Chocolate: The Vegan Exception of Choice

A VEGAN restaurant that serves a NON-vegan chocolate cake. Who would have thought that such a place exists. Yet that is what Manzanita Restaurant in Emeryville offers, allowing vegan-me and cacao-me to unite. I could literally eat everything on the chalkboard menu and then some. And in this case, the "then some" was a piece of chocolate cake to go.



With a Saturday and Sunday lunch buffet, this organic macrobiotic vegan restaurant provides an all you can eat spread that is tasty, good for you, and good for the environment. It is such a relief for vegan-me to be able go to a restaurant and eat anything I want off the menu. No need to prepare beforehand, think about what's in a dish, ask questions about its preparation with the server, or compromise my vegan values. Instead, I can simply select, eat, and enjoy, allowing the beauty and flavors of the foods to nourish my body and spirit.

Did I mention it was an all you can eat buffet? I've begun to make it a Saturday destination, arriving at 11:30 when they open, leaving by 3:00 when they close, eating, studying, reading, and enjoying the food selections all the while. The turnip-carrot-miso soup, burdock-mushroom-carrot saute, leek-beet sauce, and apple corn cake during this last trip were absolutely excellent. I lost count but I think I filled 6, may be 5 plates, 4 soup bowls, and enjoyed 3 servings of dessert. (I did run 8.39 miles before starting my grub fest!)

When preparing to pay my $15.50 at the front counter, I noticed that there was a serving platter with 2 pieces of chocolate cake. There was a sign on top clearly stating that these $3.95 cake slices were NOT VEGAN.

A VEGAN restaurant that serves a NON-vegan chocolate cake = I had found a common ally in my vegan exception. I was no longer alone! Without hesitation, I asked for a slice to go.

When trying to place the first piece in the to-go box, the server accidentally dropped a chunk of the cake on the counter. I gasped in horror. She apologized, put the rest of the cake in the box, and then proceeded to place the second slice in a box for me to take. Though full from my luncheon feast, I was anxious to give this piece of cake a try. (There is always room for a sampling of chocolate cake!) And having no shame when it comes to chocolate, I asked if I could try the chunk that had fallen on the counter. It was about an inch in length, off the tip of the fallen cake, and simply called to me. The server said go ahead and try it, so I did.

It was not a bad bite, but I knew I would need time to analyze it, review it, and savor it more thoroughly at home. I was just so delighted that I could be in a vegan restaurant, enjoy a vegan lunch, have a NON-vegan chocolate cake, and eat it too! It was a divine moment. I was no longer alone in choosing chocolate as a vegan exception.

Based on appearance, it is clear that Manzanita's Chocolate Cake is homemade for it lacks that refined quality, that finished look, which one often finds in a restaurant cake made by a professionally trained pastry chef. The cake itself was crumbly and the frosting was uneven and a bit runny. But when it comes to chocolate cake, it's not about the look but the taste. I've sampled my share of cakes that were lovely to behold but lousy on the palate. This cake may have looked home baked, but from my counter-top taste test, I knew it was pretty good, even though it was not a slice of dark chocolate cake, my preference.

While the center of this semisweet cake was soft and moist, the edges however were a bit dry and hard, reflecting uneven cooking. The smooth light brown colored frosting did help soften the edges, and with its kahluha and cognac infusions, it also highlighted the subtle chocolate flavor of the cake. The alcohol in the frosting along with the sprinkling of cocoa on top added a nice depth of character to a fairly ordinary chocolate cake.

Overall assessment: 3 cacao beans (out of 5) for the cake. 5 out of 5 for the restaurant as it is the perfect place for vegan-me and cacao-me to unite. And besides, they have an excellent weekend buffet. Though the cake was average, the frosting did bump up its overall taste quality creating a nice non-vegan cake at this vegan restaurant. Though I would love Manzanita to eventually serve a vegan chocolate cake, until they do, I am glad that they like me have made chocolate their vegan exception.

(review date: 2009_11-21)

Saved by the Cake

The table top dessert menu pictured a light brown, German chocolate colored Chocolate Mousse Cake. Would I be disappointed?

I had been looking forward to this dark chocolate delight for weeks since reading its description on the San Jose Old Spaghetti Factory website menu, in preparation for a co-worker's farewell dinner. Vegan-me would first enjoy mushroom marinara pasta, then cacao-me would indulge in my vegan exception - a decadent chocolate dessert.

I would need to wait for the meal to see if my web menu expectations would be met. While the pasta did not meet my culinary preferences, thankfully the dessert did. Being too sour for my liking, the marinara needed pepper to make it tolerable.

Though the cake was delayed because it needed to be defrosted (not something a server needs to voluntarily share with a guest but mine tactlessly did), I was not disappointed when it arrived. It did not look like its faded image on the menu. This pre-fab dessert was dark chocolately brown, and appeared decadent with a generous portion of dark chocolate mousse in the center, embraced by the layers of cake. This was deliciously divine - a balanced blend of chocolate heaven.

I was surprised. While most mousse cakes are lighter and sweeter, this one was dark and dense - almost ganache-like - with a bitterly semi-sweet chocolate flavor. Though the mousse had a sooth texture, there was a subtle waxy grit, probably from the quality of chocolate used. It did however pair nicely with the dark chocolate cake, which on its own was simply a good chocolate cake, rich and satisfying.

While I would have preferred more than a drizzle of fudge on the top to sandwich the layers of flavor below, the chocolate curls on the top and side did create wonderfully appealing bittersweet kicks with each bite.

Overall assessment: 4 cacao beans (out of 5)
The dessert saved this meal from disappointment. While I used to go to the Spaghetti Factory for Mizithra Cheese and Brown Butter (neither of which is vegan). Now I go for the dessert. With their Chocolate Mousse cake, thankfully chocolate is my chosen vegan exception.

A Slice of Sicily in San Pablo

Who would have thought that you could savor authentic Sicilian chocolate in the San Francisco suburb of San Pablo? Yet that is what La Strada serves in its Chocolate Fondant.

While their tiramisu and other desserts are made on site, this local neighborhood restaurant, according to our server, imports this three-layered chocolate cake (along with its Tartufo di Cioccolato) directly from Sicily. And that is a good thing for people like me who desire a deep dark chocolate cake that is not overly sweet, made in good European tradition.

While many American chocolate layered cakes are covered with a too-sweet chocolate frosting, the Chocolate Fondant is covered with a beautifully bittersweet chocolate ganache. A rich subtly-sweet chocolate cream complements the layers of cake, which surprisingly are moist and full of rich chocolate flavor, which are almost good enough to stand solo as a dessert itself. The cake is rimmed with chocolate flakes and drizzled lightly with a bittersweet chocolate sauce. The taste of good dark chocolate pops with each bite. No sweet saccharin here – only the real stuff.

While others in my dinner party thoroughly enjoyed the Tartufo di Ciococolato, I definitely preferred the cake over this traditional Italian ice cream dessert. Filled with zabaglione cream, covered with chocolate gelato, hazelnuts, and cocoa powder, and accented with raspberry sauce, the Tartufo had too much going on for my taste palate and lacked the dark chocolate pop I crave.

While the vegan Fettuccine ai Carciofi was very good, with its artichoke hearts, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic, the dessert is what made the meal.

Overall assessment: 4.5 cacao beans (out of 5)
Enjoy your pasta but save room for the Chocolate Fondant – a rich dark bittersweet delight, as Sicily is deliciously served up in San Pablo.
(review date: 2009_11-10)

Not worth the wait but when with a friend...

I was disappointed. Having traveled from SF to LA to visit a friend, I had been looking forward to the chocolate cake at Bean Town which received rave reviews, but unfortunately they were out. There was an empty spot which read, "Chocolate Mousse Cake," and after inquiring about that, one of the baristas said it would be ready in 15 minutes. Rather than have a brownie, I decided to wait and in the meantime, ordered a cup of Hot White Chocolate, a specialty of Bean Town which also received wonderful comments.

Never having had White Drinking Chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it in spite it being much sweeter than I typically prefer in chocolate. With its comforting chocolate smell and uniquely white froth, there was a natural creamy richness to this mug of warm goodness which comes from the cocoa butter in their white chocolate mix, as well as the soy milk which they used to prepare it for me. It was "nice," soothingly comfortable, and wonderfully complemented the conversation I had catching up with my friend in this hustling cafe full of lap tops and newspapers.

The 15 minutes of waiting for the Chocolate Mousse Cake, however, turned into 95 minutes as I went back to ask when the cake would be up. One of the counter assistants hurriedly rushed to the back and brought back a slice of cake, which I believe I have seen elsewhere before. "15 minutes," I thought. "How long does it take to defrost a Costco cake?"

Whether Costco or not, this probably pre-fabbed factory cake ended up being perfectly pleasant in satisfying my afternoon chocolate cravings with its smooth texture, mildly semi-sweet chocolate taste, and surprisingly light whipped cream topping with shaved chocolate twirls. Not necessarily worth the wait, but the company and comfort of this local coffee house made it an enjoyable delay.

Overall assessment: 3 cacao beans (out 5).
While the White Hot Chocolate was good, it along with the mousse cake were nothing to write home about (though they are being blogged). Next time in Sierra Madre, I'd order a mug again and hopefully enjoy it with their chocolate layered cake, or may be their dark chocolate brownie, which looked pretty decadent, and which I probably should have ordered in the first place rather than waiting for the cake.

(Review date: 2009_11-01)