For special occasions, sometimes we like to spend a night in Dallas.  It's not too far to drive, but it feels so far away to be in the downtown area with so much in walking distance.  We typically choose the Fairmont.  It's just a few blocks from the Dallas Museum of Art, has a lovely pool with amazing views, and has this cozy restaurant called Pyramid.

Pyramid has been one of our go-to places because of their healthy lifestyle sub-menu that has options for all kinds of special diets.  You can find macrobiotic, diabetic, heart healthy, and, yes, vegan.  We were so disappointed to find out that the company is discontinuing this special menu.  However, the chef assured us that gourmet vegan food can be had at any time.  So here is what we were treated to recently, pictured above:

top left: roasted beet salad with white balsamic vinaigrette

bottom left: herb crusted tofu on a bed of quinoa and vegetables, including baby artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, etc. with a blueberry sauce on one side of the plate and balsamic glaze on the other

bottom right: chocolate avocado mousse with fresh berries and edible flowers

top right: breakfast in the Gold Lounge (purchased with room) of oatmeal with nuts and fresh berries, espresso with soy milk and grapefruit juice

Yes, it will cost more to stay and eat here.  It was worth it.  We had the kids with us and the restaurant was even so thoughtful to bring out smaller salads for them.  When traveling and looking for vegan options with no avail, I find it's helpful to call a restaurant with a trained chef.  They have prepared for this kind of thing in culinary school and can put some amazing dishes together with advance notice.  The chef at Pyramid did just that and made our celebration so special.  Our compliments and thanks!

For more on amazing vegan food in Dallas, check out DallasVegan.com

I have this friend and she makes the most beautiful cakes! Really, check out her Facebook page here for the proof here.

For my older son's birthday, he wanted a creeper cake. I had seen a photo of her Minecraft handiwork before and knew she would make a great cake. So here is the result! What you can't see is the three layers of chocolate cake with chocolate ganache in between. And yes, all vegan.

So now you know who to contact for your next celebration!

Thank you, Ganga!

Last night we celebrated my mom's birthday with dinner at the Wildwood Inn.  The food, service, and atmosphere were so lovely!

I love going to restaurants with a trained chef because I know that with some advance notice they will be happy to create a vegan dining experience.  So if you plan to go there, let them know when you make the reservations.  It's so helpful to the kitchen and allows them to plan ahead.

Pictured on the left is the tropics salad.  It was spicy and creamy, with coconut, pickled onions, and fruit.  I gave my kindergartener a bite and he finished off the rest of the salad before be gave the plate back!  In the middle is the Caribbean black bean cakes with pesto rice and asparagus.  This dish was also so flavorful, with just the right amount of spice!  We finished with a tangy-sweet lemon and rosemary sorbet.  I think there was honey in the drizzle, so be aware of that if you stay away from honey.  We loved the fresh hint of rosemary with the lemon.

So when you are looking for a fancier evening out, think of the Wildwood Inn!

For our big 15 year anniversary, my husband and I went to Hannah's for one of our favorite dishes: Vegan "Meatloaf".  Admittedly, we've had some disappointments in the past when they have sold out for the evening.  I make it a habit to call ahead before we go and make sure they have enough.  This time, they had plenty and we were in flavorful fancy food heaven!  
What you're looking at here is a layer of sweet potatoes and broccolini, a loaf of quinoa and black beans, spicy sweet barbecue sauce, and crunchy fried beets on top.  For dessert, we enjoyed the lemon non-dairy sorbet with our espressos.  Chef Sheena, thanks for your amazing creation so we can have a great local place for our special nights out!