Green Owl Café

Madison’s first all-vegetarian restaurant, the Green Owl can make most dishes vegan. This is your comfortable hangout spot, all decked out in cheerful green, orange and yellow, for veggie burgers, vegan wings or a jackfruit quesadilla. The peanut macrobowl is on the healthful end of the spectrum, made with roasted sweet potato, coconut quinoa and steamed kale. More interested in the decadent end? Opt for vegan coconut cream pie or lava cake.

Surya

This new plant-based café recently opened in the gorgeously refurbished Garver Feed Mill building. Surya makes all kinds of unusual dishes. Have you been craving a curried cauliflower waffle with maple-cumin kale and mango jalapeno sauce? How about a vegan cheese board? This is the first place I’ve ever seen a toast flight, so you can try all of the café’s innovative toast toppings. I opted for the gluten-free Treehugger waffle, which came topped with fruit, granola, berry sauce and vanilla cashew cream. Someday I need to return to find out just what medicinal hot chocolate is.

Kosa Wellness Spa & Retreat

Also in the Garver Feed building, the Kosa Wellness Spa offers a day or half-day retreat. You can use its steam room and sauna, book an Ayurvedic treatment, peruse spiritual books in the big relaxation room, and order lunch from a menu of Indian specialties made from family recipes of owner Shilpa Sankaran. The menu changes seasonally. During winter, expect a warming and grounding Khichdi bowl of rice, lentils vegetables and spices. The family non-dairy chai recipe is spicy and not too sweet.

Himal Chuli

This award-winning restaurant owned by a Nepali family began as a food cart back in the 1980s. Now Himal Chuli is a downtown institution, a comfortable little restaurant with plenty of veg options. Order the rice, tarkrai and dal and you’ll get a blend of nicely spiced fresh vegetables that change according to what’s on hand that day. When I visited, you could choose between cauliflower or spinach-based tarkrai. Himal Chuli also has a couple of tofu dishes and some veg seasonal stews. The roti is especially good, served hot from the oven with a choice of white or wheat. I had to order extra.

Tavernakaya

This Japanese tavern specializes in small plates. It was lively on the Friday night I visited, despite the winter chill. One of the most popular vegan dishes is General Tso’s cauliflower, fried with scallions and a sweet sauce. Tavernakaya’s crispy Brussels sprouts with soy sauce togarashi (dried red chili) and shallots was a standout dish. There’s also a small veg sushi menu.

Ian’s Pizza

This is one of my favorite Madison places, a student hangout that attracts other demographics, too. The salads are gigantic and you can choose from more than 40 mix-in options, lots of vegs, tofu, chick peas, nuts and Brussels sprouts. Ian’s Pizza often has vegan slices ready to go. If not, you can order a custom vegan pizza.

Everly

Everly has a couple of good choices for vegans. I got a black bean quinoa burger with kale salad which was good and filling. If you’re there for dinner, consider sharing small plates like edamame hummus toast with fried artichoke, caramelized onions and lime salt or fried Brussels sprouts with citrus vinaigrette. For dessert, there’s chocolate avocado mousse with sea salt/banana coconut cookies.

Tubb’s Taco Palace

Tubb’s has tacos, one of Madison’s best neon signs, and lots of vegetarian and vegan options clearly marked on its menu. You can order seven different vegan tacos, if you’re really hungry, plus three vegan burritos. Choose from taco toppers like sweet potato, fried avocado, vegan chorizo and chipotle beet.

National Mustard Museum

The National Mustard Museum in nearby Middleton is a ton of fun. Here you can sit in Mustardpiece Theater and watch old industrial movies about mustard. Or you can play a ring toss game and perhaps win…a bottle of mustard! They sell about 300 kinds of mustard in the gift shop, and you can try them all at the mustard tasting bar. Most of the mustards are vegan, though a few contain egg, so read the labels first. But beware. Vegans are excluded from many food tastings, so I really had fun trying about ten kinds of mustard.

Bloom Bake Shop

Bloom has a whole case of vegan cupcakes! Do I need to say more? I got the vegan chocolate cream cheese ganache.

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream

This popular ice creamery on State Street doesn’t forget the vegans. And we’re not just talking sad sorbet. They cycle through about eight flavors of non-dairy soy, plus a few Italian ices. The day I went, the Chocolate Shoppe’s soy flavors were butter pecan and ultimate Oreo. In the name of research, I tried both.

The post 11 places for vegans to eat in Madison, Wisconsin appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Tuscan Tavern and Grill

This lunch and dinner spot had pumpkin fever when I visited. Pumpkins festooned the entryway, making for a warm and festive autumnal look. As you’d guess from the name, Tuscan Tavern and Grill specializes in Italian food. As soon as I told the server I was vegan, she skillfully took over. I was the only vegan in a large group. But the server made sure the mozzarella was on the side, so I could eat the eggplant caprese appetizer.

She directed me toward some vegan bread to pair with the bruschetta topping. I had the Mediterranean salad, minus the feta and pita chips. Vegans can also order dairy-free wood-fired pizzas. Highly recommended.

Oakfire

Owner David Scotney started making wood-fired pizzas in his Chicago backyard as a hobby. Then he’d deliver his practice pizzas free to his neighbors. But when a popular Lake Geneva diner went up for sale in 2015, he decided to go pro.

Oakfire is a top choice for vegans, and has a dazzling lake view. The original Native American name for the lake is Kishwauketoe, which I’m told means “the water has light.” Indeed, you can watch it sparkle from Oakfire.

And there’s vegan pizza right on the men. “That pizza came about because lots of vegans were requesting pizza,” Scotney told me. He studied dough making under a master in Chicago. The trick is make the dough out of flour, salt, water and yeast, then let it sit for 24 hours. At 1200-1500 degrees, the Oakfire oven is so hot that pizzas cook in 90 seconds. And a good thing they do, because in summer Oakfire serves up to 1500 people a day. The kale salad minus cheese is another good vegan choice.

Grand Geneva Resort

I never thought I’d be sitting at the country’s first Playboy Club Hotel eating a gourmet vegan meal. Nowadays, it’s called the Grand Geneva Resort. There are no longer young women in bunny ears and rat pack artists performing in the lounge, but there’s still a distinctive bunny head-shaped pond, and other souvenirs from the resort’s past.

Executive chef and long-time Wisconsin resident Nelly Buleje oversees the enormous resort’s multiple restaurants. I got to meet him and he was extremely kind and happy to prepare the most beautiful vegan delicacies for me, complete with edible flowers!

Also, I felt comfortable enough with him to ask him to throw in some chili peppers which made my risotto much more exciting.

The resort’s menus are not overtly veg-friendly. However, they are committed to accommodating many diets, so if you tell your server at the beginning of the meal, the Grand Geneva will whip up something veg-delicious.

Avant Café

If you like bikes and/or coffee, you’ll want to stop by Avant Cycle Café while visiting Lake Geneva. This combination regional biking center and coffee shop fixes bikes, rents bikes, advises on local bike routes, and serves up coffee roasted in small batches. I appreciated the multiple nondairy options for my cappuccino. They even rent fat bike tires for snow rides, if you happen to visit Lake Geneva in winter.

Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub

With a bit of creativity, you can get a good vegan meal at Sprecher’s. The Southwest Salad is a huge, filling entrée. Just hold the cheese and switch out ranch dressing for balsamic and you have a vegan lunch. Or order the Asian chop chicken salad, hold the chicken, and you’re left with an enormous plate of cabbage, veggies, peanuts, mandarin oranges and sesame seeds tossed in ginger-garlic sauce. They also offer vegan patties for their burgers. If you like sodas, don’t miss their line of craft sodas brewed in a gas-fired kettle.

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With a population of about 32,000, Sydney is Nova Scotia’s second biggest city, and by far the largest on Cape Breton Island. A causeway connects the rugged 4,000 square mile island to Nova Scotia’s mainland. Historically, this area made its living with coal, steel and fisheries. Now tourism is emerging as a leading industry and Sydney’s restaurant scene is developing.

Vegan Pioneers

Lane and Chef Joey Matheson are vegan pioneers driving Sydney’s veg expansion. Both are newish vegans with a passion to make plant-based eating accessible to others. Lane stopped eating meat after earning the prestigious Red Seal chef certification–the requirement to watch animal butchery videos sent her over the veg precipice. Matheson was already mostly vegetarian, but switched to vegan to help cure his eosinophilic esophagitis. This build-up of white blood cells in his esophagus causes food allergies, including to meat. Now Lane owns Nourish, a weekly vegan and vegetarian meal service. Matheson runs a monthly event called River Filly Plant Based Dinners where folks get together for a multi-course vegan meal. Both also hold down culinary day jobs.

I spent a couple of days in Sydney in July and didn’t even make a dent in the good places to eat. But I met both Lane and Matheson and, with their suggestions, have cobbled together a few suggestions of promising spots for vegans to eat while visiting. Starting, of course, with theirs.

Nourish

“Hands down, my favorite place for vegan food right now is Amy Lane’s Nourish, it’s always incredible and she’s just a sweetheart,” Matheson told me. I can attest to this. When I met Lane, she generously brought me two plates of that week’s offerings: a mac and cheese with cornbread and barbecued tofu, and a plate featuring jackfruit and Korean green onion pancakes. I can see why she’s winning the hearts and stomachs of Cape Bretoners. Lane does her meal prep once a week at the West Mount Fire Hall kitchen, then her customers come pick up their meals. She estimates that 30 percent of her customers are vegetarian, 10 vegan, and the rest are omnivores. If you’re visiting Cape Breton, make sure to check out her Nourish Facebook page and see if you can snag some takeout meals.

River Filly

Matheson created the River Filly Plant Based Dinners last year so that Cape Bretoners could enjoy a good vegan sit down meal with an appetizer, main course and dessert. He advertised it on social media. “Our first dinner we did, we sold out in less than one hour. It was incredible.” And so the River Filly became a monthly event. For visitors, this takes a bit of timing to get right—I was bummed I missed it by a few days.

Bite of Asia

I visited Sydney after a week of bland food and was dying for some chili peppers. So my first stop was Bite of Asia, at 11:03 am, three minutes after they opened. Bite has an enormous menu and is happy to veganize standard Thai and Chinese dishes. I got a huge plate of eggplant and tofu with tons of red chili flecks.

Doktor Luke’s, a respectable coffeehouse

This is the place for vegan caffeine junkies. When I asked for nondairy milk, they offered four choices! Don’t let your fear of not being able to get an oat milk cappuccino sway you from visiting Cape Breton Island. “They always take pride in what they do and carefully take care of your plant based orders,” Matheson said of Doktor Luke’s.

Neat & Potatoes

Both Matheson and Lane recommended vegan meal delivery service Neat & Potatoes. Locals can order cauliflower tacos, perogie pasta or other delicacies for pickup or delivery. While this might not be common tourist behavior, it looks easy enough to order your vegan meal the day before and have it delivered to your hotel.

Nicky’s Tiny Café

Joan Macneil-Jones of the Cape Breton Vegetarian Association recommended this new breakfast and lunch café to me. Nicky’s Tiny Cafe is run by a couple who are into tiny houses, raw chocolate, promoting local artisans and making organic, healthy food. Plus, dog-friendly patio! Nicky also teaches cooking classes, specializing in raw and vegan.

The Little Rollin’ Bistro

Lane and Matheson also both had good things to say about food cart Little Rolling Bistro. Lane recommends taking advantage of Taco Tuesday deals on vegan tacos with cauliflower, corn and vegan cilantro aioli.

Flavor

Local chain Flavor has three outlets around Sydney. Lane recommends their vegan curry.

Black Spoon

This upscale yet affordable restaurant in North Sydney always has vegetarian dishes on the menu and can be veganized. Lane highly recommends Black Spoon.

The Olive Tree

Matheson recommends the Olive Tree, Mediterranean restaurant which offers a vegan chickpea and lentil loaf, curried coconut mango tagine and other menu choices which make me want to return to Sydney.

Mian’s

Matheson recommends Mian’s, an Indian restaurant in downtown Sydney. Vegetarian options on the menu, double check with the server about what can be prepared vegan.

Selkie’s Neighborhood Diner

This busy breakfast and lunch space is adjacent to Doctor Luke’s. Ask for Selkie’s vegan specials.

Lebanese Flower

As all seasoned vegans and vegetarians know, find a Lebanese restaurant and you should be able to eat. Lane recommends the lentil soup at Lebanese Flower.

I’m sure I’ve missed some, and the scene keeps evolving. If you’re visiting Cape Breton Island, make time to check out and support some of Sydney’s veg and/or veg-friendly restaurants. And check out the Cape Breton Vegetarian Association (@CBvegetarians) on Facebook for latest culinary additions to the area.

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Little Eater

Cara Mangini, author of The Vegetable Butcher, is the chef and founder of Little Eater. This vegetarian responsible has two locations: one in the Clintonville neighborhood north of downtown, the other in the North Market, which is a lively food hall.

Mangini specializes in making complicated vegetable combinations, and never shying away from the unusual. For example, when I visited, I tried the cauliflower and quinoa, made with pomegranate, pine nut, pistachio, lemon, mint, dill, parsley, za’tar and citrus sumac vinaigrette. The best plan for vegans is to buy three or four scoops of different salads for a filling and interesting meal.

Comune

When co-owner Joe Galati opened Comune, he aimed to give Columbus an upscale vegetarian dining experience. But was Columbus ready? “It’s terrifying but I feel like the neighborhood and the city has been so receptive,” he told me as we sat in his packed restaurant on a rainy Thursday night. It’s a stylish young crowd in the modern, industrial-chic restaurant. “We started Comune because nothing like it existed in Columbus,” Galati said. The menu is organized around sharable plates, most of which can be made vegan. For dinner, you might try a cassoulet made with mixed legumes, sour hearty greens, horseradish, crispy cornbread and a Moroccan herb sauce called chermoula, or stir-fried spaghetti squash with garlic, seaweed, peanut, chiles and lime.

According to the menu, the dishes were “inspired by a three-day peyote trip in the woods and the recipes that came with my toaster.” In addition to creative dishes and cool minimalist décor, Comune’s owners tout reusable straws and other ways to cut waste streams. “We try to do as much as we can to reduce our footprint,” Galati said.

Eden Burger

Then again, sometimes you’d rather have a good old veg burger and fries than navigate through unfamiliar ingredients and chic millennials. Several local vegans recommended I check out Eden Burger, which is close to the Ohio State University campus. It’s a small, light-filled place with about eight tables and lots of indoor plants. I’d only read online about ten times that Eden Burger was vegan, but as usual my paranoia crept in so I reconfirmed with the counterperson. “So, the menu’s all vegan?” I asked. “Yep, and so are we,” she said, indicating the folks making the food. The menu sticks close to its burgers-and-fries mission, with four standard burgers, a monthly special, and two tempeh sandwiches, plus a fried section.

The burgers are made in house from lentils, sunflower seeds, rice, mushrooms, gluten free oats, beets, coconut aminos, and spices. Fry choices include onion rings, pickle chips, mozzarella sticks, tempeh nuggets and, of course, potatoes. I tried the BBQ Western, a tall burger that included fried onion petals, fresh jalapeño and ranch dressing.

Brassica

This Mediterranean restaurant isn’t a veg place, but is excellent for vegans. Started by a two brothers with a Lebanese grandfather who came to the US in 1920, Brassica has four locations in Columbus. The small menu has a couple of veg-appropriate dishes, a falafel or vegetable bowl or pita, or a hummus plate. The thing that makes Brassica so good is that the workers assemble the food in front of you so you can ask for more vegetables, and more. I got a falafel in a pita with about ten additional veggies on top. Think roasted cauliflower, marinated eggplant, pickled vegetables.

Bareburger

This New York- based omnivorous burger joint has a Columbus outlet that serves vegetarians well. It has four different vegan burgers, including a Beyond Burger. I ordered the Thai Chia, which came with vegan American cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms, spinach and Thai ketchup on a sprout bun.

Bareburger also makes vegan shakes from coconut ice cream, including the Velvis, a concoction of banana, peanut butter, chocolate and hemp milk, and the cococado, made with coconut, avocado and lime. And there’s vegan carrot cake.

Momo Ghar

If you sit at the counter of this stall in the North Market, you’ll see industrious people rolling out and stuffing momos, or Himalayan dumplings. They make thousands a day, using a bread machine to mix the dough and doing the rest by hand. Momo Ghar’s serving size is a plate of eight momos in sauce topped with cilantro. They have two kinds of vegan momos, so order four of each.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a super popular Columbus artisan treat shop. Since 2002, Jeni Britton Bauer has been blending her renowned ice creams. So many people recommended Jeni’s that I had to visit twice, just to feel like I fit in. I tried all four offerings in her dairy-free line: cold brew with coconut cream, dark chocolate truffle, roasted peanut butter and strawberry jam, and Texas sheet cake. Which is the best? Oh, no, I better try them all again to be sure.

Eat Purr Love

This café has minimal food offerings—vegan baked goods by Pattycake—but plenty of cats. Owned by Columbus Humane, Eat Purr Love had adopted out 429 cats at the time of my visit in May. Pretty good for two and a half years.

While I was there, a couple of young women were visiting a lovely black cat named Midnight whom they were planning to take home as soon as their security paperwork went through. They’d come to spend an hour with Midnight, and, like loyal suitors, they spent the whole time on the couch with him, only politely greeting the other felines. Brought tears to my eyes! Meanwhile, I curled up on the window ledge with a russet-nosed tabby named Jimmy-Steve. The cats have plenty of high structures to climb on and private areas in the back room when they’ve had enough human contact.

Cayden Cuva, the café host, told me they try to keep 12-15 cats in residence, so there are plenty of cats but they don’t overwhelmed. “Our goal is never to have more people in the café than cats,” Cuva said. Everything is as local as possible, from artwork to treats from the neighborhood vegan bakery. Of their decision to go vegan with the baked goods, Cuva said,“It seemed like a really good fit for a place that is all about animal humanity.”

The post Vegan Hot Spots: Columbus, Ohio appeared first on Chic Vegan.

The park covers more than 2,500 square miles of mountainous terrain. Most of that is wilderness, with nary an ounce of tofu in sight. The town of Banff Springs (population 7,584) has the densest concentration of tofu per square mile, so I recommend vegan travelers head there to fuel up.

Nourish Bistro, Banff Springs

If you’re only going out for one meal while visiting Banff National Park, support Nourish, the local vegetarian restaurant. Most items on their menu can be made vegan. Nourish’s mushroom ravioli with vegan cream came highly recommended, but I was desperate for vegetables and so ordered the falafel salad. It was huge, with excellent greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, tofu feta, red pepper hummus and, of course, falafel. I also ordered bread with butter oil, which is a locally blended oil that’s vegan but tastes like butter, made down the street at the Evoolution oil store. Nourish is a popular spot and seems to draw a veg and non-veg clientele. It’s on the upscale side of veg, with entrée prices in the $20-$30 range.

Nesters, Banff Springs

Nesters, part of a British Columbia grocery chain, has a surprising amount of vegan food. If you’re driving through the park and plan on camping or staying at remote lodgings, stock up here. Get your boxes of Daiya mac and cheese and high-end bars of dark chocolate for dessert.

Indian Curry House, Banff Springs

One of several Indian restaurants in town, I opted for Indian Curry House because of its specialization on South Indian food. Nothing like a big Mysore masala dosa with a view of the mountains. Plus it has all your standbys, like eggplant bharta and chana masala. I went at the off-time of five p.m. and had the restaurant practically to myself.

Fairmont Banff Springs

Many Banff Springs visitors stop at the “Castle in the Rockies” even if they’re staying elsewhere. One of the great hotels built by 19^th century railroad barons, the Fairmont Banff Springs is still fabulous and deserves a look. I stayed at this enormous property for two nights and never did see it all. Have a wander and check out the King Arthur style details. Stock, the Fairmont’s market/café has a few vegan snacks, juices and excellent chocolates. The espresso bar makes a good soy cappuccino. If you’re there for breakfast, the Vermilion Room buffet’s vegan items include potatoes, grilled tomatoes, house-made bread, fruit and mashed avocado.

Fairmont Lake Louise

The famously teal waters of Lake Louise are about a 45-minute drive from Banff Springs. There’s a small village a few kilometers from the lake, but your best bet is another Fairmont property, the Chateau Lake Louise. It’s also the best place to stay if you want to wake up and wander straight out to the lake. The chateau’s on-site restaurants operate trans fat-free kitchens and include organic local produce when possible. I was there for a wellness retreat, for which there was special vegan food at every meal, beautifully presented.

Even if you’re there as a regular visitor, the Fairmont Lake Louise is nice to vegans. The breakfast buffet at the Poppy Brasserie offers good stuff like potatoes, blistered cherry tomatoes, avocado, fresh fruit, bread and peanut butter. I especially appreciated how pitchers of soy and almond milk were set out on the buffet, so I didn’t even have to ask. The Lakeview Restaurant makes a vegan tomato coconut soup and a vegan wrap with tomato rice pilaf, white beans, lemon and basil, pickled shallots, black olive hummus, and cucumber. I ran up quite a tab at the deli, which is open 24/7 to make soy cappuccinos.

As always, when venturing into the wilderness, pack your veg protein bars. But make sure to sample a couple of the local veg-friendly eateries while visiting Banff National Park.

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Bamboozle

Local Vietnamese chain Bamboozle has vegan pho, vegan tofu lemongrass banh mi sandwiches, and, get this, three types of vegan fresh rolls – avocado, veggie and tofu. I got one of each roll. Turns out they make each roll fresh! Impressive. And they gave me three different vegan dipping sauces.

Dixie Dharma

I lucked out by being in town the week  Dixie Dharma debuted in Tampa. The Orlando-based vegan spot now serves its vegan takes on Southern classics inside Armature Works, a beautifully renovated streetcar barn that houses a public food market. General Manager Ashley Simmons and Sous Chef Gustavo Vasquez temporarily relocated from Orlando to launch the Tampa branch. Gustavo, who worked for Disney and Universal Studios before his work life took a vegan turn, loves that Dixie Dharma makes everything in-house. “This is a scratch kitchen so it’s really fun to work here,” he told me as he took a well-deserved coffee break.

Ashley says their orange bird – a sloppy joe with orange barbecue sauce and house slaw served on a toasted potato bun – is the top seller in Orlando. “It’s known worldwide,” she said. “Our chili dogs are one of the up and coming very popular items. And then our Carolina jackfruit is totally a top contender as well.” When I visited on day three of Dixie Dharma’s stint in Tampa, the jackfruit was a top seller. I can vouch for its goodness. So far, Ashley says, Tampa is embracing DD. “They’re all smiles and they tell us how great the food was, and the next day they come back with more people.”

Fresh Kitchen

A bowl specialist, the local Fresh Kitchen chain lets you customize your own. For example, if you pick a Four Bowl you get to choose two bases, one veggie, one protein and one sauce. A six bowl gets you two bases, two proteins, two veggies and one sauce. Vegan hot base items include cauliflower potato mash and brown rice, cold bases include kale slaw and sweet potato noodles. For the veggie options, you can get roasted mushrooms, braised lentils, roasted sweet potatoes and/or sesame green beans. The only vegan protein is teriyaki tofu. Vegan items are all clearly marked. It took me a couple of minutes to make sense of all this, but suffice it to say you can get a fast and healthy vegan lunch here for about 10 bucks, with lots of choices. The patio has darling pink tables and is dog-friendly.

Taco Dirty

Taco Dirty is owned by the same restaurateur as Fresh Kitchen, and has a similar customization concept. But this time the bowls and plates let you choose combinations of bases, vegs, proteins, sauces and “Mexi things.” Mexi things of interest to vegans include lime jalapeno sour crema and vegan cauli queso. I didn’t get to try Taco Dirty this visit, but it will be on the top of my list for next time I’m in Tampa.

Columbia Restaurant

Founded in the 1880s, Ybor City was nicknamed “Cigar City” because of its 50 years of cigar-rolling supremacy. This Tampa neighborhood northeast of downtown is still full of gorgeous historic buildings dating back to the late 19^th century. Since the ‘90s it’s seen a renaissance as an entertainment and nightlife district. But the Columbia Restaurant predates gentrification. Known as Florida’s oldest restaurant, it opened in 1905 as a place cigar workers went for Cuban coffee and sandwiches. Incredibly, it’s still owned by the fourth generation of the Hernandez/Gonzmart family, who continue to expand the empire. The Columbia restaurant and gift shop now fills a city block, boasting 15 different dining rooms, each decorated with oil paintings, heavy wooden doors and, best of all, thousands of handmade tiles.

The Columbia has quite a few vegetarian dishes marked on the menu. A few can be adapted for vegans, including eggplant Riojana, which is what I ordered. The chef breads four big medallions of eggplant in ground plantain crumbs, fries them and ladles on a tomato-based Rioja sauce with garlic, capers, green olives and red wine. Vegetarian paella and a black bean, rice and tomato dish are the other two veg mains. It’s well worth visiting for the history, art and atmosphere, as well as the Spanish food.

Ulele

Another Gonzmart family production, Ulele turned an old water works building into a historic fine dining restaurant right on the Hillsborough River. By revitalizing a derelict stretch of Tampa’s riverfront, Ulele has brought new life to the Tampa Heights neighborhood and inspired other businesses to follow suit. Named for a young Native American princess, the menu uses indigenous flavors and ingredients. Ulele has won accolades for its vegetarian dishes, especially the Portobello mushroom stuffed with vegetables. This usually has manchego cheese, but you can order it without.

The okra fries are thin-sliced, non-slimy, delicious and vegan. The native sauté is a vegan stir fry, and the carrot ribbons are vegan if you skip the aioli. Sit outside and catch the sunset.

Sweet Soul SoHo

If there’s vegan ice cream in a city, I consider it my job to find it. Sweet Soul SoHo is Tampa’s place for vegan soft serve, acai bowls and smoothies. I went straight for the brownie sundae—a generous bowl of soft serve topped with chocolate granola, cacao nibs, brownie chunks and your choice of drizzle. In my case, peanut butter. It was way more than I needed to eat, but eat it I did.

Owner and Tampa native Taylor Winter left med school to follow her dream of opening Sweet Soul. “Everything here has a nutritional benefit,” she told me when I asked her about the vanilla bean charcoal soft serve that is, well, the color of charcoal. It was the only time my vanilla has ever been darker than my chocolate. “The charcoal doesn’t add flavor, but it adds a detox benefit,” she said. At first she worried that kids might be leery of dark gray ice cream. “But they think it’s cool.” Indeed, I saw one little guy dig right in without hesitation. The other two flavors when I visited were matcha and coconut algae. I was put off by the latter, but Taylor convinced me to try a sample. It’s made with Blue Majik algae and is an incredible ice blue color. Sure enough, all delicious coconut, no algae taste.

Sweet Soul is extremely family-oriented, and even has a garden aimed at inspiring kids. “There’s no farms in South Tampa,” Taylor explains. She encourages kids to water, plant and dig. Phyllis the rooster oversees the garden.

The post 7 Places for Vegans to Eat in Tampa appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Like many vegans, I adore animals. So the chance to visit these manatees was alluring. However, venturing into a part of the country where my diet is still considered unusual (if not downright peculiar) takes some extra planning. About 80 miles north of Tampa, Crystal River feels much more rural. The entire county only has about 150,000 citizens, and I’m not sure any of them are vegan. But I found that visiting Crystal River for a couple of days is doable, and you don’t even have to subsist on eel grass like the manatees.

Tea House Café

Driving into Crystal River on Highway 19, you pass strip malls full of uninspiring architecture. But continue to Citrus Avenue and you’ll find the Heritage Village, the old downtown area that now has boutiques and art galleries serving tourists. Much of the art features – you guessed it—manatees.

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When I saw a place called the Karma Cottage, which specializes in crystals and psychic readings, I thought people working there will know where to get a veg meal in this town if anyone does. But when I asked the guy behind the counter, he laughed and said, “You’re in the wrong state.”

It turned out that just two doors down from the Karma Cottage, the Tea House Café has several vegan choices on the menu: avocado toast, spinach flatbread with hummus and olives, a plate with tabouli, pita, hummus and feta (hold the feta), or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Also, of course, tons of tea. It was a cute place with rows and rows of tea canisters inside, fun beaded glass chandeliers, and lots of rustic signs. I bought a Manatea infuser in the gift shop. This little guy hangs over the side of a teacup and is the ultimate manatee gift for the tea lover. I ordered the spinach flatbread with hummus and a side salad, and sat outside on a shady front porch.

Plantation on Crystal River

I stayed at the Plantation, a big resort complex on the river with a golf course, sand volleyball, kayak rentals, organized tours, a spa, and a huge fountain out front full of manatee statues. I visited on a weekend, when you couldn’t walk down the hallway without tripping over the train of a bridal gown. Not only was it a lively place with plenty of stuff to do, they even made me special vegan food.

The Plantation’s restaurant, West 82 Bar & Grill, had advance warning that a vegan was gracing them with her presence. So Executive Sous Chef Greg Keeley made me a special mushroom and spinach risotto. If you don’t tell them ahead of time, you can still get vegan pasta, though it’s not on the menu.

I ate breakfast at the Plantation twice. One morning they made me an elaborate and enormous dish with roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and tons of balsamic, plus a red pepper stuffed with mushroom risotto. The next morning I had a more modest bowl of oatmeal, which they were happy to make special with water instead of milk. The Plantation also has soy cappuccino capability. Which to me is the ultimate luxury when visiting rural Florida.

Katch 22

About ten miles down the road from Crystal River, Katch 22 in Lecanto provides sophisticated, upscale dining. Expect polished wood tables, a neutral color scheme and tasteful prints of marine animals. The seafood-focused restaurant opened in September of 2016. According to server Laurie Mansfield, who’s been there since the beginning, the response has been great, drawing a wide variety of locals and out of town visitors.

Like the Plantation, Katch 22 has nothing vegan on the menu, but people who ask will get the vegetable platter. And they do ask regularly, Laurie said. Chef Richard Wiggins cooks up big helpings of cauliflower steak, carrots, beets, mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes and potatoes. It’s high-quality produce, attractively arranged. They change their menus from spring/summer to winter/fall.

Manatee Viewing

Wait, why are we in Crystal River? Oh, yes, the manatees. Florida is the only place in North America where you can legally swim with these docile yet curious beasts. That’s because manatee tourism goes back so far in Florida that it got grandfathered in.

I did my manatee swim through the Plantation. Captain Ross Files schooled our group in manatee etiquette. “This isn’t Sea World,” he repeatedly told us. These were wild animals and we were going into their home. The polite way to do this is through passive observation. Manatees are sensitive creatures, with acute hearing and 5,000 tactile hairs on their bodies. They can hear human heartbeats and the annoying sounds of our snorkel breathing from a distance. And they really hate swimmers who splash. We were told to stay as still as possible and to swim with our hands and feet underwater. Captain Ross told us not to touch the manatees, but if the manatees were interested in checking us out, we should let them approach.

It’s an incredible experience to get to visit the manatees in their winter home. If you venture to Florida, sign on with the Plantation or ask around for another reputable tour operator who shows the manatees the respect they deserve. And remember to pack some vegan snacks.

The post Eating Vegan and Visiting Manatees in Crystal River, Florida appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Teresa: How did you decide which recipes to offer?

Holly:  With the freedom to create a dedicated menu, rather than just a few options, I created across the spectrum of what the customer could want. Whether it’s a lighter lunch option like the Roasted Vegetable Buddha bowl, or something a bit more comforting like the Shepardless Pie, all dishes are satisfying but also meeting the different customer needs. A lot of time was spent perfecting the desserts also. In particular working alongside Head Pastry Chef Paul Kelly to create the most incredible vegan meringues took a little bit of time, but the end result is something really special.

Teresa:  What has the response been so far? 

Holly:  The response so far has been so positive. It’s exceeded all expectations. Currently there is an estimate that 2% of the Irish population are vegans, but plenty more are adopting flexitarian or vegan-curious lifestyles. Fundamentally I wanted taste to be the guiding principle for all dishes and therefore vegan or not, everyone can appreciate how tasty the food is. Not a week goes by where I don’t receive a message on social media of people sharing how much they enjoyed the experience. The Merrion is a very special hotel and The Garden Room setting is one of the most beautiful in Dublin and overall it seems to be a wonderful experience start to finish.

Teresa:  How does the Garden Room fit into Dublin’s veg dining scene?

Holly:  I think we have created something particularly special at The Garden Room. I have travelled extensively and been lucky enough to eat in a range of vegan restaurants but I feel very confident that the menu, and in particular the desserts, are world class on the vegan food spectrum. Ireland’s vegan scene is on the rise and the term is far more familiar now than even this time last year. The Garden Room has done something very special and anticipated and met a rising demand in a beautiful way.

Teresa: How would you sum up Dublin’s overall veg scene?

Holly:  Overall for casual dining Dublin is very strong for vegetarian options but in terms of vegan finer dining it has a little longer to go. It’s an exciting time for food in general but like most things change happens slowly. It’s a large undertaking for a kitchen to train its staff to create satisfying vegan options but I am optimistic that there will be significant and exciting growth in the coming years. With apps like Happy Cow and social media it is easier at least for people to find places that will accommodate them now.

The post Holly White on the Dublin Vegan Scene and her New Menu at the Merrion Hotel appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Next Level Burger

This is where Next Level began, a visit to the mothership of the organic vegan burger chain is a must while in Bend. Next Level makes a plethora of burger patties, involving different blends of quinoa, white beans, black chia seeds, black beans and mushrooms. Fries come in regular or sweet potato, and you can get vegan milkshakes. Not a fry person (Are there such creatures?)? Order your burger with a side of kale salad instead.

Chow    

As someone who favors old houses, I love old house restaurants and felt very at home here. While breakfast is easy for vegetarians, I often find it the hardest meal for vegans. But Chow offers more than the default oatmeal made with water. They made me a lovely tofu rancheros, and also had a vegan benedict. I ate there the day before Thanksgiving and they even had vegan pumpkin pancakes.

Bethlyn’s Global Fusion

Named for Chef Bethlyn Rider, this cute world fusion café has a wide-ranging menu. She mixes Aer with African, French with Indian, whatever it takes to make an interesting dish. Bethlyn’s Global Fusion is a good place to get a few appetizers or bigger dishes to share. Good vegan choices include roasted India chick peas, Thai coconut curry bowl, or a Mahn Mi lettuce wrap. Lots of menu items can be made vegan on request.

Joolz

A different type of global fusion happens at Joolz’, whose tagline is, “Where the Middle East meets the Wild West.” Chef Ramsay Hamdan was born in Beirut to a Lebanese father and an American cowgirl mom. Joolz is a bit more upscale than other places on this list, and its pretty Middle Eastern décor lends itself to a romantic date night. They do a nice job with standard veg Middle East choices, like falafel, grape leaves and baba ganouj.

Bonta Natural Artisan Gelato

This gelato place is packed even on November nights—and we know, because we went two nights in a row. Gelato joints usually offer sorbets, too, which I’m sure many people find delicious. I’m not one of those people. Sorbet usually tastes like fruit concentrate to me, making me envy my husband’s gelato and throwing what he calls “a vegan tantrum.” But Bonta provides for people like me. In addition to their sorbets, they make some richer, coconut-based vegan ice creams, including chocolate coconut. A delicious end to an evening out in downtown Bend, Oregon.

The post 5 Top Spots for Vegans in Bend, Oregon appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Unlike Montreal, Quebec City is far from the cutting edge of veg. Here are a few places to get a good vegan meal in Quebec City.

Monastére des Augustines

This 17^th century monastery turned wellness center is my top pick for vegans and vegetarians. If you like a quiet atmosphere, history and yoga, I highly recommend staying at the Monastére des Augustines.

Breakfast is eaten in silence as a throwback to the Augustinian sisters’ tradition, who have lived in this building for centuries. Vegan choices include several nut butters for your toast, and multiple milk alternatives for your cereal, plus lots of fruit.  At lunch, the monastery lays out ten different premade salads on its all-you-can-eat salad bar. The day I ate there, all were vegan. They always offer a veg entrée, and even had a chocolate vegan dessert. You can order a green juice or a ginger infusion.

The monastery is very forward-thinking about minimizing food waste, supporting local organic farmers, and even developing new cultivation techniques for a winter greenhouse. Check out their wellness packages, which combine accommodations, meals and onsite yoga classes and spa services.

Nina Pizza Napolitaine

Who goes out on a Monday night when it’s 39 degrees and pouring rain? Quebec City’s pizza lovers, and apparently they’re all headed for Nina’s. The joint was jumping when I visited. The menu is all in French but a bilingual staff helped me translate the words I couldn’t figure out. Tip: Just order the piena di verdure, an inventive vegan pie with “bacon de champignons” and “feta de tofu.” The mushroom bacon was delicious.

Nina’s uses the wood that powers the oven as a decorative element, with big piles stacked around the edges of the dining area. My server told me that about once a month everybody comes in early to load in a new batch.

Le Chic Shack

This kitschy burger place doesn’t overlook the veg folks. They even offer a vegan poutine made with vegan poutine gravy, sweet potato fries, tofu curds, herb pesto and pickled onions, giving vegans a rare chance to try the national dish. The Tex Mex salad, which includes ancient grains and roasted sweet potatoes, is a lighter choice. Le Chic Shack also makes their own veggie patties.

Table at Hotel Pur

A short walk from old Quebec, the lively Saint Roch District boasts tons of restaurants and boutiques. The Hotel Pur’s chic modern look extends into Table, its timber-and-chrome restaurant. Vegetarians will appreciate a special veg section of the menu. The grilled, maple-marinated tofu with toasted fennel seeds, lemon cranberry and toasted almond couscous and gomasio is a delicious choice for vegetarians and slacker vegans who don’t mind a bit of honey.

There’s also a lentil curry with roasted pita bread, yogurt, cilantro and lime that you could order without yogurt.

La Carotte Joyeuse

If you’re staying at an Airbnb or other accommodation with a kitchen in Quebec City, you can stock up on organic groceries and cook your own meals. The Happy Carrot is also good for picking up picnic supplies and snacks.

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