El Cantaro Vegan Mexican cuisine in Monterey Ca.

Yesterday I went to a really great Mexican place in Monterey California for the first time called El Cantaro Vegan mexican cuisine. If you've read my columns before you know I am a solid meat eater my whole life and love a good burger or steak sandwich. I also happen to consider myself somewhat of an expert on good Mexican Cuisine. I'll take salsa as hot as you can make it and the fresher the pico de gallo the better, so bring it on! I definitely separate the good from the bad based on these factors and conclude that this restaurant is an excellent choice even for meat eaters like myself.

The enchiladas were excellent and the "cheese" tasted great. The enchilada sauce was wonderfully prepared and the spicy orange salsa, (which I would assume most people would find a bit too much, but I loved), was excellent. The various tacos made with some types of protein (I'm not exactly sure what) were very delicious. The mango taco was my favorite .

What I will reveal now is that for the last several months I've been making an effort to cut way back on the amount of meat and dairy products I consume. I've noticed by eating less of these products I seem to feel a little bit lighter and I've lost weight without doing anything extra, and kept it off. Although these are benefits that help me personally, I can't help but mention that the benefits of eating fewer meat and dairy products, including poultry and pork, are good for society and the health of our nation as well. Watching movies such as "Vegucated", "Fed Up" and "Cowspiracy" (all on Netflix) have convinced me that by cutting back on dairy and meat products, and consuming fewer processed foods with added sugars and preservatives, we can cut down on the rate of cancer, stop much of the cruelty that is done to animals in the processing of the food and the raising of the animals, and also help the environment by saving our air and water for more important and useful tasks.

At the risk of sounding preachy here, I'd like to suggest that we all try to make an effort to cut back on the amount of dairy and animal products that we consume and try a vegan diet, which I have been pleasantly surprised with.

I'll definitely be coming back to this place often, and continue my exploration into a plant based diet and how it makes me and my family feel.

Until then, Ciao

El Cantaro is located only about 2 blocks from the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California and you can find them on the web at:

www.elcantarovegan.com