8/23/2014
We were originally going to eat at Boldo Bol in Santa Ana, but once we saw the food, we changed our mind. We had to decide quick as where to eat. It was between Seabird and Wheat and Sons. My husband picked the former and with reluctance I obliged.
The problem with this vegan restaurant is that a lot of their menu is carb heavy and not the good kind. Putting brown rice in your bowl is so passé. There is so many ancient grains out there that are good for you, so use them. I was glad that there were a few new menu items that we could try.
Falafel Salad
Chickpea and Fava Bean Fritters, Heirloom Tomato, Cucumber and Radish Pickles, Romaine Lettuce, Kalamata Olives, Almond Feta, Toasted Cumin Tahini Dressing
Their falafel was fried right and had a kick but I didn’t taste any coriander, an important spice for falafel. It was a little pricy for the mostly romaine salad. The falafels were small and you needed a couple more to be satisfied.
Salted Melon
Grilled Salted Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, Romaine, Black Kale, Pistachios, Mint, Almond Feta, Orange Basil vinaigrette
This salad appealed to me because it is the kind of salad I make myself at home. We enjoyed the charred watermelon and the heirloom tomatoes, although not perfect, were on the sweet side. I really enjoyed the fragrant mint and the crunchy pistachios. The only flaw was the dressing because it was on the sweet side.
Stone Fruit and Kale
Tanaka Farms Green Kale, Local Tree-Ripe Stone Fruits, Coconut Bacon, Walnuts and Citrus Vinaigrette
My husband took a bite of this salad and went silent. I asked what was wrong and he said it was too sweet. I said noo, if it is too sweet for him, it will be a sugar coma for me. The salad came with unripe tasteless peaches. If your main star of the salad is stone fruit, you better make sure it is ripe. The dressing was overwhelmingly sweet. It was painful to eat it and we should have sent it back. I asked one of the servers what was in the dressing and she responded, orange juice and agave!! Really, two sugary ingredients. Where was the balance. If you can not make a proper vinaigrette to suit your salads then you have to take some lessons to improve yourself. The only saving grace in this salad was the salty coconut bacon and the crunchy walnuts.
Needless to say I won’t be coming back here anytime soon.
