Viva La Vegan

Next to Big Daddy’s Discount Meats south of Atlanta, lies a low-key restaurant- with high-key delicious food. 

Mock Salmon Burger (jackfruit-based, non soy)

But really if you pull up and think you're at the wrong place- you've arrived!

Viva la Vegan offers a diverse menu of plant-based comfort food- from Philly cheesesteaks and shrimp po boys, to mock salmon burgers and cauliflower hot wings. 

I’ve tried all four dishes mentioned, but this Friday was my first time going to the restaurant and eating the food fresh! We were on a Food Adventure/Mission Foodpossible for Rahkeen’s Birthday. The objective- get Rahkeen some good food in his belly from Atlanta and be back in time to teach hapkido in Gwinnett.

We ordered ahead of time, and by the time we arrived, the food was ready to go. As we waited in line, Rahkeen the Regular, chopped it up with Viva La Vegan’s owner, Chris. Rahkeen has seen Chris putting in work in the kitchen every visit he’s made there. 

For the price, taste, and fullness factor- this spot is 100% reasonable and worth it. The mock salmon burger had a great burger-to-bread ratio, and the cauliflower hot wings had a kick that almost made you wish you weren’t sitting in a car with synthetic leather seats, with your mom who doesn’t like A/C, on a hot day in Georgia.

Almost!

10/10- would recommend!

The Impossible Burger

While I love exploring mountains, canyons, forests, and vistas- food adventures have a special place in my heart. A co-worker told me about the Impossible Burger, and I immediately added it to my "Must-Try's in SF" list. First things first, what makes the Impossible Burger, well, impossible?

If you've seen any of my plant-based posts- then you've probably already guessed that I didn't go out seeking any ol' Quarter Pounder. The Impossible Burger is vegan, but is distinct from other veggie burgers in that it “bleeds”, and has a weirdly realistic meaty texture.

Here are my thoughts, and some FAQ's:

Was it tasty?

💯💯💯! The burger texture was true to reviews- and I would not have been able to distinguish it from a meat burger. Take this with a grain of salt as I haven't had a beef patty in at least 2 years. In any case, it was both juicy, and just chewy enough. The flavors were also on point. Perfectly savory without being overly salty- complemented well, but simply by aioli, avocado, caramelized onions, tomato, and lettuce, on a potato bun. The burger apparently gets the meat-like taste mainly from heme, a molecule found in hemoglobin (a component of blood), as well as in certain plants. "Potatoes are used for the crunchy exterior, and coconut oil for its fat."

Admittedly, I may have set myself up to enjoy the burger. One of my oldest friends was visiting from out of town, and she dressed me up and slapped some lipstick on me before we ventured to a fancy French restaurant named Jardinière that was way out of my price range. So, this burger had to be worth it.

My co-worker mentioned having to share a burger with his girlfriend when he came to try the burger, because it was requested so much that the restaurant ran out. Kailyn and I went on a Wednesday, so the wait at Jardinière was not long. Being the bougie place that it is, the service was both helpful and friendly, and the decor gave you dim, fancy vibes.

Is it worth $19?

If you’re a self-proclaimed food adventurer like me, I’d say yes. Once. The scarcity and innovative nature of the patty made it feel like a treasure to be sought out. I’ve always thought about cooking as a very magical, scientific process- and wanted to experience the result of this one. To taste how close we’ve been able to get to fulfilling people’s desire for meat with significantly less environmentally and health impact- made the sandwich all the more enjoying. 

According to the Impossible Foods site:

"Because we use 0% cows, the Impossible Burger... uses 95% less land, 74% less water, and creates 87% less greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s 100% free of hormones, antibiotics, and artificial ingredients.

I say “once", purely because of the price range. I’d settle for other veggie burgers to save my coins.

Is it healthier?

In addition to the lack of hormones, antibiotics and artificial ingredients, we can also take a look at cholesterol. The impossible patty has 0 mg of cholesterol in comparison to 100mg in a lean beef patty. It also has less overall fat and is slightly less calorie heavy. The protein and iron content are comparable, but the Impossible Burger does have significantly more sodium. Red meat has been associated with heart disease for a while now given the cholesterol, but use the nutrition information and consider your body’s needs when deciding if veggie patties would be better for you!

Here are some more FAQ’s from the Impossible Foods website, but check out their site for more!

WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOODS?

Founded by Patrick O. Brown, M.D., Ph.D., Impossible Foods is a Silicon Valley startup on a mission to make the global food system more sustainable. The fast-growing team includes scientists, engineers, chefs, farmers and foodies. The first product is the Impossible Burger. It tastes great -- and you can feel great about it because the Impossible Burger is made entirely from plants.

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT MADE OF?

The Impossible Burger is made from simple ingredients found in nature, including wheat, coconut oil and potatoes. We add one more special ingredient, called “heme.” Heme contributes to the characteristic color and taste of meat, and it catalyzes all the other flavors when meat is cooked. Heme is exceptionally abundant in animal muscle -- and it’s a basic building block of life in all organisms, including plants. We discovered how to take heme from plants and produce it using fermentation -- similar to the method that’s been used to make Belgian beer for nearly a thousand years. Adding heme to the Impossible Burger makes it a carnivore’s delight.

Full Ingredient List: 
Water, Textured Wheat Protein, Coconut Oil, Potato Protein, Natural Flavors, 2% or less of: Leghemoglobin (soy), Yeast Extract, Salt, Soy Protein Isolate, Konjac Gum, Xanthan Gum, Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Zinc, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12.

Contains: 
Soy, Wheat

CAN I BUY THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER?

The Impossible Burger is only available in select restaurants in the United States. We are currently focusing on wider availability in the US and will be available internationally in the coming years.

Dulce Bakery Biscuits: Atlanta

Self Love Sunday. I love myself. Myself loves biscuits. Therefore, if I love myself, I will feed myself biscuits. 

Since transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss my go-to, warm, buttery, fast, and cheap biscuits at Martin's. Mmmm.

Thankfully, I discovered Dulce Bakery in Kirkwood. That’s where the beauty pictured above is from; but after my first bite, I could've easily mistaken its origin for Heaven. 

I got the sausage, bacon and cheese with kale and cucumber (all vegan). My first bite of the sandwich washed away all my initial disappointment at Dulce's lack of egg that morning. The biscuit was so comforting- warm, soft and fluffy. The sausage and bacon were flavorful and surprisingly juicy. The cheese was sinfully melty and savory, while the greens gave it a fresh and very subtle crunch.  

100/10, would HIGHLY recommend.

The bakery is small, perfect for getting together to catch up with an old friend- the reason I made my first trip to Dulce.

But if you do roll deep, there is a long bench inside where I'm sure the sweet employees could help accommodate a bigger party.

Note: I'm a health and wellness professional promoting holistic health, who happens to have adopted veganism. I neither believe that everything vegan is healthy, or that you should feel guilty for a meal that doesn't have an ideal ratio of macronutrients. An extremely restrictive lifestyle is not conducive to long-term success. With my general eating habits, physical activity, and simple love for delicious things- this biscuit took care of me as much as my kale salads do.

Vegreen Vegetarian Restaurant

The new restaurant's soft opening seems successful, with every spotless and well-lit table filled on a rainy Sunday evening. 

The hosts were super hospitable- looking after the kids I was babysitting while I parked the car. While my table service wasn't great, I'll attribute that to my broke-teenager-like appearance (augmented by my toddler dates). Speaking of dates- this would not be the restaurant to use to catfish someone. After taking in the bright white walls, delicate light ornaments, minimal floral fixtures, and feel good scripts- the ambiance lets your food and your company shine center stage. 

The "Korean Mixed Green Soup Noodle" tasted fresh and savory with a pleasant gingery bite, with imitation shrimp, scallop, and squid that convinced even my very carnivorous kid brother. One of the ladies running tables gave us the check early didn't ask if we needed anything or wanted dessert- but the kids loved the Vegetable Dumplings so much that we ordered another plate of them anyway. The experience ended on a high note as the hosting staff very happily kept an eye on my little ones until I pulled the car around. My picky little brother made sure to ask: "Can we come back to eat here?", and I very smugly responded "We will ask Daddy," before blowing his mind about the lack of animal in his soup that night.

A good friend of mine also recommended the Noodles in Soy Bean Sauce.

Update: I returned and had a delicious "Crab" Sushi Roll. Once again the hosts were genuinely friendly and kind- chatting it up with my mom and helping her with the door while I pulled the car around.

Tassili's Raw Reality

Located in Atlanta, Tassili's serves a variety of nutritious items including their "Mandingo Wrap", and I was lucky enough to have a friend creative enough to ask for the wrap in their South of the Border flavor. It was the size of a baby with the flavor punch of a grown man. As you could guess from the name, the restaurant's menu items contain only whole unprocessed foods that have been masterfully spiced and combined to create some truly delicious dishes. I've also had their Nori Rolls, which are made with walnut meat to be extremely filling for their size. A sample of their Carrot Tuna tripped me out with how similar the taste was to traditional tuna salad despite still being vegan.