San Francisco Day 2: Ghirardelli Square + Chinatown

When Anna and I set out for day two of our San Francisco adventure, we had our hearts set on chocolate: Ghirardelli Square, to be exact. But we stumbled across something even better when we stopped at vegan chain restaurant Loving Hut for lunch.

Loving Hut: sandwich with soy protein, pesto sauce, vegan mayo, tomato and lettuce.

Loving Hut is that rare breed of eatery that's both fast and healthy. Not surprisingly, it has succeeded in the health-food Mecca known as the Bay Area — there are three establishments in San Francisco, one in San Jose, and another in Palo Alto. I'm also happy to say there's one in Northern Virginia, where I'll be moving in June.

Loving Hut: tofu, eggplant and fried rice.

The first dish you saw, a soy protein sandwich with vegan mayo, was one of the best meals we had in San Francisco. The texture of the soy protein was chewy but not tough, and the vegan mayo was zesty but not heavy like real mayo. The tofu with eggplant was nice too, although it didn't stand out from similar dishes we've had at other Asian restaurants.

Ghirardelli: chocolate pastry.

In the afternoon, we got around to indulging ourselves with chocolate at San Francisco's original Ghirardelli store. Ordering a chocolate croissant got us a free coffee, which was a no-brainer on a cold, January day along the Bay.

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant: imitation sweet and sour pork.

In the evening, we ventured into Chinatown to visit one of Yelp's highest-rated vegetarian restaurants: Lucky Creation. As it turns out, we were underwhelmed. The imitation sweet and sour pork was a bit too saucy, and the stuffed eggplant was dry and lacking in taste. Although it was a quaint and charming spot, the quality of the food was far below average.

Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant: stuff egg plant, bell pepper, bean cake with black bean sauce.

Seeking to end the evening on a high note, we combed through the surrounding blocks for an authentic Chinese bakery similar to what we found in Queens, NY last May. We were not disappointed: AA Bakery & Cafe featured an array of the light, flavorful dessert cakes we were seeking. Although San Francisco is a very different city than New York, the cakes offered at least one point of similarity between our two most recent vacation spots.

AA Bakery & Cafe: chocolate cake, expresso cake, and carrot cake.

San Francisco Day 1: Mission + Financial District

When Anna and I touched down in Oakland last week, the first thing on our mind was food. So after navigating our way from the airport to San Francisco's Mission District, where we were staying for our vacation, we quickly surveyed the available eateries.

Chava's Restaurant: vegetarian burrito.

Mission is an interesting area, because it is rapidly gentrifying yet also very much characterized by its Hispanic, working-class roots. That meant we had an array of Mexican and South American restaurants from which to choose as we sought a nearby meal.

After a near miss at La Taqueria — which suspiciously closed its doors just as we were about to walk in — we ended up at Chava's Restaurant. The food was the standard fare served at most of the neighborhood's eateries: tacos, burritos and quesadillas. We opted for the latter two, both vegetarian.

Chava's Restaurant: quesadilla with rice and beans.

The burrito was a winner and helped explain why Chipotle wasn't to be found in Mission despite having a presence in almost every other district we visited. Our burrito was at least as good as any you could get at Chipotle, but also two or three dollars cheaper (especially when factoring in the complimentary tortilla chips). Chipotle simply couldn't compete in a neighborhood with this type of good, inexpensive food.

Our quesadilla, on the other hand, was slightly underwhelming. Nonetheless, it reminded us that whenever possible one should order a corn rather than wheat tortilla.

Peet's Coffee & Tea: bear claw.

After wandering around downtown for a while and seeing a few noteworthy sites, we were ready for a snack. Since we were going to half-price night at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, we decided to stop at a Peet's Coffee & Tea located about a block away.

Peet's Coffee & Tea was an unexpected part of our trip to San Francisco. Previously, I'd bought Peet's coffee at the grocery store because of its reputation as one of the best ground coffees around. What I didn't know was that in San Francisco, Peet's has about as many stand-alone locations as Starbucks and has a pastry selection that rivals Panera's. Peet's prevalence was a pleasant surprise, and it's one of the things Anna and I will miss back East.

Super Duper Burgers: vegetarian burger.

Once we'd browsed modern art for a few hours, it was time for dinner. Unfortunately, there weren't very many inexpensive, authentic ethnic restaurants nearby since we were in the Financial District. We stumbled across something just as good, however, in Super Duper Burgers. The restaurant is a Bay Area-native and features the same style of artisanal burgers found in establishments such as The Counter and Citizen Burger Bar (the latter local to Charlottesville, Va.). We were both happy with Super Duper's vegetarian burger, and it reminded us that art isn't only found on walls or pedestals. It can be on your plate, as well.

Home Sweet Home

Anna and I have spent the past few weekends at her apartment. We're so busy with our jobs during the week that the weekend is the only time we have to catch up on school work that needs to get done.

Leaves candle from Slatkin and Co.

To make our working weekends more enjoyable, we've tried to create as relaxed an environment as possible. One thing we've done is burn candles, which infuse the apartment with a pleasant, seasonal feel.

Spinach noodles with five-spice tofu and enoki mushrooms.

When the smell of candles isn't filling the apartment, we can enjoy the scent of freshly cooked food. One of our favorite dishes is a noodle-tofu combo, which we've augmented with different sides including the enoki mushrooms shown above.

Pinot grigio.

And what better way to unwind than with some wine? We've been pairing our meals with pinot grigio, which offers a delightful fruity accent to the flavors of noodles and tofu.

Spinach noodles and soba dashed with sesame seeds.

We've also tried to mix things up with some fusion meals. One example is the noodles and falafel combo we made last weekend.

Falafel and edamame to go with the noodles.

This turned out to be quite a success — the flavors and textures blended quite nicely, and provided the perfect dinner to cap a long day of work at home.

Back for Seconds

Anna and I returned to Northern Virginia for a few days during Fall Break. While there, we revisited a couple of our favorite restaurant discoveries from the summer.

Lotus Vegetarian: whole wheat steamed dumplings.

The first was Lotus Vegetarian, which serves up a menu of entirely vegetarian cuisine. We were hungry after only having a muffin for lunch, so we ordered up an appetizer of whole wheat steamed dumplings.

Lotus Vegetarian: moo shi garden.

Then there were the entrees. One was moo shi garden, which included a few types of mushrooms, nuts, cabbage, and tofu strips served with crepes.

Lotus Vegetarian: vegetarian beef, lotus root, and snow peas.

We also got a vegetarian beef dish with lotus root and snow peas upon the recommendation of our server. He suggested the dish when we mentioned that we were in search of something with fried gluten, also known as seitan. Although he didn't know what we were talking about at first, the dish turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.

Mazadar Kabob: black tea.

We also ate not once, but twice at the best Middle Eastern restaurant we've encountered anywhere — Mazadar Kabob. We experimented with different dishes each time we went, but both times we ordered the hot black tea, which was refillable. The tea was an appropriate fall weather drink, and the flavor was as distinctive as the glass in which it was served. In fact, our server informed us the drink is actually a blend of four black teas. He was mum about the exact formula, however.

Mazadar Kabob: baklava.

Finally, we closed out our second meal at Mazadar with some baklava. This was the final dish Anna and I ate in NoVA before returning to Charlottesville, and it made a sweet ending to the trip.

Autumnal Festival

When Anna, some friends, and I arrived at Alexandria, Va.'s Art on the Avenue festival, it didn't feel like fall. But the assortment of fall foods and crafts provided visual evidence that fall was right around the corner, even if the temperature in the 80s suggested otherwise.

Art on the Avenue: Pie Baking Contest.

And, sure enough, fall arrived as we walked along the row of stands lining Mt. Vernon Avenue. Clouds gathered, the wind picked up, and rain sprinkled. But we were too distracted by these pies to really notice.

Art on the Avenue: Pie Baking Contest.

We didn't actually get to taste any of the pies because we had to retreat inside to escape the threatening weather. But when we wound up in St. Elmo's Cafe, we got some muffins that were a good consolation prize.

St. Elmo's: Low-Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin.

Anna had banana-chocolate chip, and I went with a pumpkin muffin to celebrate the sudden change in weather. We enjoyed the muffins and the warm cup of tea as we huddled inside for what was sure to be the first of many cafe visits this fall.

Collegiate Cooking

We are pleased to say that we have never eaten ramen in college. With enough practice and planning, cooking well on a budget is possible amidst a busy college life.

When Anna moved into her own apartment this semester, she was determined to create a natural kitchen space. We agreed that using natural kitchenware makes each food experience richer and tastier.

Green tea noodles with edamame and seitan.

Our first time cooking in our new environs involved a handful of simple ingredients to complement the minimalist setting: seitan, edamame, and green tea noodles. We finished the dish with a dressing mixed from sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. The earthy colors of the food went nicely with the wooden kitchen table and brown bowl and chopsticks.

Spinach salad with tofu, dates, almonds, and sun-dried tomatoes.

We also experimented with using a variety of leftover ingredients to craft quick-and-easy salads. This type of "fast food" is both fulfilling and a great way to clean out the pantry and fridge.

Black rice noodles with five-spice tofu, cashews, and artichoke hearts.

After a trip to Charlottesville's new Asian market, C'Ville Oriental, we made this noodle-based dish. The heavy dose of tofu and cashews goes to show that it's possible to get more than enough protein while eating a vegan meal.

Vegan spinach pancakes.

Finally, we decided to break out of the cereal/oatmeal/toast mold and actually cook something for breakfast one day. Because we were both hungry early in the morning, we had to move quickly. Fortunately, these vegan pancakes only took a few minutes and involved a handful of simple ingredients. They were a great way to start the day and rounded out our cooking adventures in the first month of the semester.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Believe it or not: The bread you are about to see did not come from Whole Foods or Great Harvest Baking Co.



It was handmade by Anna during one of my short visits to her house after work. She used a recipe from the blog Cookie Madness, but with the added bonus of dark chocolate chips.



We haven't found a way to incorporate Smell-O-Vision into the blog yet — Google, are you working on that? — but the bread did smell as good as it looked. The real question, though, is: How did it taste?



Extraordinary! Chocolate chips are a great addition to banana bread because they moisten up the texture, but the milk content in many varieties will turn away vegan bakers. Using dark chocolate chips, though, solves that problem.

And look at that ridge in the crust. Like a well-coiffed hairstyle, it signifies sophistication and complexity. This bread was quite a treat, and it made my brief weeknight visit to Northern Virginia well worth the trip.