Restaurant Review: Wynn Buffet

My first trip as a vegan included dinner at the Wynn Buffet in Las Vegas. Courtesy of Steve Wynn, all of the restaurants in his resorts are required to offer vegan options now that he has adapted a vegan lifestyle himself. Thank you sir!

I was in Las Vegas with my boss for a conference and went out one night with some colleagues. My boss suggested the Wynn Buffet since he thought everyone could always find something to eat at a buffet (which also included me since it we’d be at the Wynn). I happily agreed.

We headed over and after a short wait we were seated at our table. I made my way into the buffet area and began my search for the vegan options I had heard so much about. Needless to say I was concerned when I made my way passed the salads, soups and some appetizers and hadn’t found anything labeled “vegan”. I decided to stop and ask someone behind the cases if they could help me. She asked politely if I wouldn't mind waiting a minute so that she could bring a chef out to tour the buffet with me. My own personal chef/tour guide? Hmm. Let me think about that… =p

Less than thirty seconds later, Heriberto appeared. He proceeded to walk me through the entire buffet, pointing out every single dish I could eat. Afterwards I thanked him for all his help when he looked at me puzzled and asked, "Don't you want to see the dessert?!" Dessert! Of course! What was I thinking?! We walked into the Dessert Room (yes, the desserts there have their own separate room) and shortly after, he frowned when he realized there weren't too many things he could offer me. I told him it would be fine because I love fruit and would be happy to have some after my dinner. He explained that they used to have sorbet but stopped serving it recently. He then insisted that he would find me strawberry sorbet, top it with fresh berries and leave it in the Dessert Room for me to ask for when I was ready.

So I think it’s pretty clear that the service at the Wynn is top notch. Well it turns out the food is too! I started with Roasted Corn and Quinoa Cakes, naan, hummus and grilled asparagus and basically just kept going back for more, ignoring all other options. Oops! It’s just that they were THAT delicious and sometimes it’s the simple things like naan and hummus that can just be so darn good. After making room in my very full stomach for dessert, I headed back in to get my sorbet. Yes, it was amazing and the fresh, ripe berries definitely put it over the top.

All in all, the Wynn Buffet surpassed every expectation I had going in - save one. I was a little surprised there wasn’t a broader selection of vegan desserts. I know it may come as a surprise, but sometimes we vegans like to indulge and when you’re in the city that practically invented the word you’d expect a little more than fruit. Come on, Mr. Wynn! Let’s make it happen! =)

Restaurant Review: Isla Mexican Kitchen

My first official dinner while traveling as a vegan was at Isla Mexican Kitchen in Las Vegas. I had tickets to see Mystere (in my opinion, the best Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas) so I was looking for a restaurant at Treasure Island that I could eat at. IMK looked the most promising so I called them directly to get some details about their menu. I was transferred to the manager, John (I wish I had his last name!), who was more than helpful to say the least. He took the time to go through the whole menu with me and point out what was vegan. The Market Vegetable Fajitas sounded delicious – mushrooms, onions and a variety of peppers served with salsa, extra guacamole and flour tortillas (that were not made with lard). He even pointed out that I should explain to my server that I am vegan and to not add the butter to my platter for that extra “sizzle” that is normally used for presentation.  He also suggested that I substitute roasted corn for the standard side of refried beans (cooked with lard) and rice (made with chicken stock). I was very impressed, not only with his complete knowledge of the menu but with his friendly and helpful demeanor as well. Even after we planned my entire meal out he went to check with the chef just to verify that it was in fact all vegan. I decided right then that I would make a reservation and in retrospect, I’m so glad I did.

We arrived for dinner and were seated shortly after. Our server came by almost instantly and took our drink order. When he returned with our drinks he asked if we needed any help with the menu. I started to explain that I was vegan and he (in the nicest way possible) cut me off. He proceeded to recite my order back to me, almost verbatim, as I had previously discussed with John. I was in shock. Talk about service! What a nice surprise that I didn’t have to go into my whole vegan explanation (No, I don’t eat dairy… Or seafood either... Yes, that includes eggs...) I just sat back in awe and thanked him. John arrived at the table shortly after to make sure everything was taken care of properly and I told him that it most certainly was!

Our dinner came in a reasonable amount of time and I have to say, it was quite scrumptious! Everything came out the way it was supposed to and I enjoyed each and every bite. When everything was said and done I asked to see John again. He came out and I thanked him again for going above and beyond.

It isn’t everyday you get service quite like that so I made sure to write both TI and this review. I’m a firm believer in giving feedback to companies, both positive and negative. The sad truth is that most companies only receive the negative comments and not enough positive. I think it’s important to let those who go out of their way for us vegans know that it didn’t go unnoticed. Everyone likes to feel appreciated AND it helps promote a positive image of veganism – it’s win-win!

The (Traveling) Practical Vegan

Less than two months after going full vegan I was scheduled to take a business trip to Las Vegas. Needless to say, I was nervous. I had just gotten used to preparing almost all of my meals – how would I be able to deal without my own kitchen? I thought about it for a minute but realized quickly that it didn’t have to be so difficult. I came to the conclusion that I just had to plan ahead, find restaurants with vegan options and shop for some basics when I got there.

First things first. Whole Foods. While they may not be my favorite grocery store (more on that another time), they do carry almost everything I need. Being as they are a national chain, I figured there was a chance they'd have a store in Vegas where I could get some essentials. A quick search on their website proved that there was in fact a store in Vegas – right next to the airport no less! I was instantly relieved. I could go there once I arrived and get some basics like cereal, soy milk, hummus, etc. I would be able to cover my breakfasts and lunches, plus some snacks to nosh on. (On a side note: The Las Vegas Whole Foods has an ordering counter that cooks up the most amazing vegan grilled cheese!)

All that left was my dinners. I knew I’d be going out to eat at night so I just started looking around the websites of the resorts I knew I’d be visiting. Everything is on the internet these days so it’s easy to find menus. I would be staying at M Resort so I started there. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to have many options. This didn’t really concern me since I knew I most likely wouldn’t be staying at the resort for dinner anyways. I had plans to see Mystere at Treasure Island my first night so I checked them out next. I narrowed their ten restaurants down to three – Isla Mexican Kitchen, Pho and Khotan.  Great! Then I moved on to Monte Carlo and found a couple possibilities there (The Pub and d. vino). There also seemed to be a great option at Mandalay Bay called Border Grill. Then I remembered that Steve Wynn sent out a directive last year to his casinos requiring all of the restaurants to offer vegan options (THANK YOU Mr. Wynn!). This meant even more restaurants to add to the list! Things were starting to shape up and I felt much more comfortable.

As it turns out, it isn’t as hard as I thought it would be to travel as a vegan. A friend of mine tagged along with me on my trip and I’ll never forget how she exclaimed one night that she was considering going vegan just because of all the special attention and exceptional service I was receiving. I’m pretty sure she was only kidding about going vegan (in fact, I’m positive), but she was right about the service. It was outstanding. It turns out that many (if not most) places are more than happy to accommodate special requests. In fact, it seems like the chefs are actually excited about it because it allows them to be creative and cook up something new instead of the same dishes day in and day out.

My point is this - there's no need to get frustrated or nervous if you're going to be traveling. With a little effort and planning you'll be able to find delicious vegan food no matter where you go. Stay tuned for my reviews of a couple of the restaurants I did eat at (Isla Mexican Kitchen and the Wynn Buffet) plus, the ones I ate at on a subsequent trip (Jaleo, China Poblano and Sensi). Also be on the lookout for reviews of vegan restaurants in New York City!

Lastly, The Happy Cow can be a very useful resource for finding vegan restaurants so be sure to check them out. They can help you find restaurants not only when you're on the road, but in your own backyard as well!

Happy travels!

Birke Baehr: What's Wrong With Our Food System

I had been trying to come up with an idea of what my first official blog post should be about, when a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook. Suddenly it was clear that this 11 year-old boy would be it.


For starters, he's speaking at a TED conference (which for those who have never heard of before, is basically where the great minds of the world meet. Check them out here!) He only talks for five minutes but he uses each and every one of them so perfectly in order to get his point across. Since I can go on and on in detail about all the different topics he spoke about, I will simply highlight what I consider to be the most important parts.

• He starts out by explaining that he grew up like most children in this country; believing that his food came from this happy place called a "farm". He was taught that there were these pastoral places where cows graze in open fields and pigs squeal happily as they roll in the mud while the chickens cluck around their coop. Yet what he discovered was that this type of farm hardly exists anymore. What was once a farm is now a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation), where the animals are factory-produced and the only thing that matters is a bottom line.
• How does he say he learned all of this? From the internet, books and documentary films - the same way I did, only I was in my late 20's! He's got this all figured out and he's only 11! He is way ahead of me. This gives me hope...
• He mentions GMO's (genetically modified organisms). Yes, they're in almost everything and no, it's not a good thing. Say no to GMOs
• He also mentions how genetically-modified corn is in everything. He's not kidding. It's in soda, ketchup, Cheez Whiz, cake mixes, frostings, soups, breads, cereals, frozen waffles, mayonnaise, margarine, mustard, beer, Twinkies, Chicken McNuggets (13 of its 38 ingredients are derived from corn), candies, frozen yogurt, salad dressings, etc. And that's just the food items! It's also in trash bags, disposable diapers, batteries, aspirin, toothpaste, chewing gum, cosmetics, charcoal briquettes, matches, windshield washer fluid - the lists are endless. It is easily estimated that over one-quarter of all the items in a supermarket contain corn in some way, shape, or form. That's a lot of corn...
• He explains that good farming does exist but is very few and far between. You'd have to seek them out and purchase from them directly since they almost never sell their products to the large supermarkets most of us shop in. The crazy farmer he talks about, Joel Salatin, does in fact go against the grain (pardon the expression) by employing a much more natural approach to his farming. Author Michael Pollan spent time with Salatin on his farm as part of research for his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. And while I have mixed feelings about both Michael Pollan and his book, I do agree with him that there should be more farmers like Salatin out there.
• How does he think we can make a difference? One kid at at time! Look at him - he said he used to want to be a football player in the NFL and now he wants to an organic farmer. That's incredible! All because he learned about where his food came from and "the dark side of the industrialized food system."

And that's what I'm hoping for everyone reading this blog. I believe that everyone has the right to choose for themselves what they put in their bodies. But I also believe that everyone should know what it is, where it came from and everything it took to get that food on their plate.

Welcome!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world wide web. My goal for this blog is to educate people on the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and to show that it doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. Living a compassionate life can be much more practical than most people think - let me show you how!


I'll be blogging facts and thoughts about veganism, recipes, companies/products I love (but am NOT paid for endorsing) and much more!

Please keep checking back for more!