Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant, Vegan Austin Texas

You know how vegans have unusual habits like checking out what vegan things are to be had at Whole Foods Markets that are not their own? I do the same with Ethiopian food.

 

Because of this propensity for Ethiopian food tourism, I stopped at Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant when I was in Austin traveling with fellow fans of Ethiopian eats.

As is typical of Ethiopian restaurants, you can choose an entree and three sides from the vegetarian (vegan/fasting) menu.

Or, you can put on your big girl pants and order the Atakelt Beyaynetu (vegetable combination) that is a sample of all of the vegetarian dishes and may or may not be intended for two to share. You can do it!

Clockwise from top:
Azifa: these mixed lentils with onion, gree peppers, mit'mit'a, fresh lemon juice and a touch of olive oil and vinegar (served cold)
Timatim Fitfit: Ethiopian mixed salad with diced tomatoes, green peppers, onion, and diced injera topped with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and spices (served cold)
Bedergan: eggplant spiced and prepared with tomato sauce, garlic, onions, and special Ethiopian seasoning.
Alicha Miser: split lentil cooked to perfection with ginger and garlic
Gomen: Ethiopian style collard greens cooked with onion, garlic, and spices
Fasolia Wott: potato, green beans, carrots, onions, tomatoes with garlic, cinnamon, and ginger sauce
Keyi Miser: split lentils cooked with berbere, onions, cooked to perfection with other Ethiopian spices
Atakelt Wott: fresh cabbage, green beans, carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger in a zesty turmeric sauce
In case you're counting, there was one extra thing on the plate that was not listed. I'm not one to turn down extra grub- particularly when it contains potatoes, but I don't know what exactly it was- didn't then and certainly don't remember now.

I won't say that this was the best Ethiopian food I've ever had the pleasure of consuming, nor did the resto have the nattiest atmosphere. But, the servers were very kind, they had Ethiopian spices for sale, AND one of the beverage options was Dr. Pepper, which is a huge win in my book.

Bouldin Creek: Vegan Austin Texas

Although we were in Austin for a very short time, looking back it sure does seem like we did an awful lot of eating. I swear it was really only 3 meals a day, max.

Because there were too many places to hit up, we asked around during our travels for recommendations that would narrow down our list: Bouldin Creek Cafe was one that came up over and over. So we went!

Bouldin Creek is vegetarian with vegan options.
We went for dinner, so it was dark out. But here's some under-exposed photos to give you an idea of the outdoor vibe:

Bouldin Creek had a ton of quirky personality: first evidenced by this sign as you enter.

The dining room was rustic and dimly lit, so advance apologies for the extremely sub-par food photos that are to follow.

You get the idea:

 

 Peep our drinks: weird Topo Chico, cherry soda, Original Sin hard cider.

For dinner I had the South Austin Stir Fry: rice noodles tossed in a teriyaki ginger-miso sauce with broccoli, red onions, shitake mushrooms, carrots, and red and green cabbage with crushed peanuts and a sriracha drizzle. I did not add a side salad because it's all about the noodles.

One pal had the Aztec Pasta: spicy penne pasta tossed with sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, and organic spinach in a chipotle-pesto/marinara sauce, topped with green onions and served with ciabatta bread. I have to say it again- this photo is not a fair representation.

I somehow neglected to take a photo of the third dish of the evening, and I'm sorry to report that we did not have dessert (if memory serves, that was the evening we went to Sweet Ritual). However, in lieu of that fun, I offer you alternative excitement: this cool sign in the restroom.

And these awesome handles on the restroom stall doors.

I love anything out of the ordinary and Bouldin Creek did not disappoint on that front.

Sweet Ritual- Vegan Austin TX

You didn't think I went all the way to Austin and skipped Sweet Ritual, did you?

 

WHO:

 

WHAT:
The menu has a list of (rotating) flavors and toppings, as well as pre-determined sundaes and specials. "Everything is Vegan Always."

WHERE:
Sweet Ritual shares a building (what looks to be a re-imagined gas station) with Juiceland. I spent a lot of time chuckling over whether I'd get a juice or an ice cream, but I have to admit that there were plenty of people on the juice line while we were there.

not my Prius

 

WHEN:
You know I'm behind; let's not go there...

WHY:

 

Sweet Ritual is colorful and quaint; I loved all of their original details. They've added edible glitter to the menu since my visit and I can't think of anything more appropriate.

 

After a significant amount of deliberation I chose chocolate and toasted coconut ice creams in a peanut butter cup sundae with chocolate sauce, peanut butter shell (!), salted peanuts, and dark chocolate chips. And then, as if all of that wasn't enough, THEY LET ME GET MY SUNDAE IN A WAFFLE CONE!

 

Peanut butter shell? Sundae in a waffle cone? It was almost too much to handle. Almost. I handled it.

They serve Sweet Ritual ice cream in local restaurants and sell it by the pint both at the shop and at Wheatsville Co-op. As always, I recommend going straight to the source.

But wait, there's more. A few months after I returned from my trip, Sweet Ritual started selling their salted caramel sauce in a bear! I got a bunch online from Rabbit Food Grocery and it was just as good as you are imagining. Okay, maybe better.

Good news: Rabbit Food Grocery is now a storefront as well as an online merchant!
Bad news: I haven't been able to find the caramel sauce selling online anywhere recently.
Possibly good news: Just yesterday Sweet Ritual announced that the bears are back, so hopefully they'll be available sometime soon!

 

For some reason, 89 was really not into the cute little bear army and that made it even funnier.

I don't mean to belabor it, but along with pouring it on ice cream, I also made amazing samoa fronch toast for VM with the caramel sauce for Mother's day:

Obviously Sweet Ritual is an absolute MUST VISIT if you're in Austin.

Please bring me something back.

Guero's Taco Bar has a VEGAN MENU, Vegan Austin TX

Sometimes, juuuust sometimes, non-vegan restaurants surprise you. When we were walking along South Congress in Austin, TX, we decided to check out Guero's Taco Bar for a few reasons: they had drinks, they had chips, and they had outdoor seating. Well, to our surprise, they also had a VEGAN MENU! And you know as well as I do: few things taste as good as something vegan when you least expect it.

That's the look on my face when I'm trying to figure out if a place has vegan options

Take Food for Lovers Queso. I like it; I like it just fine. But as unexpected vegan nacho cheese at an omni restaurant when you expect nothing?  Phenomenal!

 

I also had one of their soy taquitos al pastor: "authentic with a vegan friendly twist- soy chorizo on a corn tortilla chiquita, topped with chopped onion, cilantro, and pineapple." I'll admit that it sounded much more spectacular than it was in reality, but....

there was also a salsa bar! So, I did not go hungry.

Which was good, because: margaritas.

Highly recommend if you're nearby.

We drove/walked around the surrounding area afterward while we waited for nightfall.

Spied these vegan donuts with a disgraceful 225% vegan tax in Whole Foods.

Visited this hot sauce shop where I was too disappointed to buy anything when the hot sauce featuring vegan Maker's Mark was decidedly non-vegan.

Giggled at some cute kitsch.

Scowled at some nonsense. #stoptellingwomentosmile

Admired a non-vegan cupcake airstream (the cupcake was spinning).

Perused our adorable vegan guide to Austin:

And, of course, listened to music.
This is as good a time as any to say, please don't photograph musicians/entertainers without making a contribution. They are there for your entertainment, but also to make a living!

The pooch snoozing in the back was in the guitar case at one point: extra cuteness!

All this up until it was time for the bats! It's hard to capture the enormity of the South Congress Bridge bat population in a photograph; each pale line in the sky is one of MANY Mexico free-tailed bats taking their nightly insect feeding.

Stay tuned for much more on Texas! Little by little I'll get to everything...

Red Rabbit Bakery, Vegan Austin TX

Even though we were having an amazing time in San Antonio (over a year ago!), we couldn't justify being in Texas without visiting Austin. So, we took a road trip and our first stop was Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery.

 

At the time, they were operating out of a food truck alongside Unity Vegan Kitchen, vegan-friendly Taco 'Bout it (now closed), and Americano Tattoo.

 

Judging by their website and facebook page, it looks like they're available all over now! This is most excellent, but not surprising news. I've eaten more than my fair share of donuts in this lifetime and Red Rabbit's were some of the best: particularly this Austin Creme (get it?).

So good, in fact, that the three of us had a hard time deciding which donuts to omit from our order...

Clockwise from left: mexican chocolate glaze, raspberry filled, apple fritter, cinnatwist, Austin cremes, pistachio. What can I say? We didn't hold back!

We considered making use of this card, but even we couldn't justify 4 donuts/person.

Besides making amazing donuts, Red Rabbit vastly increases their awesomeness as a co-op:

"Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery is equally owned and controlled by its workers. Our goal is to uphold the principles of a cooperative while creating superior vegan products that appeal to vegans and non-vegans alike. Through our food choices, we want to positively impact the earth and its inhabitants. We select our ingredients with care and consideration because we believe that the quality of all food should exceed the conventional standard. So, follow us down the rabbit hole!"

Wherever you may find them, do not miss these incredible donuts if you're in the Austin area!