circqe d'alex

★★★★(4 stars)

three words: vegan hot dog.  life changing, my friends.  so, i'm over-hyping.  in fact, i never have really enjoyed a hot dog, vegan or not.  but as soon as i saw this place, i was on a quest to go and enjoy a hot dog.  mostly because i wanted to support a place in kansas city that would have a vegan hot dog.

so the place isn't really my style.  it's very 'carnivalesque' and definitely geared for kids (i am without child).  it was a visual onslaught of bright colors, clown pictures on the ceiling, and weird plastic chairs. yet, i know some people (and their kids), would feel right at home.  despite the awkwardness, the husband and i forged ahead and ordered two vegan dogs.   it was pretty awesome - you could order it in a number of different styles - chicago, coney island, etc., or you could customize your toppings.  we went ahead and got chicago style, which has onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, relish, etc., and then retired to our weird plastic chairs to wait for impending deliciousness.  they steam the dogs to order, so it ended up taking 15 minutes or so before our order was brought to our table.  the wait was worth it, as we finally  presented with two 'designer' dogs...  they looked just like the picture!   and man, these rocked.  about halfway through, we decided we needed two more....

i'm completely recommending this place, for those with kids or without.  i'll probably get mine to go in the future to avoid the kiddos whining about ice cream, but that's just me.  overall, this is kind of a unique place in a kansas city, and a huge step for the vegans.  (i did call twice to confirm the dogs were 'vegan' - they are).  unfortunately, i can't review the veggie chili since they were out when we went.    but, i just visited their website and they now have a 'muffuletta' dog, which you know i have to try!

website:
cirque d'alex


location(s):
7308 tiffany springs parkway
kansas city, mo
816.891.0608

7107 nw barry road
kansas city, mo
816.587.4555

the klub (mound city, mo)

★★★★ (4 stars) 

the husband and i took an early anniversary trip up to big lake state park in northwestern missouri.  when we travel to rural parts of the country, i always try to scout things out ahead of time, food-wise.  luckily, i saw a restaurant at the location we were staying with great veggie options.   however, when we got there, we learned about a recent flood that had done some damage to some of local places - including the restaurant.

the nearest 'town' was about 15 minutes away, with a population of just over 1,000.  there was a pizza shop attached to a gas station, and a steakhouse.  oh yea, and a mcdonalds. things were looking pretty bleak.  i pulled out the droid and found the only other restaurant in the area.  granted, it looked as scary as the pizza/gas station joint, but maybe better than our other options.  it was call 'the klub' and ended up being quite a rural foodie dream. although when we pulled up, it was a corrugated steel building and scared us shitless, we forged ahead (and there was a full bar luring us in).
 
after we sat down, the server started to run down the specials, which (as most vegans know) are typically meat based, but she piqued our interest when she mentioned the wild mushroom marscapone cheese ravioli with a creamy port sauce.  uh, what?!  as it turns out, the owner is actually a chef, and makes almost everything homemade.  he uses local foods whenever possible.  i asked if he could make a vegan meal off the menu, and they were happy to!

we ordered the bruschetta (no parm) to start. as the husband and i were enjoying an anniversary cocktail, i glanced out the window and saw a women come shuffling out of the restaurant/shed kitchen area.  she ran over to the fence line, looked among the many plants and picked a sprig off a purple one, smelled it, and ran back towards the kitchen.  i told the husband that i thought it was odd, only to be delighted when our bruschetta was served about two minutes later with a fresh sprig of purple basil.  i almost died.  an herb garden in the back of restaurant...  in mound city, mo?  and it was to die for.  after the first bite, i realized i needed to be documenting this place for all the vegetarians and vegans in rural northwest missouri.  (so half the bruschetta is gone).

the salads came next and were okay (not glamorous), but i could tell they were fresh.  and my balsamic vinagrette was definintely homemade.  even if it was just a plain jane salad, they make a point of using local produce, so that's some deliciousness on a whole other level.

 our meals?  the husband ordered the mushroom marscapone ravioli (he's a vegetarian), and they made a fresh veggie pasta with homemade marinara for me.  perfect veggie fare for our anniversary.  the honey's pasta and sauces were homemade, and it's wild mushroom season in missouri, so i'm sure it was local.  although they told me my noodles were't homemade, the chunky marinara was and had some great seasonal veggies.  additionally, when they served the bread with our meals, they made a point to tell me they used olive oil instead of butter on the bread.

although the klub isn't a dedicated vegetarian or vegan restaurant, they sure did step up to the plate.  the food was good and the attention of the kitchen to our special diet was great.  it was like finding a diamond in the rough rural terrain of rural missouri.  one anniversary dinner disaster averted! 


website:
the klub


location(s):
1710 nebraska street
mound city, mo  64470
660.442.4043

taj mahal

★★★★ (4 stars)

taj mahal recently opened a location in independence, mo. we've been eyeing it from the outside for a couple months, and finally decided to give it a try when we had planned to meet my family for a movie in the area. this review is based on the independence location only, since i've not visited the kansas city one yet.  if i do, i will update this review.

i was... surprised. it's in a strip mall, but the inside certainly does not feel that way all. very clean, a great menu and service, and it definitely had fine dining appeal. and like any good indian restaurant worth it's curry, they started us off with some yummy papadums. i couldn't place the flavour, which killed me, but they were some of the best i've had. the only downturn came when i was trying to order something without ghee, cream or yogurt, which seemed to present a little bit of a problem. i'm guessing they don't have too many vegans coming through. after being told they couldn't make any of the first three dishes i wanted, i finally settled on baingan bharta (eggplant). to be fair, there were a number of other dishes that they suggested for me - mostly lentil and chickpea dishes. i guess i just get burnt out on lentils and chickpeas because i make them so much at home. the husband got something with paneer - i can't rightly remember because the paneer chunks were like the size of my head! it looked really good! we also got some roasted garlic naan (specified no butter) that was drool worthy as well.

all in all, a good indian restaurant. vegans will face a lot of the same dishes they can normally eat, so nothing above and beyond in that respect (at least at the independence location). however, the food was super delicious, service was good, they did have at least four or five vegan dishes and you'll be dreaming about the garlic naan for days. i'm not sure how friendly their buffet is (lunches), so this review is based on dinner only. not too shabby for the suburbs of the midwest heartland (which can often be a vegan wasteland).

no website

locations (2):

independence
19210 e 39th st
independence, mo
816.795.0001 

kansas city
7521 wornall rd
kc, mo 
816.361.1722 

thai paradise

★★★ ★ (4 stars)

recently a couple of the thai place restaurant locations have closed (bummer economy!).  in fact, the two closest to me - the north and downtown location were victims.  i wasn't aware of this, and had happily made the trip to downtown kc for some serious thai indulgence.  after realizing it had closed had closed, we headed over to thai paradise on grand boulevard.  we had eaten there once before, and i'm happy to report, it's as delicious as i remember.

we started with the crispy fried tofu.  although the tofu chunks were a little too big, they were still nicely crunchy.  we ordered the spice tray to kick our sauce up a bit. although the tray isn't as robust as the thai place spice tray, they do have jalapenos marinated in soy - seriously awesome.  for our entree, we both ended up getting the tofu cashew, but there are plenty of other options.  and, they don't use fish sauce, so veg folks can order safely.  the helping was very large, definitely enough for leftovers (and chock full of cashews).

the staff was super friendly and definitely were knowledgeable on the vegan/fish sauce issue.  it's not a glamorous place, but the tables all ornamental hand carved wood - gorgeous.  the tables are all small, so it can be a nice little date restaurant.  i would definitely put this as my second favourite thai place in kansas city, and who knows - now that it is the closest one to me, maybe it will become number one.

website:
thai paradise



location:
1513 grand boulevard
kansas city, mo
816.221.5727

record bar

★★★★ (4 stars)

the record bar offers up some vegan friendly dishes, salads and some custom items that can be veganized. there are no real vegan-dedicated bars in kansas city. heck, there is really only one or two places where you can find all vegan food. so for a bar in the midwest, the record bar's vegan selection isn't bad. not to mention, you can hear some really great music while you're chowing down.


the moby is their vegan sandwich, a delicious marinated portabello (be sure and request is without the mayosturdaionase). they also have a vegan-friendly pizza, the ian mackay. although i really wanted to get a pic of the pizza, i had pizza for lunch that day, so i went with the moby. i wanted to get it in a wrap, so the bartender checked and as i recall, only one of them is vegan. i can't remember which (blame the beer) - maybe the tomato basil? be sure and check if you order a wrap. yummy and filling - what any good bar food should taste like. the husband got the straight up moby - i tried to convince him to get the pizza for picture diversity, but no dice - so two moby's are what you get. oh, they also have my favourite vegan-friendly beer on tap, kansas city's own boulevard unfiltered wheat.


the service is better than your average music-focused bar. prices are little higher than what i think bar food should be, but i guess it's worth it when you are getting good quality vegan food. this place definitely ranks up there with mccoy's, my other favourite vegan-friendly bar.


website:
record bar

location:
1020 westport road
kc, mo 64111
816.753.5207

blue nile ethopian cafe

★★★★ (4 stars)

blue nile is located down in the kansas city river market area, right near the huge farmer's market that is hot spot on weekend mornings. the market area is definitely something that most food-lovin' kansas citians enjoy. besides all the great produce, there are a number great places to eat down there, including blue nile.


i never had ethopian food before this visit, but i had wanted to try this cafe for a while. it's a quaint and unassuming little restaurant, and known for being vegan-friendly. i had been under the impression that ethopian is similar to indian food, but i'm not sure i'm totally convinced of that now. this spices were different, and a lot of the entrees weren't always in the form of a sauce base like you would find with a dahl or curry. our server was very polite in teaching us that you typically order a entree, and then scoop up the food with a spongy injera bread. we ordered the vegetarian combo, so we got to try a little sample of each eight veggie entrees (all are vegan).


to start with, i really loved almost all of the veggie options. each one had a distinctive taste - some were more vinegary, and others were more savory. none of them were extremely spicy, and admittedly, i would have like to have one or two with a little more kick. but in general, each one was unique with out being to extreme. now, for the bad news. i didn't like the injera bread. at first, i was kind of giddy about trying the spongy bread - i tend to get excited when i try something for the first time. but after about one roll of the bread, the texture started getting to me. i found myself using tiny scraps of bread and huge helpings of the dishes. i know this isn't blue nile's fault - i'm sure everything was as it should be. however, since this is a personal review, i feel i have to add that in there for anyone trying ethopian for the first time. honestly, if i were eating it with naan or pita bread, i think i would have loved every last bite.


i almost forgot - we ordered the veggie sambusa appetizers, and they rocked! unfortunately, there were only two to an order... but so worth it. the flavor was right on.

also, be sure and go when you have some time, because it isn't exactly the speediest place to catch a bite. i'm giving blue nile 4 stars because the service was good, the dishes were good in general, and they definitely have a nice selection of vegan options. the combo platter is especially nice for a group of 2 or 3.

website:
blue nile cafe

location:
20 e 5th street
kansas city, mo
816.283.0990

nara

★★★★(4 stars)

i'd say nara gets a healthy four stars, partially just because they offer so many veggie options. i'm judging based on their happy hour menu, and there are least 5 different vegan options. for happy hour in kansas city that doesn't consist of french fries or chips and salsa, that's saying something.


i'm happy to say that nara, which features neo-japanese food, offers a first class veggie roll. i can't say how refreshing it is to find a kansas city sushi joint that offers something more than the avocado roll. there are a few, but i could count them on one hand. they also have hummus, edamame, spring rolls, seaweed salad and a veggie robata (which is glorified miniature veggie-skewers). and that's just their happy hour - which mind you, is at super-cheap prices. the rest of the menu has a smattering of vegetarian options, but i haven't investigated what all is vegan - i'm sticking to happy hour for now.

unfortunately, the atmosphere is a little trendier-than-thou, but if you get there early and leave early, you can avoid that crowd *if* you want to. or sometimes it's fun to go during the peak hours and people watch the ryan-adams-wannabes. i'm certainly guilty of it. :) the service is really decent, and like i said, happy hour prices are worth it alone. it is super-clean, and perfect for a quick drink or bite after work.


website:
nara

locations:
1617 main street
kansas city, mo

garozzo's ristorante

★★★★(4 stars)

let me start by saying that this is a 5-star restaurant food-wise. it has been my favourite italian restaurant since i moved to kansas city. as an ovo-lacto vegetarian, i always found plenty to eat... and it is sooo good. authentic taste, great atmosphere, phenomenal food. but because i have to factor in the vegan-friendliness, i had to demote to four stars.

however, i will say that as a vegan, there isn't much choice. in fact, your only option is their salad. there a stuffed artichoke on the appetizer menu, which you could probably have them modify and just serve with olive oil, but i haven't attempted this yet. namely, because their house salad is ReAlLy good. pimentos, artichoke hearts, fresh romaine. and their dressing is just as tasty (be sure and ask for no parmesan in the dressing). and it's big. and it's $7, which is pretty decent for such a nice restaurant.

they have some great vegetarian options. i used to love the broccoli and mushrooms in a creamy red sauce. the husband always orders their white wine sauce and claims it is the best sauce ever. i try not get offended since i am italian and make some great sauce myself (so i think), but apparently mr. garozzo has one up on me. :)

anyways, it's a great date restaurant. the one in downtown kc is in the little italy district, which is in a pretty isolated part of town. the pictures here (sorry - camera phone) are from that visit. i've eaten at the one in overland park,which is just as tasty. we usually visit salvatore's in independence and sal is almost always there, greeting us and making sure our visit is spectacular. (*note - sal is the nephew of mike garozzo, but it is pretty much the same menu and just as yummy). so if you are vegan and go with the understanding you are having a salad, then this place will not disappoint.


ps- sorry for the sucky pics. it was really dark and all i had was a camera phone.

website:
garozzo's ristorante
salvatore's

locations:
kansas city, mo
lee's summit, mo
independence, mo (*called salvatore's)
olathe, ks
overland park, ks

india palace (lawrence, ks)

★★★★(4 stars)

the husband and i went to see a few bands in lawrence (about 1 hour from kansas city) for valentine's day. it was awesome, and so was all the food we had. we went to india palace the first night, and still had leftovers two days later when we got home.

most indian menus have a decent veg section, so i had a hard time picking out what i wanted. as a vegan in the midwest, it's really exciting to have more than one or two things to choose from when i go out to eat (one of the reasons i started this blog). to start with, they give you a basket of papadum (lentil crackers) that were so freakin' yum! i was thinking about the chickpeas and tomatoes (chana masala), but opted out because i eat a ton of chickpeas. i think i'll try that if i go back. however, i got a super yum dish of lentils (dal). i can't recall what the husband got, but he was just as pleased with his.

service was... just service. it wasn't over the top, but it wasn't bad either. and after several bad diy attempts, the server did finally take our picture for us. :)




*just an update based on a comment - i was assured my dhal was vegan and did not contain ghee. however, you can never assume this and should always ask.

website:
no website, but this site has their menu

location:
129 e 10th street
lawrence, ks 66044
785.331.4300

on the border (national chain)

★★★★(4 stars)

although i normally prefer the local mexican establishments in kansas city, if i had to pick a nation chain, on the border would be my favourite.

their salsa is really scrumptious, and they have the best guacamole that they make at your table. in general, i tend to stay away from re-fried beans unless i know they are vegan - on the border is no exception. but their black beans (ordered without cheese) are vegan. i also order corn tortillas, if i plan on eating them, because they are usually vegan. this particular time, i got the portabello fajitas, no cheese or sour cream, and it was super awesome. the husband got the avocado grilled enchiladas.


they also have a 'build-your-own-burrito' option, that is good for anyone on a restrictive diet, since you can pick and choose what to put in. their fajita salad that is vegan if you order it with portabello, and their smoked jalapeno vinaigrette is vegan. their corn tortilla strips are not, so make sure to omit those if you order a salad.

all in all for a mexican place, it's pretty easy to find something to eat. and their service has never really let me down.


website:
www.ontheborder.com

locations:
see their website

tasty thai

★★(2 stars) or ★★★★(4 stars) **(see note below)

this is absolutely one of the worst reviews/experiences i have had to date. the husband and i decided to get some our favourite thai food, only to find out (after a 20 minute drive) that it was closed for remodeling. not ones to give up easily, we decided to explore another thai restaurant that was a couple exits away.

tasty thai's service flat-out sucked. we stood at the door for at least 5 minutes before a host even arrived to seat us. after about 5 minutes of waiting for our server, he arrived and took our drink orders. he came back about 10 minutes later to take our dinner order, and hadn't even brought our drinks! what!? when i mentioned that we'd like our drinks first, he left, took a phone order and did other various things several minutes before he came back with our drinks. to make it worse, he didn't seem apologetic or even aware that he wasn't doing his job.


the food was mediocre. we did like the appetizer we ordered, which was a bunch of fried tofu pieces with two different peanut sauces. the entrees, though, were just mediocre. mediocre at best. normally i can't wait to take home leftovers to extend my thai food experience, but i was just blah about taking home my leftovers. the husband was equally underwhelmed with his meal...

and our bill was pretty pricey for not-so-good food and terrible service. needless to say, we won't be going back.

9/24/10 update:  they opened a tasty thai in liberty, which is the closest town to where we live.  we have avoided it for at least 7 or 8 months, but finally gave in to giving it try one night after friday happy hour.  to our surprise, the staff was super friendly and totally aware of our vegan situation (i.e. fish sauce).  they basically stated they could make almost 90% of their food vegan for us (except for the curries), and was super attentive to our needs.  and we had this crazy good appetizer of fried taro.  anyways, this place was definitely four stars in terms of food options and service.  my two stars still stands for the one up on prairie view.

website:
tasty thai

locations:
7104 NW Prairie View Rd
Kansas City, MO 64151
816.584.8801

1912 star dr.

liberty, mo 64068 

816.781.7800 

1912 Star Dr.

1912 Star Dr.

minsky's pizza

★★★★(4 stars)

minsky's pizza is a local chain of pizza/bar restaurants. based upon our pie the night i took this picture, i'd probably giving this place 3 stars. but i've been there before, and i worked there for 5 years, and i know just how good they can be. in fact, many people in kansas city consider it one of their favourite pizza joints.

they are a little pricey, but i've found that most non-chain pizza places are. they have a wonderful selection for veg*ns, including artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, almonds, and the other regular veggie toppings. their famous veggie specialty pie is called a nature's choice, and it is super-delish. just be sure to get it on original crust, as it typically comes with honey wheat (non-vegan). we had the nature's choice (on original crust), half without cheese.


each location has variations in the menus. there are sandwiches, calzones, and salads that are vegetarian (and can be made vegan by omitting cheese). at the main street location (and possibly some others), they have a cheeseless grilled veggie pizza on their menu. they even have pasta with veggie-balls (although i don't know if these are vegan - be sure to ask).


website:
www.minskys.com

locations:
in kansas - leawood, lenexa, olathe, prairie village, shawnee
in missouri - barry road x2, blue springs, city market,
independence, lee's summit, main street

mr. le's sushi

★★★★(4 stars)

mr. le's is a sushi, japanese and vietnamese food restaurant in north kansas city. this rating is based on their sushi menu, and awesome miso soup. they use hoisin sauce in their vegetable delight, which is veg*n (lee kum kee), so it's sweeter, but at least it's not oyster sauce. they also have vegetable fried rice (contains egg) and veggie stir fry noodles (not sure if it's vegan, but probably vegetarian), which is probably that extent of their veg*n dinner options. they have edamame and vegetable tempura as veg*n appetizers. both are good, but not necessarily the best i've ever had.


they have four veg*n rolls - the avocado, the cucumber, the oshinko maki (pickled radish), and the vegetable roll (pickled radish, avocado and cucumber). this is pretty typical for the area - i've only been to one other sushi restaurant in the kc area that has more than four veg*n rolls, and some have even less. however, they give free miso soup with every sushi order - insane!


we've been three times in the past five days (uh, we were on a sushi kick), and their service is pretty consistent. mr. le makes most of the sushi, and has an assistant that helps him out. all three times i thought the rolls could be tighter, but in general, it's pretty good. they have sushi happy hour every day from 3-6, and this place fills a noticeable sushi void in the north kc area, which also helps its rating.


website:
none

locations:
5024 ne parvin road
kansas city, mo 64117
816-454-5112

papa murphy's

★★★★(4 stars)

yea, it's a chain restaurant... but i figured i'd give it the old veg*n review anyways. their sauce and crust are vegan, so it makes it easy for me to eat there without resorting to salad.

we got the gourmet vegetarian, which has spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and chopped tomatoes. it also comes with onions, but we subbed black olives as neither one of us really likes onions. we just asked for cheese on one side - including some parmesan sprinkle they put on top. so half was vegan, and half was fine for my ovo-lacto vegetarian husband.


after we got it home, we baked it for about 5 minutes, then i sprinkled half a can of drained sauerkraut on top of my side. if you like sauerkraut, this makes a great crispy cheese-like topping (obviously it doesn't really taste like cheese). the husband loves sauerkraut on top of his cheese, but his side was way too overloaded already.


to be honest, it's not the best pizza in the world... i mean, it' s good, but it's not phenomenal. but i gave it 4 stars because 1. it's cheaper than other pizza take-out, 2. it tastes way better than frozen pizza, and 3. it's so easy when you don't feel like slaving in the kitchen making homemade pizza. i would probably would give it 3 and a half stars, but i don't feel like figuring out how to make a half star in html.

website:
papa murphy's

locations:
lots of places - see the website