The Flying Biscuit

Vegan on the Road....

I was in Charlotte, NC and I ate at my all time favorite CHAIN restaurant, The Flying Biscuit. 

http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/

I love this restaurant because:

They have a lot of VEGAN options right on the menu and

They have organic ingredients

I have had many of the items.  They have tofu scrambles, black bean burgers, tofu BBQ wraps and more.  You can pretty much substitute tofu for eggs in any of the dishes.  They have sides of morning star soy items. 

I typically do not eat the "mock meats" but I was curious about the soy sausage.  In case you ever get a hankering for a sausage biscuit, definitely try their Morning star soysage. 

For breakfast, I had their Mexican wrap!  It is tofu (substituted at no extra charge for eggs), Peppers, onions, tomatoes in a wrap with a yummy tomato salsa on top.  I got it with a side of potatoes!  It is pretty spicy, but a perfect combination of flavors. 

GO TO THE FLYING BISCUIT!  So far, I have eaten at the ones in Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC.  We need one in Charleston for sure!

Jack's Cosmic Dogs

Jack's Cosmic Dogs is a very eclectic and neat place to eat hotdogs.  It is located in Mount Pleasant and now in Folly Beach too.  It is the perfect spot to eat a late lunch sandy and wet after a day at the beach.

You may be asking "what in the world would a vegan eat at a hotdog place?"  Have no fear...you can get any of their signature dogs with TOFU!  All you have to say when you order is "VEGEROID IT"

The serve all of their dogs on a large sesame seed hotdog bun.  Their french fries are cut directly from a potato and are delicious! 

I get the Tofu dog with mustard and jamaican relish!  It is very yummy.  So check out Jack's after a day in the sun...and don't forget to vegeroid!

Long Point Grill

The Long Point Grill in Mt. Pleasant is a part of a local chain of restaurants. The others in the chain include; Mustard Seed, Uno Mas and Boulevard Diner.  They are all yummy and have an abundance of Vegetarian and Vegan options! 

Check them out at Dine with Sal

Every night at Long Point Grill, they offer different specials on a hand written board.  This is where you will usually find great options that can be altered to your preference.  I actually did not find anything on the menu that was vegan friendly.  I altered a great dish however and this is what I got!

This was a linguine with shrimp and Parmesan cheese.  I asked for the linguine without the shrimp and add extra veggies! 

The pasta had a lemon, garlic sauce topped with spinach, roasted tomatoes, asparagus and onions.  It was pretty and yummy!

Definitely give them a try as their menu changes often and they can adapt any dish to your liking!

Starbucks

"Tall, Java Mocha Shake with Soy Milk, No Whip"

Starbucks can get a bad rep sometimes.  People think they are sell outs, pretentious, wasteful even.  But Starbucks is actually a pretty good company.  They are definitely on the "green" wagon!  Their plastic cups are made from 15% less plastic (it's a start).  They give you a discount if you bring in your own reusable mug and they sell a great selection of reusable mugs and water bottles!  Starbucks also sells fair trade coffee!! 

They recycle, conserve and are charitable in many different causes!  You can check out Starbucks Responsibility for more information. 

My favorite thing is that you can make a frappuchino or hot coffee drink any way you want it.  So, by adding soy milk instead of milk and saying no to whip cream, you can have a great cruelty free refreshing drink on a HOT Charleston August afternoon!

Enjoy!

Cypress

My favorite part about going to a fancy restaurant is the trust you can have in the chef to make a great vegan dish!  We went to Cypress and I didn't even have to open the menu.  All I said to the waiter is "I'm Vegan" and he said "VEGAN RISOTTO!"

This risotto was so creamy, spicy and full of vegetables.  The portion was huge and of course was certified vegan and local! 

If you don't like risotto, they also have a great Ratatouille.  It has eggplant, zucchini, squash and much more! 

Cypress has an awesome ambiance.  They have very cool lights, a two story wine rack and comfortable seating.  Definitely check out Cypress!

Here is their website with some great pictures and a menu!

http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/

Lost Dog Cafe'

My all time favorite place to eat lunch is in Folly Beach, SC!

 Lost Dog

The Lost Dog Cafe is awesome! It is a quaint little beach restaurant.  It is dog friendly with little dog bowls everywhere for thirsty pups!  They have a great outdoor patio covered by palm trees. The best is eating lunch and then walking to the beach!!!

Lost Dog has a lot of vegan options! 

My FAVORITE dish is the:

BOB BARKER Black Bean Burger!

Everyone knows that Bob Barker is a friend of the animals!  So it is fitting to have the best cruelty free burger named after him.  It is a homemade black bean burger that is large and very good.  It is served on a kaiser roll with....MANGO salsa!  It is a perfect blend of tastes!  I like to get it with a side of homemade hummus and bagel chips.  Yummy and filling!!!

Other great options are the Very Berry Spinach Salad (sans feta cheese) and the quesidilla without meat, cheese or sour cream! 

Definitely check out Lost Dog and then go walk off lunch on the beach or pier! 

Kaminisky's Desert Cafe'

 

Check out Kaminsky's online

Kaminsky's is an awesome little desert cafe' in downtown Charleston!  We love going there after a nice dinner!  They have a cozy little seating area with a whole menu of coffee drinks galore and a huge display case of freshly baked deserts ranging from cobblers to eight layer cakes. 

This is not a vegan cafe' however, have no fear...Kaminsky's can whip up a mean vegan coffee drink!  They have SOY! 

This is my drink that they made me.  It is called a "Grasshopper".  It is steamed Soy Milk with mint and chocolate.  It was very yummy!!!!  Kamisky's saves the day with non dairy warm beverages!

FIG

Tonight we went to a restaurant on Meeting Street called FIG.! We have been wanting to go this place for awhile now.  It is the name we have chosen if we have a baby girl!  So, of course I wanted to go eat there and take a picture of the sign (just in case)!  Check out Eat at Fig.

F.I.G. stands for "Food Is Good".  And yes it is too!!  Everything we ate there was wonderful and vegan friendly!  (all you have to do is ask!)  FIG uses all local ingredients from local farmers.  It is fresh and sustainable. 

To start, we ordered the John's Island Tomato Tarte Tatin!  They were roasted fresh tomatoes on top of caramelized onions.  The onions had this wonderful sweet tastes and were crunchy and paired so nicely with the slow roasted tomato on top.  Yummmmy!  It was paired with a goat cheese tompanade, but you can ask for it without or just leave it on the side and not eat it. 

For my main dish, I asked the chef to make a vegan vegetable platter!  And boy did he!  This is what came on my vegetable sampler; heirloom eggplant camponata; leeks; pan roasted okra; Anson Mills Farro Piccolo and Sauteed rapini. 

The leeks were sweet and caramelized to perfection!  The okra was halved and pan roasted just enough to bring out the flavor but they stayed light and fresh.  The sauteed rapini was like collard greens without all of the fat added to southern greens!  The heirloom eggplant companata had tomatoes in it, eggplant and what tasted like a balsamic vinegar taste.  And last but not least, the Farro Piccolo!  It had peas, lima beans, corn, tomatoes and more in it.  It was a very yummy little side.  All these samplings mixed together were the perfect variety of tastes and the perfect amount of food! 

FIG's menu may look a little vegan unfriendly, but just ask and they will whip up some tasty, flavorful treats!