Seabirds Kitchen offers simple and delicious vegan fare

Vegans living in Orange County aren’t met with a variety of choices when looking to dine out. Even though I can never become vegetarian or vegan, and as long as I’m not forced to eat a plant based diet, I actually enjoy eating it from from time to time because it can taste pretty good depending on where you go.

The newly opened Seabirds Kitchen came out of the Seabirds gourmet food truck which Stephanie Morgan started. While I wasn’t fond of the truck — it was always on the bland side for my palate — I was hoping that this wouldn’t be the case with the brick and mortar, and I’m happy to say, it wasn’t at all!

The minimalist decor and use of natural, earthy colors create a space ideal to enjoy this genre of cuisine at. Besides a row of two and four seaters, there is also a communal table with high stools for larger parties wishing to dine here together.

We began with Burnt Brussels Sprouts ($5.95) which possessed lovely tart flavors from the lime and dijon mustard. I would have liked them a little crispier but they were very tasty.

Organic Beet & Cara Cara Orange ($5.95/half $10.95/full) was so good my son kept asking me if I could make this at home for him. I love cara cara oranges and the sweet segments added a wonderful citrusy freshness to the greens. Roasted local beets and kale, both from Tanaka Farm in Irvine are sweet and crunchy and a wonderful way to get your antioxidants into your diet in one dish. I loved the crunch from the candied walnuts and the smoky coconut bacon added depth to the salad.

For a nice starter to share, choose the Tahitian Squash Flatbread ($11.45) a Tahitian squash puree is spread over flatbread and topped with caramelized onions, smoked paprika, chopped Tuscan kale and aged balsamic. The richness of the vinegar really brings the whole thing together.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like BBQ Jack Sliders ($7.50/2pc) seeing I’m not a huge fan of barbecue sauce, nor pulled pork, which is what this vegan version is mirroring. Shredded young jackfruit is grilled and then seasoned with Kentucky BBQ sauce before it is assembled on whole wheat slider buns and topped with Seabirds slaw and caramelized red onion and pickles. They were absolutely delicious, so packed with flavor with the salty, sweet, tart flavor profiles.

Our last savory dish, Zippy Tofu Plate ($11.95) is a version of something Morgan’s mom used to make while she was growing up. Brown rice is topped with grilled Hodo soy tofu, creamy green chile cheese sauce, broccoli and topped with tortilla strips for crunch. An ancho salsa is served alongside and gives it an elevated flavor if you like a bit of spice. It is even good the following day warmed up in the microwave!

Chaffle ($8.95 feeds 2-4) is a churro waffle topped with coconut sorbet, chocolate sauce and chopped pecans. The coconut sorbet is from Vitaly, across the street at The Camp and makes this generous portion a meal in itself.

You can be a carnivore and still enjoy vegan cuisine once in a while. I definitely need a break from time to time, and Seabirds Kitchen has a great selection for you to cut your teeth on.

Seabirds Kitchen
2930 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel: 714-549-2584

my week in NYC: the dosa man at NYU

We were on the hunt for the “dosa man” and time was running out. It was already 3pm and NY Dosas closes at 4pm. All we had to work with was that he is parked at Washington Square.

Our cab driver was no help, he didn’t even know where we wanted to go. WASHINGTON SQUARE we said, and still, he repeated it over and over again. One of my friends became VERY agitated and started looking at the map herself and directing him to the right place. Once we got to Washington Square we were stumped. Which side of the square was he on? After a few minutes of discussing, we decided to walk through the park and look to both sides and go from there.

Naturally, that didn’t help much, so we walked back out along the side of the park again and after seeing a herd of students stream out from buildings, I came up with the brilliant idea of telling everyone to ask any Indian student we see where the cart was located. After being misguided by about five students, I stopped a young boy who pointed down the street and said “he’s down there”.

We found Thiru, the dosa man at Sullivan.

After a little bit of chatting and telling him how far we’ve come and how long it took to find him, he immediately went to work making us his most popular dosa — the #3 Special Pondicherry ($6) — a dosa filled with potatoes and veggies.

Thiru asked how spicy we liked it and all of us chimed “SPICY” and while he was making these thin lentil and rice crepes, we told him we were stopping every Indian student we saw. He chuckled and replied “you should have stopped the American kids, they are my best customers!”

A few minutes and our dosa was ready. Thiru cut it and split it for us, giving us each a plate with some dosa and a little cup of sambar, the delicious vegetable stew you dip the dosa in. There is also a mint chutney and the coconut chutney traditional eaten with dosas on the plate.

I’ve never had dosa with fresh salad wrapped inside, but it created a really refreshing textural component in the otherwise crispy exterior/mushy interior I’m used to. It was simple and delicious.

While we were happily munching on the Pondicherry, Thiru told us he was going to make us a different type of dosa to try. It was a Jaffna, a pancake made with natural herbs and filled with spicy dried chutney.

Unlike the dosa, the jaffna is not crispy, but rather, soft like a pancake, but with a chewier texture. It was completely different, but still possessed the wonderful aromas and spicy layers we loved in the dosa.

After polishing off our afternoon snack, we bid Thiru goodbye and promised him when we are next in the city, we will definitely visit him again. This was one of the highlights of my trip. A delicious and affordable meal made with love even vegans can enjoy! And best of all, it lived up to the hype!!

NY Dosas
50 Washington Square South
(corner of Sullivan)
New York, NY 10014
Tel: 917-710-2092

118 Degrees Community Cafe

So after the meat debauchery post on Tuesday, I’ve gone in a completely opposite direction today with this one. I’ll have to admit, my experience with raw vegan cuisine has been extremely limited. Really, I’ve only had one meal at Au Lac years ago, and although I remember really enjoying it, I haven’t made a concerted effort to explore this further.

A few weeks ago, I saw a bunch of my friends posting beautiful photos on Facebook of their visit to the new 118 Degrees in Anaheim, and although I hadn’t really thought about visiting the one in Costa Mesa, the photos interested me enough to pay this new cafe a visit. In fact, in a span of a few days, I managed to experience Chef Jenny’s creations twice.

First of all, I visited the new cafe — the space is cute and cozy and the menu offers a nice variety of sweet and savory items.

I sipped on the House Iced Tea ($3.85), a refreshing concoction of hibiscus flowers, cranberries, blood orange juice and goji berries. It had only a hint of sweetness from agave, which was just perfect for me.

I started with Apple Coffee Cake ($6) a layer of pecan crust topped with fresh warm out of dehydration apple slices and drizzled with a sauce infused with coffee. Bits of cinnamon pecan crumble are sprinkled on top for an added crunch. I loved the textural contrast in every mouthful with the apples’ flavor intensified by the dehydration process. 

Next came Caramel Crepes ($6) with a dulce de leche filling inside. What totally threw me off and blew me away at the same time was the house coconut wrap — the “crepe” part — made with dehydrated raw coconut flesh. Stuffed with fresh banana and cinnamon, this was so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it.

I’ve heard of Chef Jenny Ross’ Living Lasagna ($14) for years but I’m ashamed to say this is the first time I’m trying it. Comprising layers of squash “noodles”, tomato, creamy macadamia “ricotta”, sweet basil marinara, topped with portabello mushrooms, the combined flavors were very complex, a surprising feat from just using vegetables and nuts. I was really impressed by how delicious it was.

The Fried Avocado Mini-Tostado ($4/$7) uses a crispy buckwheat shell, topped with peppita cheese, chopped spinach, cilantro, corn and “fried” avocado. The avocado is coated with ground flax seed and creates a nice crunch against the softness of the avocado. This is a great appetizer or snack.

Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms ($7) even appealed to my son who cringes at the thought of eating mushrooms. These cremini mushrooms were stuffed with pistachio pesto and served warm with a marinara. I could easily eat a plate of these as an appetizer.

These items concluded my visit to the cafe, but two days later, Chef Jenny was at Tanaka Farms as part of OC Raw Dining Club, a meetup style group created by 118 Degrees to help educate the public about raw vegan cuisine.

Guests were seated under a tent for the meal and Farmer Glenn Tanaka led the group on a tour of the farm on a tractor wagon, stopping sporadically to give us freshly picked carrots, beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelon to munch on while telling us stories of the history behind his family’s 3-generation farm.

We started with Yellow Squash Rolls with sweet tomato “creme” and fresh basil. The beautiful varieties of squash were hand picked fresh at Tanaka Farm for our meal this evening. The deliciously crunchy squash had a hint of sweetness and I could taste the subtle differences between the green julienned strips and the ribbons of yellow squash.

The main plate consisted of three different items. Tomato Stacked Salad with fresh romaine, chopped kale, capers and Tanaka herb dressing prompted me to use tomatoes and capers together at home. Savory Cannoli with broccoli garnish served with sweet almond green beans created a multitude of textures and flavors in each bite.

The best part was the dessert course and my son ravished both his and most of my Sweet Carrot Ginger Cake with chai walnut crust. The sweet carrots we sampled on our tour were used to create this naturally sweet delectable dessert.

Although I won’t be turning into a raw vegan anytime soon, I feel it is definitely very healthy to add into my diet several times a month. In the past, my lack of understanding caused me to reject the idea that it could be tasty, but Chef Jenny has definitely opened my eyes to how raw cuisine is not only beneficial to your health, but it can be a deliciously palatable experience as well!

As far as the Dining Club is concerned, it is modeled after the dining clubs at Cambridge University, Oxford University, Princeton University and Harvard University. The events include dining and conversation within a community of like-minded individuals and academic presentations by expert guest speakers. Events are held every six weeks. For more information, please contact Leslie Barber at  leslie@118degrees.com

For those of you who would like to give it a try, 118 Degrees has generously donated a $25 giftcard for one of my readers to win this week. Leave me a comment with your FULL name telling me of your raw cuisine experience or there lack of. As usual, entries close on Sunday and a winner will be announced on Monday.

118 Degrees Community Cafe
185 W Center Street
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: 714-772-2695

Green Bliss Cafe is a vegetarian’s delight

Just as the name suggests, the minute you step into Green Bliss Cafe, you will feel that calm, serene aura of bliss envelope you, especially if you mosey on down through the back doors into the courtyard in the back with the soothing sounds of the fountain trickling away.

I came here with a friend to see what the buzz was about and seriously, this is one of those places which I wish we had in Irvine. It is cute, eco-friendly, a coffee house if you will which serves food. VEGETARIAN FOOD!

We started with some coffee and although I’m not a coffee drinker, I tried some of my friend’s coffee and it was smooth and very flavorful. Let’s just say, it was very easy to drink.

We quickly moved on to some food and Avo Campania Panini with Salad ($9) was our first sandwich. Consisting of lightly sauteed mushrooms, avocado, artichoke hearts smeared with a hemp basil pesto on multigrain sourdough from OC Baking Company, the sandwich was substantial due to the use of portabella mushrooms, I didn’t miss the meat whatsoever. A small side of greens accompany.

A lot of major outlets, including 5-star hotels and restaurants use breads created by master artisan baker Dean Kim and some places do not showcase the breads the way they should. Not here. Green Bliss has done a great job pairing the filling with the bread and it absolutely shines through here.

The Curried Chickpea Salad Panini with Salad ($9) did not sound like something I’d like because I imagined it to be somewhat of a hummus-based sandwich. I was wrong. It was THE BEST vegetarian sandwich I’d tasted in a very long time. The chickpeas (garbanzo beans) were left whole and a handful of crushed almonds were thrown in to give it a nice crunch. It was the best mixed of flavors and textures in one mouthful. mixed greens, This is served on OC Baking’s marbled rye bread.

If you wanted a salad on its own, I suggest Spring Greens and Beet Salad ($9). Beets are in season right now and they are roasted, tossed with mixed greens, spiced walnuts, chunks of goat cheese, tossed in a dijon vinaigrette, and served with garlic crostini — yes, made with OC Baking bread.

Green Bliss is such a gem and I wish it were closer so I could visit more often. Those of you living in the area would be remiss if you do not pay them a visit. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and you can relax in the chill atmosphere to enjoy your food or drinks in. It definitely won me over, that’s for sure!

Green Bliss Cafe
305 N Harbor Blvd
#103
Fullerton, CA 92832
Tel: 714-773-0018

Girls’ Night Out — Beer Tasting

Did you know that the beers you love only consists of four major ingredients? Yes, only four! Do you know what they are?

This week, I attended a craft beer tasting event where Eagle Rock Brewery‘s Ting Su and Tony’s Darts Away/Mohawk Bend’s Paige Reilly gave a bunch of gals a Beer Class 101 “seminar” where we got to taste an array of beers while learning more about them.

The event was held at Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank, a dive bar at first glance, but when you look deeper,offers subtle nuances you’ll never find at your regular dive bar — I mean they have lavender soap and lotion in the bathroom for god’s sake — I LOVE IT!

To prepare our stomachs for the beers we were to receive, some nourishment were place on the table and what better way to start than with some crispy home made potato chips?

The bar serves some vegan offerings (owner Tony is vegan by the way) so on top of the regular poutine, there is also a vegan version.

We were also given a sampling of the sausages they have. My favorite was the chicken! It had a wonderful blend of spices and was a lot more flavorful than the pork — but we didn’t want to eat a bunch of spicy foods and mask our taste buds for the beer later on.

I didn’t care for the vegan sausage at all due to its strange texture, but that’s okay….. I’m not vegan so I wouldn’t order it anyway.

While we were lining our stomachs with food in preparation for the beers, little plastic tubs of malted barley and hops (two of the major ingredients in beer making) were passed around for us to smell and taste. — did you know that hops is from the cannibis family?

List of beers we sampled:

Craftsman 1903 Lager
Black Market Brown Ale
Russian River Blind Pig IPA
Cismontane/Tustin Brewing El Toro Trio Hafer Weizen
Iron Fist Dubbel Fisted Belgian-style Dubbel
Eagle Rock Solidarity Mild
The Bruery Trade Winds Tripel
Hangar 24 Orange Wheat
AVBC Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

My favorites of the evening were Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Eagle Rock Solidarity Mild, Hangar 2 Orange Wheat and AVBC Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. I was really impressed with how easy-to-drink the Solidarity Mild and the Orange Wheat were. Both were very mild but flavorful, former reminded me of a light version of Guinness while the latter had a faint orange at first sip but dissipates the more you drink it.

All the beers we tried are available at Tony’s Darts Away, and of course, at the brewery themselves. Eagle Rock Brewery holds a Brewing Women’s Forum every third Wednesday of each month. Join Ting and the rest of the crew in exploring different beer styles.

** By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, the four major ingredients in beer are malted barley, hops, water and yeast **

Eagle Rock Brewery
3056 Roswell Street
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Tel: 323-257-7866

Tony’s Darts Away
1710 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91506
Tel: 818-846-4501