Native Foods: Vegan Lunch Spot

Native Foods is a great vegan lunch spot with filling, healthy meals in a casual setting. Originally opened in Palm Spring in 1994, Native Foods now has many locations in the West and Midwest. The success of this restaurant is no surprise as it serves up healthy fare without fuss or overly expensive prices. With the founding goals of using organic and local ingredients, not harming animals and providing healthier meals for all, diners can feel good about eating at Native Foods.

           Placing our order at the register, we decided to split the Greek Gyro and the Yo Amigo Taco Salad. Both dishes were reasonably priced at under $10 each. The friendly woman behind the register offered us Native Foods customer cards, an easy sell once we found out we would have a complimentary beverage with signing up. The Watermelon Fresca, a combination of fresh watermelon juice, a touch of mint and sweetened with organic agave had a clean and refreshing taste. The first dish of the Greek Gyro included thinly sliced seitan sautéed with shallots on quinoa with steamed vegetables and kale. The large portion was filling and the fresh ingredients made for a healthy meal. Yet the many flavors blended together, leaving a more subtle and muted taste. The dish may have been better without the seitan as the quinoa was more than enough to create for a hearty base to the meal. For the second dish of the Yo Amigo Taco Salad, we asked to add their special Native chicken.  Despite the variety of ingredients, the salad tasted relatively conventional. The Native chicken, although moist, was a poor imitation of chicken and was not all that appealing in itself. In the future, I would skip over the salad in favor of the gyro or some of the quinoa concoctions, named soul bowls, on the menu. 

            We planned on finishing the meal with the samples by the register of their carrot cream cheese cupcakes, consisting of fresh grated carrots made with cinnamon and orange juice and topped with vanilla cheese frosting. The samples were delicious, but served their purpose and left us wanting to try more of their desserts. We settled on splitting one of their infamous Boogie Bars, banana bread with almonds, oats, coconut and chocolate chips. The description promised the bar would “make you boogie” and I could not agree more. Deliciously moist with pops of chocolate throughout, it made for a sweet end to the meal.

            Overall, the dishes at Native Foods will not blow you away in flavor, but if they serve their purpose in providing healthy, filling meals at reasonable prices. And the vegan desserts do not disappoint.

Native Foods: 1023 West Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

(773) 549-4904

http://nativefoods.com/

Mon. – Sun. 11 a.m. - 10p.m.

Chicago Diner: The Vegan Dive

Looks are deceiving. The old diner charm of this Chicago staple leads you expecting a meal of fried unhealthiness, but the Chicago Diner has been serving vegetarian fare since the early ‘80s. Arriving on a wintry night, we were unsurprised that the wait was over an hour. The tens of waiting diners were directed to wait in the heated tent at the back of the restaurant. Rewarded for our wait with tea and scone samples, it was hard to complain as we perused the menu. While the options at the Chicago Diner are healthy, they also satisfy fall under the category of comfort food with options ranging from potato skins to nachos to five alarm chili. Once seated, an hour or so later, we decided to split the avocado tostados and the gyro, recommended by the waiter. The avocado tostados combined healthy ingredients to make a hearty meal that could fill any Midwestern diner. But the standout of the meal was the gyro, a pita bread with sliced seitan with tzatziki sauce. This plain sounding dish was unbelievably tasty. Previously not a believer in seitan, a wheat based food referred to as an imitation meat, I was wary to try the dish. But the seitan was delicious and I have since changed my opinion, now considering it a food of its own rather than a mere substitute for another ingredient. The tzatziki sauce was a lightly zesty compliment to this dish. 

Although the meal was heartily tasty, I would be just as happy to go to the Chicago Diner for the dessert alone. Known for their vegan shakes in flavors from Choc Chip Cookie Dough to Lucky Leprechaun Mint to Chocolate Peanut Butter, this is an indulgent treat that can’t be passed. These vegan shakes do not use dairy products, but instead use beet sugar, real fruit and other natural ingredients to create sweetness. The shakes are deliciously rich, satisfying even the most diehard sweet tooth. I ordered the Lucky Leprechaun Mint and can say that it satisfied every expectation and more. The other dessert selections looked worth a try, but you cannot leave the Chicago Diner without trying one of their infamous shakes.

Chicago Diner: 3411 N. Halstead, Chicago, IL 60657

(773) 935-6696

http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/

Mon. –Thurs.: 11a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. – 11p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. – 11p.m., Sun 10a.m. – 10 p.m.

Taxim: A Mediterranean Experience

         Stumbling upon Wicker Park, you find people spilling out of laid-back bars and cozy looking restaurants. Wicker Park referred to by some as “hippie town” is a neighborhood where you can never be too casually dressed and should be ready to talk to some friendly Midwesterners. It is the perfect place to get casual drinks and dinner with friends. Unexpectedly, tucked away in Wicker Park is Taxim, a Greek restaurant serving up delicious food and a fun decor. The unassuming almost dark exterior, which we passed by without realizing it was our destination, does not prepare the diner for the ambiance within. The ornate chandeliers, hanging from the domed ceilings, dimly light the waiters carrying the dishes on golden trays to the guests in the decorated seats. Resembling a Grecian palace with an Meditarranean feel, the restaurant steers just clear of cheesy, evoking a more fun atmosphere that does not take itself too seriously.

Photo courtesy of Taxim Website

          In deciding what to order, we were severely limited as the majority of main dishes were not vegetarian. We instead decided to order with an assortment of hot and cold appetizers, in my opinion, always more fun anyways. The beginning the meal, consisting of a basic Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, olives and onions coated in oil, is how I wish the majority meals would start. The fresh ingredients and simple tastes did not disappoint . The second small dish, politiki style wood fire roasted eggplants with sesame and house-made pita was my favorite dish of the night. The eggplants proved the perfect topping for the pita and left us scraping the plate with our spoons once the pita was gone. The third small dish, roasted red beets with greens, Thracian style walnut skoralia and Feta, combined just the right number of ingredients to create a clean but creative flavor. The combination of the base of the beets with the tartness of the feta and overtone of walnut was delicious. The fourth small dish of green lentils, barrel fermented sheep’s feta, balsamic reduction and semolina bread, was a nice side to our other dishes. The plainer green lentils were filling and dense without as much flavor as the other dishes.
   The fifth dish, not that I am counting at this point, of wood-grilled octopus, fennel root and red onions, combined simple and fresh ingredients with the delicious fish for a delicious finishing touch.     

Photo courtesy of Taxim Website

   Although filled from our variety of small plates, we could not deny ourselves a traditional greek dessert of rolled phyllo pastry with almonds, walnuts and cretan clotted cream. Living up to expectations, the dessert’s combination of the flaky layers of the phyllo pastry with the nutty interior satisfied my sweet tooth for Greek goodies.

            Overall, Taxim serves traditional Greek fare with fresh, delicious ingredients, making for a dining experience that not only satisfies the taste buds but makes you forget you are in Chicago.

Taxim: 1558 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622

(773) 252-1558

http://taximchicago.com/index.html

Mon.-Thurs. 5:30 p.m. -10 p.m., Fri. –Sat. 5:30 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sun. 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.