Category Archives: resturant

Boston Restaurant: Myers & Chang

Posted on March 10, 2010 by | 2 comments

On our last night in Boston we decided to make a last minute reservation at Myers & Chang located in the South End. Like Grezzo we have wanted to visit Myers & Chang on our many past trips to Boston but had never really been in the area. However, this time our hotel was only a 20 minute walk from the restaurant so we decided to go, and boy were we glad we did.

The atmosphere of Myers & Chang reminds me of something I’ve seen on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in Toyko or Beijing; it is very loud & high paced with low lighting and hip-hop playing over the speakers.  The food is served family style which is my favorite way to eat because dishes come out as they are ready so if you’re lucky you get to enjoy each dish as a separate “course”.

Since the husband had been making comments all weekend about trying a Scorpion Bowl we decided that since there was one on the drink menu that we must start with it. For those of you who don’t know a Scorpion Bowl is generally filled with some sort of variation of 3 different kinds of rum, gin, vodka, orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine- basically it taste like a tropical vacation.

Hubz trying out the Scorpion Bowl

For our dinner we decided to go with four dishes- 2 snacks, a noodle and a green.  One of the great features to the vegetarian menu (oh don’t forget to ask them for one when you arrive) is that all vegan dishes are marked with (v) so that they are easily identifiable. For our dishes we went with:

edamame and celery slaw with sesame oil & candied lemon

grilled 5-spice tofu buns-bao, brandied hoisin, house pickles

spicy brussels sprouts

vegetarian wok-charred udon noodles, tofu, baby bok choy

Since the place was packed and we made a super last minute reservation we were stuck at probably the worst table in the house, you know the one right next to the kitchen where servers hustle in and out.  We were however sitting close enough to the open kitchen that we could see the chefs cook up the meals and the huge flames which gave all the food this great barbeque/charred flavor.  All of the food was amazing and I would order everything again.

Since we were craving something sweet we decided to see if there were any vegan dessert options. Our waiter came back to let us know that there was an orange granita or a chocolate mousse that both were vegan.  We decided to go with the chocolate mousse which was whipped tofu, vanilla and dark chocolate.

If you are vegetarian this usually comes with 5-spiced homemade marshmallows

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Boston Restaurant: Grezzo

Posted on March 10, 2010 by | 3 comments

After years of talking about visiting Grezzo (pronounced GRAY-zo and means raw in Italian) we finally went for lunch on our last Boston trip.  The restaurant is located in the North End of Boston and is open for lunch and dinner.  The restaurant is very quaint, filled with large paintings of fruits and vegetables that were beautiful and I just wanted to take them home with me. The very tiny kitchen is located at the back of the restaurant and has no stoves or ovens just prep tables, refrigerators, a dehydrator and other essential appliances for creating raw meals.

We sat and looked over the menu for quiet awhile, not because it was big but because everything sounded amazing and we were having such a hard time deciding on what we wanted to try. We decided to start of with some drinks which can come with or without sake (we went without):

Grezzo Mojito - with kombucha

Chai Mudslide - creamy, spiced concoction, coconut milk

Both were decorated with pretty edible flowers

These drinks were incredible! Neil had the Chai, it tasted like a chai milk shake and was delicious.  I had the Mojito – it was delicious and so refreshing.  For lunch I decided to go with the Gnocchi Carbonara-the gnocchi were so good and the cream sauce was amazing. The hubz went with the BLTA (“Bacon”, Lettuce, Tomato & Avocado)- this was honestly the best sandwich either of us had ever had.  It came with sweet potato chips and pickled vegetables which were also delicious.

Gnocchi Carbonara - house-made dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with pea shoots and crispy eggplant

BLTA Italian Bread Wrap- eggplant bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and house cheese

Lastly, we decided that we just couldn’t leaved without trying one of the desserts since everyone raves about them. We decided to go with the Cheesecake of the Day which happened to be a New York style and was served with raspberry gelato. Overall we loved our meal and can’t wait to go back again.  I think we will try dinner next time as the dinner options sound amazing as well.

Delicious Dessert

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Stogo- NYC Gourmet Vegan Ice Cream

Posted on February 19, 2010 by | 2 comments

This past weekend when my hubby and I were in NYC we decided that even though it was freezing out we just had to stop in to Stogo to try gourmet vegan ice cream.  After tasting a few different flavors we settled on Salted Caramel Pecan and Peanut Butter Fudge both of which were delicious.  The ice cream here is so good and unlike some other vegan ice creams it isn’t icy and if you didn’t know it was vegan you’d think it wasn’t.  It’s a little pricey, $4.50ish for a small, but it is well worth the treat. 

Salted Caramel Pecan

 

Peanut Butter Fudge

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‘SNice- Vegan Breakfast in NYC

Posted on February 18, 2010 by | 3 comments

This past weekend while we were visiting the Big Apple my hubby and I met up with some of my girlfriends for breakfast at ‘SNice in Chelsea. To our disappointment we were unable to get sandwiches (which all sounded amazing) until 11am and we were too hungry to wait an hour so we decided to start with some lattes.  After sipping on our lattes for a while hubz and I decided to split the tofu scramble wrap which was not bad and pretty filling.  The GF’s went with a bagel with cream cheese and the other granola with fruit, yogurt and honey.  

Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning.  The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches.  There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu. 

Delicious Soy Latte

 

Tofu Scramble Wrap

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Miya’s Sushi- New Haven, CT

Posted on February 17, 2010 by | 2 comments

Friday night my husband and I had one of the most amazing meals of our lives. It was one of those meals that not only had amazing food but was topped off with the best service and experience at a restaurant that we have ever had.  Prior to our trip away I had contacted Bun the owner of Miya’s Sushi about the vegan options as well as what was included in a vegan platter.  He quickly responded back to me to give him to tell him how much we would like to spend and that he would put together a great vegan spread for us.  Before we left he followed up on our reservation and told me to just let one of the guys know when we got there that we had a special vegan meal waiting for us.  Much to our delight we were seated, ordered our drinks and then the food just started to come out.  It was the best feeling to just sit down and not have to worry about what we were going to order and it was an exciting adventure to see what dish would be coming out next. Below are photos with descriptions of all of our dishes we had (we had 8 samples of vegan sushi rolls and I can’t remember what they all were):

sweet mother’s milk: a whole steamed artichoke served with our sauce made from spicy homemade middle eastern pureed jalapeno makdoos.

 

A vegan version of: tokyo fro- hip hop is the most popular music of japanese youth & has made the afro tokyo's most popular hairstyle; to have japanese hair processed into an afro costs over a thousand dollars at a trendy hair stylist. this recipe was inspired by the afro; it looks & tastes exactly like a japanese processed fro, drizzled with a delicious chef secret sauce.

Vegan version of Tokyo Fro: hip hop is the most popular music of japanese youth & has made the afro tokyo's most popular hairstyle; to have japanese hair processed into an afro costs over a thousand dollars at a trendy hair stylist. this recipe was inspired by the afro; it looks & tastes exactly like a japanese processed fro, drizzled with a delicious chef secret sauce.

 

 

 

Deep Fried Spinach

 

An assortment of amazing veggie sushi rolls - I think there were 8

A tasting of 8 vegan sushi rolls

 

Overall the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun and the staff were great.  Although Bun was not he created a magical experience for the two of us and I can’t wait to return for some more sushi. 

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Mashed White Beans

Posted on January 30, 2010 by | 2 comments

Mashed White Beans

A great alternative to mashed potatoes is mashed white beans they are creamy and delicious and you can put your own spin on them.  Last night I had leftover Tofutti so I added it to my recipe.

  • 2 cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 8-10 oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped small
  • 5 scallions, chopped small 
  • 3T vegan cream cheese 
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1t garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a pan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher.  Mix everything together and then heat until warmed. Enjoy!

If you want to check out  our yummy dining at A Single Pebble and Coffee Corner as well as what else we ate the past few days visit Eat. Live. Be Healthy. 

Don’t forget you have until 1/31/10 at 8am to enter to win Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil.

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Pantry Challenge Update

Posted on January 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

So I have been working on this pantry challenge and have come to realize it’s a fail.  I evaluated the contents of my cupboards and well I basically have tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta and grains…no beans, no other fun pantry items.  My freezer is pretty sparse as well – only gin, bananas, edamame and sweet peas.  I think that this pantry challenge was a great idea but is just not going to work for me this month since I am lacking in staples. However I am considering coming back to this when i have a more well stocked pantry. 

I have to say though I have created some great meals this week.  My husband commented on the fact that they were fun and different than we usually have and actually have tasted great. I’ll leave you with some of the items I made this week:

Southwest Grits - Makes 2 servings

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup 5 minute grits
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 t each of  garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1/4 t chipotle chili powder
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn
  • 3 green onions thinly sliced

 

Directions:

  • In a bowl mix together grits, nutritional yeast and spices.
  • Bring water to a boil, while stirring slowly stream in the grits mixture.  
  • Turn the heat down to low and let cook this should take about 5-7 minutes, make sure to stir frequently.
  • Once the grits are almost done add in the corn and green onions.
  • To serve place grits in a bowl and garnish with green onion, corn and your favorite hot sauce.

 

Creamy Butternut Squash Penne - Serves 1

For dinner last night I took the bus into Burlington to meet my hubby after work for a date night.  We went to American Flatbread which is delicious.  I love their menu because it is simple – all they have are 10 signature flatbreads, create your own flatbread and a salad; however their beer menu is extensive – I’d say close to 100 different varieties as well as house made ones. 

Hubby had the Wolaver's Coffee Porter and I had Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde

We shared 2 small flatbreads- This one is Revolution Flatbread- housemade tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms and herbs

 

Our 2nd flatbread was the Roasted Tomato Salsa- house made salsa (wood fired tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro), corn and black beans

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Eating Vegan on a Disney (Holiday) Vacation

Posted on December 20, 2009 by | 9 comments

Hey Everyone! So my husband, both our parents and I are on our way to Disney World for the Holidays.  This is exciting as I have been to Disney a number of times, we actually just went last year for our honeymoon, but I have never been during the holidays.

Disney Honeymoon 2008

 

Over the last few years I have picked up a number of tips on how to eat vegan at Disney World; where to go, what to ask for, and most recently what to do ahead of time. Since I know Disney is a popular destination for many people I thought you might like to hear my eating vegan at Disney tips.   I will update you with my most recent experiences upon our return.

My Vegan Disney Survival Tips:

1. E-mail [email protected] and request a special dietary needs worksheet.  All you have to do once you make your table service dining reservations is fill the worksheet out detailing any dietary needs you have and where you are dining , what time and your reservation number.  Once you have done this fax or e-mail it back.  Disney will then make a note on your dining reservation and everything will be set for your arrival.  *Note this is only for table service dining that you have a reservation for. If you don’t have a reservation don’t worry…keep reading. 
2. There are some great places that we have dined that were great and easily accommodate a vegan diet.  Many are able to get tofu, non-dairy products and other vegan items with advanced notice. My first recommendation is to inform your server that you are vegan and they can easily suggest vegan options and many times will bring the chef out to discuss what options you have.  Some great restaurants we have experienced are:

  • The Wave at The Contemporary Resort has a great Tofu Sandwich at lunch that without the mayo is vegan.  They also have a Vegetable Stew which is delicious and served at both lunch and dinner.  For dessert you can indulge in some of the amazing house made sorbets 

    The Wave at The Contemporary

  • Boma this is a vegan’s paradise at Disney; located at The Animal Kingdom Lodge this buffet style dining has tons to offer.  We informed our server of our dietary needs and he quickly went to get the chef who then led us around the  buffet letting us know what vegan options there were and also asked if we wanted anything else that she could make up special.  There were so many great options that we didn’t feel like we would need any other options and we certainly didn’t . We basically gorged ourselves on kalamatua olive hummus with lavash.  At the end of our meal our waiter surprised us with house made coconut and raspberry sorbet which was great because there aren’t any vegan dessert options except fruit at the buffet. 
  • Rose Crown Dining Room at the United Kingdom in Epcot- there was a vegetarian curry that was veganizable however rumor is that there is a vegetarian shepherd’s pie on the menu now which is not vegan.
  • Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has great food and this delicious Coconut-Crusted Tofu Noodle Bowl

 

Tofutti at Magic Kingdom

 

3. Counter Service is slightly more difficult as there is no chef to talk to however there are some easy tips:

  • All fries are vegan EXCEPT those served at McDonald’s Locations
  • All veggie burgers are vegan Garden Burgers however the bun is not vegan- you can request a vegan bun 
  • Divvies vegan cookies, brownies and caramel corn are served at many locations around Disney 
  • There is Tofutti and Rice Dream served around Disney and at the Magic Kingdom Ice Cream Parlor
  • All around Disney you can find veggie wraps/sandwiches and veggie burgers- boring but know you’ll never starve 
  • Soy milk is available throughout Disney and at most of the resorts 

4. The most vegan friendly counter service spots are:

  • Sunshine Seasons at Epcot- there are tons of vegan options such as the Asian vegetarian entree
  • Tangierine Cafe at Morocco in Epcot- this is a great location that has a vegetarian platter with couscous salad, hummus, tabbouleh, olives and lentil salad. The lentil salad is not vegan but you can sub extra hummus, couscous salad or tabbouleh.
  • Wolfgang Puck Express at Disney’s West Side and Market Place – there are many options such as pizza without cheese, salads, sandwiches and pasta 
  • Backlot Express- there is a great veggie sandwich here

5. For breakfast I recommend bringing oatmeal, cereal, or cereal/energy bars- many of the Moderate, Deluxe and Disney Vacation Club Resorts have microwaves and mini fridges in the room which makes it great for stocking up your room (and saving some money). 

I will report back after we our trip but here are some plans we have for our 2009 Christmas Trip:

We have planned to visit The Whispering Canyon located at The Wilderness Lodge- now this is one of the least vegan friendly places but we are compromising as it is my dad’s birthday and his choice however this will be the true test to see if the special dietary request form actually works.  

Next we plan to visit ‘Ohana at the Polynesian which I hear is an amazing restaurant and Chef TJ apparently makes amazing vegan food.  I am so excited and can’t wait to report back. 

We are going to Chef Mickey’s at The Contemporary for Christmas Day breakfast and from my research I have heard that the chef can make tofu scramble and vegan mickey mouse waffles (which can also be made at many other restaurants) there is also tons of fruit and cereal with soy milk. 

We will also be visiting The Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Sanaa which has a vegan menu and we will also be visiting Boma again as it is a must.  If you want to spend a bit more money Jiko is a great restaurant for vegans and also has a vegan menu. 

Lastly, we are gong to be visiting The Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom which is said to be one of the top places for vegetarians to eat at Disney.  

Dinner at The Brown Derby @ Disney's Hollywood Studios

 

 

 

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Vegan Weekend in Montreal

Posted on December 6, 2009 by | 5 comments

 

Crispy Mushrooms and Dumplings in Peanut Sauce at ChuChai

 

"Beef" Panang at ChuChai

 

"Chicken" with Peanut Sauce and Crispy Spinach at ChuChai

 

Neil enjoying his first persimmon at Marche Jean-Talon

 

Le Polenta at Aux Vivres

 

Chai and Masala Banana Smoothie at Aux Vivres

 

Le Complete at Aux Vivres

 

Espresso Smoothie -Cafe Frappe- at Aux Vivres

 

Tea at Ming Tao Xuan- experienced an amazing Chinese tea service

 

Neil's tea at Ming Tao Xuan

 

Vegetarian Steamed Buns at Ming Tao Xuan

 

Vegetarian Tofu Skin Rolls at Ming Tao Xuan

 

Neil enjoying his tea

 

Portobello, Red Pepper & Artichoke Pizza at Le Faim du Monde

 

Mexican Burger at La Faim du Monde

 

Smoked Wheat at Aux Vivres

 

Mekong (tofu, picked carrots & diakon, mint, cilantro, lettuce and peanut sauce) on Chapati at Aux Vivres Enjoying my sandwich at Aux Vivres

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The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

Posted on November 10, 2009 by | 2 comments

alchemist_logo_web-300x299

Last night my husband, Neil, decided he would take us out for a date night at The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury Vermont- “The Alchemist is a 7 barrel brew pub specializing in hand-crafted beer and casual pub fare. All of our ales flow directly from our basement brewery, which was designed and installed by our brewer and co-proprietor John Kimmich.  We use only the finest imported malts and domestic hops available to bring you the tastiest and finest selection of beers in Vermont!” (from their website).

We settled on getting the oatmeal stout and the red….however we were brought a porter and a harvest.  They quickly apologized about that mistake and gave us our correct beers on the house. IMG_5152IMG_5153

For dinner I ordered the Marinated Tempeh Sandwich without the walnut pesto and subsituted the maple balsamic dressing.  Neil ordered the Blackened Tofu Burrito without the cheese and sour cream.  We also ordered a side of fries with their house made mustard and ketchup.

IMG_5155IMG_5157IMG_5160

Although our meals were really good we didn’t make it through the first bite of the burrito because they had forgotten to not put the cheese on.  So we sent it back and it was quickly replaced with the correct vegan version.  The tempeh sandwich was so good and the fries were amazing- nice and crispy fresh cut. The burrito was good we really liked the blackened tofu but it was missing something in it, maybe the salsa would have been better in than on the side.

Overall we just fell in love with the places great atmosphere, food and beer.  We extremely impressed with the service as well and appreciated the 2 free beers and the free burrito (they covered that as well since they had made the mistake- we really didn’t expect that but it was a great treat).

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