Where We Eat: The Vegan Hot Dog Cart

My refrigerator is currently overflowing with vegan versions of sausages and hot dogs. I blame some of this on game seven of the World Series, the rest is due to the giant squashes that covered my local farmer's market shelves. What I've found with most prepackaged vegan hot dogs is that they are really harsh on my stomach. If I eat more than one, which I sometimes get a hankering to do, I wind up with a stomach ache. As a result of this, I watch my vegan hot dog intake more than any other fake meat.

Yesterday was the annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest. Z-Bot, J-Fur and I arrived at Cotanchobee Park late in the afternoon when a lot of the crowds seemed to have thinned out. We had free reign to move about the park and explore the anti-animal cruelty product vendors at our leisure. There was one pretty long line in the park so I moved to explore it. Wouldn't you know it, Orlando's Vegan Hot Dog Cart had made the trek over to Tampa. The cart was offering three hot dog versions: the "Merica dog had ketchup, mustard, relish and saurkraut, the Olde Reliable was covered with five bean chili, vegan cheeze, onions and paprika and the Holiday dog included Florida orange-cran chutney, Carolina BBQ mustard sauce and fried onions.

I bookmarked the Vegan Hot Dog Cart (web, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)  about a year ago as a place I really wanted to try. Back in 2014 the Holiday Dog was ranked by PETA as the number one vegan hot dog in America. Seeing that it was here, right in front of me, it only seemed fitting that I would be all gung-ho about shoving a dog down my throat. But then I thought about my refrigerator. All those dogs I've been eating recently. It took all I had to pass the cart by. I wondered through the rest of the park looking for something vegetable based to eat. I passed by Ethiopian food, two Asian booths, a Caribbean stall (that had a lot of vegetables) and a falafel joint. I turned my back on BBQ Jackfruit Nachos, Banh Mis and plant based milk shakes. I reached for my wallet on numerous occasions but I always let go without purchasing anything. Deep down I knew why. I knew I was going back to that hot dog cart whether I liked it or not.

     The Award Winning Holiday Dog

I returned to the Vegan Hot Dog Cart and waited in a line that was, at this point, about six deep. The dog I longed for, the Olde Reliable, had sold out during my cruise around the park. I figured if the Holiday Dog was good enough for PETA, it was good enough for me. So I went there.

Holy f*** was this dog good. It went down much smoother than the prepackaged versions I've eaten. Texture wise, it wasn't as chewy as those versions. The dog (and bun) basically melted in your mouth. The orange-cran chutney, bbq mustard and fried onions flowed nicely with the dog. None of the flavors stood out, instead they morphed into one giant swirl of sweet, sour and crispy. Despite all the toppings, this wasn't one of those dogs that you have to clean up with a fork. They stayed nicely pillowed in between those two bun walls.

The only thing that I was less than enthusiastic about was paying $5.50 (with a credit card). This price seemed a bit steep for the size of the dog. But when you are an award winning food developer, you have a right to charge for your craft. Ultimately the price didn't deter me yesterday and it won't deter me next time the Vegan Hot Dog Cart and I cross paths.      

Pairing:
I'd pair this Holiday Dog with the swirling electro-pop beats in Erin McCarley's "Good."

Vegan in Tampa: Brunching at Meze 119

"Let me die in the old uniform in which I fought my battles for freedom, may God forgive me for putting on another."
-Benedict Arnold

Brunch was not originally in the plans for Z-Bot and I when we accompanied J-Fur across the bay a few Sundays ago. The two of us agreed that, while Momma ate brunch with one of her vegan co-workers at Meze 119, we would go on an extreme bird watching adventure. Everything was going according to plan. We had walked momma to her booth, left her with her co-worker, turned the stroller around and were heading out the door. But all of a sudden Z-Bot noticed a waiter carrying out a Belgian waffle. He looked at me and smirked. It was a smug one that seemed to say "Put a little food in front of a soon-to-be-three year old and watch how fast she goes all Benedict Arnold on you." Z-Bot looked at the waffle, then looked at me, then back at the waffle. When she looked back at me she gave me the ol' "Dada, I hungry." That was all it took. I melted into the nearest seat, grabbed a brunch menu and searched for the most treasonous dish Meze 119 had to offer.

Meze 119's brunch menu has a lot to offer vegans and their vegetarian counterparts. Some of the vegan options include a gluten-free, Belgian waffle that is topped with a raki glazed wild berry compote, a create-your-own tofu scramble, curried chikk'n salad and a falafel pita. On the Sunday we showed up, the vegan special was a cactus and chorizo breakfast burrito. I would've gone with that but because of the treasonous actions that had just taken place, I could not get passed the avocado benedict. I figured Z-Bot would go with the Belgian waffle, I mean it was would caused her to turn so quickly, but when I described the nutella crepes as a thin pancake with nutella on it she said, "Yeah, pancake." I tried to explain that it wasn't a "pancake" but she kept insisting she wanted a pancake. Thankfully, the owner (or someone who wields a whole lot of power at the restaurant), was sitting two tables over working on his laptop and he overheard our conversation. He said "We can make pancakes if she wants one." That's sealed it. She was officially a happy camper.

The first to arrive was the traitorous Avocado Benedict. The open-faced breakfast sandwich is created by laying two homemade crumpet halves on a plate. Each half is then topped with a slice of tempeh bacon, a block of fried tofu and a panko-crusted tomato. The finishing move is a healthy slathering of avocado hollandaise. I loved the combination of salty, crispy and creamy.

The Avocado Benedict

Next up were Z-Bot's pancakes. There were three soft and pillowy pancakes filled with banana and chocolate chips (instead of Nutella). A container of maple syrup was delivered alongside the pancakes. She loves "pancake sauce" so she poured a lot syrup overtop. I must say, for not being on the menu and being a last minute make a child happy dish, these pancakes were fantastic. They made her so happy. And I'm not talking about at just this meal. There was so much pancake that she ate them for breakfast for the next three days.

The Banana and Chocolate Chip Pancakes

This vegan benedict and (not vegan) pancakes were brought to you by the debut single from London debutants Junior Empire.  "West Coast" is a breezy track, that incorporates a slight pop punch driven by a hard hitting drum beat, a kaleidoscope of dreamy piano, euphoric violins, simmering guitars and rainbow blasted synths. If that doesn't speak accidental brunch or traitorous menu items well then I don't know what does. The London five-piece said that "West Coast" was written "about our first time living in LA. Open roads and the underlying feeling that nothing is permanent and a vacuous future of endless opportunity awaits. In other words when you've just become single….”

Vegan in Tampa: A Guide to Eating Vegan in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz and Tampa Palms

I've been living in the Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and Tampa Palms area of Tampa for almost ten years. I have been vegan for four of them. Through research, trial and error and online recommendations I've been able to find some really good vegan friendly dishes, drinks and desserts in this area of town. Here are some of the fantastic vegan options you should check out next time you’re in this part of Tampa!

Capital Tacos #2 |  27209 FL 56 
Wesley Chapel

    

Because Capital Tacos #2 has an out of this world collection of burrito (or if you prefer taco/salad/nacho/bowl/wet burrito) flavor combinations it has become one of my go-to's when out-of-towners come visit. It is really hard not to find something for everyone here.

You want Tex-Mex? Done. Seafood? Got it. Fried Chicken? They've got those too. But what do they have to offer vegans? While Capital Tacos #2 does not have any vegan combinations on their menu as is, they are perfectly willing to adjust their two vegetarian options to make them dairy free.

The first option is the Simon Pure. This burrito contains grilled portabella, black beans, pico, bombera salsa, Mexican street corn, jack and cheddar cheese and rice. Ask for it without the cheese and Mexican street corn (cooked with butter) for a vegan version.

Even after taking off the cheese and street corn, the Simon Pure is still bursting with flavor.

The other vegetarian option is the Mean Verde. The Mean Verde consists of breaded and fried avocado, refried pintos, queso, lettuce, pico, jack and cheddar, crushed chips and poblano ranch salsa. For a completely dairy free version ask for the avocado to not be fried, replace the poblano ranch salsa with a dairy free version and subtract the jack and cheddar and queso.

Capital Tacos #2 offers a number of dairy free sides to compliment your main course. Make sure you don't leave without trying out their chips. They are not your typical scrawny little yellow tortilla chips that seem to be the standard at Mexican restaurants. Capital Tacos #2's version are deep fried and golden and much thicker.

You can't go wrong with any of the salsas (mild, medium and hot) or the guacamole. Just ask them to hold the cheese (which they will sprinkle overtop).


Kwan Ming | 27607 State Road 56 Unit 105 
Wesley Chapel

For the most part fresh and Chinese food seem to exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. Kwan Ming has made it a point to fuse the two together. They have six options that are labeled vegetarian on their menu. Some of these can be made vegan.

My dish of choice, by default, is the tofu with black bean sauce. This dish contains fresh veggies and tofu (that is not breaded) cooked in a black bean sauce. It is served alongside a plate of rice. Why the default?

Because my real number one, my bae so to speak, is the garlic fried rice. 

It is loaded with fresh cloves of garlic that are sliced and fried until they are golden brown on the outside. They are then tossed with your typical fried rice veggies to create a masterfully blended dish. Not too salty. Not too fried. Just bite after bite of blacking out in Tampa and waking up in Gilroy, California. I happily breathe this dish for hours afterwards.

The garlic fried rice is my wife's bae as well. So instead of ordering two of the same dish, I default to the tofu in black bean sauce. Make sure to ask for the fried rice without egg.


Nutrition S'Mart | 1821 Bruce B. Downs 
Wesley Chapel

Keep your eyes pinned to the ground as you walk through Nutrition S'Mart. That way you won't see all the overpriced vegan/vegetarian friendly items they have on the shelves. You don't need that stuff. You can do better (and cheaper) elsewhere.

The important part of Nutrition S'Mart is the far back corner. It is here that the Wesley Chapel location of this chain got wise and built a juice bar/sandwich area.

It is in this juice bar/sandwich area that one can procure some of the cheapest (and tastiest) kombucha on tap. One twelve ounce glass can be yours for just $2.79 plus tax. That's not a mistake, that's the real deal. 

Nutrition S'Mart serves Kombucha Tampa brand kombucha. Flavors on regular rotation include the Blueberry, Hibiscus Berry and Mango.
Don't bother with the growler as, unless my math is wrong, it is a worse deal than just buying a twelve ounce cup.

As far as the rest of the juice bar/sandwich area goes, they have a number of vegan options. These include build your own sandwiches with vegan cheese and a bevy of smoothies. I can't vouch for any of these because I've never gotten past the kombucha.


Ciccio Cali | 17004 Palm Pointe Drive 
Tampa Palms

There are a lot of things I don't like about the Ciccio collection of restaurants. I don't like their weekend brunch menus or their jacking up the prices for dinner. I don't like that they consistently seem to remove my favorite things from their menu with no warning.

Ultimately, as is the case with any restaurant, if the food is done well it can make everything else moot. I must admit, I've never left disappointed or underwhelmed by what I've eaten at a Ciccio restaurant.

Ciccio Cali in Tampa Palms has a menu that is littered with wraps, bowls, pizzas, salads and stirfrys. These items feature a large variety of fresh vegetables, some of which I've never seen offered at any other restaurant. These include kale blends and spaghetti squash.

Ciccio Cali meets the needs of their vegetarian and vegan customers by providing the option of switching out any meat for a veggie and broccoli mix (I don't understand why more restaurants don't do something like this).

My meal of choice at Ciccio Cali is the Fire Bird. The veggies are tossed in buffalo sauce, paired with rice, then wrapped in a pressed tortilla. Delicious! 

Other vegan options include the vegan, thai, fitness and citrus bowls (replace the chicken with veggies in the latter three), all the stirfrys and the entire line of side dishes.


Cappy's Pizzeria | 16019 Tampa Palms Blvd.
Tampa Palms

Since the beginning of time pizza has remained virtually the same, the sum of four amazing parts (sauce, crust, topping and cheese) joined together as one.

Some people like to mess with this perfection. They subtract or alter one of those elements to see just how dreadful the result is. I must admit, I'm one of those people. I love me some pizza. I don't love me some cheese.

Cappy's is one of the few places in Tampa that can pull off a vegan pizza. 

This is because their flaky deep dish Chicago style crust and their tangy, slightly spicy, red sauce are flavorful enough that removing the cheese doesn't hinder them.

I usually top my deep dish pizza with fresh spinach and artichokes. Make sure to specify that you want it vegan, otherwise they may sprinkle Parmesan on top of the sauce.


365 Caffe Italiano | 28211 Paseo Drive, Suite 10 Wesley Chapel

Need a vegan dessert in the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa/Tampa Palms area? 365 Caffe Italiano is the place to go. Each and every day (365/7) this shop offers at least 3 different dairy free gelato options. Some days they even go all crazy and stretch it to four.

If you are in to chocolate and mint and desserty flavors like that and are dairy free, well, you are out of luck. At 365, those all contain the animal stuff.

But if you are like me and hate those flavors with a passion, no big deal. It is the fruit options at 365 Caffe Italiano that contain no dairy. Mango and berry blast are just two of the vegan versions I've tried. Sweet, cold, refreshing and tasty.

Buttermilk Provisions | 2653 Bruce B Downs Blvd
Wesley Chapel

Buttermilk Provisions can best be described as a bakery, coffee and tea shop. The shop is located in a strip mall just north of Wiregrass Mall. Buttermilk Provisions offers four rotating donut flavors per day. At least one flavor will be gluten free. Some days they offer vegan donuts, other times vegans will have to forgo the donuts and try out some of the vegan banana bread.

Whether it is donuts or banana bread, Buttermilk Provisions makes it a point to have at least one vegan option daily.

Most days they offer a vegan banana bread. I wasn't a big fan of it during my first go round. But subsequent go rounds have me pretty blown away by it. I like how the banana bread is dense and has only a slight banana taste to it. It isn't overly sweet. There are chunks of vegan chocolate and walnuts spread throughout. They help break up some of the denseness of the bread.

The vegan chocolate glazed, chocolate donut is baked, like all Buttermilk Provisions' donuts are. The donut is moist, something that is often times the downfall of vegan desserts. It looks, feels and tastes more like cake than a donut. Just know this. If you are vegan and expecting a donut that feels like a donut, uh, go to Brooklyn. I was pleased that the donut did not have any weird lingering aftertaste of earth balance or something fake tasting like that.

Buttermilk Provisions serves about ten different flavors of artisan tea from Kaleisia. Their coffee consists of a cold brew, an espresso and a hot brew all from Buddy Brew. Lattes can be made with almond milk, currently the only vegan milk that Buttermilk offers.

Ice Dreamery | 23912 State Road 54 #2
Lutz

Ice Dreamery is an ice cream lounge in Lutz that makes small batch ice cream. That means they produce one (or is it two?) painstaking gallon(s) at a time. Why? So you can have the freshest hand dipped ice cream around.

I know what you are thinking. Ice Dreamery set up shop right across the street from Dairy Queen. If I want my chocolate or vanilla ice cream why don't I just go there? In short, you should. I mean those flavors are too ordinary for Ice Dreamery. This place is into flavors that are unique and bold. Take, for instance, their inclusion of adult only flavors. Both times I visited, Ice Dreamery's menu featured at least two different ice cream flavors that incorporated alcohol. Rum Haven, Nutty Drunken Praline and Bailey's Coffee Chip are just three of the alcohol/ice cream combinations they have featured. The kid friendly flavors are just as edgy. You could get your hand on some Butter Beer, Cookie N Dream, Mango (with a jalapeno ice cream cone pairing in the works), Chocolate Bacon Toffee or Smooth Chocolate Velvet (which features just a bit of Nutella).

So what does all this have to do with vegans? Nothing. But this next part does. Each day Ice Dreamery offers at least two different coconut based ice cream flavors that are dairy free. During my two visits these flavors were the almond joy (almond extract, chocolate powder and coconut ice cream) and a plain coconut version.

The vegan ice cream was soft and creamy with little flakes of coconut in it. I had a hard time believing that it was dairy free. 

That's how convincing Ice Dreamery was.

If that's not bold enough for you, try this on for size. Via their website or an in person visit to their lounge, Ice Dreamery will take flavor suggestions. Yep, that's right, you the customer can partially control what comes next. If they choose your suggestion, they will blast your name all over social media and let everyone know that it was you who came up with it. So go ahead, come up with something crazy, something so bold and daring that you think it can't be done. I'm sure Ice Dreamery is up for the challenge.

FYI: I've already suggested a lavender coconut vegan version so if you were thinking that, just stop now and head back to the drawing board.

Vegan in Tampa: Brunch Collaboration (#2) Between Cafe Hey and the Blind Tiger Cafe

On Sunday Cafe Hey and the Blind Tiger Cafe joined forces for their third brunch collaboration (and second in as many months). While I had dreams of driving all the way to St. Pete to find a vegan grilled cheese, I decided to put those on hold for another week and opted for the much shorter trek to Ybor. I was super stoked to see that Cafe Hey's portion of the brunch menu, the food, would be different this time around. I like my brunches with some foodie variety. I was also pretty excited to know that Blind Tiger's portion, the coffee, would be the same. A good scientist knows, you can't change everything at once.

This month's menu included waffles with fresh berries, sausage and tofu scramble with bacon bits.  There was one food similarity between last month and this one, the creamy grits with mushroom gravy. Neither J-Fur or I complained about keeping those around. We both attacked them first.

        Full View of the Brunch Plate

Holy (insert any expletive you can imagine here)! Cafe Hey's vegan waffles were the best waffles that I've ever eaten. Now, I know that might not be saying much. I've only eaten waffles at IHOP, out of my freezer/toaster, Denny's and at the free breakfast offered by hotels. Still, I'd like to think I know a thing or two about good food. What I liked about these waffles were that they were extremely silky the whole way through. There was no crisp exterior, soft interior (like the frozen ones that come from my oven). It was one consistent texture from the first bite to the last. The waffles were finished with syrup and fresh blueberries and strawberries.

                   The Sausage

The next thing to visit my stomach was the homemade vegan sausage. These had a pretty similar texture to most other vegan sausages I've eaten or made. I did like that they left a lingering taste of sage in your mouth. I found myself dipping them in the mushroom gravy as the light meatiness of the mushrooms were right at home with the earthy sage. 

     The Scrambled Tofu and Bacon Bits

Bacon and eggs anyone? I liked the texture combination created by the soft tofu and the crunchy bacon bits. Taste wise, the scrambled tofu stacked up to pretty much any previous version I've had. In fact, I liked it better than most of them because it wasn't overwhelmingly flavored with cumin.

I complained a bit last month about the price. This time around I had no such qualms. It still cost 20 dollars but my plate was full of food. When I left the cafe, I was stuffed. I stayed that way well into the evening. 

Normally being vegan in Tampa is not super cool. The Blind Tiger and Cafe Hey have decided that at least for one Sunday a month they are going to change that. I can't thank them enough.

Brittany Jean and Will Copps were bandmates who were dealt a difficult situation. They were forced to move 4,000 miles apart. Nobody would blame the two of them if they just let things end there. But they didn't. Instead they used the time apart to discover their true sound together. The recipe goes something like this: take Brittany’s raw, soulful songwriting and combine it with Will's lush, electronic atmospheres. The resulting cookbook? Heliograph by Wall of Trophies. The first single from Heliograph is the self-titled "Heliograph." It's magical silkiness pairs perfectly with a brunch centered around silky waffles.

Vegan in Tampa: Brunch Collaboration Between Cafe Hey and The Blind Tiger

"The idea of brunch is like viagra for three piecers. Seriously. Next time you find yourself in a room full of them just yell out 'Brunch' and watch those slim zipper trousers rise to the occasion."
-Tender Branson (Fall 2015)

One of my New Year's resolutions was to stop quoting myself so much. I made it nine days before I felt compelled to restate something from my lip's past. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, otherwise it would've been full of tiny houses and gladiator midgets. Which brings me to brunch (nothing says brunch to me like gladiator midgets). I'm not much of a brunch guy. I don't get all teary-eyed at the thought of a plateful of fried vegetables, sweet carbs, tomato drinks and baby sandwiches. There are a couple of reasons for this. I'm not going to break them all down for you here, I'm just going to focus on the absolute number one reason I hate brunch. It isn't vegan friendly. It is chock full of eggs, milk, butter, heavy cream and meat. What's in that for me? Not a whole helluva a lot.

But, when the rules of the game change, I can pull off a quick shape shift like the best of them. That change came with the mid-December announcement that Cafe Hey and The Blind Tiger would be partnering for a one off (with possibility of more in the future) vegan brunch. All of a sudden, I was all about the brunch. I heard the word in my sleep, I saw it on every stop sign, I accidentally yelled it out once during intercourse and, yes, just hearing it made my slim zipper trousers rise. So naturally I dug deep into AR's pockets, gathered forty dollars, and set J-Fur and I up for a brunch date.

              Full Plate View

The menu for the brunch was cornmeal grits with mushroom gravy, huevos rancheros and a coffee drink of your choice from Blind Tiger's exquisite coffee bar. J-Fur and I added on a blue rose kombucha (which was paid for separately). I launched myself into the grits and gravy first. I usually avoid grits for the same reason I avoid brunch. People spend too much time dressing them up with milk and cheese and butter. Because of my limited experience I can't really compare these grits to the traditional southern staple served at Cracker Barrel. What I can say is this version was super creamy and smooth. The gravy was light and flavorful, about the opposite of what I've come to expect from vegan gravies. This dish left such a mark on my heart of tastes that I immediately began planning a homemade version. 

Just the Huevos Rancheros (done in a Mephiskapheles voice)

Just like grits, my huevos rancheros history is spotty at best. I think there was this one time, after a swim in the ocean, that I found a styrofoam container full of them lying on the beach that I subsequently ate. The next day I became vegan and the rest, as they say, is history. The Cafe Hey version consisted of two corn tortillas chock full of scrambled tofu, black beans, salsa and covered with a white sauce. It was topped by cilantro (the horror!). Part of the way through, the Cafe Hey chef came around and dropped some avocado on top because he "forgot" to put it in originally. These were superb. I loved the way that all the flavors seemed to melt into one single slightly spicy, slightly salty, avocado-y texture mash. I found the creamy sauce and cilantro most interesting because neither seemed to be out of place. I could barely taste the cilantro, which I can always taste no matter how well it is hidden because I hate it so, and the creamy sauce seemed to serve more as a change of texture than any type of flavoring. This wasn't exactly the case as, when it drizzled onto my plate away from the other ingredients, I tasted it alone and realized it had a distinct flavor. My compliments to the chef who did a fabulous job of melding it with the rest of the ingredients.

             The Rose Kombucha

Just like with most brunches, the price tag of twenty dollars a person is more than I normally spend per person going out. I figure that has something to do with the National Brunch Associations tax of five dollars per usage of the word brunch. Despite the price, I didn't leave the brunch feeling that I didn't get my money's worth. It seemed right in line with other slightly more upscale brunches. I hope this isn't just a one and done deal. I'd love to see this collaboration happen a couple times a year since this meal, along with the monthly vegan one at Trang Viet, was one of the few occasions that being vegan in Tampa wasn't a complete pain in the ass.

Like brunches, The Henry Millers are a band that is really up and down. I get up when "Posies" or "Hop" comes across my speakers and anything else, well, I haven't been super into. The band's newest single "Ready" is one of those tracks that is on the up and up. My love of it comes from it's upbeat attack and sing-a-longy duo delivery. I also can't help but be charmed by the "Heys" that riddle the background throughout. Probably because it pays homage to Edward Sharpe's "Home," one of my all time favorite songs. "Ready" comes from the band's Castle EP.