St. Regis, Atlanta

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the St. Regis in Atlanta, a 5-star hotel. I'll start by saying that this hotel is amazing. It is definitely one of the nicest places I have ever stayed and the service was beyond belief.

I was there for an event that my company was putting on so all of my food experience was from in-room dining and special catering by the hotel. On my first morning there, I ordered the McCann's Irish Oatmeal. These steel cut oats were topped with banana brulee and served with raisins and brown sugar. I paired this with a freshly squeezed orange juice. For $33, it was the most expensive oatmeal and orange juice of my life, but also the best. It was like they torched the bananas with that sweet topping and there were oh so good.

For my lunches there, the good new is they had a vegan meal on the menu. The bad news is that there was just one vegan meal and little did I know, they planned to serve me the same meal every day for four days. On day one, I thought the Quinoa and Kale Power Bowl was great--chickpeas, black eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, edamame, sweet potato, and miso vinaigrette with alfalfa sprouts and avocado. It's so much goodness in one bowl. But, by day four, I had to walk across the street to Whole Foods to get something different.

One morning, they served me potatoes sauteed with greens and mushrooms and it was fantastic!

Bowls of fresh fruit were served as my dessert.

And at our reception, there were lots of vegan options including hummus, olives, grilled asparagus and carrots, tabbouleh, and artichoke hearts.

But, back to the service--it really couldn't have been better. This is a five-star hotel with five-star employees. They were attentive to my every need during our reception, event, and in my room. I really have nothing but great things to say about the St. Regis. And for the television in my mirror in the bathroom--I never knew I needed this until now. ;)

St. Regis
88 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 563-7900

R. Thomas' Deluxe Grill

My good friend in Atlanta has been raving about this diner that is open 24 hours and is vegan friendly for a long time. Since I had a whole week in Atlanta, I finally got to check out the R. Thomas Deluxe Grill!

Now this place is a funky place. It was quite dark on this weekday night, but what I could see was eclecticism! Holiday lights, pinwheels, plastic flamingos, and plants all graced the outside of this restaurant. On the way in there were caged birds like Toucans that were apparently all rescued birds. They were sleeping so we didn't mess with them, but I was curious as to the story behind the birds as an animal activist myself.

Inside, the funkiness continued with brightly colored tablecloths and a green floor within the tent that shielded us from the outside. The menu was extensive and hard to navigate as nothing was labeled vegan. As soon as I asked though, the server said that many things are vegan and began to list them as he was apologizing for a menu that he said hadn't been updated in decades. Wow!

I started with a fresh juice, the Champ, made with organic carrot, apple, and ginger. Yummy.

For our started, we chose the Raw Walnut Sunflower Pate and Raw Guacamole. Our server said the cashew cheese was better than the sunflower pate so we subbed that out. It showed up with Flackers flax chips and carrots and other veggies. Both spreads were fantastic. We were very pleased.

I asked what the server recommended as a vegan entree and he said The Southern Vegetarian was vegan, so I went with that. This hearty meal had layers of millet corn casserole, collard greens, smashed potatoes, and shiitake mushroom gravy surrounded by butternut squash and a salad with chili flax dressing. It was simple and delicious.

For dessert, we got a massive slice of caramel cake. The cake tasted like it had been frozen and was a bit too cold, hard, and perhaps stale. It had good flavor, but wasn't as fresh as it could have been.

Prices here were pretty reasonable at $15 for the entree and $10 for the raw appetizer. The service was great, the decor and environment fun, and the food was good. I give this old school 24/7 diner two thumbs up!

R. Thomas Deluxe Grill
1812 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 881-0246

True Food, Atlanta

Interestingly enough, when I asked the locals where I could go for good vegan food, they all said that True Food Kitchen was great. True Food is a chain that also exists in Maryland, which is somewhat close to where I live, so I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste one of my dinners on a restaurant that is close to me. But, seeing that I hardly ever go to Maryland and this seemed like the restaurant of choice, why not?!

True Food is located in Lenox Square in Buckhead, which is a very fancy mall. Amidst the Lamborghinis and Porsches, I was finally able to find a parking spot after circling for 15 minutes. How all the parking spots were taken on a Tuesday night, I will never understand, but there is also the option for valet parking.

Inside True Food, it was just as busy! My friend was meeting me in 20 minutes or so, so I added my name to the list and took a seat at the communal high top tables, sipped a Prosecco, and waited. I was seated with other lone tourists who struck up a conversation that kept me interested until my friend arrived.

The decor was inviting with its bright green booths and large lighting fixtures. Wine bottles lined the walls and the open kitchen was interesting to watch as well.

When my friend arrived, our table was ready. What I love about the menu is that there are tons of vegan options and they are labeled as such. For appetizers, I could choose from Shiitake Lettuce Cups, Kale Guacamole, Charred Cauliflower, and Winter Squash Toast. The Charred Cauliflower appeared to be the crowd favorite, so we went with that and I'm so glad we did!

The cauliflower was covered in harissa tahini and mixed with fresh dill and mint along with pistachios and medjool dates. It was fantastic!

For my entree, there was so much to choose from including vegan pizza. I ultimately went with the Ancient Grains Bowl. Miso glazed sweet potatoes, charred onions, snow peas, grilled portobello, and tofu were topped with turmeric, avocado, and hemp seeds. There was also pesto in my bowl, which wasn't on the menu and seemed like an odd pairing. Other than the pesto, I thought it was great!

My friend ordered the Teriyaki Quinoa bowl with broccoli, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, brown rice, avocado, and sesame seeds. It had a great charred flavor to it and was very tasty.

For dessert, we ordered the chia seed pudding with bananas and coconut chips. Again, another delicious dish.

The bowls were $17 and the appetizer was $9 so a bit on the pricey side, but it was all so worth it. The service was pretty good. The only bad experience we had was that we were both brought the wrong dishes initially and my friend's had fish sauce in it, which neither of us realized until it was too late. Both our meals were replaced, but that wasn't cool. Besides that though, the food was really exceptional. I'd eat here again in a heartbeat and may even check out the one in Maryland too!

True Food Kitchen
3393 Peachtree Road NE
Suite 3058B
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 481-2980

Green Sprout, Atlanta

In search of a vegan restaurant in Atlanta that I'd never been before, I came across Green Sprout. This vegan Chinese restaurant has been in business in Atlanta since 2003 and was one of the only veg restaurants open on a Monday, so I headed over.

On this early Monday evening, there was no one in the dining room. I took a seat at a booth and perused the menu. The decor was typical for a Chinese restaurant--simple with shiny tables and chairs.

I started with steamed dumplings filled with bok choy, carrot, and soy protein. They were okay, but the sauce was nothing special and, therefore, the appetizer wasn't anything special.

For my entree, I went with one of their most popular entrees--the Empire Soy "Chicken." Crispy soy "chicken," broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, and mushrooms were cooked in a ginger brown sauce and served with brown rice. I asked for spicy, but it wasn't spicy at all. It was pretty plain in general.

The entree was $15, which, for what it was, seemed a bit pricey. The service was fine--as I was the only patron, they were attentive to my needs. But, all in all, I left underwhelmed. As the whole menu is vegan, perhaps there are other items that are tastier than what I ordered.

Green Sprout
1529 Piedmont Avenue, Suite D
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 874-7373

Cafe Sunflower, Atlanta #2

In all of the years that I've been visiting Atlanta and going to Cafe Sunflower, I don't think I've ever had a bad experience. They are a fully vegetarian restaurant that is mostly vegan and all of their desserts are vegan, which is fantastic. They have two locations and we decided to go back to the one on Peachtree Road.

We've been lucky in that even though they've always been busy, we've never had to wait for a table. There were only three of us this time, so a relatively small party.

I started with the Ginger Spice Juice made with fresh juiced carrot, ginger, and organic apple juice. It was delicious.

There was no discussion on the appetizers as the Buffalo Lollipops are so delicious here. Coated in buffalo sauce, these faux drumsticks are filled with flavor. And served with celery and blue cheese dressing, it all just goes together so well.

For my entree, I went with the Roasted Portabello Mushroom Melt. This delicious sandwich had a juicy portabello mushroom with spinach, tomatoes, and caramelized onions topped with melted Daiya cheese and tahini sauce on multigrain bun. It was perfect. Sweet potato fries and an organic mixed green salad rounded it all out.

My friend ordered a Black Bean Quesadilla and he said it was pretty good.

We then finished it off with a peanut butter chocolate cake that was rich and just the right balance of peanut butter and chocolate.

Afterwards, we had tea and reminisced about good times. Nice job, Sunflower--I always look forward to coming back here.

Previous review
July 20, 2017

Cafe Sunflower
2140 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8859

Herban Fix, Atlanta #2

I was absolutely blown away by Herban Fix last year, so when we booked a trip to Atlanta to visit friends for the New Year's Eve weekend, we made reservations to eat there on New Year's Eve! Surprisingly, I was able to get reservations the night before NYE!

Herban Fix is an upscale vegan restaurant. The outside of the restaurant is elegant with its topiaries and plants. The inside is nice, but always feels a bit stale to me. I think that the high ceilings and seating on a second floor makes the atmosphere a bit ampitheater-like. Although everything inside the restaurant is very nice--from the orange seats to the open kitchen. It really is beautiful.

As there was a prix fixe menu this evening, we were spared having to choose from their amazing extensive vegan menu. We just chose a bottle of tempranillo, then the dishes started appearing.

First up, was a sampler plate that had three different items on it. The vegetable spring roll was very fried, but quite good. The sushi roll with brown rice was also quite good. But, the crispy eggplant with mashed pumpkin was by far my favorite. The sauce was sweet yet savory.

Next up, was a vegetable dumpling stew complete with some type of fake meat. It was spicy hot and delicious!

Our favorite course by far was the entree. Oh my goodness. Pan seared spicy lemongrass tofu was topped with a pan seared soy fish in curry broth. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a big fan of fake fish, but the tofu was superb and the fish was flaky and crisp while the sauce complemented it all. It was perfect.

Lastly, they served a vegan flan with mixed berries and ice cream. The green tea ice cream was good, but neither of us liked the flan. So, we ordered chocolate ganache cake instead and it was to die for.

The prix fixe was $45 per person and in the end we spent nearly $180 with wine, but it was so worth it. This is the best meal I've had in a while and the best service I've had in a while too. Herban Fix--I'm so impressed with you. Please open one of these in DC. We would love you here.

Previous Review
July 13, 2017

Herban Fix
565-A Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
(404) 815-8787 

Cafe Sunflower, Atlanta

When I last visited Atlanta like 10 years ago, the best place to eat was Cafe Sunflower. I remembered this cafe as having exceptional food back then as one of the only vegetarian restaurants in the city and I was excited to come back this time to see if it was as good as I remembered. The cafe has two locations -- we visited the one in Buckhead.

The dining room is quite casual with simple chairs and tables. The lighting and artwork make it really pop though.

The first time me and my friend went, it was for lunch. I was disappointed to see that the menus are entirely different for lunch and dinner because the fancy stuff was on the dinner menu. But, we made the most of it. Most of the food is vegan, but they do offer some dairy cheese as an option on some dishes. I started with a tasty Angel Greens juice. Made fresh with kale, celery, ginger, lemon, cucumber, apple juice, it was just what I needed to jumpstart my day.

For an appetizer, we started with the Buffalo Lollipops. Despite its humorous name, these soy chicken drumsticks coated in housemade buffalo sauce were amazing. The vegan blue cheese dressing was great as well. Wow.

For my lunch, I ordered the Quinoa Avocado Burrito. It was simple, fresh, and delicious. Unlike many other places that skimp on the avocado, this burrito was loaded with avocado as well as quinoa, steamed spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes in a spinach tortilla with chipotle aioli dipping sauce.  It was very, very filling. This dish came with a mushroom barley soup and a nice salad as well. All of it was very good.

My friend ordered a special -- the Taco Salad. This bowl was filled with mixed greens, avocado, black beans, radish, chorizo with bell pepper, pico de gallo, Daiya cheese, and chipotle sauce. He loved it.

After that experience, we came back with friends for dinner. We started with an Artichoke Spinach Dip and more of the Buffalo Lollipops. Both were a hit among these non-vegans. I didn't think the dip was all that great, but everyone else did!

For my entree, I ordered the Chimichurri Seitan Steak. It was so good. Layers of grilled seitan were doused with chimichurri sauce over a cauliflower potato mash and served with asparagus.

One friend ordered the Orzo Egpplant Lasagna and this one was fantastic as well. Layers of baked portobello mushoom, eggplant, zucchini, roasted red pepper, spinach, and tofu ricotta orzo pasta made up this masterpiece. The slow-roasted shallot marinara and grilled asparagus on top were just the icing on the cake.

Another friend has the Fettucini Alfredo special, which was okay, but not great.

Another friend had the Sesame Soy Chicken dish and loved it. I did not try it, but it looked great.

Between the two visits, I give this restaurant an A+. The service was fantastic on both visits and the atmosphere is lively. The entrees are quite pricey at $19 to $22 each, but the food was great overall. If you are in Atlanta and are looking for a casual restaurant with great food, this is the place.

Cafe Sunflower
2140 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8859