Zpizza, TGIFridays, Native Foods

My favorite place to get vegan pizza is Zpizza! We first found one in Santa Ana, but they are all around SoCal, including Irvine. They have a pie called the Berkeley Vegan which comes with vegan cheese, vegan burger crumbles, and lots of veggies. I feel like I have probably blogged about this before... but it is so delicious! 

These pictures at Zpizza are from the second Disneyland Dapper day that we went to, this time with Jane and Richard! Then after Disneyland we went to Zpizza, with a coupon, of course!

Another wonderful use of a coupon... For signing up for TGIFriday's mobile app you get a coupon for a free appetizer. So Patrick and I each signed up, so we each got a free appetizer. At these larger restaurant chains I often find it a tad difficult to find something vegan on the menu. But to me, that is part of the fun of it! Figuring out what these places offer for vegans. It is a constant study, and I find it super interesting. For my appetizer I got the fried green beans. I know, doesn't sound that amazing, but the waitress suggested I get marinara to dip them in, which I did, and they are just like cheese sticks! I was satisfied, they were delicious! Patrick got three slider burgers for his appetizer, then we each got a salad and a drink so we didn't look like total cheapskates. It was a great meal for a great price. And the best part was a date out with my love! We went to the TGIFridays at the Block at Orange. Back up in our old stomping grounds (pre-Irvine). 

Back in Irvine... Well, actually Tustin, but more Irvine-Tustin than Santa Ana-Tustin (man I am really starting to sound like a Californian)...
Anyway, I went to a restaurant that so many people have been telling me to go to since I went vegan.

Native Foods Cafe

Everything on their menu is vegan. It is a bit cheaper than some other all-vegan restaurants I have been to (cheaper than Free Soul Caffe, also in Tustin actually). The first time I went to Native Foods I got a "chicken" wrap with fries:

and... A CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE! Now it has been quite a while since I went to Free Soul Caffe (link to my blog post when I went there on my birthday), but if I remember my experiences correctly I would say I more enjoyed the entree food at Free Soul Caffe, but the cupcake at Native Foods was better than the chocolate cupcake from Free Soul Caffe. The cupcake from Native Foods tasted just like a regular delicious chocolate cupcake, while the one from Free Soul was a lot airier and less satisfying. The second time I went to Native Foods I got a fried "chicken" sandwich, which did not really hit the spot. Patrick got a "bbq bacon burger" or something like that (completely vegan) and it totally did not hit the spot for him. Just goes to prove my point of not eating "chicken" or "meat" or anything that is not supposed to be vegan but they make a vegan imitation of. Just eat your veggies. and vegan baked goods :)

I totally forgot how to just shove my face into biting a cupcake!

Tonight I whipped up some vegan chocolate chip cookies (I might bring some to work at UCI in the xMPL tomorrow to share and spread the vegan love.....) I also got stuff to make Patrick a (non-vegan) pumpkin pie. I picked up some apple cider from Trader Joe's. We are getting in the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas spirit. But it's mainly just because that is the direction the displays at the grocery store push us in. And I swear every grocery store is spraying cinnamon air freshener in the front doorways. It smalls so wonderful!!! Trader Joe's is selling $3 nice-looking pumpkins... We will probably get one.

Happy Eating!

-Gina

PS- Next week starts week 4 of grad school at UCI. I love it so far!!! :) I am currently choreographing for and stage managing a dance/digital media show called Virtual Venues in collaboration with NYU and Berkeley :)