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

el mezcal (lawrence, ks)

★(1 star)

i think the only thing saving this place from zero-stars is the unlimited chips and salsa (which wasn't bad), and the fun tattoo vending machine in the lobby area....

as i mentioned in my last post, the husband and i went to lawrence for a mini-vaca over valentine's day. as with most mexi joints, we tend to love the fajitas (and it tends to be one of the few things i can eat). so we were super excited with all the fun stuff listed... peppers, mushrooms, zucchinis, broccoli, etc.


to our surprise, when our sizzling plates arrived, they were overflowing with... pineapple. and i'm not a fruit-in-my-salsa kind of girl. don't get me wrong - some people would have probably enjoyed it. but i don't, and i think i should have been warned. not only was pineapple omitted from the menu, it was the MOST prominent ingredient. look at the picture below - that was just one plate's pineapple pile.


also, my tortillas weren't cooked or steamed... or something. they were all stuck together, so i basically couldn't even peel them apart. i ended up just eating my fajitas with a fork, which wasn't bad, if i didn't have to pick out all the pineapple. the service sucked. i think he came by our table twice, and we had to flag someone down to ask for everything else.... like drinks, napkins, boxes, the check, etc.... it just kept on. all the time i was thinking 'one-star, one star...' the margaritas also sucked some ass... and i wasn't expecting much since i'm not a margarita connoisseur. but i do know if one tastes like shite, and this one did.

so we gave up, and bought a fake tattoo in the lobby to cheer us up.

website:
el mezcal

locations:
1819 w 23rd
lawrence, ks 66046
785.832.8775

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

mccoy's public house

★★★★★(5 stars)

i have been going to mccoy's public house in westport since i was old enough to drive. and when i was old enough to drink beer, i started going a little more often. the folks who spend time there a weird combination of mellow hipster and casual professional types that create a perfect atmosphere where you never feel out of place. plus they have a kick-ass patio that everyone loves on kansas city summer nights.

their menu is really extensive, with a smattering of every type of cuisine. and it is all really good - i don't think i've ever had a mediocre meal here. this visit was with my entire family for a celebration, and i had the sonoma vegan wrap. so good. and my vegetarian husband (and my omni-vore mom) had my big fat greek pasta, and both were full of raves.

in the past, i've had the stir fry and black bean burger (not vegan), which were both really good, as well as the hummus. and i haven't even gotten to their beer.... i'm a fan of the unfiltered wheat - it rivals my all-time favourite (boulevard unfiltered wheat). you can even get their beer in kegs at decent prices, as my friend kim did for her graduation party.

service is friendly, and they are usually pretty quick and attentive. friday and saturday nights can get pretty busy - but you can make reservations. happy hour is also busy, although they don't have super deal prices for hh as i can recall. but no matter, it's worth it.


website:
mccoy's public house

location:
4057 pennsylvania
kansas city, mo 64111
816.960.0866

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