Restaurant Review: Pizza Fusion

After my review of Village Pizza Company everyone suggested that I try the new pizza spot in town Pizza Fusion. Finally I decided to make a trip down there to see what all the hype has been about. Pizza Fusion touts itself as being an earth-friendly, fresh and organic pizzeria and it definitely does not disappoint. Pizza Fusion manages to get all three of these things done while coming off more hip than hippie (even though I like the hippie places too).

The pizza, sandwiches and desserts were all delicious. I loved the texture and taste of the crust and even though the cheese was just your normal run of the mill Follow Your Heart Brand it tasted better than any package of follow your heart I’ve ever eaten. There was only one problem. Well, we had a couple problems that night but there was really only one problem when it came to the food. The pizza only comes in one size, unless you come at lunch and then you can get a personal sized pizza. Even though my date was no stranger to vegan pizza and didn’t mind eating it, it was a bit of a nuisance that the only way we could get exactly the kind of pizza we wanted was to order two separate pizzas. With just one pizza, one sandwich, a couple beers and a free dessert our bill ended up being double of what we’re used to when we go out and get pizza and beer (usually at Village Pizza Co.)

As much as I enjoyed the pizza at Pizza Fusion I doubt I’ll go back there unless it’s during lunch time, otherwise it’s just an overpriced hassle for me. I’d rather just go to Village Pizza Co., spend $3 on a generously portioned slice of pizza that has everything I want on it and call it a day.

Unlike most of the restaurants I review Pizza Fusion is actually a chain which has locations all over the U.S. so check out their website at http://www.pizzafusion.com/locations/ to see if there is one near you.

Restaurant Review – Au Lac Café Fresno, CA

When you think of Fresno, CA the last thing you think of is great vegan food. But if you take one glance at my Fresno Guide you’ll see that Fresno actually has quite a bit to offer the central valley vegan. I’ve heard of Au Lac Café (1495 N Van Ness Ave, Fresno, CA 93728) for years now but for some reason just decided to give it a try this last Christmas. It is literally a block away from Charlotte’s Bakery so you can have a great meal and then walk over to have an incredible dessert.

Au Lac Café has a simple menu with amazing flavors. Here’s a sneak peak of what their menu has to offer:

Happy Burger – chicken patty, tomato, lettuce, sprouts, onions, vegannaise, mustard (optional teriyaki sauce)
Teriyaki Burger – chicken patty with sautéed mushrooms and teriyaki sauce
Veggie Sandwich – loaded with every type of vegetable you can imagine
Fried Rice
Curry Fried Rice
Lemongrass Chicken
Garlic Chicken
BBQ Drumsticks
Au Lac Fish
Tofu Delight
Chow Mein
Avocado Delight Salad
Eggplant tofu with rice
Chow Fun
Vegan Chicken Stir Fry

My personal favorites are the happy burger, the teriyaki burger, garlic chicken (tons of garlic!) and the vegan chicken stir fry. I could have their happy burger every single day for the rest of my life and be a happy little guinea pig.

They also sell faux meats out of a big freezer in the corner of the restaurant. They have a vast assortment of vegan and vegetarian chicken, vegan pork, vegan fish, vegan bacon and even vegan lamb. Everything at Au Lac’s is reasonably priced with the average menu item priced at $6.50. A pound of vegan chicken ran us about $4.50 and is definitely enough to make a couple great dinners out of. The only downside to it is that I can’t get that same faux chicken in Atlanta. If you are trying to decide where to eat in Fresno I highly highly highly recommend you head to Au Lac first then work your way down the list. And remember to bring cash, they don’t take credit cards.

Restaurant Review: Charlotte’s Bakery Fresno, CA

I have to tip my hat to Charlotte’s Bakery (1292 N. Wishon Fresno, CA) for being the only bakery in Fresno to carry vegan goodies. Not even the local Whole Foods stocks vegan cupcakes and cookies in their bakery (a luxury I am used to in Atlanta). The line-up rotates but typically they always have some form of chocolate cupcake (Mexican chocolate or traditional chocolate) and 1-2 additional flavors. On my last visit they had fresh baked mouthwatering lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting topped with chopped macadamia nuts. In addition they also bake vegan cakes, cupcakes and cookies to order if you call your order in 24 hours in advance.

Charlotte’s Bakery also offers deli sandwiches, panini’s and salads. They have a vegan Panini which has Portobello mushrooms, eggplants, roasted red peppers, basil pesto and mixed greens; a veggie deli sandwich with avocado, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts and hummus or the peanut butter & jelly with banana sandwich that you can have served cold or grilled as a Panini. And of course like all good bakeries they have an assortment of freshly baked breads available daily. I highly recommend a trip to Charlotte’s bakery if you ever find yourself in Fresno.

Restaurant Review: New Star Vegetarian Restaurant Fresno, CA

While back home in California for the Christmas break I just had to try more of Fresno’s emerging vegan cuisine. I heard great things about New Star Vegetarian Restaurant (1134 E. Champlain Dr. Suite 108, Fresno, CA) and so I decided to give it a whirl. I was more than a bit skeptical when I checked out their website only to see a picture of a dead crab on a plate. I wondered was this a pescetarian restaurant trying to be cool and hip by calling themselves a vegetarian restaurant. After glancing through the menu it was clear that New Star is an extremely vegan friendly restaurant with no animal products on the menu. But I will be emailing them about that crab picture.

But strange pictures aside, the food at New Star is fabulous. I went there with my two omni parents and between the 3 of us I think we got a pretty good sampling of the menu. I got the Fried Won Tons as an appetizer (good but not great), and the fried BBQ Chicken which was unbelievable. My mother couldn’t stop raving about how good my dish was. The sauce was a smoky garlic BBQ sauce that was light and sweet and went perfect over a bed of rice with asparagus. The vegan version doesn’t come with mashed potatoes but you don’t miss it. My dad had the New Star’s Crispy Orange Chicken (which can also be made with tofu), and he loved it. This is saying a lot coming from a traditional meat and potatoes guy. My mom went for the Cashew chicken and once again couldn’t stop raving out it. She even proclaimed that if she could eat food this great everyday she would be a vegetarian. We finished the night off with a slice of carrot cake. Although it was good, I can’t say it was the best carrot cake I’ve ever had (I prefer a moister texture to my cake) but it was certainly a good cake that I would order again.

Overall our experience at New Star Vegetarian was an excellent one. The servings were generous and we all had plenty of food to take home for another meal the next day. And I have to say a special note about our hardworking server. There was only one server in the whole restaurant and it was a very busy Friday night. However, she worked her way through each table like I have never seen! We didn’t have to wait for a thing, not one thing. She was attentive, didn’t forget a thing we asked for and was so inviting and sweet. For her alone I would come back. I can’t recall the last time I had such great service, especially from such a busy server.

Dinner Menu: http://www.newstarsvegetarian.com/_fileCabinet/diner_final.pdf
Lunch Menu: http://www.newstarsvegetarian.com/_fileCabinet/lunch_final.pdf

Restaurant Review: Little Peking Fresno, CA

Growing up in Fresno, CA I always assumed it was one of the most boring places on Earth (which is a pretty fair assumption if you ask around). However, one thing that has never been boring about Fresno is the food. The rich land and agriculture lend to fresh, local and organic produce that is literally the best I've ever tasted. When I think of home I think of Mexican food and my favorite pizza parlors. Now, my second time coming back home as a vegan, I've realized there is more to Fresno than just my old standbys.

After doing some research on happycow.net I discovered that there are a fair amount of restaurants and bakeries that cater to vegans in the area. Literally, the moment I got off the plane I asked my mom if we could go to Little Peking (7975 N. Cedar Ave, Fresno, CA) because I heard they had vegan orange chicken and I just had to try it (my exact words).

Walking into the restaurant I could tell my mother was a bit wary. It's a humble and simple restaurant with not too many frills. But what they lack in decor they fully make up for in food and service. The extensive vegetarian/vegan menu had over 30 options (some do contain eggs but the staff at Little Peking will help you identify what's what).

The food was extremely inexpensive (my orange chicken dish was only $5.95) and the taste was phenomenal! After having a bite of my veggie orange chicken my mother immediately lost interest in her real sesame chicken and we ended up ordering another veggie orange chicken to-go as well as a vegan version of the sesame chicken my mom had been eating earlier (they were also very flexible about letting us add more veggies instead of steamed rice to our meal at no additional charge).

Later on that night, my hardcore meat & potatoes father had a plate full of the veggie orange chicken and proclaimed it a success as well. So from one vegan and two life long omnivores it can be said, without a doubt, that Little Peking is a must try.