Claim Jumper

I always check the menu online before I go out to a restaurant to see if they have several vegan-friendly options. I was concerned when I didn't see anything that seemed vegan on Claim Jumpers restaurant which I was invited to for my future father-in-law's birthday dinner the other night. I e-mailed Claim Jumper and they got back to me in a fashion that was both timely and satisfying. :) The lovely Ms. Powers wrote:

Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 3:41 PM

Dear Ms. xxxxx,

Thank you for contacting us regarding Vegan items on our menu. We are very pleased that you are planning on dining with us!

The following is a list of selected items that are/can be prepared Vegan with little or no alterations:

Soft Pretzel
Comes brushed with butter, so ask for no butter

Bruschetta
Ask for no Parmesan Cheese garnish on the Tomato Relish

Candied Walnut and Asian Pear Salad
Ask for no Blue Cheese Crumbles

California Citrus Salad
Ask for no Blue Cheese Crumbles

Crunchy Spinach Salad
Ask for no bacon, or feta cheese

House Salad
Ask for no bacon, egg, cheese or croutons

Our Citrus Dressing is the only Vegan salad dressing option, but it is
delicious!

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Thai Cole Slaw

Shoestring French Fries

Fresh Charbroiled Asparagus

Seasonal Roasted Vegetables or Steamed Vegetables

Baked Potato

Any of our pizzas can be made without cheese or marinara sauce.

Our sourdough bread, French bread, wheat bread, squaw bread, and Bruchetta Bread are
all made without eggs, milk or whey.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you have any additional questions or need any
clarification. Thank you for choosing to dine with us!

Warm Regards,
Shannon Powers

I was so pleased at the response and the array of vegan options on the menu! Use this as a reference for your own trips in future!

Vegan Virgin

In 2007, I spent my senior year of college at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. It was an atmosphere of tolerance as both flat-mates and school friends began to introduce me to the ways of vegetarianism. In the UK, vegetarian cuisine is much more prevalent than I found it to be in the States: Linda McCartneyThat April, I decided to become a vegetarian. It made traveling to Switzerland and France interesting to say the least.

In Switzerland as a vegetarian the markets are heavenly, filled with the finest yoghurt, produce, breads and chocolate available. And the drinking water! Even the water from fountains is clean and divine. But the restaurants were a different experience: greasy rosti and fried cheese or fondue. Every meal revolved around large quantities of cheese. Even as a cheese lover at the time, it was too much.

Surprisingly, although cafes in Paris weren't always accommodating, the fine dining was. At Le Gare, a haute restaurant in a converted train station, upon learning I was vegetarian, the chef made me the most wonderful meal of my life. Who knew that roasted vegetables and risotto could taste like that.

In April of 2009, I became a vegan. Despite having previously insisted to friends that I could never give up cheese and milk, one day I put the requisite splash of milk in my Irish Breakfast, I couldn't stomach the greasy taste any longer. I went 100% vegan overnight. I have loved the changes in my skin and attitude towards food and overall attention to health.

Ciao Bella!

The highlight of the not one but two BBQs I attended on 4th of July was my mother's attention for the first time since I "went vegan" to my dietary choices. Generally, I try to make get-togethers as easy as possible by toting over my own veggie burgers, buns and toppings but it really helps when at least one of the sides is vegan-friendly. This holiday they were having strawberry ice cream for dessert so like most other days I resigned myself to foregoing dessert. But my mom had a trick up her sleeve and everyone else at the BBQ was jealous: perfect one serving cartons of Ciao Bella sorbet in Sicilian Blood Orange.

Totally vegan and just for me! They are absolutely adorable and the sorbet was crisp, clean and tart. To die for. For those of you who are like me and care how your food is presented, the presentation of Ciao Bella's sorbetto is only just second to the taste. Cherries in a goblet are just so much more special than cherries in a plastic bowl. Gelato is that much more indulgent when it comes in a cute container with a tiny spoon tucked inside the lid.