Category: Reviews

Plow Bao Closes This Week–Here’s What to Try

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First of all, ATX friends, if you haven’t *already* tried everything on Plow Bao‘s menu, you are missing out on Joyce Ni’s blessings, and you must get there ASAP before they close this Saturday (August 20th). Attend their farewell party (details at the end of this post) & order everything!

Joyce is a dear friend to me, and while that may make me biased, I genuinely appreciate her blend of veganized traditional recipes from her Chinese grandmother, with fun fusion rotations, such as her cheeseburger shu mai last month–incredible. While it can be difficult to find a dim sum experience as a vegan (unless you’re in Taiwan), Joyce’s truck certainly scratches that itch! Each dish is made with care, and the fusion dishes are not just fusion for trendiness’ sake, but truly inspired by Joyce’s Chinese heritage and American/Texan influences. Joyce’s nourishing friendship aside, here are the top dishes I will personally pine for the most in Plow Bao’s absence. These are in no particular order–however, the bao tacos are limited to Tuesday’s, and today is the LAST bao taco Tuesday. So, get to it!

Pro tip: Plow Bao is available for ordering in person or online–if ordering online, please use their square site instead of UberEats if you want to avoid extra costs & support/tip the team!

1. PEKING “DUCK” BAO TACOS

The flavor of these is quite nostalgic to me–my Vietnamese family loves implementing Chinese 5 spice wherever we can, and my mom was always sneaking cucumber into our meals for more veggies. The refreshing cucumber cuts the savory “duck” filling in a very satisfying way. 

Reminder: bao taco specials are only available on Tuesday’s! Tuesday’s are date night for me and my partner, so we have often frequented Plow Bao for their various bao taco offerings. Tonight will be the last chance to get these, so you can bet we’ll be there to celebrate/send off one of our favorite haunts!  

2. CRAB RANGOONS

These are a classic favorite: creamy, savory, crunchy, and sweet & sour & spicy with the sweet chili dipping sauce. They are also a special treat for me and my boyfriend–we shared our first kiss after eating one of Joyce’s rangoons!

3. CHILI OIL WONTONS

These are a signature Sichuan street food, and perhaps my absolute favorite of Joyce’s offerings. The savory filling goes so well with the striking sauce, which includes chili oil and black rice vinegar. Topped with cilantro, scallions, (and extra spice per my request), the complexity of flavors and textures are a true delight.

4. BREAKFAST FRIED RICE

You can’t go wrong with breakfast or fried rice, so combining the two is a genius move. This is a great comfort food, and the portion is so large you really could have half for dinner and half for breakfast the next morning. Even though this is a brunch/breakfast food, it’s available to order all this week (except Tuesday)!

5. STEAMED “PORK” DUMPLINGS

This is kind of a secret item, but not really. Plow Bao’s regular menu has pan-fried dumplings, which are delicious, but I prefer to ask for them steamed if possible. This way, I can fully appreciate the filling–a savory mixture of Beyond Sausage, Napa cabbage, scallions and ginger. I love how much ginger is in these! I like ordering these for a night when I don’t feel like cooking, as they go very well with a healthy side of steamed greens (think mustard greens, gai lan, and bok choy). 

6. FRENCH TOAST BAO 

Only available during their weekend brunch–this is the decadent brunch sandwich of your dreams! I love the combination of sweet, savory, crunchy and fluffy. Oftentimes they will have a cayenne maple syrup to go with this, and it really pulls everything together. 

7. BREAKFAST BAO

Also only available during their weekend brunch! These pillowy baos come with all the fixings of a breakfast sandwich (Just Egg, Beyond Sausage, hashbrown), and are topped with fresh scallions, sriracha ketchup & sriracha mayo. This tends to be my first go-to when ordering brunch at Plow Bao, because it’s not too heavy and is easy to share!

If you’re looking for weekend plans, Plow Bao is having a farewell party pop up this weekend, and I will be vending (noodles & Vietnamese slaw). I hope to see y’all there–come help us send off one of Austin’s favorite vegan food trucks, and pick up some goodies from other local vendors! Plow Bao, as the first fully vegan, Chinese owned & operated business in Austin, you will be dearly missed and will always hold a special place in this city’s heart. Shout to my friend Joyce for being such an inspiring & encouraging, all around BOSS!

PS: all these photos were taken by yours truly! I was lucky to be able to do some freelance photography work for Plow Bao during my period(s) of unemployment during the height of the pandemic. Being unemployed is not something I have shared much about online, but I will say that it was an extremely challenging time, and my imposter syndrome deepened as I was feeling quite lost for a while. Contributing to one of my favorite impactful businesses helped me continue to believe in my creative skills and abilities during some of the most trying times of my professional career. The Plow Bao team always made me feel so seen and welcome even though I was not a part of their daily team–honestly, my skills and personhood were acknowledged and appreciated even more than at my first big design firm job. I am forever grateful to Joyce for the support and for giving me a creative outlet outside of the traditional 9-5, even after I recently started a new design office role that I am loving! Storytelling via food photography is my first love, and Joyce helped me remember that.

Exploring the Vegan Pizzas at Tutta’s in Dallas West End

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Hey Dallas pizza lovers, mark your calendars for August 9th, because Tutta’s is having a pizza party, to celebrate the addition of 9 vegan pizzas to their menu! I’m not a party person…but if you’re having a 4 course vegan pizza party, you can count me in! Last week, my dear friend Courtney Garza (@colormecourtney_) invited me and the girls to check out the new vegan pizza menu at Tutta’s in Dallas West End to promote this event, and we were all thoroughly impressed. You can get tickets here!

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Vegan pizza spread at Tutta’s! Photo by @beetsbybrooke.

Tutta’s owner and head chef, Jeremy Scott, is really creative about their toppings and they make everything from scratch, in house! For those wondering, the vegan cheese they use is Teese–I loved it because it’s not too heavy or greasy. You must come to the pizza party and try all their new vegan pizzas! Tutta’s vegan menu isn’t on their site just yet, but not to worry, I got you covered here! Here’s everything we tried… Continue reading →

UT Arlington gets Down to Earth | Finally, a vegan place on campus + a giveaway!

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“The best feeling is when my customers tell me they feel the love I put into my cooking. The mission of Down to Earth is to bring you good food that’s good for you!”

— Alma Rangel, founder of Down to Earth

My university, UT Arlington, hasn’t always been the best place for vegans, vegetarians, or earth and health conscious folks. Having been a student there for almost a decade (yes, I’m in grad school now), I’ve seen it all–the struggle of choosing a bruised banana or a greasy hashbrown for morning fuel was real. I remember at orientation, I made my first friend over a sad/hilarious vegan bonding experience over the slim pickings at the salad bar. We rallied with other forward thinkers (veg and non-veg!), advocating for more plant-based options on campus in various ways, earning unanimous support from Student Congress.

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Photo courtesy of Richard Hoang (The Shorthorn).

Options got better overall, but they weren’t particularly amazing or consistent. La Blue Casa had a great run at College Park, until it went down in an unfortunate turn. If you wanted vegan tacos, your best bet would be to make your own (which we did). Now, with the arrival of Down to Earth at College Park, students can get a variety of vegan tacos and other authentic, plant-based Mexican fare on demand. Read to the end to find out how you can win a free meal at Down to Earth!

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Down to Earth offers a variety of taco fillings, including nopalitos (cactus), calabacitas (Mexican squash), spicy sweet potato and black beans, and aguacate a la Mexicana (avocado fans rejoice)!

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The Creek Cafe | Vegan Omakase

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This past weekend, the sunlit and cozy interiors of The Creek Cafe welcomed a trickling but steadily increasing stream of curious diners, all eager to get a taste of the cafe’s new vegan Omakase menu. Nestled in the historic Lakewood neighborhood in Dallas, the spot describes itself as Americana with a Tokyo twist. On a normal day, they serve breakfast, pastries, French toast, and Japanese-style fluffy pancakes. Their special two-night vegan event saw such a popular demand that reservations sold out! My dear friend Christina and I were among the lucky attendees, and I’m excited to share our experience with you.

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Omakase (お任せ): a Japanese phrase meaning “respectfully leaving another to decide what is best.” In this case, the diner is entrusting the chef to make the decision about the dishes to be served. This gives the chef creative flexibility, and also provides the diner with a unique experience.

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V Eats Modern Vegan at Trinity Groves | Preview Dinner Thoughts

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Last weekend, I had the chance to attend a wonderful menu preview dinner at V Eats Modern Vegan–Troy Gardner’s new vegan restaurant at Trinity Groves in Dallas. The event was hosted by none other than my friends The Harvest Hands. Thank you, Courtney and Zak, for inviting me to this stellar menu tasting!

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Smiling Moose Deli | sandwiches + soup + studying

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Last December, I adopted College Park’s Smiling Moose Deli as my study abode for an afternoon. At first, I came to grab food, but when I realized that they had free wifi and outlets available, I set up my materials and wrote my final paper there. The place offered a nice, warm atmosphere for studying and several vegan options to choose from. I ended up ordering a few dishes to keep myself satiated while working.

This place is very clear about labels and friendly about answering questions. Any of the vegetarian dishes can be ordered vegan if you ask them to hold the dairy products. Here’s my full review, originally published on The Shorthorn, UT Arlington’s student news website, published on October 2, 2013.

Before closing, they offered me free coffee (plus soymilk!) since it was the end of the day. Sweet. I had other study plans that night, so the caffeine came in handy.

Pictured above: Build-Your-Own salad, the Veggie Mo, and Vegan Vegetable Soup. The soup was hearty, and the sandwich was filling, but it was not my favorite. I loved the salad I had a few weeks ago–I tend not to order salads, but I was really craving fresh veggies and this hit the spot. I loaded it with all the toppings I could think of (they do not charge extra for extra toppings). College Park has several other vegan options too–check out my reviews here.

Good luck with finals! Load up on healthy snacks! 😉

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Veggie Victories at UTA

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photo 1 (2)Vegan brownies at UT Arlington! This is a big deal for UTA vegans. Yes, they are real.

Last week, my friend tipped me off about these vegan brownies on campus, so I decided to have lunch at UTA’s Connection Cafe.

I was excited to find Thai coconut curry noodles in the international line, with a clear “vegan” label. Also, I have since learned that any desserts placed at the vegetarian line will be vegan from now on. Yay!

While there is always room for improvement, I have been previously impressed with the increased availability of vegan options at UTA, thanks to the Vegan Club‘s work with Student Congress and the cooking staff’s cooperation and hospitality. A vegan line has been in place for about a year, but this semester it changed to a vegetarian line. Some vegetarian dishes are veganizeable if students ask for no cheese. Vegan desserts, plus a completely vegan entree in a non-vegan line, were not going to on my list of expectations for a while, but I was pleasantly surprised during this visit.

It’s exciting to have an increase in vegan options all around, even if it doesn’t seem like a lot, it means a great deal to students who rely on the meal plans.

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While UTA is surely improving, UNT’s vegan dining hall is a truly dream come true–UTA’s Vegan Club and I paid them a visit recently, to meet up with UNT’s vegan group. It was a worthwhile trek for good company and good food. We were met with more than enough vegan options to choose from, including fresh focaccia bread sandwiches, tostadas, soft serve ice cream and adorable tapioca pudding shots.

It was heavenly, and my first time having tapioca pudding! Special thanks to Ken Botts, the special projects manager for UNT’s Dining Services, for welcoming us so warmly, and for giving us advice on how to improve vegan options at UTA!

For those who may not know, the vegan cafeteria at UNT inspired UTA students to push for more vegan options on our own campus. We probably won’t have an all vegan cafeteria at UTA, but we appreciate the progress and we are grateful for the cooking staff’s efforts here.

What vegan things have you tried at UTA’s Connection Cafe? Have you been to UNT’s vegan cafeteria? If so, what elements would you like UTA to incorporate from UNT’s practices? Please share your experiences with me below, and feel free to contact UTA’s Dining Services to let them know what you think.

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Vegan Options at GRIP Mediterranean Grill + Beirut Cafe

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I love Mediterranean food because it includes a great variety of vegan dishes. My favorite Mediterranean place is Beirut Cafe, down the street from UT Arlington. It is a great place for vegans, because all of the vegetarian dishes on the menu are vegan-friendly (except for those that obviously contain dairy, such as cheese pies or the yogurt dipping sauce). When I go with friends, we often like to share the vegetarian mezzeh, which has an amazing number of dishes to choose from. I am obsessed with the spinach pies (as pictured below).

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As a Beirut Cafe regular, I have been very curious to see how College Park’s new GRIP location compares to my favorite hummus and falafel joint. About a week ago, I finally got the chance to go check out GRIP’s vegan options.

Update (10/8/13): GRIP’s vegan items are now clearly indicated with a “V”. For those sensitive to gluten, gluten-free items are clearly marked “GF”. I LOVE them for this–it makes things so much easier! 

Unfortunately, GRIP’s vegan offerings were not as abundant as I would have guessed, but they had a decent amount. The first thing I found out was that both their hummus and baba ganoush contain dairy. I was both saddened and surprised. From my personal experience, these dishes are usually vegan by default, because their creaminess comes from the use of tahini. I really appreciated the staff informing me, because I never would have guessed it. I’ll just stick to getting my hummus and baba ganoush fix at Beirut Cafe.

Falafel!

The falafel wrap is the only vegan entree, but it’s pretty excellent! For those of you who have not tried it, falafel is a deep-fried patty made with chickpeas and/or fava beans. Beirut’s falafel wrap is similar, as both places use tabouli and tahini, but GRIP’s wrap is different, with its inclusion of mint and pickled turnips. In trying their wrap, I especially enjoyed the addition of fresh mint leaves. GRIP’s falafel is crunchy on the outside, with a soft, savory interior. Beirut’s falafel is well-flavored, but sometimes it’s a little too crunchy for me.

Besides falafel, GRIP’s menu also has fries, fried cauliflower (comes with tahini for dipping), pita chips, tabouli and dolmas. Tabouli is a colorful salad made with parsley, tomatoes, bulgar, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Dolmas are stuffed grapeleaves that usually contain rice, but they sometimes have ground beef. The dolmas at GRIP are vegan-friendly, but I found that I much prefer Beirut’s veggie dolmas, because I think their rice is better seasoned. GRIP also has a Mediterranean salad that is very filling.

Fried CauliflowerIt’s pretty obvious that Beirut Cafe will always have my heart, as long as they keep up with their vegan variety and continue to carry my favorite spinach pies and fattoush. However, I will still visit GRIP once in a while for their falafel wraps!

If you get the chance to go to GRIP, try the falafel wrap and bring a friend! Their wrap is pretty big, so I split it with my sister. Please let me know your thoughts about GRIP in the comments!

Update, 12/10/13: GRIP’s Arlington location is now closed! Students will have to get their Mediterranean fixes at Beirut Cafe, Prince Lebanese Grill, or Narah Cafe.

Vegans Digg In

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IMG_0305I think I can say with confidence that I frequent Digg’s Tacos more than any other place in College Park. The place offers several vegan options, but I always end up ordering my favorite: a veggie burrito bowl with no cheese. I don’t think I could ever get tired of it, and I personally think it is a better value than Chipotle or Freebird’s.  Continue reading →

Vegan options at PhoXpress are available and expanding

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6/10/13: Dear readers, the vegan options at PhoXpress are somewhat limited now, as of late Spring 2013–please scroll all the way down for the detailed update!

I must say that I am extremely picky about my phở, and most Vietnamese dishes in general. I blame the fact that I grew up in a Aulacese (Vietnamese) household full of food enthusiasts. 

I have heard horror stories about vegan phở at non-vegan establishments. The worst case scenarios recounted to me often resembled the following description, more or less: a bowl of rice noodles in salty broth, laden with MSG and some lettuce. To call that sad scene “phở” is a culinary crime and an insult to the taste-buds. I can’t even process the lack of effort–a complex, aromatic broth is the key to any phở, vegan or not.

PhoXpress set up

Phở condiments!

Based on such descriptions alone, let alone my Viet foodie background, I decided long ago that I would avoid eating phở outside my own home altogether. However, in the past month, I have tiptoed, quite warily, might I add, into giving a couple of places a chance.

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