San Francisco: Part 1

Here's what you need to know about traveling with me:  I have eating pants.

Yes, that's right.  You heard me: eating pants.  And I'm not afraid to use 'em.

My partner and I traveled to Napa Valley and San Francisco last week for a wedding and it was the perfect excuse to explore some new vegan and veggie-friendly places.  Since we were on a tight timeline, I ate my way through most of the city for three days straight.  So, get your eatin' pants on, get ready to salivate, and let's check out some of the yummiest places in the Bay Area.

Our first day began with a breakfast at Herbivore in the Mission District.  They have two locations in San Francisco and also one in Berkeley.  Herbivore has a great breakfast and brunch menu with a nice variety of light and hearty options.  They also have fresh vegetable juices and were kind enough to make me a custom juice!  I opted for the corn cakes with black beans, salsa, guacamole, and vegan sour cream.  Ashley had the french toast with sour dough bread and real maple syrup along with a strawberry milkshake (with coconut ice cream).

I arrived tired and hungry from traveling, but this place quickly turned my mood around.  Not only was the service fabulous, but the food was excellent.  I tend to be weary of restaurant breakfasts because I typically find them greasy or too heavy, but not at Herbivore!  Both of our dishes were filling and satisfying while still tasting fresh and healthy.  This is definitely my kind of breakfast!

After breakfast we decided to do some exploring around the city and learned that the Bart (the Bay Area Rapid Transit) is the fastest and easiest way to get around.  Of course, that's assuming that your partner didn't lose her ticket, use yours to exit the gate, and then leave you stuck behind.  It's also assuming that she did not have to go buy another ticket to bring back to you, but it still wouldn't work so then you had to beg a security guard to let you out.  Live and learn folks.

We spent most of the afternoon walking around downtown while I patiently waited for my stomach to digest so we could hit the next spot on my list: Source.  Source is a "multi-dimensional dining experience" which focuses on creating a unique atmosphere through taste, sight, and sound.  Given my recent journey to eat more mindfully, I was curious to check this place out.

I loved their focus on fresh, seasonal, organic food, and the atmosphere was definitely relaxing and enjoyable. (Any restaurant that plays Brandi Carlile and KT Tunstall is alright by me!) Their menu and drink selection is amazing.  Most of the menu is vegan, but there are vegetarian options as well. 

I started with their raw blueberry yerba mate lemonade which was the perfect balance of yerba mate tea with a sweet, fruity twist.  It took me about fifteen minutes to decide what to eat, but I finally settled on the Spicy Pepper Onion Burger.  Their burger patties are their own unique blend of beets, celery, carrots, lentils, mushrooms, brown rice, fresh herbs, soy protein, onions, and garlic.  You even get your choice of salt and sauce with your fries. Yum! 

Since no vacation would be complete without dessert, a few hours later I went looking for the perfect sweet treat.  My iPhone directed me to a place right across from our hotel called Loving Hut in the Westfield shopping center.  Loving Hut is a vegan chain that has locations all around the country.  (Who knew a vegan chain even existed?)  They had a mix of tofu dishes, curries, and veggie sides, but I was too stuffed to try much besides dessert.  I settled on the pumpkin cheesecake and was not disappointed.  It was the perfect way to end our first day in the city!