Epicurean Solutions is a San Francisco wholesale producer of vegetarian foods, I think mostly salads, sold at grocery stores around town. They also sell through many smaller vendors, sometimes rebranded (I'm looking at you Woodlands Market!). I've seen the products at Whole Foods, and on Good Eggs, for years, but it took a while for me to finally try them.
I picked these salads up at Green Beans Coffee Co at SFO (which I've reviewed separately), as I needed a quick easy lunch when I arrived there mid-day once.
I picked these salads up at Green Beans Coffee Co at SFO (which I've reviewed separately), as I needed a quick easy lunch when I arrived there mid-day once.
While some of the creations were complete misses, others were good, and I have since sought them out a bit closer to ho
"Irresistible sweet baked tofu in a creamy Thai inspired peanut sauce with bowtie pasta, roasted corn, baby bok choy, shredded carrots and crunchy peanuts. Tantalizing. Gratifying. Satisfying."
I'll admit that I grabbed this without fully reading the description. I'm not really one for tofu, I just saw that it was thai style pasta salad, with peanut sauce, and that sounded good to me.
I didn't like it very much. The big cubes of tofu I clearly didn't want, but it was really the peanut dressing that was just a bit too thick and rich for me. I expected more vegetables, or more balance to the sauce. I never found crunchy peanuts, and the kernels of corn didn't really add anything coherent to it.
I wouldn't get this again. Not tantalizing, gratifying, nor satisfying, sorry!
"Egg noodles with Half Moon Bay wood ear mushrooms, tender pea shoots, fire-roasted red peppers and naturally smoked local almonds in a seductive, creamy sesame dressing."
The sesame pasta salad was more successful for me, as I liked the mix-ins considerably more, ingredients I tend to like in the first place: wood ear mushrooms, pea shoots, almonds. Although it still wasn't great.
The noodles were tender but not too mushy, and the dressing, while thick and rich, had a bit more balance then the peanut based one, from soy sauce, rice vinegar, and even red curry paste. It still was strangely bitter.
I only found perhaps 2 almonds in my entire container, and no pea shoots, so I am not particularly pleased with the ingredient distribution
I ended up having this on top of a traditional salad with greens to lighten it up a bit, but only had a small serving, before giving it away. I didn't like it enough to finish.
After a few "meh" items, I finally hit on a winner. And I was skeptical of this one as I find sriracha to be sometimes pretty polarizing for me.
The base is mung bean noodles, thin, soft but not mushy, well cooked. Mixed in was a good amount of purple cabbage chunks (still crispy!), some kale, and a scattering of pepitas (more crunch!). The tofu that I knew I wasn't excited for was minimal, just a few cubes, and easy to avoid. The distribution and quantity of each ingredient was well balanced, unlike the previous salad.
The dressing was indeed spicy, as you may expect. It had some serious kick, and was a creamy, mayo based style. Everything was perfectly coated it in. I was very impressed at how well dressed it was.
So overall, it was flavorful, spicy, had crunchy and fresh components ... it was good! I found it a bit heavy to eat just like this, but really, really enjoyed it when I mixed it with a base of mixed greens and romaine hearts, and just had it integrated in, using its creamy coating as dressing. I added a few dried cranberries for a touch of sweet to compliment the spice, and some wasabi peas for more crunch, and furikake because I adore the stuff and ... well, I had a very, very, very enjoyable bowl.
I'll definitely get this again.
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| Bow "Thai" Pasta with Peanut Sauce (Vegan). |
I'll admit that I grabbed this without fully reading the description. I'm not really one for tofu, I just saw that it was thai style pasta salad, with peanut sauce, and that sounded good to me.
I didn't like it very much. The big cubes of tofu I clearly didn't want, but it was really the peanut dressing that was just a bit too thick and rich for me. I expected more vegetables, or more balance to the sauce. I never found crunchy peanuts, and the kernels of corn didn't really add anything coherent to it.
I wouldn't get this again. Not tantalizing, gratifying, nor satisfying, sorry!
 |
| Sesame Pasta Salad. |
The sesame pasta salad was more successful for me, as I liked the mix-ins considerably more, ingredients I tend to like in the first place: wood ear mushrooms, pea shoots, almonds. Although it still wasn't great.
The noodles were tender but not too mushy, and the dressing, while thick and rich, had a bit more balance then the peanut based one, from soy sauce, rice vinegar, and even red curry paste. It still was strangely bitter.
I only found perhaps 2 almonds in my entire container, and no pea shoots, so I am not particularly pleased with the ingredient distribution
I ended up having this on top of a traditional salad with greens to lighten it up a bit, but only had a small serving, before giving it away. I didn't like it enough to finish.
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| Sriracha Glass Noodle Salad (GF). |
"Delicate gluten free pasta is spiced up with our creamy sriracha dressing then tossed with baked marinated tofu, fresh kale, crispy red cabbage and smoky roasted pepitas. We can't get enough!"
After a few "meh" items, I finally hit on a winner. And I was skeptical of this one as I find sriracha to be sometimes pretty polarizing for me.
The base is mung bean noodles, thin, soft but not mushy, well cooked. Mixed in was a good amount of purple cabbage chunks (still crispy!), some kale, and a scattering of pepitas (more crunch!). The tofu that I knew I wasn't excited for was minimal, just a few cubes, and easy to avoid. The distribution and quantity of each ingredient was well balanced, unlike the previous salad.
The dressing was indeed spicy, as you may expect. It had some serious kick, and was a creamy, mayo based style. Everything was perfectly coated it in. I was very impressed at how well dressed it was.
So overall, it was flavorful, spicy, had crunchy and fresh components ... it was good! I found it a bit heavy to eat just like this, but really, really enjoyed it when I mixed it with a base of mixed greens and romaine hearts, and just had it integrated in, using its creamy coating as dressing. I added a few dried cranberries for a touch of sweet to compliment the spice, and some wasabi peas for more crunch, and furikake because I adore the stuff and ... well, I had a very, very, very enjoyable bowl.
I'll definitely get this again.
Update: I have since gotten it a few times, and enjoyed it on top of greens in the exact same way. It makes me curious to try some of the other salads, like the broccoli salad with veggie bacon and candied cashews, that sounds a lot like the "broccoli crunch" salad I love at Whole Foods (although that uses real bacon), but I've yet to find that one anywhere.
Update(2021): I find myself getting this frequently, an easy item to throw on to a Good Eggs order to meet the delivery minimum. I always like to mix it in with some more kale and cabbage, sometimes some chopped green onions, and add daikon or carrots for crunch (not necessary, but nice if I have them on hand), and top with more pepitas. Love it.
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