Vegiterranean

Vegiterranean is Chryssie Hynde's vegan Italian restaurant in Akron Ohio.  I grew up not far from Akron, so on my last visit home, my mom (also vegan) and I stopped by for lunch.

Instead of bread, you receive dill pickle spears before you order.  It was such a refreshing change - not heavy and chewy, but light and crisp.

To start, we ordered the Rocket Salad with Spiced Pecans, Red Onions and Granny Smith Apples over Butternut Squash Puree with a Smoked Roasted Shallot Thyme Vinaigrette and Herbed Cashew Cheese.  All of these flavors complement each other so well, but by far the best and most unexpected taste was the pureed butternut squash.  I would never think to use it as the base of a salad, but it was really incredible.

Next, Chef Scott Jones (a friend of my mother's) brought out the Truffled Wild Mushrooms and Caramelized Cippolini Bruschetta with Herbed Cashew Cheese for us to try.  The Herbed Cashew Cheese is nothing short of amazing.  It's seasoned so well and has a great consistency. 

We shared the Rubber City Melt - Grilled Chicken, Roasted Red Peppers, Caramelized Onions, Daiya Mozzarella, Sour Cream Chive Aioli on a Ciabatta Bun.  Such perfect flavors and really substantial.  I can't imagine a meat eater eating this sandwich and not being satisfied.

However, the best part for me, is that the sandwich comes with a side of Chrissie Fries.  These fries are uber-crispy and perfect when dipped in the Tofu Ricotta and Homemade Ketchup.

We couldn't leave without trying dessert, so we opted for the Lemon Cake.  Decadent, yet light and fluffy, lots of lemon flavor, and a killer frosting.

 If you're ever near Akron or Canton, it's worth the time to check out Vegiterranean.  They have so many wonderful vegan options on their menu that one trip is not nearly enough.  I highly recommend visiting when the weather is nice - they have a huge outdoor patio with a lovely firepit.

Loving Hut Pittsburgh

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I visited the Loving Hut restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA.  If you're not familiar, Loving Hut is the fastest growing vegan chain restaurant in the world. 

The Special Noodle dish is one of my favorite Vietnamese eats.  You start with vermicelli noodles and layer on fresh herbs, fried spring rolls, soy chicken, lettuce, peanuts and a soy lime sauce. 

My mom tried a special that night, Mandarin Soy Chicken served on a sizzling platter with vegetables and a side of rice.  

We ended with a slice of Pandan Cake.  Apparently pandan is a type of leaf that is commonly used to flavor cakes.  It was a subtle flavor, in my opinion, yet full of sugary goodness.

The restaurant had a great open, airy atmosphere and the staff could not be more pleasant.  Great experience and really great food.  I've mentioned this before, but Loving Hut is very particular about their ingredients.  Everything is vegan, non-GMO and organic whenever possible. 

Nida's Thai in Columbus

Nida's Thai on High has got some killer Thai food.  Their Pad Cashew was my choice this visit and it was perfectly crisp, salty and savory.  I always look for this dish at Thai restaurants...it varies from place to place but I just love the cashews.  The texture is such a nice complement to the tofu and sauteed vegetables.

They also have a location inside the North Market with an abbreviated menu.  And with all Asian restaurants, make sure to specify no fish sauce.

Candle 79

Candle 79 is a world renowned vegan restaurant with incredibly inventive cuisine.  During my last NYC trip, my husband and I shared some amazing dishes...

Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Fried Dumplings with Seitan, Shitake Mushrooms, Baby Bok Choy and Sesame Ginger Soy Sauce.

Vegetable Nori Rolls with Avocado Wasabi, Chipotle Aioli and Tamari Ginger Sauce.

And Angel's Nachos - Corn Chips, Cheddar and Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Refried Pinto Beans, Chili grilled Seitan, Guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream.  I simply cannot resist Vegan Nachos.  It doesn't matter what else is on the menu...I just have to have them.  These were some of the best I've tasted.  

I have never been disappointed at Candle 79 or Candle Cafe.  If you've never been, it's a must stop in New York.  Candle 79 also has a great vegan Sunday brunch!

Teany + Vegan Treats

Teany is one of my favorite stops on the Lower East Side of NYC. 

On my last visit, I had my favorite sandwich, Vegan Chicken Salad with lettuce and tomato.

And since they serve Vegan Treats, my dad and I could not resist the Raspberry Vanilla Cheesecake.  This cheesecake blew my mind.  I would dare anyone to pair this against a traditional cheesecake...it would win hands down.

Franchia

On my last trip to NY, I really wanted to visit Hangawi, a Korean vegetarian restaurant, on 32nd Street.  Unfortunately, the evening I went I was with a large group and they were completely full.  So...they suggested we walk four blocks to their sister restaurant, Franchia.

We sampled a little bit of everything.  First, Lotus Leaf Tea...

Followed by Vegetable + Soy Meat Dumplings.

Vegetarian California Roll made with vegan crab.

And Sizzling Spinach Noodles, a very unique dish of fried noodles, spinach and soy chicken.  

Everything that I tasted was very good, but I was especially impressed with their Sushi.  I love adding vegan crab to give veggie sushi a bit more substance.  Franchia turned out to be a lovely surprise!

Northstar . Columbus OH

Northstar is one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus.  And their breakfast/brunch is awesome.

I almost always have the Big Burrito made vegan (without cheese or eggs, with tofu).  It's filled with sweet potatoes, black beans, onions, peppers, tofu and cilantro served with a side of spicy salsa.  They also have fresh squeezed orange juice, strawberry and blueberry smoothies, but I go for their freshly prepared Ginger Ale with lime and mint.  Yum!

Mellow Mushroom

On a recent visit to see my family in Columbus Ohio, we stopped for pizza at Mellow Mushroom.  They offer endless toppings, including several flavors of tofu (BBQ, Jerk + Pesto), tempeh and Daiya mozzarella cheese.  My mom and I shared a pie with broccoli, tofu, onions and roasted red peppers that was extremely flavorful with a lovely golden brown crust.  

There were seven us for dinner, consisting of four carnivores, one pescetarian and two vegans, all of us very content. 

Where to Eat in NYC: Part II

Check out this month's installment of my travel adventures on Girlie Girl Army!  This month it's Where to Eat in NYC: Part II...

de cero

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a wonderful New Years Eve with amazing food, like I did!

de cero is an incredible taqueria in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago.  

We started with three different salsas, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Jalapeno + Tomatillo Verde

Then onto a Black Bean Taco with avocado, onion, fresh garlic, radish and cilantro

And an Avocado Taco with white onion, fresh garlic, jalapeno and cilantro

With a side of rice and vegetarian black beans

Everything I had was absolutely stellar.  Really fresh and really flavorful.  I plan on making de cero a regular Chicago stop!  Perfect way to start the new year.