(upbeat music) - This thing came to party.
It is not the margaritas.
If we just like ordered this for the table,
nobody would be like, "Where's the meat?"
- Y'all got some vegan cheesecake?
Of region.
- Wait, that is a serious vegan pro tip.
This is the top of the tier.
(upbeat music)
What's up everybody?
I'm Merle and today I'm with my friend,
vegan queen Tabitha Brown.
- Hey, y'all.
- Today, we're going to be going to Panera.
- Yes.
- Then we're going to Cheesecake Factory.
- All right.
- And then we're going to P.F. Chang's.
- Oo oo, okay.
- Yeah yeah yeah.
- That's three different places.
- Yup.
- That are literally everywhere.
- Yup.
Do you think this is gonna be hard?
- Uh uh.
You know, I ain't never really met a challenge
I couldn't handle, especially not when it came to food.
As long as we go into it with a positive mindset,
it's gonna be good.
- A lot of the times, when I go out to eat with my friends,
(sad violin music) if they wanna go
to one of these chain restaurants sometimes,
I'm like, worried.
Like, am I gonna have to be that person that gets a salad?
- Right, yeah.
- I don't even like salad that much.
(upbeat music) - Whenever we go
to restaurants, I always have to go into it
with the mindset "I know I'm gonna veganize
something on the menu."
But then, you know, we the people
that the waiter hates to see coming.
Sorry.
So sorry.
But I be like, "oh, can I get that allergy menu?"
'Cause you know they got allergy menus?
(record scratches) - What?
- Most restaurants have a allergy menu.
So most of the time, you can see
what you can have that's vegan.
- Wait, that is a serious vegan pro tip.
- Honey, you see how just learned something today?
- Yeah.
- I'm very good.
- It's been like five minutes --
- You're welcome. - That could've changed
the last year of my life drastically.
(Tabitha laughs)
Great.
I am very excited to see what tips you have today.
- We gon' find something.
Something you can eat.
- Something I can eat and love.
- C'mon Panera, I'm counting on y'all.
Hey, how are you?
- Good, any questions so far?
- The ten vegetable soup, is that one vegan though?
- That one actually is vegan, yes.
- So you nailed it.
- You see that? - First try.
- So the bread bowl is vegan?
- The bread bowl is vegan, yes.
- Throw it in the bread bowl, yeah.
- I think I'd like a salad,
so what about the modern Greek with quinoa?
Is that one vegan?
- It is if you take the feta out.
- We'll split one of those.
- What about the Mediterranean veggie?
- The Mediterranean veggie also has feta on it,
and then I believe there's honey in the bread.
- So no feta, and what bread do you have
that doesn't have honey?
- The sourdough.
- Sourdough. - And then ciabatta.
- Yeah let's do ciabatta, okay.
- And since we're not getting feta,
is there any way we could sub avocado or something in it?
- Yeah, I think we can do that.
- Oo -- - Katie you are making my day.
- You know I love some avocado.
- Yeah, I know you do.
You got the avocado ring on.
- Oh yes.
You see that?
(pop) - Hi.
- Yes, yes, okay.
- Perfect. - [Merle] Great.
- You guys are all set.
We'll have that out to your table soon, okay?
- Thank you!
- Thank you. - Let's go caf up.
- Oo girl.
Girl, this looks so good.
- I am so hungry and excited right now.
- Mmm. - Oh my god.
- That's good.
The bread bowl is vegan, can you believe that?
- That is exciting.
- We got bread.
- You can't do it without the bread bowl.
I'm gonna dip a little bit of this in it too, though.
- You gotta dip the bread.
I mean, why'd you get it if you're not gonna dip it?
- C'mon.
That's the stuff.
- That's good.
But can you see how good this look right here?
- Yeah, bring that over here, would ya?
- The olives is calling me, child.
(Merle laughs) They're calling me.
- I want some of this tomato quinoa.
- [Tabitha] Yeah, that looks amazing.
- And maybe I'll start ordering salads.
I really never do.
I think 'cause I'm usually turned off,
but I'm like, all right.
I'm gonna be grazing on some kale or some lettuce.
But this has the kale and the lettuce for the health.
- Yeah.
- And then you've got the quinoa with the tomato.
- And that's protein. - Protein.
- Hello! - Mhm.
- You see this avocado?
- Oh I see it.
I see it from a mile away.
- Oh my god.
The avocado totally covers the cheese.
- Okay, it gives you that creaminess like it is cheese.
- We'll feel good after eating it, too.
- Absolutely.
- Oh this is so good, Lord have mercy.
- All right, we're feeling great.
But lets go eat some more delicious food.
- All right.
On to the next.
- On to the next one.
All right, now we're gonna go to Cheesecake Factory.
- Oh, Lord.
You think they got vegan cheesecake?
Look at this menu.
- Look at that menu. (laughs)
- It's pages and pages. - I know.
- They've got this guac and chips.
- Oh, you can't go wrong with guac and chips.
I love some guacamole.
- Same. - Yeah.
- So I feel like all we'd have to do
is just ask for no sour cream, right?
That's easy. - Oh yeah.
- This salad actually has "vegan" in the title.
And this thing is stacked.
I could go for like, a burger.
- They got a veggie burger.
- Okay, you know how I feel about veggie burgers.
- They gotta be right.
- But they also got impossible burger.
- Ooof.
(Tabitha laughing) Can we get both?
- I think so, but this one comes with cheese.
So maybe we just talk to the waiter and see.
- Okay.
- What can I get ya?
- Chips and guacamole -- - Chips and guacamole.
- But no sour cream.
- And then, we got some burger questions.
- Yeah, so the veggie burger.
- Yup, veggie burger.
- Can that be made vegan?
'Cause I see it has some cheese and some garlic aioli on it.
- 100%.
- Yes? - 100%
Yes, we're gonna go ahead and substitute that
for the vegan mayonnaise, the vegan cheese, and a vegan bun.
- Oo!
- You have vegan cheese in-house?
- Yes, we do.
- Shut your mouth.
Oo lady, I might kick a --
y'all got a couch over here?
(Merle and waiter laughing) We're probably gonna
stay after for a little bit.
Okay, we're good.
- Yup.
- And the same thing for the impossible burger?
- The impossible burger, if I am correct, it is 100% vegan.
- Honey, that sounds amazing.
- We can have vegan cheese. - No we can have cheese honey.
Because it's called "Cheesecake Factory."
Do y'all got some vegan cheesecake?
Of region.
- Just a little bit. (laughs)
- Sorry, I thought I'd try it.
I dip, you dip, we dip?
- Yup. - All right.
Very good.
- All right.
Now we need to attempt this mountain of a Cobb salad.
Now, how do we get a little bit of everything on our plate?
- There's a strategy.
- All right.
- I think that underneath it all, is some lettuce.
See -- - You were right!
- Girl, I told you. - You were right.
You were right. - My spirit said,
"girl, it's greens under there."
- [Merle] Oh my god.
- This is good.
- Jimmy. - Yes?
- What are those?
- I overheard.
This is our refreshing ultimate margarita.
- Wait a minute, this is enormous.
- This is huge now. - This is like two cups.
- Cheers! - Thank you.
- Enjoy! - Cheers.
- Very good.
Well honey, it ain't none but agave.
Fun fact is: tequila is vegan.
Wow. - Ooooo yes.
(Tabitha laughs)
that's the stuff.
- Well, that settles it.
- Oh, you found --
- There ya go. - Gosh, there's more.
- More stuff.
We got our delicious impossible burger.
- Oh yes.
- And our delicious veggie burger.
- [Tabitha] Look at there.
- And ladies, in the meantime, is there anything else
that I may bring over?
- I can't think of a thing.
- Honey, a pillow.
You got a pillow in the back? (laughter)
- Oh yes.
It's so pretty.
- Oh my god, you feel how soft the bread is?
(Merle laughs) - See that right there?
That right there lets you know it's soft, right there.
- That's the press test.
- Okay.
- This thing came to party.
I know.
I know. - She party?
- Mhm.
It is not the margaritas.
- It's so flavorful.
- As somebody who doesn't like veggie burgers,
I'm very impressed.
- This is the impossible burger.
- The impossible burger looks so much like a burger.
I actually like that you can see
what's in the veggie burger.
All right. - Yup.
- That's like a classic burger.
That takes me way back.
Yeah.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- This is amazing.
- That is really good.
- So my family, we are a blended family, right?
So, my husband and my son are not vegan,
but my daughters and I are.
We can come here and we can all eat something,
feel included,
and everybody is happy and satisfied.
- Mhm. - That's amazing.
I love it, I love that these options are available.
- This gives me so much hope.
Coming here and seeing, not just options,
but not even afterthoughts.
It's like, every single one of these dishes
has been delicious
- Absolutely. - And I feel like they've put
time and thought and consideration into them.
I feel like, to friends of mine that are skeptical,
I could confidently recommend to them
trying the impossible burger.
I think a lot of people would be like,
"wow, this tastes just like a burger."
All right, day 2.
- Day 2, girl.
- You brought your appetite today?
- Honey, I'm always hungry.
I can always eat something.
- This is why we get along.
- Yes.
- All right, well I think it's beautiful out,
so I was thinking, maybe we get
some to-go from P.F. Chang's.
- [Tabitha] Oo P.F. Chang's, and I want some Chinese.
- And we just eat outside.
- Let's do it.
- Wow! - Girl.
- Look at this!
- Honey, when I say they they say they had options.
- On variety scale, this is the top of the tier.
We got some edamame, we got we got the Chinese eggplant --
- Which was already vegan.
- Which also looks kinda like meat.
- It does.
- And then we've got the spring rolls, also vegan already.
- Naturally vegan.
- And then what I'm the most excited for,
which is these lettuce wraps.
- The lettuce wraps, yes!
- I used to eat these so often in college.
I went twice in one day one time and got take-out by myself.
- Honey, that's all right though.
- Right?
'Cause that's my business. - That's your business.
That's right.
Yeah.
- Well, now I'm telling everyone.
- And these are actually on the menu already vegan.
- Yes!
Making it so easy for us.
- Yes.
- And the only one that actually needed to have
any sort of a sub to it
was these Brussels sprouts.
The kung pao Brussels sprouts.
- Kung pao.
- And I subbed out the oyster sauce for the vegetable sauce.
- And wait what was this one?
- Oh, Buddah's feast.
Also naturally vegan.
All right, let's do it.
- Shall we toast it up?
- Oh yeah.
(Tabitha makes a "doo" sound)
- Here we go. - All right, let's see.
- Oh my.
- Yours is same taste.
- I feel my freshman 15 comin' right back to me.
- Honey, very good.
- Let's do that eggplant.
This looks meaty.
- It does.
- Wow, that just melts in your mouth.
- Oh wow.
- It's got a little kick to it.
- Had to sit back on that one.
C'mon eggplant.
(Merle laughs) Okay.
(cool saxophone)
- That is amazing.
How did they do that?
- It's the seasoning, it's the texture is so --
Mmm.
And these Brussels sprouts --
- I know they've been talking to me too.
- Whoo, kung pao.
- [Together] Oh! (Merle laughs)
- Told y'all, kung pao, honey.
(Merle laughing)
- I really think if we had a group of friends,
and we just ordered this for the table --
- Everybody would be good.
- Nobody would be like, "where's the meat?"
I wanna know what your favorite was.
- (audibly sighs) So --
You know, I have two, I think.
- Okay.
- Because for a nice summer day, when, you know,
you don't want it too heavy, it's gonna be Panera Bread.
That salad was -- mmm.
That Greek salad was calling my name.
But when I want something savory and, you know,
feelin' fancy and I wanna go out, P.F. Chang's.
That eggplant, 'cause me and eggplant
- I saw the love. - we like this now.
Yeah, we like that.
- I don't know about you, but I wanna do that again.
- Oh honey, I definitely wanna do that again. (laughs)
- Great!
Okay, so please let us know in the comments
- Yes. - Where you'd like us
to go next.
What are we gonna do for these people?
- Honey, we gonna taste the food,
- Mhm. - Child, we gonna approve it,
- Yup. - And we'll give you
all the good details and things,
and yeah, that's it. - Yeah.
We gonna eat, though.
We gonna eat. (laughs) - Oh we're gonna eat a lot.
Give us a challenge this time, though.
C'mon, give us a challenge. - Yes.
Yeah, give us a little bit.
- Yeah yeah yeah. - Yeah.
(upbeat music)