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Earth Cafe, the vegan restaurant in Marrakech, Morocco

Published

on June 4, 2011

in African, cafe, Outside Paris, popular, restaurant, travel, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly

. 2 Comments

Vegetable tangine in Marrakech
Boring tagine in MoroccoMorocco is a favorite destination for many Parisians. It’s warm, exotic, and French is a secondary language for most people. Moroccan food is also highly appreciated for its spices, tagines, and couscous. Ask a Parisian about Morocco and a smile appears as they remember one of the many little joys of visiting the country.

It’s possible to get vegetarian food in Marrakech. Most restaurants will sell a vegetable tagine. However, I found them to be quite boring. Perhaps I needed to visit better restaurants.

Earth Cafe

You can imagine my delight when walking through the market and spotted some hand made signs for “Earth Cafe” a vegan restaurant. I had to find this place and enjoy a good meal, it did not disappoint.

The first thing you see as you step down into this cafe is the open kitchen, a beaming chef will greet you with pride as you enter her domain. As you pass the kitchen the restaurant opens vertically. What seems like a small space grows to several floors with an open space in the center.

The menu

I was surprised to see the menu lacked tagines and couscous. How very non-Moroccan! How very refreshing after dealing with some rather banal versions found in other places.

Instead you’ll find a creative assortment of dishes that span the North African and Mediterranean flavor spectrum. My meal had a variety of vegetables wrapped in filo dough, baked and placed on the plate with mango sauce. It was delicious and very filling.

Earth Cafe also features some yummy smoothies that will hit the spot on a warm African afternoon. The friendly hosts speak French and English. The waiter even walked with me through the souks to find a hammam.

You’ll owe it to yourself to visit Earth Cafe when visiting Marrakech. You’ll get great food, great service, and a jovial, peaceful environment. The flavors are so great that your meat eating friends will also enjoy the meal.

Cafe Earth: Arset Sakia, Marrakech, Morocco; earthcafemarrakech@yahoo.com; Hours: 11am-late; Vegetarian Restaurant; Accessibility: The restaurant is not accessible to wheelchairs.

Overall: 5/5
Location: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 5/5
Vegan Friendly: 5/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 3/5

Chez Paul: Vintage Parisian Cafe near Bastille

Published

Ted

on May 31, 2011

in 11th Arrindissement, French cuisine, Meat Eating Friends, popular, restaurant and soup

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You’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time when stepping into Chez Paul. This popular restaurant near the Bastille is filled with vintage elements that deliver a homey, comfortable atmosphere. The food is also elegant, comfortable cuisine.

Delicious French Cuisine

Chez Paul serves solid, traditional French cuisine. As such, you’ll find many more meat options than vegetarian. There’s not much on the menu for the vegans. It’s a shame, as the food is really amazing.

I visited Chez Paul on a Friday night. A reservation is highly recommended, as this is a popular restaurant in a popular dining area. I started with the cream of asparagus soup, which was amazing. It was silky and very satisfying. Frankly, I could have stopped at just the soup and died a happy man. Chez Paul features a special vegetable soup every night, so hopefully you’ll be arrive on asparagus night.

Following the soup, my friend Bob and I had the vegetable lasagna and salad. The lasagna was good and cheesy, but didn’t match the asparagus soups flavor quality. Finishing the night, I had the house specialty dessert: pears poached in a spiced wine with ice cream. This was also an amazing dish.

To summarize: Chez Paul is a fantastic, vintage restaurant in a hip section of Paris. The food is amazing, but the vegetarian selections are limited. The vegan options are even fewer. It’s a fabulous place to visit with friends.

Address and Ratings

Chez Paul: 13, Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris (11°); 08 99 23 09 70; Metro: Ledru-Rollin; French Restaurant; Accessibility: Only a portion of the restaurant is wheelchair accessible. Restrooms are not accessible.

Overall: 5/5
Location: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Vegetarian Friendly: 3/5
Vegan Friendly: 1/5
M.E.F. Friendly: 5/5

BIOart – Organic gourmet along the Seine

Published

Ted

on November 2, 2009

in 13th Arrindissement, French cuisine, organic, restaurant, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly

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Organic is a dirty word in Paris. Not that they are against organic produce as we know it. No, “organic” brings to mind roadkill and other rotting objects. Instead, the French use the term Biologique. BIOart is a restaurant that specializes in using only biologique ingredients in their cuisine.

I must admit I’ve passed this restaurant many, many times while heading home. It’s a bit cold on the outside, but supposedly very nice and comforting on the inside; where it really matters.

This was the first certified organic restaurant in France. The food is also locally produced and dishes are seasonal. You’ll find a wide variety of dishes for vegetarians and vegans. It’s a bit pricey, so save this for one of those special dinners on your vacation.

Travel and Leisure magazine featured BIOart in an eco-travel article:

A new addition to the city’s booming 13th Arrondissement, BioArt **** (dinner for two $100) serves an all-organic menu—risotto topped with shaved truffles; a terrine of diver scallops—in a design-forward space overlooking the Seine.
Eco-Friendly Guide to Paris, London and Stockholm

I have not visited this restaurant yet, so I cannot give a review.

BIOart: 1, quie Francoise-Mauriac (13°); Metro: Bibliotech Francoise Mitterand; 01 45 85 66 88/dd>

Kosher Pizza invades Falafel Alley

Published

Ted

on October 22, 2009

in 4th Arrindissement, restaurant, Vegan Friendly and vegetarian-friendly

. 1 Comment

What is a pizza joint doing on a street dedicated to falafel? It’s bringing back a bit of Paris history and that is a good thing for us. The street has been a bit sad for years as the old Kosher Pizza restaurant sat empty and boarded up. Perhaps rue de Rosiers is returning to its history of kosher food instead of the latest batch of clothing stores.

Kosher food does not allow dairy and meat to be served or cooked together. That means this is a vegetarian pizza restaurant by default. You can even have it sans cheese for your vegan fix.

The lack of meat is not the only thing different about the Kosher Pizza Restaurant. The walls are covered with Orthodox Jewish posters and scripts instead of Venetian sunsets, the standard images of Michelangelo’s David have also been replaced with rabbi photos; which reminds me a bit of the Rabbi trading cards available from Archie McPhee in Seattle.

The Pizza

The pizza has a ridiculously thin crust. It is more like a cracker than the dough you’d see in a thick crusted pizza. Perhaps this is a nod to matzo.

The pizza options are mostly variations of onion, leek, egg, olives, and eggplant. It’s a bit surprising to see pizza names, like nicoise, and not see the traditional meat ingredient listed.

I was a bit worried when I sat down and watched a young couple eat three pizzas. I was unfortunately brought up with the concept of quantity over quality at pizza joints. Forget the California bite sized pizzas, bring on the buy 1 get 3 free delivery specials.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at how filling the provincial pizza was. It’s a cracker thin crust with sauce, a sprinkling of cheese, and topped with ratatouille. The cheese is so minimal that I’m sure vegans would love this pizza without the cheese. The toppings blended nicely with the sauce.

Kosher Pizza is obviously closed on sabbath and Jewish holidays. It’s a bit more expensive than its falafel neighbors, but you’ll appreciate the unique experience.

Kosher Pizza: 17 rue des Rosiers (4°); Metro: St. Paul; 01 48 87 56 88; Wheelchair Friendly: Wow! This is very accessible. There are no steps to enter and the bathroom is easily reached from the dining area. Even the tables are wheelchair friendly.

Overall: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Location: 5/5
Taste: 4/5
Vegetarian Options: 5/5
Vegan Options: 5/5

Chez Grand-Mère – Le Chablis in Paris

Published

Ted

on October 8, 2009

in 17th Arrindissement, cafe, French cuisine, restaurant, vegetarian-friendly and wheelchair friendly

. 0 Comments

There’s a small restaurant around the corner from my office in Paris. It’s affectionately called “Chez Grand-Mère” as it is owned by the grand mother of a colleague. But there’s more than just a tangential relationship; as the warm reception makes everyone feel like her favorite grand child.

Even though I moved away from Paris a few months ago and returned this week, my Parisian grandmother didn’t miss a step. When it came time to order she remembered I was a vegetarian and suggested a wonderful spinach/cheese tart for an appetizer and mixed omelette with fries. Frankly, I was ready to change the fries to spinach as a customer was given their plate with a pile of great looking greens.

~~Chez Grand-Mère~~ Le Chablis has a small menu written on chalk boards hanging on the walls. You can expect at least one lacto/ovo vegetarian option. I especially enjoy their terrine with chevre and sun dried tomatoes.

They are open for lunch and you can expect to pay 12-16 euros for a two or three course meal. That includes a healthy dose of grandmotherly love.

Le Chablis: 12 rue Guillaime Tell (17°); Metro: Porte de Champerret, Pereire; 01 43 80 02 83; Wheelchair Friendly: Entrance and restaurant are a bit tight but it is manageable. No steps for entrance. I don’t know about the restroom

Overall: 3.5/5
Value: 4/5
Location: 3/5
Taste: 4/5
Vegetarian Options: 3/5
Vegan Options: 2/5