Many Cases of Kick-Ass Cauliflower
And a Really Good Vegan Bakery

There was a time when cauliflower hit a lot of menus as a vegan option. I wasn’t that excited about it, because I found it to be a lazy option, like a hummus plate. But now I’ve become pretty impressed by how eateries have upped their technique to successfully battle its water content to create amazing texture that grabs onto flavor. Here, a recent rundown of some kick-ass cauliflower preparations…

First, The Little Viking in Troy, New York. With a tall mound of crisp deep-fried cauliflower, their Faux Hawk sandwich is an outstanding feat. Yay for plants and not super-processed science meat analogs!

While I was in Troy, I stopped at Cakerino for some vegan goodies.

Though my expectations weren’t high, I was floored by the level of quality and care in each of the sweet nibbles I picked up. Everything was amazing and uniquely created. The Italian cookie didn’t taste like the black and white cookie; the strawberry cupcake screamed of real strawberry; the tang of the red velvet frosting was not the buttercream used for every cupcake. The attention to detail was duly noted! I do feel this quality is rare in a vegan bakery, so thanks Cakerino. You’re amazing.

Back to cauliflower. It was a special birthday and the birthday boy wanted to go to the Cheesecake Factory. Great–I can check out what vegan options they had as I’ve never been, nor wanted to go on my own! And there it was on the menu… cauliflower.

I was taken aback when their Korean Fried Cauliflower hit my tongue. So crisp and flavorful. With each bite I was amazed. I think I might have said that it was the best cauliflower I’d ever had!

I am a cauliflower convert…

Also on their menu, the Vegan Cobb Salad. It was Crisp Lettuce, Grilled Asparagus, Avocado, Roasted Beets, Green Beans, Tomato, Cucumber, Carrot, Quinoa, Farro, Almonds and Toasted Pepitas with House Vinaigrette. A great plant options without the Beyond BS. But it was a lot of lettuce. I would have preferred to have more of the everything else.

More cauliflower! This time delivery from Amaya Indian Cuisine and their Gobi Chili Chaat: Battered cauliflower tossed in a delicious lime sauce. It blew me away again!

Also great, their Stuffed Spinach Tandoori Naan.

Now I am on the hunt for more excellent cauliflower! What are some of your favorite places for cauliflower?