Reviews of Lucky Foo's and Violette's Vegan

Jim Begley heads to Lucky Foo’s, the new Asian restaurant on S. Eastern Avenue. While he likens the decor to a “hip cousin of P.F. Chang’s,” he recommends the Forbidden Black Rice for lunch, Foo dogs (“a treat”), Crispy Rice Delight (“layered levels of heat, and a delightful contrast of textures”) and the shrimp and jalapeño bacon skewer (“irresistible”). [LVW]

Al Mancini takes on the new vegan restaurant, Violette’s Vegan. He admits that he tried going vegan one day a week for a year but never “developed what you might call a ‘vegan palate.’” Many dishes here use meat substitutes such as “seitan (wheat gluten) or tempeh (fermented soy)” in place of meatballs and kabobs. “While I appreciated the variety, the textures aren’t for everyone. And there’s no way you’re going to mistake these items for beef in the Hungry Man stew.” He did like the Zucchini Zen Sticks, breaded with polenta and quinoa and the pomodoro sauce with stir-fried vegetables and whole-grain linguine. But avoid the tomato soup (“had neither the color, consistency nor taste of tomatoes”) and the quesadilla (“completely overpowered by a rancid-tasting tofu sour cream”). [VS]