Asheville and Rood Food & Pie

For my spring break, we went on a long weekend in Ashville NC.  It was a fun, food-filled long weekend (we also stayed in a tiny house.) I realize that this has become more of a travel-eating journal, but I hope you’re all-embracing this evolution.  I like to think it’s also enjoyable to see my photos of hiking and sightseeing. Also, the lack of shadow and deceptive placement of the water bottle makes it look like we are jumping v high.

We had an OUTSTANDING dinner at Curaté, a  modern tapas place that seems to be one of the most notable restaurants in the city. It was fantastic, but it was dark and I did not take photos. I’ll spare you the non-photogenic food, but please eat there if you have the opportunity. The veggie paella was particularly notable and fried eggplant with honey & rosemary is something I want to recreate.

Ashville has a food scene that is rather exciting, especially a long list of brunch places. First, we went to Sunny Point Cafe. 

Even though we went on a weekday, there was a long wait for a table. I don’t understand why many people seem adverse to sitting at the bar.  I don’t find it inconvenient, especially if there are only two people. I love watching the food get prepped- it’s like sitting at an exclusive chef’s table. We play a game where we try to identify what a dish is as the components are coming together (this game is rather fun at restaurants that do atypical plating and garnishes)

Sunny Point Cafe has a pretty extensive menu of brunch offerings, typically slight twists on classics.

Huevos Rancheros • 12
two eggs, black bean cakes, tofu chorizo, feta, green salsa, spuds, cilantro crema – G V

The waitress said this is what they are known for and I understand why. So many flavors and it still felt very breakfasty.

Fried Chicken & Waffle Sandwich • 15
pecan waffle, fried chicken thigh, bacon, pimento cheese, jalapeño jam

I do appreciate when places are cool with substitutions. We made this one meat-free as well and opted for grilled chicken over fried.

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The Hop is a local ice cream chain. The creamery serves ice cream on Friday nights where they sell flights of experimental flavors, typically featuring ingredients from local vendors. We tried all eight.

The mustard was gross. I tried it, but it was gross. Eric liked it. The vegan chocolate had an off texture. But aside from those two the others were delightful. I liked the curry a lot, and spliff cake had sooo many ingredients that were all easily distinguishable. 

 

Buiscut Head has a few locations, and from what I can gather they are all immensely popular. 

They are popular for their cat’s head biscuits and flights of gravy (yes there is a theme here.) We got the coconut-sweet potato, vegan chorizo, mushroom medley, fried chicken and the daily special: jalapeno garlic.  There was a station of jars of butter, jams, and marmalades. Everything was delicious. I would be very happy having the coconut- sweet potato gravy as a soup. It was elevated southern food that was comforting and perfect. 

There was a shop called the Chocolate Fetish. They sold these anatomically accurate chocolate lagomorphs.

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Rood Food and Pie: Lakewood Website

This restaurant was on my list of places to try for a while since I kept reading about how it was about to open…and then I didn’t realize it opened. The interior is whimsical and honestly reminded me of set pieces for Waitress.  The concept is simply updated sliders, deconstructed. And pie.

We got an assortment of their homemade curry and cardamom rolls, which were fantastic and fresh out of the oven soft.

CRISPY FRIED JACKFRUIT

Ponzu and red curry soaked jackfruit, coated in crunchy sesame and fried in 100% vegetable oil. Then drizzled with our house-made bee-free honey. Served with our crispy daikon slaw.

$13

ANCHO PULLED CHICKEN

Smoked ancho chiles, cumin, fresh cilantro, and roasted lime are infused into our Ohio-raised chicken for a smokey, southwestern style flavor. Served with our jicama slaw.

$12

As the name of the restaurant implies, they also have pie.  It was hard trying to just pick one flavor, as they all seemed so enticing.

BRANDY BANANA CREAM

Bananas in a spiked vanilla pudding with brandy-soaked vanilla wafers, mounded with fresh whipped cream and a brandy caramel drizzle. 32 – Whole Pie

$5.75

Overall:

The decor was campy (and camp-y), the rolls were fresh and soft, and the sliders were surprisingly a lot of food and the pie did not disappoint.  When my brother first went vegan years ago I remember it being difficult to go out to eat. Jackfruit, cheese substitutes, non-dairy ice creams, and other options seem to be so commonplace now. As an environmentalist, I like that plant-based eating is somewhat trendy and seen as a normal meal option, as a foodie who doesn’t LOVE meat I like that there are always new things to try.

PERU! Central! (and other adventures)

When we decided to go to Peru I immediately got excited to eat in a new country/continent.  I quickly found the Chef’s Table episode about Central/ Virgilio Martinez.  It excited me and we put calendar notifications to make a reservation at midnight when the reservation window opened (somehow we still were not able to get a dinner reservation but the 16 course meal is also offered as a lunch and this actually worked out better since the lighting in the afternoon was perfect for photographing the dishes.

The show gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect, including the ambient background music at the beginning which is the same in the restaurant. I didn’t think the chef would actually be there- a wonderful surprise.  We also knew the food was based on Peruvian ingredients gathered at different altitudes but not at all traditional dishes, hyper-creative in its presentation, and many courses.

What I didn’t expect was how fun, long (3 hours), or hard it would be to describe.  I like to think I have a pretty good palate as well as a high-level of familiarity with lots of tastes. That being said, this food was VERY difficult for me to explain. Most dishes led to a confusing “I like it, but it doesn’t taste like anything I know!” Some of the dishes were delicious, some were just odd and a few were maybe outside my realm of understanding/appreciating (or they just weren’t good).  Lima has soo many great restaurants, Central is currently listed as number 6 in the world and another is number 7. 50 Best Restaurants in the World

The restaurant isn’t really marked, you go to the address and its a lovely building with a garden and a huge fence.  A perky employee greeted us and showed us to our table giving us a little briefing. The restaurant is well lit, casual, and bustling with employees (you can see into the kitchen and there are soo many waiters running around). Eric counted 24 visible employees.  The high number of waitstaff was an interesting contrast to the casual dress of the clientele. When one dish was cleared another was brought to the table within an appropriately quick time frame.  When I got up to go to the restroom a waiter would come over with tweezers and delicately pick up my napkin and drape it over the back of my chair.

The description of the tasting menu was on the table. To be honest, if you asked me to match the names to the dishes I would only get a few correct. Even when there was an ingredient I knew I was looking for I had trouble identifying it. Unlike most restaurants, the waiter had to tell us how to eat each dish and in some cases, tell us what we should eat/what was just garnish/display.

Our waiter asked if we had any dietary restrictions (no pork- which only impacted one dish), but seemed concerned we didn’t have any others. Every dish came with its own set of utensils: such as a tiny spoon, a golden fork,  or a marble butter knife.

There were options for a wine pairing, cocktail/beer pairing and also a juice tasting option. We just opted for water, and our glasses were filled promptly after each sip. 

There he is! We said hello to each other, nbd

Course 1: Not sure what a lot of it was, the waiter made sure we understood the barnacles were not to be eaten. The yellow fleshy thing on top (that was somehow sweet and fruity and meaty) was great, but in setting an appropriate tone, we had no idea what it was.

“what did the waiter say this was?” “Not sure, it’s good though” “Is this fish or a fruit?”Course 3: we started with the tuna? fruit served on ice, some sweet potato crisps that had flowers in them and were served on what looked like potpourri and ended with the cup of sea urchin meat in a red sauce and sweet pink mousse that stained our lips for a moment.

This marble cup was surprisingly heavy.

Course 3 was one of our favorites. The “beet” (purple root) flower on top of something that tasted like a somewhat savory stale peep was great an ALL the textures. The thing that looks like hay on a rock was Eric’s favorite part of the meal. It was fried mashwa (?) with a cream of the vegetable inside. Like everything we tried, it was complex. Sweet and savory. Creamy and crispy. The white vessel of duck meat and …something else?… was also great. 

Course 4: I loved this dish. The crab cake with purple and pink fruit was great, the broth was fine and the white fruit with fish in the middle was sushi-like but soo much better. As I chewed it went from savory to sweet to citrusy. The fruity part was from a cotton fruit of a cactus?

When we read about course 5 we were excited because it mentioned a tree tomato. From our Peruvian fruit tasting we did with our cooking class on our first day in the country we learned that we love tree tomatoes. Well, we didn’t see one. This was a bread course with 2 dipping butters. I knew we still had many many dishes to go but I wanted more of this. The breads were potatoey (Peru grows thousands of varieties of potato, a fact we heard MANY times) and the one butter was bitter and the other had the tree tomato in the form of a sweet and bright sugary coating. 

Course 6: scallops in a creamy sauce covered in sweet cucumber seaweed (which tasted like a cucumber-watermelon hybrid). 

Course 7 was vegetarian, I think. To be honest I didn’t understand the waiters description of it but I LOVED IT. It had a sweet potato-like chip, a vegetable cheese (?)and a bunch of other savory components that finished sweet. The menu just described it as “oca tumbo lupinus” (and yes that sounds like lew-penis). The meal ended with the presentation of a “gift” which was a booklet of loose postcards the had illustrations and descriptions of the ingredients. I will break into that info later and see if I can learn about what I ate.

8: Avacado, something like quinoa, some fish eggs (not sure which were which, but I think the yellow were the roe), and some shrimp. This was the dish that would have had pork in it. I didn’t like it at first but as the items mixed into the broth it got progressively better and I ended up really enjoying it. 

Course 9 was Eric’s least favorite. these 2 little potatoes were somehow cooked inside a rock of salt and you dipped it into a sweet chili sauce. The waiter opening the cooked rock was the coolest part of this dish. Also, this dish was called “Plant Dyes of Moray 4050 meters”. It really wasn’t what I was expecting.

My least favorite part. Course 10 was piranha. It was 2 small fried pieces of fish with some sort of sweet sauce dotted on. As you can see below I found the presentation jarring. This seems to be pretty common reaction as a staff member quickly whisked it away knowingly. 

Course 11: I didn’t understand it. It had plantains. It was soft and bubbled. It was somehow sweet and had some sort of shrimp in it. It wasn’t bad but I was more confused by it than anything. 

Course 12 had seaweed chips and foam and small pieces of green bread on top of octopus in a squid ink sauce. I liked the foam a lot and this was a dish really captured the idea of “looking like the ecosystem”. 

Course 13. I really liked this. Also, this was way easier to understand. Marinated goat meat (that reminded me of pulled pork) with some red and yellow vegetables that looked like pasta and dehydrated goats milk that acted like a cheese. I realize how ridiculous it sounds to call this an “easy to understand” dish, but it was a meat with a vessel and you were able to eat the entire dish, and I did. 

We did giggle our way through most of the meal. Also, the other dinners were also taking pictures of every dish. I was pleasantly surprised at how it was a mix of touristx and what seemed to be locals.  

The first of two dessert dishes. Course 14 was some delish chocolate/coffee crackers, with sweet cream in the middle made of a Yacon root (?) and a dehydrated lemon peel. It was tart and sweet and great. We practically licked our plates clean. 

Course 15 was entitled Cacao Chaco clay coca leaves. It was a decedent mousse/ ganache covered in what tasted like pieces of meringue cookies, lemon jello, ice, minty powder, and crushed ice. Coca leaves are a big deal in Peru, they are typically used to treat altitude sickness.  I loved this dessert. It was cold and creamy and complicated. It was inspired by the mountain rain at a high altitude where there is lots of moss, exposed rock and ice and it was a rather great translation of that idea.

We finished with a medicinals/digestive course. First was a cracker that tasted like a graham cracker brushed with a lot of sweet things like cocoa and cinnamon and filled with cream cheese. After that, we had a small glass of tea that had these little algae balls. If you watch the Netflix episode you will see Virgilio pulling these out of a mountain stream. At some point in the meal, I said that the little algae spheres must not have made it into the new menu, it was a silly surprise. They are apparently very high in protein and the liquid tasted like sweetened green tea. 

Overall: this was an Experience. Some parts were delicious. All of it was interesting. We didn’t eat dinner that night (or really much breakfast the next day). It was filling and way cheaper than the best restaurants that would be in other countries. Virgilio seems like such a passionate chef, creator, and Peruvian. I had so much fun with this and it really was a meal I’ll remember and talk about for the rest of my life.

Everyone was taking photos.

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Some more fun food photos from Peru. We did a fruit tasting.  A cooking class of typical Peruvian dishes. A Chocolate making class.  A meal overlooking some ruins where we tried alpaca and cuy (guinea pig). On a non-culinary related note, we hiked the Inca trail to Machu Pichu, went on a horse-back tour of the Sacred Valley in Cusco and swam with sea lions (and saw penguins!).

We made ceviche!

Top (r-l) Scallops, corn/cheese balls Bottom, Beef heart and CUY

Alpaca (which tastes like pork)

Everything in Peru is cherimoya (custard apple) flavored and I am a FAN

Roasting the cocoa beans

OC Galley, Il Rione, Collision Bend Brunch and a FANCY meal at Spice Acres Farms

I know it has been FOREVER (and I have something like 7 half written updates that I kept putting off, and I apologize to you 4 loyal readers). However, teaser… I am planning an EPIC UPDATE (not Cleveland related, but still exciting I promise). Posting date, between January 10-15.  Literally only writing a date to keep myself accountable.

Annnyway….

I was rather excited about  Cleveland getting into the Galley concept (something that is popular elsewhere and by now you should all know that I dislike when other cities have things we don’t). If you are not familiar with the overall concept, think food court, but hipster.  We went for an early brunch. We got 2 items from 2 of the 4  different vendors. There is also a main bar portion as well.

The 4 locations are: Poca- Mexican; Sauce  the City (which I kept thinking should be Sauce & The City… hum the familiar tv theme);  The Rice Shop- a Southern Asian/fusion place; Tinman- New American/ Updated comfort food

Chicken Biscuit Sliders, 11.95, from Tinman.

Country-style chicken and biscuit sliders, topped with our spicy orange preserve

The orange marmalade like sauce (which at first I thought would taste Asian) was delightful on the chicken and had a hint of mint.  The white creme also did not taste the way I expected. I figured it would be a ranch or aioli… it was vanilla-y and creamy sweet. There is no utensil for scale but these were not as big as I wanted them to be. (Trying to think of a good size comparison and for some reason, I want to type “the size of a small turtle”…which is not helpful). I guess they were actually the size of conventional sliders…I just wanted more. If we were sharing a bunch of items I would have been fine but 26 dollars should pay for enough food for two people, right?

Autumn Squash Toast: Brussels sprouts, walnuts, pear and sage 14.00. From Tinman

So many ingredients that I love by themselves and that work together seamlessly. Fried Brussels sprouts always make a dish better**.

The bread was rather toasted/ crisp (not burnt but firm). The walnuts were soft. The squash puree was lovely. It reminded me of baby food.  Is this what baby food tastes like? Lucky babies.

I generally don’t eat food with large, fresh, sage leaves… I liked it.  There was some very sweet sauce/glaze as well- perhaps maple?

Overall: Both dishes were delish. They were creative and well-composed. I just wanted MORE. It was, indeed, a fancy hipster food court with beautiful and pricey dishes.  A slider and half of a piece of toast with puree on it was not a substantial brunch for me (considering I came from the gym and it was the weekend of Daylight Saving Time… so I was eating an hour later than I would normally).

Side rant:  I realize that restaurants are often operating on razor thin profit margins, so portion size of an ingredient on a plate is something important for them to consider. However, some items are sooo cheap that I would think it would behoove the establishment to make the plate more substantial and thus the customer more happy/more likely to return. Eggs, oats, (particularly) pasta, pieces of toasted pita… why be skimpy on these? Why put something on a “bed” of 12 grains of rice? End rant.

**FYI: According to Wikipedia: Brussels sprouts “may also be called brussels sprouts, Brussel sprouts, or brussel sprouts.^[

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Il Rione Pizzeria, Gordon Square

This has been on lists of places to try for awhile, and to be honest, I looked at the menu and was a little “meh”. This is the exact opposite of a hipster cafeteria. It is solid pizza. No frills, no experimental toppings, no unnecessary menu items. To me the menu is almost comically simple and brief.  One appetizer. 3 Salads. Three Types of Pizza. boom.

I do like pizza, but I am usually more excited by places (like Crust) that will put apple cider reduction and roasted squash on an autumnal themed pizza. Any hesitation I had initially vanished when I entered the space. It is charming with it’s exposed brick and vents and minimal decor. The space was small and it felt as if has existed and been a neighborhood favorite for decades, not just a year and a half or so.

We got the #3 Green Pie, blatantly the most Millennial-friendly fare, with arugula,  pesto, sage and basil (also the only non-meat pie). Note* with these two places back to back, it seems as if I eat a lot of sage, that is not true.

Overall. This pizza was delightful. The crust/dough was great. The proportion of toppings was great. The very short wait time was great. The fact that was QUICKLY devoured the large pizza… proof of this (but not great for my middle aged figure).  There is a reason people enjoy this pizza and keep talking about it. Go!

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This is way overdue, but over the summer we tried Collision Bend for brunch.  We were there when they opened and many people were right behind us ready to sit on the river on a beautiful afternoon. The inside is industrial/nautical? It works.

Looking at the view, not sure when we decided to have (yet another) inadvertently vegetarian meal. Buffalo Tofu. 8.00 for a decent sized portion. I liked that the carrots were in the sauce as well. There was a bit of a kick to them and they were not the generic, overly acidic Buffalo flavor that I am personally not a fan of eating. Roasted Sprouts with Vietnamese caramel sauce, queso fresco and shishito peppers (also 8 dollars).  Do I need to explain, again, that Brussels Sprouts, when fried or roasted are almost impossible to mess up and nearly impossible for me not to order? Also the lighting was perfect for food photography and the waiter only made one joke about how I was rotating the bowl to find the best angle.

Roasted Cauliflower Pizza with caper berries, garlic, fontina, aged gouda, parmesan and pickled pepperoncini.  14 dollars. Note, this pizza was supposed to come with capers. They tried to trick us into thinking capers are Not gross by calling them “caper berries”. We were not fooled, and I did a rare menu item modification. #worthit #goodcall #hashtags  This was a good pizza, I thought the pepperonchinis (is that the plural, spellcheck is confused) overpowered the other flavors but I still liked it. For a 14.00 pizza it should have been a little bigger but we left rather full.

Overall: A great location/ venue. I (mostly) got over the fact that they did not have standard brunch fare. I guess someone who consumes beer can tell you more about this brewery but I was rather satisfied with the food.

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We went to a meal at Spice Acres (the “farm” in the farm to table of Spice the restaurant). It was a fun evening that began with appetizers while a blue grass band played, then an edutaining farm tour and ended with a five course themed meal. The evening was entitled Naughty Nightshades. We picked this one because it wasn’t pork or wine focused. Am I the only person who did not know that the potato, the chili pepper and the tomato are all related!? Genus Solanceae.

They even grow the flowers that went on the table.This was the best eggplant I have ever consumed.  It doesn’t look like much but I was obsessed with it and it was a PERFECT way to start the meal. When we arrived at the farm we saw the staff roasted the whole eggplants behind the barn. The combination of the za’atar and the pomegranate molasses made this dish truly sing. It was dark in the barn, but this tomato tart tatine was ALMOST a dessert and I ate it as if it were such.  Those were 5 different types of basil on top, count em! Let’s pretend I have the sophisticated pallet of someone who can differentiate them based on taste, okay?

The Tomato jam on this (too tiny because it was delicious) doughnut was an unexpectedly great end to a perfect evening.

Spice does a number of these meals (I know they had some at Edgewater/ the old coast guard station)  and are doing some fancy train meals as well.  It was not exactly a budget evening but I felt fancy and the MOST farm-to-tabley (since we were at the farm!). I highly recommend the experience.

Sidenote: recently finished the most current season of British Bake Off and I have thoughts about the finale/winner/technical challenge/seemingly impossible show stopper….

Architectural Justice and the IMPOSSIBLE burger

I realize I haven’t updated much lately. This is partly because haven’t tried that many new locations. Summer is approaching (only a few more days with students) and I’ll definitely change this. I need some good suggestions for lunch places that I can bike to from downtown. Planning short trips to  Chicago and Seattle in the next few weeks, expect photos of those branches.

Most of my destinations are selected from various best/new lists. I tend to be hesitant to leave Cle or the very near suburbs. But on Sunday I went to Strongsville, on purpose.

Architectural Justice is unlike any other restaurant I’ve been to in the area. It is essentially a Restoration Hardware store with a cafe (so JUST like the one in Chicago?), but they also have cooking classes? (I keep calling it Architectural Digest by accident). I figured the building was an old firehouse or something, however, it was a new construction about a year ago. It is an impressive and imposing structure that does not seem to fit in with the buildings that surround it.

The inside is rather stunning. Those blue fixures were the only thing I wasn’t crazy about.  The interior is so modern and clean yet quirky. 

The non-cafe half features so much decor that is made up of leather/marble/wood/metal.

Yeah, they do classes as well.

The menu is pretty small but we excitedly picked the banana’s praline waffle and — but on a croissant (it was a 2 dollar upgrade but very much worth it). The full menu

BANANA PRALINE
Served with chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced bananas, whipped cream    10

Very sweet. The texture was PERFECTION. It was dense and but not hard and so enjoyable. Don’t roll your eyes at “Artisan liege waffles”, these are lovely.

The fact that they made the eggs rectangular was a nice touch. The croissant was soo buttery. The goat cheese accented the perfectly tender short rib and the pickled jalapeno relish added a nice spiced acidic zing.  Also, the lighting was wonderful.  It came with a sizable salad and was 15.00 with the croissant upcharge.  

A rare behind the scenes photo.

Overall: I enjoyed this brunch. It was so tasty and I didn’t leave hungry.  Our waitress was pleasant and knowledgeable (I had a fair number of questions about this wonderfully enigmatic restaurant).  I know next to nothing about Strongsville but hopefully, it can be sustained / Cleveland folks trek down for it.  They currently are having an Instagram contest. Although if we win I’d be torn on spending the money on a home furnishing or just getting MANY waffles.

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Some other fun food pics:

If you haven’t been to Blue Door Care in Cuyahoga Falls for brunch, you are really missing out. Everything is fantastic. The menu rotates new dishes that are seasonal and creative. It is rather busy on weekends but if your group is 3 or less you can probably sit at the bar, and then watch all the dishes come out of the kitchen while you wait (which will be a while… but WORTH IT).

Pistachio croissant (almost as good as their almond croissant which remains one of the best pastries I have ever consumed). 

Sour cherry waffle served over a bed of vanilla- rum rice pudding. A wonderful dessert that we can pretend is a brunch entree in order to justify more pastries later.

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The cheese cart at Edwins (above) and the banana’s foster. Soo much tableside. I still have not watched the documentary (it was nominated for an Oscar this year).  Our corner was very dark so I did not get many good photos there, but if you want a fancy French meal from somewhere with a strong sense of social responsibility, please try it out. I finally tried frog legs for the first time, didn’t love them (they did in fact taste like incredibly garlicy chicken) but glad I can cross them off my list. 

We took a floral cupcake decorating class from White Flower. 

THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER! From B-Spot.

Some of my students have been talking about this item for awhile. I recall reading a lot about it when it made its debut. In general, I like veggie burgers. I eat very little beef anyway. I am okay with veggie burgers Not tasting like beef. This was good. If I didn’t know it I would not have known it was meatless. I would have thought it was just a regular, although *slightly* dry burger.  I  guess for those carnivorous people who need to limit red meat intake this is a great substitution. I still really enjoy Townhall’s veggie burger way more. Overall, it was kinda expensive but I am glad I tried it. The rosemary truffle fries remain the most exciting thing at B-spot for me. 

You know the “Impossible” song from Cinderella (the musical, not the animated movie)? Yeah, that was pretty much on repeat as we ate.

Eating Vegas

You all have been begging me to update my blog (okay, by “you all” I mean 3 rather persistent students). Here are some of the edible highlights of my trip to Vegas over President’s Day weekend.

The neon museum is a graveyard for historic signs from past Casinos 

We got in a little late and knew we wanted to try Rick’s Tasting Game from Rick Moonen’s RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay. This consists of 16 flavors of ice cream and sorbet served blind (22.00).

This was so enjoyable. I like to think I have a good palate but rarely test it… and who needs to eat actual dinner anyway? They don’t tell you anything other than some are 2 flavors and give you a page to write down your guesses. The waiter was impressed with us. I feel comfortable posting this and recommending it because they said they change them rather frequently. It was amazing how even common flavors are hard to place when you don’t know what to expect.

The flavors (with our guesses) R-L

• Top Row: Chocolate (got it!), Tahini (almond? the only one where we had no idea), Passion-fruit sorbet (Check, and a little bitter), Nutella (chocolate Malt, the hazelnut was weak)
• Second Row: Cherry (Blueberry Lemon?), Raspberry (check), Guava-Sage (just guava), Strawberry- guava (just strawberry)
• Peppermint (check), Caramel-banana (just banana, but it was so good) Mango-jalapeno (check) White-chocolate (we thought we tasted macadamia nut, but those flavors are always together)
• Vanilla Bean, Coffee (check), Coconut Curry (got it, and it was odd in a good way), Lychee Sorbet (got it!)

Of course, we finished. I wish more restaurants did things like this. I like combining a game with my frozen dessert.

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We started out with brunch the next day by going to Giada’s namesake restaurant in the Cromwell. We were there early but it overlooks the Bellagio Fountain and I imagine the view is spectacular later in the day when it’s on. The interior design was light and was incredibly on-brand for her.

Salmon Benedict – wilted spinach, piquillo peppers, prosecco hollandaise, poached eggs & toast ($19). The salmon cakes were a departure from what I often eat in the morning. They were flavorful and the eggs were perfect.  All the textures worked well together.

WHY ARE WE NOT PUTTING GRILLED PINEAPPLE AND NUTELLA ON EVVVVVVERYTHING?!!?!

The polenta waffle with some awesome toppings ($17). Slightly heavier than a typical waffle. Everything had her name on it, and the restaurant was beautiful in a Disney way (there were gorgeous displays of cheeses/olives and whatnot). Everything had her signature displayed prominently. fg

Then off to a Segway tour and the neon museum (both of which I highly recommend).

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Oh wait, we did “a huge dessert instead of dinner” TWICE.  24 layer  (2pound) chocolate cake from The Strip, a very old-school steakhouse.  This was free considering our *considerable* casino winnings. We almost finished it and then saw KÁ (a Cirque show and it was incredible with the most unbelievable stage).

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So this is frustrating because I don’t have any pictures of what was one of the coolest meals. I didn’t even SEE the food.  Or the inside of the restaurant. Was this gimmicky? Sure. Was it REALLY fun? Oh yes.

The 6-course meal took place a room so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face and had to be lead, conga-line style- by a waiter wearing night-vision goggles.  It was a set menu (they asked about restrictions) so not only could you not SEE the food, you had no idea what it was. I was pretty good at using utensils (some of the time).   Much like the ice cream tasting, I feel like we use our perceptions of what things are supposed to taste like to inform flavor. The dessert was great but I had such trouble placing what it was we ate. I totally recommend this experience.

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Another fun brunch by a female chef I know from TV. Lorena Garcia’s Chica.

It was a fusion of many South American Cuisines.  I appreciated the interior.

These corn pancakes were soooooo fantastic. The coconut cream and fruit topping were sweet and it countered the dense cakes.  Dragon fruit doesn’t have much taste but the texture worked well on this dish. There were other items on the menu that called tome but after seeing this I had to have it. 

This chipotle chicken omelet was perfection. Fluffy and full of flavor. The cheese was gooey, the potatoes were crispy and I was immensely happy. Avocado really does work well on everything. 

Assorted arepas. Black-bean, beet, cilantro, plain and cheese. Normally I want all my baked goods to be filled with gluten as well, but these were lovely. Also, I really appreciated the fact that they gave two of each variety (I just assume this basket of carbs was meant to be split between just two people).

Until next time (which won’t be as long of a time I promise).  I tried the famous gas station hummus…

Molto Bene!

I discovered this restaurant serendipitously while walking from India Garden. We wandered in and made a mental note to return we not full of naan. This was coupled with my friend Alec seemingly being a paid spokesperson for this restaurant.

It is small inside. They don’t take reservations but I guess you can call ahead (although they initially told us it would be a long wait since there were groups that called ahead, but they actually seated us immediately after we decided we would wait the potential hour). If you have a group bigger than 6 I’d imagine it will be hard to go on a Friday/Saturday night. For being such a new and small place they have a pretty impressive website.

It wasn’t going for the typical /cliched “typical Italian/rustic/Tuscan ” decor or trying to be hyper-modern. It was kinda kitschy in a wonderfully homey way.  Lots of wall decals/ bright colors and an overall clean aesthetic. It’s cute and fun. There is a charm in the fact that it feels like a little gem that not everyone knows about yet.  The staff was friendly and seemed passionate about the food. 

I try to take stealthy photos of the space. I waited for the party next to us to leave so it didn’t look like I was a investigating them. 

Carbs. (yes I realize that I can use that as a caption for every photo here). I felt artsy trying to incorporate the Leaning Tower into this photo…)

We asked for a recommendation for an appetizer and were told to get the crostini ($9). Salmon, sausage, eggplant, and tomato/mozzarella. These were good by all accounts but were exactly what you’d hope they would be. The bread was perfect, this was just a safe dish.

Both of us ordered pasta in a white sauce, so they look very similar. I got the cheese tortellini with broccoli (I ordered it without bacon). $16. These were very large dishes… as in I took a significant amount home. I could really taste the ricotta inside the pasta and the sauce had a rich and wonderful flavor. There was a fair amount of broccoli but I guess I wanted more. This dish came out sooo hot that I had to wait awhile before I could attempt to eat it. 

The salmon linguine with pistachios. This was a HUGE serving and the fish made the sauce completely different than the tortellini. I generally don’t like fish in a pasta sauce. This was fantastic and somehow even a bigger portion than the tortellini.

Fun fact: they make the gelato for many places in Cleveland, but it seems to be cheaper here. For 4 dollars you get a rather large 2 scoops. Everything about dinner was good but the gelato was SUPERB. We got the pumpkin and peanut butter chocolate chip together. The pumpkin was better than Mitchell’s flavor. We also got fig & brie and pistachio. I realize how “adulty” those flavors sound together and fig generally seems boring, it was the opposite. Fig isn’t usually a flavor that I would choose over other more typically exciting fruits, but it was great. I guess they have other desserts on the menu, but everyone in the place was eating gelato (actually everyone had multiple To-go containers because they wanted to leave space for the gelato).

I always forget the difference between ice cream/ gelato/ custard… TURNS OUT GELATO IS HEALTHIER (according to one site that came up when I googled, I stopped there since I was satisfied with that answer.) Please let me live in ignorance to this if I am wrong.

OVERALL: What they lack in seating and parking they make up for in other ways. This place has an abundance of charm and carbs. The menu has the Italian standbys and some fun variations ( there were lots of things I would want to try on a subsequent visit) and the portions are beyond generous. The gelato is creamy perfection. For a fun night out or date, this would be a great choice.  Again, and I don’t know if I can stress this enough, get gelato!

It’s blurry because its a screenshot from a live photo (there was only a brief instance when I looked up from the gelato…).

Trying some newer places that I’ve heard mixed reviews about…

So I tried 2 newer west side locations (and then I have some brunchy fun pictures for yall).

First, Eric and I went to Xinji (which, despite having taken Japanese in college, have no idea how to pronounce… or what it means). This Ohio City ramen place created a lot of social media/internet buzz when it opened. Some people were saying this was the best noodle place ever while others were lamenting that it wasn’t as good as the wanted.  So, I was excited but a little hesitant as we made our way over.

The inside is sparse and open. Hipster. LOTS of modern light figures. I didn’t mind it. It was a nice departure from the typical, cliched, Asian restaurant decor, but still reminiscent of what you’d expect from a place where chopsticks are used.

I will spare you all my pumpkin rant. (okay, I won’t…why do we hate on pumpkin’s popularity so much? White culture has a lot to be ashamed of, but enjoying pumpkin with lots of lovely spices in the autumn is not one of them! It is delicious, let’s keep our vitriol directed to things that are truly deserving and horrible). That being said we ordered the PSL fried wontons. They were delightful, obviously. The inside was sweet and creamy. There was a coffee reduction drizzled on top.  They were not very savory,  borderline dessert, but I never mind that in a dish (if there was a scoop of ice cream and no cabbage it would be lovely. We were given 4 for $6 which seemed like a great appetizer prize. Also, they were rather pretty/presented well.

Korean Fried Chicken ($9).  This was an alright dish- I have come to the conclusion that I don’t *love* fried chicken.  The sauce was tangy, slightly sweet and a little spicy.  There was nothing wrong with it, I just liked the other two dishes considerably more.

The veggie ramen (mushroom broth) with extra bean sprouts*.

The shredded teriyaki tofu and bamboo shoots were a FANTASTIC addition to this bowl. I often joke that I am often an accidental vegetarian. The mushroom broth was light but flavorful.

If you have ever gone with me to get Pho… you know how I will ask for “as many extra bean sprouts as possible”.  They are my favorite textural veggie in rice or soup. I will always eat all of them.

Overall, I was very pleased with the meal. When we initially sat down they served ice water with cucumber. Now… I know some people really like this, but cucumber is one of the few flavors that I am really not a fan of,  especially in water. I was quickly brought another one. Actually, the service was great in general. We asked that the dishes be brought out as they were finished with the noodles last and it was a great little 3-course meal. I would definitely go back for the veggie ramen.

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I’m not sure if any of you have heard of the Water Garden Cafe (also in Ohio City on Lorainne). It has been open since last February and has an extensive vegan/vegetarian menu for brunch.  Vegan Chicken and Waffles (with cauliflower) definitely jumped off the menu as something we needed to try. 🙂

So the large water feature was nice, as was a lot of the decorative touches. Something I REALLLLLY appreciated about this place was the environmental awareness (we were told the floor was made of reclaimed wood and in the restrooms, there were cloth towels that would get rewashed. These type of decisions really make me feel good about supporting an establishment.

Tofu Scramble with multigrain bread. I wanted a little more avocado and broccoli. It was tasty.  The sole server (who is also the manager) told us it is pretty much just her and the owner/chef working. Having a kitchen staff of one is hard when they have lengthy brunch and lunch menus as well as vegan and non-vegan offerings.

Our brunch guest decided to not get vegan, but really liked (and couldn’t finish all of ) his breakfast burrito.

Overall, this place offered a large selection of vegan options. We did have to wait a considerable amount of time. The sole server/manager informed us that the kitchen is staffed only by the owner/chef. I don’t know how feasible such an operational plan is, especially if they start getting more and more customers. This could be exacerbated by the fact that the menu is lengthy since there are vegan and non-vegan options of almost everything. I enjoyed the food and like when a place seems super committed to their values.

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Also, donuts are SOOO trendy right now. I was super excited to try City Girl Donuts in Rocky River. I had heard some people who were disappointed, but that did not deter me from donut deliciousness. It is really hard to gauge a place when they first open. I was VERY impressed with these donuts.

We decided on the Mixed berry, banana creme, peanut butter- chocolate long john and the daily special of pear-mascarpone. The white and dark chocolate shavings, the cookie pieces … there were so many delightful touches. Also, she referred to it as a “sophisticated pear” but I like to think she was calling us a “sophisticated pair” 😛

They had SOOOO much filling. Be careful/ have napkins ready!

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Now I just have some fun (mostly brunch) photos to share.

I have talked about One Blue Door in Cuyahoga Falls before. Go for brunch (but if you go on a weekend, expect a wait… or if there are only 2 or 3 of you just sit at the bar! The banana’s foster French Toast (above) and the Salmon and eggs (below) were HUGE portions and wonderful. Although, honestly, the almond croissant we ate in the parking lot which was roughly the size of a football, was one of the BEST things I’ve eaten in a while.

This brunch place in Chicago is maybe the most photogenic restaurant ever. Seriously, look at the website! The biscuits and lamb gravy were spicy, the muesli had caramelized bananas and the funnel cake had fruity pebbles sugar on top.

A vegan pumpkin-chocolate cheesecake in Chicago. Made out of a soy-based vegan cream cheese, it was delightful and did not have a “this is a vegan substitute feeling”.

Some brunch Items from Le Petit Triangle in Ohio City… which were delicious but we wanted the crepe to be MUCH bigger.

A long overdue photo update…

It’s been awhile. But we are back in school and I have school work I should be grading. Also, I like to post on here because it gives my students incentive to talk to me about their restaurant experiences.  I know this is about Cleveland Food, but most of this update are my photos from Philly, DC, Denver, and Chicago. Mostly photos, this is as close as I get to Instagram.

I, yet again, ordered av. toast. This was during our mother/son trip to Philly.  This was from our brunch a French place called Parc, which overlooked a park.

This might not look like it, but was maybe the most scrumptious breakfast sandwich I have ever had. (also in Philly). The bacon-onion jam really elevated it. 

Turns out I love carbs when I’m in Philly! The lobster roll at Devon.  The Philly Cheese Steak that caused me to lay down for a few hours to attempt to digest. (white bread and beef are not things I eat frequently, also my first time with Cheez Wiz).

Go to Brown Sugar Thai (there are 2 locations, in Lakewood and Rocky River). Order the Tofu String Bean. I know, it has a lame, not so appetizing, name…. but it’s great. And maybe they will create for you an epic turnip-rose.

another fantastic breakfast sandwich…this one was in DC. Carbs are better when in a different city.

For my brother’s birthday, we went to Beau’s on the River in Cuyahoga Falls. The space is lovely, especially for a hotel restaurant. This was the house-made English Pea, maitake mushroom, and goat cheddar agnolotti tossed with artichokes, baby heirloom tomatoes, purple cauliflower, and garlic. It was a complex veggie dish. The waitress, who told us she had been there for awhile, had no idea what the word “vegan” meant.

Campus Grill: Latin sounds like a terrible restaurant name. Actually, it IS a terrible name. However, go there for lunch and get a mofongo. Seriously, do it. It is on BW’s campus and a surprisingly fantastic Peurto Rican place.

While you are over in Berea, GoAPE is super fun high-ropes. It took us 3.5 hours and was well worth it.

While I’m justifying all these carbs with my outdoorsy/sportiness I did a Tough Mudder. Afterwards, I got ice cream.

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Denver: A wonderful labor day weekend excursion.

The Denver Biscuit Company came HIGHLY recommended. This place was fantastic, rather cheap and I found myself smiling lovingly at the food in between shoving forkfuls in my face. We got the Biscuit French Toast with Strawberries and The Franklin with mushroom gravy and a fried egg (there is also bacon, cheddar and a fried chicken in that caloric mountain).  Go there.

Riot Ice Cream. Pretty cool. Lots of unusual flavors, including cheddar goldfish and a ton of cereal flavors. I have had cereal ice cream before and never been super impressed. These were good. We got the Crunch berries and Fruity Pebbles flavors in a pop tart sandwich.  Which was so tasty it was impossible to take a normal picture while holding it.

Voodoo Donuts. Because I like hyped food. I was surprised that this 24hr operation had a line at literally every hour (it was near the hotel so we saw donut enthusiasts waiting for them at various times). They were not as expensive as I anticipated and delicious. We got the voodoo doll one (raspberry filled with a pretzel sticking out of it) and one with PB, Oreos, and chocolate.

Food mountains were not the only things we scaled. Garden of the Gods was amazing.

We got brunch at Ophelia’s. Which is somehow a music venue that used to be a brothel?

Chicken and the mashed potato waffle.  This item was cheesy and full of vegetables and had a name that seemed like a pun (the only menu item with an unconventional name) but it was so great     

We went to Vesta because it was on a Denver Food Bucket List.  We told OpenTable that we were celebrating a special occasion. Not only did the call to confirm it was special, but every employee came by to congratulate us and we got a little bag of chocolate at the end.

Grilled Sonoran Cactus with Avacodo, corn salsa a jicama. I had no idea what to expect, but I’m always up for an adventurous vegetarian offering. The cactus had a toothy, almost mushroom-like texture and the super thin slices of jicama were for making tiny tacos. I liked it and I was expected something more zucchini and am glad I can cross cactus off the list of things I have yet to eat.

Green Garlic Pasta Carbonara. This was good, a little oily. I’m surprised at how many terms essentially mean “bacon bits” for some reason I assumed “guanciale” was a cheese.

I don’t know why every restaurant doesn’t do this as an appetizer. Naan (my favorite flatbread, #sorrypita) with a choice of 6 sauces (from 13 options).  It’s fun and interactive and the black pepper aioli was super addictive. The jalapeno remoulade was a rare time where I really enjoyed the taste of the pepper. For $8  it was a reasonable appetizer and I’m sure it’s easy and profitable. Please do this ____________________* (*at least one Cleveland restaurant)!

Behold the glorious pancake flight (we got it to-go and ate outside since there was a 2-hour wait at Snooze.  Sweet-potato Pecan pie, pineapple upside down cake and key-lime with white chocolate and blackberry. The fact that this exists makes me smile thinking about while typing. Why doesn’t Cleveland have sweet flights for brunch? Seriously?!

 

I didn’t mean to upload this, but working in a building with 2 astronomy teachers and a planetarium means we went all out for the eclipse. This is a sun-spotter, which makes sunspots visible.

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Chicago: We went to Chicago Q for brunch. This is Art Smith’s place (he was on lots of Bravo food shows and years ago we Oprah’s chef).

I was a little insistent on trying Authentic deep dish pizza. I liked it, not the BEST slice ever but glad I tried it. The sauce on top of the cheese confuses me.

French Toast Flight. Red velvet with Creme cheese and Orange Zest were unbelievable. I like how 4 pieces of cake can be considered an entree.

Best brunch item in Cleveland??

If you know me, you know I like breakfast food. A leisurely weekend brunch is what makes being a human great.

If you were to ask me who has the best brunch in Cleveland, I would get uncomfortable, sweat a lil bit… and ask questions like “do you want to sit outside, are you looking for something fancy, East side or west side, why are you making me choose…”. Even though I used to really enjoy the “Best thing I ever ate” show on Food Network and often think about how I would answer every episode’s prompt.

However, for a long time, I  have held the strong conviction that one of my favorite brunch items, because it is unusual, complex, and delicious,  is the corn and andouille hot cakes from Flying Fig.

I am not saying that I found something better, per se, but I did have something that I couldn’t stop eating, talked about a lot… and even while I was eating it I was thinking about when I could go back again.

The Scene: Fahrenheit in Tremont. (they recently started serving Sunday Brunch…and now that kickball is over I have Sunday mornings free).

More specifically, the small patio out front. No pictures were taken of the patio, it’s essentially a sidewalk. A few months ago I read an article announcing brunch service at Fahrenheit (full disclosure, the article remained an open safari tab in my phone since that time) and they showed a picture of pancakes with cereal on top. I was sold.

Eric and I picked the Cap ‘n cruch jumbo pancakes and the Chicken Eggs Benedict.

Fried Chicken Benedict (14 dollars).  Eggs Benedict, in general, can be great, it can also be mediocre (it can also be terrible when referred to as “eggs benny”, Not sure why that bothers me so much, but let’s all agree to let that cutesy slang die out).  The menu description sold me on this:

Eggs. Cheddar Biscuits, Shoyo Creme, and Pineapple-papaya marmalade. That might seem like a lot but everything, EVERYTHING, worked well together. When I managed to get a bite that had all the components, the tastes, the textures…

You know that scene in Ratatouille…

Just incredible. I couldn’t get over how amazing this was and how I had never had papaya with fried chicken and eggs before and how I never want to go back to a time when I didn’t know how harmoniously these could all work together. I am scared to ask but I worry that this might be a seasonal/summer dish…

If you haven’t tried, please do. If you are reading this you must feel I have some smidgen of credibility… I wouldn’t lie about this! GO!

Sidenote:taste aside, it is a pretty gorgeous plate of food with all the colors.

What exactly is a Benedict? Well its eggs, a sauce, typically hollandaise over biscuits or English muffins (actually the more I read the more variation I became aware of, and we aren’t even sure the origin of the name).

The Jumbo Cap ‘N Crunch Pancakes with a Vanilla milk reduction (13 dollars).  This was everything you would expect. It was sweet, fun to look at and nostalgic. They were good pancakes and I did like the topping.  It was totally a dessert, however, the top cake had all the gooiness whilst the bottom ones ended up being a little blander. It was good but a little one-note compared to the complex taste symphony of the chicken dish.

It would have been great with a raspberry sauce, ooooor perhaps a tart mandarin orange to add another flavor? Still a great dish and very photogenic.

Overall: this was an awesome brunch. I’m glad we were on the patio but under the awning,  as it was rather warm in the direct sun. The pancakes were good. The chicken was heavenly. I will go back there for this. I am now even more motivated to go try a dinner at Fahrenheit (I have only ever been for their happy hour)!

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We had another small meal at 3 Palms Pizza in Crocker Park. I know there is a location in Hudson as well, but this one is newer.

Call me old-fashioned but when something is listed as an appetizer/shareable/startable, it should be thus.  This was the Fried artichokes with a roasted garlic sauce. It was very good… however even with just the two of us, the size felt unsubstantial for 10.50.  Is an artichoke an expensive ingredient?

The Bianco and Verde pizza ($13). Roasted garlic, house made ricotta, parmesan, and arugula. It was very tasty. My only qualm with it was that I was expected more of a sauce.

Overall: the space was very inviting. The menu had a wide array of pizzas to the point where there were a few we wanted.  We did notice that some of the patrons were in very casual attire (points to self) while others looked like they had come from a business meeting or wedding.

If you have allegiance to the Southern Ohio Based Ice Cream Chain… there’s is now a  Greaters in Crocker Park…. (of course we went)

 

 

Eating my way down Detroit Road in Lakewood: Georgetown & Cleveland Vegan

Dear Cleveland Restaurants,

Why are so many of you not open on Monday evenings? I apparently go out a fair amount on Mondays and the places that are open are few, I’ve now been to (nearly) all of them.

Love, 

Evan(eatsclevelandeverydayoftheweek)

 

I’ve been asked if I review every restaurant. No. If I’m dining with someone I don’t know well I typically don’t subject them to “reviewing Evan”. Also, if the photos don’t turn out well I don’t bother. I find that my opinions on establishments are somewhat similar to those of my students. It’s really easy to rave about the phenomenal ones, muse about the strange ones, or complain about the terrible ones. But… if it is just a normal, B+ one that does everything it is supposed to but doesn’t go above or beyond… I find I  just don’t have much to say. I have a decent list of places I went to with every intention to review, but the blogs end up sounding like a college recommendation for a quiet student who does well but doesn’t put in any additional effort.

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Eric and I had two different meals on Detriot Avenue (on different days). The first was an early dinner at The Georgetown. I had been to this location years ago when it was under different management/had a different name? (not actually sure what happened…).

Being a Monday, all the other places with a patio were not open. The inside is lovely, but as you can see… this was a gorgeous night so everyone was outside.

There is such a secluded feel to the patio that I really like and is hard to achieve in a place like Lakewood. There are some really big trees and ivy covered walls that make the space feel old/established and comfortable.

Our waitress was quiet but very helpful (she suggested we split the food into two portions since we would get more).  As much as I’m drawn to a field green salad with feta and strawberries, that is something I can make at home, very easily. I typically won’t roast two varieties of beets or put couscous on a salad. This was a very tasty and unique start to a meal. It also had goat cheese and was dressed with a tarragon vinaigrette.

The flavors of the goat cheese, beet, and orange mix so well and I can’t say I’ve had them together before.  Golden beets are such a vivid color and I’m glad they are occurring more in food. My only critiques would be there was a little too much dressing (with the cheese and couscous it really didn’t need much else). Also, this was a $16 salad. That’s steep… I’m glad we got more by splitting it.

I’ve taken some really bad food photos over the years (this blog recently turned 2 years old!) but I have learned that I prefer 45-degree angles or so and natural light, always.  If it is a particularly geometric/artsy plating I will do a straight down/birdseye, but those are harder and it is immediately obvious that I’m “that guy who takes photos of his food”.  I think the salad photo works pretty well, as it shows the components and you get some idea of scale.  You may have noticed that if something is presented on an obnoxiously small or large plate I try to include a utensil for size reference.  Opentable and Resy allow you to make comments when you request a table and I always say I want to be near a window.  The menu called this “The” Meatloaf. I’m unsure as to why, and so was the waitress. It wasn’t overly tradition or strangely innovative, it was just good meatloaf.  Our first course was more exceptional, it wasn’t “The” beet salad.  The demi-glaze and mushrooms were very, very rich. The bacon added even more fatty richness.  The mashed potatoes were good but I was only given a small amount  (The picture is of my half, so overall this was a very generous portion for 12 dollars). It wasn’t as “loafy” as some, more like a good meatball.

We were told that the lobster pizza was the most popular. This was a pretty large pizza with sizable pieces of the crustacean. The manchego, roasted garlic, and onions all melded well together, although somewhat overshadowed lobster. I find that lobster is always doused with other tastes, typically butter. I can imagine people that LOOOOOVE lobster being excited about this dish, as it was executed well, and was a unique menu item. Not really related, I remember as a child really liking pieces of pizza that had the “bubbles” on them, is there a specific culinary term for these?

Overall:  We really liked the salad and the ambiance of the serene patio. The prices were a little confusing (the salad was more than the meatloaf?).  We had good service the waitress was very attentive. She refilled our waters so frequently.

After we went to The SideQuest (keeping with the Detriot Rd theme) because, well #butterbeer (and Mario Kart).

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Before our adventures kayaking the Cuyahoga, we went to brunch at Cleveland Vegan.

Now, if you’ve read a few of these blogs you’ve no doubt noticed that I enjoy veggie/vegan food. However, I have had very mixed experiences at places that dub themselves “vegan places”. I am aware that some vegan ingredients are more pricey/specialty, yet most of the time I am still hungry after the smaller portions I typically get and sometimes the food just tastes like approximations of the well-known, non-vegan version.

The interior was inviting and actually a little fancier than I had expected. They really took the carrot color scheme and ran with it.

With everything being vegan I guess they can label things as soy/gluten or nut free.  We opted to do a three course ($21) and an additional entree. We were there early and it was hard to gauge how big the portions would be.

Breakfast sandwich ($12). Lots of tastes and textures. The tempeh bacon was rather fantastic (if you are a vegan and have a gluten issue, I’m sorry because this was a great meat replacement). The bagel was crisp and I love avocado and sprouts on everything. I am not sure what the vegan version of chipotle mayo and omelet were made from but they were good. This was filling and the only real issue was putting it on a big plate with 6 grape was a comical plating choice that made it seem like a less composed dish.

Remember when all vegan ingredients were given funny names? I wish the omelet was called a Nonlet. 😛

The Biscuits and Gravy (also $12). This was a huge portion. This was good, but it did have a “vegan approximation” feel to it. The cashew-based gravy was creamy and heavy. It had a hefty amount of black pepper in it. In my opinion, it could have used a tiny bit of heat, perhaps some cayenne. The biscuits were a little hard/dry.  Eaten alone they would have been very unsatisfying corn muffins, but the consistency allowed them to hold up against the gravy.  Again, this was a great dish but since it doesn’t have the greasy quality (or a fried egg) it wasn’t as satisfying as the other offerings we ate.

Good thing I’m not trying to buy a house because we got the avocado toast ($6). Blah blah blah millennials.  It is hard to mess up when putting so many delicious ingredients together.  However, with the tomato and balsamic, I feel like it should have been called an avocado bruschetta.  The sourdough bread was good. I have absolutely no complaints about this dish and understand why our waitress said she eats it consistently for lunch.

Half portion of the strawberry and banana Challah French Toast ($6). The coconut whipped creme. THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREME. MM, Okay, it totally tasted like coconut ice cream, which is PERFECTLY fine with me.  I love how brunch food allows for desserts to be eaten as a meal. Not sure how they made French toast without eggs but this was gooey and great. It wasn’t a good vegan version, it was just delicious. It was on a small plate, that made it a little hard to eat without a banana falling off…but that is seriously the only thing I can think of to say (also why didn’t I order the larger portion!)

If you’ve met me you know that baking is not a skill I possess. I can mess up even well-known items, and we have years of experience using eggs, milk, and butter (and sugar) to make something delicious. It baffles me how people can defy the chemistry and make pastries without those key ingredients.

Overall: I text Nathan and called my brother (the vegans in my life) afterward. I would totally go back.  I feel like it took me awhile to try this place because the hours are a little odd. The atmosphere was nice and I understand why the online lists put this as delicious and unique brunch destination in the city. Unlike other vegan places, we were not still hungry afterward and were ready to kayak through downtown.

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Oh Oh Oh… I totally forgot… when I was in Canada a few weeks ago I wandered into an Upscale. Eclair. Boutique.  Now, these beauties were about 8 dollars Canadian. Unfortunately, I did not buy any since I had just eaten, and that would have only been 5.25 American. Look how pretty these are….

Let’s zoom in on that!