Denton: Shiitake Swerve

Shiitake Swerve vegetarian food truck. Image from their Twitter feed

Shiitake Swerve, first announced in May 2012, is finally opening in Denton. This is, as far as I know, the only vegetarian restaurant in Denton aside from UNT’s vegan cafeteria Mean Greens. So this is a big effin’ deal.

Their menu focuses on, surprise!, mushrooms, which you can get either in sandwiches or tacos. All of the tacos are vegan and most of the sandwiches are as well. And everything can be ordered gluten-free, if that’s your thing.

Catch them at 35 Denton music festival and around town. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find out their current location.

***

And while we’re talking about Denton, a big shout out to Denton Vegan Cooperative which is still going strong at the Denton Community Market and area restaurants. They’re approaching their two year anniversary. www.dentonvegancoop.com

Vegan Tex-Mex in DFW

Vegan enchiladas in the Metroplex. Photo by tofutti break. Licensed under creative commons

The folks at Dallas Vegan have been putting a lot of work into their website lately. They’ve added several new food guides, including this list of vegan Tex-Mex options in DFW. The list tells you the vegan status of beans, tortillas, rice, and sauces at restaurants. With that info, you can create just about any vegan Tex-Mex restaurant dish. The info is crowd sourced, so be sure to let Dallas Vegan know about your favorite Tex-Mex spot in the Metroplex.

Texas Restaurant News

So much is happening across Texas lately that it’s too much for one person to keep track of. I’m always looking to add more voices to Lone Star Plate. If you live in Houston, San Antonio, DFW, or elsewhere in Texas and would like to contribute to Lone Star Plate, send an email to lonestarplate (at) gmail (dot) com

In the meantime, grab a drink and catch up on all the latest in vegan food in Texas: 

Austin

  • Arlo’s has reopened a few blocks away from their old location. They’re now just outside of Cheer Up Charlie’s! Get the best veggie burger in town and support the only veg bar in town. They’re still keeping bar hours (8 PM to midnight, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; 8 PM to 2 AM Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), but rumor is they’re contemplating adding daytime hours.
  • Counter Culture had their soft opening last week. The menu looks fantastic. I know you’re going to find this harder to believe, but Sue’s food has gotten even better. I got the Philly Seitan. The seitan is sliced thin, the cashew cheez is now creamy, and there were lots more grilled onions and peppers. My husband tried the seitan roast, and it came covered in one of the best gravies I’ve ever had. Counter Culture is only open for dinner currently (cash only), but they’ll be opening for lunch and accepting credit cards soon.
  • Austin’s much anticipated Capital City Bakery is holding a grand opening party on May 18. The trailer will be located at Rio Grande and MLK in the same lot as Conscious Cravings. You’ll also be able to find Cap City’s baked goods for sale at Counter Culture. We tried the Black Forrest cake at Counter Culture, and were in heaven. RSVP for the grand opening on Facebook.
  • All my life I’ve dreamed of waking up to vegan breakfast tacos. OK, really I’ve dreamed about getting locked in a library stocked with lots of great novels and a case of diet dr. pepper, but I should have been dreaming about tacos. Because the Vegan Nom just opened up in Counter Culture’s old location, and it’s a dream come true. They had their grand opening during the Austin Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale last Sunday, and sold out almost immediately! They’ll be opening full time (7 AM to 7 PM) very soon. Drool over their menu in the meantime.
Dallas
  • CoolHaus, an ice cream sandwich trailer with a location outside Cheer Up Charlie’s in Austin, is opening another location in Dallas. Check out Red Hot Vegan’s review of the Austin location for an idea of what you can expect.
Denton
  • Denton is getting a new vegetarian (vegan-friendly) food truck. Eventually. Shiitake Swerve will be serving tacos and sandwiches featuring a variety of mushrooms. They’re hinting at vegan pancakes for brunch as well.  But it will be a few months before their truck is ready. I’ve always thought Denton was a good place for veg food trucks and hope this is the first of many.
Houston
  • Green Seed Vegan has their brick and mortar location. The photos of the restaurant look so peaceful. According to that article, they have expanded their menu. I can’t wait to try out their new spot.
San Antonio
  • Check out this tweet about the vegan platter at Bliss! That’s my idea of fancy vegan food. A variety of vegetables, beans, and grains done just right. Maybe this has been there forever, but I’m just finding out about it. San Antonians, this looks like a great option for a celebration dinner or fancy work meeting.