D.B. Pickles // Island of Capri Veggie Wrap

Yesterday, I went to D.B. Pickles in Ormond Beach with my family. They had quite a few veg options, including a portabella mushroom panini. I opted for the Island of Capri Veggie wrap.

Breaded eggplant, lettuce, and tomatoes, drizzled with vinagrette dressing, all wrapped up in tortilla bread. You will have to ask for no mozzarella and no pesto aioli sauce, as they are not vegan. I love breaded eggplant, but not a lot of places can get it right, but D.B. sure did! It was magnificent! $7.99

The meal is served with either macaroni salad, potato salad, or coleslaw. Gross. I instead substituted it with a side salad (which actually ended up being a regular-sized salad) with vinagrette dressing, for an additional $1.99. They also have french fries, and veggies as side item options.

With every meal comes the pickle bar, a combination of various types of pickles, and a couple of bean salads. Personally, I love the sour pickles, and the three bean salad. Noms.

D.B. Pickles
400 South Nova Road
Ormond Beach, FL 32174-6121

Ali Baba Persian Restaurant

Ali Baba Persian Restaurant on SR 434 in Longwood.

I went to Ali Baba today, a Middle Eastern cuisine. They have a buffet with a variety of food, and countless veg options. A vegetarian/vegan buffet is only $9.95.

There are five different types of buffets at Ali Baba. First, the salad bar. The salad bar includes chopped iceberg lettuce that contains sliced green peppers, sliced tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Ali Baba has their own homemade dressing that is to die for! It is a vinegrette style with a little more tang. They also have tabouleh, and Shirazi salad (chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and mint in olive oil and lemon juice). There is also a bowtie pasta salad.  (There are other salads, but they are not vegan.)

The second bar includes an assortment of different Middle Eastern dips, including hummus, kashk-o-bademjan (baked eggplant, but they top it with whey -- yuck!), and others.

Following that is a bar that we will attend to the most. It includes cous cous (nom), falafel, potato slices, three types of soup, and two types of rice. (Sometimes they even include grilled vegetables.) Today's soups, included lentil (vegan), creamy lemon (vegetarian), and ash reshteh (vegetarian). Ash reshteh soup is a blend of reshteh (very thin noodles), parsley, and red kidney beans. It is not vegan (includes whey), but it is vegetarian. The rice provided today was white rice (Persian style), and keshmesh rice or raisin rice.

The final bar is the cruelty bar (meats, meat, meat), and beside that is the dessert. (Two bars I never go near.)

First, I had salad. The iceberg with the amazing dressing (drool), the bowtie pasta salad that was topped with vinegar, alongside the Shirazi salad.

Next, I had cous cous with falafel and hummus, along with the potatoes. Absolutely delicious and filling. Their falafel and hummus isn't the best I have ever had, but it did the job.

The lentil soup included red kidney beans with bits of potatoes, and was mildly spicy. I hate spicy foods, but this was tolerable and tasty.

Majority of the bar is not vegan-friendly, but it just goes to show you in even a meat-eater's environment, we can survive. What's great about Ali Baba is, not only do they have display signs naming the item, but they also provide the ingredients, whether it is vegetarian, and if it's gluten-free. You'll be doing a lot of reading, but in the end, it's worth it. I left satisfied and full.

I also had two cans of Chabaa juice. One was peach juice, the other pomegranate. Both were very yummy, but I loved the pomegranate. They also sell mango juice (which was sold out), and pear juice, which I am opted to try next time.

They also have menu items, some of which are not at the bar. They provide hookah (outdoors only), and alcohol (beer and wine). On Fridays and Saturday nights, they have bellydancers. It's a great place to hold an event, or go to for special occasions. It's very spacious, and have enough seating to accomodate to large groups.

There is a small market to the corner of the store, beside the stage where the bellydancers perform. The market sells Middle Eastern seasonings, ingredients, and other products. They sell very nice hookahs, hookah tobacco, and charcoal. All at a decent price.

Ali Baba
1155 Florida 434 #105
Longwood, FL 32750

Ethos // Sheep's Pie

The first thing I have ever tried at Ethos Vegan Kitchen is the sheep's pie. It's sautéed broccoli, onions, peas, and carrots in veggie gravy topped with mashed potatoes, and is ovenbaked. It comes with a side of two slices of potato-chive bread. $9.95

It's right out of the oven, so it is so hot, and obviously so fresh. They give such a good portion I thought it was too much for me to eat, but it was so delicious that I ate it all. Even the bread was amazing, too!

What I love about this restaurant is that they can take literally any dish and make it vegan. Whether it's scrambled eggs or chicken, there is no cruelty here. People think vegans eat just nuts and grain, but that's not true. We eat real meals, too. And none of the food here is dry and tasteless like at other veg resaurants. They really take creativity to a whole different level here.

And the prices are amazing! You would think as a vegan restaurant, you'd be spending more, but it's not like that. You can walk away spending only $7.50 for one meal. That's better than a lot of meat-serving places.

Ethos
1235 N Orange Ave, Suite 101

Orlando, FL 32804