Vegan Latin Fusion cuisine
My tastebuds cannot even imagine what this is .. but it sounds delicious! The La Victoria Bakery & Kitchen hosts a vegan feast every Thursday night. The best way to get the current menu information is to read the Soul Cocina blog
Here’s the menu from last week
Steamed Cajun Spiced GARBANZOS~ $ 3.5
Asparaus SOUP w/ Toasted Farofa and Tempura Asparagus Tips ~$9
Local Snap Pea & Purple Potato POHA $11
OKRA Rasam with Lentil Fritter and Curry Leaf $11
Vegan TAMALES with Pickled Baby Vegetable and Mole Pipian $15
Organic PLATANOS maduros roasted in red palm oil over Mole Manchamantel with Black Beans and Rice $15
Kefir Lime Merengue Tartlet with Ginger Scented Rhubarb and Thai Basil Scented Strawberry $9
While I prefer to dine at retaurants that are exclusively veg to avoid any cross-contamination of my plant food, the worry would be reduced since apparently the entire menu is vegan this night at La Victoria Bakery & Kitchen
I spotted this tidbit in the newsletter from the Millennium Restaurant (the one and same iconic San Francisco restaurant). Thank you to Millennium restaurant for the tip-off! Below excerpted from their newsletter:
Attention Mission dwelling Vegans!
2937 24th St. @ Alabama
Tags:san francisco, vegan food
1. May 2010 at 3:12 pm :
Thank you Tammy.
We are proud to Host Vegan Nights at La Victoria Bakery and Kitchen by Soul Cocina . We are now doing Vegan Night EVERY Wednesday and Thursday Night. Though i can not promise it will be all Vegan all the time , i can promise there will never be cross contamination.
My thoughts of having a Chicken or Fish on the menu is that i feel we are building a community of understanding. For years traditional Restaurants thought that a Vegan meal was a bunch of mixed greens and tofu… if that. They graduated to pasta and tomato sauce from the kids menu and have been stuck since then. To me thats a variance of Discrimination. I don’t know about you, but i dine with meat eaters, vegetarians and Vegans as a whole group of friends. In my eyes, just like it was unfair to go to a birthday party and ask you to have some carrot sticks….it is a bit unfair to ask them to join you and not give them at least a little fish. If you can invite your meat eaters out to try some amazing Vegan food and have them opt out with the emergency fish plate, it takes the awkwardness away and makes them feel a part of your experience. People can now gather on friendships and love and not on food types or a way of life. To me thats community. …. and who knows, you might hook one or two to a healthier life style. Me? Well i am eating at least Vegetarian twice a week and it is slowly becoming a non issue because the flavors are so amazing. I can’t wait to meet you and share conversation with some great food and more…. i promise to eat all Vegan in your presence. How is that for taking one for the team?
3. May 2010 at 8:52 pm :
Hi Jaime, I’m always glad to see more restaurants offering vegan food. I was intrigued to see a Vegan night being offered, that’s why I blogged it, hoping to promote it in my own small way. Are there vegan food options available on the other days, as well? Perhaps it is a progression, fully vegan one day a week, leading to more entirely vegan days .. In re-reading what I just typed, that sounds like I could also be taking to an individual interested in veganism! I think it is great that your restaurant features vegan food, as sometimes people will not necessarily think to ask for vegan food, but will select it because it’s available.
I agree with you that the flavors are totally amazing for veg food. I’m glad you’re enjoying it — and you have the satisfaction of knowing it’s better for you, the environment, and the animals. And, depending on what it is, cheaper, too.
Okay, I am going to have to disagree that it is “unfair” to ask omnivores to eat a vegan meal. It’s one meal out of many they will eat in a typical week (I eat three times a day!), and nutritionally and taste-wise, eating “a little fish” (or other animal) is just not necessary. And as you said, the flavors (if done by a good chef!) are amazing for veg food.
I think a more truthful statement may be that some cannot imagine a life of not eating animals — the familiar foods they grew up with, the tastes, the memories — while some, like me, grew up with all of that, and learned the truth about what happens to animals. When I imagine animals rendered into bite-sized pieces of food on the plate, I think of the dead animal it represents, the environmental degradation and really just how unnecessary it is for other animals to die, just for a fleeting taste sensation.
I feel very fortunate to live in the Bay Area. Did you know there are 10 restaurants that are vegan, and 1 vegan bakery in San Francisco? They sell only vegan items, 24 x 7 (list). For fully vegetarian, there is a larger number – around two dozen (list).
And it’s good to see more businesses, like yours, incorporate more vegan foods into their offerings, as there are many families where vegans & non-vegans co-exist and dine together, at both vegan and non-vegan restaurants.