YEE: Elite Tasting at Veggie Grill in Irvine

I’ve always wanted to try everything on VG menu but I’m on a budget so when I saw the post go up on this event I had to at least try and get on the wait list and hope…
The day came and couldn’t believe what the VG staff had in store for us. There was so many delicious foods to sample I couldn’t get to everything! It was just madness lol in a good way :)
Another plus, is that I got to meet other Unilocalers, Frankin Y. Felix, and oh, Joe (who ditched us for a pretty girl lol) funny guy!
Wow! Another spectacular event with amazing spread, thanks to Ryan C. And to the friendly staff of VG! You guys rock!

Why this event made me happy:
* I actually got into an event! Yeah!
* Hosted by the Veggie Grill, makes me even happier. Guaranteed some good grub.
* I had no idea that this location was open, good for me because it’s closer to work.
* Met some really nice new Unilocalers, Mike P. and Amanda T. great folks!
* Finally met some really nice Unilocalers in person, Joe P.
* Caught up with some really nice old Unilocalers, Andrew K., Jonathan, Erin and Andrea!
* Scored some cute free red shades
* Stuffed my belly with yummy delicious food! From lovely drinks to savory soups to choices of salads to choices of burgers to choices of tacos to choices of dessert! Everything was so good. The peeps of Veggie Grill did such a great job!
Thank you Ryan C. for hosting another great event and making me a very happy Unilocaler. Yeah Yeah!

It’s been a while since I have been to a YEE Event, so I was happy to be accepted last minute. I was also happy to finally meet Sara Y., Lily A., and Dani S. my DB nemesis — LOL) in person. But most of all, it was cool to spend the night w/​a down girl like Patty C. Patty came late, was behind me in line and didn’t know anybody. I remember my first Unilocal event and I didn’t know anyone either. I wanted to show Patty some Aloha, and I offered to sit w/​her. She turned out to be super nice, easy to talk to and put up w/​my stupid jokes: What more could a guy ask for? LOL!
I am not a big fan of veg/​vegan, but I was pleasantly surprised. My faves: The chickin’ wings had a ton of flavor and heat, and the sweet potato fries were sick!!! The latter were super crispy and piping hot. They were definitely the star of the evening. And lastly, the desserts were really tasty, and I don’t normally like desserts. The other dishes to me were just OK, but I was a little upset they didn’t bring out nachos as promised. I also somehow missed the mac & cheese. All in all, I was impressed with how much flavor, and texture the food had compared to Real Food Daily (RFD) in Santa Monica. RFD has overpriced food that tastes like cardboard. Overall food review for VG: 4 Stars.
The service was outstanding! The staff was super nice, attentive and kept on clearing our plates so we could get more food. Patty wanted to take the fries and sauce home, and our server accommodated her w/​no problems: 5 Stars. The ambiance was generic, but it was nice how they separated the back of the restaurant for us. The bathrooms were nice and clean: 3 Stars.
I would come back here if there was one near my work or home, but I wouldn’t drive out of my way to come back. Ryan, mahalo nui loa for another dope event! Thanks for squeezing me in!!!

Thanks Ryan and Veggie Grill for this awesome event! Yoga events and now some vegan food! Good looking out! All of Unilocalers will be ready for summer bikini season. Oh maybe too late for that but we will be ready for Halloween. That’s right start planning your costumes now.
A quick background of my Vegan experience. A buddy of mine went Vegan after a girl he meet was Vegan. He got made fun of so hard my friends ran out of jokes but he took it like a champ. My first experience was at a budhist temple in China and after hiking miles to the temple there was no meat to be found. Soy overload resulted in the worst stomach ache ever. Worst than taco bell and mcdonalds put together. After that I discovered Native Foods from a Vegeterian friend who didn’t go full vegan and cheats from time to time and also has the waistline most girls would be jealous. He needs meat in more ways than one. I decided to try some Vegan food because I wanted to get back in to shape and I was willing to try anything except for drugs. If Tony Norton the founder of P90x could go Vegan it can’t be that bad. He’s 50 and hosting a program most 20 year olds can’t complete.
Back to the review… I finally did it! I tried Veggie Grill and popped my VG cherry !! It hurts a little at first and you may lose some meat at first, but it doesn’t hurt to go both ways. There was so many great reviews and I was worried it might be overhyped like In-​n-​Out Burger.
Here is a list of the items we sampled at this event.
Tomato Basil Soup, Chill Out Wings, Buffalo Wings, Savory Kale Caesar, All Hail Kale, Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’, VG-​Cheeseburger, Carne Asada Burger, Baja Fish Tacos, Chickin’ Tacos, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Pudding Parfait. And a free drink. I had a Fat Tire yum import beer! :)
My favorite items were the Buffalo Wings because of the sauce, the Kale salad, and the Baja Fish tacos. Everything looked awesome because the presentation looked convincing. If you were medium drunk, most people would not think twice that there was no meat at all. I like the Kale because there was no fake meat involved it was a tasty guilt free salad. The Baja Fish Tacos (name of a restaurant, lawsuit?) I like the crispiness of the fish tofu meat and the fresh salsa was delicious.
Would I ever go Vegan? Heck no! I can give many reasons why both scientific and my own beliefs. Besides if you every lose an arguement with a Vegan, just huff and puff and blow them down. Or threaten them with your pinky because that’s about as hard you will have to work to win in a fight. I’m just kidding :). I will definately try to eat less meat but I rather have a balance diet with plenty of vegs and I gotta have meat and seafood. I will stick to exploring good Vegan dishes that are not made of fake meat. I rather eat real veggies and real meat.
Great Unilocal Elite event !! I love the fact I got in to an event for a restaurant I was dying to try. Nothing beats good food and good company.
* sidenoted * — Eventhough I enjoyed this event and the wonderful service, the food f’d me up! That fake chicken or tofu was playing games with my stomach. Maybe my tummy was mad it was tricked in to eating food that looked like meat but it wasn’t.
Written via Blackberry

Awesome!
Veggie Grill closed for two hours to treat Unilocal Elites to an amazing vegan meal. They set out a buffet-​style assortment of their most popular dishes, including two salads, three burgers/​sandwiches, two tacos, and two desserts. Appetizers of chikin and buffalo wings were brought out to the tables, along with Monday’s soup of the day, tomato basil.
Everything was absolutely delicious and it was so nice to be able to eat anything I wanted without worrying about what was in the food. There was so much food that I didn’t even try everything offered. On top of that, they were willing to make other menu items for those who wanted to try them (but seriously, who had room?)!
While I enjoyed everything immensely, my two favorites were the Savory Kale Caesar and Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ sandwich. You really can’t go wrong with anything at VG. Whether you eat meat or not, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste of the food here.
Veggie Grill is the my favorite casual chain restaurant and Veggie Grill and Ryan sure did treat us on this night! Thank you!

All in.
That’s what Veggie Grill and Unilocal offered us. Check in was a cinch and we scored another pair of Unilocal Shades. «UV rays. F.U.C’em» I have a pair in my cars, home, duffle bag, etc. Damn things are great!
The whole VG was closed off to us Unilocalers and seating was of your own choosing. We chose a lovely table and were offered a beer. I chose the pale ale and they also gave us a drink cup for their standard tasty lemonades and teas.
The entire event was very generous. My favorite item was the chill out wings. They came with a chipotle ranch sauce, but the tangy BBQ sauce was my favorite.
The YEE VG was a two by four event: 2 types of salads, 2 types of sandwiches, 2 types of tacos, and 2 types of dessert!
After eating the sandwiches, I thought we were done, but the food kept coming! You can tell all the food was excellent in quality. This is the type of place you can have something light or filling, but can keep coming daily.
Thank you Veggie Grill and Ryan for hosting this event. I will start steering my friends to the VG bandwagon.

Ryan is awesome! Thank you for the invites to two consecutive health-​conscious events (rock climbing and Veggie Grill)!
I am a fan of vegetarian food and have been to Veggie Grill a couple times before. However, I always found myself limited to ordering the signature All Hail Kale Salad. During the Elite Tasting, I came out of my shell and sampled more of Veggie Grill’s menu including the savory kale ceasar salad, Santa Fe crispy chickin sandwich, buffalo wings with ranch, tomato bisque soup, and chickin taco! All were incredibly tasty and approved by my palate! I was really impressed with the selection of wholesome ingredients that did not sacrifice taste. Without a doubt, I will include these dishes in my regular rotation at Veggie Grill!
The «meat» in the Santa Fe chickin’ sandwich really tasted like chicken but it was actually a product of soy protein, gluten, water, starch, etc. It would have easily fooled many non-​vegetarians in believing that they were eating a tasty chicken sandwich!
Tonight, I discovered my new favorite dish at Veggie Grill — Savory Kale Ceasar Salad. It contained tempeh bacon, avocado, kale, croûton, and chicken. Each bite delivered a mind-​blowing taste with a mixture of creamy and crunchy texture! I am addicted and already craving it!
I enjoyed meeting new friends Rose Marie, David, and Franklin. YEE is all about good company and good food; this event was no different. See you all at the next event/​feast as we throw down plates of delicious food again!

Awesome great times @ this event! ;-)
Gotta chance to meet new friends & catch up with some old ones.
Thank you Ryan & Veggie Grill & VG employees for throwing such a great event where everyone enjoyed & stuffed themselves to the fullest.
My fave foods if the night was the & carnede asada & carrot cake (dessertgasm) ;-)

OMG!!! Such a great time! Major props to Ryan and the staff at VG for hosting us! –fist pump–
Always great to see Unilocal buddies: Aaron L, Kim, and very thrilled to meet Joe P, Morgan and Jen! I snatched a pair of Unilocalpie sunglasses so I can look stylish at the beach.
Food was abundant and super amazing, gotta try 3 different burgers and 2 types of tacos, buffalo wings, soup and 2 of my favorite kinds of salads. I was still eating even after I became very full. When it came time for dessert, I couldn’t resist and finally took the sample glass and ate that too. –oink–
So much fun! Xoxo to Ryan!

Ryan shoots and scores!
Free beer and wine (one per customer), and samplings of the following:
Tomato basil soup
Kale caesar salad
All Hail Kale salad
Carne asada sandwich
Cheeseburger
Chicken sandwich
Chicken wings
Chicken tacos
Fish tacos
Carrot cake
Chocolate parfait
[probably other items that I’ve forgotten]
We stuffed ourselves silly. Silly! Veggie Grill rules.
If you haven’t been to Veggie Grill, you’re missing out. I’m an omnivore, and their faux meats are among the very best I’ve had (and I’ve tried them all). Do they make chick’n caesar salad? I’m already thinking about the next time that I go.
Oh, yeah, my wife brought home leftovers! Woo-​hoo! Thanks, honey.
Thanks, Ryan.
Thanks, Veggie Grill.
Note to Unilocal spell check. Please add the following to the dictionary:
caesar
carne
asada
faux
chick’n
woo-​hoo

WOW. Wow wow wow wow wow! Talk about an amazing night full of delicious food, excellent service, and great company. Veggie Grill was so generous with all their plentiful offerings, and they even closed the restaurant for us Elites! To add to VG’s awesome factor, they were giving out $ 5 off coupons to people outside who were turned away during our private event. How cool is that?
There was so much delicious food that there wasn’t an unbuckled belt in the house. I got to try so many scrumptious items I’ve never had before, like the chicken fingers, kale Caesar salad, carne asada sandwich, and the fish tacos. And it was so exciting for me to be able to sample to my heart’s content without worrying if any of the items had meat or animal bits in it. Hooray!
No matter your dietary preference, you must try Veggie Grill. There’s something for everyone, and your taste buds will thank you.
Thank you Ryan and Veggie Grill for one of the best Elite events in the history of Unilocal!:)

Oh my, oh my… Ryan C. thank you for hosting such a fun event! I finally got to go to a Unilocal event with my dear friend Tiffany C. (I’ve been raving about the first one I went to in DTLB a few months ago). So glad we were able to make it out to this one. :)
This newest Veggie Grill location is in the same plaza as Target and a bunch of other stores/​restaurants. Being in Irvine again brought me back to the college days. Aw memories! Anywho! Veggie Grill is the new kid on the block here and boy they did not disappoint! Everything from the fresh clean sitting area, to the nicest staff, and of course the delicious food… it was all just awesome all around.
My favs were:
Hibiscus tea (caffeine-​free) — Nice touch, also didn’t want to be up for days…
Chill Out Wings — great even without the sauce
All Hail Kale salad — preferred this one over the Caesar with the Tempeh Bacon
Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ — way better than the Cheeseburger
Carne Asada — so good! Wish there was more!
Chickin’ Tacos — so much better than the Baja «Fish» Tacos
Carrot Cake — preferred this over the ChocolatePudding
If you can’t tell… they have the «chicken» part down. I love meat, but this is a great place to try vegetarian alternatives. Now if only I can trick my fiancé into going… hmmm… lol
Thanks again to the über nice staff and Veggie Grill and Ryan C!

Thank you Ryan C and Veggie Grill for putting together this delicious event! The staff were all so friendly and quick to adhere to any special requests. There was sooo much food and it was awesome they they let us Unilocalers take home leftovers. I also thought the décor was really nice.
I have to admit, I really enjoy eating meat so I was super scared of having a vegan meal. But I was completely impressed! Lauren P would be so proud of me. All of the «meat» actually tasted like meat. Even Jennifer B, who doesn’t eat meat, was a little scared because it tasted so real. The Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’ was one of my favorites. The toppings made it so flavorful. The Carne Asada Sandwich (spicy!) and «Fish» Taco were also really tasty. I don’t even like tomatoes but I enjoyed the Tomato Basil Soup. But best of all was the Savory Kale Caesar. The avocado and cucumber just completed the fresh and zesty flavor palette. I will definitely come back for that salad. I’ve been converted!

1.5 hr later and I’m still feeling stuffed! I am a big Veggie Grill fan so attending a tasting at this newer location sounded like fun, and fun it was! A big thank you to Ryan for setting this up and what a wonderful way to start the week.
Unfortunately, I didn’t moderate early on so half-​way through I was full and couldn’t try everything. It was really nice to try all the different menu items as I usually veer towards the chicken sandwiches, my favorites were: Cheeseburger, Savory Kale Caesar, and the Baja Fish Tacos took home my award for «Show Stealer». The only dish I didn’t really care for was the tomato basil soup, felt like it needed more spices, salt, and I like my tomato soup with more acidity and sourness in there.
Last thoughts– Not sure about everyone else, but I couldn’t help feeling awesome since they closed the restaurant down for our event. Service was exceptional, all the servers were very friendly! Also, I felt the mood was very relaxed from the kitchen, staff, to us diners; because it was buffet-​style so they weren’t trying to rush and make individual orders, very neat!
I always feel a bit of apprehension going to events alone, but the Unilocal community is always so friendly. Great food, new pals (shout out to Christine K. & Katie T.)– «As good as it gets!»

Wow, thank you so much Ryan for the endless food fest! Thank you to Veggie Grill for the amazing hospitality by closing the restaurant for us and filling our bellies with healthy delights! It was fun seeing fellow Unilocalers and meeting new ones.
I was really grateful that Veggie Grill graciously accommodated my gluten-​free requests. Since I cannot eat gluten due to my new gluten-​free permanent diet, I was quite worried about what I could eat here. They told me exactly what items I could and couldn’t eat, as well as specially preparing gluten-​free meals for me since I couldn’t partake in most of the food they had for the event.
I tried:
Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea (caffeine-free)-I love all of the iced teas they have but this one was new and it is caffeine-​free so I drank it all night! It is also super addicting! I will totally return just to get more!
All Hail Kale Salad-​Healthy and delicious! Kale is usually not so tasty but this salad was surprisingly good.
Gluten-​free Power Plate-​Loved the smoked Portabella mushroom! The steamed kale with sesame dressing was delicious. I also loved the guacamole and tomato.
Mac n Cheese-​My favorite dish of the night! It is cheesy and a bit spicy. Whenever I am craving pasta, I will have to come here to get some! The gluten-​free pasta here is the best I have ever had! My fellow Unilocaler friends agreed that this was the best dish of the night!
Chocolate Pudding-​Wow, is this truly vegan and gluten-​free? It is hard to believe! All of my chocolate cravings were satisfied in one little cup! I wish I could eat one everyday!
Service was amazing and everyone was very friendly and accommodating. I can’t wait to return and invite my friends!

Okay, so the consensus is that everyone has fallen in love with Veggie Grill!
It seemed that everyone that I talked to at the event was already a big fan of the Grill. The generously provided unlimited samples of non-​meat deliciousness at this event just solidified that fact even further.
Did you know VG serves beer and wine? I didn’t have any at the event, but how delightful does a delicious VG kale salad and a glass of wine sound? So good!
And speaking of the kale salad (there are a few), I was SO glad to finally try it. I had heard so many good things, and sure enough, it’s just as good as all the other items!
I’ve already recommended VG to several of my friends, and will continue to do so!
Thank you Veggie Grill and Ryan!
SYOY!

Ryan you did it again! Another great event with ample food, friendly faces, and outstanding customer service. No plus ones at this event but I enjoyed the intimate feel and the opportunity to meet some like-​minded foodies. Shout-​out to new Unilocal friends Julie and Aaron and high five to James L, our captain who dubbed us Team Salmon. It’s a long story, but anyways…
Served buffet style, we were given a wide assortment of dishes to sample. We began with «chicken» wings then transitioned to a tomato basil soup. The soup was a bit too thin for my taste (i love my soups thick and creamy) but the following salad options were outstanding. There were two but the all hail kale was the perfect blend of nutritious and delicious– glutton free too! Stop the madness!
We then were overwhelmed with different taco and burger variations, my favorite being the fish tacos and chicken sandwich with guacamole, yum! So much food! And if that wasn’t enough we also sampled their rich and decadent chocolate pudding as well as their carrot cake. To be honest I was beyond full by this point, but boy were they generous.
Thanks Veggie Grill for hosting us and thanks to our fearless leader Ryan for a fantastic Monday meal. :)

Today’s event wasn’t a tasting… it was a feasting! VG stuffed us, and stuffed us real good. Platters and platters of food kept coming out.
*Starters: Tomato Basil Soup, Chill Out Wings, Buffalo Wings
*Salads: Savory Kale Caesar, All Hail Kale
*Burgers: Santa Fe Crispy Chickin’, VG-​Cheeseburger, Carne Asada Burger
*Tacos: Baja «Fish» Tacos, Chickin’ Tacos
*Dessert: Carrot Cake, Chocolate Pudding Parfait
If there was anything else on the menu you wanted to try, you could ask them and they would get it for you. Drinks were unlimited too and they threw in one free alcoholic drink per person. Darn… I missed out because I’m on meds right now and can’t drink.
Service was outstanding and I’m not surprised. Every other VG I’ve been to has offered the same level of service, so rest assured they weren’t on best behavior just because us Unilocalers were in the house.
Thanks so much Ryan and Veggie Grill for hosting tonight’s event. I’ve been a fan of VG for years, but because I’m a creature of habit, I always order the same thing when I go. Tonight I was able to try so many new menu items.
Best part of the night was hanging out with my sister Cindy C, as we witnessed Charlie C and Jason L lose their Veginity!!! Oh, and I can’t forget I scored some new Unilocal swag… a cool pair of red stunna shades. :)

CHECK-​IN — score a pair of Unilocal sunglasses
SIT DOWN — one beer (pale ale/​fat tire) + a cup to try an assortment of their drinks + a plate of their buffalo wings/​tenders + a cup of their tomato basil soup
GET UP — buffet line with Caesar salad, kale salad, chicken tacos, chicken patty burger, and hamburger for you to choose from
SIT DOWN AGAIN — bond with Julie L., Irene Y. and Aaron Y. Find out we all like salmon and would be in a dilemma if we had to choose between phở or ramen
GET UP AGAIN — dessert of carrot cake and chocolate pudding
SIT DOWN ONE LAST TIME — Complain how full we all are. Rant and rave about our experience.
GET UP ONE LAST TIME — say goodbye to Ryan– although there wasn’t any nachos or mac and cheese that Ryan kept mentioning (lol), the restaurant accommodated any additional requests. Leftovers could be packed and taken home!
SIT DOWN AT MY COMPUTER — write this awesome review
THANKS YET AGAIN RYAN C. and VEGGIE GRILL! :)

My 2^nd healthy Unilocal event in a row!!! What, what?! I had never been to Veggie Grill, so I thought this was the perfect way to taste the spectrum of what they offer! I’m most definitely a meat eater, but I enjoy the vegetarian/​vegan eatery every now and then.
I. Am. So. FULL! Most everything we had was very good! We started off with the buffalo wings. These had the consistency of Chicken and had great flavor with the buffalo sauce. We next got in line to try the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin and carne asada sandwich. Oh wow, were these surprising! Plenty of flavor, good texture, and filling! I also piled on the Savory Kale Caesar, and All Hail Kale salads. My favorite was the savory kale caesar… because there was «bacon»…We came back to our table to have some of the tomato soup. It seemed to be more of a palate cleanser than a soup.
Didn’t know there was more! Got back up and rolled my way over to grab a Baja «fish» taco and VG-​Cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was better without the pickles (partly because I don’t like pickles) since it overpowered the dish. I really enjoyed the «fish» taco. Actually, James, Julie, and Irene also enjoyed that one a lot!
To finish off our meal, we had some carrot cake and chocolate pudding. The pudding was much richer than I had anticipated. Great chocolate flavor! The frosting on the cake didn’t seem like the regular cream cheese I’m used it. VG cream cheese is so much lighter! I like!
Of the tasty and refreshing drinks Veggie Grill offers, I enjoyed the strawberry lemonade the most. It’s not fair because I love anything with strawberries, but they were all refreshing!
Big ups to Mr. Ryan and the entire team at Veggie Grill. You’re all awesome!
Shout out to my tablemates James, Julie, and Irene! Glad to finally meet you all face to face! Team SALMON! I know I’m Unilocal friends with many of those who went tonight, maybe I’ll get to say hello next time!