Gracias Madre

A few weeks ago, my mom. Courtney, and I ventured into San Francisco to find some decent fabric for our final projects in costume construction. We had already looked at a few stores around campus, but none really had what we needed or wanted, so San Francisco it was! 

Anyway, Courtney had read about an all vegan Mexican restaurant, Gracias Madre, in the Mission District. As luck would have it, the restaurant was a few blocks from the second fabric store we stopped at, so we ended up having a delicious lunch there. 

As a vegan it can sometimes be hard to find decent meals at restaurants. It isn't impossible, but sometimes you do have to settle. This place was heaven. Absolutely everything on the menu was vegan from the drinks to dessert. Having so many choices was overwhelming at first, but we just decided to try a bit of everything. 

To start of we ordered drinks and appetizers (obviously). I had tangerine agua fresca while my mom tried the melon. Courtney ordered the vegan horchata and it was by far the best. It was creamy and cinnamon-y. Granted I've never had horchata or vegan horchata, but I loved this one. 

Out came the appetizers. I'd been craving posole, but dreading finding a vegan recipe and making it, so when I saw it on the menu I knew it was meant to be! We also ordered the Papas al Horno, which was roasted potatoes with spicy cashew cheese sauce. We all agreed that these were the best part of the meal.

I ended up ordering the Patillo de Legumbres and picked asparagus and plantains for my two veggie choices. It came with smashed black beans, which I thought would have been better whole, and perfectly cooked brown rice. Nice thick corn tortillas also came with the meal. I really enjoyed the flavors and the super fresh produce. Yum! I just wish the plantains were more unripe as I don't really care for the sweet banana-y taste. 

Courtney ordered the Enchiladas con Mole, which was my least favorite entree (we all shared). It came with garlic kale, which I actually enjoyed more than the enchiladas. The sauce was okay, nothing special and I didn't like how they were served "open faced"... not how I like my enchiladas.

My mom ordered broccoli and asparagus tacos. Once again, the veggies were fresh and the cheese was delicious. Something about how the tortillas were prepared gave it a nice texture. I really really liked them (even as leftovers the next day). 

I couldn't resist vegan flan. I mean, it's not often you get a chance to even try vegan flan. It had a nice creamy texture, but I wish it had been a little sweeter and had less of a coffee taste. I STILL enjoyed it though. 

Basically I loved this place and can't wait to go back. It was an amazing feeling to be able to order anything on the menu. I loved how fresh and flavorful everything was. Plus they use Fiesta dinnerware. That being said, I was a bit disappointed in the slowness of the service... oh well!