San Francisco not only teases the senses with colorful Victorian homes, amazing bay views, and abundant arts and culture, but is a vegetarian travel haven. One  highlight is being treated to dinner at the classic gourmet Millennium Restaurant.

It seems the best way to experience Millennium’s many offerings is by sharing several items with your dining companions  — my group of three ravaged every dish that came to the table. Partly that was because we were really hungry after not being seated until 9:15 pm for an 8:45 reservation — a bit frustrating. But we also devoured everything because it was seriously delectable.

Millennium focuses on fresh, organic vegan cuisine that is free of genetically modified foods. While some  vegans are masters of making simple veggie burritos, Millennium is serving up delicacies like Sake Seared Snap Peas and Roasted Fava Bean Flatbread, just for starters. My favorite appetizer was the Buckwheat and Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with seared shiitake mushrooms, pickled ginger-wasabi cream and toasted nori. Their entrees, which ran about $25 each, were intricate recipes such as the Sesame-Black Pepper Crusted Portobello or a Southwestern Semolina Crepe.

Art at Gracias Madre

Another enjoyable experience was walking around the vibrant Mission District full of murals and cafes, and feasting on lunch at Gracias Madre, the  organic Mexican restaurant started by the owners of Cafe Gratitude. The Gorditas appetizer- grilled corn and potato cakes with avocado, cashew cream and fresh salsas I dolloped on by the spoonful was to die-for, and the Nopales entree with rice, beans, and more was not bad either! The place was pricy though, especially compared to Golden Era Vegan Restaurant where three of us made it out the door spending only $15 each with very tasty Asian veggie leftovers to bring home.  Familia took me to a sunny yellow place with Latin American cuisine called Sunrise Restaurant. For vegans they had many fulfilling choices: fajitas, tamales, french toast, and a breakfast burrito. I also was lucky to find Andale Mexican Restaurant at the SF Centre on Market St., where a veggie burrito with cilantro rice and salad was quite tasty for mall food.

Next time you are heading to the land of the beautiful bridges and painted ladies, reach out to the local experts like Bay Area Vegetarians to find tips on vegetarian travel, including restaurants, shopping and gatherings.

Strawberry Dessert at Millennium

San Francisco not only teases the senses with colorful Victorian homes, amazing bay views, and abundant arts and culture, but is a vegetarian travel haven. One  highlight is always being treated to dinner at the classic gourmet Millennium Restaurant.

It seems the best way to experience Millennium’s many offerings is by sharing several items with your dining companions  — my group of three ravaged every dish that came to the table. Partly that was because we were really hungry after not being seated until 9:15 pm for an 8:45 reservation — a bit frustrating. But we also devoured everything because it was seriously delectable.

Millennium focuses on fresh, organic vegan cuisine that is free of genetically modified foods. While some  vegans are masters of making simple veggie burritos, Millennium is serving up delicacies like Sake Seared Snap Peas and Roasted Fava Bean Flatbread, just for starters. My favorite appetizer was the Buckwheat and Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi with seared shiitake mushrooms, pickled ginger-wasabi cream and toasted nori. Their entrees, which ran about $25 each, were intricate recipes such as the Sesame-Black Pepper Crusted Portobello or a Southwestern Semolina Crepe.

Mission District Produce

Another enjoyable experience was walking around the vibrant Mission District.  Familia took me to a sunny yellow place with Latin American cuisine called Sunrise Restaurant. For vegans they had many fulfilling choices: fajitas, tamales, french toast, and a breakfast burrito. I also was lucky to find Andale Mexican Restaurant at the SF Centre on Market St., where a veggie burrito with cilantro rice and salad was quite tasty for mall food.

Next time you are heading to the land of the beautiful bridges and painted ladies, reach out to the local experts like Bay Area Vegetarians to find tips on vegetarian travel, including restaurants, shopping and gatherings.

Cheesecakes by Earth Cafe

Vegan dessert options have seriously improved over the years and now cater not only to those who avoid eggs and dairy but people who steer clear of gluten and processed sugars. Some companies have taken extra steps to create products that make you feel as if you are truly indulging, even though you are enjoying healthy treats.

Take Earth Cafe, for one. Sold at natural foods stores, larger grocery stores, and other spots in California as well as online, their 10 different raw, vegan, wheat/gluten-free cheesecakes are creamy, rich and decadent. Rockin’ Raspberry and Banana Cream are excellent as are the others I have tried.

On their Twitter page, Earth Cafe often touts the health benefits of the nuts used in their treats, and the sweetener they use is agave syrup, known to avoid causing sugar crashes.

Treats from Nana's

Nana’s Cookie Company also creates vegan dessert without refined sugars, and should be applauded for using only fruit juice. With products sold across the U.S. and also in the UK, Nana’s avoids genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and ensures Kosher certified products.

My favorite was the rich and moist double chocolate cookie. The chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, while also not wheat-free, were tasty.  Of the gluten-free or wheat-free options from Nana’s, I only tasted the berry vanilla cookie bars, which could use some fine-tuning to reach a more satisfying texture and taste. It is wonderful for people with celiac disease or allergies that Nana’s has many gluten-free products such as ginger spice, lemon and other varieties of cookies, cookie bars and cookie bites.

Progressive businesses such as these should be honored for their innovative ways of satisfying today’s demanding customers.