Guest guest Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 LONG BEACH vegetarians and vegans rejoice! The gap left by the departure of Papa Jon's from Second Street has been filled by Zephyr Vegetarian Cafe in downtown Long Beach. Zephyr opened more than a year ago with a modest menu, but it has grown to include desserts, raw foods, sandwiches and burgers, numerous salads, tofu patties, black beans, steamed vegetables, brown rice, beer and wine and more. Most of the dishes are vegan, and the ones I've tried have been great. My first visit there was a pain because I stood in the doorway for what seemed like forever. Finally, I found a seat and then sat there waiting for a waiter to give me a menu, which never happened. Eventually, I figured out that customers are supposed to walk to the counter, pick up a menu and order. None of this is obvious for first-timers. But once I tasted the food, the embarrassing moment was washed from my mind, and other than this problem, I didn't find anything terribly negative at Zephyr. When I eat anywhere, I always begin with something I think I will like, so my first trip I had the $5.50 Herb Chickenless-O-Burger, and I must say I sure know how to pick them. The burger comes with an herb chicken-like patty, tomato, sprouts, onion, romaine lettuce and vegan mayo. The first bite was like a taste explosion in my mouth because the herbs created an exciting blend of flavor. I highly recommend this dish. Next time, I had another burger, the Flame Broiled Tofu Steak Burger. This dish comes with a large slab of flame-broiled organic tofu cooked in olive oil with tomato, onion, romaine lettuce, sprouts, steak sauce and vegan mayo. The combination of steak sauce and mayo really make this dish because the bites without these don't hold a candle to those with juices dripping all over. Of everything I've had at Zephyr, this meal was by far the most filling and quite a deal at $6.50. My third meal included the relatively new item, the $7 Flame Broiled Zucchini & Grilled Tempeh Sandwich. Besides the zucchini and tempeh, the sandwich contains onion, tomato, lettuce and vegan mayo and is served on toasted bread. It's just like Mom used to make, but better! The first taste of that grilled zucchini sent chills down my spine. The dish really is kicked up a notch thanks to the toasted bread, which somehow takes this near-perfect food and elevates it to another level. The $5.25 Fakin' Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich is a fairly standard meal that tastes anything but traditional. The sandwich is a decent portion and comes with veggie bacon, lettuce and tomato served on toasted bread with vegan mayo. These plates, and all sandwiches and burgers, are served with a side of blue corn chips and salsa. The chips and salsa are an excellent break from the standard French fries Advertisement and taste healthy and refreshing. All sandwiches and burgers also offer the option of adding a house salad or hot soup for an additional $1.75, and believe you me, they are worth the extra money. The house salad is incredibly fresh and tasty. Each bite is like an overwhelming vitamin dose, thanks to organic produce such as baby greens, romaine lettuce, red and/or orange tomatoes, red onions, parsley and basil. Dressing options include tomato basil, Dijon, Italian or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All these are tasty, but the standout is the tomato basil. I want to take some home and put it on my cereal - it's that good! Zephyr makes three hot soups on site - split pea, sweet corn chowder and lentil curry. These cost $3.50 if you don't get them with a sandwich. The lentil curry is full of hearty beans that filled me up before my meal arrived. The corn chowder is tasty, but needs a little something extra. It's more like a beverage than a food and could use a few small potato slices to (pardon the expression) beef it up a bit. I haven't tasted the split pea. The only dessert I tried was the $3.75 cherry pie a la mode, which was great. Zephyr also offers a hefty raw food menu that includes Vietnamese spring rolls, vegetable sushi rolls, raw pesto with vegetable noodles and raw soup. The restaurant is owned by 33-year-old Los Angeles resident Breck Dockstader and his mother, Carole. Dockstader, a vegan for eight years and a vegetarian for two years prior to that, became interested in the culinary arts when he was cooking at a camp his parents operate in the San Bernardino Mountains. Many times he would prepare vegan options for campers, and he was inspired to open a place of his own when he realized he wanted to cook, but without meat. He picked Long Beach as the location because he believed that the area needed a place serving cheap food for people like him. "We searched around, and it seems like there are so many vegetarian places within several blocks of each other," Dockstader said in a telephone interview, "and then there are whole cities without a single one. We were really surprised there weren't many options for people down here." His search took him all over town and ended when he found the former Cafe Rus for sale. "I love downtown," Dockstader says, "and I think it has a lot of possibilities." In addition to serving food, he regularly hosts shows by local artists. "We're passionate about art," Dockstader says, "and we want to be part of the community." Dockstader is the restaurant's only full-time cook, and his mother handles the business end. "If we're open, I'm here," he says. He came up with the name Zephyr for "no great reason," except he wanted to shy away from the clich of putting the word "veggie" in his title. Ryan Ritchie can be reached at (562) 499-1257 or ryan.ritchiePeter H Messenger - with free PC-PC calling and photo sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Oh thanks, its almost lunch and I am drooling just reading this. Lol! I WISH they had places like that in my town...sigh. The nearest "veggie" cafe is in Vancouver, like an 8 hour drive away. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Sky.peter VV <swpgh01 wrote: LONG BEACH vegetarians and vegans rejoice! The gap left by the departure of Papa Jon's from Second Street has been filled by Zephyr Vegetarian Cafe in downtown Long Beach. Zephyr opened more than a year ago with a modest menu, but it has grown to include desserts, raw foods, sandwiches and burgers, numerous salads, tofu patties, black beans, steamed vegetables, brown rice, beer and wine and more. Most of the dishes are vegan, and the ones I've tried have been great. My first visit there was a pain because I stood in the doorway for what seemed like forever. Finally, I found a seat and then sat there waiting for a waiter to give me a menu, which never happened. Eventually, I figured out that customers are supposed to walk to the counter, pick up a menu and order. None of this is obvious for first-timers. But once I tasted the food, the embarrassing moment was washed from my mind, and other than this problem, I didn't find anything terribly negative at Zephyr. When I eat anywhere, I always begin with something I think I will like, so my first trip I had the $5.50 Herb Chickenless-O-Burger, and I must say I sure know how to pick them. The burger comes with an herb chicken-like patty, tomato, sprouts, onion, romaine lettuce and vegan mayo. The first bite was like a taste explosion in my mouth because the herbs created an exciting blend of flavor. I highly recommend this dish. Next time, I had another burger, the Flame Broiled Tofu Steak Burger. This dish comes with a large slab of flame-broiled organic tofu cooked in olive oil with tomato, onion, romaine lettuce, sprouts, steak sauce and vegan mayo. The combination of steak sauce and mayo really make this dish because the bites without these don't hold a candle to those with juices dripping all over. Of everything I've had at Zephyr, this meal was by far the most filling and quite a deal at $6.50. My third meal included the relatively new item, the $7 Flame Broiled Zucchini & Grilled Tempeh Sandwich. Besides the zucchini and tempeh, the sandwich contains onion, tomato, lettuce and vegan mayo and is served on toasted bread. It's just like Mom used to make, but better! The first taste of that grilled zucchini sent chills down my spine. The dish really is kicked up a notch thanks to the toasted bread, which somehow takes this near-perfect food and elevates it to another level. The $5.25 Fakin' Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich is a fairly standard meal that tastes anything but traditional. The sandwich is a decent portion and comes with veggie bacon, lettuce and tomato served on toasted bread with vegan mayo. These plates, and all sandwiches and burgers, are served with a side of blue corn chips and salsa. The chips and salsa are an excellent break from the standard French fries Advertisement and taste healthy and refreshing. All sandwiches and burgers also offer the option of adding a house salad or hot soup for an additional $1.75, and believe you me, they are worth the extra money. The house salad is incredibly fresh and tasty. Each bite is like an overwhelming vitamin dose, thanks to organic produce such as baby greens, romaine lettuce, red and/or orange tomatoes, red onions, parsley and basil. Dressing options include tomato basil, Dijon, Italian or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All these are tasty, but the standout is the tomato basil. I want to take some home and put it on my cereal - it's that good! Zephyr makes three hot soups on site - split pea, sweet corn chowder and lentil curry. These cost $3.50 if you don't get them with a sandwich. The lentil curry is full of hearty beans that filled me up before my meal arrived. The corn chowder is tasty, but needs a little something extra. It's more like a beverage than a food and could use a few small potato slices to (pardon the expression) beef it up a bit. I haven't tasted the split pea. The only dessert I tried was the $3.75 cherry pie a la mode, which was great. Zephyr also offers a hefty raw food menu that includes Vietnamese spring rolls, vegetable sushi rolls, raw pesto with vegetable noodles and raw soup. The restaurant is owned by 33-year-old Los Angeles resident Breck Dockstader and his mother, Carole. Dockstader, a vegan for eight years and a vegetarian for two years prior to that, became interested in the culinary arts when he was cooking at a camp his parents operate in the San Bernardino Mountains. Many times he would prepare vegan options for campers, and he was inspired to open a place of his own when he realized he wanted to cook, but without meat. He picked Long Beach as the location because he believed that the area needed a place serving cheap food for people like him. "We searched around, and it seems like there are so many vegetarian places within several blocks of each other," Dockstader said in a telephone interview, "and then there are whole cities without a single one. We were really surprised there weren't many options for people down here." His search took him all over town and ended when he found the former Cafe Rus for sale. "I love downtown," Dockstader says, "and I think it has a lot of possibilities." In addition to serving food, he regularly hosts shows by local artists. "We're passionate about art," Dockstader says, "and we want to be part of the community." Dockstader is the restaurant's only full-time cook, and his mother handles the business end. "If we're open, I'm here," he says. He came up with the name Zephyr for "no great reason," except he wanted to shy away from the clich of putting the word "veggie" in his title. Ryan Ritchie can be reached at (562) 499-1257 or ryan.ritchie (AT) presstelegram (DOT) com Peter H Messenger - with free PC-PC calling and photo sharing. Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small Business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Open one hee hee er talk to local shops and see wot they can do? where do u reside again in the great white north? fraggle Borderjoy Sep 13, 2006 12:02 PM Re: Don't just stand there Oh thanks, its almost lunch and I am drooling just reading this. Lol! I WISH they had places like that in my town...sigh. The nearest "veggie" cafe is in Vancouver, like an 8 hour drive away. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Sky. If George Bush said that the Earth was flat, the headline would read, "Views Differ on Shape of the Earth" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Im in Trail BC, Sky.fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: Open one hee hee er talk to local shops and see wot they can do? where do u reside again in the great white north? fraggle Borderjoy Sep 13, 2006 12:02 PM Re: Don't just stand there Oh thanks, its almost lunch and I am drooling just reading this. Lol! I WISH they had places like that in my town...sigh. The nearest "veggie" cafe is in Vancouver, like an 8 hour drive away. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Sky. If George Bush said that the Earth was flat, the headline would read, "Views Differ on Shape of the Earth" Get on board. You're invited to try the new Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Kootenay! I've been to..umm..wots its called...Gladstone.... Borderjoy Sep 13, 2006 1:31 PM Re: Don't just stand there Im in Trail BC, Sky.fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: Open one hee hee er talk to local shops and see wot they can do? where do u reside again in the great white north? fraggle Borderjoy Sep 13, 2006 12:02 PM Re: Don't just stand there Oh thanks, its almost lunch and I am drooling just reading this. Lol! I WISH they had places like that in my town...sigh. The nearest "veggie" cafe is in Vancouver, like an 8 hour drive away. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!! Sky. If George Bush said that the Earth was flat, the headline would read, "Views Differ on Shape of the Earth" Get on board. You're invited to try the new Mail. If George Bush said that the Earth was flat, the headline would read, "Views Differ on Shape of the Earth" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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