When owner Kevin Fong designed his ramen restaurant’s menu, he put vegetables front and center as a way to balance the meal. Fong’s strategy plays out across the menu but most distinctly in the house’s vegetarian miso ramen. Designed like its miso ramen sibling in all ways with vegetarian broth subbed in for pork, the dish is as hearty and filling and umami-packed as any bowl on the menu.
As the Falaf Salad’s name seems to suggest, big lumps of falafel are replaced with toasted chickpeas and falafel smashed into crumbs which, when mixed, add crunch and texture to greens. Add in lemon-tahini vinaigrette, fresh herbs, avocado and roasted cauliflower and it’s a satisfying meal at lunch or dinner.
And as a reward for eating all your veggies, treat yourself to one of MIXT's chocolate chip sea salt cookies. You've earned it!
"Organic brown rice, organic black and red beans…” the ingredients in Active Culture's Wholesome Bowl read like a 1970’s version of hippie chow. Add in the cheddar, salsa, cheddar and OG sauce and the dish turns into a flavor bomb in the most modern way. We don’t know what’s in the OG, the California mini-chain’s secret sauce, but it makes everything just that much better.
Larb (or laab) is typically made with ground meat, the fresh lime juice and herbs, fish sauce and chile coating the protein in a savory sauce that punches all parts of your palate. But in their Vegetarian Larb Salad, tofu ably stands in for animal protein, the curd soaking up the sauce and holding onto a slightly crispy edge from the toasted rice. It’s one of those dishes that could convert a carnivore to an omnivore just by being itself.
During the summer months, vegetarians gravitate to Coho's Kale Salad (with Shoup Farms Avocado, Daikon Radish, Ginger Dressing, and Sunflower Crumble), and their Roasted Beet Salad (with Rancho Gordo Quinoa, Pickled Beet Greens, Dandelion, Pepitas, Ricotta Cheese, and Salsa Verde). Both dishes are light, bright, and dyn-o-mite!
Although the menu shifts with the seasons, we are hoping Coho's Grilled Maitake Mushrooms hang out a while. Placed atop an herb-infused zucchini coulis and green lentils, the fungus’s feathery fronds are somehow soft but crisp, smoky and sweet. The dish changes with each bite; and the flavors come together with subtle force. It’s no wonder that herbivores AND omnivores keep coming back for more!
