The cocoa cake at Seva in Ann Arbor is a vegan chocolate lover’s dream.

Jodee Jernigan | Contributor

I first fell in love with Seva when I was a brand new vegetarian, during my senior year at the University of Michigan. I don’t want to date myself here, but let’s just say grunge music was on MTV and Bill Clinton was running for president.

As the years passed, even when I had moved out of state and back, Seva was like an old friend. I could always return and find my favorite dishes, such as the burritos and the yam fries. In the year 2000, my husband and I started an annual tradition of spending New Year’s Eve at Seva for their special dinner. Even when we lived an hour away near Detroit, we would still make the drive so we could enjoy our favorite special, Seitan Wellington.

When we settled back in the Ann Arbor area in 2005, now with a young child, Seva became a regular haunt for us. We love the fact that it’s child-friendly, with blocks for the kids to play with and a children’s menu full of choices even my picky 6 year old enjoys.

But as my vegetarianism transitioned into veganism in recent years, I found myself getting at times frustrated with Seva. The menu was largely unchanged from the early 1990s, and many of the dishes were heavily cheese-based. As a vegan, I started to find the options somewhat limiting. Much like progressives during our recent election, I seemed to be suffering from the “enthusiasm gap”; As the only all-vegetarian restaurant in town, we still visited regularly, but it had lost some of its luster.

Perhaps in response to the opening of Jazzy Veggie, an all-vegan restaurant on Main Street, Seva has recently added several new vegan options to its menu. On a recent visit, I was amazed to see Daiya vegan cheese listed as an option for many of its cheese-based dishes. If you have not yet tried Daiya cheese, you are in for a treat. I have been cooking with it the past few months, since the local Whole Foods started carrying it, and I am addicted. It melts unlike any vegan cheese I have tried and has a delicious creamy taste.

As I looked through the updated menu at Seva, I started imagining the new possibilities I have there as a vegan: the wonderful TLT sandwich (tempeh-lettuce-tomato with guacamole and cheddar cheese) is now in my reach again. I quickly came back for another visit so I could enjoy the nachos with Daiya. They also have a new vegan macaroni and cheese on the Kids menu that I want to try myself.

I had previously been less than enthused about Seva’s vegan dessert offerings, unable to get my chocolate fix. But on the newly revamped menu, Seva has added a vegan cocoa cake with fudge Sucanat frosting. I made room for it after dinner, and it might possibly be one of the best cakes I have ever had — vegan or otherwise. Consider my enthusiasm restored!

I am looking forward to sharing ideas and recipes from my own kitchen as well as writing about vegan food around town. Have you discovered an excellent local vegan dish? I would love to hear about it.

Jodee Jernigan writes about vegan and vegetarian food for AnnArbor.com. She's a mom, a pop culture junkie and an occasional movie extra. You can reach her at jodee.jernigan@gmail.com.