Neil and I flew to NYC on Thursday morning for a four day excursion. We arrived and headed to the East Village to our home for the weekend, an apartment we rented via Airbnb, the apartment was in a great location and although it was tiny we had a great stay.
We picked up our keys, dropped off our bags and headed out to find lunch (we were starving at this point). We debated a few places and ultimately decided to Taïma vegetarian falafel spot that I have had on my list of “must visits” for years now.
photo from Taim website
After perusing the menu Neil and I would have loved to order (almost) everying on the menu however we made the difficult decision and both decided to go with the Falafel Sandwich on whole wheat pita. I chose to go with the traditional green falafel and Neil went with the harissa falafel.
Falafel Sandwich: choose one falafel flavor, with hummus, israeli salad, pickled cabbage and tahini sauce
To go with our falafel we shared a mint lemonade which was so tasty and even had a fresh mint leaf in it.
Mint Lemonade
Since Taïm is a tiny spot that has a few bar spots we decided to take our sandwiches to go and found a nice little park bench to sit on and enjoy our falafel. Now on to what you really want to know- how did they taste? They were AMAZING! Hands down best falafel sandwich I have ever had and I’ve had a lot of falafel. There was a wonderful balance of flavors and textures and the tahini sauce was to die for. Another thing that I loved about the sandwich was that they put two balls of falafel at the bottom and three on top, this is great because when you get to the bottom you still have tasty falafel to enjoy.
After filling up on falafel we walked over to Chelsea Market to do a little window shopping and grab a treat from One Lucky Duck.
After our short visit to Chelsea Market we met up with my BFF for a drink and spent a few hours socializing before making our way to Brick Lane Curry House for dinner.
Source
At first glance there are only 3 labeled vegan options on the menu but once seated we spoke with a server and they informed us of the many curry options that were vegan as well as the tandoori roti. We ordered the tandoori roti, chana masala, and a vegetable curry dish which came with basmati rice. Everything was absolutely delicious! I didn’t take any photos because it was so dimly lit that my photos would have been awful. It is hard to find Indian food in Vermont and it is always a treat to find a really great Indian restaurant when on vacation.
We ended our night early and decided to just relax at the apartment where I promptly fell asleep by 9pm.
Good morning! The Hubz and I are on our way to NYC today leaving our little furbaby at home with his grandparents (aka Ma and Pa Ingalls). We are ready for a mini vacation to the Big Apple where we plan to enjoy lots of tasty food, sites and Neil will even be running the Jingle Jog 6k on Saturday (I was going to run but haven’t been feeling 100% this week so decided to just cheer instead).
I hope to blog a bit while we are in the city but no guarantees so stay tuned for NYC related posts next week and make sure you check back for the 12 Days of Giveaways we have some wonderful items coming up at the end of this week and this weekend from Sprout Wellness, Mighty Leaf, Five Bamboo and finally the last giveaway on Monday from Rhythm Superfoods (can you say kale chips?)
Whenever fellow vegans are visiting Vermont I always suggest my favorite vegan friendly restaurant-A Single Pebble. The Hubz and I went for a Saturday lunch a few weeks ago and it was just as good as I remember (it’s been a few months since we last went). The other thing I love is that at lunch everything is less expensive but you still get a ton of food- we ended up taking half of ours home with us.
Our favorite dishes: Vegan Buddha’s Beef (request vegan), Mock Eel, Double Garlic Broccoli, Vegan Dry Fried Green Beans (request vegan) and Vegan Dan Dan Noodles (request vegan).
Today has been a busy day between blogging and freelance work this morning and then I headed my day job where I started my day with a mug of this delicious tea.
Shortly after getting to work I was ready for a snack so I broke out my homemade trail mix. In the mix there is raw cashews, almonds, pistachios, tamari-wasasbi almonds, fruit sweetened cranberries, raw pumpkin seeds and mulberries- such a good combination.
Lunch was leftovers from dinner chickpea chili in a wrap, a quick and easy way to transition dinner to an easy lunch. I love wrapping leftovers in a tortilla.
My work day ended and I head straight to the gym to get out 2.5 Miles for Ashley right on track for my half marathon training plan. After my run I stretched and foam rolled, holy hell I haven’t foam rolled in awhile and the foam roller was having a love-hate relationship with my IT band. Reminder to self: FOAM ROLL MORE!
Following my gym sesh I had a health coaching sesh which went really well. I have great clients and I love working with them.
Now it’s time to relax a.k.a. work on the couch for a bit while I ice my knees and enjoy a glass of vino.
REWIND
Anniversary Dinner: Tuesday was Neil and I’s 5 Anniversary since we got together. We have been married for 3 years and we don’t usually celebrate our dating anniversary but since it was 5 years it was a big deal and the Hubz decided to surprise me with dinner at a new restaurant, The Bobcat Cafe.
Neil called, checked on vegan options and made a reservation (big deal he never does this) and I swooned. Then we enjoyed an amazing dinner:
Started the Night with a Beer- Bobcat Cafe is also a brewery!
Then we started with the Black Bean Gazpacho and...
a Green Salad with an amazing Roasted Corn and Basil Dressing
The star of the show was the 5-Spiced Tofu A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Overall Bobcat Cafe was amazing. The food was incredible, the service was great and the beer was good. The atmosphere was a mixture of classy restaurant and a pub- which made for a wonderful place to eat.
Q. If you’re married to you celebrate your dating anniversary?
Our Philadelphia trip was canceled due to the hurricane so the Hubz and I decided to take a mini day trip that turned into an overnight trip to Manchester VT and Northampton MA. We started our trip with a little outlet shopping in Manchester and lunch at The Spiral Press Cafe. Lunch was good but the wrap really needed a vinaigrette or simply a little salt and pepper.
Iced Coffee and Avocado Hummus Wrap
After lunch we decided to extended our adventure and head a few more hours south to Northampton MA. Northampton is one of my favorite spots to wonder, shop and enjoy a beer.
After wondering around Northampton we stopped into Target to pick up bathing suites (i.e. gym clothes we can wear into the pool) and then checked into the hotel. We decided to get in a quick pool workout since we didn’t pack running clothes for our spontaneous trip. After a hard pool workout we got dressed and headed out to dinner at Fresh Side in Amherst.
After a beautiful weekend that took us through Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire we are experiencing extreme devastation thanks to Irene.
Beautiful Weather Friday and Saturday
I’ve spent my birthday inside flipping between episodes of Gilmore Girls and the news while following saddening tweets about the destruction throughout Vermont:
I hope that everyone affected by the hurricane/tropical storm are staying safe.
Our trip cancelled due to Irene but here is my post as scheduled:
This is a continuation of my first Vegan Philly post- this post features exclusively vegetarian and vegan restaurant. You can read my Philly vegan friendly omni restaurant post here.
Our trip cancelled due to Irene but here is my post as scheduled:
I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this yet but I am a crazy planner. My husband likes to pick on me because I will do 50+ hours of research for a weekend trip. However he won’t complain when we get there and I know where the good things are (as long as I don’t get us lost). One of the biggest projects I take on is finding great places with vegan eats. Yes I know there are tons of vegan/vegetarian places in Philly but we are going with omni friends so it is important for me to find places that are good for both of us. Here is my guide to Philly (omni restaurant) dining (FYI this gives you an idea of what you can eat at these restaurants it is not a review of the restaurant because frankly I haven’t been- I will do a review of the ones we do visit upon our return):
Three freshly prepared salsas ranging in heat from mild to very spicy
House made guacamole. Prepared table side, and is vegan with out the cotija cheese on top
Ensalada consisting of jicama, cucumber, watermelon, and avocado with a pumpkin seed dressing.
Sopa azteca. The sopa hasa pasilla chile broth, tortilla strips, avacado, and fresh pasillachiles. Tradtionally it comes with cubed chihuahua cheese and crema, but these are easily left off.
Two tamales come with an order, one is filled with summer squash, and the other filled with huitlacoche (a corn mushroom) and roasted tomato rajas (strips of poblano pepper). The dish is finished with a mole amarillo, which is a sauce made with yellow tomatoes and various chiles, spices and seeds, and an heirloom bean salad.
FARMiCiA: 15 South 3rd Street, Old City, Philadelphia
Vegan Options: “We do our tasting menu for vegans and vegetarians all the time. Even if some of the dishes have some sort of animal product in it we can adjust the dish to meet your needs.”
Now that summer is upon us, we have plenty of great vegan options. The farmers are dropping product off every day. We also have a variety of pastas that we make in house that do not contain eggs. We recently have been receiving polenta from upstate New York that is out of this world as well.
Osteria: 640 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130 |T 215-763-0920
Rating: 1
Options: Egg-less pasta with marinara, a marinara pizza, and vegetable anti-pasti platter.
Bindi : 105 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 |T (215) 922-6061
Rating: 5
The following dishes are or can be made vegan:
Appetizers- roasted beet and watermelon chaat salad; chilled sesame cucumber; english pea-potato samosas
Rating: TBD (three explicitly vegan options- there maybe more)
There may be brunch and lunch options- I would call them directly to find out.
Vegan Dinner options:
Vegan Beef Tacos – topped with onions and cilantro
Vegan Beef Burrito – flour tortilla with rice and black beans
Fajitas Vegan – wild mushrooms, peppers, onions, black beans, white rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, flour tortillas with seitan chicken and smoked tofu
Cantina Dos Segundos: 931 N 2nd St, Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA 19123 |T 215-629-0500
Rating: 4
Vegan Options
Brunch:
potatoes
tempeh bacon
guacamole
sliced avocado
mexican rice
white rice
black beans
refried black beans
Papaya Salad- green papaya, papaya escabeche, avocado, red onion,cilantro, papaya seed vinaigrette
SMOKED COCONUT CLUB -Grilled lemon garlic tofu, smoked coconut, tomato herb mayo
SHITAKE SHNITZEL-Smoked potato salad, braised red cabbage, mustard “cream” sauce
Amada: 217-219 Chestnut Street | Philadelphia PA 19106 | T 215-625-2450
Rating: 3
The items that are vegan are
– In the ENSALADAS Y SOPAS section: Ensalada Verde
– In TRADICIONAL section: Olives. The Pimientos de Padron can be adapted to be vegan.
– In A LA PLANCHA section: Setas
– In VERDURAS section: Calcots con Salbitxaba, Escalivada, Garbanzos con Espinacas. The Arroz Temporado and Esparrogos con Trufas can be adapted to be vegan.
One Shot Coffee: 217 W. George St.Philadelphia, PA 19123 |T 215-627-1620
Rating: 5
Vegan Options
Coffee, Tea, Lattes
Vegan Treats
Tofu Scramble with roasted vegetables, hash browns and toast
Tofu Egg Sandwich curried tofu roasted vegetable scramble with lettuce and tomato on a bagel
Vegan Pancakes with blueberry jam and Earth Balance
One Shot Oatmeal- steel cut oats, raisins, almond, cinnamon and sugar
Oatmeal Served with your choice of brown sugar, raisins, blueberries, bananas, maple syrup,
Tofu Scramble Tofu, salsa, black beans, hummus, and curry seasoning. Served with greens and toast.
Vegan Blueberry Bars
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Lunch:
Hummus Duo Garlic Hummus, hummus of the day, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers, warmed curried pita bread
Hummus Wrap With lettuce, tomato & cucumber
HOMEMADE VEGETARIAN CHILI (vegan, GF) Served with bread
Morimoto: 723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia
Rating: 4
Vegan Options:
A number of dishes on the dinner menu are vegan or can be modified to be vegan. These dishes include:
edamame
yosedofu
cha soba noodles
inaniwa udon noodles
house green salad
tomato salad
seasonal vegetable maki
shiitake maki
ume-shiso-cucumber maki
wasabi rice
(not printed on the menu) a vegan version of the entrees – seafood toban yaki and the ishi yaki bop with tofu.
As for desserts there is an assortment of micro-batch sorbets (with at least 1 vegan sorbet) and a coffee jelly dessert.
Also, they offer a chef’s 7-9 course tasting menu. If you are interested in the Omakase and a vegetarian/vegan diner, the chef prefers advance notice to source ingredients.
White Dog Cafe: 3420 Sansom Street, Philly Rating: 3
Vegan Options:
Mesquite Grilled Tofu Kebobs- Organic Local Tofu, Jersey Fresh Vegetables, Cous Cous Salad, Blue Moon Arugula Greens
Trio of Hummus- Kalamata Olive, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Pepper, Tandoori Bread, Cucumbers, Baby Carrots, Broccoli
Grilled Kennett Square Portobello & Spicy Cress Sandwich- Multi Grain Bread, Sun Dried Tomato & White Bean Hummus
Whenever fellow vegans are visiting Vermont I always suggest my favorite vegan friendly restaurant-
