Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Cafe Fanny, Berkeley, CA
I just had a powerful flashback to a time when I think my love for simple, beautiful food was blossoming. It was an awakening of sorts. I was working in Berkeley at Ten Speed Press, and I discovered nearby the luscious Cafe Fanny, on San Pablo Ave. Cafe Fanny is one of Alice Waters' restaurants--although Fanny is so pleasingly small and cozy, the word restaurant doesn't seem to fit. There was just something about this place. All of the seating was outside (is still?), under trellised vines. The menu was so straightforward and simple: True to Alice Waters' mission, all of the food was farm fresh and in season. My go-to breakfast was a fresh baguette, from Acme Bakery next door, warmed in the oven and served with a little container of fresh butter and a little container of fresh honey. And I remember the first time I was served a latte in a latte bowl. I'm not sure what it was, but I immediately took to the sensual pleasure of drinking my coffee from a bowl. Maybe it was that the increased surface area created an improved situation for enjoying coffee aromas, or perhaps it was the intrinsic different-ness that resulted from drinking such a quotidian beverage from a dish I would normally have reserved for other uses. I do not know. But I can say that the whole experience, sitting outside with my latte bowl, slowly enjoying my baguette with butter and honey, was like taking a mini-vacation, and it would replenish me in the way that a good vacation does. And even though I didn't visit Cafe Fanny as often once I moved across the bay to San Francisco, this is one place that I sincerely long for . . . not so differently from how I long for the friends I left out West.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Live and learn
One interesting side effect of having this blog is that I'm finding myself taking a closer look at the things I buy. In general, lately, I find I'm trying harder to make informed, conscientious decisions about where I spend my money and thinking more about the animals or resources that were required for me to be able to buy the food or item at hand. I still have a very long way to go before I can look at my consumption and feel fine about it, but I'm going to examine anyway. For example, we all know where fur comes from. There's no gray area there: you either still dig it or are disgusted by it. But did you know that shearling is actually sheepskin, not just wool? Or that kid leather comes from the skin of a young goat? I didn't know these things until relatively recently. It's surprisingly easy to get around, I think, without having to think about where your food or your clothes come from, but I do think it's important to examine these things every once in a while. To ask yourself some questions, and if you can't come up with immediate answers, to seek out those answers. Which is not to say that we will all do the same things with this information, but I think it's important to be informed.
Well, the point of this whole side-trip is that I learned recently that my beloved panang curry contains fish sauce. Who knew? Not me. But now I do know, so the next question for me is, what will I do with this information? Oddly, I think it will be harder for me to give up panang curry than it was for me to decide that I wouldn't buy myself Uggs (on account of the shearling thing). I adore panang curry, but can I call myself a vegetarian and knowingly consume fish sauce? Zut alors.
Well, the point of this whole side-trip is that I learned recently that my beloved panang curry contains fish sauce. Who knew? Not me. But now I do know, so the next question for me is, what will I do with this information? Oddly, I think it will be harder for me to give up panang curry than it was for me to decide that I wouldn't buy myself Uggs (on account of the shearling thing). I adore panang curry, but can I call myself a vegetarian and knowingly consume fish sauce? Zut alors.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Mint Cafe, Cleveland Heights
It’s easy as a vegetarian to find yourself swimming in glorious options at a Thai restaurant. Accordingly, Thai cuisine has long been one of my favorite foods. I first discovered it in college, in New Orleans, when some friends took me to Bangkok Thai, on South Carrollton. I was a vegetarian college student, subsisting on more peanut butter than any one person should consume. (I once gave a French presentation on my love for peanut butter. But, I digress.) I remember my first meal at Bangkok Thai: I couldn’t believe the amazing flavors, and you better believe the meal included a Thai Iced Tea. It was love at first taste. The restaurant quickly became a weekly stop. (Happily, I believe they are still open for business post-Katrina.) Years later, when I was living in San Francisco, Paul and I would order in Thai at least once a week. When we decided to move back to Cleveland, we quickly determined that priority #1, above finding a place to live and hammering out the details of our rapidly approaching wedding, was to find our new go-to Thai restaurant. Sweet relief, we have found that at Mint Cafe.
The crew working at Mint Cafe is always very welcoming and friendly. We do sometimes pine for the days when we could get our dinner delivered. (Mint Cafe doesn’t deliver, but neither do most places.) That said, who couldn’t use an excuse to leave home every once in a while here in the soupy thickness of mid-winter?
the feast:
*panang curry with tofu: This has been one of my favorite Thai dishes for as long as I can recall. In all sincerity, Mint Cafe has perhaps the best panang curry I have ever tasted. One thing I appreciate about their version of the dish, apart from the truly glorious sauce, is that the plate comes out swimming in vegetables. And their veggies are always very pretty. They look and taste fresh —not at all like they were frozen moments before they made the journey to my table. Mint Cafe’s panang sauce has a definite bite to it. Spicy, but pleasantly so. Yum.
*hot thai tea: I’ve grown to embrace the hot version of the iced classic. It doesn’t contain the condensed milk and so is less sweet, but still has that mysterious smokiness that I enjoy so much. And really, when it’s in the single digits outside, I (who am rarely without scarf, inside or outside, this time of year) have no business putting iced beverages into my body.
overall:
This place is truly special and worth a visit. When we were house hunting, we found ourselves, one day, touring a beautiful old home in Cleveland Heights. It didn’t end up being the house for us, but I do recall that the people who lived there had a small chalkboard up in their kitchen, and on it someone had written, “We heart Mint Cafe!”
I understood completely.
PS. The Mint Cafe crew has just opened another restaurant a little further east in Pepper Pike. It’s called Peppermint Cafe (cute, right?). I haven’t been, but I’ve heard it’s every bit as tasty.
http://www.mintcafe.org/
The crew working at Mint Cafe is always very welcoming and friendly. We do sometimes pine for the days when we could get our dinner delivered. (Mint Cafe doesn’t deliver, but neither do most places.) That said, who couldn’t use an excuse to leave home every once in a while here in the soupy thickness of mid-winter?
the feast:
*panang curry with tofu: This has been one of my favorite Thai dishes for as long as I can recall. In all sincerity, Mint Cafe has perhaps the best panang curry I have ever tasted. One thing I appreciate about their version of the dish, apart from the truly glorious sauce, is that the plate comes out swimming in vegetables. And their veggies are always very pretty. They look and taste fresh —not at all like they were frozen moments before they made the journey to my table. Mint Cafe’s panang sauce has a definite bite to it. Spicy, but pleasantly so. Yum.
*hot thai tea: I’ve grown to embrace the hot version of the iced classic. It doesn’t contain the condensed milk and so is less sweet, but still has that mysterious smokiness that I enjoy so much. And really, when it’s in the single digits outside, I (who am rarely without scarf, inside or outside, this time of year) have no business putting iced beverages into my body.
overall:
This place is truly special and worth a visit. When we were house hunting, we found ourselves, one day, touring a beautiful old home in Cleveland Heights. It didn’t end up being the house for us, but I do recall that the people who lived there had a small chalkboard up in their kitchen, and on it someone had written, “We heart Mint Cafe!”
I understood completely.
PS. The Mint Cafe crew has just opened another restaurant a little further east in Pepper Pike. It’s called Peppermint Cafe (cute, right?). I haven’t been, but I’ve heard it’s every bit as tasty.
http://www.mintcafe.org/
lazy editor uses lowercase letters too frequently
as an editor by profession, i feel a responsibility to take advantage of all of the letter-case options afforded me: in addition to lowercase, there's uppercase, and, um, small caps.
anyhoo, i will heretofore begin forcing myself to use all case options. this i solemnly swear. adieu to you and you and you.
anyhoo, i will heretofore begin forcing myself to use all case options. this i solemnly swear. adieu to you and you and you.
Friday, January 18, 2008
dewey's, cleveland heights
okay, so dewey’s is one of my happy places. it's located right around the corner from where we live, and i can’t seem to get enough of it. there’s no bad day that an edgar allan poe (sans Kalamatas, please) and a glass of vino at dewey’s can’t fix. here are the things i love about dewey’s, in no particular order:
1) the toppings. anywhere that will allow me to put pesto on my pizza is very dear to me.
2) the crust. it’s slightly sweet and so very tasty!
3) they serve a friendly by-the-glass selection, and it doesn’t feel like they’re taking advantage of my thirst for a glass of wine. i would pay more for a glass, but i dont want to, and they don’t make me.
4) their salads. never overdressed. excellent dressings.
5) my husband would want me to mention something about the beer. he drinks beer; i drink wine. it’s hardly an original arrangement.
6) they let you do half-and-half pizzas! you can even have one-half red and one-half white. how fun is that?
7) the staff. a super-friendly and laid back team.
8) the pizza window. this window is a special piece of brilliance. we took my nieces and nephews to dewey’s. they’d been with us for approximately one hour of the 24 that would constitute our big sleepover, and we were already exhausted. we got to dewey’s and were told there was a 20 minute wait. we had no idea how we were possibly going to entertain the small fries, until we remembered (ta da), the pizza window! prop the little sweet potatoes up on some chairs in front of the window, and they will be mesmerized at LEAST until you are led to your table. the pizza tossers in the back are a hammy crew who know how to please a crowd of children. they’ll throw flour at the window or dough at one another, both options sure to delight the under-10 set.
i confess. at dewey’s, i have a go-to feast. i have a very hard time switching it up because the below combination is such a sure-thing delight. that said, they have many delicious pizza options, and every once in a while, i am forced to move outside of my comfort zone. but tonight i will be sticking with the combination that makes me so happy that i can’t remember why i don’t actually live at dewey’s (drum roll)....
the (standard) feast:
*vino: my current favorite glass of wine on offer at dewey’s is the urano malbec, from argentina. $5.50 for the glass, a little bit berry, a little bit pepper, and delicious.
*the house salad: toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, dried cranberries, fresh greens, and dewey’s (exceptional) house vinaigrette. you should be eating this right now, too.
*pizza: as i mentioned above, i freaking love garlic. so, here we go, please make my half a white pizza with the following toppings: red onion, pine nuts, pesto, and whole roasted garlic. get in my belly!
i never leave room for dessert, which is a shame because something tells me dessert at dewey’s would make me very happy.
overall:
i think i've already said enough. i will summarize thusly: i heart dewey's.
http://www.deweyspizza.com/
1) the toppings. anywhere that will allow me to put pesto on my pizza is very dear to me.
2) the crust. it’s slightly sweet and so very tasty!
3) they serve a friendly by-the-glass selection, and it doesn’t feel like they’re taking advantage of my thirst for a glass of wine. i would pay more for a glass, but i dont want to, and they don’t make me.
4) their salads. never overdressed. excellent dressings.
5) my husband would want me to mention something about the beer. he drinks beer; i drink wine. it’s hardly an original arrangement.
6) they let you do half-and-half pizzas! you can even have one-half red and one-half white. how fun is that?
7) the staff. a super-friendly and laid back team.
8) the pizza window. this window is a special piece of brilliance. we took my nieces and nephews to dewey’s. they’d been with us for approximately one hour of the 24 that would constitute our big sleepover, and we were already exhausted. we got to dewey’s and were told there was a 20 minute wait. we had no idea how we were possibly going to entertain the small fries, until we remembered (ta da), the pizza window! prop the little sweet potatoes up on some chairs in front of the window, and they will be mesmerized at LEAST until you are led to your table. the pizza tossers in the back are a hammy crew who know how to please a crowd of children. they’ll throw flour at the window or dough at one another, both options sure to delight the under-10 set.
i confess. at dewey’s, i have a go-to feast. i have a very hard time switching it up because the below combination is such a sure-thing delight. that said, they have many delicious pizza options, and every once in a while, i am forced to move outside of my comfort zone. but tonight i will be sticking with the combination that makes me so happy that i can’t remember why i don’t actually live at dewey’s (drum roll)....
the (standard) feast:
*vino: my current favorite glass of wine on offer at dewey’s is the urano malbec, from argentina. $5.50 for the glass, a little bit berry, a little bit pepper, and delicious.
*the house salad: toasted pine nuts, goat cheese, dried cranberries, fresh greens, and dewey’s (exceptional) house vinaigrette. you should be eating this right now, too.
*pizza: as i mentioned above, i freaking love garlic. so, here we go, please make my half a white pizza with the following toppings: red onion, pine nuts, pesto, and whole roasted garlic. get in my belly!
i never leave room for dessert, which is a shame because something tells me dessert at dewey’s would make me very happy.
overall:
i think i've already said enough. i will summarize thusly: i heart dewey's.
http://www.deweyspizza.com/
bar cento, ohio city
my husband, paul, and i grabbed a quick bite at this lovely new spot last night before going to see broken social scene at the house of blues. bar cento is related to the revered bier markt in ohio city (and is located right next door). this week has been blustery and gray, and bar cento was the perfect antidote to the malaise that the weather has been inspiring in me. we chose to sit at the bar since we were in a hurry, and the hostess ushered us into the warm space. service at the bar was helpful, prompt, and friendly. we were brought some tasty rolls and flavorful olive oil to snack on while we waited for our meal.
the feast:
*the house Manhattan cocktail: when the weather turns cold, i'm a sucker for anything with a cinnamon stick in it, so i had no choice but to order this beverage, which is made using granny smith apple-infused whiskey and comes with a generously proportioned cinnamon stick. it was delicioso.
*tender butter lettuce salad: this was a very good salad. one of the best i've had in cleveland. in my opinion, one of cleveland's food weaknesses is a tendency to majorly overdress the poor delicate salad ingredients. this was perfectly dressed with a simple and delicious lemony concoction. the greens were fresh, and the local cheese was wonderful, with a nice dry bite that went delighfully well with the dressing. two thumbs up.
*bianco pizza: i. love. garlic. i am devoted to garlic, so i was excited about this pizza, which features the simple (oh so brilliantly simple) combination of sliced garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. know this: i enjoyed the pizza, that is for sure. there is none left. that said, there was definitely too much salt on it (which i fear is another snafu i run into relatively often in cleveland dining). i'm still rehydrating, although, that is probably also related to the small matter of a few cocktails.
overall:
i am super excited to return to bar cento. they clearly took vegetarians into account when creating their menu. next time, i want to visit on the late-night (they serve food until 2AM) to try the veggi burger--perhaps with a side of ohio potato fries. olé!
http://www.barcento.com/
PS. i've since returned to bar cento and learned (sigh) that the ohio potato fries are cooked in animal fat. alas. kudos to the waitress though for checking my vegetarian status when i ordered the veggi burger and fries and letting me know the fries were not cooked vegetarian-style.
the feast:
*the house Manhattan cocktail: when the weather turns cold, i'm a sucker for anything with a cinnamon stick in it, so i had no choice but to order this beverage, which is made using granny smith apple-infused whiskey and comes with a generously proportioned cinnamon stick. it was delicioso.
*tender butter lettuce salad: this was a very good salad. one of the best i've had in cleveland. in my opinion, one of cleveland's food weaknesses is a tendency to majorly overdress the poor delicate salad ingredients. this was perfectly dressed with a simple and delicious lemony concoction. the greens were fresh, and the local cheese was wonderful, with a nice dry bite that went delighfully well with the dressing. two thumbs up.
*bianco pizza: i. love. garlic. i am devoted to garlic, so i was excited about this pizza, which features the simple (oh so brilliantly simple) combination of sliced garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. know this: i enjoyed the pizza, that is for sure. there is none left. that said, there was definitely too much salt on it (which i fear is another snafu i run into relatively often in cleveland dining). i'm still rehydrating, although, that is probably also related to the small matter of a few cocktails.
overall:
i am super excited to return to bar cento. they clearly took vegetarians into account when creating their menu. next time, i want to visit on the late-night (they serve food until 2AM) to try the veggi burger--perhaps with a side of ohio potato fries. olé!
http://www.barcento.com/
PS. i've since returned to bar cento and learned (sigh) that the ohio potato fries are cooked in animal fat. alas. kudos to the waitress though for checking my vegetarian status when i ordered the veggi burger and fries and letting me know the fries were not cooked vegetarian-style.
vegetarian in the midwest
Welcome! I've created this blog with the goal of creating a resource for other vegetarians living in the Cleveland area. I've been a vegetarian for about 15 years. I was raised in Chagrin Falls a full meat-eater. I am from a Polish family, after all. I tried in high school to cut meat from my diet but was unsuccessful until I left home to attend college. New Orleans wasn't really any more vegetarian-friendly than my hometown had been, but I was in college, and I was able to exist on a steady diet of cereal. I really came into my own as a vegetarian (and general lover of food) after college, when I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. I believe one of the first things I fell in love with there was the sheer volume of delicious food options on offer at Bay Area restaurants. Glory be! I had come home. Well, 10 years later, I have sprouted up again in the Cleveland area. I was nervous but also excited to explore the Cleveland food scene as an adult and a vegetarian. I have been pleasantly surprised by a number of things--and disappointed by a few things as well. I plan to share that information here. Here's to conscientious dining! Mangi bene.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)