Meat Free, Round Three: Meat-Free Week Schedule

Posted by Amber McDonald on Jan 26, 2012 in DC Vegan Drinks, Events, Food, Meat-Free Week, Restaurants | 4 comments

DCVegan, The Kindness Collective, Compassion Over Killing and Compassion for Animals present the third annual Meat-Free Week!  This year, we’re bringing back some of your favorite past events and restaurants, including Food Truck Day and an event with perennial favorite Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats.

We’re also introducing “H Street Goes Veg” – an event chock full of veg eatin’ in the Atlas District, as well as delicious week-long specials at some of the District’s best restaurants.  Check out a free cooking class, make new friends at DC Vegan Drinks, and indulge in a tasting menu or two – we’ve got something for everyone!

Meat, meet your match.

Daily Schedule

Monday, February 6 – BBQ Kick-Off Party
Learn how to cook an amazing vegan meal in a free class…then head over to Sticky Fingers for a full meal of BBQ.

Cooking Class
Whole Foods Market Foggy Bottom, 2201 I St, NW
6 pm – 7 pm
Demystify vegan eating during a free vegan cooking class with Chef Michael Giacomello.  Michael is currently the Vegan Chef Consultant to the Humane Society of the United States and a consultant/caterer for-hire.  Class limited to 15 people maximum; R.S.V.P. to community.foggybottom@wholefoods.com – Sorry, this class is full!

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats
1370 Park Road, NW
7pm – 9 pm
Enjoy a full meal of BBQ seitan, mashed potatoes, purple slaw, corn bread, and a special Meat-Free Week-inspired cupcake for only $14.99! Dine-in with your Meat-Free Week organizers.  Carry out also available.
R.S.V.P. here

Tuesday, February 7 – H Street Goes Veg
Head over to the Atlas District to scoop up amazing deals all over H Street NE!  Check out the full line-up here!

Wednesday, February 8 – Food Truck Day Returns
Last year’s immensely popular Food Truck Day returns with even more delicious vegan specials!  See the line-up here!

Thursday, February 9 – DC Vegan Drinks
Author John Schlimm signs his latest book, The Tipsy Vegan, which showcases a collection of recipes using bar favorites as key ingredients.  Specials from the book available all night.  Book sales will benefit The Kindness Collective.

Meridian Pint
3400 11th St, NW
7 pm – 10 pm

Friday, February 10 – Meat-Free Week Raw-ks!
Experience a raw, vegan tasting menu at DC’s only exclusively raw restaurant.

Elizabeth’s Gone Raw
1341 L St, NW
$75 per person (excluding tax & gratuity) for a four-course, raw menu; organic, biodynamic wine pairing for an additional $45 per person.
Reservations Required (202-347-8349) – mention Meat-Free Week for a complimentary beverage

Saturday, February 11 – Flying Dog Craft Beer Dinner
Enjoy a 4-course vegan dinner of local and organic ingredients (plus welcome beer + nibbles), featuring 5 Flying Dog beers!  The Flying Dog rep will be there to guide you through the beer pairings.

Bread and Brew
1247 20th St, NW
8 pm
$50 per person (excluding tax & gratuity); max capacity 35 guests.
Reservations Required (202-466-2676) - Sorry, this dinner is sold out!

Sunday, February 12 – Let’s #twEATup!
It’s not just a #TweetUp…it’s a #twEATup!  Follow @MeatFreeWeek for more details on the awesome vegan foods (and whiskeys!) to be had at @BoundaryStoneDC!

Boundary Stone
116 Rhode Island Ave, NW
2 pm – 5 pm
Enjoy amazing apps like seitan wings with buffalo sauce, Vietnamese-style fresh summer rolls, vegan butternut squash bisque, and more!  Free DC Brau with the purchase of a vegan item…more details here!

Monday, February 13 – Meat-Free Monday
Last year’s popular charity dinner returns!  Enjoy delicious a delicious 5-course vegan meal while earning good karma.

New for 2012!  Week-Long Specials

Bar Code
1101 17th St, NW
A full menu of vegan items, including appetizers, pizzas, pasta, paella, and desserts.  Don’t miss the vegan chocolate fondue!
Reservations Suggested (202-955-9001)

Casa Oaxaca
2106 18th St, NW
Delicious 3-course prix fixe menu of Heritage Mexican Cuisine, featuring such amazing choices as vegan tres leches cake, for $35 per person (excluding tax & gratuity)
Reservations Suggested (202-387-2272)

Equinox
818 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Fresh and seasonal 3-course vegan meal for $35 per person (excluding tax & gratuity); menu changes daily.
Reservations Suggested (202-331-8118)

Fusion
4815 Georgia Ave, NW
Debuting 3 new vegan items!
Reservations Suggested (202- 726-2210)

Guajillo Grill
1727 Wilson Blvd,  Arlington, VA
Delicious 3-course prix fixe menu of Heritage Mexican Cuisine, featuring such amazing choices as vegan tres leches cake, for $35 per person (excluding tax & gratuity)
Reservations Suggested (703-807-0840)

Heritage India Dupont Circle
1337 Connecticut Ave., NW
10% off all vegan fare; cannot be combined with any other offer or special
Reservations Suggested (202-331-1414)

Heritage India Georgetown
2400 Wisconsin Ave., NW
10% off all vegan fare; cannot be combined with any other offer or special
Reservations Suggested (202-333-3120)

Souper Girl – Online and in-store specials!
www.thesoupergirl.com and 314 Carroll St, NW
10% off all orders!  Mention Meat-Free Week in store or use the code “meatfree” for online orders

Taberna del Alabardero
1776 I St, NW
Create your own 3-course vegan meal from the seasonal menu for $35 per person (excluding tax & gratuity) for dinner; $25 per person for lunch.  Vegetarian paella also available for the special price of $22 per person.
Reservations Suggested (202-429-2200)

Watershed
1225 1st St, NE
Fresh and seasonal 3-course vegetarian meal for $35 per person (excluding tax & gratuity); menu changes daily. (Note vegetarian option only.)
Reservations Suggested (202-534-1350)

Yola
1323 Connecticut Ave., NW
10% off all vegan items, including vegan yogurt parfaits, smoothies, and lattes with soy or almond milk

Meat-Free Week Photo Contest

Submit your favorite photos of food and fun from Meat-Free Week to amber@dcvegan.com!  Winner gets 2 free quarts of soup from SouperGirl, a gift card from Founding Farmers to sample their vegan menu, and much, much more!

DC Vegan Drinks Meat-Free Week

Posted by Tim Meinberg on Jan 25, 2012 in DC Vegan Drinks, Events, Food | 0 comments

The next DC Vegan Drinks is just about two weeks away! We will be straying from our usual later in month event and will be having the event February 9th for Meat-Free Week.

What is DC Vegan Drinks? DC Vegan Drinks is a monthly social networking event for people interested in sharing veganism and advocating for animal rights. Our mission is to bring together people from all walks of life (lawyers, students, small business owners, etc…) to build a stronger community and promote the sharing of resources. There is no requirement except for an interest in veganism, animal rights, and to have a little after-work fun.

We will be having DC Vegan Drinks at Meridian Pint for Meat-Free Week we will also be having special guest John Schlimm Author of “The Tipsy Vegan“. John will be signing books and we will also be featuring some of his recipes from his book (not sure yet what will be featured).

In The Tipsy Vegan, award-winning author John Schlimm brings together everyone’s two favorite hangouts –  the kitchen and the bar — in one big love fest of unforgettable creations.  A member of one of the oldest brewing families in the U.S. and author of the largest beer cookbook ever published, John knows a thing or two about boozing up his food.  From this son of a butcher who came out on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a pro-meatless, pro-vegetable loving kind of foodie, The Tipsy Vegan will showcase 75 recipes using favorites from the bar circuit — wine, beer, vodka, et al. — as key ingredients.

Next Drink: Tuesday February 9th from 7pm to 10pm
Where: Meridian Pint, 3400 11th St NW Washington D.C. 20010
Metro: Green Line, Columbia Heights
Are you coming? Facebook or E-Mail Me

DC Vegan Drinks Halloween Bash!

Posted by Tim Meinberg on Oct 19, 2011 in DC Vegan Drinks, Events, Food, News | 0 comments

Tomorrow’s (Oct 20th) event is our anual Halloween Bash! This is our favorite event of the year. We will be having a costume contest (top 3 voted by you!) with some great prizes! We will as usual have great vegan food and drinks from Bread & Brew. Please RSVP on Facebook or email us.

Bread & Brew has created another great menu for us for the event:

The Halloween Bash Menu

• House-made Potato Chips with Vegan Sourcream & Onion Dip
• Nachos with all the trimmings
• Broccoli & Teese “Cheese” Soup Served in a Rustic Bread Bowl
• Portobello Teese Steak Sandwiches with Hand-Cut Sweet Potato Fries
• Harvest Pizza
• Match Meat Sloppy Joes & Sweet Potato Tater Tots
• Wild Mushroom Tamales with Roasted Tomato Salsa

Halloween Bash Cocktails

• Irish Coffee with Vegan Whip
• Hot Apple Cider with Bourbon
• Blood Orange Martini
• Pumpkin Spice Martini
• Dra-Kaula

VSDC | DC Vegan Drinks Sponsor Profile

Posted by Emily on Oct 16, 2011 in DC Vegan Drinks, Events, News | 3 comments

Wow. The DC Vegan Drinks Halloween Bash & Costume Contest is this Thursday, ya’ll! Come in costume for the chance to win one of several enticing prizes, from VeganEssentials, Sticky Fingers Bakery and the Vegetarian Society of DC (VSDC). A few weeks ago we profiled sponsor VeganEssentials for you, today the spotlight goes to VSDC, a group I have come to appreciate and respect quite a bit. Thanks to Saurabh Dalal, VSDC President, for taking the time to answer my questions!

Members of the VSDC Team

Emily: Although I’ve heard of VSDC and a few of its offerings, I’m definitely no expert! When was VSDC created and why?

VeganEssentials | DC Vegan Drinks Sponsor Profile

Posted by Emily on Sep 23, 2011 in DC Vegan Drinks, News | 1 comment

The DC Vegan Drinks team is beyond excited about our October 20 Halloween Bash & Costume Contest. It’s shaping up to be a super fun shindig with some snazzy prize sponsors to boot. One of those sponsors is VeganEssentials, a vegan-owned online store featuring a motherload of enticing vegan products. I had the chance to ask a few questions of VeganEssentials co-founder Ryan Wilson last weekend. Enjoy the read, and get working on that Halloween costume already!!

VeganEssentials HQ

Emily: Tell us about VeganEssentials. When did you start it and why?
Ryan: VeganEssentials (originally called Veg Essentials when we were a printed catalog mail-order company prior to our online days) started in early 1998 shortly after my wife (and company founder) Courtney Ernster had come down with food poisoning after eating chicken.  At the time, she came to the conclusion that anything that could make her so sick was something she needed to consider removing from her diet, so she immediately went vegetarian.  A month later, she went vegan, and felt better than ever.  During that time, there were so few options out there for obtaining vegan products from a source who had done the research and put a range of all-vegan items in one convenient location, so Courtney decided that there needed to be a better way for vegans to get what they need.

The first incarnation was a printed catalog that contained only about 70 items, and the business was run out of her sister’s basement for the first year.  As word spread, Courtney was able to get a small office space and focused on building things up over the next year to expand what Veg Essentials offered.  Though, by late 1999, printed catalogs for small businesses were becoming a thing of the past due to the high cost of printing and mailing, and online retail was just starting to really take hold.  Courtney and I had been dating for about a year at that time, and I suggested that she move things to an online store to have greater visibility and to keep her costs lower in order to keep expanding her selection.

Some months later in early 2000, she finally had our online store set up, but at that time, I was still an omnivore and didn’t think I’d ever decide to go vegan myself.  At that point, Courtney said to me “Why is it you say you love animals so much, but continue to eat them?”  I didn’t really have anything to say to that, so I told her I’d try to at least go vegetarian for a bit and see how I felt.  I gave up meat and eggs the next day, and after some months, I decided that I should finally give up the dairy that I was still eating on occasion – which made me feel even better, and a decade later, I know it was one of the best decisions I ever made!  Now we’re the largest online retailer for all-vegan products (if you can consider a 6-person business “large”) with over 2000 different all-vegan products, and we keep expanding our product selection month after month to keep the vegans of the world happy to have so much they can buy at one store while supporting veganism 100%!

Emily: Where is your company based?
Ryan: We are based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is just about a 20-minute drive from Milwaukee, and we’re just about 90 minutes north of Chicago.

Emily: How do you go about finding new vegan products to sell on your site? Are you looking for certain things?
Ryan: New products ideas come from a range of sources – some are items that just show up out of nowhere as samples from companies who have a new product they’d like us to try, some are suggestions made by our shoppers, others are items we find by attending tradeshows or scouring through hundreds of pages of catalogs each month.  We’ve even found things while away on business just browsing through other retail outlets, coming across products that we’ve never seen before but were definitely products we knew we needed to bring in to our store.  We’ve always got a list of things we’ve been after, sometimes we find them, some we’ve been after for years, but now that veganism is more accepted and isn’t so “scary” to omnivores as it used to be, there’s always a range of great new products coming out each year for us to keep adding to our store!

Emily: What is the most popular product/category of merch on your site?
Ryan: Our most popular products are always food items and supplements, no question about it.  For food, we always find that vegans crave their sweets and treats, with the Go Max Go vegan candy bars being our top-selling product in that area (if you haven’t tried them, they’re incredible!)  (Ed. note: I most definitely will be ordering a supply of those candy bars. Specifically the “Jokerz” bar…yum) For supplements, we’ve seen that vegan DHA supplements have always been at the top, with the Nu-Tru Omega-Zen3 DHA being our best selling product for nearly 7 years running!

Emily: Do you personally have a favorite product on the site?
Ryan: It’s so hard to pick a complete favorite, but as of late, it has been the Cocomels vegan caramels we sell.  I try not to eat too many sweets, but they’re so addicting, once I open a bag they’re as good as gone within a matter of minutes.

Emily: What are you planning to be for Halloween?
Ryan: I’m still working on that one – we’ve been so busy here this past few weeks, I haven’t had much time to consider what costume to put together, but I’ll be making plans for that before long!

That wraps it up! Thanks so much to VeganEssentials for their sponsorship! Visit http://dcvegandrinks.org/ for info on our upcoming Halloween Bash & Costume Contest!

See you at DC Vegan Drinks Tonight!

Posted by Tim Meinberg on Sep 15, 2011 in DC Vegan Drinks, Events | 1 comment

DC Vegan Drinks number twenty eight is tonight at Bread & Brew. We start at 7pm and go to about 10. As usual Bread & Brew has made up a special menu for tonights event and here it is:

• Harvest Pizza (made w/sweet potatoes, sausage, spinach, mushrooms, red onion, etc.)
• Bratwurst
• Pulled “Pork” Sliders w/Handcut Fries
• Southwest Quesadilla made with Match Chicken
• Chili Cheese Fries
• Chocolate Cake
• Rice Crispy Treats

We have a delicious apple wine made from locally grown VA apples so we’ll serve glasses of that for $5. And on draft we have a wonderful effervescent apple cider from Canada that we’ll serve for $8 a glass. And to ring in the end of summer/start of fall we should have our first Octoberfest beer tapped for Thursday. We’ll also be doing $5 glasses of organic house wines, $1-off all beers on draft, $1-off specialty cocktails, and $3 rails.

Hope to see you tonight, if you havent RSVP’d head on over to http://dcvegandrinks.org to let us know your coming.