Tag: vegan food

Guest Post: Diana Edelman Founder of Vegans, Baby Shares 10 Las Vegas Spots with Amazing Vegan Food

Las Vegas is on fire with vegan options. Recently,  the city was ranked 10th in the nation (let that sink in for a moment, since in 2016 there were less than a handful of all-vegan restaurants) for being vegan- and vegetarian-friendly.

If you’re looking for a place to dine and enjoy amazing vegan offerings, the options are abundant.

It’s my job to go out and try all the vegan food in town, and I get asked all of the time where to eat out. These are some of my top picks, based on nearly three years of eating out for Vegans, Baby, which is proud to provide the city’s only comprehensive guide for vegan- and vegan-friendly dining (and more) in Las Vegas.

Want more vegan options? Check out the Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide, loaded with the best vegan food in the city with nearly 100 suggestions for where to find all of the amazing eats in town.

VegeNation: Any visit to Las Vegas needs to include VegeNation. With two locations in town (Downtown and the ‘burbs) their global street food and rotating seasonal menu is super popular with the locals. Be sure to try their mac and cheese pizza or their Chicky Chicky Bang Bang, a spicy chicken sandwich.

The Modern Vegan: Opened in March 2018 and leading the charge for vegan restaurants opening this year, The Modern Vegan’s menu boasts a whopping 100+ dishes. Their specialty is comfort food, so be sure to order the corn dogs or Louisiana Fried Chicken. And, save room for dessert. Closed Monday – Tuesday.

Violette’s Vegan Organic Cafe & Juice Bar: This fun and hippie restaurant off-Strip focuses on organic comfort food and veganized food like nachos, mac and cheese, sandwiches, burgers and more. For healthier options, check out their juices, smoothies or bowls.

Go Vegan: This gluten-free restaurant is all about natural eating — their menu is heavy on the raw and healthy. Head there for breakfast and treat yourself to the breakfast platter with tofu scramble or omelette, gluten-free muffin and more.

Simply Pure: Located in Downtown’s Container Park, Chef Stacey Dougan’s Simply Pure serves both raw and cooked goodness, including their famous lasagna with tofu ricotta (this meal is a must). It even comes in a gluten-free version.

Tacotarian: Vegan Mexican food at Tacotarian will have you doing a happy dance. With more than a dozen tacos to choose from, the vegan restaurant also serves up traditional Mexican eats and fun dishes like Taki-covered elote and Frito pie.

Chef Kenny’s Asian Vegan Restaurant: Chef Kenny Chye’s restaurant is your go-to for Asian cuisine in Vegas. His sushi is incredible and lets you indulge in rolls you’d never thought you’d have again, like the Rainbow Roll. Bonus: the orange chicken is gonna fool your omni friends.

Blinders Burgers & Brunch: This northwest Las Vegas restaurant is all-vegan and offers a variety of creative burgers. Choose your patty — veggie, Beyond or Impossible — and then order up what suits your fancy. They also offer a weekend brunch that includes pancakes with crispy Herbivorous Butcher bacon.

Good Pie: Craving pizza? Head to Good Pie. Las Vegas doesn’t have its own vegan pizza spot, yet, but this is a must. The Detroit deep dish, gluten-free (yes, you read that right) is the stuff dreams are made of.

Beauty & Essex: If you’re looking for a high-end restaurant on The Strip, Beauty & Essex fits the bill. Perfect for vegans and omnis, this dining experience comes complete with eats like herb crusted tempeh, flatbread and desserts that will blow your mind.

Want even more vegan restaurants? Here’s a guide to all of the vegan restaurants in Las Vegas.

–Diana Edelman is the founder of Vegans, Baby which aims to make being vegan easier around the world. She also is the author of the Las Vegas Vegan Food Guide, founder of Las Vegas’ vegan dining month — Veganuary Las Vegas, and runs the Vegans, Baby Vegan Food Tours. Follow Vegans, Baby on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, find out where to shop for vegan goods in Las Vegas on Instagram, and stay up-to-date on Diana’s projects on her Instagram.

Las Vegas Dining: Wing Lei at Wynn (Birthday Dinner)

Watermelon martini and melon hor d’oeuvre.
Garden Dim Sum
Chilled vegetable roll.
Tiny chair for my purse. So cute!
After dinner, walking to the south valet.
Those are the doors to the south valet behind me.
Koi in the water. So beautiful.

Hi guys! I’m so excited to share my Wing Lei review with you all. I wasn’t planning on writing a review so I didn’t take too many pictures, none of our entrees. However, this immediately became one of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas so I have to share it with you. My birthday was 2 weeks ago. As I mentioned on my Instagram, we kept it low-key with a nice, quiet, fancy dinner. I’ve been wanting to dine at Wing Lei for quite some time now but it didn’t seem like a place you’d want to take an infant, so I decided to wait for the right time to try it out. My mom flew in for my birthday and offered to watch Athena so Marc could take me out to a nice dinner. I immediately thought of Wing Lei.

If you’re not familiar with Wing Lei, here’s a little overview from their website: “Wing Lei, the first Chinese restaurant in the country to be awarded a Michelin Star and the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award-winning Chinese restaurant in North America, combines Chinese flavors with Western technique to create an exceptional dining experience at Wynn. A lavish gold and jewel-toned dining space draws inspiration from elements of classical Chinese architecture and design to create contemporary rooms that are rich and eclectic. Wing Lei features a view of a private garden that harbors century-old pomegranate trees and a gleaming golden dragon. The elegant surroundings pair perfectly with Chef Ming Yu’s menu—a masterful mix of Cantonese, Shanghai and Szechuan flavors—featuring delicacies like tableside-carved Imperial Peking duck, mu shu pork and wok-fried Maine lobster.”

The Ambiance

This dining room is beautiful. It feels very open and equally private. There are beautiful wall sculptures, walls draped in luxe fabrics, traditional Chinese architecture, gorgeous flower arrangements, and touches of gold that dazzle the eye. The entire space is elegant and lends a relaxing vibe. We sat next to the private garden that holds century-old pomegranate trees.

The Service

We made a reservation for 8:30 but got there closer to 9. It wasn’t until we arrived that I realized they close a 10. I got a little anxious because I like to take my time during dinner, well, during any meal. But especially for dinner I like to sit and relax, converse, and maybe have a cocktail or some wine. When we arrived the hostess greeted us with a smile and we were shown to our table. The restaurant was about a third full. Our waiter came out to take our drink order and he also had a smile on his face. Already, my anxiety started melting away. By the time he came back with my drink, about 5 min later, I completely forgot about my anxiety. The entire staff was really nice and professional throughout the entire night. We were never made to feel rushed even though we left close to 11. We let him know we are vegan and he pointed out some good options.

The Food

We, of course, skipped the animal products, instead opting for their vegan options and it.was.fantastic! Did you know that every single restaurant inside the Wynn has a vegan and vegetarian options? It’s true! That’s because Mr. Steve Wynn, himself, is vegan. Wing Lei doesn’t have a separate vegan menu but there are vegan options on the main menu. They started off our meal with a complimentary melon and vinaigrette hor d’oeuvre. Marc immediately said it was the best melon he’s ever had. I have to agree, it was soooo good and we were left wanting a bowl full of it, lol.

Garden Dim Sum

We started with the garden dim sum. This dish is meant to resemble a garden and the presentation is just beautiful. These delicious little dumplings are colored with vegetable juices like, red beet, corn, and spinach. They are filled with a savory veggie filling with a texture similar to a traditional dumpling. Topped with pea tendrils and edible flowers to add a bit of whimsy and color.

Chilled Vegetable Roll

This chilled vegetable roll is filled with mango, carrot, cucumber, mint, wrapped in rice paper and topped with a chili vinaigrette and micro greens. It was delicious, so refreshing and light but filling.

Vegetable Fried Rice

I was so happy to see this on the menu. Fried rice is typically made with egg so I asked if they could make it vegan and they said absolutely. I was so excited because I love fried rice. I could have used a bit more flavor but it was still really good and perfectly complimented the Gardein chick’n dish.

Sautéed Mixed Vegetables

Bell peppers, mushrooms, choy sum, baby bok choy, and broccoli in a black bean sauce. This dish was so flavorful and cooked to perfection.

Tai Chin Gardein Chick’n

Gardein chick’n with scallions and garlic in a black bean-chili sauce. This was amazing! It was so packed with flavor and cooked perfectly. I highly recommend getting this when you visit.

Tips

Wing Lei is located near the south valet entrance. We left our car at the north valet entrance and when we asked for directions to the restaurant, the nice gentleman that checked our car informed us that we could pick up our car at the south valet; so convenient!

The restaurant is open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.

There is a dress code. Business casual attire is required; shorts are not permitted and gentlemen must wear a collared shirt.

Children under five are not permitted.

To make a reservation by phone, call (702) 770-3388.

Have any of you been here? If so, how did you like it? I’m dying to go back!

Americana: A Fine Dining Gem Off The Strip

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I’m overwhelmed thinking back to my first time dining at Americana. Overwhelmed in the best sense of the word. The food, the ambience, the service—I don’t even know where to begin! Walking into the restaurant, you can see slivers of water through the windows at the far side of restaurant. That’s Lake Jacqueline, on which Americana sits atop. The ambience is elegant and luxurious without being pretentious. The lighting gives the whole restaurant a calming glow; the vibe is relaxed and welcoming. This restaurant is tucked away in the middle of the Desert Shores community, far off from the strip but you’d never guess that looking at the food.

I was 1 of 6 Vegas Lifestyle Influencers invited to dine at Americana. We sat out on the picturesque patio overlooking the serene lake. Chef Stephen Blandino, who is also the owner, created the most delicious and aesthetically pleasing dishes for us. We were treated to a three course dinner as well as champagne, wine, and all the desserts a girl could ask for. They even created special dishes for myself and my fellow vegan Ashley Diana. Given the fact that a vegan menu isn’t standard here, yet every dish was phenomenal, there is no question, Chef Blandino and his team are experts in their field.

We started the dinner off with a flute of champagne. The first course was a mango and radish slaw salad with mandarins and strawberry caviar. A portobello mushroom steak followed. This was the most delicious portobello mushroom I’ve ever had in my life; it was juicy and so packed with incredible flavor. Then they brought out a cauliflower steak paired with corn, bell peppers, snap peas, and oyster mushrooms over a cherry reduction. I paired a nice glass of cabernet with my cauliflower. Everything was absolutely delicious! And these were just the items I had. There was so much food!

For dessert they brought out some amazing dishes including cheesecake, chocolate cake, a lemon bar, macarons, blood orange sorbet, and cotton candy. The blood orange sorbet and cotton candy were the two vegan options and they were both yummy. My mouth still waters when I think about that sorbet. We finished dinner off with cappuccinos and some great conversation. I was floored by not only the food quality and taste but also by the plating. Every dish was beautifully plated and prettier than the last. The Americana team really know how to make their guest feel welcomed and valued. I’ve been recommending them to everyone! If you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion (or even just for a nice dinner) in an intimate setting with high quality food, great service, and beautiful lake views, this is the place to go. I can’t wait to go back for another fantastic dining experience.

If you’d like to know more about Americana visit their website, here, and follow them on Instagram at @AmericanaLV. You can also find them on Yelp, here.

Quick and Easy Vegan Pancakes

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If you follow me on Instagram you might remember that I said I’d be sharing some recipes from the cookbook I’m working on. It’s still got a little ways to go before it’s done but I wanted to share a few recipes with you guys before I publish it. I made these pancakes this morning. I topped them with my favorite berries and after seeing the red, white, and blue theme, I thought they’d be perfect for a Fourth of July breakfast! These pancakes are quick and easy to make. There are only 6 ingredients and they’re DELICIOUS!

This is basic vegan pancake recipe that you can use anytime, it’s quick and simple. I topped them with berries and a bit of powdered sugar but you can change up the toppings to whatever you like. They’re equally delicious with just maple syrup on top. I’m thinking next time I’m going to try peanut butter and carob chips on top—yum! If you make these, tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations! You can find me at @jeanettepadillavega. Happy Fourth of July!

Quick and Easy Vegan Pancakes

Makes 6 pancakes | Prep: 5 min | Cook: 10 min

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 

1 cup almond milk 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

1 1/2 tbsp baking powder 

1 tablespoon organic cane sugar 

2 tablespoons evoo

Pinch of salt 

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl then add them to the dry ingredients. Mix until everything is incorporated but careful not to overmix. It’s ok if there are some small lumps left. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high. Pour a ladle-full of batter onto the skillet and let it cook for 30 seconds or until the surface of the pancake is covered in small bubbles, then flip and cook an additional 15-20 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter, then top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!