Stuff I Ate: Restaurant Edition

More stuff I ate. This time, it's all from local restaurants. I've been eating out quite a bit lately, especially from Imagine Vegan Cafe. But while we're on the subject of restaurants, check this out! I wrote a piece on Memphis vegan restaurants for the VegTravel feature in the July/August issue of VegNews Magazine. It's out on stands now. Here's the cover!

And here's the feature! I shouted out to Imagine Vegan Cafe, Raw Girls, Zaka Bowl, Mama Gaia, Juice Bar, Fuel Cafe, Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen, City Silo Table + Pantry, and Dejavu Restaurant. And for non-food-related travel fun, I mentioned the National Civil Rights Museum, Big River Crossing, and Crosstown Concourse (shameless plug, I know). Sadly, I had to leave out a number of awesome vegan-friendly places because I could only fit so many into the word count.

As for stuff I ate, let's start with Imagine. Owner Kristie is updating the menu, and she's removing a few of my favorite items. Sadness. So I dined there THREE TIMES last week in an effort to have those items one last time. One of those is the Meatball Sub, enjoyed here with sauteed spinach.

Also going off the menu is the Quesadilla. This one is stuffed with vegan steak and cheese, topped with guac, Tofutti, and salsa. The quesadilla is usually served in a larger tortilla, but they were already out when I got this, so they used two smaller ones. Still delicious.

The BBQ Salad is going off-menu too. Chunky, saucy bbq seitan served atop greens, broccoli, tomato, and carrots. Best with Imagine's housemade vegan ranch.

I also squeezed in a work day lunch with my neighbor Karen at Mama Gaia in Crosstown Concourse last week. I got the Copia Pita with roasted zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, leeks, and onion, hummus, and olive-basil sauce. This may be my new Mama Gaia fave. That olive sauce is FIRE!

Speaking of Crosstown Concourse (where I work), the MemPopS truck dropped by on Monday with handcrafted frozen treats. I had the Roasted Peach, made with locally grown Jones Orchard peaches. MemPopS will be opening a brick-and-mortar location in Concourse soon, and you know what that means? POPSICLES ERRYDAY!

And finally, here's a quick smoothie from City Silo, enjoyed while running errands a couple Saturdays ago. It's the Jammin' Smoothie with banana, strawberry, almond butter, flax oil, and cold-pressed Granny Smith apple juice. Tasted like a PB&J sandwich! So good!