Tag Archives: el paso

Review: Tacoholics

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I celebrated Record Store Day 2013 with records & tacos!

I celebrated Record Store Day 2013 with records & tacos!

This review was originally published in What’s Up Weekly on August 29, 2012, and can be found here.

Two years ago, Jessie Pena pioneered the gourmet food truck craze that has hit El Paso. The Tacoholics team found success serving their signature brand of tacos and sandwiches late at night. That success has brought them to an unlikely brick and mortar location inside an Eastside gas station.

The new location also has a new ordering format. Options are endless when you can choose combinations of proteins, tortillas, styles and salsas. Tacos can be purchased individually or in groups of four corn or two flour. Choose between chicken, pork, sirloin or tofu in four styles topped with a choice of four salsas that are made fresh daily.

Plain style, which isn’t plain at all, is seared and seasoned with southwest flavors. A South Texan contains grilled onions and queso fresco, while Campechanos style is topped with homemade chorizo. The most popular style is influenced by a taco that has taken the country by storm thanks to L.A.’s popular Kogi Korean BBQ food truck. Tacoholics is the only place in El Paso where you can enjoy this style of taco. Meat is glazed with a Korean BBQ sauce and topped with cabbage, sriracha and sesame seeds.
If you’re in the mood for something heartier, order the Mexican Philly or La Torta 915 – creatively constructed sandwiches inspired by our region.

All ingredients are fresh and locally sourced, including the tortillas and bread. Anyone fortunate to be within 3 miles of the gas station can have their meal delivered for a minimal fee. On occasion, the food truck can still be found during the late hours of the night.

Food truck: various locations and times, static location inside the Exxon gas station at 7450 Gateway East.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (or until sold out) Price range: $1.50-$6.
Vegetarian friendly (corn tortilla tacos and tortas; flour tortilla contains lard). For info visit www.tacoholics.com, facebook.com/tacoholics or twitter.com/tacoholics.

Additional Veg Snob notes:
This is the only place in town you can get tofu tacos, and they are amazing! When I first tried them over a year ago (you can read about it here), I thought the tofu was too soft, but they have since changed this and the texture is perfect now. All of the salsas are very good, so I’m not sure which is my favorite. You might want to get plain tacos so that you can try them all, but be sure to get at least one Korean BBQ.

Delicious!
Outside the Exxon station.
Tacoholics truck parked outside.
Order, watch your food being cooked & eat there or take it to go. They recently added more tables & chairs.
2 plain w/salsas, 1 south Texan & 1 Korean BBQ.

Tacoholics on Urbanspoon

Dining Out For Life 2013

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dining Out For Life, a national annual fundraising event, returns to El Paso on Thursday, April 25, after a brief hiatus. Houston and El Paso are the only Texas cities participating this year. Throughout the day, more than 20 local restaurants will donate 25-50% of their proceeds to El Paso’s International AIDS Empowerment organization.
This nonprofit’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS and to reduce the incidence of new infections through education, outreach and testing. For more info and how you can help, visit internationalaids.org.

In honor of this charitable event, What’s Up has asked me to profile 3 participating restaurants. You can read it here. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram(@bettyfemme), Twitter(@epvegsnob) or Facebook (elpasovegsnob), where I’ve been posting pics of dishes from participating restaurants.

Visit diningoutforlife.com to find out if your city is participating.

Dine during these mealtimes at the restaurants listed below on April 25. Pretty much all of them are vegan/vegetarian friendly. The most veg friendly places are Eloise, Magic Bistro, Opus World Bistro, Ripe Eatery and Sam’s Chinese Restaurant. All restaurants are donating 25% except for Red Mountain Bistro. They are graciously donating 50%! Eloise and Magic Bistro normally serve food only during lunch hours, but both will be extending their lunch menus into the dinner hours for this night.dofl2013.jpg

Where will you be dining tomorrow?

Review: Opus World Bistro

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*What’s Up’s 2013 Best of the Best nomination form is up! Nominate Opus for the best veggie-friendly restaurant category. Deadline is March 31.*

This review was originally published in the Tiempo Dining Out section of the El Paso Times on February 15, 2013 as part of a series of monthly reviews that feature vegetarian friendly restaurants in the El Paso region.

Bar Area
Dining Area

Most restaurants shy away from adding vegan dishes to their menus because most people shun the label. Chef Michael Ross of Opus World Bistro waves away any negative notions by creatively accommodating this underserved community. After receiving many requests for vegetarian dishes and developing a relationship with the Vegetarian Society of El Paso, he has created an eclectic vegan menu that plays on textures and flavor combinations.

Opus has lunch and dinner menus Tuesdays through Saturdays and a Sunday brunch with endless mimosas and sangria— all vegan friendly. As the restaurant’s name implies, these menus take you around the world. Much of the influence is from Asia and the Mediterranean. All vegan menu items are clearly indicated with a leaf symbol, in which you’ll notice that there are a lot of leaf symbols on the menu. You’ll also notice that they aren’t your typical, boring salad and roasted vegetable plate options. They are well-thought-out entrees with much knowledge behind them.

At lunch, you can choose among small plate appetizers, salads, soup, sandwiches and pasta dishes. The most creative lunch item is the eggplant “bacon” sandwich, which is an interpretation of a BLT. Thin slices of eggplant are seasoned with what tastes like smoked paprika and baked at a low degree for hours; a method commonly used in place of a food dehydrator. The outcome has a smoky crunch with a hint of sweetness that offers a pleasant alternative to its high-cholesterol converse. The sandwich is served on a bolillo roll or whole-wheat sandwich bread with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and a tahini-based spread in place of mayo. All sandwiches come with a choice of soup or salad.

Eggplant “bacon” sandwich
Vegetable Spring Rolls w/Sweet Orange Chile Sauce
Kimchi Shiitake Pancakes w/soy dipping sauce

Small-plate appetizers during lunch and dinner include spiced lentil samosas, kimchi and shiitake pancakes, and vegetable spring rolls. Samosas seem to be popular, because they had run out on two separate occasions. The vegetable spring rolls are fried and have a delicate, crisp texture that isn’t greasy and doesn’t fall apart. Six spring rolls stuffed with cabbage and carrots come with a sweet orange chile dipping sauce. The silver-dollar sized Korean pancakes come with a soy dipping sauce that has the taste and consistency of molasses. The pancakes are soft and have an earthiness from the mushrooms and a fresh scallion flavor. I couldn’t really taste the kimchi, but the orangey hue of the pancakes indicated its presence.

During dinner, a basket of lavash (thin, crispy Middle Eastern bread) and mini cornbread muffins along with cream cheese and cottage cheese dip is brought to your table. Specify vegan, and you’ll get a basket of spicy papads (an even thinner crispy flatbread from India, also known as papadums) and creamy non-dairy-based jalapeño dip.

The current vegan dinner menu boldly offers mimics of classic seafood dishes such as paella and “crab cakes.” The faux crab cakes consist of a blend of tofu, bulgur wheat (the grain commonly found in tabouleh salad), seaweed and spices. The texture and flavor is so dead on, you’ll never know you’re eating tofu. The dish is topped with a corn basil relish and avocado.

Dinner Bread Basket: Lavash, mini cornbread muffins, & papads w/dips
Stuffed Garlic tofu pockets with Lentils, Sautéed Bok Choy, Yellow Curry Sauce
Italian Wedding Cake

Another entree presents a fusion of Asian flavors, a lentil mixture stuffed into garlic tofu pockets and served with sautéed bok choy over a yellow curry sauce. The lentil filling lacked flavor, seeming to solely serve the purpose of texture and protein, but was redeemed when combined with the garlicky tofu skins, ginger topping and thick, creamy sauce that tasted like Madras curry powder.

Vegan options don’t end at dessert. During my visit, chocolate ganache cake and apple tart would have been available if they hadn’t run out. I opted for the Italian wedding cake, which would’ve been great if it didn’t taste like it had been sitting in the fridge past its prime. Pecans and coconut are speckled throughout layers of white cake and a thick cream-cheese icing. Creme anglaise (a custard sauce) and a couple of blackberries are served alongside the cake.

Opus also hosts non-vegan and vegan wine dinners on Thursdays. Chef Ross makes sure to pair the four courses with vegan-friendly wines, as the majority of wineries use animal-derived fining agents such as casein, gelatin or isinglass during the winemaking process. Suitable alternatives can include carbon, limestone or plant casein.

Both blessing and curse is the seasonality of the Opus menus. If a past favorite is gone or all of these choices can’t satiate your palate, Chef Ross is happy to prepare something off the menu with available ingredients. He will also accommodate anyone with other dietary restrictions such as gluten sensitivities. At Opus, it’s haute to go vegan regardless of your eating habits.

Amazing vegan wine dinner from October 26, 2012:

  • Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9pm; Friday 11am-10pm; Saturday 5-10pm; Sunday 11am-3pm. Monday closed.
  • Cost: $$-$$$.
  • opusworldbistro.com

 

Opus World Bistro on Urbanspoon

Review: Singapore Cafe

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This review was originally published in the Tiempo Dining Out section of the El Paso Times on December 28, 2012. This was my first submission for monthly reviews that will feature vegetarian friendly restaurants in the El Paso region.

Established in 1994, Singapore Cafe has become an Asian and vegetarian staple in El Paso. Singapore’s large menu has something for everyone, including a children’s menu. You won’t find many Singaporean dishes on the menu, but you will find a variety of Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Malaysian influences.

The graphically rich menu is divided into sections of beef, chicken, seafood, noodle/rice and vegetarian dishes. It’s rare for an El Paso restaurant to have a section solely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, and even rarer for that section to contain more than 10 veg-friendly items.

Vegetarian spring rolls (fresh, not fried) are popular, but the most loved appetizer is a thin Korean pancake called Bu Chin Gae. It contains thinly sliced scallions and carrots and comes with a sweet soy sesame dipping sauce. The savory pancake is cut into triangles and has a satisfyingly toothsome, dense texture. The dipping sauce pairs perfectly with the subtle onion flavor, but has a watery consistency. I would have liked it to be thicker so that more sauce could cling to the pancake. Other starters that can double as main dishes are vegetarian versions of the Clear Noodle Soup and Bun Ga. Bun Ga is a large Vietnamese salad filled with fresh veggies and herbs, tofu, and rice noodles.

Entrees come in generous portions, and come with your choice of white or brown steamed rice unless it’s a noodle-based dish. Singapore Cafe is known for its Pad Thai, and fortunately, vegetarians won’t have to miss out on their signature dish. Pad thai is traditionally a dish of chicken, shrimp, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and rice noodles cooked in a sauce of tamarind, fish sauce, and other ingredients, garnished with crushed peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges. The veggie version is all of this sans the chicken and shrimp, but with more tofu (you have to specify no eggs and fish sauce if you don’t want them in the dish).

Phad Prik King is another Thai dish described on the menu as a ginger curry with green beans and onions. The dish is traditionally made with a dry red curry paste, but Singapore Cafe serves up a saucy, mild yellow curry sauce. The entrée came with plenty of tofu and fresh green beans, but the sauce lacked flavor and any hint of ginger; I had to add chile oil and sriracha. Skip this dish and opt for more flavorful dishes that are not to be missed like the Ginger Tofu or Yu Sang Broccoli. Ginger lovers will delight in a dish of tofu, mushrooms, snow peas, onions and crushed peanuts. Yu Sang Broccoli with tofu is a safer bet for those who enjoy Chinese fare with some spice.

For dessert, you can try a Banana Turon, a Filipino specialty of bananas rolled in a spring roll wrapper and fried. Ice cream is also offered.

Vegetarians and vegans will feel more than welcome at Singapore and will enjoy a variety of dishes not common to El Paso’s Asian restaurants. Some dishes don’t quite adhere to their traditional namesakes, but contain plenty of fresh vegetables and perfectly cooked tofu. If you dine in, be prepared to relax and enjoy the meal, because service can be slow. Don’t forget to specify veggie when ordering vegetarian and indicate if you would like the dish prepared without fish and eggs. Wine and beer is BYOB

  • Where: 4120 N. Mesa.
  • Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sundays.
  • Cost: $$.
  • Information: 533-2889 or thesingaporecafe.com

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I took these photos at the Vegetarian Society’s board meeting. They meet once a month on the second to last Monday. Social time is at 6 pm and meeting begins at 7 pm in the back room. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Singapore Cafe on Urbanspoon

Year in Review: 2012

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It’s already February 2013, and I am barely posting my annual year in review. 2012 was a crazy, wonderful, yet tragic year for everyone. 2013 is already getting off to a raucous start for me.

Disclaimer: My year in EP food review covers all foods including items that aren’t vegetarian.

photo (22)

Top: Tofu wings & veggie burger at the Hoppy Monk. Middle: Pita bread basket & falafel sandwich at Nour Mediterranean Cafe. Bottom: Veggie meatballs at Oliver’s & Pizza at Tosca.

Trends

The EP trend of 2012 was…burgers! More specifically, it was burgers topped with a fried egg. Hoppy Monk was the most decadent, offering a donut burger as one of its daily specials. Homemade veggie burgers made their debuts at Hoppy Monk, Ripe, and Crave.  The much anticipated Square Cow Burgers, Beer, & Wine opened and promptly closed. Create Gourmet Eats food truck continued to shine, and helped start Foodville Food Truck Park downtown.

The appetizer of the year was fried pickles. A year ago no one had them except for Hooters and Buffalo Wild Wings. This year, you could find them at Bikini Joe’s (now Cabo Joe’s), Wing Daddy’s, Square Cow, Fiesta Lanes Bowling Alley, Toro, Smashburger, and Texas Roadhouse.

Already trending is hummus sans the chickpea. Eloise serves up red hummus that is made with beets, and Tom’s version is lima bean based.

I predict that mac & cheese will be the ingredient of 2013. Mac & cheese will step out of its role as side dish to fill other parts like appetizer, burger topping, pizza topping, and filling.

photo (23)

Top: Star City Kitchen and Belle Sucre Bakery. Middle: Portobella Mushroom Lasagna sandwich at Red Mountain Bistro and vegan “crab” cake at Opus World Bistro. Bottom: Pizza w/vegan cheese at The Pizza Joint and Pea tortellini first course at Opus.

Hurry Up and Wait

  • Square Cow Burgers, Beer, & Wine took forever to open, and then closed before the year even ended. I had been there three times, and received poor service each time. The food wasn’t good either, not even for my meat-eating friends. This is really unfortunate because it had a great atmosphere, beer selection, and concept.
  • A group announced plans of opening a nonprofit restaurant that operates on a pay-what-you-can basis. A large press release was issued earlier in the year, but the group has been quiet since. Check out their website: The Mustard Seed Cafe
  • The Green Ingredient was supposed to open in the fall. It is still not open. The restaurant’s concept is healthy food with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan options. It will be located downtown in the Chase Tower at 210 E. Main St.
  •  Kinley Pon of Kinley’s House of Coffee and Teas and GECU announced a unique partnership; they plan on opening a tea house that will also have a virtual teller/ATM.  Construction behind Kinley’s coffee shop began late summer with a projected opening date of late December and early spring. No word on the progress.
  • The Magic Pan’s Cincinnati location in Kern closed to make way for Agave Kitchen and Bar which is yet to open.
  • Valentine’s Kitchen decided to head downtown. The Mexican eatery was located at 4012 N. Mesa next to Hope and Anchor. Its new location will be at 504 W. San Antonio.
  • Cafe Italia, a westside eatery also announced plans of opening a second location downtown.
  • Hello Day Cafe was supposed to open next to Tricky Falls/Bowie Feathers, also located downtown. Jim Ward, one of the owners said the cafe will serve coffee, have top notch veg options, and offer downtown lunch delivery. No word on its progress.
photo (24)

Top: Tofu tacos at Tacoholics and Mediterranean sandwich at D’Lox. Middle: Tembloroso house coffee beans (Picacho Roasters) and Reuben at Eloise. Bottom: Cabo Joe’s west and Quinoa salad at Red & White Wine Bar.

Hello, Goodbye

  • The biggest, saddest news this year was the closure of iconic El Paso staples Jaxon’s and Capetto’s. Capetto’s had been in operation for 56 years, while Jaxon’s had operated for nearly four decades.
  • Star City Kitchen opened in Nofish’s previous location. It’s open 24 hours, 6 days a week. Cool decor and atmosphere with a fun, creative menu. They have a mashed potato of the day, which can contain funky ingredient combos like peanut butter and sriracha. Unfortunately their creativity falls flat when it comes to their veg options.
  • The university area got another worthwhile Mediterranean restaurant called Nour’s. They start you off with a complimentary basket of pita bread and an amazing creamy dip that happens to be vegan.
  • The Montana Steakhouse which had taken over the original Jaxon’s location closed down. Caruso’s Italian Ristorante opened in its place and closed down about a month ago.
  • The owner of The Greenery opened a new restaurant called Crust in the former location of the Maria Chuchena Mexican restaurant. Crust features pizzas and Italian dishes. I have not tried it yet, but it seems overpriced and I’ve heard mixed reviews.
  • The Greenery closed its market during the summer and announced plans to open Big Juli’s Burgers, Brats & Brews. Come fall, Big Juli’s was canned and the market reopened with slight renovations including a sit down area. They also unveiled a Greenbacks rewards program.
  • The shopping center that Ripe is located at received new tenants, Japanese Crepe House and Sunny’s Sushi. Sunny’s eastside location is still in operation.
  • Big Bun closed in July after 50 years of service and then reopened in a new location at 209 E. Mills, the former location of Alberto’s Mexican Restaurant. They have kept some of Alberto’s dishes alongside Big Bun standards at a reduced price.
  • Fort Bliss’s Freedoms Crossing Shopping Center had a couple of new additions this year: Chi-Town BBQ & Italians.
  • Italians also opened a pizzeria at Sunset’s former location at 5380 N. Mesa.
  • Sunset Pizzeria may have closed, but staff and recipes have been resurrected into Tosca Stone Oven Pizzeria down the street at 4017 N. Mesa. The Sunset menu has been revamped and is much larger.
  • The New City Grille not only has new owners but also has moved to a new location at 101 N. Kansas at San Antonio. It was originally located at South Mesa and Third Street.
  • Tacoholics Food Truck opened up a brick-and-mortar location inside the Exxon at 7450 Gateway East, near Hunter. Don’t let the gas station setting deter you. Their tacos, tortas, and freshly made salsas are so good! Try the tofu tacos!
  • Red & White Wine Bar decided to close shop on the eastside and move into Toro’s former location at Kern.
  • Crave opened Shelby Shack inside the Casa Ford service station at 5815 Montana. They serve breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, and Crave’s signature green chile mac & cheese. Crave is also operating a food truck downtown at Foodville.
  • Newcomer Red Mountain Bistro made Texas Monthly‘s 2012 list of best new restaurants.
  • More food trucks: Sweet Addiction, Moshibox, El Paso’s Wurst, Pappa’s, The Reef, & BFF (still not operating yet).
  • Basico Bistro & Cafe is a new restaurant located inside of the Coronado Tower at 6006 N. Mesa. They serve pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, and bistro classics.
  • Pastry Chef Jonathan Bowden was extra busy this year making and selling bread and pastries at the farmers’ market and other events, and supplying bread to several local restaurants. He then opened Belle Sucre Bakery at 7500 N. Mesa where you can get macarons, eclairs, authentic New York rye bread, and more six days a week!
  • Bikini Joe’s had to change its name to Cabo Joe’s, and opened a second location at the former location of Ernie G.’s, which was previously Andre’s Pizza.
  • My favorite newcomer of 2012 had to be Eloise. Here’s a laundry list why: Wes Anderson theme, French press coffee, almond & soy milk options (I’m really digging soy Cortados), craft beers, Lone Star on tap (which I’ve decided to boycott for personal reasons), house infused liquors (cool , but not my thang), and now a lunch menu with delicious vegan/vegetarian paninis.

El Paso Vegges Out

El Paso became very vegetarian friendly this year. Mercado Mayapan offered a full vegetarian and vegan menu during the month of August. Opus World Bistro began adding creative vegan options to its menu, as well as hosting vegan wine dinners. We also thought The Green Ingredient was going to be El Paso’s only vegetarian restaurant, but it turns out they’re going to serve meat, and they still haven’t opened yet. Oh well, at least there’ll be plenty of veg options.

Restaurants that don’t offer a vegetarian option or are currently offering a salad, mushroom burger, or pre-fab veggie burger, need to step it up— this is no longer acceptable. Opus has vegan crab cakes and eggplant mimicking bacon. The Hoppy Monk and Ripe are making exceptional veggie burgers. Eloise has a vegan Reuben that is so good, you won’t miss the meat and cheese.

Actually, El Paso restaurants need to do better with their meat options as well.

Our local businesses took a hard hit this past year. We saw local staples and newcomers bite the dust that none of us saw coming. 2012′s mantra was go local. But El Pasoans can’t carry all the blame; after all, how many times have you heard someone say such and such place is pretty good— for El Paso. So, step it up and make something that’s good by all standards.

With that said…

…miscellaneous thoughts for local businesses: 

  • Train and communicate with your staff. And treat them well— they deal with difficult people and they’re representing your brand.
  • Be consistent.
  • Don’t overcharge if your food isn’t up to par.
  • If you have a website or social media presence, update it frequently and respond to inquiries and comments! Also, don’t use Facebook or other social media to rant about customers or drama. I won’t name names, but a local business currently does this. It’s unprofessional, annoying, and tacky.
  • Enough with high end frou-frou restaurants. How about a casual, affordable and fun restaurant (that serves beer of course)? Or a diner? We don’t have many diners in El Paso. I’ve never been to this place, but wouldn’t it be awesome if someone opened up something similar to Spiral Diner?

So much happened in 2012 that this became lengthy. Did I leave something out or post any wrong info? Let me know by leaving a comment. Also, tell me what your favorite restaurant or food memory of 2012 was. 

You can also check out my 2010 and 2011 year in review posts.

Review: Oliver’s Restaurant

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This review was originally published in What’s Up Weekly on August 29, 2012, and can be found online here.

oliversdoorAn allegedly womanizing world traveler has combined his experiences and passion for food to create a mostly Mediterranean menu. The figure known as Oliver may have developed the menu’s recipes, but it’s unlikely he is the chef. That’s if you believe he exists, based on the bizarre description on the about page of the website of Oliver’s Restaurant.

Oliver’s is part of a new multi-level venue housed in the historic Newberry Building downtown. It shares space with nightclubs Lotus and Pasha. The small restaurant serves up a large eclectic menu of soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, seafood and steaks.

“The Meatball Shop” is the most noteworthy section of the menu, where you can choose between four meatball options and three sauces served with a breadstick. The breadstick is the same bread that is brought to your table when you are first seated. Scallions and peppers are speckled throughout the bread that comes with a garlic-rosemary-lemon butter spread.

Meatball options consist of in-house ground beef, chicken or spicy pork. The veggie option is a combination of chickpeas, breadcrumbs, peppers and a secret blend of spices. Sauce choices include classic tomato, creamy pesto and parmesan cream. Meatballs can also be ordered with pasta, in a hoagie, or as sliders.

Everything is freshly prepared and flavorful, but tends to be on the salty side. Reasonable prices, plentiful options and friendly staff make this quirky restaurant shine.

201 N. Stanton, 915-503-2333. Lunch: Monday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner: Wednesday-Saturday 5-9 p.m. Price range: $6-$28. Vegetarian and vegan friendly. For more visit www.oliversep.com orfacebook.com/oliversrestaurant.ep.

Additional Veg Snob notes:
I was pleased with how many vegetarian and vegan options were available at Oliver’s. I didn’t try any appetizers, but the veg options are Baked Spinach and Cheese Dip w/chips, Oliver’s Messy Nachos, Anytime Sliders w/fries, Mediterranean Hummus w/roasted red peppers and flatbread, and Fried Cheese Sticks.

Besides salads, pizzas, and veggie meatballs, there are other entrees to choose from. Ursula’s Tuscan Veggie Grill is a grilled portobello mushroom, roasted bell peppers, mixed greens, buffalo mozzarella, and parmesan peppercorn dressing on a toasted ciabatta bun. The Mediterranean Pasta and Veggie Kabobs (served with wild rice) are two other veg options available on Oliver’s Dinner Favorites section, which can also be ordered during lunch.

I love that they have veggie meatballs and the flavor was good, but they seemed to have too much breadcrumbs and were salty. I’d like to go back and try them in the Anytime Sliders. Maybe the chef was heavy handed with the salt that day.

oliversbread

Complimentary bread. The bread was warm and soft, but the citrusy butter was my favorite part.

The menu says 4 meatballs, but they served me 5 and let me get half of each sauce.

The menu says 4 meatballs, but they served me 5, and let me get half tomato and half pesto sauce. I was told that the meatballs were vegan and consisted of chickpeas, breadcrumbs, and spices.

Veggie meatballs with creamy pesto sauce.

Veggie meatballs with creamy pesto sauce. This sauce was very good.

Veggie meatballs with classic tomato sauce.

Veggie meatballs with classic tomato sauce. I didn’t like this sauce.

oliversexterior

A local politician, the director of our public libraries, and the director of the City's human resources department were all dining there during my visit.

A local politician, the director of our public libraries, and the director of the City’s human resources department were all dining there during my visit.

Oliver's on Urbanspoon

Tweet Treats: Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

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Follow me on Twitter @epvegsnob or on Instagram @bettyfemme

Follow me on Twitter @epvegsnob & on Instagram @bettyfemme

My faith in El Paso’s vegetarian/vegan restaurant scene was renewed this past October when I attended Opus World Bistro’s vegan wine dinner. I had planned on blogging about the dinner and the restaurant, but I brilliantly forgot (again) to replace the SD card in my camera. I took cellphone pics, but they don’t do Chef Michael Ross’s food justice. The pics are on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (they’re grouped here>>). I’ll have to return another time to dine and take pictures of regular menu items. In the meantime, you NEED to eat at Opus World Bistro now. While, the wine dinner’s menu items are not on their regular menu, there are plenty of other tantalizing vegan options to choose from. You can view the menu here>>

Prices are a little high, but well worth it. Chef Michael assembles dishes that creatively and deftly make use of seasonal ingredients and textures. As of now, you can print out a coupon from their website. If I still can’t convince you to make it out to the westside and invest in a good meal, you can try making this soup that is inspired from one of the wine dinner dishes. Sweet pea tortellini, cardamom carrot vegetable broth & fresh fennel was the first course and my second favorite dish of the night.

My soup is different, but like I said it’s just an inspired dish. I love the flavors and the complexity the cardamom adds. It’s quick and easy and you can use either butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or carrots. This has to be one of the best soups I’ve created since the Smoky Tomato Chickpea soup I created for Vegan Mofo & the Earth Balance recipe contest.

Cardamom Scented Fall Soup

cardamominfusion

I placed the cardamom seeds in a tea infuser. You can get cardamom seeds at most grocery stores. I bought mine at Sprouts (they sell them by weight in the spice bins). They are cheapest at Indian & Middle Eastern grocery stores.

¼ cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 cups butternut squash, sweet potato, or carrots, ½” dice
2 cups water or vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon caradomom seeds
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
salt & pepper

  1. Saute onions until browned, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, cooking for 5-10 minutes.
  3. Add stock or water, bringing to a simmer. Place cardamom seeds in a tea infuser, sachet, or wrap in cheesecloth; add to pot.
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
  5. Remove cardamom. Puree in a blender or use a handheld immersion blender.
  6. Add peas and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
  7. Garnish with cilantro or your favorite herbs.

cardamom scented soup

Foodie Finds: Harvest Boxes

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Unlike other cities, El Paso does not have year round farmers’ markets- yet. The farmers’ market at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing lasts from about late May to mid October. Even the Las Cruces Farmers Market is year round!  This is odd considering El Paso’s weather is fairly warm for most of the year and farms are still harvesting produce. That’s okay, because you can still get fresh, regional, seasonal, and organic produce year round thanks to a few local CSAs.

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.

Here are the basics:

  • a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public.
  • Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included.
  • Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

If you’re not from the El Paso/Las Cruces area, find your nearest CSA at the Local Harvest site.

Medium box ($33) I was impressed by the beautiful produce that came in this box; chard, bok choy, avocados, cauliflower, apples, limes, onion, radishes, green leaf lettuce, & roasted green chile.

So far there are 3 options in El Paso, and unfortunately for some, they’re all on the westside.

Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op
$15 for conventional, $25 for organic
To join, visit bountifulbaskets.org
Pick up location: Country Club & Westside Drive
Pick up time: Saturday afternoons (time varies)

Mountain View Market Farm Share
$25 + $20 annual co-op membership fee
To join, visit mountainviewmarket.coop/content/mvm-farm-share
Pick up location: Ardovino’s Desert Crossing
Pick up time: Saturdays @ 9-11 am

Skarsgard Farms
Starts @ $24
To join, visit skarsgardfarms.com
Pick up locations & times:
Temple Mt. Sinai on Tuesdays, 3:30-6 pm
4408 N. Stanton
The Blend on Tuesdays, 4-8 pm
5700 N. Mesa
Las Cruces: Mountain View Market, 1300 El Paseo on Mondays from 3-9 pm

Food Day 2012

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Some of us recently celebrated national taco day and pierogi day among the daily growing number of food holidays, but next week will be different. Organizations, restaurants, and chefs have joined together in an effort to celebrate and inform communities about healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) organized Food Day last year as an annual event that addresses issues of health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker injustice…

…continue reading to find out what restaurants are participating nationwide at the Urbanspoon blog.

No El Paso restaurants are participating this year, but the Dorris Van Doren Library is hosting a special event in collaboration with the Vegetarian Society of El Paso on Thursday, October 25. This is during the usual Teen Hangout program, but all ages will be welcome. At 4:30 pm, there will be a sampling of quick, easy, and healthy snack ideas. At 5:30 pm the documentary Vegucated will be screened. Vegucated is part sociological experiment and part adventure comedy that follows 3 meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for 6 weeks. The movie is 1 hour and 17 minutes.

If you can’t make it, stop in the library during the week to view a Food Day display, which will consist of books from the reading list that will be available for check out. Information from various local organizations such as the El Paso Master Gardeners, Mountain View Market, the Vegetarian Society, and more will also be available to take home.

You can also celebrate at home by hosting a dinner party for family, friends, and neighbors. Download the Food Day Dinner Party Kit here for recipes, pumpkin stencils, and place cards.

Review: The Hoppy Monk

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Before I begin, I owe a huge apology to Hoppy Monk owner Joseph and Chef Daniel. I was invited to taste test their Veggie Monk back in April, and here I am barely reviewing it. I’m reviewing the menu, so if you’d like to forgo reading through it, just go order the Veggie Monk NOW. Whether you’re a vegetarian or a staunch meat eater, you’re going to love it.  

The Hoppy Monk first opened in December of 2010 as a bar that specializes in over 100 craft beers (tap, bottle, & can), scotch, and cigars. About a year later their much anticipated kitchen opened, incorporating beer into almost every menu item.  Pub fare included appetizers, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and the quintessential fish and chips. Vegetarian options were limited to salad and pizza, but that changed a few months later when they added the Veggie Monk and Tofu Wings.

Since this is a food review, I will just say that they have a ton of good beers* on draft.  My favorite breweries on tap are Oskar Blues, Ska, and Real Ale. They do not serve any Budweiser or Miller Coors products, nor do they carry Lonestar or PBR. Drinking there can be expensive, so you may want to visit during hoppy hour or Monday pint night. Daily specials can be found on their website.  If you collect glassware, you’ll want to stop in after 6 pm on a Tuesday during Logo Pint Night, where you get to drink a featured beer and keep the glass.

Tofu Wings. Sorry, it’s a cellphone pic.

Triangles of tofu are breaded in a Brewhouse Brown Ale batter (contains egg), deep fried, and served with a Buffalo sauce made with Deschutes Green Lakes Amber and house made blue cheese dressing. Other veg appetizers include pomme frites (Belgian style fries) with a trio of aiolis (fancy mayo), sugar spiced sweet potato fries with toasted walnut aioli, and Trappist mushrooms (beer-battered shitaki, oyster, and button mushrooms) also served with a trio of aiolis. Aioli choices include traditional, arugula, basil, citrus, spicy roasted red pepper, and toasted walnut. While everything tastes good, I can’t get over their use of peanut oil to deep fry. I’ve never liked the heavy greasiness that peanut oil imparts. Peanuts are also one of the most common allergens, so it boggles my mind when restaurants use it, but I guess you could say the same for soy, wheat, dairy, etc.

I’m never keen on ordering salads at restaurants as a meal, but their Organic Baby Spinach is something I really want to try. The name doesn’t do it justice. Spinach is accompanied by panko-crusted goat cheese balls, a blend of dried berries and golden raisins, and toasted walnuts dressed in a house made Fruli (strawberry beer) vinaigrette. Wild Arugula, Pub, and Caprese are other salad options, but none are vegan unless ordered without cheese.

There are three pizzas to choose from and all are made with a handmade dough that goes through a one day minimum cold fermentation. Margherita is the only vegetarian option with fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil.

Veggie Monk w/sweet potato fries & walnut aioli. I think the beer is St. Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower.

As fun as the Tofu Wings are, the veg star of the menu is the Veggie Monk burger. Chef Daniel worked hard to get this burger right and it paid off. The patty is a black bean-pumpkin mixture with corn, herbs, and spices bound together with a “flax egg.” I’m not sure what the spices are, but one might be cayenne pepper because there is a hint of heat in the patty. The texture isn’t very firm, but it is satisfying and melds with the other toppings on a fresh baked Kaiser onion roll. Toppings include provolone, tomatoes, red onions, greens, and arugula aioli. I hate mayo or any other egg based condiments, but I can’t say no to arugula and didn’t mind it. The patty is vegan, so vegans may want to try ordering it without the bun, cheese, & aioli. Burgers are served with your choice of a side salad, pommes frites, sweet potato fries, or macaroni and cheese.

The Hoppy Monk is one of a handful of restaurant bars that is trailblazing the local food and drink scene in El Paso. Joseph said as their kitchen continues to evolve, they would like to feature more vegetarian items from time to time. I really hope this is true, because they are already serving some of the most creative and tasty vegetarian options in town.

*Vegans & vegetarians should be wary of beers that contain isinglass (fish bladder) or honey. Usually cask beers and stouts contain isinglass. To find out if your beer is veg, visit the Barnivore site. Somebody seriously needs to develop an app for them! This would be really handy at bars and restaurants.

They have a great patio w/a cool beer tap fountain, too!

Disclaimer: I was invited to taste the veggie monk burger and did not have to pay for it. I did not receive monetary compensation to write this review. All opinions are my own.
The Hoppy Monk on Urbanspoon