Vegan in Vegas!!! 2.0

For those of you that read last years Vegas post, you will be pleased to see that everywhere I went this trip was completely different than the last. That's right... brand new west coast food porn to feast your eyes on! Like my last trip, I was lucky enough to be invited to stay at the Bellagio while my mom was there on a business trip. I'll start out with my favorite... room service.

I will say last year was much easier in coordinating with the room service chef. This year took a little more persistence. While technically the only thing vegan on the breakfast menu is fruit and oatmeal, you can call and speak to the chef to see if he can whip up something a little more exciting.

Again, I couldn't resist their sugar-glazed ruby red grapefruit...

(and I can't totally knock the oatmeal, because it's pretty good with some brown sugar and berries)

The chef sent up this tofu and veggies concoction one morning with a fruit plate. Really dealicious!

There were many non-food related highlights of the trip that I also wanted to share. Like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time!!! We even went on the Sky Walk! And it was completely terrifying!

One of the less expensive places I ate was at the Bellagio Cafe. I had the grilled Portobello burger, minus the cheese, plus avocado. The fries were awesome.

Then we tried cocktails at the Bellagio's new bar and lounge, Lily. I had their signature drink, "The Lily", which had lime juice, blood orange juice and ground cloves. The flower was even edible (though probably not vegan)!

I tried some take-out from Noodles in the hotel (if you haven't noticed, I didn't really leave the hotel).

Agedashi Tofu, Hot and Sour Cold Cucumber Salad (YUM!), Kake Soba Soup, and Spring Rolls....

I was in a bind one day and needed to get something last minute when I discovered this vegan Sesame Noodle bistro box from Starbucks. Did you guys already know about this? It's a complete little vegan meal. It comes with cold sesame noodles, tofu cubes, cucumber and carrot salad, sesame coated nuts, and even a dark chocolate square for dessert. And it honestly wasn't bad at all

One place you have to check out if you go to Vegas is The Neon Boneyard Park. It's a lot full of donated signs from Las Vegas. They do a tour and give you a little history about the signs. It was really cool and great for taking pictures.

The best meal I had in Vegas was at Michael Mina in the Bellagio. All you do is tell your server that you're vegan and the chef will prepare something especially for you.

I had a lightly dressed spring salad with apple slices to start

My entree was awesome. I'm not sure exactly what it was so I'll try and guess... fried tofu with what I think was fried ginger on top. It was served with pickled cucumbers, crispy baby bok choy, bamboo rice (the flavors in the rice were incredible and I'm still not sure how to describe it), tempura mushrooms, and some mystery vegetable I never figured out. This seriously tasted like what I imagine a top chef meal would taste like. At first I was surprised it didn't come with some sort of sauce, but everything tasted so good that I didn't even care.

For dessert they sent a trio of sorbets... Coconut Lime, Cranberry, and Passion Fruit

And there you have it! It was fun but exhausting...

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Vegan in Milwaukee!

I know, I know... it seems I'm a bit of a jet-setter these days. Just know, this really isn't the norm for me. I just happened to visit two different states this month. The reason for this getaway was a little reunion of my high school friends. We all met in Milwaukee and stayed with my friend, Shannon, who attends The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. We pretty much spent the weekend dancing, drankin and eating some mighty excellent vegan food... We are kind of all-stars at doing all these things.

I have to give my friend Je$$ props because she did the majority of the cooking when we weren't eating out. My favorite dish she made was this cheezey vegan version of a hamburger helper.




Let's start at the beginning. First, we ate brunch at the Riverwest Co-op...

I started out with an AWESOME Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie ( t'was ridonkulous). Then, I was so excited when this landed in front of me... A Philly Cheezesteak Sandwich



INSANE Mac & Cheeze



French Toast



Ranchero Plate- Spiced brown rice, seasoned black beans, scrambled tofu served with corn (gluten-free) or flour tortillas, salsa and avocado



I have to say, the Biscuits N' Gravy were probably my least favorite. The biscuits were a little too dense but still purtty good.



Then we had a Sunday brunch gathering with some of Shannon's friends at Beans & Barley. We had probably THE sweetest server ever! I would give her a shout out if I only I knew her name :(



Don't worry... I didn't consume all of the following food alone.



I started out with one of my favorite drinks, a Sweet Matcha Latte



Jess got a cup of Pumpkin Peanut Soup. I'm not a fan of peanuts in savory food, so I'll reserve my opinion. However, I will say that she finished it!



Then she got the Tempeh Rueben. It was good, but a little on the dry side.



A bunch of us ordered the Pesto Scrambled Tofu with parsley shallot potatoes.



I also tried yet another plate of Biscuits n' Gravy. I have to say, Beans & Barley's were better in my opinion.



Flippin' fantastic Pancakes!



Then on our last day, we did lunch at Comet Cafe. Lemme just say, we were all so enthralled in how unbelievably good our own entrees were that there was very little talking and sharing going on...



A few of us just had to try the Beermosa. Yup, sounds super gross but is surprisingly awesome. I swear!



Eva got the Vegetable-Heaven Salad with marinated tofu and ginger dressing...



Plus a side of Tofu Scramble



Jess had the Vegan Meatloaf Sandwich topped with mashed potatoes, grilled tomatoes, and beer gravy.



Julia got the Vegan Gyro with housemade seitan.



Last, but certainly not least, is what I ordered (and the reason Comet Cafe will forever hold a special place in my heart). Now, if you haven't noticed by now, I am a vegan who tends to enjoy the occasional faux meat product. I know a lot of vegans aren't into that so please don't hate me for gushing about the following entree... Vegan Deep Fried Ribs. Here's the thing, no one I talk about this to seems to think this sounds good at all. Admittedly, it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen. But come on, I figured this was probably my only chance to get this. Seriously, it was AAAAAAAAMMMMMMAAAAAAZZZZZIIIIIINNnNnnnNggggg! It was beer battered vegan riblets with hand-cut fries, vegan chive mayo, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. I mean... just... yeah... i can't.... I have no words....





All in all, if you're looking for excellent vegan fare, GET YOUR VEGAN BUTT TO MILWAUKEE!



And yes... now that I'm home, I will resume cooking!

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Vegan in Vegas!!!

That's right... my mom and I went to Las Vegas. I happily returned home from my trip last night with a tummy full of yummy vegan food and 33 dollars in penny slot winnings. So... all in all, being a vegan in Vegas is not too shabby in my book. Technically, my mom was actually there on business so we were lucky enough to stay at the Bellagio hotel. I can't speak for other hotels, but the room service chef was really excellent in trying to accommodate my special diet. He came up with a vegan breakfast menu that included more than just fruit! Honestly, some of the food was hit or miss, but it was awesome that they at least tried to get creative.

Here's what we feasted on and where you can get it. I also took the liberty to include a few fun pictures from the trip.

As soon as I arrived, I spoke to the chef on the phone and he sent up a couple midnight snacks. First was a veggie roll with very snazzy leaf-shaped wasabi... Ooh la la!



And some fantastic Thai Spring Rolls that came with two dipping sauces




My first morning in Vegas, I feasted on a Vegan Frittata with hash browns and a grapefruit




This grapefruit was seriously fantastic. It had burnt sugar on top that made it like the most delicious little Grapefruit Brulee!




For Lunch we walked over to the Wynn hotel. I did some research before my trip and found out that Mr. Wynn is in fact a vegan. That means that all of his restaurants offer an optional vegan menu. However, I had seen pictures from Little Vegan Planet's Vegas trip and decided I HAD to get the pizza. I kept it simple with caramelized red onions, mushrooms, and red pepper. It WUZ Gr8!!!!







Then we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and I got my picture taken with my idol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seriously, It's about time you all knew that I LOVE Buffy! My life is now complete. Unfortunately, Leo Dicaprio was not in the building :(



The next morning they sent up some vegan pancakes and some beautiful fruit! Honestly, the texture of the pancakes were a little weird - very thin and chewy. At least they tried...





Another morning I tried the breakfast burrito which was a big disappointment. It really had no flavor.



The buffet was alright... but if you don't like veggies and Japanese food, you're pretty much screwed.




Lemme just say, if you can do anything while you're in Vegas, go on the Pink Jeep tour to the Valley of Fire. It was truly amazing. These pictures really don't do it justice...


Yay! Me and my mama!




For our last night in Vegas, my mom and I had dinner at this fantastic Chinese restaurant called "Fin" in The Mirage hotel. Unfortunately, by this point my camera had died so I had to take pictures with my phone. The staff was so helpful in putting together a great vegan meal for us.

We started out with our favorite dish of the night... Crispy Shitake Mushrooms

Spicy Eggplant

Hot and Sour Soup

Moving on to the entrees... we shared a Tofu Clay Pot, Vegan Fried Rice, and Kung Pao Tofu




Alright, if you're not already packing your bags for Vegas, you may want to get on that........................................ now!

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