Both my mom and I played hooky and too the day off of work so we could go out to lunch. She’s wanted to go to Big Bowl for a while, and I wanted to go because I’m always looking for new places to eat. We started off with the spicy peanut noodles because it was recommended to me by a co-worker. It was very good, and I was surprised how much they gave you.

The waiter also brought out a complimentary appetizer because it was our first time there. I’m not going to lie, it looked really gross and I was hoping the waiter would say there was meat in it. It looked like calamari but it was just eggplant, mushrooms, and peppers. I was a big girl and tried it though. It was just ok, and I don’t think I would ever want it again.

My love for stir fries has grown over the last few months, so I decided to try the “make your own.” This was an awesome choice because I could add all the pineapple I wanted! I was also excited for some tofu because I hadn’t been able to make it in the last week. This was where everything fell apart. Their tofu was AWFUL. Yes, it earned every one of those capital letters. It tasted like it wasn’t pressed at all, and that it was silken tofu, not the water packed variety that’s best used in stir fries. It’s almost like they had no tofu knowledge. I was so disappointed, and my poor mom felt awful for me. Not a good experience. If I ever go back, I’d have to go with just a plain veggie stir fry.

I got together with some friends this past week and we all went to Revolution Brewing Co. in Logan Square. It was a pretty cool place. They don’t take reservations, so we waited for a good hour and a half, but that doesn’t bother me. I was so excited to eat here because they have vegan friendly options and we’re not talking anything like what the burbs has. Chicago is in a whole different league. They had seitan here! I ordered the Italian Seitan pizza, which was topped with cremini mushrooms, seitan, red onions, and smoked tomato sauce. I can’t tell you how excited I was. Oh, and it was DELICIOUS! I wish that place was closer so I could pick up some every now and then. I guess I’ll just have to try and make my own… or drag my friends back there.

The restaurant was WAY to dark to take a picture, so you guys get to check out my leftovers. Still looks great.

I love a good Italian dinner, I was raised on this stuff. Eating Italian has been a bit more sparse since I went vegan. If I want something really good, I make it myself, I just haven’t had to time to experiment with making t a good vegan ravioli or gnocchi. So, it’s off to a restaurant! I have always enjoyed Maggiano’s. I think their portions are big, but there’s nothing like having a few extra meals as leftovers. This time, I had the angel hair with garlic and olive oil. Seems pretty plain to most people, but I enjoyed it. I think my absolute favorite thing at Maggiano’s though is the olive oil and bread that’s the appetizer. The only thing it needs is some good vegan parmesan cheese and I’m good to go. Yum!

I’ve always been a person of routine, even when it came down to my food. No matter where I’d go, I’d rarely stray from my usual. Well, today I was going to try something different. Not a bad time to do so, since I’m really not hooked into any particular dish at any place (unless I have no other options). I’ve had the Japanese pan noodles from Noodles & Co. a couple times, and liked for the most part, but today I was going to try the Bangkok Curry. I was excited to try something new!

To my disappointment, it tasted just like the Japanese pan noodles, just with different spices. Such a bummer. It felt like all they changed was the kind of noodle in the dish. It was still good, but just not what I had expected. I think next time I’ll try the Indonesian Peanut Sautee and hope for the best.

Alrighty kiddies, I’ve decided to dedicate Foodie Friday posts to only be about restaurants I go to. I will still talk about my cooking and other food related things, but those posts will appear more early on in the week. I don’t think it will be a weekly thing, but who knows.

I think I may have perfected my pizza. So, as you may recall, the first time i tried to make a vegan pizza it was awful. Well, live and learn. This time I used my mom’s pasta sauce (veganized) as the sauce on my pizza. Beats plain tomato sauce out of a can. Then, I used Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella cheese. Went simple for the toppings, just some fresh basil and tomatoes. Voila! A beautiful, wonderful, tasty vegan pizza! I could have been happier.

I was also very impressed with the taste of the cheese. Granted, it doesn’t taste like real cheese, but the flavor was still there.

After my little venting session about tofu, I had an “aha!” moment. I normally don’t do this on a Friday, but I picked up dinner on the way. I just so happened to stop at Noodles to try their Japanese Pan Noodles with Tofu (delicious btw). As I started eating, I looked at the tofu and thought “this looks like fake meat, why does this tofu look this way?!” It caused me to do a little research. I knew that I had to press the tofu much longer than I had been. I also found out that if you freeze the tofu, you not only remove more of the moisture inside, but you also get a fake meat look to it. Bingo! That’s what I was going to do next time I made it.

I made Pan Fried Tofu and it was a success for the most part. The only thing I would have done differently would be to cook the tofu in the pan a little longer than what the recipe stated. Otherwise, it was delicious. Tell me, how good does that tofu look?