Vegan Brunch at Fuel Cafe

Every Sunday, I meet a couple of my vegan girlfriends for brunch. We typically meet at Imagine Vegan Cafe because they have a fabulous and sinful brunch and very stout (free! with the purchase of a mixer) cocktails. We call ourselves Bitches Who Brunch.

Well, last week, the brunch bitches decided to venture out and try something new. We felt guilty skipping out on Imagine, and we'll do the walk of shame back into Imagine this coming weekend. But I'd recently learned that Fuel Cafe had added a ton of vegan options to their brunch menu, and we just had to try them. And it just so happened that the new Memphis Meetup.com Vegan Dine-outs and Potlucks group was meeting at Fuel for brunch that day too. We joined their table on the breezy outdoor patio.

Fuel doesn't serve hard liquor, so they got creative and made beer-based brunch cocktails. We all ordered a round of Fuel Mimosas (hard apple cider mixed with mango juice).

After much deliberation, I ordered the Tofu Migas with blue corn tortilla chips, tofu scramble, vegan cheese, salsa, and avocado. Good choice! Loved this dish, and the cheese got all melty as I dug in.

Fuel has a very veg-heavy Tofu Scramble, which can also be ordered a la carte. That's what Stephanie did.

And she got the Sweet and White Potato Hash a la carte as well.

Someone from the Meetup group ordered the adorable star-shaped Vegan Biscuits with Earth Balance.

And another person in the group got those same biscuits but covered with Vegan Sausage Gravy! I almost ordered this instead of the migas. Next time! On the side, he ordered the Watermelon Mint Salad, which Cassi swore to be the best. I didn't try it, but I'm sure it was delicious.

Since brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch, Fuel also has some more lunchy fare on the brunch menu too. Our friend Nic got Fuel's famous Vegan Quinoa Chili Cheese Fries. I LOVE THESE! This is, hands down, my fave Fuel dish ever and what I typically order there since it's also on the lunch menu. Their quinoa chili is to die for, especially when served atop fries smothered in Daiya.

And Cassi's kid, Keithon, got the homemade Fuel Veggie Burger. It's a vegan patty made from scratch, and it is by far the best vegan burger in Memphis.

We'll definitely have to go back to Fuel brunch soon, after we make it up to Imagine next week! Maybe we can start alternating!

Food Truck Fare

Until today, food trucks weren't allowed in the city of Memphis. We're no Portland, after all. But maybe we're one step closer now. The Memphis City Council approved an ordinance today allowing food trucks to serve within 50 feet of a downtown restaurant or 300 feet of a restaurant anywhere else in the city.

Before, only hot dog carts were allowed. And we're not talking veggie dog carts. But today, in an attempt to sway the city council's vote, a local group called Beyond BBQ and the Center City Commission hosted a special food truck festival in Court Square at lunchtime. My fave vegan-friendly eatery, Fuel Cafe, had a truck there along with Crepe Maker, Yolo frozen yogurt, A Square Meal on Wheels, and the Rolling Pit. Nearly 600 people showed up in support!

I waited an hour in this line for Fuel's food truck:

When I finally reached the front of the line, I was faced with a few food choices – a vegan burger or vegan tacos:

Here's one of Fuel's cooks, busily preparing yummy food:

Since I've had Fuel's delicious vegan burger several times, I opted for the tacos, which aren't served in their restaurant:

Crispy corn tortillas were stuffed with Fuel's crumbled house-made veggie burger, vegan cheddar, salsa, lettuce, and vegan sour cream. They were served with black beans, white rice, and vegan coleslaw (hidden under the tacos).

So, so worth the wait! I'd wait an hour for that meal all over again right now. I hope Fuel opens a regular food truck now since it's legal in the city. Yea for food trucks!

More Vegan Eats at Fuel Cafe

I've blogged about Fuel Cafe before, but I just couldn't resist showing you what I had for dinner there tonight. Check out this Vegan Chili Mac covered in quinoa chili, vegan cheese, and Tofutti sour cream:

Yes, it was delicious. I ate the entire plate, which was clearly enough pasta for two people. Sometimes I split my restaurant food in half before digging in. Then I only eat half and save the rest for the next day's lunch. But this was too good to split.

Fuel, a cute Midtown cafe located in an old automotive repair shop, has plenty of vegan options (vegan chili mac, vegan chili nachos, sesame-coated tofu wedges with Asian slaw, Thai tofu curry) since Chef Carrie is a vegan. And their meat dishes are all made with humanely-raised animals, which is better than what most places around here serve. I'm not cool with any meat, but for the folks who haven't given it up yet, this is a way better option. Fuel even has vegan ice cream for dessert!!

I met my vegetarian friend Leslie at Fuel tonight. She lives in vegan mecca Asheville, North Carolina, and she's visiting Memphis for the week. Leslie is originally from Memphis, but she's been gone for a few years. Thankfully for me, she's moving back here in mid-May. Leslie was very pleased to find a new place to eat veggie burgers:

The homemade Fuel veggie burger is the best patty in town, without question. I have a feeling Leslie and I will be making way more trips to Fuel after she moves to Memphis. For more on Fuel, read my Bluff City Vegan Eats post.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Fuel Cafe

Long, long ago, the building 1761 Madison in Midtown housed some sort of automotive repair joint. But somehow, over the years, it's morphed into a restaurant. Yet the building maintains the facade of a garage ... only with tables and a fully-functioning kitchen. And it's clean, much unlike a real garage. Within the past year, the eclectic American eatery Fuel Cafe opened in this spot, replacing the former Petra Cafe (a Middle Eastern joint).

When Fuel opened, I kept hearing about the amazing vegan options. But when I glanced at an early version of their to-go menu, I only saw a veggie burger and a vegan soup of the day. So I guess I wasn't in a hurry to try the place. But then last Saturday, our local vegetarian society Food Awareness had our monthly meeting on Fuel's spacious patio ... and OMG! I think I'm in love. Wouldn't you fall head over heels for this platter of Vegan Quinoa-Chili Cheese Nachos?:

Turns out, Fuel has quite a few options. I must have seen a really old version of their menu the first time. This plate of tortilla strips was piled high with Follow Your Heart cheddar (I didn't ask, but I can tell by the taste and texture), to-die-for quinoa chili, and Tofutti sour cream.

Since we called ahead to warn that about 10 to 15 vegans were coming, they bought the sour cream just for us. But I hear the vegan cheese is a regular item, and they are certainly not stingy with it. There's a whole thick layer of vegan cheese under all that chili. By the way, I ate every chip on that plate even though it was clearly enough food to feed three people.

My friend Greg ordered their famous homemade Veggie Burger, which is clearly listed as a vegan patty on the menu so you don't have to ask questions (I love that!):

I made him give me a bite (okay, two bites), and I think it's the best veggie burger I've ever had. I used to think Huey's, a famous Memphis burger joint, had the best veg patties. But Fuel beats Huey's into the ground. Sorry Huey's. They even had vegan cheese slices to top the burger! And our awesome waiter knew all about casein and informed us that we should specify vegan cheese because they also carry soy cheese slices with casein.

Since we called ahead, the chef went totally out his way and created a Vegan Quiche that wasn't on the menu:

Now, they always serve a vegetarian quiche, but he made this one with tofu just for us. I took a picture of my friend Barbara's plate, but I was so involved in my nachos that I forgot to try it!

After dinner, our server announced that the chef even cooked up a vegan dessert for us — Apple Yum Cobbler with a scoop of Rice Dream!!! Unfortunately, I was too busy experiencing food ecstasy to remember to photograph it. But I don't think I've ever, ever, ever had a dessert that good. In fact, I was really too full to order dessert, but I took one bite of my friend Vaughan's dessert, and I made him give it to me. He had to order another. Seriously. I stole my friend's food. That's how good it was (or how bad I am).

By the way, we were there at lunch time, but the dinner menu looks pretty impressive too — vegan chili mac, vegan pasta of the day, and vegan tofu Thai curry! I see a dinner date in my future.

Thank you Fuel for changing my life. I will be seeing you again and again and again. XOXO!

In case you're in town, Fuel is located at 1761 Madison. Call 'em at 901-725-9025 or check out their menu online. Oh, and this place is Project Green Fork certified, which means they recycle, compost, use green cleaners, and commit to sustainable business practices.