Starting the Tiger year with Herbivore
Being a blatant ruthless carnivore all year round, I know that going vegan one day of the year won’t help me redeem myself in hell, but I still follow my mom’s tradition on the first day of Tet. No cheese, no animal milk, no bone marrow, no lard, no skin, no fishy business. It’s the first day of the new spring, everybody deserves to live, so we believe it’s nice to spare the lives of yummy things that can move. Or at least we should try not to cause their deaths. That means I have to find a vegan restaurant in Berkeley. Mudpie was estatic. (Mudpie has been fighting to go to Herbivore down the block for months, and I’ve been “gently” suggesting other places all this time.) Mudpie went online and picked his order even before we got there: the Indonesian noodle salad with tamarind dressing (pictured above).
When we got there the place was packed to the roof. Lucky for us, we got the last free table, and some folks who came later had to wait for at least an hour to be seated. If you wonder how I knew how long the wait was, it’s because that’s also how long we had to wait for our food. I had nothing to do within that hour except looking at other customers and eavesdropping on their conversation. The table arrangement is quite efficient, everyone’s utensil is within everyone’s neighbor’s reach. We ordered a yerba mate tea to sip boredom away. The hot kind comes in three choices: organic (plain, no sugar, no milk), organic latte, and chai spice tea; the chilled bottle kind is flavored with either raspberry or mint. The plain kind wasn’t anything spectacular. It’s just commonplace bitter like any other unflavored tea. I don’t want to sound snotty, but yerba mate is just another overhyped foreign substance, worthy of seeking after only for its novelty and cultural value.
Moving on to the food. The Indonesian noodle salad was like a garden harvest. Cucumber slices, pineapple and orange cubes, a few streaks of bean sprouts, lettuce, cilantro, cabbage, onion, whole peanuts, carrots, all partied up in a spicy chili pepper tamarind sauce. It was sour and refreshing. The thin rice noodle got lost in the jungle. For a salad, it scored well. For an entree, it needed more warmth and more substance.
What the noodle salad didn’t have, the “curry-coconut udon noodle” had: warmth and substance. I don’t know why it’s not “coconut-curry,” and I don’t know why it’s called “udon noodle,” because this was not udon. Texture aside, the curry noodle didn’t have what the noodle salad had: flavor. It was coconuty, but a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of sugar would be a nice boost. After all, vegan food doesn’t have to be unseasoned food.
It’s not clear to me why Herbivore has gained such popularity in the region. The two entrees we got did not make us oomph and aahh. Looking around at other tables, we saw many sandwiches, italians and happy faces, so was it just us not picking the right plates? Being on the verge of disappointment, I almost decided to leave without dessert, but Mudpie and a second thought made me grab the waitress to order a wedge of vegan pie with one scoop of ice cream. We heard that strawberry rhubarb was good, but since it was out, we opted for the olallieberry pie (just because of the name). According to Wikipedia, the olallieberry is half blackberry, a quarter raspberry, and a quarter dewberry. The pie filling was more tart than sweet, which is always nice. The crust was thick, dense, and plain enough to shelter us from a sugar flood. The mudslide vegan ice cream swept me off my feet with its creamy texture, chocolaty sweetness, and sneaky coconut shavings. If anything, this awesome dessert assortment would draw me back to Herbivore.
Address: Herbivore the Earthly Grill
2451 Shattuck Avenue (the corner of Shattuck and Haste)
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 665-1675
Click for Herbivore’s Menu
An order of 1 curry tofu noodles, 1 Indonesian noodle salad, 1 yerba mate organic tea (plain), 1 vegan pie + a scoop of ice cream set us back by $30. Overall, a decent and healthy catch. But in all fairness, dessert aside, Herbivore is not in the least comparable with Garden Fresh in Mountain View.
Hello! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!
1Please let me know if you’re looking for a author for your weblog. You have some really great posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an email if interested. Cheers!
2This is very interesting, You’re an overly skilled blogger. I have joined your feed and stay up for in search of extra of your magnificent post. Additionally, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!
3Some genuinely great articles on this web site, regards for contribution.
4I like this blog its a master peace ! Glad I observed this on google .
5Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
6hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
7I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. many thanks
8Hello my friend! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include approximately all important infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
9Thanks for any other fantastic article. The place else may just anybody get that kind of info in such a perfect means of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am at the look for such info.
10I needed to put you a very small word in order to thank you the moment again for the remarkable tactics you’ve featured at this time. This has been simply pretty open-handed of people like you to present freely exactly what most of us would’ve supplied as an electronic book to help make some money on their own, principally considering that you could possibly have tried it in case you decided. Those tricks likewise worked to provide a easy way to understand that other people online have a similar keenness really like my personal own to understand a great deal more on the topic of this problem. I believe there are several more enjoyable occasions in the future for people who read carefully your website.
11I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Plz reply back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know wheere u got this from. thanks
12I do love the manner in which you have presented this particular issue plus it does supply me a lot of fodder for consideration. On the other hand, coming from what I have observed, I just hope when other feed-back pack on that people today remain on point and not get started on a tirade associated with some other news of the day. Still, thank you for this fantastic point and even though I do not agree with this in totality, I regard your perspective.
13Its like you learn my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the guide in it or something. I feel that you just could do with some to power the message home a little bit, however other than that, this is wonderful blog. A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.
14I genuinely enjoy looking through on this site, it has great content.
15very nice publish, i certainly love this web site, keep on it
16I would like to thank you for publishing such great information. I truly enjoy your site. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts on your article. I look forward to more interesting posts from you in the future.
17I will right away snatch your rss as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly allow me recognize in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
18Definitely imagine that that you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the easiest thing to take note of. I say to you, I certainly get irked even as other people think about worries that they plainly do not recognize about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and defined out the entire thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
19Fantastic site. Lots of helpful info here. I am sending it to some friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks on your sweat!
20Hello There. I found your blog using msn. That is an extremely neatly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and come back to learn more of your helpful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
21We stumbled over here different web page and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to looking at your web page repeatedly.
22It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this useful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
23Thanks for another informative website. Where else could I get that kind of info written in such a perfect way? I have a project that I’m just now working on, and I have been on the look out for such information.
24I’m still learning from you, as I’m trying to reach my goals. I certainly love reading everything that is written on your site.Keep the aarticles coming. I enjoyed it!
25I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours these days, yet I never found any fascinating article like yours. It is lovely price enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made excellent content as you probably did, the internet can be much more useful than ever before.
26Hey there, You’ve done an excellent job. I’ll certainly digg it and individually suggest to my friends. I’m sure they will be benefited from this site.
27You are a very bright individual!
28I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before.
29I was recommended this web site by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my difficulty. You’re wonderful! Thanks!
30Enjoyed reading this, very good stuff, thanks. “Management is nothing more than motivating other people.” by Lee Iacocca.
31I would like to voice my respect for your kind-heartedness for persons that really want help with this one matter. Your real dedication to getting the message around appeared to be pretty productive and have encouraged girls just like me to attain their goals. Your new valuable key points signifies much to me and additionally to my peers. Thanks a ton; from each one of us.
32순천출장마사지 타임케어 – 순천출장홈타이와 순천출장안마 순천홈타이 서비스를 전국 어디서나 24시간 편하게! 전문 마사지사의 맞춤 홈케어로 피로를 빠르게 해소
33Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
34Helpful information. Fortunate me I discovered your website unintentionally, and I’m stunned why this coincidence didn’t came about in advance! I bookmarked it.
35hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked up something new from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this web site, as I experienced to reload the website a lot of times previous to I could get it to load correctly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances times will often affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective fascinating content. Ensure that you update this again soon..
36I’ve been browsing on-line more than three hours lately, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It is lovely price sufficient for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made just right content as you did, the net might be much more useful than ever before.
37Regards for all your efforts that you have put in this. very interesting info .
38Hello, Neat post. There’s an issue along with your web site in internet explorer, may check thisK IE nonetheless is the market leader and a huge portion of folks will omit your excellent writing due to this problem.
39I am continually looking online for tips that can facilitate me. Thank you!
40시알리스의 성분인 타다라필과 효과, 지속시간, 5mg·10mg·20mg 차이를 알아보세요. 복용 방식, 부작용, 함께 복용하면 안 되는 약, 처방과 가격 확인 방법을 정리했습니다.
41비아그라 구매 전 알아야 할 국내 처방 절차와 약국 이용 방법, 가격 확인 기준을 안내합니다. 실데나필 성분, 정품 확인 시 주의점, 복용 전 상담사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
42비아그라 구매 전 알아야 할 국내 처방 절차와 약국 이용 방법, 가격 확인 기준을 안내합니다. 실데나필 성분, 정품 확인 시 주의점, 복용 전 상담사항과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
43팔팔정의 성분과 효과, 50mg·100mg 차이, 복용 시간과 부작용을 확인하세요. 처방 및 가격 확인 방법, 함께 복용하면 안 되는 약, 자주 묻는 질문까지 안내합니다.
44팔팔정의 성분과 효과, 50mg·100mg 차이, 복용 시간과 부작용을 확인하세요. 처방 및 가격 확인 방법, 함께 복용하면 안 되는 약, 자주 묻는 질문까지 안내합니다.
45팔팔정의 성분과 효과, 50mg·100mg 차이, 복용 시간과 부작용을 확인하세요. 처방 및 가격 확인 방법, 함께 복용하면 안 되는 약, 자주 묻는 질문까지 안내합니다.
46경기도 안양출장마사지 셀럽의 코스와 가격, 자택·호텔 방문 상담, 선입금 없는 예약 및 현장 결제 기준을 확인하세요. 방문 가능 여부와 예상 도착 시간은 주소와 당일 일정에 따라 안내합니다.
47강릉출장안마로 장거리 출장이나 여행의 피로를 풀어보세요. 강릉 전 지역 어디든 찾아가는 전문 아로마 마사지·스포츠 마사지 서비스를 제공합니다. 비즈니스 출장객, 관광객, 강릉 지역 주민 모두 편리하게 이용할 수 있는 강릉출장안마 서비스입니다. 지금 문의하세요.
48F*ckin’ awesome things here. I am very satisfied to look your post. Thanks a lot and i’m taking a look ahead to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
49인천출장마사지 인천출장안마 셀럽의 코스별 가격과 현장 결제, 예약 방법을 확인하세요. 송도·청라·부평·구월동·영종 등 지역별 방문 가능 여부와 예상 도착 시간, 자택·호텔 이용 안내를 제공합니다.
50