Restaurants

Local Dining: HJ House

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After a crazy day at work the Hubz and I decided to take ourselves out to a new(er) restaurant, HJ House,  in downtown Burlington. This little hole in the wall restaurant opened a few months ago and each time we walk past it we always say to each other “I wonder how it is.”  Well a few weeks ago we were talking with the owner of a local organic nursery and she was telling us how it was good and inexpensive; we were sold and finally tried it tonight.

As soon as we sat I made sure to ask which ramen bowls were vegan and we were directed to the Vegetable Ramen Bowl and the Curry Vegetable Ramen Bowl.  The Hubz and I both ordered the curry one as well as an inari roll and avocado roll. I loved that they gave you the option to have brown rice in the sushi roll; which of course we got.

We started off with some complimentary tea that tasted meh okay not my favorite.

Our sushi rolls which were good but over priced compared to other sushi spots in town.

The Curry Vegetable Ramen was good; I loved that it was filled with veggies and seaweed- a pleasant surprise.  The flavor was good but  I don’t think I would order the curry one again because the flavor just got to be a little old after awhile, but that’s okay I really didn’t need all the broth anyways.

Overall the we liked the HJ House and will go back again for ramen, however for sushi we will go else where.

Weekend Wrap Up

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Gosh I’m pooped! This weekend has been crazy busy for the us between the massive load of laundry we had to do, blog updates/upgrades and visiting my parents where I had an awful nights sleep. I am about ready to pass out on the couch right now but instead I’m going to finish this post and get my workout in because I know I will regret not doing it even though i’d rather go sleep. Enjoy our weekend in photos (yes it’s all food- what can I say it was that kind of weekend).

Delicious tea at Patra

Hummus, pita chips and veggies (that tasted like onions) at Patra

Late lunch with the Hubz at The Farm House Tap & Grill

Oh and of course and afternoon brew

or two! (we both had 2 halves - so one full beer)

Sunday Breakfast Broiled Grape Fruit aka "Royal Grapefruit" (the Hubz thought I said royal when I really said BROILED so now it's Royal Grapefruit)

Yields 4 servings- mix 2T agave, 1t vanilla, 1/2t cinnamon & 1/4t ginger powder together and brush on 2 halved grapefruits- broil on high for 5-10 minutes

Breakfast Frittata with Tomato-Mushroom Gravy

Blog Updates:

Thanks to the Hubz my blog has received a facelift! In addition to a new look I also updated my ‘About Me‘ page so check it out! Stay tuned for more upgrades in the future!

Dining Out Vermont:Trattoria Delia

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After six weeks my parents finally returned from their trip to Florida and we decided to take them out for their 30th wedding anniversary -YES 30 YEARS!! Since it was a special occasion we gave them a few options and they chose Trattoria Delia.  I was excited because I had never been there and the Hubz who had been with work said it was really delicious. Since it is a nicer spot I felt awkward whipping out my camera so the following are sneaky iphone photos.

We started with a liter of wine for the table and enjoyed the beautiful fire place and rustic atmosphere. We also had some amazing yummy bread with wonderful fruity olive oil.

We started with a vegan antipasti for the table and an order of bruschetta both were really amazing.  The vegan antipasti was not on the menu but they had no problem creating a vegan plate for us.

For our main courses the Hubz and I both got the Orecchiette con Fricone  “Fricone, dialect of the southern region of Puglia for a fried tomato sauce, made from vine-ripened tomatoes, crushed garlic, a pinch of red pepper and arugula, tossed with an imported handmade ear-shaped pasta and pecorino cheese. This dish was easily veganizable and they were will to create other dishes for you as well. It sounds really simple but it was one of the most amazing pasta dishes I have ever had.

We finished the night with espressos and lingering conversation.  Overall we had a wonderful experience.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lovely and although service was not over the top they were attentive and allowed you to enjoy the experience there was no push to get you out the door.

The Hubz and I decided to extend the night into a date and had one cocktail out at a bar where we had a horrible experience but oh well we were together.

 

Hubz Cocktail- "Border Patrol- Canadian Club Whisky and Vermont Maple Liqueur"

However after a late night (for me) I feel a little like this today

Candle Cafe Inspired: BBQ Sweet Potato & Black Bean Sandwich

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One of my favorite things to do is take restaurant menus and use them for inspiration to create recipes at home.  It allows us to enjoy a restaurant meal in our own home at a fraction of the cost and allows us to experience restaurants we aren’t able to visit on a regular basis.  So today when I received the Candle Cafe Newsletter with their Spring 2011 menu I was inspired by one of their sandwiches:

Instead of making a BBQ Tempeh & Sweet Potato Sandwich I made a BBQ Sweet Potato and Black Bean Sandwich.  I baked the sweet potato and glazed it with BBQ sauce. I grilled the kale and red onion on our little George Forman Grill and I whipped up a variation of my smoked paprika aioli, I added roasted garlic and roasted shallot to the aioli- YUM!.  I then layered up the sandwiches and grilled them on the George Forman Grill to make them nice and toasty and served a green salad along side.

Q: Where do you find recipe inspiration?

Vermont Vegan: Vermont Pub & Brewery

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Vermont Pub & Brewery (VPB) is a popular spot among locals and guests to Burlington.  They have a variety of housemade brews and serve local wines.  As most people know it can be hard to find vegan options when dining out especially at a brew pub but VPB has exceed expectations with their list of vegan friendly items check it out:

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Pub and Brewery Vegan Options

  • Soup, Salad & Chili:
    • Mesclun Salad
    • Spinach Salad
    • Caesar Salad – without cheese & with House Vinaigrette or Oil & Vinegar
  • Appetizers:
    • Spud Skins – plain
    • Salsa & Chips
  • On The Side:
    • Basket of Brewhouse Fries
    • Sweet Potato Fries
    • Beer-Battered Onion Rings
  • Hot Sandwiches:
    • Veggie Mushroom Philly – without cheese (with bread, not roll)
    • Portabella Mushroom – without cheese (with bread, no bun)
    • VPB Wrap – without cheese
    • Toasted BLT – Lettuce & Tomato (no bacon)
  • Brewery Sandwich Fare:
    • Vegetarian Rolli Polli – without cheese
  • Desserts:
    • Apple Crisp

So the next time you are in Burlington and want good food, local beer and a fun atmosphere I recommend you head to VPB!

You Had Me At Cornbread

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This past Saturday we finally made it to Angelica Kitchen, a restaurant that has been on my “To Try” list for years. We met up with my girlfriend Cate for lunch at noon which was perfect timing because the place filled up quickly and within 20 minutes there was a long waiting list. It took a while or us to make a decision as to what we wanted to get because there are so many really yummy sounding dishes on the menu.

To start the Hubz and I ordered the Angelica Cornbread, a wheat free cornbread that I have heard raving reviews about on a number of blogs. Now this is not your traditionally fluffy cornbread, it is dense and filled with whole grains. It is really delicious and worth the raving about. We also ordered a side of the miso tahini spread to go with it; it was good but the cornbread would have been fine on it’s own.

For my main dish I decided to go with the special of the day which was tofu with a chickpea miso sauce, veggies, quinoa pilaf and an Asian guacamole. I thought that the dish was really good and I loved the Asian guacamole; then again I love anything with avocado. Although the dish was really tasty and made with high quality ingredients I have to say at $16 the dish was a little pricey for what I got but oh well it was still delicious and (almost) worth it.

The Hubz went with the Thai Me Up entree which is An All Raw Entree – delicate strands of daikon radish, butternut squash & carrot, on a bed of garlic-lemon marinated kale, dressed with Thai tahini sauce. This dish was absolutely incredible and I am so jealous that I didn’t get it. We both really loved the noodles and the sauce but the star was the garlic-lemon marinated kale; it was incredible. This is a dish that I would recommend you order whether as the entree or the smaller appetizer version.

Cate ordered the Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad A seasonal selection of roasted vegetables tossed with arugula
in a balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with garlic crostini spread with creamy hummus. I only tried a small bite of one of the veggies which was really tasty so I can’t really tell you overall how the dish was but lets just say there wasn’t anything left when Cate was done. Cate also got a soy chai tea which she raved about and went back for seconds.

Overall this has easily become one of my favorite restaurants in NYC; I think that the price can be a little high for everyday eating but it is a great spot to visit when you are in the city. I am ready to head back and try everything else on the menu.

Go Nuts Dough Nuts!

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The first time I ever went to Babycakes NYC I was disappointed by the cupcakes, finding them dry and just not as exciting as I had hoped they would be.  Since then I haven’t had much of an interest in visiting Babycakes until I heard about their donuts.  Since  you don’t come across vegan donuts everyday the Hubz and I decided since we were already in the neighbourhood that we would stop in and try a few.

After much debate and a little help from the girl behind the counter we decided on the french toast and the salted caramel along with one their heart shaped chocolate covered coconut mound.  Immediately after we walked out the door we decided to dive right in and started with the french toast donut.  The donut was out of this world! It tasted just like french toast! It was warm and mapley and caramely and oh so good.  Next we tried the salted caramel which was also super sticky and delicious.  We both agreed though that the french toast was the better of the two.

We held out on the chocolate coconut mound until the next day after a three hour trip to Ikea.  It was the perfect treat after a crazy shopping trip.  It honestly tasted just like a Mounds Bar but better. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo, oh well.

All in all Babycakes redeemed themselves and we will be back!