We’d mentioned last week that we made a trip down to the Huntington Beach area, primarily for art + culture…but almost nearly as primarily, as an excuse to visit one of our favorite Southern California vegan eateries, Seabirds Kitchen in nearby Costa Mesa.
Started in 2010 as a food truck, Seabirds has since grown into a brick-and-mortor mainstay of the region, putting an emphasis on fresh, plant-based ingredients and embracing a mission to push the boundaries of vegan cuisine. As they say: “As we’ve grown from a food truck into our current restaurant, our artisan approach has remained true. We make our sauces and condiments from scratch. We base our menu around seasonal produce, unique flavor combinations and creative techniques and we use top-notch ingredients and locally grown fruits and vegetables.”
We always walk away happy (and very full) when we leave Seabirds, but we did so especially last week, enjoying a few firsts for us at the restaurant—prime among them, their delicious Birdy Marys—garnished with green olives, pepperoncini, fried pickles, wild rosemary, lime, and a celery salt rim—and a new entrée, the Chef’s Medley in Golden Consomme—a mix of wild mushrooms, tuscan kale, butternut squash, grilled tofu, green tea soba noodles, golden umami broth, and shichimi.
If you’re in the area, we’d definitely recommend a visit; if you’re not, it’s certainly worth the drive.
Above, a favorite staple, the Holy Smokes Bowl with brown rice, BBQ jackfruit, sautéed greens, broccolini, pickled red onion, coconut bacon, Seabirds sauce, Kentucky BBQ sauce, and avocado. Below, the aforementioned medley with broth being poured and Marys; Seabirds’ BBQ Jack Sliders; their Local Organic Broccolini with pickled peanuts and Purple Taquitos with purple potatoes, chipotle sour cream, fermented curtido, almond feta, cilantro; and a tiny Birdy Mary mouse.
