Ladies and gentlemen I have saved
the best for last! Gracias Madre is my #1 choice for vegans to eat in SF.
This all vegan organic Mexican restaurant is a branch of Cafe Gratitude
located in the Mission District. I've heard so many great things about
Gracias Madre and could not wait to try it out. Yes, you can pretty much
get Mexican cuisine in SoCal everywhere, but here you don't have to worry about
the lard in the beans or resort to stale tortilla wraps with no cheese.
Because of these extra precautions I have not had Mexican food in forever! Boy was I
ready to indulge :)
I
found the most macro selection on the menu to be the "Platillo de
Legumbres," which comes with a choice of two season vegetables, arroz
(local brown rice seasoned with cilantro and lemon), beans, and tortillas.
You could choose from the following seasonal veggies: Brocoli (seared
broccoli w/chili and garlic), Nabos (roasted turnips w/garlic), Hongos (sautéed
mushrooms w/garlic), Greens (seasonal greens sautéed with fresh garlic and
chiles), Calabaza (roasted acorn squash), Rajas (sautéed poblano chiles
w/onions), and Platanos (grilled plantains). I chose the Greens, which
was kale with garlic, chile, and pumpkin seeds, and the Brocoli. Although
I was a little bummed that I could not sub an extra side of rice for the
tortillas, the dish was filling and I actually didn't eat the tortillas. Quite frankly I don't think it needs it.
Everything on the plate was amazing! The kale was tasty, the
broccoli seared to perfection with a kick of spice, and the beans were smooth
and very filling. The rice cilantro and lemon brown rice was very
different too, great for the summer weather.
Was the best meal!
I also needed a something pickled
in there so I ordered a side of "Escabeche"- spicy pickled veggies.
This was sooooo good! I recommend you order this on the side no
matter what. It was just the right amount of spice and really helped balance
my dish.
Karly
got the "Tacos" which although I did not get to try sounded
amazing. You can get a choice of three
sides to fill the tacos with. It’s a
little funny being that I think it’s pretty similar to my dish since mine comes
with tortillas and you can pretty much wrap up the same sides in that. But I guess this saves you the time and
there’s the added cashew cheez.
Out came the "Mexican
Wedding Cookies" and I was able to sneak a bite of both the cookie and
their homemade dulce de leche ice cream. Both were divine! The
cookie was nice and soft topped with powdered sugar. I was afraid that it would just be overly
crumbly but it wasn’t at all. The ice cream was smooth and a great
addition to the cookies. I really think both together made it so special.
The other choice was coconut ice cream and that would have been delicious
as well and would have totally changed the taste of the wedding cookies.
So there you have it folks! Gracias Madre is a definite MUST GO for your
SF trip. The best Mexican food I’ve
tasted. Bring your nonveg friends here
and I’m sure they’d agree. Location is a
little off in a somewhat sketch neighborhood, with parking being quite a
hassle. Seating is communal style with a
few long tables so it makes talking with your party kind of difficult sitting
across a stranger. But the service is
fast and the workers friendly. The
atmosphere is fun and light and a great experience.
Here is the recipe for their amazing wedding cookies!
Mexican Wedding Cookies
8 oz of coconut oil
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl vanilla
1 cup pecans
2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
Beat together the oil and sugar until well combined. Add the pecans, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix until fluffy and well mixed.
Scoop out the dough and flatten them to about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes then bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Rotate them and then bake another 10 minutes.
2211 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Open Daily 11am-11pm
415-683-1346
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