Well, 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!
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.
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)!
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!
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...
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.
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. :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Asheville
I 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).
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Thursday, February 19, 2015
I'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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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...
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...
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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...
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...
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Key West
I 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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
NYC, Days Two and Three
Tuesday 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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
All in all, not a very healthy trip, but a very satisfying one in terms of vegan eats. :)
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.
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.
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.
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!
All in all, not a very healthy trip, but a very satisfying one in terms of vegan eats. :)
Monday, February 17, 2014
Candle 79
Laura 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!
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The Last Supper
My 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.
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!
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!
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