BITE ME

The other night Neil and I decided to go to dinner and after discuss about a million places that we might go we decided on pizza. There is this new pizza joint off Howard Street downtown called Bite Me. It is a localvore and organic pizza place that is super small but has great pizza. Along with this they have specically vegan pizzas that is labled on the menu you can also create your own vegan pizza. We decided to get the vegan pizza which was called "The Vermont Intervale Ghosts- it had marinated tofu, roasted eggplant, baby spinach, squash, roasted red peppers, red beets, caramlized onions, yellow and red tomatoes and lemon oil drizzle for $20. The price might seem high but this pizza is huge and worth the costs.

Other vegan toppings include:
basil, thai basil, baby arugula, baby spinach, callions, cilantro, sprouts, sunflower seeds, apples, walnuts, pears, grapes, pineapple, okra, broccoli, crimini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, tomaotes, onion, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, squash, roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted eggplant, marinated tofu, carrots, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, red beets, olives, kim-chee, and shitake mushrooms with your choice of tomato sauce or spicy red sauce...they have a pesto but i am not sure if it is vegan and the richard's bbq sauce is not vegan there is worcestershire sauce in the bbq sauce.


i would definitly reccommed this place and can't wait to try their kimchi pizza

New Ethic x 2

So I have to admit Neil and I loved New Ethic and not only did we go their Friday night we went Sunday for lunch as well. Friday night we met up with our friend Monica and we decided to each get something and share it since we were all curious as to what everything tasted like. Neil ordered the nachos, Monica the fried chicken sandwich, and I ordered the soul food plate, we also got a side of mac and cheeze to share.

Let me tell you this was amazing food. The nachos were perfect they were sooo fresh and good! The chicken sandwich yum yum yum, their mock chicken is the best I have ever had. The mac and cheese really good too (my hubby and I would have liked some ketchup for it or hot sauce but it was good anyways). Lastly the super star of this dinner was the soul food plate which consisted of fried chik'n with ranch dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn bread; all of this was incredible the chik'n so good, the cornbread was sweet and yummy and the potatoes soo good the only thing that was meh where the green beans but that can easily be overlooked.

On sunday Neil got the Sweet chili burger with coconut bacon and i got the cobb salad. Both were really good. The coconut bacon which everyone was raving about was good however I felt that the coconut flavor was slightly over powering in my salad, it was great on the burger though.

Over all this restuarant is amazing and anyone who comes to Burlington....or VT in general should make a special trip here.

Back from Boston

I am back from Boston :( . It was a great time and there is so much to tell.

We started our trip out at Grasshopper in Allston. I had the Vegie Beef and Broccoli with Brown Rice and Neil had the Gluten Ginger Stir Fry with fried rice. We started with the friend dumplings. Mine was okay the broccoli was fresh which was nice but it was kind of unimpressive and the vegie beef was kind of rubbery. Neil's dish was awful I took a few bites and just wasn't liking it at all. There was too much ginger and it was slimmy; he didn't care for it either but his dislike was nothing like mine. The fried dumplings we started with were fine it's hard to mess up fried food. Overall I was not impressed with Grasshopper at all and probably wouldn't go back unless I wanted a cheap lunch. It is great if you want an all vegan dining spot however beyond that I'd look elsewhere.

(grasshopper photos to come)

After our lunch at Grasshopper we jumped next door to TJ Scallywaggles and picked up a giant carrot cake cupcake that was really good.

(pic of cupcake)

For dinner on Friday we went to Lowell to Life Alive. It is located in the historic arts district and is this great vegetarian cafe that uses mostly whole foods and is all organic. We had this great salad called the Mystic Mountain and it had roasted garlic lemon parsley hummus along with granny apple slices and cashews along with other veggies. Neil had a large version of this and I had a small one with a cup of curried squash and apple soup. Everything was fresh and yummy and their menu is mostly vegan with a few exceptions that can be made vegan except for the one with eggs. To end my meal and please my sweet tooth I had a Coconut Alive Smoothie made withTherapeutic Coconut Oil, Banana, Vanilla Rice Dream, & Rice Milk; Immune Boosting, Fat Reducing, Heart Protecting...and DELICIOUS!

(photos for Live Alive)

Saturday morning we headed to the Veg Fest. When we got there we were told to head upstairs first and we tried a few samples and then filtered down the hall to a classroom where we were lucky enough to hear Sarah Kramer talk about her books and vegan travel. She was great and had a lot of spunk. After this we headed downstairs where the craziness began. There were tons of people and lots of booths go view. Below are a number of the free samples we got (besides the ones we ate) and a few things such as the non-cheese crackers, marshmellows and teese that we bought there.



After Veg Fest we headed to our hotel to relax for a bit and then to Harvard Sqaure. We were a little hungry and feeling unsatisfied from our ridiculous snacking on samples that were mostly sweets so we decided to stop at b.good and share a veggie burger and sweet potato fries. This place was great and everything is baked not fried and so yummy.


Later that evening we wondered over to Chinatown in search of Supper 88 however to our dissapointment the one on Essex St. was closed for renovation. However we jumped over a street and to our surprise Buddha's Delight no longer exist it has been replaced with My Thai Vegan Cafe (which is also located in Brookline). Excited to see that a vegan restaurant had replaced Buddha's we decided to try it and we are glad we did it was incredible. This place had great food and really out shinned Grasshopper by 100%. We started with some fresh rolls that were really good and had this increible peanutty dipping sauce. I had the yellow curry noodles with vegie chicken which was so yummy and Neil had yellow noodles with vegie chicken (they had sort of a brown sauce on them) those were the yummiest things. We were pleasntly surprised and impressed by My Thai and can't wait to go back.

(my thai photos)

Sunday morning before heading home we decided to go to our favorite breakfast spot - Espresso Royale/Bagel Rising on Newbury st where we got our soy chai lattes and the yummiest whole wheat everything bagels one with veggie tofu spread and the other with sundried tomato tofu spread (we shared).






After this we stopped at Tradder Joe's on Boylston and then headed out to Allston to the Super 88 and then to Whole Foods in Boston. We picked up a number of goodies (pictures below).


Now I am tired and don't want to head to work but I must. Enjoy and I will update with more pictures this evening.

p.s. the tofu loaf picture is now up

Outline of Plans for the Weekend

Friday:
Stop in Concord to try something sweet at Cafe Indigo

Then it is off to Allston where we will dine at Grasshopper

Saturday:
It's all about the Veg Fest

Then dinner somewhere maybe TJ Scallywaggles (tentative)

Sunday:

Of course we have to hit up our favorite spot for sum yummy bagels and tofu Spread- Bagel Rising

then who knows but it sure will be a yummy vegan weekend.

Veganmofo- Rhapsody- Montpelier

I just got back from a nice (but too quick) lunch with my hubby down at Rhapsody on Main St. in Montpelier. I really wanted to see my husband and have a lunch date, but needed some place quick and easy to go to so I wouldn't go over my allotted lunch time. Lets just say that I won't be doing many more lunches here. It was just kind of meh, which I already had come to the conclusion of months ago but decided to give it another try.

I had:
whipped ginger sweet potatoes- these were actually pretty good a little too gingery but good
brown rice- very over cooked
tofu stew- now this was really good their stews usually are
tempeh nugget- this was not good it was deep fried tempeh is some sort of black sesame seed crust and it was dry and boring
vegetable Indian lentils- these were okay the flavor was decent but they were super gummy they either needed to be less gummy or more soupy
chickpea curry- this was pretty good
salad with tofu dill dressing- I have to say I love this dressing
Artichoke heart salad- this is really good and creamy
Marinated Mushrooms- these were pretty good

for dessert we split:
a carob almond cup- kinda like a PB cup ....not made on site
a cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie- this was alright it was kinda crunchy, I like my oatmeal raisin cookies chewy



Overall: 3.7/5
Service: counter service
Food Quality:2.5/5
Atmosphere:4/5
Vegan Options:4.7 (there is sushi)

Times Visited: 5

From the sounds of it you'd think I'd like it more...but it is just nothing special and super pricey.

Veganmofo- Foo Kin Chinese

This weekend my husband and I went to Cooperstown, NY. I had done some research prior to our trip and was feeling pretty disappointed because it seemed that there were no vegan options in this town except for your standard veggie sandwiches, salads and veggie burgers. However, to our surpirse we found a great Chinese restaurant that had a number of vegan options.

Foo Kin Chinese is located right around the corner from the Baseball Hall of Fame and is small and kinda sketchy looking but amazing. It is all family run, the dad cooks the kids seat and serve and the mom helps out as well.

We had:

(Steamed or) Fried Vegetable Dumplings (6) 3.95- These were amazing they were filled with mushrooms and cabbage and were just so good and the sauce that came with them was amazing as well.

then we split:

GENERAL TSO's BEAN CURD 8.25
Fried bean curd w. sautéed broccoli
with hot & spicy sauce.

This was good too the tofu was all crispy and yummy the sauce was good not the best general tso's I've ever had but it was satisfying.

Their other vegan options include:

• Vegetables
  (w. Rice)
  Per Order
  Bean Curd w. Garlic Sauce 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Szechuan Sauce 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Mixed Vegetables 7.25
  Kung Po Bean Curd 7.25
  Bean Curd w. Broccoli 7.25
  Broccoli w. Black Bean Sauce 6.25
  Mixed Chinese Vegetables 6.25
  Sautéed Broccoli 6.25
  Broccoli w. Garlic Sauce 6.25
  Stir Fried Snow Peas 7.25
  Buddhist Delight 7.25
• Diet Dishes Special
  (w. Rice & Ginger Sauce)
  Per Order
  Mixed Vegetables or Plain Broccoli 6.00
  Steamed Snow Peas 6.95
  Bean Curd w. Mixed Vegetables 6.95
• Sesame Cold Noodles 3.95

Overall we enjoyed it and were glad that we found something vegan in Cooperstown that wasn't just a veggie burger.

Overall- 3.375/5

Service -4/5

Food Quality - 3.5/5

Atmosphere - 2/5

Vegan Options 4/5

Location: 48 - 50 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, NY
Hours:
Mon. - Thurs.: 11:00am - 10:30pm
Fri. & Sat.: 1100:am - 11:30pm
Sunday: 12:00 noon - 10:00pm

Times Visited: 1

Hemingway's Restaurant

Hemingway's Restaurant
4988 US ROUTE 4 • KILLINGTON, VT • (802) 422-3886

Four Course Vegetable Menu
Three tasting portions of vegetable or dairy items plus dessert: $55 per person.
An all vegan menu may be had with advance notice.
Following are sample menu items:Vegetable Strudel with Pine Nuts
Asparagus Flan
Risotto of Local Exotic Mushrooms
Crown Romanesco with Autumn Root Vegetables
Timbale of Zucchini with Fresh Herbs and Couscous

We have a four course vegetarian menu available each evening, which can
be made Vegan.

Ted Fondulas
Chef Owner

Veganmofo- Pastabilities

Pastabilities is located at 4735 Williston Road in Williston, Vermont (West of the Industrial Ave and Williston Road intersection. Right next to Mr. G's.)
802-598-5513
Open Daily 11am-7pm, Closed Sunday

Response from my inquiry about vegan options:
Hi,

All our stock pastas contain eggs at this point in time. However, the pizza crust and sauce is egg/animal free. You could do a vegan pizza if you opt to go without any cheese. We also make our own pita bread for sandwiches, so there are vegan options there. We've tested some vegan pastas, but haven't produced any yet. If you were interested in a special order, we could arrange to make a batch of fettuccini or spaghetti. Unfortunately there isn't much demand for Vegan though, so I'd have to ask you to purchase at least half the batch, which would be 10 lbs. I'd try to sell the other half here. Shelf life is almost indefinite if kept frozen.
Thanks,Dan

Veganmofo- Daily Planet

I e-mailed the Daily Planet http://www.dailyplanet15.com/ to inquire about the vegan options that they offer.
The Daily Planet
15 Center St.
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 862-9647

This is what they said:

Hi Lindsay

These are our vegan options:

Field Greens - Mixed baby greens dressed with your choice of balsamic vinaigrette 5.00

Thai Peanut Noodles - Fresh garden vegetables and linguini tossed in a spicy peanut sauce 7.00

Marinated Portabella Sandwich - Served on sundried tomato focaccia with basil pesto and fresh mozzarella. Accompanied by a spinach-roasted red pepper salad, in a balsamic vinaigrette 8.00(w/out the cheese)

Citrus Caponata Eggplant, red plums, blood oranges, figs and walnuts. Over a savory, rosemary-cracked pepper waffle 18.00 (without the waffle)

Thank you for your interest
Kristi
The Daily Planet

Veganmofo- Kismet Kitchen

Another great place that Neil failed to mention is Kismet Kitchen on Barre Street in Montpelier. Although neither vegan nor vegetarian they are very accommodating to your individual dietary needs and even have vegan crepes. It is absolutely amazing for breakfast and trust me you will leave and need to unbutton the top of your pants, untuck your shirt and loosen your belt. They are open
breakfast
brunch
and lunch.......
wednesday through sunday 8-3
(kitchen closes at 2:45)
Also be aware that is Cash or Check only! No cards!


“when the work we do is motivated by our best intentions, we are ultimately rewarded
with the divine gifts of inspiration, joy, and pleasure.
As we devote more and more of each day to this good work, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to better ourselves and our community.
At kismet, we believe that through our intimate relationships with local farmers, individual customers and clients, our staff, and our neighbors, we are able to feed ourselves with the abundance that surrounds us. We use food as our medium, like artists, musicians, or healers, to keep us engaged and connected to our vision.
Using as much local food as we can, sourcing all of our other ingredients, and making as much as we can from scratch (like butter, ketchup, mustard, and kombucha), we have the ability to control and maintain the quality and intimacy of the food we are serving.
Sure, it's just food- but we're sure that its good food,
and it sure does feel good making it.” (Kismet Kitchen Website- http://kismetkitchen.com/default.aspx)

Vegan MoFo: Review of my favourite vegan friendly restaurants in Vermont

Since moving to Vermont from Fredericton, NB, Canada, I must say that I feel rather spoiled by the great options for veg*n dining throughout Vermont. In Fredericton, there were very few options available to vegans (for the most part french fries/salad and the occasional boca type veggie burger) and what was available was often bland and uninspiring. I'm not a food critic, so I won't go into too many details, but here's a quick run down of some of the Vermont restaurants that my my partner, Lindsay, and I enjoy eating at as vegans are:

Stone Soup
College St
Burlington, Vermont
This vegan friendly counter service restaurant has a great, always fresh salad bar, a number of veg*n friendly hot and cold sandwiches and fresh vegan baked goods! I love the vegan macaroons and the Vegan club sandwich!

Bee's Knees
Morrisville, Vermont
http://www.thebeesknees-vt.com/
The Bee's Knees is a small, locally run cafe in Morrisville, Vermont with a really welcoming, community oriented feel to it. They often have many different veg*n dishes including great salads and sandwiches. My favourites are the mock pulled pork (mushrooms and eggplant i believe) and the tofu breakfast sandwiches (I love being able to get vegan breakfast that consists of more than just homefries). The menu indicates which options are vegan friendly and which can be made vegan friendly on request. They have local music acts playing there fairly regularly as well.

A Single Pebble
http://www.asinglepebble.com/intro.htm
Classical Chinese cuisine in downtown Burlington. Offers many traditional Chinese dishes including many veg*n options including my favourites mock eel (made from mushrooms) and the Buddha's Beef (made from seitan).

Pho Dang Vietnamese Cafe
Winooski, Vt
http://www.7nvt.com/7n/listing.htm?establishment_id=793
This Vietnamese cafe makes up for what it's lacking in atmosphere by it's great, fresh food. It has a very lunch room sort of feel to it but that really doesn't matter once you taste their great soups and tofu dishes. The portions are huge and the prices are cheap.

Ocha/Royal Orchid
Waterbury/Montpelier, Vermont
These two Thai restaurants are owned by the same family. Both restaurants seem to have very similar menus with slight variations between the two. They have many veg*n dishes and are willing to make changes to other dishes to accommodate veg*n customers as well. The menu is split into curries, noodle dishes, rice dishes and vegetable/stir fry dishes with your choice of tofu or meat. We usually start off our meal with the fresh rolls which is a soft rice paper roll with tofu, rice noodles and just a taste of mint with a nice light sweet and sour sauce for dipping. It's a nice light and fresh start to the meal. The entrees we have had are the pad ki mao (my personal favourite, a wide rice noodle dish with thai basil and chilli), brocolli and tofu in a nice creamy peanut sauce, penang and massuman curries (personal favourites at home when my parnter cooks them and both very well done by the restaurants) and the pad thai (with no fish sauce or eggs). The pad thai is closer to a traditional pad thai than what people in New Brunswick knew as pad thai (spicy peanut sauce with rice noodles). While the Waterbury location seems to be a bit pricier, it also has a nicer atmosphere than the Montpelier location and I typically find the food to be a little better. Entrees are typically in the $10 range while the appetizers are in the $3 to $5 range.

Pacific Rim
Burlington, Vt
Pacific Rim is one of my favourite spots to eat when we're in Burlington. It is a mainly Korean Asian restaurant in downtown Burlington. There is a good selection of salads/appetizers and main courses that are veg*n friendly. The food is fresh, flavourful and very affordable. They also have a good drink menu with asian takes on popular drinks and lots of ginger! It's a very informal seat yourself sort of atmosphere with fairly decent service considering how busy things can get there.


Magnolia Bistro
Burlington, Vermont
Hidden away in downtown Burlington is Vermont's only truly green restaurant, Magnolia Bistro. Magnolia focuses on eco-friendly, fair trade, local and organic foods and offers a twist on regular breakfast and lunch fare. They have many veg*n friendly options and the menu indicates what is vegan or can be adapted to be vegan. Some of the veg*n options you can order vegan french toast, substitute eggs for tofu in breakfast dishes or if you're not in a breakfast mood go for a garbanzo burger. The food is fresh tasting, well seasoned and fairly affordable considering the quality of ingredients used.

Time to wrap up this entry as my bus home is due to arrive any moment. Hope that some of you can elaborate more on veg*n friendly places to eat in and around Vermont or even provide more insight on the places I've decided to mention!

Neil