Road Trip 2015

Brian and I recently embarked on a 9-day road trip through Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts.  We dubbed it our #BaseballBrewsBeats trip.  Our main destination was Solid Sound - Wilco's music and arts festival in North Adams, MA.  Last time we went we drove straight there, which took a good 12-13 hours.  This year we decided to break it up, stopping in Cleveland and Ithaca on the way; Cooperstown and Rochester on the way back.   We hit several breweries, saw the Tigers play in Cleveland, and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  We were able to run in some very cool places and found some good food along the way.  

Here are some highlights from each of the cities we visited on our road trip.

Cleveland, OH

We left on a Tuesday around noon.  Our first stop was Cleveland.  I sometimes forget that it's only a few hours away from Detroit.  We stayed in a great location, only half a mile from Progressive Field.  The House of Blues was down the street from our hotel (Holiday Inn Express).  For dinner we went to Great Lakes Brewing (brewery #1).  The place has great ambience but the food was not very good.  Brian wasn't impressed with his burger.  They had a vegan patty but the bun wasn't vegan so I opted for an asparagus salad.  It was tasty but not very filling.  

Our server was NOT friendly.  She seemed annoyed that I was asking questions about menu items.  Or maybe she didn't like us because we were Tigers' fans in Cleveland.

Wednesday morning we got up early to get our run in before hitting the road.  I had a speed workout that day - 5 x 1 mile tempo pace with easy warm-up and cool-down miles.  The day before we'd found the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge near the field.  It's just under a mile long.  We ran to the stadium and looped around to warm up, I did my intervals back and forth on the bridge, then we ran back a different route to the hotel for a cool-down.  The distance on the bridge was perfect I didn't have to worry about traffic.  There was some wind and elevation but all in all, not bad.  

Breakfast in Cleveland was Starbucks oatmeal.  The last Starbucks we'd see for a while!  Onward to Ithanca!

Ithaca, NY

Let me just say we LOVED Ithaca!  Next time we go to Solid Sound we'll probably stop here again.  We stayed in a beautiful B&B - The William Henry Miller Inn.  The house was lovely, the innkeeper was sweet as could be, and the location was great for running and getting to the Finger Lakes.  

Although Ithaca is home to Moosewood, we wanted to hit brewery #2 so we went to Ithaca Beer Company.  The food was much better here than at Great Lakes!  I was able to have a Vegan Brew Burger (house-made mushroom, tempeh, and grain) with a side salad.  They also had a fry flight with vegan sauces.  Yes please!

The next morning we went for our run.  Just a block and a half from our inn we picked up the Cascadilla Gorge Trail (700+ feet of elevation!).  It was beautiful!  

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

When we emerged we were on Cornell's campus.  We ran through there a bit and then picked up a wood-chipped trail that took us around Lake Beebe.  From there we ran through campus again to Buffalo Street, which took us straight downhill back to our inn.  

Then it was breakfast time.  This was THE best breakfast we've had at a B&B.  And we've stayed at a lot of B&Bs in the past 13 years!  We had homemade pumpkin cranberry bread [vegan] and poached pears to start.  Brian opted for the French Toast while I had oatmeal with a homemade English muffin, topped with strawberry jam.  I thanked the innkeeper profusely for being so accommodating and her response was, "Honey, you're in Ithaca!"  I only wish every stop on our trip was like Ithaca!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the evening desserts!  Nestled among the cookies and brownies was a beautiful, rich, chocolate wacky cake.  Mmmm. 

If only we could have eaten more food here!  But we were stuffed and it was time to move on.


North Adams, MA

Brian and I arrived in Massachusetts on Thursday night.  For dinner we went to the restaurant that looked most promising for vegan options - PUBLIC Eat+Drink. There was a vegan chili on the menu so I ordered that and a salad.  Both ended up being really small. By small I mean child-size.  Good thing I'd eaten well in Ithaca!

After dinner we stopped outside of MASS MoCA to take a photo of the Wilco letters.  As we were standing there we heard a familiar song and realized that Wilco was doing their sound check in the field below (the festival didn't open until the next day).  We couldn't see them but we could hear them perfectly!  Brian and I stood in the parking lot of an auto-repair shop for about 30 minutes and listened.  It was awesome.  

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

On Friday morning we got up early to run.  We were actually staying in Williamstown, near Williams College, which was about a mile from our hotel.  We ran the hilly route to campus and did a nice easy exploratory run, checking out the buildings.  The college was established in 1793 so the buildings were pretty amazing to see!

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

For breakfast we went to Brewhaha in North Adams.  I was able to get a hearty bowl of steel-cut oats with raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar plus a darn fine cup of coffee.  (It's worth noting that they have "Vegans Against the World" Spinach Wraps!)  

Brian and I took it easy during the day, as the festival didn't start until the early evening. The first night we mostly wanted to see Speedy Ortiz and Wilco play.  That gave us plenty of time to walk around a bit inside the museum and on the grounds.  We checked out the merch tent and bought ponchos (the weather for the weekend was not looking good).  For dinner both Friday and Saturday we got wraps from Vegetarian Oasis (a food truck from Manhattan).  I had an avocado veggie wrap the first night; falafel the next.  They were both really delicious, healthy, and filling.  

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

Both of the bands were amazing!  Speedy Ortiz was new to us before they joined the Solid Sound lineup and quickly became a new favorite.  They were really fun live, too.  We met the band after and talked to everyone about some of their shows in Detroit.  Hopefully they'll be back soon so we can see them again.

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

Wilco played an all-acoustic set Friday night.  We were back pretty far since we didn't feel like fighting all the people who had been there for hours with their camp chairs and family-sized blankets.  (Don't EVEN get me started!)  But it was all good.  I couldn't see but I could hear and that's what matters.  They still had another show the next night anyway.  We stuck around after Wilco's set for a really cool video installation by Clifford Ross in one of the courtyards.  The band Real Estate accompanied the artwork. 

Saturday was a gorgeous morning, perfect for a long run.  Brian and I drove to Adams, MA to run on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.  The trail is paved, tree-lined, and quite peaceful. I recommend it if you're ever in the area.

Then it was another day at the festival.  Although the morning was beautiful, things took a turn for the worse later on.  Thankfully we had bought our ponchos the day before!

Because it was chilly (and rainy later on), we spent more time inside the museum on Saturday than the other days.  We saw some really cool art exhibits, pop-up music performances, and a comedy show.  Before the rain we saw Cibo Matto play and learned that they are crazy awesome!  Due to an impending storm, the festival organizers moved some of the shows ahead one hour, which turned out to be a good thing.  The light, steady rain that fell throughout Wilco's performance turned into a downpour as soon as they finished playing.  Perfect timing!

Sunday is always a light day at Solid Sound.  We were supposed to go on a Patagonia-sponsored hike but it was cancelled because of the storm.  That actually worked out well because it gave us time to get to the festival early and get in line for the Wilco book signing that was just announced that morning.  We'd met most of the band last time at Solid Sound but not Jeff Tweedy (the singer) so this was pretty exciting!  It was another rainy day so we went to more inside performances until it was time for the last show - Tweedy & Friends.  We got a great spot for this one, right up by the stage.  It rained a bit but not bad.  The show was amazing!  It was a great way to end the weekend.  

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

For our last night there we stayed at The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA, which is hands-down my favorite inn anywhere. We lucked out getting to stay there for one night because the Solid Sound bands book up the entire place for the festival.  There happened to be a few rooms available for the last night so we moved from our other inn to this one because WHY WOULDN'T WE?!?  (Seriously, just look at the website.)  

I went for my run Monday morning and came back to find Brian sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee.  As I stood there playing with my Garmin, a couple of people were coming down the porch steps.  Finally I looked up and realized that one of them was Jeff Tweedy!  He was looking at me.  I just stood there and stared at him for a few seconds, unsure what to do.  I had to do something!  So I waved.  I was 5 feet away from him and I waved.  He waved back.  I kept looking at him and I moved my mouth like I was going to say something.  He waited, looking slightly perplexed.  Finally I said, "Thanks Jeff."  Jeff said, "Thank YOU."  Then he turned and walked to away.  (Wow, I'm a dork!)  Brian was watching this whole thing unfold.  Ask him to tell the story sometime.  

Then we had breakfast and waved good-bye to The Porches.


Cooperstown, NY

When Brian booked our stay at the Landmark Inn, the woman he spoke with on the phone told Brian they would be sure to have something vegan at breakfast.  Clearly some wires were crossed, however, because upon our arrival, the innkeeper seemed shocked to hear I was vegan!  I assured her I would be fine - I always have a backup oatmeal in my bag - but she thought perhaps the chef could do something for my "vegan situation."  It was so hard to keep a straight face!  Situation!  

The chef was wonderful and seemed thrilled to make pancakes for me.  They were delicious!  Then the innkeeper came over and saw them.  She couldn't believe mine looked just like "regular pancakes" and said she just doesn't get many "vegan...vegan...vegan eaters?" at the inn.  Oh wow.  Toto, we aren't in Ithaca anymore!

If you find yourself in Cooperstown for dinner, I'd recommend going to Mel's at 22 for the house-made Veggie Burger.  (There's also vegan ravioli on the menu.)  I called ahead to make sure the burger was vegan.  When we arrived our server checked in the kitchen to see which of their breads/buns were vegan and it turned out one of the cooks was vegan.  She prepared my burger and bun off the grill so it didn't touch anything else. It was one of the best burgers I've had; similar in taste and texture to the Stever McFever from Woodbridge Pub.  This, my friends, was a damn fine burger.

Our main reason for going to Cooperstown was to visit Brewery Ommegang (brewery #3) - beer tasting and tour of the campus.  It's an amazing place!  Built on an old hops farm, it reminds me of a winery without the grapes.  I'm not much of a beer drinker but I found a few that I would have again.  

Photo Credit: Brian Wolski

The other reason for an overnight in Cooperstown was to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.  It was a cool place to check out.  I'm glad we went - we learned a lot of cool things about baseball - but I think I'm good now for this lifetime!

While there I had a speed workout on the schedule.  Cooperstown is hilly, there aren't sidewalks everywhere, and the roads that are there are busy.  I was having a hard time finding a good place to do a 10-mile interval run (warm up-3 mile-2 mile-1 mile- cool down).  I finally settled on a busy 1.5-mile stretch of rolling hills and just ran back and forth.  It was hardly ideal but it was about the best I could do.  I lost count of the number of times I ran past the same guy on his tractor at the Farmers' Museum!  *Note to future self: Do not do intervals in Cooperstown.*


Rochester, NY


Our last stop before heading home was Rochester.  It was different from Ithaca but I think I loved it just as much!  We stayed in the Strathallan, which was very modern and updated.  It was less than a mile to a vegan restaurant, about 1.5 miles to a great running trail.  Close to museums and restaurants.  We walked or ran everywhere.

For dinner went to the Red Fern, which Brian found online before we arrived.  Everything there is vegan so I'd been looking forward to it all week!  Brian and I each ordered a sandwich and shared so we could each try them both.  We also got some snacks - Kale Chips and Pickled Things.  Both of them were tasty.  The sandwiches were delicious - not greasy or overly saucy.  Just right.  I think think I have to say the Buffalo Bleu had a slight edge over the ABLT.  It was probably the cabbage.  So good!

Buffalo Bleu, Balsamic Field Greens

ABLT (Avocado, Bacon [tempeh], Lettuce, Tomato), Mac Salad

Confetti Cookie, Garden Cake

I couldn't resist the deserts so I bought two with the intention of saving one for the next day.  I decided they'd be best fresh and ate them both that night.  They were delicious!  Boy, was I glad I had a run the next morning.  8 miles to burn off the sugar was just what I needed!  For that run, Brian and I ran through downtown Rochester about 1.5 miles and picked up the Genesee River Trail. This is a lovely paved train that runs along the Genesee River.  Along the trail are bridges, train tracks, and trees.  It was really pretty.  I did an out and back, which seemed to put me somewhere on the University of Rochester campus.  Then we ran the 1.5 miles back through downtown to our hotel.  I liked getting to see some of the city but also having the serenity of the river trail.

While in Rochester we visited George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak Company.  We learned some things about cameras but my favorite part was touring his house.  The man was a real life Jay Gatsby!  It was a gorgeous home.  I'd highly recommend taking the time to visit if you're in Rochester.

After that it was time to head back to reality.  We had an 7-hour drive ahead of us to return to Michigan.  Thankfully we were able to find Starbucks on the way home to keep me awake!

One of the best parts of this road trip was being able to run in new places.  I loved exploring different cities and towns, taking in scenery, and making my routes as I ran them.  

Are you running in any new cities this summer?  Tell me about it!

Vegan Eats in Denver

On Friday, Brian and I packed our bags and headed to Denver for the weekend to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary.  Why Denver?  We went for a special 2-night Wilco show at Red Rocks Amphitheater.  It was a package deal that included a hotel room, tickets to both shows, posters, tee shirts, shuttle rides to and from the show, and a "VERY (i.e. FREE) Happy Hour" before the show on Saturday.  

Now, the question you're asking is why Wilco?  Well, Brian is a huge fan and they're a band that have pretty much been with us throughout our relationship.  Unlike Ben Folds, however, this is not a band we both already loved - Brian introduced me to Wilco very shortly after we met when he handed me Summerteeth and held his breath while I gave it a listen.  I loved every song (huge sigh of relief from Brian).  Their subsequent albums haven't always kept me quite as awake as that one, however, and I have a tendency to get, um, sleepy at their shows.  It's a running joke that I fall asleep at every other Wilco show we go to.  (Sad but true.)  So although they are definitely more Brian's band than mine, they put on a great show and I was excited to spend the weekend in Denver with Brian.  So off we went.

First off, let me say that this isn't going to be one of my typical "Vegan Eats" posts because it was such a short stay in Denver.  We were just there for the weekend.  Plus we had weird timing issues with meals so really only ate at one actual restaurant.  But it was a good one.

1201 16th Street (16th Street Mall)

On Friday we ate a late lunch at The Mellow Mushroom. I was excited to find this place because they have a lot of salads, including a build your own option.  They also have tempeh, a variety of different tofu flavors, and gluten-free pizza.  I'm not sure if their crust is vegan -  I was going to ask but then ended up not getting pizza so I didn't find out.  Brian was just excited because they had pizza.  Period.

 

So, like I said I went with the Build Your Own salad option.  Oh, this is funny.  When our server came over to the table I said, "I'm so excited to be here because you have lots of salads!"  He was a little taken aback and just sort of laughed.  I think my enthusiasm about salads was not something he sees everyday.  I think it's to be commended.  He turned out to be funny and a pretty guy cool.  His name was Mike and he just completed Tough Mudder two weeks ago in Colorado.  Now that's a SERIOUS event, what with the snow and the altitude!  So we traded a few stories and he promised to check out my blog.  I promised to put up his picture and let it be known that he's the best server ever.  So hopefully he checks this out. 

Mike - our server and fellow Tough Mudder

Anyway, back to the Build Your Own salad.  Here's how it works, vegan-style: 

1. Choose a base, either romaine, spinach, spring mix, or salad mix - or you can mix any two. 
2. Load up on veggies
3. Choose your cheese - they do have Daiya, if you're down with that
4. Add protein - avocado, tempeh, tofu, or BBQ tofu
5. Dressing - balsamic vinaigrette, oil and vinegar, herb vinaigrette

Here's a picture of my super awesome salad:

My Build Your Own Salad came out to be $12.25

My salad included the following romaine and spring mix, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, Roma tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, avocado, tempeh, and plain balsamic vinegar - no oil.  (Mike was kind enough to hunt down the balsamic for me and joked that he painstakingly separated the vinegar from the oil, just for me.  That's how awesome they are at the Mellow Mushroom.)  Even though it was pricey, it was an absolutely delicious salad with really fresh, flavorful ingredients.  And it was super filling with the mushroom, avocado, and tempeh.

Brian had the Magical Mystery Tour pizza, which was vegetarian but not vegan (it had cheese).  He loved it and I have to say that it looked and smelled amazing!  I would definitely recommend checking out the Mellow Mushroom if you're in Denver.  And be sure to ask for Mike!  He'd love to separate out some balsamic for you.  (But it is a chain so there are multiple locations across the U.S. - check the website for other cities/states.)

Like I said, our eating schedule was off so we didn't really check out any other "new" and exciting vegan places to write about.  Pretty much everything we ate is your typical "fast food" vegan fare - a Veggie Delite sandwich from Subway, oatmeal from Starbucks, a fruit bowl from Corner Bakery, and fruit and oatmeal at a restaurant at the airport (though I have a sneaking suspicion the "Irish" oats was actually from a packet and may not have been exactly vegan . . .)

Fresh fruit bowl from Corner Bakery

Despite the heat, we actually spent a lot of time outside and got in a good deal of walking up and down 16th Street Mall, which is a popular shopping area in Downtown Denver.  We didn't do much actual shopping - mostly just walked up and down and checked out the area, people-watched, etc.   

There were a lot of cool pianos on 16th Street, which were usually being used by street performers, but Brian found one unoccupied and sat down to play a tune.  He didn't play long enough for anyone to give him any money, but I think if he'd remembered to wear a hat and put that down on the ground, someone might have tossed in some change.

I mentioned that part of the Wilco package included a "VERY Happy Hour" at Rock Bottom Brewery.  We hung out with some really cool people whom we'd met at the show the night before.  Well, despite having already eaten and being what I thought was properly hydrated, I learned the hard way what drinking wine at a higher altitude can do to you when I took advantage of free drinks.  SO, upon arriving at Red Rocks, I was in desperate need of some food.  Brian quickly found a sourdough soft pretzel for me.  It was totally plain - no butter or sugar like most people order them so the girl who sold it to us thought we were a little nuts - and I just hoped to God the dough itself was vegan.  (Please don't tell me if you know otherwise.)  I really needed to eat that pretzel.  And then another one.  Damn that altitude!

Mmmmm, pretzel!

Back to Wilco.  Both shows were amazing.  The first night probably more so for me because A) we were center stage, row 2, B) the opening band - The Punch Brothers - were fantastic, and C) I stayed awake.  More than the second night at least.  Obviously, C was a huge factor in my enjoyment of the show.  Ah well.  I should most definitely stay awake the next time I see them!  Maybe even the next two times.  I don't know, though.  That just might be pushing it . . .

 View from our seats (not zoomed in) - we were actually this close!

I'd love to go back to Colorado and spend more time checking out other cities, doing some hiking, seeing some mountains, and trying to run.  Although I have to say that even just walking there nearly killed me!  Okay, slight exaggeration but when the temperature on Saturday reached 102 degrees even stepping outside you could almost feel the life get sucked out of you.  Maybe we'll go back in the spring or fall.  Anyway, I'd definitely love to return to Red Rocks for another concert and also to run the stairs there.  It would be one hell of a workout!

There are 69 rows of benches at Red Rocks - that's a lot of stairs!

Although it was just a quick weekend trip and the heat and altitude kicked our asses (mine more than Brian's thanks my wine at the Wilco party), we had a fabulous time.  We'll add Colorado to our ever-growing list of states to visit again!

Have you been to Denver or Red Rocks?

Vegan Eats in San Francisco

In April, Brian and I took an unprecedented spring break vacation to California.  It was unprecedented because A. Brian never takes time off when I'm on spring break and  B. We've never been to California together (in fact, I've never been to California at all).  It was a much-needed break for both of us.

We flew out on Easter Sunday afternoon and stayed until Friday morning.  Although San Francisco is a relatively small city - 7 miles each way - there is so much to do there that we easily could have spent another couple of days.  Had I not had the misfortune of losing my iPhone (er, being pick-pocketed) on the bus and needing to spend several hours (on multiple occasions) in the Apple store buying a new one and downloading my stuff from iCloud, we may have also had more time.  And money.  But that's neither here nor there.  

Anywhooo, we really packed it in with the time we had.  We did a LOT of walking (my, oh, my is it hilly!), spent some time at Fisherman's Wharf, saw sea lions, hung off cable cars, visited Alcatraz, walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, went on a Sonoma County wine tour with Terrific Tours (best wine tour EVER - highly recommend!), drove to Apple HQ and Stanford, saw the Painted Ladies from "Full House", and went to the M. Ward concert at the Fillmore.

Here are a few pics (courtesy of Brian):

And now, onto the food!  Because of my phone being stolen and some software issues with the new one, not all of my photos uploaded to iCloud and subsequently were lost.  I apologize.  (Insert super-sad face here.)

Chabaa - We found Chabaa around the block from our hotel.  We're not sure if this was really the best Thai food we'd ever eaten or if we were just so hungry that anything would have tasted good!  The curry sauce was so creamy and delicious (almost buttery from the coconut milk) and I loved that they had the option of brown rice over white and fresh tofu over fried.  Best Easter dinner EVER!

Chabaa is just a tiny little place - but with Thai places, isn't smaller always better? 

Red curry w/ brown rice and fresh tofu

Starbucks - We went to Starbucks nearly every day for breakfast.  Brian had oatmeal and I had a multigrain bagel and banana.  We each had a Pike Place coffee.  Breakfast of champions!

Millennium - Although Millennium is one of San Francisco's premier vegan restaurants, you don't have to dress up to go there.  A gourmet restaurant you can go to wearing jeans and flip flops?  That's my kind of place!  I'd read about Millennium in VegNews but it was actually Brian who suggested it after reading the Steve Jobs biography.  Steve was a fan of jeans and flip flops, as well.  And vegan food.  Yay, Steve!

You'll need to make a reservation when you dine at Millennium.  Due to a glitch in Google Maps that sent us to their old location - and a slight, um layover, at the Apple Store - we were almost late to ours.  But nothing a little power-walking couldn't take care of!  We made it right on time and boy, pre-dinner drinks never tasted so good.  (It had been a stressful few hours.)

The menu at Millennium is very impressive.  We spent quite a bit of time poring over it, trying to decide what to order.  Finally we settled on the following: 

• Black Bean Torte (appetizer) - with caramelized plantains, smokey black bean puree, and pumpkin-habenero papazul
• Seared Polenta Nera (my entree) - with butter beans, leeks, mushrooms, bitter greens salad, roasted fennel, seared rapini, and green peppercorn relish
• Pumpkin Seed & Cornmeal Crusted Portabello Mushroom (Brian's entree) - with masa arepa, yellow eye bean and corn hominy stew with coconut & aji chile, and sauteed greens
• Seasonal Sorbet & Ice Cream Sampler (my dessert) - flavors change daily; I can't remember what mine were because they were unusual but deeelish!
• Terrine (Brian's dessert) - a layered chocolate thing with ganache topping; very rich but he loved it
• Sweet Endings - cookies and truffles (On the house!  A surprise for our troubles finding their new location.  Now that's what I call sweet - HA!)

Seared Polenta Nera (prepared low-oil, per my request)

All the food at Millennium was delicious.  We loved the fresh, innovative ingredients and the unique combinations.  It was wonderful to see so many fresh vegetables mixed together to create a delicious dish rather than a few vegetables and a whole lot of rice, which is so often the case with vegan dishes around here.  

Although we may have overdone it a bit on dessert and left feeling pretty stuffed, we knew we had a week of walking ahead of us so we weren't too concerned.  (Well, Brian is NEVER concerned and I knew I would work out in the morning PLUS have a week of walking ahead of us so...)

Sunflower Caffe Espresso and Wine Bar - We ate at the Sunflower Caffe during our Sonoma County wine tour.  There weren't really any vegan offerings so I just had my Larabar and ordered a smoothie.  We all sat out back on the patio with heat lamps (it was a damp, dreary day) and enjoyed a cozy lunch together.

The Plant Cafe - We went to The Plant Cafe after our day of wine tasting.  We had been to 3 wineries and a tasting room (a tasting room with FIVE Pinot Noirs).  I hadn't eaten much along the way so by the third winery I was River-dancing and cracking inappropriate jokes with my fellow wine-tasters.  I needed a hearty meal STAT.  The Plant Cafe came to my rescue.  I ordered the Wasabi Plant Burger, which is made from lentils, beets, cashews, mushrooms, bulgar wheat and topped with sauerkraut, wasabi, and raspberry aioli.  It was an incredible burger and totally hit the spot!  It also came with mixed greens and herb-roasted potatoes.  Brian had an asparagus pizza, which he liked a lot.  There are several locations; we ate at the Embarcadero Pier 3 restaurant.

Wasabi Plant Burger on sourdough

Water!

Yoshi's Jazz Club - We ate dinner here before the M. Ward show at the Fillmore.  Yoshi's is a swanky jazz club/Japanese restaurant.  There was live music playing during dinner, which was cool.  Although it was quite swanky (yes, I'm repeating that word because it's truly the best descriptor I can think of for Yoshi's), we didn't feel under-dressed in our jeans.  That's what I love about San Francisco!

The food was pretty good.  For an appetizer we ordered the Asparagus and Beet Salad.  As the name implies, it was only asparagus and beets but it had both green and white asparagus and red and yellow beets.  It was drizzled with a sesame dressing.  VERY flavorful!

Asparagus and Beet Salad

Instead of an entree I ordered another salad and a sushi roll.  The salad was Grilled Vegetables - nasu, kabocha, zucchini, shiitake & enoki mushrooms - with a spicy miso and wasabi yuzu aioli for dipping.  This was an amazing salad!  I could have eaten two of them.  Unfortunately, the sushi roll was not nearly as fabulous as the salads.  It was a standard veggie roll and was just sort of "eh."  Kind of bland, although it did have a rather interesting sauce in addition to the wasabi.  Too bad it needed the extra sauce, ya know?  Ah well. 

Coupa Cafe - Coupa Cafe is located on the campus of Stanford University, which is an absolutely gorgeous campus.  We walked around it one morning for a couple of hours and stopped here for breakfast.  I had an amazing fruit salad and a bagel.  And a coffee, of course.  With cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.  Mmmm...

Greens Restaurant - Another Steve Jobs' favorite, it was rather funny how determined Brian was to get to Greens.  [Side note, the day we went was when we'd done our build-your-own Silicon Valley tour that included a Steve Jobs' former home drive-by and a stop at Apple HQ.]  Due to yet another stop at the Apple Store, we were forced to make a reservation that was late even for us.  We took a bus, walked several blocks in the wind and rain, and finally made it it to Greens looking a bit disheveled.  Lucky for us, like Millennium, this is another one of those upscale/casual eateries so we were okay.

The menu at Greens changes daily based on what the chef sources from the local farmers' market each week.  Everything is local, seasonal, and organic.  Everything is vegetarian and I was told that anything that is not vegan can easily be made so.  It all sounded fresh and innovative.  We went with a sampler plate for an appetizer, which included quinoa salad, hummus, grilled artichoke, three beet salad, spicy tomato jam, grilled pita, and olives.  We both agreed that the quinoa salad with fruit and pistachios was the best part.

Spring Sampler

I also ordered Moroccan Lentil Soup and for my entree I had Mesquite Grilled Brochettes, which were tofu and veggie kebabs with carrot slaw and rice.  They were good but I asked for the half order and received the full.  Should I have said something?  Yes.  Should I have eaten just one kebab?  Yes.  Did I instead keep eating until my plate was clean?  YES!  Ah well.  I did mention I was hungry, right?  Neither Brian nor I remember what he ordered, but whatever it was, it was good.

Farm : Table - I didn't see any vegan breakfast sandwiches or pastries at Farm : Table but this tiny little coffee shop brewed me the best cup of coffee (next to Astro).  Bonus points for having homemade almond milk!

That was our trip!  There were several restaurants on my list that I didn't get to try (and other city sights to see) but we definitely have plans to return to San Francisco in the near future.   

Have you been to San Francisco?  What are your favorite veg restaurants/places to visit?

Vegan Eats in Washington State

Today’s post is long over-due but it’s one I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  So here we go!

Last summer Brian and I went to Washington State for our vacation.  Brian is really into the outdoors – hiking, backpacking, and exploring the wilderness – and with the mountains, beaches, rainforests, and wildlife, there are ample opportunities for outdoor activities.  I enjoy the fresh air and hiking, too (as long as I can come home to a bed and indoor plumbing at the end of the day) so I was looking forward to those things, as well. 

An even bigger draw for me, however, is that Seattle is well known for its vegan scene and I had a long list of places I wanted to check out while we were there.  Sadly, I don’t have too many pictures of the great food I ate.  This was before I started this blog so I wasn’t really into that yet.  

It was unbelievably foggy in at Olympic National Park near Port Angeles - but I was on vacation and determined to wear my sunglasses!

Port Angeles

Before Seattle, we actually drove up to Port Angeles to stay for a few days.  While there we wanted to drive up Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park, go to a rainforest, and see some beaches.  Oh yeah, and visit Forks – the hometown of the fictional characters from Twilight (my favorite series after Harry Potter).  Incidentally, we saw the just-released Eclipse in Port Angeles at the only movie theater within 40 miles of Forks...but I’ll spare you details.  (You can let me know if you want to hear more about the "Twi-hards" in Forks, WA.)  

I can’t go into much detail about vegan food in Port Angeles – mostly because there isn’t a whole lot of it.  I only have one picture.  And it's fruit.

First Street Haven – We went to First Street Haven for breakfast the three days we were in town.  I got the only vegan item on the menu all three days – a fresh fruit bowl and plain bagel with jam.  I will say that it was a pretty darn tasty fruit salad and their coffee was good and strong.

Fresh fruit bowl from First Street Haven

Thai Peppers – We had dinner here the first night.  They have a TON of vegetarian menu items!  I had the Veggie Green Curry, which is bamboo, bell peppers, green peas, Thai basil, and pineapple mixed with a curry/coconut milk sauce.  I also added fresh tofu and a side of jasmine rice.  Everything was so fresh and not at all greasy (like most Thai places around here).

Bushwhacker – I think the name says it all.  I had the salad bar.  Let’s leave it at that.

Domino's Pizza – It was just about the only place open on the 4^th of July.  I had their thin crust veggie pizza.  Some pizzas are awesome sauce without cheese but this one would have benefited from a sprinkling of Daiya or at lease some nutritional yeast.  Ah well.  It was vegan and they delivered.

Country Aire Natural Foods - A great little health food store just down the block from First Street Haven, I was able to restock my Lara Bar supply and get some fresh apples and bananas for lunch.  

Seattle

Pike Place Market - Pike Place is an open-air market with fresh produce at every turn.  It's a great place to walk through every day because there's always different things and people to see.  A downside is that it's very crowded and smells like fish. 
 

 

Plum Bistro – Located in the Capitol Hill section of town, Plum Bistro is a beautiful, airy, slightly upscale yet relaxed gem of a restaurant.  The menu is completely vegan and offers inventive and unique dishes.  They serve you water with cucumber, orange, and lemon slices – so simple yet so refreshing!  Their alcohol is also vegan, which is a bonus.

I can't remember exactly but I think this was a pineapple mojito.  Whatever it was it was awesome!  You can see the cucumber and citrus water in the background.

Avocado sushi roll

The Mama Africa Burger - a millet and quinoa burger with grilled onions and salsa, served with sweet potato fries.  Brian had the Crazy Jamaican Burger.  Both were incredible!

Mighty-O Donuts – Although I ate my weight in Boston Cream donuts when I was a kid, I haven’t so much as had a craving for a donut in many years.  Yet when we decided to go to Seattle, the first thing that popped into my head was “Mighty-O!”  There was something about an all-vegan and organic donut shop that was very intriguing.  We didn’t go until the last day of our vacation and it was late in the afternoon, so many of their donuts were sold out.  No worries, though – there were still plenty of options.  I ordered a chocolate peanut butter donut.  It was dense and cake-like and absolutely delicious.  I was tempted to order a few more for the road but I exercised restraint.  Instead I bought a really cool Mighty-O shirt.

Chocolate PB donut from Mighty-O

Wayward Vegan Café – I read the most amazing reviews about Wayward so this was another place on my “must eat” list and I ended up being a little let down.  It’s basically a vegan greasy spoon.  I left feeling full but not quite satisfied.  I’m glad we went but I probably wouldn’t go back if we find ourselves in Seattle again.

The Griddle Combo - french toast, tofu scramble, tempeh bacon, and a sausage patty (my order)

Biscuits Maximus - 2 herb biscuits smothered in mushroom gravy with a side of garlic steamed greens (Brian's order - he regrets not choosing the Biscuits Minimus instead) 

Wild Ginger – One night for dinner we ate at Wild Ginger.  It’s sort of like P.F. Chang’s but way nicer.  They have a separate vegetarian menu and nearly all of the items on it are vegan.  For an appetizer, Brian and I shared the Vietnamese Buddha Vegetable Rolls with pineapple dipping sauce.  I can’t remember what I had for my entrée (something with tofu) but it was really good.  We also shared an order of Sichuan Green Beans.  We had to specify vegan preparation on those because they are also on the regular menu.  There were also a few vegan desserts but I was too full to try one.

Cinnamon Works – Cinnamon Works is a little bakery at Pike Place Market.  A lot of their items are vegan but some are not.  Brian and I each bought a HUGE cookie that ended up being our (highly unhealthy) lunch.  Mine was snicker doodle and was the first vegan snicker doodle that is as good as my grandma’s.  Super delish!  Brian had an oatmeal raisin that was pretty darn tasty, too.

Pike Place Bar and Grill – Honestly, I can’t even remember what I ordered here.  After looking at the menu just now online, I think it was the grilled vegetables sandwich minus the cheese.  But I can’t be sure.  Anyway, the bar is located in Pike Place Market and looks really cool inside. 

Brian enjoyed his beer sampler.

Sidecar for Pigs Peace – According to their website, they are the state’s only 100% vegan store.  Sidecar for Pigs Peace is owned by PigsPeace Sanctuary, another place I wanted to go to but didn’t have a chance.  Next time.  Anyway, the store is located in the University District, practically right across the street from The Wayward Café.  I didn’t really see anything new that Vegan Essentials or Cosmo’s doesn’t carry but it was fun to look around.  I bought a cute little piggy shirt for my goddaughter and some Glad Corn for myself.

Starbucks – Nothing unusual to report here and actually, I only had regular coffee there. Actually, one day I tried a cup of coffee from their Clover Brewing System, which is only found in select locations (none in Michigan).  Honestly, the taste wasn't all that different from their regularly brewed coffee.  Maybe if I did a side-by-side comparison I could tell.  

Most mornings on our way to Starbucks, we’d stop at the grocery store so I could buy a soy yogurt and fresh fruit cup to have with my grande iced brewed coffee.  The cool thing about Starbucks in Seattle (and actually all restaurants and on the street) is that you don’t have to throw anything away.  You either recycle or compost just about everything.  And the employees were way friendlier there than they are here (I'm talking to you Ms. "Rephrase my Coffee Order in a Condescending Tone"). 

Even with all the vegan options, I am still quite, um, particular about what I eat so most lunches were Larabars and fruit.  With my unpredictable stomach, sometimes I need to stick with what's safe.  And I was saving myself for dinner.  I know there are tons more vegan restaurants in Seattle.  I can't wait to go back someday!

Temps in the 80's and 4 feet of snow on Mt. Ranier...in July!