Edmonton

Vegetarian Cafes

ABSOLUTELY EDIBLES CATERING & CAFÉ

Absolutely Edibles started out as a catering company, in 1999. They began offering catered foods to concerts, promoters, festivals, and the like, and have been extremely successful at it, building an impressive client list that has been loyal to them over the years. That speaks well of them, and in particular to the owners Brenda Dutton and Bjorn Cochran who, with their years of experience in the food industry as chefs and as partners in this venture, have maintained a high standard in their foods, both in preparation and in presentation.

Bjorn and Brenda decided to start a catering company because they saw a need for an ethical food service operation that was ethical and health-conscious. To that end they mad a concerted effort to maintain a consistent and high caliber of offerings that reflected a balance between being nutritious and delicious.

The idea of going from a company that was strictly a catering operation to opening up a café was a slow process. There was a need to ensure that there’d be no compromise in the initial mandate of theirs, before they could feel comfortable in spreading their energies to other aspects, such as the café. It was a hit though, as one feels immediately at ease within entering the place. It is at once funky and relaxing, very casual and fun-absolutely no pretensions here. The attitude of Brenda and Bjorn is that they love experimenting, with the resulting successes being incorporated into the menu, as well as into the catering options, which are quite extensive, albeit less so for the vegetarian. However, they are very receptive to meeting special needs of the client, so that vegetarian and vegan catered lunches, dinners and receptions are definitely possible.

The concept here, while not being a vegetarian establishment, nonetheless has a variety of vegetarian selections as well as a good selection of vegan dishes, including some that use soy cheeses. Virtually everything here is made fresh, from scratch, and incorporates as much organic ingredients as possible. No commercial sauces are used, they are made on the premises. Except for one, all the dressings are vegan. And NO DEEP FRYERS are used here! Deep frying is frowned upon here, the preference being to sauté and bake foods as called for, again to ensure the healthiest presentation for one’s palate.

Soups are changed daily, so there is always a variety, including vegetarian selections. Ask the server. As for rice served with dishes, they have a 9 grain rice pilaf that is vegan.

Looking at the menu one sees immediately that the choices for the vegan are exciting, to say the least. The choices start with the vegetarian spring rolls, listed as being vegan friendly, then going to a selection of salads. Entrees available include Vegan Moussaka, using a soy-based Béchamel Cream sauce and soy sirloin, potatoes and eggplant layered, all baked with Greek spices. As well there is something called a Vegan Veggie Friend-a spinach wrap stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, banana and roasted peppers, sprouts, black olives fresh basil, finished off with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil infusion, accompanied by a choice of either soup or a salad. Then there is the Vegan Quesadilla, again using spinach flour tortillas, stuffed with sautéed peppers, soy cheese and onions, topped off with a black bean salsa.

As well, there are the tried and true dishes, with a vegan twist, such as the Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich, served with baby field greens, soup or the rice pilaf. Or the Vegan Cheese Burger, served on a whole wheat bun and topped with a vegan spread, and the usual fixin’s.

Not listed as a vegan dish is the Spicy Black Bean Burger, so it is likely to contain some dairy product(s), as does the Vegetarian Lasagna, an exciting mix of fresh eggplant, zucchini, onions, cauliflower broccoli and bell peppers, layered with a blend of four cheeses and a fresh-made garden tomato sauce, then slow baked and accompanied with garlic toast. After dinner there is a selection of homemade desserts to bring a sweet end to a memorable dining experience.

Brenda have gone to great lengths to create a café that reflects their commitment to nutritious and tasty dishes, and an atmosphere that is both fun and relaxing, where a person can feel at home amongst the art and photos on the walls, watching the chefs work their magic in the open concept kitchen, or reclining on the patio during the summertime, enjoying a cold one from the fully licensed bar.

BLUE CHAIR CAFÉ

Taking over from where the Sidetrack Café left off, as far as being a venue for live entertainment, the Blue Chair Café also wound up being named one of Canada’s best new restaurants in 2005 in En Route Magazine. A great venue for local and not so local artists to perform in, the Blue Chair is also a fine place to enjoy a meal without feeling any pretensions surrounding them. Hmm, I just realized, the vast majority of the restaurants I’ve visited share that very trait; none of them suffer from being pretentious. Interesting…

In any case, Blue Chair, cognizant of the existence of vegans, includes them n the menu, so as to make their visit here as pleasant as everyone else. They have basically three menus, Brunch-self explanatory, Casual, which is offered from opening until close, and the Dinner menu, from 5-8pm. On the Casual and Dinner menus there are a number of appetizers, listed under Starters, that are vegetarian, and even vegan friendly. They include their Daily Soup, often vegetarian and/or vegan, the Spring Mix Salad (vegan), comprising of organic mesclun, veggies, fruit and greens, with a raspberry maple vinaigrette, made in house, and their own version of Salad Wraps, with veggies, fruit, rice noodles and herbs wrapped inside a rice noodle sheet and served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce. Binchies are popular, roasted binchy potatoes that are tossed in oil with spices, including aniseed and served with sour cream and scallions, as are the Hummus 3 Way(vegan), which features three different kinds of hummus, the ‘white’, tahini and cilantro, ‘green’, artichoke and spinach, and the ‘red’, roasted red peppers and chilis, all served with pita bread, and finally the Mexican Dips, with corn tortilla chips, spicy black beans, cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream. Certainly one could expect that these dishes can be adapted to the vegan diet by deleting the dairy products.

Interestingly, the Dinner menu only lists the one vegetarian entrée, that being the Vegetarian Curry, comprising of seasonal vegetables and tofu in a coconut curry with green mango and garbanzos, and served with rice, sprouts and a homemade mango chutney. This dish is vegan too.

The Casual menu, on the other hand, lists four entrees for vegetarians, Beans and Rice, organic black beans and basmati rice served with a pico de gallo and yogurt mint sambal, a Tofu Burger, consisting of a slab of tofu, fired and served in a ciabatta bread with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese and served with binchies, as well as a Vegetarian Pad Thai, of tofu veggies and rice noodles, stir fried in a peanut-coconut sauce and then topped with sprouts and roasted potatoes. As well, they make a Vegetable Lasagna, made from layers of carrots, zucchini, spinach, peppers, onions, mushroom, spinach and egg noodles, along with cheeses, baked in tomato and béchamel sauces and served with garlic toast.

Brunch, served on Saturday and Sunday, offers a variety of poached egg dishes from which I am confident the slabs of meat can be deleted if requested, as well as the California, poached eggs with avocado, fresh tomatoes, cream cheese smothered with a chipotle hollandaise suace and served with fresh fruit and binchies, the Huevos Rancheros, consisting of beans, white tortillas, fried eggs, ranchero sauce, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and pico de gallo.

They also make Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes, served with butter, maple syrup and fruit, or for those who would prefer, a Fresh Fruit Salad. They do include some of the Casual Menu listings, for those who would rather something light, but not so much of a breakfast dish.

Music, being a mainstay of Blue Chair, is performed live during brunch as well as virtually every evening they are open. Many artists come here to hold their cd release gigs, and people tend to come here for that reason alone, before discovering the global goodness of their dishes. There are musicians that perform without a cover charge, in which case its understood that patrons show their enjoyment by leaving a donation for the artist as well as also remembering to tip the server. Call it the honour system of appreciation, and do come out to the Blue Chair.

And, for those who like it, the Blue Chair also sells a variety of accoutrements, such as T-shirts, Ginger Tea, their signature Secret Spice…and more to follow. There has been talk too, of opening the Blue Chair up for daily breakfasts, so keep that in mind, and ask them periodically when there.

THE POMEGRANATE COFFE BAR

Pomegranate Cafe

Located next door to The Tree Stone Bakery is a side project of Nancy’s, a small coffee bar that serves to highlight the bakery while providing a small venue that serves good basic coffees and teas, to go with the continental breakfasts and simple sandwiches available. It is tiny but quite a charming place, open and bright and very European in its flavour.

Here, one can sit down to a fresh-made brioche, toast and jam, including a wonderful pomegranate spread, accompanied by your choice of coffee, or any of the black, green, herbal or infusion teas offered here. If one chooses there is also a selection of Italian sodas to round out the beverage options Lunch here comprises of fresh breads, brioches and a sandwich of cheese, hold the salami, on a toothsome and flavourful baguette, fresh made by Nancy that morning.

This is a coffee bar that is simple and unpretentious, yet manages to convey its own sense of style without fussing over the simple food offerings, or rather, the deceptively simple foods here.

WHOLE EARTH CAFÉ

Where once stood a natural foods grocery store arose the Optimum Health Information Centre, a place that specialises in the promotion of alternative wellness and healing while offering health food, supplements and more. There is located here an organic skincare day spa, the Kolya Day Spa, and now, a café.

The Whole Earth Café is relatively new, having opened in the late Spring of 2007, with actual food service beginning in June 2007. Prior to The Whole Earth was another café, but it stood away from the concepts being promoted by Optimum, and it eventually closed its doors. The owners of Optimum saw an opportunity to enhance their Centre by opening a café that was guided by its own mandate providing healthy dietary choices to its clientele by way of having on location a casual eating establishment. Already in possession of the space it was a matter of transforming what had already been a café into one that exuded a warm and inviting ambience; the colour scheme chosen does this successfully, along with the large windows that allow the sun to bathe the dining area with natural lighting. Plants add to the tranquility and artwork on the walls accents even further the sense of feeling relaxed and unhurried. There is an arch that serves as a gateway into the kitchen, patterned after prayer temples of Tibet and Nepal. And the cooler behind the serving counter is named Rita.

The main principles behind the opening of the Whole Earth are, to serve great tasting healthy foods using organic and locally sourced ingredients as possible in a health conscious café. Special dietary needs will also be met, for those who are vegan and for those who require gluten free foods. To that end the foods here are prepared from scratch, with most of the baking being done here as well. Pita breads and their flatbreads come from The Happy Camel, but virtually all else is made here. The Whole Earth is not vegetarian, not at all, but it is extremely veg-friendly, and the intention is to maintain that.

I had a Veggie Breakfast Wrap that had free range eggs, beans, tomatoes and veggies stuffed into a Chapati Wrap, accompanied by sliced apple, and it was superb. Other options include muffins and bagels, for those seeking a lighter fare prior to heading into a new day.

Two soups are served daily, with one guaranteed to be vegetarian, using vegetable stock, with selections such as a Tomato Basil soup, or a Mushroom soup, as examples. They serve quiche here, none of them with meat, choices include a Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche and the Spinach and Feta Quiche. Salads and the dressings are made fresh here and include the Pasta Salad with Roasted Vegetables, and a Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad.

When I went and had breakfast there they had just received a shipment of The Happy Camel’s Veggie Falafel Burger Patty; they tend to be quite popular; currently they are served in either wraps or on foccacia. Other sandwiches geared towards the vegetarian include the basic Veggie Sandwich on Sprouted Grain Bread or foccacia, the Greek Style Sandwich, olive tapenade, feta, onions, tomatoes and chard or spinach, served on a choice of bread/wrap, the Cheese Deluxe, with organic white cheddar, cream cheese, tomatoes and mustard, on sprouted grain bread or foccacia, an Egg Salad Sandwich, and the Roasted Tofu, tofu marinated in lemon and ginger, roasted and served on foccacia with veggies.

If there is a caving in to hedonism here, it could be said that the P.B and Chocolate Grilled Sandwich would be given the nod, though one of the main mentors at the spa swears by it, ordering it on a regular basis. If its good enough for the health experts, then certainly….

The breads used in the sandwiches include the sprouted grain bread, foccacia, chapati wraps as well as a brown rice wrap.

Coffees served here are all fair-trade organic coffees, and there is also a wide selection of organic teas, along with herbal teas. One coffee that definitely begs trying, is the Whole Earth Latte, with chai and coconut milk blended in. The hot chocolate here is also organic and fair-trade; they use the Da Goba line of chocolate. Dairy alternatives include soy, rice and almond milks.

Being located in a health and wellness environment they serve herbal elixirs and hot drinks, as well as a Dandelion Latte, using the roasted dandelion root. Smoothies are also available here, made to order, and sounding quite delicious too. Many of the Centre’s clients tend to come here to have a light meal or a drink from the selection offered; the elixirs tend to be quite popular.

The Whole Earth is co-managed by two women, Sara and Corine, who are committed to maintaining the integrity of the Whole Earth Café; talk is that, as it becomes settled in as a new entity, there may be more ‘carnivorous options made available. Corine has assured me that the vegetarian will stay prominent however, so it should remain a good choice for vegetarians for a long time.