Vol. XLIII, No. 2
February 2019
THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Eating Vegan in Noe Valley
Pressman Documents With Insightful Films
It’s Easier Than You Think By Olivia Boler
Shining a Light on Untold Holocaust Stories
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e’re already into the second month of 2019, and perhaps you’ve made promises to eat more healthy food. Maybe you’ve looked at the data about how much the beef, dairy, and poultry industries contribute to greenhouse gases. Or maybe you are a picky eater who thinks meat is “gross,” like one of my children, who shall remain nameless. I will admit that I live with a vegan, my husband, Paul Marshall, so when the Voice asked me about our dining options in Noe Valley, I was game to review our favorites and check out some we hadn’t yet tried.
By Matthew S. Bajko
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South of the Border A few neighborhood eateries have really gone out of their way to make vegans feel welcome with a few different menu choices. One of the toughest things about being vegan, Paul often says, is the lack of variety when it comes to textures and flavors. Our favorite Noe Valley vegan bargain eats is Casa Mexicana on 24th Street. The bean veggie burrito is a vegan staple. Ask for rice, vegetables of your choice, and beans. They’re all vegan. Tortilla chips and salsa, along with a beverage— complimentary water, agua fresca, soft drinks, tea, or beer—make it a meal that will fill you up. If we want a vegan Latinx experience that’s a little more hipster, we head up 24th Street to The Little Chihuahua. They boast a tasty salsa bar and warm, thin salty tortilla chips. Sometimes we double down on our meal with a bowl of guacamole, which complements the grilled veggies or chile verde tofu burrito fillings. They also offer vegetarian refried and black beans. Try their fried plantain burrito—just hold the cheese and sour cream. The tostada salad is also delicious featuring pico de gallo, avocado, black beans, and a lime-cilantro dressing. Hold the queso fresco to make it vegan. My daughter really likes a basic order of beans and rice, which both Chihuahua and Casa offer.
Veritable Vegan Delights. Urban Remedy store manager Ariana Olivares shows one of her personal favorite vegan meals, the Macro Bowl, which is also gluten free. Urban Remedy, at 3870 24th St., is one of several local spots now catering to vegan tastes. Photo by Jack Tipple
hortly after Steven Pressman met his late wife, Liz Perle, in the summer of 2000, he learned that her grandmother had written about a secret chapter of her life. In it, Eleanor Kraus detailed how she and her husband, Gil, were able to secret out 50 children from Nazi-controlled Vienna in the spring of 1939. “They had died years ago. I never met them. But Liz’s grandmother, going back years ago, had written a private memoir that described the whole story, beginning to end. Liz had a copy of it and she showed me it not long after I met her,” recalled Pressman, 63, who has a three-decade-long career as a print journalist. “For years I knew a little bit about what her grandparents had done. By the time I decided to try this new career as a filmmaker, I had this incredible story all to myself.” His documentary, Fifty Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus, would be picked up by cable channel HBO, which debuted it in April 2013. “It doesn’t really get any better than that CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Clean Food on the Go I admit that we hadn’t taken full advantage of Urban Remedy’s “clean” plant-based meals, as well as the juice and soup cleanses. Their food offerings often look like colorful bowls of salad. We’re glad to know it’s there, but this was our chance to try it out. Some bowls do come with animal proteins such as salmon or chicken, but there are plenty of choices without, such as the Chinese Noodle Salad, made with lowcarb, gluten-free kelp noodles, almonds, coconut, and cabbage, and the Macro Bowl, a mix of kale, quinoa, sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, beets, and cumin chickpea croutons, also gluten free. The Vegan Caesar is a nice salad for those craving a classic—without the CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
The Time of the Season. At Flowers of the Valley at 4077 24th St., 6-year-old Vitaly helps his mother Yuliya Labunsky show valentine hearts to customers. “They’re made of pencil shavings,” she says, “and they last for several seasons.” As the famed day for flowers approaches, Yuliya advises pre-ordering your favorite flora. Photo by Beverly Tharp