Vegan Hampton Roads

Sorry for the lack of updates, folks! I’ve been in a K-hole known as student teaching the last 14 weeks and if you or anyone you know has ever student taught, you know how ridiculously exhausting it is. But I’m virtually done** which means I’m back to obsessing over delicious vegan food in Hampton Roads!

With my first update as a recovering student teacher, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news first:

1. San Antonio Sam’s in Norfolk is now offering Daiya vegan cheese on any of their dishes for an extra $1.50. If you haven’t heard of Daiya or gotten a chance to try it, it’s the new haute vegan cheese. You know how us vegans are - always on the search for the most realistic vegan cheese - that elusive creature. Well, I had a chance to try Daiya out at zpizza in Virginia Beach and it is pretty delicious. It even has that oh-my-god-it’s-like-Napalm-in-my-mouth-it’s-so-hot feel like real cheese! Flavor-wise it’s pretty mild. I only tried the mozzarella version, but the company makes a cheddar flavor. I generally didn’t go to San Antonio Sam’s for food because the vegetarian menu consisted of mainly cheese and sour cream-laden Tex-Mex dishes, but I’ll be stopping by soon to support the addition of Daiya to the menu.

**update: Evidently Sam’s is now using Follow Your Heart vegan cheese instead of Daiya. FYH is vegan, but in my opinion isn’t as great as Daiya. Regardless, it’s great to see a restaurant catering to vegans and those with dairy sensitivities!

2. Swirls has a cold weather special going on - buy one get one free! Someone should go with me so I don’t eat two cups of vegan frozen yogurt by myself.

3. La Bella Italia in Norfolk is advertising a four course menu that’s “vegetarian & vegan friendly.” I stopped by a while back and couldn’t get a straight answer about what was vegan since the four course menu was all meat or cheese dishes. I’m planning on calling again and hoping I get someone a little more informed about what the four course vegan menu might look like and, more importantly, whether it’s worth $30. If someone finds out before I do, please update here!

And now for the bad news: Chickette is no longer vegan! Neither are some Morningstar products!

I’m more upset about the Chickette, because quite a few local restaurants have it on their menus as a vegan option, including Red Dog Saloon and The Taphouse, both in Ghent. The Taphouse has already switched out the non-vegan Chickette with a new brand, but still lists it on their menu as Chickette. Red Dog is going to use up the rest of their Chickette, which they buy in bulk, before considering a switch. Here’s the info from the company’s Web site:

In January 2009, we communicated the following information to the Food Allergy and Anaphylasis Network (FANN).  Starting in the Summer of 2009, MorningStar Farms Griller Recipe Crumbles, MorningStar Farms Sausage Style Crumbles and Worthington Chickette Chub Roll will contain milk and egg ingredients. The ingredient statement will include this change and will also list “milk and egg ingredients” in the “contains” statement.  Because product formulations may change from time to time, consumers are strongly encouraged to read the package label prior to every purchase. For more information, contact MorningStar Farms at (800) 962-0120 or visit our website at www.morningstarfarms.com

Oh, and in case you end up at Yorgo’s wondering about their Chickette salad…it’s vegan! They used Chickette originally, I think, and just kept the name, but the salad is made with delicious Gardein faux chicken. Whew…because I just couldn’t take that sort of heartache. That vegan chicken salad might be the best thing on the planet. The same goes for the Chickette Sandwich at Charlie’s Cafe. The restaurant uses Boca chicken patties, which are vegan, but just calls it Chickette on the menu (thanks to Matthew for that info!).

** If you know of a school looking for a hardworking and optimistic new teacher, let me know!

In an attempt to gather all of the vegan-friendly restaurants around Hampton Roads in one place, I created a Google Map. This gives you a snapshot of restaurants and health food stores in the region that cater to vegan diners in one way or another - some more than others.

It’s still in the works, with more locations being added, but the map will give you a big picture view while I tackle the backlog of restaurant reviews I’ve got going. Plus you can add these locations to your own Google Maps online, or even on your iPhone. Whoa!

And if there’s something you think I should add to the map, please let me know!

View Vegan Hampton Roads in a larger map

Frozen yogurt. Reminds me of the days when I would beg my mom to take me to TCBY after doctor’s visits. I loved that place.

Now, thanks to Swirls on Colley Avenue in Norfolk, the vegans can get a taste of some vanilla fro-yo and reminisce about those days in the bright lights and weird 80s decor of the TCBY.

This place is adorable. Tiny as can be and very simple. You get a cup, you fill it with fro-yo (vegans only have one option at a time - vanilla or chocolate), and then you can put as many toppings on as you like. Toppings go from the typical chocolate sauce, nuts, and strawberries, to fun stuff like Oreos and those beloved cereals from our childhood Cap’n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles and Cocoa Puffs. All of which are vegan.

The DIY frozen yogurt wall at Swirls. The vegan flavor is usually at the far left.

And the berries don’t stop. The day I visited there were blueberries and raspberries, and a friend told me he lucked out with kiwi on a recent trip. And the nuts include typical chopped walnuts as well as slivered almonds.

For my first Swirls frozen yogurt treat, I topped the vanilla with fresh strawberries, chopped walnuts, Hershey’s chocolate sauce and shredded coconut. It was so icy cold and delicious. I ate it all on my short walk home.

On my second visit I went crazy with chocolate vegan frozen yogurt, Cap’n Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, coconut, strawberries, kiwi, almonds, chocolate sauce, and a maraschino cherry on top.

The toppings wall at Swirls. Definitely try the Cap'n Crunch and the Fruity Pebbles.

The flavor of all the toppings and the creaminess of the frozen yogurt was great. My only complaint was that the vanilla fro-yo was so cold it didn’t want to snake into my cup like you imagine soft serve would. And the vanilla flavor wasn’t very pronounced. However, the chocolate was perfect.

But I’m not complaining! Swirls fills a void left by the closure of KB’s Custard just a few blocks down, which offered a couple vegan frozen custard flavors every week. Come to think of it, KB’s Web site has been hinting at a new location to be revealed “soon” for nearly two years. We’re still waiting!

Prices are fair, I think. Here’s how it works. Once you get the cup and fill it up with your fro-yo and all the toppings you can handle, the friendly person at the cash register weighs the cup and charges you by weight. My cup cost about $4.60.

Swirls is tiny and really meant as a carry-out joint, but there are one or two window seats in case you want to dine-in.

They accept credit cards. I’ll update this post with important things like address and hours once I find out, but the place is new and doesn’t have a Web site. It’s located across from the Naro Cinema on Colley Avenue in the Ghent section of Norfolk, in a strip of shops that include an art/framing store, a hair salon and a laundromat. It’s also, ironically, next to a Dairy Queen.

And another update - You can now follow Vegan Hampton Roads on Twitter @veganHR. I’m using the Twitter account to post immediate info about vegan dining news in the region, including specials at local restaurants, and trying to keep the Web site for reviews.

There’s not much to say about this one, only that if you’re looking for a vegan pizza you can get it here. Bella carries Follow Your Heart vegan cheese, which I consider one of the most melty vegan cheeses around. I’ve ordered takeout from Bella and dined in and the pizza is much better in person - trust me. It’s not horrible on delivery, but their crust is much better fresh and I’ve found they give you more vegan cheese when you dine in. It’s a little skimpy when you order delivery.

The waitress at the restaurant said they only serve the vegan cheese with the pizzas, but I’m sure with some prodding you could get it on a veggie sub as well, which they also serve.

The restaurant is a typical family place with some al fresco seating along Colley Avenue in the warmer months. They also sell pastas, salads, sandwiches and beer.

This is the only vegan cheese pizza I’ve had in town, but, word is Red Dog’s new vegan menu includes a mean pizza. The last few times I’ve hit Red Dog it’s been for drinks only, but it’s on my list!

You all know what pizza looks like, but here’s a shot from my most recent visit. A pie with vegan cheese, black olives, garlic, onions and tomatoes.

I will update this post with prices as soon as I track down that take-out menu, but be warned they charge almost a dollar per topping, so check out the menu for topping specials. And they charge an extra fee for the vegan cheese, but you should have expected that.

The details:

Bella Pizzeria
1308 Colley Ave
Norfolk, VA 23517
(757) 625-3525

Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Dine-in, take-out or delivery
Accepts cash and major credit cards.

Wow, this place came out of nowhere! Well, not really. They’ve had a location at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for seven years or so, but they recently opened a Ghent location and added a large number of vegan items to their menu.

Nearly every item on their menu can be made vegan – even their famous fish tacos – for an additional 20 percent. After numerous visits in the last month (I think I’m addicted), the fish tacos have to be my favorite. And to tell you the truth, when I considered a vegan fish taco, I wasn’t too excited. I was picturing scary, rubbery, faux fish.

Vegan fish taco from Pelon's.

Continue reading ‘Pelon’s Baja Grill in Ghent’