tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73929627662636572252024-03-19T03:43:48.610-07:00Vegan TravelsMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-4259859249088512362015-07-30T09:17:00.001-07:002015-07-30T09:17:48.918-07:00PortlandI am happy to be back in the valley, despite the hot, humid weather we are experiencing at the moment. That being said, I loved the last part of my trip in Portland, OR - there is so much good vegan food there! I could have been there for two weeks and not tried all of the vegan restaurants. So I had to go with a sampling, which I will review below.<br />
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We arrived at our vegan bed and breakfast, the Cherokee Rose Inn, on Sunday afternoon. After relaxing for a couple of hours on their covered front porch, complete with wooden swing, we walked around the corner to the Sweet Hereafter. This vegan bar features drafts from many local breweries, along with a great selection of food. We started with an order of chips and salsa to accompany our beers, an IPA from Washington for me. For dinner, we both ordered the veggie burger on a pretzel bun - amazing! We both opted for the coconut kale as a side, which was an excellent decision; kale sauteed with coconut milk, what could be better than that?<br />
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On Monday morning, we were treated to a delicious vegan breakfast at our B&B - fresh fruit, soy sausage, and French toast. We had to stop at Voodoo Doughnuts, of course, so I had a chocolate frosted for my breakfast dessert. After a couple of hours of browsing at Powell's, we were ready for lunch, so we headed to the food trucks. We both decided on the Georgian food truck and got a sample of all of their vegan options - dumplings filled with delicious mushrooms; bread stuffed with bean paste; eggplant and walnut rolls; and cucumber and tomato salad with walnut dressing. My favorite was the dumplings, which you hold upside-down, take a bite, and slurp out the filling so as not to make a mess.<br />
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For dinner, we headed to Blossoming Lotus, a vegan restaurant with many Asian offerings mixed with options from many other countries as well. We started with the Bruschetta with almond ricotta - amazing! The couple sitting across from us had food envy when it arrived. For my entree, I went with the Bibimbap, which can be difficult to find vegan. This version had soy curls, veggies, roasted garlic aioli slaw, pickles, hot sauce, and sesame seeds. Though very different from the traditional Korean version, it was good. Unfortunately, I was so full from the starter that I could only eat half of the bowl. Laura got the burger with cashew brie, which she said was very good.<br />
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Tuesday morning's breakfast was fresh fruit, tofu scramble, potatoes, and biscuits. We skipped the donut dessert and saved our appetites for Sizzle Pie, which is not a vegan restaurant, but always has two to three vegan options. We went for the slice and salad combo, both of us deciding to try the pie with caramelized onion topping instead of cheese. It was excellent, very different from your usual pizza, but very tasty. The salad provided a good balance to make the lunch a bit healthier, especially since we went to Back to Eden for ice cream dessert (where I got mint chocolate chip, of course).<br />
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On Tuesday afternoon we learned that our fellow B&B guests, Bethany and Lacey, were also planning to go to Portobello for dinner that night. So we all walked there together and asked if we could be seated together, even though we had separate reservations. They were very accommodating, and we were able to sit together. This proved to be a good decision, first and foremost because they are great company, but also because we got to try many more dishes! We started with the cheese plate, which featured two of Miyoko's cheeses and three of the local cheeses from Vtopia. They were all tasty, but my favorite was the caramelized onion cheese from Vtopia. However, Miyoko's smoky option was a close second.<br />
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For dinner, we decided to share four plates. The kale Caesar salad was excellent and not too creamy, which I appreciated. The crispy eggplant, recommended by our waitress, was fabulous - cooked perfectly and topped with greens. My entree choice was the gnocchi, which is hard to find vegan, and it did not disappoint. We also tried the ravioli, also difficult to find vegan, and it was delicious.<br />
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And of course, we needed to try some desserts! After much speculation, we chose the peppermint chocolate cake (which had a fancier name that I can't remember), which tasted like an amazingly delicious Peppermint Patty. The fried apple pie had more fried dough than apple, but that was okay with me! The bourbon pecan ice cream it was served with was out of this world. Portobello provided an excellent end to my stay in Portland!<br />
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And now I must say that I am happy to be home. I am limiting my travels for awhile, with the possible exception of the Farm Sanctuary hoedown in a couple of weeks (where the food will be amazing!). But for the time being, I am going to enjoy NoHo.</div>
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-77818106329781470382015-07-26T16:43:00.001-07:002015-07-26T16:43:05.755-07:00Seattle, continuedOh my, Seattle has some tasty vegan food! On Thursday night, we met Deb and Scott at El Borracho for some Mexican food before the Amazon 20th birthday concert. They were running late due to Seattle's lovely traffic, so we enjoyed some delicious guac and beers while we waited. El Borracho has a small vegan section on their menu, and Laura and I each tried the three different vegan tacos - one with mushrooms, one with soy chorizo, and one with poblano peppers. They were small, but tasty!<br />
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On Friday morning we tried the Wayward Vegan Cafe for breakfast. It is a funky cafe with a very extensive menu; it was hard to choose a meal! I finally settled on the tofuevos rancheros, which was wonderful! Tofu scramble with black beans and avocados on top of a corn tortilla, finished off with sour cream. The potatoes were also delicious. I tried a bite of Laura's potato pancakes, which were also quite tasty.<br />
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On Saturday night we were able to score a reservation at Sutra. I am so happy we were able to get in! Sutra is set up like a supper club, with one seating and a prix fixe menu. Before dinner was served, the chef came out to tell us about each of the courses. The first two courses were served together - a roasted cauliflower soup which was scrumptious and an arugula cucumber salad with smoked caperberries and candied sunflower seeds with hyssop-hempseed dressing - yum!<br />
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Course three was a shiso-brandy wine tomato topped with the most delicious roasted maitake mushrooms. Also included were cider braised fennel and lemongrass fingerling potatoes along with pomegranite molasses, toasted sesame seeds, and microgreens. <br />
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The fourth course featured quinoa-cashew cheese stuffed Aneheim chiles with Beluga lentils, sauteed Spigarello, and a roasted garlic-saffron-lime basil tomato sauce. After the soup, this was definitely my favorite course! Not too spicy, but full of intense flavor.<br />
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Finally, dessert - a small but richly delicious piece of raw cacao-cardamom fudge topped with whipped vanilla coconut cream and wild huckleberry sauce. It was small but completely satisfying!<br />
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We wanted to try one last place before leaving Seattle, Cafe Flora, so we went for brunch before heading to Portland. I have been here for dinner, but not brunch, so I was excited to check out the menu. We started by sharing a sinfully decadent vegan cinnamon roll.<br />
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For my actual breakfast, I had the vegan summer scramble with tofu, mushrooms, and summer squash. It was definitely the best vegan scramble I have had on this trip so far! It was also served with roasted potatoes, which were perfectly seasoned and cooked. Cafe Flora was a great way to end some excellent Seattle eating.<br />
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And now, Portland, the last stop on my journey, where there are way too many vegan restaurants and not enough time. Where to go first?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-90797147056004814532015-07-23T13:17:00.001-07:002015-07-23T13:17:17.819-07:00Spokane and SeattleWe have made it to the west coast and we are out of the vegan food desert! We did okay in Montana and Wyoming, but I will be happy to not have to eat at Subway again for awhile. My saving grace was in Columbus, MT where there was a cute little coffee hut across the street from our hotel. They had real coffee (I had been drinking the Bud Light of coffees for the past few days from our hotel) and non-dairy smoothies. They even give an animal cracker with their coffee!<br />
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We finally made it to Spokane late Tuesday afternoon, where there are multiple vegan options. Our first choice for dinner was Mizuna, but unfortunately they were closed because they were filming a Mackelmore video on the street and were using the restaurant as their base. Thank goodness for Happy Cow; we quickly decided to try Saranac Public House. It turned out to be an excellent choice! They had a great selection of local beers and many vegan options on their menu. We started with the baked pretzels, which came with a very spicy mustard and vegan cheese. For our entrees, we ordered the vegan mac and cheese and the Thai bowl with peanut sauce and coconut rice. Everything was delicious! The peanut sauce was perfectly spicy, and the mac and cheese was one of the best vegan versions I have tried. Thank you, Happy Cow! (and Mackelmore, who incidentally, we will be seeing tonight at Amazon's 20th anniversary celebration).<br />
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On Wednesday morning, we walked to Boots Cafe, which is all vegan!! They had many pastry choices, but I opted for the pumpkin waffles (a little early in the season, I know!). They were served with a delicious cinnamon butter, which I opted for as my only topping, leaving the fake "maple syrup" aside. The waffle was outstanding! I tried Laura's muffin and coffee cake, which were okay, and her rice pudding, which was pretty yummy. I also got a breakfast cookie to go, which was peanut buttery and not bad, other than the consistency; I'm thinking they used Teff flour (the bakery is also gluten free).<br />
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We arrived in Seattle around 2:30, and had a late lunch at Plum Bistro, which is a vegan cafe. We let our waitress decide on our side dish, and she opted for the yam chips, which were served with a salty ranch dip. The chips were good, but the dip was a little too salty for me. I ordered the Jamaican wrap, which had some delicious, spicy tofu and mashed yams - yum! I tried Laura's arugula salad, which was tasty, and her crepe, which was salty. Overall, I would rate Plum Bistro as good, but they could cut way back on the salt. Last night we had a late, light dinner at Betty, where they made their green been salad with apricots vegan for us; it was a perfect late dinner after a heavy lunch. Today we walked to Mighty-O Donuts where I tried the raspberry frosted on a regular cake donut. The donut was okay (I'm not a huge donut fan, in general), but the iced latte was fantastic!<br />
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We have lots more eating to do in Seattle and Portland, so stay tuned!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-78329182403971006822015-07-19T15:47:00.001-07:002015-07-19T15:47:04.879-07:00Chicago, Madison, MinneapolisI have to start by saying that the Chicago Diner was hopping on Thursday night! We had to wait 45 minutes for a table, and loads of people came in as we waited. I love it when veg restaurants are packed! Once we were finally seated, we faced the daunting task of deciding what to order. I had already decided on the Rueben, since they are well known for it, and it did not disappoint! It was incredibly messy, and incredibly delicious, possibly the best and most authentic vegan Rueben I have tried. Ana ordered the "chicken fried steak," which was also delicious, mostly because of the amazing gravy it was smothered in. Laura ordered the lentil loaf, which was okay, but not overly flavorful - she went the healthy route of the three of us! But she did have the salted caramel shake, which was decadent and yummy. I thought about ordering a mint chocolate chip shake, but they were out of vanilla ice cream, and honestly, I was too full to drink one anyway. I guess I'll just have to go back to Chicago to try one some other time!<br />
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We decided to stop in Madison on our way to Minneapolis. I had been there once before and loved it, so I was excited to go back. We were hoping to find the Ladonia Cafe, which I guess is actually a vegan food truck. But we walked up and down State Street and could not find it. On the upside, we got to see all of the street vendors and were able to get a walk in on a long day in the car. On the downside, we did not find the vegan truck. However, there were plenty of vegan options available. I went with a salad with Korean BBQ tofu and Laura had a Middle Eastern plate with falafel and grilled eggplant. For dessert, we split the raw tiramisu that Ana had brought for us the night before. It was a perfect way to end a lunch by the lake!<br />
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After checking into our hotel, we went in search of Ecopolitan, a raw restaurant in Minneapolis. It took us a little while to find it, as it is tucked into a larger building. But I am glad we did - it was amazing! We started with the guacamole and salsa with raw "chips" (more like crackers, really) for dipping. Our waitress had warned us that they would be spicy, but neither of us found them to be spicy at all, just full of great taste. I ordered the tostadas, which were covered in lentil taco "meat," contained more guacamole (I can't get enough!), and drizzled with sour cream. They were amazing! Laura ordered the casserole, which was creamy and delicious. I ended the meal with a small coconut date roll, which was good, but not as delicious as the rest of the meal.<br />
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And now we are in Wall, SD. There is not much going on here, other than Wall Drug, which was advertised for about 200 miles as we drove across South Dakota. I went for a run this morning, and after about half a mile, I was in complete desolation. So that gives you an idea of Wall. Needless to say, it is not the most vegan friendly place in the world. We went to a Mexican restaurant last night (that also serves pizza and pasta) and asked for veggie fajitas - it was like we were speaking a foreign language. But it worked out in the end. We ate chips and guac (yes, again!) and the fajitas weren't half bad. Mine were served with refried beans (not Laura's though, weird!), which I did not touch, as they often have meat in them. But the veggies were cooked well and had good flavor. Plus, I added hot sauce (of course!), so that always makes meals better.<br />
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We are off to Montana tomorrow! Rapid City has some vegan options, so I think we might pick up something for lunch on the way. And Billings looks promising in terms of having some food we can eat. We just need to get through one more dinner in Wall... <br />
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Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-84469733793146895342015-07-16T15:36:00.003-07:002015-07-16T15:36:46.429-07:00Cleveland and ChicagoLaura arrived in Cleveland around 12:30, picked me up at the hotel, and drove right to Cleveland Vegan for lunch. We decided to try a few things from the menu and share. We started with the summer bruschetta trio, which came with tomato basil, peach and red pepper, and celery lime spreads to put on a grilled baguette. I loaded all three spreads together on my pieces of bread and thought it was quite delicious! We also tried the lemon almond ricotta crepe with raw lemon curd and raspberries. It is hard to find vegan crepes, so we were excited to try this one, and it did not disappoint. The shredded breakfast potatoes with ranch sauce were yummy, and the florentine benedict was pretty good too. I was never a huge fan of eggs benedict, but this vegan version was pretty tasty. Cleveland Vegan gets a good score in my book!<br />
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We headed back to Flaming Ice Cube for dinner after an afternoon at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and a beer at Nano Brew. We were supposed to meet our friend Jesse, but he wasn't feeling well, so it was just the two of us. I ordered the pizza burger, which was fantastic! The macaroni salad on the side was great too. Laura got the Asian quinoa bowl, which she said was okay; the peanut sauce was a bit spicy (not a negative in my book!). For dessert, I ordered three little pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies which were excellent, and Laura ordered the molten chocolate cake, which was good but too rich for me. All three of my visits to Flaming Ice Cube were superb!<br />
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On Wednesday we drove from Cleveland to Chicago. We started getting hungry for lunch in Indiana, and the most veg-friendly town on the way was, unfortunately, South Bend. Ignoring the fact that we were in the land of Notre Dame, we made our way to the Crooked Ewe Brewery and Ale House. They have a completely vegan menu in addition to their regular menu with some very creative choices. We decided to choose three and share. The salad we chose was amazing. Filled with kale and nuts and couscous, I could have eaten an entire one by myself. But we had other items to try - fried cauliflower in a sweet sauce and seitan brisket with potato salad and pickles. They also brought over buffalo artichokes by mistake - finally, the buffalo sauce I have been waiting for! We had to get most of those to go, since we didn't order them and we were stuffed from all of the other food. Oh, and I tried their oatmeal stout - I was unsure after the first sip, but sold by the third - yum!<br />
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We arrived in Chicago in the late afternoon, and I soon discovered a link to some vegan deep dish on my Facebook page, so we began our quest. We decided to walk the three and a half miles, knowing that we would be ingesting many calories. Kitchen 17's website warned that they often run out of pizza, so we headed out around 5:15. When we arrived a little more than an hour later, the place was hopping! We grabbed the last open table and put in our order for a traditional - vegan sausage and pepperoni with a layer of cheese and a layer of marinara. The pizza was amazing, but incredibly filling; I couldn't finish my second piece. Take note - they only do deep dish on Wednesday nights!<br />
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This morning we headed to Wrigley Field for a tour and had a late breakfast at Pick Me Up Cafe. I went with the Santa Fe scramble, with vegan Chorizo, potatoes, peppers, onions, and jalepenos. It was topped with some sort of melty delicious vegan cheese. The scramble was good, but very heavy and filling. Luckily we are having a late dinner tonight. Laura ordered the French Toast, which was excellent. We are off to the Chicago Diner for dinner in a bit - meat free since '83!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-60060981009412260032015-07-14T07:15:00.002-07:002015-07-14T07:15:22.523-07:00Summerfest and ClevelandWell, I've been on the road for almost a week. I am posting from the Phoenix Coffee House in Cleveland, where the coffee is okay and the music is good. I am sad because Jeff and Jestina have left for their long drive back to Massachusetts. I am also jealous that they will get to eat lunch and drink vegan milkshakes at Strong Hearts Cafe in Syracuse. But I am excited for Laura to arrive and begin the next part of the journey - the trek across the northern USA!<br />
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We left NoHo for Summerfest last Wednesday, July 8. We made it to Scranton right around noon and stopped for lunch at Eden, A Vegan Cafe. I am giving Eden a rating of okay. They focus mainly on vegan versions of meaty sandwiches, and call them by their meaty names - cheesesteak, ham and cheese, etc. I found that to be a little off-putting. They even have vegan "salmon," which I find to be weird and probably not very good. I ordered a buffalo "chicken" wrap with mashed potatoes as a side. The wrap was okay, but the sauce did not really have that buffalo taste. The meat was a little too reminiscent of real chicken for me. The mashed potatoes, however, were pretty delicious. Jeff had "steak and cheese," which he also gave a rating of okay. Jestina had barbecue drumsticks, which were interesting - they had a stick inside to simulate the bone. The bbq sauce seemed to be better than the buffalo sauce. It was a good halfway stop on the way to Johnstown, and I would probably support them again during future drives to Summerfest, but Eden does not top the list of my favorite vegan restaurants.<br />
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And then we were sucked into the vortex of Summerfest. I won't even get into the food - it was all delicious and we ate way too much! It's amazing how quickly those five days go by. It's been less than two days since I was there, and it already seems like a dream. It is such an amazing experience, to be surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people, to meet so many wonderful, friendly, people, to never have to ask if your food is vegan. There is always one speaker who gets to me more than the others, and this year that was Gary Francione. He spoke at Friday night's plenary and hooked me instantly; we went to every talk he offered on Saturday. I never considered myself an abolitionist before hearing him speak, but I now have a lot to think about. Sunday was a hard day; I hate leaving Summerfest. Counting down the days to next year's conference (where I will be bringing my own bath towel and possibly my own sheets, and staying in the LLC instead of the dorms)!<br />
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We left Johnstown a little after 4:00 and headed to Cleveland. All of the vegan restaurants were closed, so we had to get creative. Luckily my Cleveland friend Jesse had an excellent suggestion for dinner - Town Hall in Ohio City. They have a full vegan menu on Monday nights (for Meatless Monday?), but plenty of good options every other night, including 36 beers on tap. I had vegan tacos, which had tofu and a mango salsa. Jestina had some pretty delicious guac and Jeff had a burrito. All very solid vegan options, and there were many other choices too. Great suggestion, Jesse!<br />
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One thing about Summerfest - you do not get much sleep! So we made Monday morning our morning to sleep in, and arrived at Flaming Ice Cube a little after 11. They don't have a lot of breakfast options, so we decided to go with lunch instead. I ordered the buffalo panini, which more than made up for Eden's disappointing wrap. Jeff had a tempeh salad sandwich and Jestina had the quesadilla, which she said was spicy but good. She also had a chocolate banana smoothie that I may go back for when I finish writing this...<br />
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Upon recommendation from a dinner partner at Summerfest, we went for some late afternoon ice cream at Tremont Scoops. They had three vegan options available - vanilla, mint chocolate chip, and cookies and cream. I got the mint, of course, and Jeff and Jestina got the cookies and cream. Both flavors were delicious - creamy and tasty. Not quite FoMu caliber, but close. We went to Great Lakes Brewing for dinner. Not a lot of vegan options there; we went for the beer. On a whim, we tried Mitchell's for an ice cream as a comparison after dinner. We definitely did not need more ice cream, and we were definitely on a bit of a sugar high afterward (who am I kidding - while we were eating too!). We tried all three vegan offerings - chocolate ice cream and mango and raspberry sorbet. The chocolate was good, but way too rich - it was like eating a melted chocolate bar. The sorbets were good though, especially the mango.<br />
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We tried to find vegan breakfast this morning before Jeff and Jestina took off, but we were unsuccessful and made do with the complimentary hotel breakfast. Luckily they have Strong Hearts Cafe to look forward to, and I have Cleveland Vegan to look forward to for lunch. And then back to Flaming Ice Cube for dinner with Jesse! Off to Chicago tomorrow for some serious vegan eating. :)<br />
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-20643096531928874302015-07-01T14:16:00.002-07:002015-07-01T14:16:38.938-07:00AshevilleI just returned from a long weekend in Asheville, part one of my summer travels. Asheville is a fantastic city, a liberal mecca in the midst of rural western North Carolina. It was my third trip to Asheville, but the first time I spent more than one night there. It was great to be able to truly explore the city, sample some great vegan food, and enjoy beer from a few of the twenty-one breweries in the city (there are more breweries per capita in Asheville than in any other US city).<br />
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Upon our arrival in Asheville on Thursday, we started the trip off right with a late lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. We decided to try the south Asheville location, which was easier to reach by car (we went straight from our drive from Raleigh) and also much larger than the downtown location. Our waitress was super helpful and sold me on the vegan black bean burger. She made sure that the aioli was left off and gave me extra avocado dressing instead, and added some avocado on the burger for good measure. I had the kale and carrot salad on the side, which was dressed perfectly and was quite tasty. Oh, and she brought me sourdough toast so that I could enjoy their homemade blueberry jam since I couldn't have the complimentary biscuit.<br />
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After napping and showering at the hotel, we wandered the city and stopped in the park for a free concert and...a dance off! We eventually made our way to Rosetta's Kitchen, a cute vegetarian (mostly vegan) restaurant on Lexington. We opted to eat in the "outdoor" section, which had a roof but the front section was open to the street. It proved to be a good decision, as we were treated to live music toward the end of our dinner. We started with the vegan queso dip and chips, paired with a local IPA - a perfect summer snack! I enjoyed the Korean barbecue tofu, which was just slightly spicy and a little sweet. It was paired with brown rice and kale for a simple but delicious meal. Heather opted for the peanut version of the tofu, which was also delicious. I give Rosetta's Kitchen a thumbs up for casual vegetarian dining.<br />
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On Friday morning, we tried Green Sage, which would become our go-to place for breakfast. Less than half a mile from our hotel with plenty of vegan options (and places to sit), Green Sage was the perfect way to fuel ourselves for a day of hiking. On day one, I enjoyed tofu scramble, root hash, vegan "soysage", and a vegan biscuit with Earth Balance. Though the biscuit was a little dry, the breakfast was a win in my book, especially since it came with a flag that said, "dairy free."<br />
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Friday evening began our brewery tour. We started at Thirsty Monk for a beer and a snack. I opted for the coconut porter, which was an excellent choice. I tried my best to sip and enjoy, but it was so smooth and delicious, it was difficult to do so! Since I hadn't eaten since breakfast, I also enjoyed grilled pita and homemade hummus, which was big on cumin and taste. Next, we went to High Wire Brewing, where I went with the more refreshing choice and got the IPA. The beer and atmosphere were great - dogs lounged on the floor, customers played old school Nintendo games, and the US Women's soccer team played on the big screen. We ended the evening at Lexington Ave Brewery. My brown ale was good, but my meal was not. The only vegan option was an Ethiopian dish made with lentils and tomatoes. It should be good in theory, but it was so salty I could not enjoy it.<br />
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We tried to go to the Over Easy Cafe on Saturday morning for breakfast, but the wait was so long, we ended up at Green Sage again. I decided to try the tofu wrap, which had the same tofu scramble, hash, and soysage, but also had spinach. And hot sauce, of course, added by me. I decided to try the iced latte, which was a good choice - it had the perfect amount of soy milk and was deliciously refreshing.<br />
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We started Saturday evening at Wicked Weed Brewery. Since we were not eating dinner, we went downstairs for beer and snacks. We joined others at a long wooden table and ordered sea salt and vinegar popcorn, boiled peanuts, and homemade chips - perfect beer snacks! I ordered the blueberry chipotle stout, which did not really taste like blueberries, but did have a bit of a kick to it. Regardless of its lack of blueberry flavor, it was delicious. Fueled for a mile or so walk, we made our way to Plant for our 8:00 reservation. Plant is an upscale vegan restaurant featuring mostly small plates, similar to Vedge in Philly. We decided to share three different things. The fried plantains with sour cream, scall'antro, and hot sauce were amazing, definitely my favorite dish. The Caesar salad was okay. I liked the addition of the smashed avocado, and the "bacon" was delicious. However, I did not love the dressing, which didn't seem Caesar-like at all to me, and the roasted carrots were strange - I didn't even realize they were carrots until I looked back at the menu. The cornbread was good - served with a yummy Romesco sauce, grilled green onions, and hazelnuts, it was an interesting new twist to an old favorite. The bread was also not overly sweet, which I appreciated. And then there was dessert. The cannoli was awesome, with a delicious orange flavor to it. The candied fennel ice cream was good, though I didn't really taste the fennel. The blackout pie was good, but a little too rich for my taste. I didn't like the ice cream it came with (salted macadamia nut) as much at the ice cream that came with the cannoli. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and the food, though it's definitely an every once and awhile kind of place, being somewhat fancier than most vegan/vegetarian restaurants. <br />
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On Sunday we got to Over Easy early and opted to sit outside so that we wouldn't have to wait long for a table. I ordered one vegan ginger spice pancake - excellent - and a side of maple chipotle tempeh, which was amazing and possibly the best tempeh I have ever eaten. Sunday dinner was at Laughing Seed Cafe, my personal favorite restaurant in Asheville. We started with the jalepeno onion fries, which were perfectly crispy and delicious. I had the burrito for dinner, with spicy tofu and mole sauce. Unfortunately, we were too stuffed for dessert.<br />
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Back to Green Sage for a light breakfast on Monday, since we wanted to do an early lunch before leaving town. I had a smoothie made with carrots, cinnamon, banana, almond butter and almond milk. I wasn't sure about carrots in my smoothie, but I was sold after drinking it! We did an early lunch at the downtown location of Tupelo Honey, where I opted for three different sides - blueberry lemon quinoa, shaved brussels sprout salad, and sesame asparagus. It seemed fitting to end our trip at the same restaurant we started it at.<br />
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Next Wednesday I leave for Summerfest where lots of eating will happen, and then I am off to Cleveland to start a two week cross country trip. I will have my laptop with me, so I will be blogging from the road!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-72671590707137391712015-02-19T12:48:00.001-08:002015-02-19T12:48:50.470-08:00I'm Back!I have been on a bit of a travel hiatus. Last spring, I moved from Framingham to Northampton and I started a new job in the fall. I spent the summer settling in and the fall/early winter transitioning to a new job. But it's February break, and I am back on the road! Laura and I went to Philly for three days of vegan eating, with a few other things thrown in. <br />
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We started our journey right here in NoHo, with a hearty breakfast at the Green Bean to fuel our road trip. I enjoyed my standard favorite, Tempeh Arizona, while Laura tried the tofu triangles and the herb and onion bread with almond butter gravy - yum! We hit the road at 8:15 and were in Philly by 1:00 - very excited that it's such an easy drive from the valley, especially after discovering so many good vegan eats in the city!<br />
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Our first Philly stop was Blackbird Pizzeria for lunch. I was planning on just trying the pizza, until I discovered that they have "wings!" So I stuck with just one slice, a Mexican one with avocado, caramelized onions, jalapenos, and cheddar cheese. It was reminiscent of the Mexican (non-vegan) slice at Antonio's, which used to be my favorite. Laura didn't want her peppers, so I spiced my slice up with her extras. I took a bite of Laura's veggie supreme slice, loaded with three kinds of mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and green peppers. It was good, but I liked my spicy one better. We decided to try the root beer BBQ "wings" at the suggestion of the guy who took our order, and an excellent suggestion is was! These wings are by no means healthy, but they are delicious!!! We ordered a Caesar salad with capers, onions, and artichoke hearts to add a healthful element to our meal, but were sadly disappointed with that choice. Luckily the pizza and wings made up for the lackluster green portion of our meal! <br />
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On our cold walk home, we decided to stop for a hot beverage. We stumbled upon Bodhi Coffee, and the baristas happily made us vegan hot chocolates. It was a perfect end to our lunch. <br />
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For our evening outing, we went to Charlie Was a Sinner, a bar serving small plates. I will start by saying that the atmosphere in this place was totally not my scene - much too trendy for my beer-loving self! I am pretty sure I was the only customer who ordered a beer in this land of $12 cocktails. That being said, the food was amazing! We ordered a variety of small plates to share. To start, we had the vanilla citrus salad with pistachio puree and crispy quinoa. This light dish had a delicious, unique flavor and was an excellent place to start. Next up, house made ricotta from smoked tofu on toast. A bit salty for my taste, but good nonetheless. I chose the Korean style fried tofu and loved it, though it was a bit too spicy for Laura's taste - more for me! The bonus pickles underneath were an added surprise. Laura's choice from this section was the crab cakes with a tangy remoulade - delicious! Our final two selections were from the pan roasted section. The spiced cauliflower was good, but didn't hold a candle to the Brussels sprouts. One of my favorite vegetables in any form, the grain mustard aioli and lemon parsley bread crumbs made for a superb dish. I would get over my feelings of un-trendiness to try more of their dishes!<br />
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On Tuesday morning, we took a walk in the snow to Grindcore House, an all vegan cafe. They have bagels and vegan cream cheese! I was quite excited to enjoy a toasted everything with sun dried tomato and basil cream cheese, one of my pre-vegan faves. Laura was excited to try the doughnuts, though I found them to be too sweet when I took a bite. <br />
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For lunch on Tuesday, we hit up Hip City Veg. Mainly a takeout joint, there wasn't a lot of room to sit, but we managed to snag a table. We went for an order of sweet potato fries, with Siracha aioli for dipping. The fries were pretty greasy, but the dipping sauce was fantastic. Then again, anything with Siracha is fantastic in my book. I had the curry tofu wrap, which was reminiscent of the curry chicken salad at John Stone's another of my pre-veg faves. We split a chocolate covered cherry shake to top things off, which was tasty and not too sweet, exactly to my liking.<br />
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Dinner was the purpose of our trip - Vedge! I have been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time, and it did not disappoint. We tried two small dishes from each section of the menu, as recommended. First up was the best dish of the night, the rutabaga fondue served with soft pretzel bread. I am not sure how they made such a tasty, cheesy dip from rutabagas, but it was amazing! I could have just eaten that all night. But that wouldn't have been very interesting, so instead we moved on to the stuffed avocado with pickled cauliflower, "fried rice", black salt, and Romesco sauce. The avocado was perfectly ripe and the filling was quite good. From the hot plate section, we chose the charcoal grilled romanesco cauliflower and the roast Maitake mushroom with a celery root fritter. The cauliflower was good, but the mushroom, and particularly the fritter, win the prize from me in this section. From the dirt list, we went with the crispy and creamy sunchokes and the Brussels sprouts (of course!). The sunchokes were different and yummy, almost like potato chips on the outside. The sprouts were good, but we both liked the ones from the night before better. Finally, for dessert, we tried the lemon cheesecake and the chocolate uber chunk. I didn't love the cheesecake, as I am not a huge fan of citrusy cheese, but Laura enjoyed it. The chocolate peanut butter dessert was served in a mini mason jar with a pretzel-peanut crust, malt custard, and stout ice cream. How can you go wrong with the chocolate peanut combo? The stout ice cream was different and interesting - I think beer should be added to ice cream more often! Speaking of, we walked off our dinner while heading to National Mechanics for a beer upon recommendation, one I am glad we followed - this was much more my scene as far as bars go!<br />
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On Wednesday we went to PS and Company for breakfast, a vegan, gluten free, organic establishment. I went with the house made sprouted Mueseli with Brazil nut milk and a sweet potato muffin - both were excellent! Laura tried the quinoa pancakes, which were okay, and the mushroom "bacon," which was delicious! For lunch, we tried the vegan cheesesteaks at Govinda's. I don't really remember what a non-vegan cheesesteak tastes like, but these were some darn good sandwiches!<br />
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On our way home, we stopped at the Papa Ganache bakery in New Jersey at Laura's request. I bought two cupcakes that I haven't tried yet, as I was too full to eat anything. Plus, I was saving room for It's Only Natural in Middletown, CT, our final eating stop and one of my favorite restaurants. We both started with the soup special, parsnip and corn chowder, which has inspired me to make some corn chowder at home this weekend. I insisted that we oder the old standby, sweet potato fries with smoked ketchup, as Laura hadn't tried them before. We split the pesto special, made with mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar, and served over crispy polenta cakes. This was a recommendation from the couple sitting next to us, and we are happy they interrupted our discussion to give us this tip! Laura got the vanilla mousse for dessert, but I was too stuffed to order anything. I did try a bite, but it was too sweet for me. I was excited to find that ION is only a little over an hour away from NoHo! Road trip soon...<br />
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And now I must run many miles a day in the cold and eat only salads for the next week to counterbalance all of this eating...Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-35357257300791403472014-05-24T07:43:00.001-07:002014-05-24T07:43:12.218-07:00Key WestI am little late in writing this, as I was in Key West two weekends ago, but life has been a bit hectic. I'm currently living in Northampton, but working in Ashland during the week, so time has been precious. But I am taking advantage of a gray rainy day and I'm updating from my new favorite hangout spot in NoHo, Woodstar Cafe, where I am enjoying a decaf coffee and a vegan, gluten free doughnut with coconut on top. Life is good!<br />
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I was in Key West May 8-11 for the beautiful wedding of my good friends Jen and Lauren. We stayed at the resort where the wedding was being held, Casa Marina, which included its own private beach with hammocks and excellent poolside service. We had breakfast outdoors at the resort the first two mornings we were there, where I enjoyed some excellent steel cut vanilla oatmeal with mangoes, bananas, and dried apricots. After putting in a good showing at the pool the first day, I ventured downtown to try the vegan Sugar Apple Cafe. The Cafe is attached to a natural foods store, which I explored while waiting for my lunch. I had lots of time to do this, as the young man who took my order became quite busy flirting with some ladies who came into the cafe and therefore forgot to put my order in. When it was finally ready, I enjoyed a smoked tempeh sandwich and a salad with key lime vinaigrette at a small table in the shade outside of the cade. I also decided to try a raspberry banana smoothie, which was fabulous. Well worth the wait, in my opinion.<br />
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On Saturday, after enjoying my oatmeal for breakfast and some time by the pool, I made my way to The Cafe for lunch. The Cafe is a sit down, casual restaurant with significantly better service than Sugar Apple. I went with one of the specials, which was a chick pea "tuna" sandwich with onions and a bit of seaweed, which I'm guessing was supposed to give it the "tuna" flavor. It didn't really taste like tuna, which I was happy about, and I couldn't really taste the seaweed. It was quite delicious! It came with some yummy sweet potato fries and an amazing curry dipping sauce. They had some pretty good looking vegan desserts, but I was full and decided against trying one.<br />
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Finally, the wedding! The ceremony was one of the most beautiful I have ever been to, right on the beach with the waves lapping the shore just feet from where Jen and Lauren said their vows. The weather was perfect, sunny and in the eighties with a breeze (the "relentless breezes" as my brother referred to them). Dinner was a buffet with many vegan options. I enjoyed seaweed salad, a variety of raw and cooked veggies, and a delicious quinoa dish. For dessert, I got to toast vegan marshmallows. Well done, Casa Marina!<br />
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Finally, on our way back to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, we stopped at Help Yourself, a natural food store and cafe. I had a vegan breakfast wrap with tempeh, salsa, and lettuce, and an iced chai tea latte with homemade coconut milk. A great way to fuel the long drive back to the mainland! Though the trip was short, I left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and full of good vegan eats!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-7067662657183450992014-02-20T12:24:00.001-08:002014-02-20T12:24:55.216-08:00NYC, Days Two and ThreeTuesday started off snowy in the Big Apple, so we crowded onto a packed 5 train and headed to Brooklyn. As we emerged from the depths of the city, the snow stopped and the loveliness that is Dun Well Donuts appeared before us. A coconut glazed and vanilla dipped with sprinkles accompanied by a hot cup of coffee was all I needed to start the day. Since it had stopped snowing, we decided to walk the two miles to TKTS where we scooped up half price tickets to "Beautiful", the Carole King musical. We then made our way to MOB where I had a fantastic flatbread covered in chick peas, veggies, and Moroccan spices. I tried a bit of Laura's "bacon" made from carrots, which mostly just tasted of liquid smoke to me. However, her corn chowder was fantastic and the crispy fries were delicious!<br />
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After heading back to Manhattan and resting for a bit at the hotel, we made our way across town to an early dinner reservation at Cafe Blossom. I had been there in November and really enjoyed it, but I wanted to try the famous soy bacon cheeseburger. I started with a small cup of spicy vegetable tempeh soup which was good, but not very spicy. The burger was amazing though! Somehow they managed to get the "cheese" and "bacon" tasting pretty darn close to the real thing. The sauteed mushrooms added even more to an already delicious burger. The sweet potato fries and homemade ketchup were the perfect accompaniment.<br />
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We walked off our dinner in Times Square before heading to the theater. "Beautiful" was excellent, and my favorite part of the trip. We considered dessert afterwards, but there weren't any options in the theater district, and to be honest, I was still pretty full from my burger, so we called it a night.<br />
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On Wednesday, we checked out of the hotel early and had some coffee and tea before heading downtown. (I may have had a chocolate peanut butter donut from the day before...) Our first stop was Lush to check out their second generation perfume line. We then headed to E.L.F. for inexpensive vegan makeup. We refueled at Babycakes where I enjoyed a banana cinnamon cupcake before checking out Moo Shoes. I finally found a good, vegan black belt! We ended our time in the city with another stop at Peacefood Cafe, where we tried the Caesar salad, the veggie panini, and the chick pea fries. The salad was good, the sandwich was excellent, and the fries were too salty.<br />
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We got back to New Haven just in time for dinner, so we went a little out of our way to have dinner at It's Only Natural in Middletown. There we tried the smothered spicy cornbread, covered in cheese and hot peppers. I had the coconut curry which was delicious, but I could only eat half - leftovers! Laura tried the Portobello loaf which was yummy and covered in an excellent gravy. Their new location is much bigger and easier to find, which I appreciated!<br />
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All in all, not a very healthy trip, but a very satisfying one in terms of vegan eats. :)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-81896433392463634642014-02-17T18:51:00.000-08:002014-02-17T18:51:07.384-08:00Candle 79Laura and I are taking a mini-vacation in New York, mainly to eat and shop. Tonight we ate at Candle 79, which I have been wanting to try for quite some time. It did not disappoint! We started off with the house made ginger ale, which was great - lots of ginger and not too sweet. Our server sold us on the special appetizer, which was a trio of artichokes - fried, sauteed, and grilled. All three were excellent! After much deliberation, we decided on the tempeh with Mole sauce and the chick pea cake with red curry. The Mole sauce was fantastic, just the right amount of spice. The dish included some excellent Brussels sprouts. The chick pea cake was served over kale and broccoli with just a bit of red curry. We split each dish so that we could both enjoy. For dessert, we tried the Mexican brownie sundae, which was just okay. The brownie bottom was burnt, which was not appealing. Overall, it was a great dining experience!<br />
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On a side note, we visited Peacefood Cafe for hot drinks and snacks. Laura had a delicious ginger soy latte, and I tried the Brazilian nut Chai. It was not nearly as sweet as most Chai, which I enjoyed. We tried a magic cookie, which contained nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, and carrots. It was good, but definitely not as good as the raspberry bar that we split. We are definitely going back for lunch on Wednesday to try their savory food!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-73734496994160568542013-12-31T14:55:00.001-08:002013-12-31T14:55:31.748-08:00The Last SupperMy final day in Paris was fairly uneventful (though my suitcase finally showed up - that was exciting!). After a leisurely morning, we headed out around noon. I set off on my own to tour Sainte Chappelle and wander the streets of Paris. What I had been looking forward to most, however, was dinner. There was one restaurant I had been wanting to try, Le Potager du Marais, where they do vegan versions of classic French dishes. My mom and Peter joined me, and we were lucky to get a table right away (the restaurant is extremely small). I started with the vegan French onion soup, which was delicious! Full of croutons and topped with a surprisingly yummy vegan cheese. Mom and Peter split a baked potato with an olive tapenade that was also quite tasty (I snagged a bite, of course!). For dinner, we split two entrees, the hazelnut loaf and the pink lentil balls. We got the almond rice for one side, and the mashed potatoes for the other. We all agreed that the lentil balls were the tastiest item, but everything was delicious. For dessert, we shared ginger creme brulee, something that is hard to come by as a vegan version. I have to say, they did a pretty good job! It wasn't overly sweet, which I appreciated.<br />
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Thankfully, my trip home was not nearly as eventful as my trip out. There was a minor glitch with my ticket, and I had to rush to catch my connecting flight, but otherwise, all was well. The food was not as good as United's, but Lufthansa was awesome about checking in with me and making sure everything they gave me was vegan. Plus, they give you free wine with dinner. Lufthansa definitely wins in terms of customer service!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-39710877933569167612013-12-26T12:17:00.000-08:002013-12-26T12:17:20.884-08:00Christmas in ParisChristmas in Paris is very different from Christmas in the states. Many businesses are open and it's much more low key (other than the revellers at midnight). We got up at 7:45 and Amelie and Sira opened their presents (the ones that Santa brought to Paris, at least). Our morning was relaxed, with pancakes and French pastries for breakfast. We ventured out around noon and meandered up to Sacre Couer for some excellent views of the city. Dinner was beef/tofu bourginion before our trip to the ballet to see Sleeping Beauty.<br />
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Today was a gorgeous day in Paris - sunny and close to 50 degrees. A perfect day to tour the sculpture garden at the Rodin Museum. We had a late lunch at the Saint Germaine. I was convinced that I would only be able to have vegetable soup. But I asked for a vegan salad to go along with it in my halting French and was quite pleasantly surprised! First of all, the happiness delicious - pureed with lots of greens and eaten with lots of bread. But the salad was the gem of the meal. Steamed green beans, carrots, peas, and other veggies over lettuce and cabbage, dressed perfectly with a mustard vinaigrette. It was amazing!<br />
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After lunch, we headed to the Musee D'Orsay. What a wonderful place! Created from an old train station, the building alone is worth the trip. But the art is pretty good too. The girls had had enough museum time for the day, so they headed home while Mom, Peter, and I took in some more of the museum. We bought some fresh veggies for dinner on the way home (I love all of the fruit and vegetable stands here!) and cooked up some pasta with garlic, olive oil, and veggies. We had dinner with the kids while Melissa and Darren went out for some adult time. Dessert was hot chocolate, and now it's story time!<br />
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In other news, I think my suitcase is lost and gone forever....Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-88803110169929514572013-12-24T11:43:00.000-08:002013-12-24T11:43:03.342-08:00Pay PhoneI've spent a lot of time on a pay phone trying to locate my suitcase. Not how I wanted to spend my vacation. In between, however, the trip ha been great!<br />
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Yesterday was a lazy morning, as we all continued to adjust to the time difference. Hence began the ongoing saga with United Airlines. I spent some quality time at the pay phone while the rest of the family ate pancakes. I made up for my lack of breakfast with a big bowl of Mueseli. It's so much better here!<br />
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We finally headed out in the early afternoon. Melissa and I visited a few thrift shops while Didi and Grandpa went ahead to the ice skating rink. The lines was really long, and the ice really wet, so we rode the carousel instead. We then walked to Notre Dame, but admired it from the outside as the line to get in was ridiculously long. We'll see the inside tonight when we go for Christmas carols before midnight mass. Instead, we went into a warm cafe for hot chocolate and other warm beverages.<br />
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Didi, Grandpa, and I had an adult dinner at Le Passage Oblige, chosen for having several vegan opt up options. We had onion fritters for an appetizer. I thought they would taste like onion rings, but they were totally different and delicious. For my main meal, I ordered the platter so that could try a few different things. The best was a the veggie party with an amazing olive tapenade in top. The mushroom ragu was also pretty amazing. This was a good choice for a vegan friendly place with meat options.<br />
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This morning we headed out early to check out the catacombs. We got there early enough that we were near the front of the line. We waited about half an hour for them to open - totally worth the wait! For lunch, I wanted to try the Ginger Cafe, but they were closed. So I went around the corner to Grand Appetit. The owner was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the bowl, which came with veggies, brown rice, lentils, and seitan. It was fantastic! Upon the owner's recommendation, I tried the apple pear tart for dessert. Yum!<br />
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My afternoon was spent at H&M buying clothes, since my suitcase still hasn't been delivered. The one helpful United employee that I talked to today told me to put a claim in for 200 Euro, rather than the $100 I spent. More shopping???<br />
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Christmas eve was spent with homemade dinner, bread, and wine. At ten we head to Notre Dame for carols. Merry Christmas everyone!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-91069453428574511272013-12-22T13:20:00.000-08:002013-12-22T13:20:02.686-08:00Journey to ParisMy trip to Paris turned out to be much longer than expected. My flight to Logan was delayed, and the Air Canada terminal at Logan stinks. There is no food other than some Cosi sandwiches and pastries, and nothing is vegan. So I skipped dinner, assuming I'd eat on my flight to Paris. But then I missed my connection, so that didn't happen. So I grabbed a veggie sub from Subway with my food voucher from Air Canada.<br />
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I checked into the hotel and spent an hour and fifteen minutes finding a flight to Paris for the next day. I gratefully fell into the cushy king sized bed after that ordeal. I got to the airport early the next day, since my seat to Newark wasn't confirmed. That gave me plenty of time to search for vegan food, but there wasn't much to find. So I did a lot of reading instead.<br />
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Once again, my first flight was delayed. Luckily I made my connection this time. United served the best airline meal I've ever eaten - veggie and chick pea masala with rice. The sauce was slightly spicy and delicious!<br />
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We arrived in Paris on time, but my bag did not, so I had to deal with that. I finally made it to our apartment a little after one. After a light lunch, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. The lines were too long to go to the top, so we got tickets for a boat tour on the Seine instead and got to see some sights from the river at dusk. We grabbed delicious falafel sandwiches for dinner and ate them with red wine as Amelie sang and danced for us. Despite the travel nightmare, I had a pretty good first day in Paris. And my travel karma is usually good, so I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-26774492912867867462013-12-15T06:44:00.001-08:002013-12-15T06:44:08.353-08:00New YorkIt's been a couple of weeks since my trip to New York, but I've been extremely busy since then, so I wasn't able to post. I'm taking advantage of the snowy weather to do so now.<br />
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My trip to the city was a short one, but I packed quite a bit of eating into that time! I arrived around 12:30 on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. After checking into my hotel, I made my way to Angelica Kitchen. I settled into the community table and ordered the walnut lentil pate to start. The pate was delicious and served with thin rice crackers and raw carrots for dipping. I ordered the wee dragon bowl for my main meal, a scrumptious combo of rice, beans, tofu, steamed veggies, and sea vegetables. Needless to say, I was quite full after lunch, so I walked to Union Square to meet Courtney at the holiday market. After browsing the market for a bit, I was ready to try some ice cream at Lulu's Sweet Apothecary. I didn't go all out and get a sundae, since I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner, so I went with a scoop of vanilla with a bunch of different candy pieces - yum!<br />
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Dinner was at Cafe Blossom on the upper west side. We split the black-eyed pea cakes; small, but delicious! I had BBQ tempeh with lots of other deliciousness that I can't remember at the moment. I also sampled the peanut stew, which was amazing. The food was excellent and the portion sizes were perfect; despite all of the eating I had done that day, I didn't feel disgustingly full. Plus, I danced a lot of it off at the Guster concert that night. :)<br />
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On Sunday, we started the day off right with a trip to Ess-A-Bagel, which carries seven different varieties of tofu cream cheese. Yes, seven! I'm not normally a bagel eater, but I thoroughly enjoyed my multi-grain bagel with sun dried tomato tofu cream cheese. For lunch, we all met at Cubana Social in Brooklyn. They have quite a few vegan options here. I opted for lunch over brunch and got a vegan version of a cuban sandwich, which included sweet plantains, pickles, and avocado - absolutely delicious! <br />
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I ended my day in New Haven, arriving at the train station a little before seven. I decided to have dinner downtown, as there were several promising options there. I settled on Claire's Corner Copia, which had a ton of vegan options. I ordered the curry of the day, which was packed with tofu, veggies, rice, and sauce. But the best part of the meal was the bread - a mini loaf of delicious, flaky bread, served warm with Earth Balance. An excellent way to end the weekend!<br />
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I'm off to Paris on Friday! From what I hear, the vegan eating is good there, so I should have lots to report. Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-58767200953903651532013-11-17T17:40:00.000-08:002013-11-17T17:40:24.128-08:00Celebration for the TurkeysI made it back to Farm Sanctuary this weekend, and it was just as amazing (though sadly much shorter) as my time there in August. We left early on Saturday morning and arrived around 12:45. We enjoyed some hot cider and some snacks (including the amazing peanut butter brownies that they had served in August) as we waited for farm time to begin. We started in the cow pasture, where Meg was not as happy to see us as she had been in August. We moved on to some of the bigger cows instead. Next we got to meet Ari, one of the new additions to the farm. That little guy can moo! He is absolutely adorable, and Aimee is featured once again on the website as she was captured having a moment with him. After a visit to the sheep barn, it was time to feed the turkeys!<br />
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The Thanksgiving event is truly a special one. Low tables are set up with platters of lettuce, cranberries, and pumpkin pie filling. The turkeys are let out of the barn and it is their chance to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. They were unsure about approaching the tables, so the kids stepped in and brought the platters to them. Once they did so, they were no longer shy about eating. I got the chance to feed a couple of them some pumpkin pie once the crowd died down. It was wonderful to see turkeys being fed instead of the other way around.<br />
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We headed to the pig barn next. The pigs were agitated and noisy, and we didn't really get to get close to them. It turns out someone had thrown a pumpkin into the barn, and when it was taken away, they became upset. They had planned to feed the pigs the pumpkins at 3:45, but apparently someone got too eager. They ended up feeding them a half hour early, since they were so upset. And so guests threw pumpkins into the pen, onto the cement so they would open, and the pigs went to town! They chomped away, often carrying huge pieces in their mouths as they trotted around the pen. It was so cute!<br />
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After the pig feeding, we headed to our hotel to change for dinner. We arrived at the Harbor Hotel (not our hotel - maybe next year!) in time for appetizers. There were curry stuffed potatoes, which where okay, and a crostini with tomatoes and fava bean puree which was out of this world. We also snacked on veggies and dressing, plus some vegan cheeses that were quite delicious.<br />
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We snagged seats at one of the reserved tables, since Aimee is a Hilda Club member. We put our things down and then went to the bar to get some wine. When we came back, there was a piece of paper on my chair. I didn't think much of it, and put it on the seat next to mine. Turns out it belonged to Gene - his notes for his speech. Yes, I sat right next to him during dinner (and I guess kind of took his seat, though my stuff was there)! I actually talked more to his girlfriend, Suzanne, however, who was seated next to Aimee; she is so nice! And yes, we did offer to move so they could sit together, but they didn't seem to care that they were separated.<br />
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After salad and some delicious squash soup, dinner was ready. It was buffet style, and there were several dishes to choose from - a cabbage and nut salad, wild rice, green beans with bread crumbs, mashed potatoes, and Tofurkey with cranberry sauce and gravy. I took a little bit of everything. Everything was wonderful, though I'm not a huge fan of Tofurkey; I don't love the fake meats. Dessert was an amazing pumpkin cheesecake, but sadly, I was so full I could only eat half. I honestly can't remember the last time I was that full after a meal! <br />
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This morning we headed to Ithaca for breakfast. We decided to try Waffle Frolic downtown, which offers vegan waffles. You then choose your toppings; I went with banana, almond butter, and walnuts. The waffle went perfectly with a soy pumpkin spice latte. It was a good breakfast choice! We stopped at Green Star Co-op on our way home to pick up a few groceries. I also ordered a vegan Reuben sandwich for the road. It was delicious even two hours later when I was hungry enough to eat it.<br />
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It was a wonderful weekend! Aimee and I are already planning our next trip out there for the Hoedown in August; we're thinking of taking an extra day and doing some wine tasting. Sadly, August seems far away right now. Anyway, it was worth the six hour trip in one weekend. Normally, I would hate doing that much driving in a two day period, but for Farm Sanctuary, it's totally worth it. :)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-72793052539361637582013-11-11T17:30:00.000-08:002013-11-11T17:33:09.119-08:00Checking InIt has been quite some time since my last post! That is mostly due to the fact that I have been incredibly busy with the start of the school year, and have not been traveling. I also have not been eating out much. I have discovered the joy of cooking simple, delicious food at home. It's part of my new goal in life - to enjoy being home more, and not out running around all of the time. So instead I've been making soups, stews, chilis, and very simple meals with grains, beans, tempeh, and lots of veggies.<br />
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That being said, I did check out brunch at Root this weekend, and it was fantastic! They seat you for brunch, which is different than dinner, when you order at the counter (At least that's how dinner was when I went for the first time when it first opened this summer. Maybe it's changed since then?). My friend and I had a nice, relaxing meal, with ample time between coffee and our entrees, but not too much that we were wondering where our food was. We decided to get a sweet and savory dish and share. So we ordered the vanilla waffles, which came with a delicious pumpkin spread and whipped cream - they were amazing! We also ordered the tofu scramble, which had a delicious, "creamy" sauce and came with potatoes served with their sweet, homemade ketchup. We were highly satisfied with our choices, though I want to go back and try some of the other goodies on the brunch menu. We ended our food event with some ice cream next door at FoMu - pumpkin spice for me, and banoffe pie for Faye. The ice cream was excellent, as always.<br />
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And do not fear - I will be traveling next weekend! I am heading up to Farm Sanctuary in New York to feed the turkeys and enjoy a delicious, vegan Thanksgiving meal. I'm sure I will have lots to write about after that trip!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-83861068522579101022013-09-02T17:57:00.001-07:002013-09-02T17:57:54.305-07:00Wine CountryDeb and Scott got married this weekend! Thanks to the four day weekend that Ashland always gives for Labor Day, I was able to make the trip out to California to celebrate. Today's post will, of course, focus on food, but it will also comment upon the fantastic weekend that good friends were able to spend together.<br />
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We arrived in San Francisco late on Thursday night, and immediately went to bed in our hotel by the airport, as it was about 2 AM according to our internal clocks. We enjoyed breakfast in the Hyatt restaurant, where they had three delicious oatmeal choices. I went with the one that offered pineapple chutney, coconut milk, and macadamia nuts. That would have been amazing on its own, but an entire spread of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit was also brought to the table - yum!<br />
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We picked up our rental car after breakfast and braved the San Francisco traffic so that we could drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. Our goal was to get to the Meritage Hotel in Napa by noon to attend a tea ceremony given by Deb's family. Had we realized that the hotel was in Napa and not Sonoma, we would have been on time. Luckily we figured out our mistake quickly and were only about twenty minutes late. There was still plenty of delicious food on the buffet table, and I enjoyed a variety of fruits and vegetables, including my new favorite food - fresh figs! They had just been picked from the tree and were amazing!<br />
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After the tea ceremony we had some time to enjoy the pool at our hotel. We left plenty of time to get ready so that we wouldn't miss the bus to the ceremony, which was in Sonoma (hence my earlier confusion). The ceremony took place on the lawn of the vineyard just before sunset - it was beautiful! Cocktail hour was on the terrace as the sun began to set, and we were able to enjoy the beautiful grounds as we sampled their wines. Dinner was delicious - salad with more figs to start, and an eggplant dish with Israeli couscous for the main dish. It provided the fuel I needed for a night of dancing, picture taking, and catching up with friends.<br />
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On Saturday, we boarded another bus for our winery tour. We began at Domain Chandon, where we sampled three of their champagnes. Most of us decided that the rose variety was by far the best. Though there was enough champagne for each person to have half a bottle, we kept it to two small glasses each and strolled the scenic grounds as we sipped our wine. Our next stop was V. Sattui, where we were given a tour before our tasting. They had set up three tables in the shade and we sampled two whites, a rose, two reds, and a dessert wine. We were then able to choose one to accompany our boxed lunch. I chose the Riesling to go with my roasted veggie wrap (which turned into more of a salad since it was hard to pick up the Romaine leaves that wrapped the veggies), sauteed veggies, and fruit salad. Our final stop was the Franciscan winery where we enjoyed a sampling of four wines in the shade. We were exhausted by the time we returned to the hotel, but after a quick power nap, we headed downtown for dinner. We chose a bistro that offered a delicious homemade black bean and barley burger along with cajun spiced fries. We ended the evening by the fire pit at our hotel.<br />
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On Sunday we headed back to San Francisco after breakfast to drop Lori off for her flight. Erin and I then headed downtown and walked the Embarcadero from the Bart station. We decided we wanted Mexican food for lunch, so we stopped at Mangos on Pier 39. Since it was busy and there was a bit of a wait, we sat at the bar and enjoyed complimentary chips and salsa (watery but good and spicy) and a delicious veggie burrito on a whole wheat wrap. After lunch we boarded the ferry for Alcatraz. What a great experience! We did the audio tour of the cell block where we were able to view numerous cells, "the hole", the dining hall, the recreation yard, the warden's office, the library, and the visitation area, all while learning about the history of the island and how the jail was run. Afterward, we walked the property for a bit before catching the last ferry at 6:30. We ended our evening at the Mission Rock Resort, where we met Amy, Colleen, and Justin for dinner. Once again, I had a fig salad (I needed my last fix before heading home!) and summer veggie risotto that the chef kindly made vegan. <br />
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To round out the eating, I made a stop at The Plant in the airport this morning. I stocked up on oatmeal, vegan banana bread, and a thai peanut wrap for lunch. And now it's back to reality. I think I'm staying put for awhile, but I'm sure I'll have more food adventures to post very soon!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-74456856028246764362013-08-06T18:48:00.003-07:002013-08-06T18:48:51.392-07:00Vegan ParadiseThis weekend I went to Farm Sanctuary's annual hoedown in Watkins Glen, NY. My friend refers to Farm Sanctuary as vegan paradise. After spending the weekend there, I have to agree. It is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to.<br />
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Watkins Glen is not close to Massachusetts; it is about 45 minutes from Ithaca. We got on the road around 9:30. My friend wanted to push straight through to Ithaca, and we arrived there around 3:00. Our original plan was to get food to go from Green Star Co-Op and take it to a local state park. However, we got caught in a downpour as we drove into Ithaca, so we decided to eat at the grocery store instead. Green Star is a bit of a vegan paradise on its own! We had a ton of options for lunch. We went with sandwiches - falafel, vegan Reuben, and vegan "chicken" salad. Everything was delicious! We grabbed salads to go for dinner, along with Rice Dream mint ice cream sandwiches - how have I never eaten those delicious things before??<br />
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The rain had stopped when we left Green Star, so we headed to the state park. Our original plan was to swim in the river under a waterfall. Unfortunately that part of the swimming area was closed because the lifeguards were off duty. It was also pretty cold after the rain, so we admired the waterfall from afar. Then we headed to paradise!<br />
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We arrived on the farm just before dark and were able to set up our tents with plenty of light. As dusk fell, we wandered over to the campfire and chatted with the group that had gathered there. We ended the night with a late, flashlight lit dinner.<br />
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Saturday's breakfast was simple, muffins and fruit. We spent the morning in the people barn, listening to various speakers, including an introduction by Gene Bauer. Lunch was outside in the sun, as it was a gorgeous summer day. The food was delicious - two different pita sandwiches and two salads on the side. After lunch we finally got to visit the animals! We toured the farm with Susie (thanks for the invite to the private tour, Aimee!) and spent time with the cows (including baby Michael), pigs, sheep (who were all over me!), and met Turpentine the turkey. We did not have enough time to visit all of the animals before sanctuary time was over, but luckily more time was built into Sunday's schedule.<br />
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After another presentation, it was cocktail hour. Even more importantly, it was appetizer hour!! My favorite was the vegan crab cake which had a delicious dipping sauce to go with it. We sampled some different nut cheeses, which I'm sure sounds gross to anyone who hasn't tried them, but they were delicious! There was also guacamole, salsa, fruit, and spinach pie. Despite all of the appetizers I ate, I still ate a huge dinner - Mac and cheese, kale salad, broccoli, sweet potato fries, and cornbread. And of course, I had to try some dessert - an amazing peanut butter brownie. It's a good thing we danced for three and a half hours! Yes, I danced non-stop, including country line dancing, for over three hours. That's a testament to how comfortable I felt among all of these people I didn't know. It was one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time.<br />
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Sunday morning we did yoga on the lawn with Derek, who is an excellent yoga teacher in addition to his hula hooping and ukelele skills. Breakfast was amazing - tofu scramble, tempeh bacon, potatoes, oatmeal, and fruit. We ate it during coffee talk, a Q&A with the speakers. We were not particularly hungry for lunch after that, but we made room for Thai peanut salad, veggies, and greens (and another peanut butter brownie). Our time in paradise ended with another trip to the barns and pastures, where I laid down next to pigs and chilled with the goats. Then, sadly, it was time to leave.<br />
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I knew it would be a fun weekend, but I had no idea how much it would affect me. Everyone there was just inherently welcoming and friendly. It was so nice to not have to worry about food. And I loved hearing about the animals and meeting them, knowing they have been spared from an otherwise horrible life. I will be counting down the days to next year's event!!!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-82681992549283901882013-08-05T20:19:00.001-07:002013-08-05T20:19:08.445-07:00Vegan ThursdayColleen is upset that I haven't been blogging since I returned from my trip, so here is a short post from last week. I intended to spend most of last Thursday afternoon in Boston before meeting Faye for the Guster concert in Providence. However, my plans were thwarted when I got a rather large splinter embedded in my heel. So after visits to both the Minute Clinic and Urgent Care to remove it, I was finally on my way. Unfortunately, it was after 1:30 by the time I got on the T at Riverside, so I had to make a change to my original Davis Square falafel plan. That would just have been too much food too late in the afternoon - I wanted to save my appetite for Providence. So instead I got off the T in Central and walked to VO2, the cafe in the O2 yoga studio on Mass Ave. What a great place! The staff was super friendly. I ordered a chuna sandwich, which was made from chick peas and tasted uncannily like tuna. I also got a spicy monkey smoothie, whose main ingredients were bananas, coconut milk, peanut butter, cocoa, and cayenne pepper - it was delicious! I chatted a bit with the owner, who is still in the process of tweaking the menu. She worked on it at the counter with another staff member while I ate. She brought me a sample of her nacho "cheese" - it was awesome! It was the most real fake cheese I've ever eaten. It was a perfect stop for a late lunch, filling but not overly so and delicious.<br />
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My goal for dinner was to eat at Veggie Fun in Providence. Rush hour traffic almost thwarted that plan. However, we made it to Providence at 6:50. The concert started at 7, but neither of us had much desire to see the opener. Since the restaurant is around the corner from Lupo's, and since it wasn't very busy, we decided to go for it. A good decision, as far as I am concerned! We each had a summer roll to start - thin rice paper around firm tofu and veggies with a delicious dipping sauce. I went the unhealthy route and ordered General Tsao's seitan - so good! The sauce was fantastic. Faye ordered eggplant in black bean sauce, which was also delicious. I enjoy the fact that this is a vegan Chinese restaurant that is not focusing on fake meat - I will definitely go back!<br />
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We made it to Lupo's with time to spare, and I caught my first headlining Guster show in quite some time. It was a good day. :)<br />
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Tomorrow I'll write a longer post about vegan paradise weekend!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-45277537376093174422013-07-22T09:00:00.004-07:002013-07-22T09:00:38.225-07:00Le FinToday we head back to Boston. It has been an amazing trip, but I'm ready to go home (especially since I get to see Guster, Ben Folds Five, and BNL at Tanglewood tomorrow!). Yesterday we visited the botanical garden in Golden Gate Park. It was quite large, and featured plants from all over the world. They are able to mimic a cloud forest because of all of the fog, which is pretty cool. They had s tree that is only able to thrive in a few places in the world, and foggy San Francisco is one of them.<br />
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We headed to the Mission district for lunch because we had been craving mission style burritos since we arrived in the city. After some careful Yelp research, we settled on Pancho Villa Taqueria for its excellent reviews and extensive vegetarian burrito menu. Even at 2:15, there was a decent line. Apparently it is sometimes out the door. Luckily we did not have to wait too long. I ordered a veggie burrito that beats Anna's in Boston, hands down. The flavoring was delicious and it was tightly rolled - no abrasions in this burrito! They have a salsa bar that also included grilled jalapenos. The food was delicious, quick, and inexpensive, with plenty of seating for their many customers. A great find!<br />
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Last night was the culmination of my vegan eating - dinner at Millennium. On Sunday nights, you can do a three course tasting menu for $42, so we all decided to do that and order different things. For starters, we tried the crusted king trumpet mushrooms, the raw Pad Thai salad, and the grilled flatbread. The mushrooms were my favorite by far - lightly breaded and fried, served with a delicious soy sauce based sauce. The Pad Thai was good, made from carrots and zucchini and dressed lightly in a peanut sauce. The flatbread was served with delicious, garlicky butter beans. For my entree, I chose the Vietnamese style crepe with lemongrass and marinated tofu - amazing! Kristin chose the eggplant dish, which was served with a delicious tomato sauce and a cashew ricotta. Amy ordered the nettle tamale, which came with an excellent Mole sauce. All of the entrees were fantastic!<br />
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Surprisingly, we were not as impressed with dessert. We ordered the chocolate almond midnight which had come highly recommended and was my favorite. The cheesecake was very grainy and too sweet for my taste. We also ordered a three layer ice cream dessert which included lavender ice cream. The best part of that dish was the amazing caramel corn it was served with. All in all, it was an excellent way to end the trip.<br />
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-19808926148118744922013-07-20T22:41:00.002-07:002013-07-20T22:41:45.888-07:00San FranciscoWe've seen quite a bit and eaten quite a lot in the past two days! On Friday, we checked out Streatfair, the San Francisco food truck area. We got there fairly early, around noon, and the place was already hopping. After a stroll around the perimeter to see what they had to offer, we settled on falafel. And what a falafel it was! They crammed lettuce, tomato, cucumber, hummus, and French Fries (yup, you heard it right) in there. Then there were a bunch of other toppings to add on yourself, so I loaded m pita up with pickles, cabbage, and jalapenos, along with hot sauce. It was not easy to eat with all of that crammed in, but I managed somehow.<br />
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After lunch we explored the Mission district and then Haight and Ashbury. We had tickets to the 7:15 Giants game, so we walked to the stadium after eating our leftovers from Thursday night. We made sure to leave room for garlic fries though! The game was fun an the stadium is gorgeous, right on the water, but it was cold!!!<br />
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Today we checked out the farmer's market at the ferry building - it was massive! We started with the shops in the building, where I found vegan donuts! I tried a Mexican hot chocolate one, and it was chocolatey, cinnamon goodness. We then ate our way through the market, trying a variety of samples. There is also a craft portion of the market, so we spent some time browsing there too. We then walked along the water through the tourist areas on our way to Fort Mason to try Greens. Unfortunately, when we arrived we realized that the restaurant was closed for a private party. Luckily, they have a to go counter, so w picked up sandwiches and ate them in the park where we chatted with a dad and his 21 year old son. My grilled tofu sandwich with avocado was delicious, as was the oatmeal granola cookie I had for dessert.<br />
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We made a quick stop at Ghiradhelli Square before waiting in a very long line to get on a cable car. It was worth the wait, though, as we climbed up and down the hills. I kept having Full House flashbacks as w drove along...<br />
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Kristin picked our dinner restaurant - Baonecci in North Beach. They are known for their thin crust pizza, and they did not disappoint. We started with their house salad, which was simple and delicious. I had a spicy pizza with lots of garlic and parsley. I had read that this pizza was very spicy, but I didn't get that at first. However, there were a few bites that set my mouth on fire! It was good, though - I like to keep it spicy.<br />
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Tomorrow night we go to Millennium - I'll have lots to write about that one!<br />
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-32488592789279444142013-07-18T22:50:00.004-07:002013-07-18T22:50:52.831-07:00Food!!In the past two days, we did a ton of driving. We pretty much spent all of today in the car. It sucked, except for the fact that we drove the Pacific Coast Highway, which was beautiful and extremely fun - I loved the windy mountain roads. What did not suck about the last two days was the food. Let's begin with lunch on Wednesday. We were on the 101 in Redwood National Park. There's not too much going on there in terms of civilization. However, a very nice park ranger recommended the Beachcomber Cafe in a little seaside town called Trinidad. This place was delicious! It's very small and quaint inside, and the staff was super friendly. I had a cup of coconut curry zucchini soup that was amazing with a salad topped with avocado and hummus with a garlic walnut dressing - yum!!<br />
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Last night we stayed at the Requa Inn in Klamath, CA. What a cute place! It's an old inn from the 1800s run by a family. Each room is different and charming. I spent a relaxing hour reading outside in a rocking chair before dinner. Speaking of dinner - it was amazing! They serve a four course meal every night and will accommodate any diet. We sat with a couple from Columbus, Ohio and a woman a little younger than us from Asheville. The company and food were both excellent! The vegan menu consisted of broccoli, radishes, and onion; beets in a delicious breading with potatoes; fry bread; hazelnut fritters with cashew cheese, snow peas, and other veggies; and almond cake in a berry sauce. I am so glad we decided to do dinner at the inn. My only regret is that we had to leave before breakfast was served this morning.<br />
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Today we drove from Klamath to San Francisco. That is one long drive. We made it longer by taking route one, but it was totally worth it. We stopped in Mendocino for lunch. I wanted to try the vegan restaurant Raven, but unfortunately they do not serve lunch. So we tried the Mendocino Cafe instead, which proved to be an excellent choice. We ate on the deck with a slight view of the ocean. We shared some delicious guacamole and I had a Thai burrito with a yummy chili sauce. When we finally made it to San Francisco and dropped off the rental car, we ended the evening with a quick Vietnamese dinner at Sunflower. The Imperial Rolls were excellent and I got a huge portion of vermicelli noodles. Now I'll be able to have dinner before the Giants game tomorrow night!<br />
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Looking forward to more good eating in San Francisco...<br />
<br />Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7392962766263657225.post-65484954194151228822013-07-16T21:24:00.002-07:002013-07-16T21:24:34.022-07:00Crater LakeToday's post is not about food. Though I ate plenty of it, none of it is blog worthy. However, the awesomeness that is Crater Lake is blog worthy, though I'll keep it short because I am tired. Crater Lake is the bluest, clearest lake I have ever seen. Most people view if from the top of the crater, and it is breathtaking. But I am not most people. So instead, we hiked into the crater to the shore of the lake. And then I went into this crystal clear, very cold lake that is 700 feet deep. Had I known you could go in the lake, I would have put my bathing suit on and actually swam. But since I did not know that, I had to settle for wading. Regardless, it was awesome, and I got to chat with some really nice people in the lake. Totally worth the strenuous hike back up to the rim!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660148307046529770noreply@blogger.com0