Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

I'll go run hills next week.  I first said this a month ago but each week came and went without me running any hills.  The first time I didn't go because I was sick.  Valid excuse.  Then my friend was going to do a long run with me in Detroit.  I abandoned my plans in a heartbeat to stay and run with her.  Then Brian and I planned a spur-of-the-moment weekend trip.  Hey, I can't go if we're out of town. Last week I was really going to go . . . but the roads were icy/snowy/slushy and it's a 45-minute drive to PR Fitness in Ann Arbor where I was running.  Running close to home just sounded nicer.

That brings us to yesterday.  No more excuses.  The Boston Marathon is just over 5 weeks away and if I want to have a halfway decent race experience I need to get my butt on some hills.  Real hills.  Not the overpass that leaves me breathless on the Green RUNdetroit loop.  Not the rolling bumps of Hines Drive in Dearborn.  No.  HILLS.  

Training this week was my toughest yet.  I'm at peak mileage and my legs have been toast since Tuesday.  Forget a tempo run.  As yesterday's 20-miler drew closer, I started to worry.  I knew I could run the miles but with what my week has felt like on flat land, I was sure to be a snail on hills!  I texted Coach Terra, asking for her advice.  She told me that my legs are tired from the week's volume, not to worry about pace, and the hills would be fun.  It will be good for you, Terra said.

Okay, coach says do it.  And that's when I finally admitted the real reason I've been putting this off.  It wasn't the miles, the hills, the pace.  I was nervous.  Nervous to run with a new group.  All the what-ifs.  What if I don't have someone to run with?  What if I get lost?  What if people aren't friendly?  What if I have a bathroom issue in the middle of nowhere?

As it turned out, I met another girl who is training for Boston.  We ran together and talked the whole time.  The miles passed easily.  Because I was running with people there was no way I could get lost.  Everyone was friendly before, during, and after the run.  All my worries went unfounded.  Well . . . except for that last worry about the bathroom issue. Story of my life.  But even that could have been worse.

Now that I've gone out to PR Fitness once I'm looking forward to going back.  Friendly people, hills, new places to run, water stops.  If you never step out of your comfort zone you might never find out what you're missing.

Jazzy Veggie - Ann Arbor, MI

Back at the beginning of June when I ran the DX-A2 1/2 marathon, Brian and I stopped in at Jazzy Veggie for dinner after the race expo.  I'd been wanting to try out this casual vegan eatery since it opened in late 2010 but just hadn't made it there until now.  We were greeted by the owner, Ananth Pullela, who enthusiastically welcomed us to his restaurant, went over the menu, and made recommendations based on our tastes and preferences.  

I decided to go with the Heart Smart Fries, which are baked (wahoo!) sweet potato fries and the Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger.  Do I love sweet potatoes?  Why yes.  Yes I do.  Let me first say that I rarely order fries.  Ever.  Why?  A) they are unhealthy, B) they generally make me feel sick and C) I don't trust the other non-vegan items they are fried with (such as buttermilk battered chicken fingers and cream cheese jalapeno poppers) not to get on my fries.  But baked sweet potato fries at an all-vegan restaurant?  Bring 'em on!  Were they awesome?  Why yes.  Yes they were.  Especially dipped in the balsamic ketchup.  YUM!

Heart Smart Fries - $3.95

The Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger was amazing!  The texture and flavor was very unique - definitely not your typical black bean or veggie burger.  It was more soft than crisp but held it's shape when I ate it.  It was topped with a red curry dressing that added a nice subtle flavor.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger w/ Tuscan coleslaw and pickle - $7.50

For an appetizer, Brian ordered the crab cakes.  He loves real crab cakes and these turned out to be pretty comparable to the real thing.  They were crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside, and had a "fishy" flavor to them.  I just had a small bite since they were fried and I had plenty of other food to eat.  I did think they were tasty, though.

Crab Cakes - $5.75

Brian also ordered the Pesto Pasta, which had huge artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, yellow squash, and zucchini.  I'm not a fan of pesto (too much garlic) but this had more of a lemony flavor and wasn't overly garlicky.  I'm still not sure if I could have handled a whole dish but I liked the bite or two that I tried.  Brian really enjoyed it.

Pesto Pasta - $8.95

On our way out I grabbed a piece of carrot cake to take home for dessert later.  I love carrot cake so I was pretty stoked to try it.  Unfortunately it was just "eh."  It was kind of dry and didn't really have a lot of flavor.  Some frosting would have helped combat the dryness.  They also had chocolate cake.  Maybe that's a better choice. 

Carrot Cake (sorry, I lost my receipt but I think it was around $4)

All in all, we were really happy with our meal at Jazzy Veggie.  I think it would be a great place to take anyone for lunch or dinner because even though it's all-vegan, the dishes are flavorful, appealing, and there is enough variety that no one (veg or otherwise) should miss the meat and cheese.

Jazzy Veggie is located at 108 S.Main St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Have you eaten at Jazzy Veggie?

Seva - Detroit, MI

Seva Restaurant - opened in Ann Arbor in 1973 - is one of the few exclusively vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Southeast Michigan.  They have a full menu of soups, salads, appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, and Sunday brunch.  In the restaurant is a full bar plus a juice bar with wheat grass shots.

I've actually only eaten there a couple of times because, to be quite honest, I wasn't all that impressed with the menu.  It includes a lot a veggie versions of classics like nachos, mac and cheese/vegan mac, reubens, enchiladas, quesadillas, and various burgers.  There is a lot of Daiya involved, some Tofurky, and too much deep fried goodness for my taste.  And despite what the website says, we did NOT have great service.

The main entrance was a little tricky to find.  Enter through the courtyard off Forest Avenue, not through the alley behind Church's Chicken.

 

When I found out that Seva was opening a second location in Detroit, I was beyond overjoyed.  I probably jumped for joy and did a little Jeff Tweedy running-man dance.  Maybe I even threw in a little Liz Lemon for good measure.  A vegetarian restaurant in Detroit?  Wahoo!

Then I found out some not so good news.  The Detroit menu was going to be the same as the Ann Arbor menu.  Exactly the same.  Here they are, creating a hip new space for the restaurant, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to also create a hip new menu with fresh innovative dishes.  I guess they didn't think so.  

Seva had its grand opening in January.  Some friends of mine went for dinner and came back with a rather negative review ("bland" and "I could make this at home").  One had the butternut squash enchiladas and she liked those a lot so it wasn't all bad.  I also read a less-than-stellar review in the Metro Times.  It was basically what I said above about Daiya and Tofurky.  Needless to say, I was not exactly jumping at the chance to go.

Two weeks ago, Jaime invited Brian and me to eat there before seeing Otto Vector perform at the Motown Winter Blast.  She's been wanting to try Seva Detroit and wasn't going to let one or two bad reviews get her down.  Plus her friend Dan works there and she'd been telling him for weeks that she was going to stop in and see him.  So off we went on an unusually cold and snowy February night in Michigan.  (When just days before I'd gone for a run in shorts and a tee shirt.)  She even called ahead to make sure we sat at one of Dan's tables.  Good thing because we got his last one!

Based on my experiences at Seva Ann Arbor, I think it's safe to say that Dan is probably the best Seva server out there.  He was super attentive yet laid-back.  He was extremely knowledgeable about the menu but honest if there was something he hadn't tried.  He also gave recommendations for how he liked to order things to change it up a bit.  And he was happy to have his picture taken with us.  Bonus!

I was pleasantly surprised with the Seva Detroit menu.  It isn't, in fact, a carbon copy of the Ann Arbor menu.  Dan said that it started out that way but several special items were so popular that they made it onto the regular menu.  That gives me hope.  Way to go Seva Detroit!

To start, we ordered one of the specials - dolmas with baba ganoush.  It came with toasted pita wedges and grapes.  I'm a big fan of grape leaves and these did not disappoint.  Although I've had hummus countless times, I think this was my first experience with baba ganoush.  Hard to believe, I know.  I really liked it but have no basis of comparison.  Brian and Jaime liked it, too.  The pita wedges were toasted and I would have preferred them to be soft but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

Dolmas with baba ganoush and pita wedges - $8

Brian and Jaime each ordered sandwiches - Brian the Bahn Mi and Jaime the Seva Club.  The Bahn Mi has hoisin-glaze seitan, pickled jalapeno, mung sprouts, carrots, and vegan aioli on a French baguette.  The Seva Club has Tofurky, smoked coconut, avocado, lettuce, and vegan aioli.  They each enjoyed them immensely.  I tried a bite of Brian's Bahn Mi and it was pretty good, though probably a bit too intense for my taste.  Jaime said she would definitely order hers again.  Both of them came with yam fries, which - FYI - do need to be specifically ordered vegan.

Bahn Mi - $11

Seva Club - $11

Close-up of the famous yam fries

I chose an entree that is new to the menu, one of those that Dan said was a popular special item and was held over.  It was the Banana Curry, which is tofu, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, and black rice.  The banana is in the sauce.  It was pretty good, though a little dry and not as banana-y as I had expected.  In fact, I couldn't taste the banana at all.  It was still good, though.  It had a very healthy feel to it, which I liked.  I just could have done with a tad more sauciness.  

Banana Curry - $13

We were too full for dessert.  Maybe next time.  I'd like to go back and try the Seva Club, the tempeh and portabella burgers, and see what specials they have.  I really hope they continue to expand on their menu with more vegetable and grains as opposed to relying too much on Daiya and meat alternatives.  I love what they've done with the space and hope a lot of people stop in to dine there.  If you haven't stopped in to eat at Seva Detroit, make sure you visit soon.  And when you do, ask for Dan!

Jaime and me with Dan

Seva is located at 66 E. Forest in Detroit

Open Sunday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.