Review: The Garden Cafe (Walla Walla, Wash.)

I grew up in Walla Walla, a sweet little town perfect for the vegetarian. The huge population of vegetarian and vegan Seventh Day Adventists in the area makes it economically viable (even economically wise) for restaurants to cater to the veg-minded. There's even a mostly-vegetarian grocery store* in College Place (the town next door that might as well be part of Walla Walla).

The Valley, known for its luscious wines and juicy sweet onions, has been home for a few vegan restaurants over the years. They've all come and gone. Let me say this: I hope The Garden Cafe is here (or there, rather) to stay. I made a quick stop on a recent visit to town, and I was delighted with what I got.

After about 10 minutes of deliberation and hassling the clerk for her opinion, I chose a scrumptious meal of aloo curry over brown rice. This tasty rice bowl was topped with the freshest veggies one could hope for: spinach, cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro.

The curry itself makes you feel healthy as you eat it. No kidding. Complete with peas, chickpeas, potatoes, and a slightly spicy sauce, this dish was both filling and refreshing.

I had my whole (mostly omnivorous) family with me, and everyone loved their food. My dad got the house-made veggie burger (pictured below), which looked mouth-wateringly good. (I would have tried it, but my dad had them slather on the peanut butter. He loves peanut butter. So do I. He loves it on burgers. That's where we differ.) The hubs had a vegan Reuben made with Tofurky (I couldn't try because soy makes my tummy mad). 

My mom and sister both had The Garden's fiesta quesadilla made with Daiya cheese. I did try that baby, and oh my heck was it good. The cheese was perfectly smooth and creamy. That coupled with the crisp freshness of the tomatoes and olives made for a party in my mouth.

The absolute best part of the meal, though? The juice. We're talking fresh-squeezed deliciousness. I spent about $9 on my 16 oz. juice, more than my food cost. And it was worth every single penny. I started with their apple juice base and had them add some kale, ginger, and lemon.

The waitress set my green juice concoction down in front of me, and my family all looked at me like I was crazy. But I drank that thing. Boy, did I drink it. And it was good (as green things usually are, once you try!).

The Garden's atmosphere was bright and cheery, but with a distinct laid-back feel. It's the type of place I would go to study if I still lived in Walla Walla. I was a little disappointed that at the end of my visit I couldn't find a recycling bin for my sister's soda can, but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

Pros:

Perfectly flavorful juice

Great use of fresh ingredients

Amazing flavor
Fair food prices
Cheery atmosphere

Cons:
Expensive juice (but worth it)
No recycling bin to be found (in a vegan cafe? C'mon people!)

*I need to tell you more about Andy's Market. This place is veg food mecca. Especially right now, during their Store-Wide Vege Sale (through March 31). Check them out. Now.

Review: Boots Bakery & Lounge (Downtown Spokane)

I've been a vegetarian (now vegan) living in Spokane, Wash. for almost three years now. I've been waiting, not-so-patiently for my city to get a vegetarian restaurant. I just wanted a place where I could go and order ANYTHING.

Boots Bakery & Lounge, which is, as far as I can tell, Spokane's only vegan restaurant (save for Method Juice Cafe), has been hanging out at it's Main Street location for about 9 months. Enough time to get pregnant and have a child. And I hadn't gotten my little hiney down there until Friday. My omni friends beat me to it! They've been raving since July.

Boots ended up being everything I had hoped for. Not only could I devour almost all of their savory choices (darn that no-soy!), but also could nom nom on a selection of sweet treats.

I started my meal with a priced-just-right trio of deli case savories: spinach basil pesto penne, roasted veggies, and a chickpea salad. Yum.

My iphone picture of my salad trio. SO GOOD (not the photo; the food).

The food was quite good. My favorite was the chickpea salad. It had the perfect fresh flavor and combined chickpeas and lentils in an interesting way. The tomatoes and spices added just the right element of richness to the dish. Let's just say that if someone wanted to make me this salad for lunch every day, I wouldn't mind.

The other two savories weren't amazing, but they were still good. The roasted veggies came to me a little oily (perhaps from re-heating), and the pasta could have used just a little salt. That said, I still left mighty satisfied and I will definitely be returning.

With my belly full (but not too full) of savory goodness, I headed to the sweet selections. I chose the most delectable no-bake cookie the size of my palm. I paired the cookie with a tasty caramel latte made with almond milk.

This is what really got me. The latte was one of the best almond milk lattes I've ever had. Let me say, you can definitely tell when the barista has experience in steaming non-dairy milk.

The cookie also tantalized my taste buds. It was chocked full of dried fruit, oats, seeds, and other nummy goodies.

This review is starting to get exceptionally long, so I'll try to hit my next points quickly: Customer service was awesome even before I went down. (I spent a few minutes that afternoon on the phone with the owner, Alison, verifying that there would be soy-free choices.) I will say that the in-store experience felt a little impersonal, but they were pretty busy when I was in.

The atmosphere inspires you to kick back and enjoy an early spring afternoon with homey furniture mixed with fresh decor.

Pros:

Yummy food (especially sweet options)

Fantastic vegan barista skills

Priced just right

Awesome atmosphere

Top-notch pre-visit customer service

Great options for allergy-ridden (soy-free, gluten-free, etc.)

VEGAN!

Cons:

Savory food could use some sprucing

Slightly impersonal in-store experience

Review: Columbia Cottage (Upper West)

Don't let the name of this Chinese restaurant fool you. This is true-blue Asian, down to a menu that is partially in Mandarin, servers who barely speak English, and receipts that have no English on them whatsoever.

When we first arrived at Columbia Cottage, a little Chinese restaurant next to a tiny Hungarian bakery, I felt no surprise toward the borderline-cliche decor such as potted plants that greet guests as they walk in. Thankfully, the atmosphere was redeemed by some stately simply designed tables and chairs, which made me think I was in for a classier meal than I had originally thought.

After going through the menu at least a couple of times looking for tofu, I realized that it had been there the whole time labelled, "bean curd." I laughed at my stupidity for reading over the entire half-page "bean curd" section of the menu so many times.

Once I located my protein of choice, I chose a bean curd and cashew dish, a cup of hot and sour soup, and a side of brown rice.

Pictured above is my food after I plated it. The tofu pictured is probably only a quarter of what they gave me, the rice maybe half. The soup is seen in the background.

I needed a kick of spice in my tofu, so I used the chili sauce that sat in the middle of the table quite liberally. Other than that, my food came perfectly seasoned straight from the kitchen.

My meal was fairly cheap, especially considering it came with free hot tea and huge servings. I spent under $15, including tip and tax.

This restaurant is pretty much exactly what a Chinese eatery should be: cheap, huge servings, and tasty seasonings.

Pros:

Great flavors

Large servings

Free tea

Cons:

Receipt in Chinese

Review: Blockheads (Midtown West)

Among non-authentic Mexican food, this is some of the best I've had. And between living in a town heavy with migrant workers and growing up in a haystack-loving formerly Seventh Day Adventist family, I've had my share of both authentic and non-authentic Mexican.

Blockheads at Worldwide Plaza has a casual atmosphere that exists somewhere between a college pub and a family restaurant.

The restaurant's advertised $7 lunch deal initially drew us into the restaurant. For such an inexpensive offer, the lunch deal had a lot to choose from--rice bowls, tacos, burritos.

Looking at the menu, I immediately became excited when I saw a note on the final page listing the items that were vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. I knew at that moment that Blockheads was going to treat me well.

I ended up with a taco plate with rice & bean tacos and a salad coupled with sides of guacamole, sour cream and tomatillo salsa.

So. Freakin'. Good.

Blockheads composes its tacos in a really interesting way. The tacos begin with a hard-shell corn tortilla, followed by a soft-shell corn tortilla, then layered with rice, beans, lettuce, pico de gallo and cilantro. On top of that, I added a thick layers of guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

The crunch of the hard shell combined with the firm and chewy texture of the soft shell created a dish that was not only interesting for its fresh flavor notes, but also for its texture.

Unfortunately, the quality of service didn't live up to the quality of the food. While the food was exceptional, the service was ordinary, if not on the disappointing side. Our server was less attentive to our needs than I would have liked, and she seemed to really rush through taking our orders. She seemed much more interested in getting to the next table than in explaining the details of the eatery's menu. This was especially frustrating given that the restaurant wasn't all that busy.

My meal came out to being just about $15, including tax and tip. (I didn't go with an item from the lunch menu.) The price is a little higher than some Mexican (or faux-Mexi) spots I've tried, but the meal was definitely worth the cost for its innovative flavors and textures.

Pros

Interesting flavors & textures

Good lunch deals

Something for everyone

Cons

Poor service

A little pricey (but worth it)

Review: Crepes on Columbus

The perfect way to end a day in the city may very well be a French restaurant.

After a rather full day involving a morning learning about the Black press in Harlem and an afternoon hearing about public TV at WNET THIRTEEN on 8th Avenue, a thick crepe stuffed with creamy chocolate hazelnut spread and fresh strawberries was exactly the comfort food I needed.

Crepes on Columbus sits on a quiet street not far from a small New York deli and a dry cleaner. Inside, it is clear that the eatery is meant to be a cozy location, with only a few tables no more than fifteen feet from the bakery display.

The restaurant boasts a more diverse menu than one would expect, as it features not only crepes, but also breakfast items such as French toast and dinner items such as salmon steak.

Deciding to order crepes was the easy part. Deciding which crepes to order was far more difficult. Crepes on Columbus offers everything from sweet cinnamon apple crepes to savory bacon & avocado crepes. After about 15 minutes of deliberation, I settled on Nutella strawberry crepes.

The balance between the flavors of the hazelnut spread, fresh berries, and thick crepe were almost perfect. The Nutella, simply because of its own rich and delectable properties, was a bit overwhelming to the dish as a whole. The bites in which I found more berries, however, offered a refreshing tangy burst that broke up the overwhelming taste of chocolate.

The crepe itself displayed the perfect thickness for a French-style crepe, although its composure turned out to be a little tougher than I usually like to see. This resulted in me having to use my knife to cut through my food, versus the fork method I'm more accustomed to using on crepe dishes.

Overall, the crepes definitely hit the spot. The price also hit the target at just $7 for two filled crepes. I definitely recommend this spot for a sweet and laid-back evening meal.

Pros:
Fairly well-balanced flavors
Cozy environment
Menu variety
Good price

Cons:
Crepes slightly tough

Review: Toast (Upper West)

My first walk through NYC's Upper West Side revealed the wide variety of foods that I had always imagined the city would present. I passed a pizza/gyros/taco joint, a Korean spot offering $5 lunches, and a couple of beautiful fruit stands and markets.

As we approached Toast, I knew it was the place to eat. The name promised a certain American cOmfort food filled with the carbs I grew up on. Combined with a full alcohol menu that my friends were seeking, and we were sold.

Inside, Toast felt like a quaint college hang out. We sat in the front dining area, which was equipped with only a few tables. Lit candle centerpieces kept up the high-class feel we had looked for in our first NYC restaurant.

The menu, with classics like burgers and fries coupled with healthy combinations like hummus and veggie sandwiches, seemed to have something for everyone.

I ordered the portobello sandwich with a musclin side salad. The plate had a simple beauty, with my sandwich perfectly sliced in half and the salad seemingly bursting off of the plate.

I started with the salad, which was visually appealing with its mix of delicious greens. The dressing had a tastefully balanced flavor: just enough acidic citrus flavor to complement the buttery flavor of the greens. The flavor was further enhanced by raw spears of carrot and fresh diced tomatoes. The carrots and tomatoes brought a needed raw and clean element to the salad, and ultimately to the plate.

The sandwich, on the other hand, was underwhelming. The portobello mushroom lacked proper seasoning, resulting in an overall bland sandwich. The baguette, however, had a perfectly crispy crust and the slightly yeasty flavor I expect from good bread.

My (non-vegetarian) friends, who had all ordered burgers and steak sandwiches, oohed and aahed over their lamb burgers, skirt steak sandwiches, and classic hamburgers. I have an inkling that this is just one of those restaurants that is great for non-veg, but doesn't know how to season vegetarian food. I digress.

In the end, I spent about $15 for my sandwich and salad, including tip. A bit on the pricey side, but no worse than TGI Friday's.

Pros:
Nice atmosphere
Great salad
Menu Variety

Cons:
Bland veg food
Slightly pricey