Native Foods

My first vegan experience came as a shock to me.  Walking into the restaurant I didn't realize it was 100% vegan. Vegan is no meat, no dairy, no eggs, and no cheese.  I am a MEAT EATER!!  What am I doing here?!  The girl that greeted us said it can be overwhelming for first timers.  That's definitely one word for it. The menu is filled with chicken, sausage, and even a bacon cheeseburger!  The menu has little forks next to certain items for us newbies. I had to take small steps, like testing the water before getting in.  I ordered the "chicken" wrap and sweet potatoes fries.  My poor sweet boyfriend, Duc, jumped in the deep end!  Duc went for the Soul Bowl with BBQ "chicken" and regular fries.

I love anything and everything lavender flavored.  Lavender cookies, lavender cupcakes, and I LOVE lavender lemonade.  I was obsessed with it when I lived in Corvallis and could get it around the corner.  When you first drink it, you get the sweetness of lemonade, but its the lavender that lingers after.  So of course I had to have theirs as well.  It was great!  Not as strong as I loved in Corvallis, but with its softer hint, it was great. 

I was amazed by how much I liked this meal!  My"chicken" wrap so good!!  Of course, you cant get chicken from soy products or beans, you can only get chicken from a chicken!  But a chicken substitute for this wrap was just right.  The wrap was filled with greens and this spicy sauce that crept up on you and hit you afterwards.  I loved the spiciness!  I didn't like anything spicy until I met Duc and now I cant get enough! 

Duc didn't have the same experience with his Soul Bowl. After every bite a look came over his face that said, "this is good, but there is no meat so it cant be real food."  A few times he said, "its just so healthy." The BBQ "chicken" didn't have the right texture and he knew it wasn't real chicken so he couldn't enjoy it.  Duc is a rice connoisseur.  And his biggest complaint was that the was overcooked. It was mushy. And the vegetables pieces were very large.  We always try each other's food and I thought his food wasn't bad! 

For dessert, I indulged in the cardamom rose cupcake.  It was yummy.  Extremely sweet!  Make sure to have a glass of water near by.

After dinner we went to the movies and saw Sherlock Holmes 2.  Afterwards, we stopped at a burger stand (near Native Foods), Duc needed real protein.  He ordered the hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep fried and then topped with chili and cheese.

Duc has agreed to go back once a year.  I'm going to convince my friends to try it so that I can go back.