Even the Water is Vegan: A meat eater’s experience at Seattle’s vegan Plum Bistro.
I have a confession to make.
My best friend is vegan.
There, I said it.
I hope you’re still reading.
(You know I’m kidding, right?)
Having a vegan best friend is hard work. When she comes over for dinner, I scour the food blogs for recipes that will be tasty for her, while still satisfying my meat and cheese loving family. I usually end up giving up and ordering pizza (with an olive oil base and no cheese, of course).
Her thirtieth birthday was a few weeks ago and because I love her so much, as do the rest of our friends, we all put big cheesy smiles on our faces when she told us that she wanted to have her birthday dinner at Plum Bistro on Capitol Hill. I had actually heard a lot of buzz about Plum Bistro without even realizing that it was a vegan restaurant. But still, I was nervous.
I figured that my best bet was to go online beforehand and check out the menu so that I knew exactly what to order before I even got there. I think that some of my anxiousness about going to Plum was the anticipation of that moment when the waitress asked for my order and I don’t pronounce anything right and accidentally ask for cheese on my “burger.”
The menu was a bit intimidating. I must admit that I just believed that being vegan was just about NOT eating dairy and meat products. I didn’t realize, or ever consider, that vegans need to replace these foods with other healthy proteins. So I tackled the menu, item by item, and with the help of Google. I learned about tempeh and quinoa and burgers that were made from seitan. After educating myself about what vegans actually eat, my nervousness turned into curiosity.
First of all, the restaurant itself is gorgeous. Located on 12th Avenue in the heart of the hill, the space feels warm and intimate, but with open ceilings and glass walls. The drink list is amazing and uses fresh ingredients – I chose one with rum, fresh blueberries and basil with crushed ice. They also have a nice selection of specialty beers, which impressed my husband.
The funniest moment of the evening (trust me, there were many) came just after we sat down. One of our dear friends looked at her glass of water, which had been waiting for us on the table when we sat down and skeptically asked, “What is this?” I think she was relieved when we all reassured her that it was just water.
My recommendation to non-vegans who go to Plum Bistro is to order from the appetizer menu. We ordered one of everything for the table to share and I fell in love with all of them – the Spicy Cajun Mac ‘N’ Yease was buttery and rich, the Avocado Roll plentiful, especially with the chipotle mayo. We also had some yam fries that are no longer on the appetizer menu, but come as a side with some of the dinner items – they were crisp and flavorful.
I can’t say that going to Plum Bistro made me any more open to becoming vegan myself, but it certainly opened my mind to the world of veganism and especially to the realization that there are not many options for vegans when they dine out. I was so impressed with the willingness of the servers at Plum to explain what menu items were and what they taste like. Plus, the prices at Plum Bistro were extremely reasonable, considering that the ingredients they use are 100% organic.
Plum Bistro should definitely be on your must-try list for dining in Seattle, whether you are vegan, non-vegan, or just hungry.
Plum Bistro is located at 1429 Twelfth Avenue. It’s small, so I’d recommend making reservations if you are with a crowd. 206-838-5333 or online at http://www.plumbistroseattle.com
Note to readers: The water is not actually vegan at Plum Bistro. It’s just a joke.
can’t wait to try!