vegansaurus!

All-vegan boutique in SF: the Detox Market!  »

Last week I got the scoop about an all-vegan market in the Mission. The Mission?! I’m there all the time (burritos and bars). How did I not know? 

The Detox Market is amazing. I was so nervous to be going to a beauty boutique, looking like a hot mess after work, but it was so soothing in there! Clean, bright, and very well organized. Inside I met Rachel (hey girl!), who walked me through the store and explained all of their products and philosophies.

The Detox Market sells organic, vegan (and local when possible!) products. In each genre—be it tea, toys, lipstick, salt, chocolate, candles, NAIL POLISH—they only sell one brand! Rachel explained that they choose the best of the best! The highest quality of everything! Believe me, it shows.

I can’t possibly go over every product in the store, but I’ll show you what stuck out to me. You’ll just have to check it out yourself!


The Can-Can Cleanse! Rachel offered me a sample of the green juice and it instantly revitalized me. For a split second I thought, “Maybe I can do a juice fast!” Anything is possible, right?

TAZA chocolates! Valentines Day is coming up. Or someone’s birthday, I’m sure.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that nothing good comes out of Florida. They are wrong for two reasons: 1.) I was born there; and 2.) The Spice Lab salts come out of there! Florida FTW!

Of course there were many different varieties, but OMG! Truffle salt? Yes please and thank you.

Water-based nail polish! Just what Sarah and I need when we have girl’s night with cake vodka and sing-alongs to Katy Perry!

They have sooo many flower essences. Which I always just kind of brushed off as a hippie thing, but after my visit, I’m reconsidering. Rachel held up a card featuring about eight pictures of flowers; I was to point to the one that visually appealed to me the most. The one I choose, which looked like a bird of paradise, was “Quiet Mind.” I was thinking it meant that I was mellow and introverted, but I was wrong! She told me it means I’m really stressed and need to calm down, try to focus and find clarity. Then she sprayed me with my appointed flower essence. She’s good—I want to go back and get Quiet Mind essence! And spray it all over myself the recommended five times a day!

Guess what? Soy wax is out and coconut wax is in! That’s what these Pure Light candles are made of. Let me tell you, they smell delightful. Mother’s Day can’t come fast enough. (My mom loves candles!)

Don’t these Inna Jams look pretty? They are made in Berkeley! Local product alert!

Last but certainly not least is the Kusmi Tea collection. This tea is from Paris. So fancy! I smelled a couple different varities and it’s good. I’m not even really a tea person, but I’d brew myself a cup of this stuff (probably the detox one).

There is so much more at the Detox Market, including skin care, makeup, and sunscreen. Seriously, all organic and top of the line. Toothpaste even! Rachel gave me a sample of some acai toothpaste that I just love. LOVE! Get up and go! If I had known about this place before Christmas, my shopping would have been so much easier. You can find something for almost anyone here. Or just go treat yourself.

The Detox Market is located at 969 Valencia St., between 20th and 21st streets in the Mission. There is also a shop in Los Angeles, at 8380 Beverly Blvd. Happy shopping!

The 20 Best Vegan Dishes in the Mission District!?  »

VegNews published this awesome list of their most favorite things to eat in the Mission. How do you feel about it? Agree? Disagree? Yeah, I’m pretty much hella agreeing, except my absolute favorite burrito is still El Farolito and ain’t no amount of Hep C or knife fights gonna change that.  

[Little lighthouse, I love you, forever and ever. I don’t care if you stab me or shank me or that your bathroom is a gas chamber or that I’ve actually had to cross a crime scene to get to you (SEVERAL TIMES), you’re still #1!] [Yelp photo!]

Eat this: Easy Creole in San Francisco!  »

On Wednesday nights, Easy Creole, a New Orleans-style pop-up kitchen, sets up shop at The Residence in San Francisco. Cocktails and vegan dinner? Just twist my arm to get me out of the house, why don’t you, Easy Creole?

For $8 I got a plate of the Red Bean Succotash. I was mildly disappointed that they had run out of the $9 Spinach and Mushroom Étouffée earlier that day during their lunchtime hours in North Beach—it just means I have to go back and try it! Which I will, because the succotash was delicious!

Succotash

A hot sauce spread I think Quarrygirl would appreciate.

Jess and Grant, the two guys behind Easy Creole, are super cool, and very much looking forward to opening a restaurant of their own and the idea of hiring their first employee. We can help them do this by eating their food! Let’s go when they re-open shop after the holidays!

Easy Creole is available at many locations throughout the week! They’re at 450 Broadway (between Montgomery and Kearny) from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, The Residence at 718 14th St. from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, and at La Victoria Bakery at 24th Street and Alabama from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Fridays.

B12: Bomb Vegan Brunch happening this weekend! Don’t miss San Francisco’s best vegan brunch since Beats ‘n’ Brunch  »

It looks like the same crew as our beloved Beats ‘n’ Brunch (maybe? Someone say shit if we’re wrong!) and it’s at Little Baobab in the Mission and so yeah, I’m calling it: Beats ‘n’ Brunch is back Update: Awesome people who loved Beats ‘n’ Brunch are putting this on, though they aren’t associated with B ‘n’ B.

They’re calling it B12: Bomb Vegan Brunch, and it appears to be one weekend only, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3 and 4! You should get up on it! The menu is TK but it’ll most likely be delicious, and here are the details from their Facebook event:

Somebody set us up the bomb!

We are extra-excited about this go-round of weekend brunch at Little Baobab with an all-vegan extravaganza by guest chefs Katherine Rae and Julia Russotti and delicious beats from DJs Manitous and Matt Haze. 

Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bring an appetite for this one - this menu is hearty, satisfying and diverse as brunch should be!

Consider yourself warned! Be there or be sad at home eating some kind of oatmeal that you’ve convinced yourself tastes like delicious dessert—it does not.

Now, let us stare at some delicious Korean pancakes from a previous Beats ‘n’ Brunch:

Bomb Truck! Has anyone in S.F. tried these organic vegan popsicles yet?  »

The Bomb Truck is apparently roaming the streets of the Mission, selling vegan organic popsicles in flavors like Mom’s Flan, Pineapple Chile Lime, and Avocado. They look amazing! I want one right now very badly! And, according to the site, all the ridiculously delicious-looking flavors are vegan! AND THEY DELIVER?! Let us all get up on this.

Here’s what the truck looks like:

Here’s what the pops look like (adorable kid not included, I am assuming, but not 100 percent sure):

Here’s a better pic and a list of flavors. Per Food Truck Law, follow them on Twitter to see where they’re headed next!
[Peanut Butter Banana Pop, I love you! All photos from Bomb Truck’s website! Hat tip, Abby! Hi Abby!]

There’s a vegan taco tricycle in the Mission? Alright!  »

This is big-ish news for the vegan fatties of San Francisco. Via Tablehopper, which I will copy and paste below:

 There’s also a cart from Portland that has now made its way to the 415, the ~TREATMACHINE~, which the owner tells me is “a made-from-scratch vegan taco moped food cart (it’s a trike).” Look for $2 vegan tacos, featuring handmade tortillas, avocado, mango, yam, plantain, homemade sauces, and black beans. Follow its whereabouts in the Mission on Twitter.

Sounds good! I’ll happily play Sloppy Seconds to Portland for a delicious vegan taco. It looks like TREATMachine is mainly selling it on the corner of 19th and Valencia streets, and you can find out their exact schedule via Twitter. And, uh, if you show up and they’re not there, you can get vegan tacos in about 15 places within a block, so no skin off your back. TACOS TACOS TACOS.

Here’s what the thing looks like, in case you’re wondering (or wandering the streets looking for it. I don’t know, ignore me.):

Finally: Tartine has some VEGAN DELICIOUSNESS!  »

If you live in San Francisco and think you know anything about food then you are most likely obsessed with Tartine. If you aren’t, congratulations and let’s be friends and eat donuts and drink Folgers and leave this place PLEASE I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE.
Anyway, they’ve got a vegan carrot cake now! Hooray! Now us vegans can wait in line for three days to eat a delicious 10,000-calorie sugar-and-fat-bomb with the rest of you assholes! High five! SO LET’S DISH. Has anyone tried it? Thoughts? I haven’t (photo via awesome reader Shelley!) but my initial feelings go thusly:

1) Excited! Foodie assholes everywhere will have to see a vegan pastry in their butter case!
2) Confused! KAMUT FLOUR? FOR REALLY? Why? The vegan product needs the funky flour, too? Okay, whatever.
3) Excited! I LOVE TO EAT FOOD.

So, there you have it! If you’ve tried it, let us know. If not, I GUESS I’LL TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM GOD.

Guest review: Soul Cocina!  »

I have a love-hate affair with vegan restaurants that fill their menu with faux-meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a delicious kung pao un-chicken dish, but I believe that one can eat vegan without using meat-substitutes or compromising flavor. Enter Roger of Soul Cocina pop-up fame to present a six-course vegan feast without soy or processed ingredients, instead taking cues from world cuisines and seasonal produce.

When you first walk in to La Victoria (2937 24th St. at Alabama Street in San Francisco) on a night Roger has taken over the kitchen, head straight past the well stocked pastry to the back of the bakery. There, the cafe tables have been transformed with fresh flower bouquets, bright tablecloths, and a comfortable, homey ambiance that makes you want to cozy up for a few hours. While diners can order separate dishes from Soul Cocina’s rotating menu, my dining companion and I went the full monty and each ordered the fixe prix dinner ($30).

Our first taste of Roger’s world-influenced cuisine was the bhel puri, a light Indian snack of puffed rice, peanuts, onions, tomatoes, and mangoes, drizzled with a tamarind sauce. Wrapped in paper cones, this dish showcased street food at it’s finest. A second appetizer quickly followed: a basket of homemade blue corn tortilla strips with a bowl of heavenly guacamole that can best be described as avocado-overload (and I mean that in the best way).

Next was a surprise last-minute addition, a roasted pan of cauliflower with a smokey, soft, buttery texture perfectly contrasted against the crunch of pine nuts and sweet currants. A healthy does of spicy garlic, olive oil, and a kick of citrus reminded me of the Middle East, where such bright flavor profiles are usually found in the restaurants lining the streets of Istanbul.

Our chef was kind enough to come out and present dishes, including a well composed plate of platano maduro, pickled vegetables, and slow-cooked black beans on a banana leaf. Unfortunately the sharp kick of acid from the pickles overpowered the subtler flavor of the soft beans. That’s not to say that I didn’t finish almost everything, despite my belly telling me to call it quits.  But we still had one more dish and dessert to go, and I was determined to try everything.
Our last main was a stuffed thick tortilla (called a “huaraches de buddha”) topped with a medley of exotic sauteed vegetables. I’ve been wanting to try fiddleheads for awhile now, and the best way I could describe the taste was if broccoli and asparagus had a punk rock baby. The two accompanying pureed salsas had a definite kick, but their smoky heat went perfectly with the lightly seasoned vegetables and stuffed tortilla.

My eating prowess was rewarded with possibly the best vegan desert I have ever been served:  a coconut creme bruleee with a side of tropical fruit. Sounds simple, but this was off the hook. The brulee’s sweet hard shell broke perfectly to reveal the velvety, rich, fragrant custard beneath.  The consistency and sweetness were spot-on. Seriously, it was out of this world paired with thinly sliced starfruit and kiwi.

Unfortunately, Roger might be moving to Chicago this year. So next time he presents a vegan Soul Cocina night, go! A few more tips: the biggest bang for your buck is the prix fixe, but first run a marathon (or around the block) a few times as you’ll need your game face in order finish everything. While you’re out, skip around the corner to grab a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner sans—corking fee. To find out when Roger will be presenting another vegan night (usually the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month), visit Soul Cocina’s website.

UPDATE: Soul Cocina’s LAST meal is THIS Saturday, Apr. 2! It’s mostly vegan, SFoodie has the scoop! And then order tickets and get exact details here! Everyone GO!!

Justine Quart has a penchant for urban exploration and meditation, yoga and boxing, vegan food and a properly aged whiskey. When she’s not dreaming up the next big adventure, she is offering kick-ass vegan wellness services at local businesses, freelancing at the SF Appeal and The Bold Italic, or roaming the neighborhood with her partner in crime, el Jefe. Check her out at Dojo Wellness.