forth album later this year. From Is This It early hits "Last Nite" and "Someday" to sophomore album favorites such as "I Can't Win," the set was full of the band's effortlessly catchy classics. After the band exited the stage, we filed out of the park, heading for home and some much-earned rest and relaxation. Definitely not to stalk The Strokes tour bus, whatever the papers might have said.

Vegan Ice Cream Fix

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still

What: A late-night sweet treat
Where: Holy Gelato! San Francisco, Calif.
When: August 3, 2010
Why: It was 8pm on a Tuesday—obviously I needed some vegan ice cream.

The Scoop: While the rest of the country is trying to escape the summer heat, we here in San Francisco are still trying to convince ourselves that it's not winter. It's hard to get in the summer-lovin' mood when the sun hasn't come out in weeks and your day-to-day attire consists mostly of thick socks and turtlenecks. Slight exaggeration, but really, it's cold. So in an attempt to pay homage to my third favorite season, I went out for some vegan ice cream last night.

I'd heard from some fellow VN staffers that Holy Gelato! in the Inner Sunset would be a great way to spend a weekday night—it's near my apartment, the neighborhood is adorable, and the vegan ice cream is decadent, some varities of which are supplied by Maggie Mudd. So roommate in tow, we headed over to the corner of 9th and Judah, soaking in the charming Inner Sunset along the way. We didn't manage to leave the house until after 8, but unlike the small-town Midwestern life I hail from, places in SF are open past dusk. Holy Gelato! welcomes customers until 11pm, which is exciting for me.

The gorgeous display of vegan ice cream and sorbet at Holy Gelato!

The décor was precious—an ice cream joint with a boutique-like feel, selling clothing and mugs across from the ice cream case. After sampling nearly all the vegan ice cream they had to offer, which comprises about half of their total selection, I settled on a small bowl with two scoops: One of Charlie Brown's Nightmare—chocolate, peanut butter, and cookies—and one of The Bomb—chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallows, and fudge brownie bits. Not to sound like Rachel Zoe, but when I had my first bite, I died. Literally.

My Charlie Brown's Nightmare and The Bomb dessert

Overally, Holy Gelato! was a monumental success. Delicious vegan ice cream in all the flavors I love. Now to keep this from being a regular Tuesday-night occurance...

Me enjoying the treat!