jackfruit nachos — Vegan Living

I didn't have any firm New Years Eve plans ... but one thing was for sure ... I was going to say goodbye to 2015 with a party in my mouth. My boyfriend and I had dinner reservations at Sage Organic Vegan Bistro.

It was only my third time there because that place gets so packed all the time. However, New Years Eve dinner was probably the slowest I had ever seen it. Almost all the tables outside were empty, and there were still a few tables open inside.

We were given a prix-fixe menu for a $40-45 five-course meal, but none of the options really stood out to me. Among the items was tomato bisque, cauliflower steak (this one did sound interesting), and brownie. They also offered a free alcoholic beverage and a $5 house margarita.

We opted for the regular menu so that we could eat to our stomach’s content.

Appetizers: Jackfruit Nachos and Crispy Samosa Rolls

**Jackfruit nachos from Sage Organic Vegan Bistro**

For starters, we got the jackfruit nachos, which turned out to be way too spicy for me. I even asked the server if I could substitute the jalapeño guacamole for regular guacamole and he said it was hardly spicy. What he didn’t tell me was that the entire contents of the nachos was spicy--not just the guacamole! I risked ordering it because I’ve been meaning try savory jackfruit after reading an article about how jackfruit can have the taste and texture of pulled pork. That was a fail, but my boyfriend was at least able to eat most of it (resulting in total food coma). I am now, however, a fan of savory jackfruit and would like to try making it one of these days--maybe with tacos.

**Crispy samosa rolls with tamarind sauce and mango aioli**

We also ordered the crispy samosa rolls served with tamarind sauce and mango aioli. I thought it was delicious, but tasted even better with the tamarind sauce. The mango aioli was a little too bland for my taste.

Entrees: Bun-less Bun Bowl and Spinach Basil Ravioli Pomodoro

Since my boyfriend and I had trouble narrowing down our options for entrees, we decided to split with the bun-less bun bowl and the spinach basil ravioli pomodoro.

**Bun-less bun bowl with breaded and pan fried tofu, kale and quinoa**

The bun-less bowl contained breaded and pan fried tofu with kale, quinoa, avocado, basil, carrots, sesame seeds, crispy onions and a side of lime and garlic chili sauce. I stayed away from the chili sauce, of course. I thought it was good overall, but maybe I’ve had one too many quinoa dishes (especially during my vegan sugar detox) that it didn’t really ‘wow’ me. It was also a little on the salty side, which some people might enjoy.

The spinach basil ravioli pomodoro was also good if you like the tomato soupy type of dish. It was more like comfort food than a culinary adventure. I think the main reason we weren’t blown away is because we really wanted to get the butternut squash ravioli that I got the last time I was there, but we wanted to try something new. I don’t want to completely discredit the dish though. I would still recommend it to people. What really made it stand out was the flavorful melted cashew cheese that you can drizzle on top to your liking (they serve it on the side). I also like that they used almond cheese for the ravioli filling.

Since my boyfriend ate the nachos for the both of us, he could barely breathe by the end of the meal. Dessert was out of the picture because I couldn’t eat it all by myself.

If you ever eat at Sage, it would be wise to leave room for dessert because they have a mouthwatering display of baked goods and a colorful array of KindKreme vegan ice cream (although they do use honey in some of their flavors).