Review: Pulse Vegan

I finally got a chance to try out Pulse Vegan. It is really exciting to have a new vegan trailer in Austin. I really dig sandwiches, so this is up my alley. I got to try the Frenchy, the Philly, the Mac, the Savory Greens, the Dill Fries, and (not pictured) the Barbecue Black-Eye Peas. I did not try the Buff Boy barbecue sandwich this time. I was a bit surprised at my reactions to the dishes. I was super excited about the Frenchy beforehand, but while it is OK, I did not think it was great. There was a strange flavoring in the dipping sauce. Maybe allspice? The sandwich by itself was good, but it did not scream bold flavors. It had seitan, onions, and vegan cream cheese inside a baguette. I think that it needs something a little more flavorful added to it. The Philly, which I did not expect to care for, really surprised me in a pleasant way. It had seitan, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, vegan cheese, mustard, and Cajun mayo inside the sandwich. It was quite tasty and full of flavor. The Dill Fries and Savory Greens were both quite delicious. The Mac, which my children surprisingly rejected, tasted a bit like cornbread stuffing. I would not get that again. The Barbecue Black-Eye Peas were a bit too strongly flavored of smoke for my taste, but my wife and daughter really dug the taste. I can't wait to go back and try the Buff Boy and see what other things they create. Welcome to Austin.

Maggianos

A couple of weekends ago, the in-laws were in town and we went to a lovely Italian restaurant in Austin called Maggianos http://www.maggianos.com/en/Pages/Home.aspx in South Austin.  I spent a few months in Italy when I was in college so I have a warm place in my heart for REAL Italian food (not cheese soaked pasta dishes you get here) so I was excited to be be there.  Awesome place.  But not at all vegan-friendly.  As a good vegan does, we bombarded the cashier with vegan questions and began to order...the cashier, a 20-something-plays-videogames-and-drinks-chocolate-milk-and-wears-the-same-shirt-for-days-on-end kinda guy says challengingly, "the Pizza's NOT vegan."  Incredulous, I say, "Really? It has milk?"  "No", he replies, "It has YEAST!"  I shake my head and say "It's OK" and he just stands there, not entering my order into the register and looks at me (ready for a fight)..."It is a living ORGANISM".  I just have to laugh, and retort "I am not here to argue, I am just trying to feed my family".

I really don't mind being challenged like that...but it is funny that a person who clearly is not vegan and in fact clearly was anti-vegan would seemingly worry about the well-being of single celled organisms.  If we had to worry about critters as small as yeast, gosh, I couldn't sip water from a glass that wasn't recently sterilized for fear I might ingest a bacterium!

Good food though...what was vegan!  LOVED and I mean LOVED and will FANTASIZE about the marinated olives, zucchini and eggplant in the refrigerated section...drooooollll....we had some decent pizza that the kiddos loved and the husband loved his pasta dish.  All in all a very nice visit!

BBQ Revolution Review

I probably shouldn't say anything unless my comments are only completely positive, but I thought I would share my experience at the new vegan barbecue trailer on North Loop. I had a soy curl sandwich and potato salad. They were OK, but I would not go out of my way to get them again (at least right now). The food was a bit one note. The sandwich was extremely smoky and salty. I had a hard time tasting anything else other than the smoke. The potato salad was also extremely salty and was missing something, perhaps more pickle relish? The flavors were quite subtle. Please do not get me wrong, we all need to support this vegan business. This was only my first time eating there. The items that I had need to be tweaked some. When I was a meateater (more than 11 years ago), I loved eating barbecue. Good barbecue was never overly smoky. It's greatness was in a well-balanced sauce. That should be the dominant flavor. I have high hopes for the barbecue trailer. I just hope that adjustments can be make on the menu. By the way, my wife was much more positive about her sandwich.