Local Vegan Eats

So I know it's been a month since I posted, and I apologize, but it's been a tough month with the passing of our beloved cat three weeks ago. We miss him, but hope that he's enjoying kitty heaven.

In the meantime, although food has not been a big focus, we have eaten out—just recently we went to Pomegranate, a Russian-Georgian restaurant on El Cajon Blvd. in North Park. I had been wanting to try it for a while, as I noticed some veg options on the menu they post outside, and I was not disappointed.

The atmosphere was delightful, with a bit of an old school feel. Every bit of wall space was covered with marker writing and drawing from those who have eaten there. Even the ceiling had writing, which intrigued me as it's somewhat a high ceiling. Perhaps one can request a ladder if they wish to write up there? But alas, our table did not even have sharpies, and I hadn't brought my own (although I will next time).

The service was very friendly and helpful. When we informed our server of our vegan-ness, he recommended a vegan platter of numerous cold salads and the vegan version of the Borscht. We agreed to both and eagerly awaited our food. We noticed that the menu said they sold vodka by the inch, so we ordered some of that too (although our waiter explained that due to the type of liquor license they held, it was not true vodka).

The platter came and was quite fun; most of the salads had a garlic flavoring incorporated somewhere in them. They were colorful and one reminded me of a vegan version of tuna salad. The Borscht there is actually served hot, for which I was thankful since it was a chilly night and the salads had been cold of course. It was actually a lot of food; more than the two of us could finish. We didn't put much of a dent in the "vodka" (the bottle said it was an orange flavored wine; whatever it was was quite tasty and not as daunting as shots of vodka) either; the two of us put down one inch.

The prices were quite fair for the amount and quality of food and we enjoyed the authenticity of the place, complete with an older gentlemen sitting at the tiny bar who reminded me slightly of Tolstoy, with shorts and black socks pulled up to his knees. We will definitely be frequenting Pomegranate again. It was both romantic and yet seemed like it would be fun with a group. However, I must warn that what we had may have been the only vegan options, although there were several other vegetarian options. Bon appetit!