crack the plates

Your Wednesday dinner plans are here: $10 all-you-can-eat tofu, tempeh, and TVP tacos at Across the Street in the Old Fourth Ward. Approximately across the street from Highland Bakery (which isn’t very vegan friendly at all, unless you make a special order – and why do that when you can go to Dulce Vegan? :)), Across the Street is one of my favorite places for tacos.

But reading the menu, it might not be immediately clear where your choices are. That’s because instead of just subbing tofu for the meat like a lot of places do, Across the Street veganises three separate meaty-meat tacos with three different vegan proteins: tofu, tempeh, and TVP. The Chipotle Shrimp Tacos becomes the Chipotle Tempeh with mango salsa; the marinated steak or chicken, TVP, and “The Best Fish Tacos”, vegan cornmeal-battered-and-fried tofu.

beans, rice, tempeh taco, fried tofu taco

It’s likely that you can veganise other menu options, like the enchiladas or chimichangas, by simply holding the dairy products. But that’s not something I’ve tried yet, because the tacos are so dang scrumptious. Chips and salsa come free with the meal. If you don’t go on Wednesdays, order a taco plate with rice and beans. They’re not just filler sides – they actually taste great. If the weather’s nice, sit on the charming patio overlooking the Freedom Park trail. It’s a good way to dog watch.

Words of caution: if you check Across the Street out on Yelp, you’ll notice that they have a boatload of bad reviews. Almost all of these reviews have to do with slow service rather than food, ambiance, or value. I think I’ve been to ATS two or three times, and the first time it was absolutely splendid. Tasty food, comfortable atmosphere, great prices, and best of all, attentive, quick service. The second time we went on a Wednesday taco night and they were swamped (there was also a giant party taking up almost all of the main dining room), so I understood the slower service. I am not planning on avoiding ATS because of service because I haven’t had bad service yet. But if you tend to get impatient easily (or are planning on going very hungry) just go at non-peak hours – aka, early or late lunch or dinner. HOURS: Tue-Thu 11 am – 10 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am – 11 pm, Sun 10 am – 10 pm, CLOSED MONDAYS.

Also, I don’t really drink, so I can’t speak to the cocktails/margaritas. If you’re into that, check the Yelp.

Across the Street is located at 668 Highland Avenue, Atlanta GA 30312. Park on the bridge overlooking or wherever you can find a spot, but not in the Highland Bakery’s lot. (404) 781- 0931. WEBSITE 

When you visit Atlanta, you shouldn’t just eat: you should do things. Does that sound obvious? Maybe, but it’s something I have to remind myself, as all too often I make the mistake of travelling just to eat. I might get a museum in, but I’m so in love with food and hospitality that I write my lists around restaurants. (See NYC 2011: Kajitsu, HanGawi, Terri, Foodswings, Lula’s… I could go on. I’ll spare you.) And sure – you can totally make an Atlanta vacation out of skipping from meal to meal. But if you did that, you’d miss two of our treasures: the High Museum of Art and the Center for Puppetry Arts.

First, the High. Yeah, yeah – it’s kind of small as major art museums go.

It doesn’t have the most highfalutin’ permanent collections. But it’s our art museum, dammit, and I’m going to defend it! (With this post and my $150 Young Patron membership, of  course.) Today my oldest friend Jessica came into town with her two kids. For the first time – and without having to travel to NYC – they got to see Matisse’s Dance (I), Mondrian’s Trafalgar Square, Picasso’s Girl before a mirror, Warhol’s self portraits, Calder’s spider, and Jackson Pollock’s giant Number 1A. They enjoyed running around the giant sculptures on the second floor, and circled KAWS/Brian Connelly’s works with curiosity and appreciation.

we took MARTA cuz it's SMARTA...

a curiously small door on the second floor.

G. beholds the KAWS wall.

Spencer Finch's "Bright Star (Sirius)"; fluorescent lamps, fixtures, filters, aluminum

Without the MoMA partnership, area families would have to have the time and means to travel to NYC to see these works. A lot of us don’t have either of those luxuries. The High brings the world to us, piece by piece, year after year. We might have to do a lot of borrowing to put on a good show, but hey, it works for us! (I featured the last MoMA series, Modern By Design, in another post.)

If you can make it out on a Thursday, tickets are half-price from 4-8pm. One adult ticket, usually $18, is $9; seniors and students, usually $15, $7.50; children (6 – 17), usually $11, are $5.50; children 5 and under always free. Fulton county residents get free admission on the first Saturday of the month. Caution: the museum’s hours are fairly limited – 10am – 5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10am – 8pm Thursday; 12pm – 5pm Sunday. Closed on Monday. Nothing stinks more than making the trip to discover they’re closed. :-(

If you’re used to having access to a great art museum, you might skip the High. But one you shouldn’t miss is the Center for Puppetry Arts! The Center opened in September 1978, with Jim Henson and Kermit the Frog cutting the ceremonial ribbon. Recently, the Center was gifted with the bulk of Henson’s permanent collection, and the plan is to build a giant Jim Henson wing. Currently, though, the museum is split between a historical tour of puppetry throughout the world, a large Henson exhibit which features the Muppets (Rolf, the Swedish Chef, and Ernie are just a few), The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Emmet Otter, and more. It’s a small but fascinating place, one of my favorites for out of town visitors.

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an old picture (2008) of me with the Chef. BORK BORK BORK!

The CfPA has a regular schedule of seasonal shows, but I highly recommend one of the guided tours. The World of Puppetry tour of the permanent collection is given Tuesday – Friday at 1pm. The Life and Legacy of Jim Henson is a special in-depth Henson tour given on weekends at 2pm. There’s also a Behind the Scenes tour on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 11am. I’ve been to the first two and enthusiastically recommend both. The tour guide was approachable, well-paced, and knowledgeable.

there's an interactive area where kids can put on several different types of puppet show, including shadow with dinosaurs.

G seemed most excited to learn about Labyrinth and, especially, the Dark Crystal. He kept asking about the Dark Crystal, the issues between the Skeksis and mystics, and made up lots of whimsical extratextual Skeksis stories. :-)

horrible Skeksis

When we got home I showed them the trailer for The Dark Crystal and insisted upon ordering the DVD for them immediately. (C’mon, it’s just $7.49!) I hope it’s not too scary for the younger one. She found the skeksis appropriately disgusting, but seemed to enjoy the trailer!

Interestingly, the highlight of the day – apart from the Dulce Vegan cupcakes afterwards – seemed to be riding on MARTA. My favorite is this shot of G. lost in thought as we zoom past Streetela. Their first trip, but likely not the last!

It’s easy and wise to use MARTA to get to both museums. From Five Points (the center/connecting station for all lines), you’ll just go North on the red line to Arts Center Station. Arts Center Station is right across from the High Museum. It’s less than a ten minute walk (with kids, faster with adults) to the Puppetry Arts museum. Then it’s less than ten minutes back to Arts Center Station. Check out a map here if you’re unfamiliar.

I stopped in today with my oldest pal Jessica and her two kids. They LOVED their cupcakes – M. had strawberry with strawberry frosting, while G. had banana cake with chocolate frosting. Mom and I shared a day-old (but PERFECT) slice of frosted lemon poundcake on special. My embarrassingly effusive evaluation: “this tastes like Sunday supper church lady cake!” Buttery, rich, moist… perfect. Jessica agreed.

I took a picture of the savory food menu board to share with folks who enjoyed yesterday’s post.

It’s in chalk because it changes, but many of these items have been around for a while. Given their popularity – and deliciousness – I don’t really see them going anywhere soon.

For those unable to use the photo, here’s what it says:

Dulce Vegan Lunch

• Served 11am to close
• Soup of the day: Side $2.50 Small $3.95 Large $5.95
• Simple side salad with greens, cucumber and tomato – combo $2.00 a la carte $3.45
• Walnut orange side salad – combo $2.50 a la carte $3.95
• Red pepper hummus sandwich with tomato, arugula and cucumber – $6.95 ; add tofu for $1
• TLT sandwich: tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle aioli – $6.95
• Walnut Orange Salad – fresh oranges, walnuts, marinated tofu, and greens with apple cider vinaigrette – $7.50
• Balsamic Marinated Tofu Sandwich – with walnut pesto, tomato and greens – $7.50
• “Chicken” salad – gluten-free – $7.50
• Local organic ingredients / Bread baked in house

Breakfast

• Biscuit – $1.95
• Bagel – $2.25
• English muffin – $1.95
• Earth balance – 0.25; “cream cheese” – 0.50
• Breakfast sandwich – $4.95: pick two: “egg”, “bacon”, “sausage”, Daiya “cheddar”; additional toppings 0.75 each; add chipotle aioli or tomato, 0.50
• Granola – gluten-free – $4.95

Not included in this post is the drink menu or a picture of the baked goods cases, which contain cakes, scones, cupcakes, and other pastries. They also make gluten-free biscotti.

Whaddaya say? Triple A! April: Atlanta’s Awesome (Returns!)

Remember how last October I participated in VeganMoFo and shared, for the first three weeks, about how awesome Atlanta is for vegans? I featured one of the US’ most beloved pubs, our extraordinary in-town co-op Sevananda, my favorite restaurant Sauced, our Chinese vegan options, and even our bloggers! But then I stopped and promised to resume the theme at some point? Well… it has taken me four months, but I think I’m finally ready!

One of the motivating factors for the return to a focus on Atlanta is the awesome popularity of the newly-added “ATLANTA” tab at Cracktheplates.com. When a dear friend asked for Atlanta-area veg-friendly recommendations, it finally clicked: I needed to write a city-specific dining guide. Since I’d already done a lot of work to that effect just by blogging, I compiled the ATLANTA resource based on previous posts, and then added a few other places friends suggested. And I’m still adding! It’s a work in progress, so keep checking back for updates.

My hope is that by sorting through backlog of pictures on my desktop and meditating on all that Atlanta has to offer vegans this month, I’ll find a fun and easy to update the ATLANTA resource page. To me, it’s one thing to give a list of names and addresses of restaurants that accommodate vegans. What really helps me out when I venture to a new city are personalized recommendations (and pictures!) from folks-in-the-know. For example, I wouldn’t know the first thing about Memphis, Tennessee’s abundant vegan friendliness without Bianca’s exuberant documentation at Vegan Crunk. Reading through her posts not only gave me the confidence that Memphis would treat me kindly, but it inspired to start making a list of the “not-to-be-missed” places. I hope I can do something similar here at cracktheplates for my dear City in the Forest.

What will these posts be like? Some will be long, others will be short. Most will focus on food, although I have at least one post lined up that is an interview with the only area vegan I know who is a licensed real estate agent. My purpose is to help fill in the gaps of the resource page, so sometimes that might just mean offering a picture of one of my favorite things to eat at a particular restaurant. That’s what I’m up to today, so get to droolin’ over these photos of Dulce Vegan breakfast sandwiches:

Giant fluffy biscuit with bean-based sausage, “egg”, and cheese. Everything is freshly made in-house except the Daiya cheese. (My hope is that they come up with their own replacement soon. Daiya’s fine and all, but I’d love to see a totally DV sandwich.)

Another view.

Homemade sourdough english muffin with house “egg”, tempeh bacon, and chipotle aioli. Everything on this sandwich was made by the wizards at Dulce Vegan –  no tempeh bacon-from-a-bag here.

In case it’s not evident by the photos: these are GIANT sandwiches. I have a hearty vegan appetite, but one (especially made with a biscuit or bagel) will fill you up completely.

So, how do you get one of these amazing sandwiches? Dulce Vegan is located at 1994 Hosea L. Williams Dr. NE Atlanta, GA 30317. Their hours are Tuesday – Friday 7:30am – 6pm, Saturday 8am – 6pm, and Sunday 8am – 2pm, CLOSED Mondays. Breakfast sandwiches are served all day. For around $5 for a basic sandwich, choose your bread: biscuit, english muffin, or bagel. Pick two of the following: bacon, egg, Daiya, sausage. You can pay extra and add more of the first list, or do other add-ons for about .50 each: tomato, chipotle aioli, even arugula! Ingredients are locally-sourced with a strong commitment to organics – last time I checked, DV used almost exclusively organic ingredients.

Dulce Vegan is definitely a must-add to your “must-go” list when visiting Atlanta. When Isa (Queen of Veganism) and John (Lord of the Laziest Vegans) flew here last October for a visit/booksigning, it was on their last stop before heading back, and they seemed to really enjoy everything. Be cool like Isa and John – and all of us in Atlanta, of course – don’t miss DV!

Happy Chinese New Year! ‘Tis the year of the Dragon, and it just so happens that I live with one. Yup, it’s Nate’s time to shine! And why not? I read yesterday that “dragons…tend to be brave, innovative and highly driven, regularly making it to the top of their profession.” Now, I don’t put much stock into anything that purports to define 6.8 billion individuals according to a handful of categories, but that sounds a lot like Nate to me. He was recently promoted to Lead Developer at his company (there are only two!) and just yesterday he gave a big scary 1.5 hour talk to all of technology (around 60 people) about one of his (incredibly important game-changing) projects. He’s always thinking, dreaming, creating… and while he may be gentle and soft-spoken in general, at work he’s confident, assertive, and usually right. He inspires me!

Papacat and babycat... taken this morning!

I decided to do a special dinner to celebrate yesterday’s big accomplishment. Neither of us have been all that tempted by comfort food lately, but last night he requested an old favorite: smothered-bbq-baked tofu. Dinner was great but didn’t seem enough of a tribute to his awesomeness, so I made cupcakes, too. I served them on the little dish he gave me at Christmas: a customized cupcake stand by Jeanette Zeis Ceramics. Jeanette is an Atlanta-based artist and vegan, known throughout the country for her careful, detailed work. Why, just recently her work popped up on theppk.com’s recipe for caramelized beets!

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It says “Your Smile Makes Me Smile”, which is one of our little sayings. :-) You can order your own customized cake stand from Jeanette at her Etsy shop. Sure would make a sweet little Valentine’s present, especially when topped with a home-baked vegan treat!

October, my favorite month of the year, decided to wrap itself up with the prettiest of all possible bows: meeting my vegan-cooking icon and long-time role model Isa Chandra Moskowitz (and her freakin’ awesome partner John, who runs Laziest Vegans and Vegan Omaha). Somehow it worked out that over the course of her visit, we also had dinner at Harmony, ambled around Young Blood Gallery, and shared lunch today at Dulce Vegan.

Were this high school, I’d be the melting equivalent of a bespectacled, braces-suffering, Lord-of-the-Rings-lovin’, library-dwellin’, Magic the Gathering-playin’ dweeb who just got asked to go for (vegan)milkshakes with the captain of the track team. And, at least at the signing, I totally felt like that. It was kind of how I felt when I met Lagusta – steeling myself as I parked, curling my toes as I walked through the door, biting my lip as I asked Maresa and finally, trying not to tremble too much as I spoke. (And then we ended up hanging out a lot too – maybe I’m not as awful as I think?) This is what you people do to me!

'Twas a blur, really.

And why not? How does one not feel a little crazy sitting across from the person who taught you, through her books, to roast vegetables? To make scones? To marinate tofu? To press tofu? To make cookies? Pad thai? Hummus? – and not feel a little anxious? How is it possible to play it cool when you’re sharing Chinese food family-style with someone whose recipes and anecdotes you’ve memorized (from reading them so often); whose books you’ve given as gifts; whose name is mentioned so frequently on your little nobody blog than it’s giant in the tag cloud? (Look to the right. —>) At the risk of sounding maudlin, Isa is all of these things and so many more – how could I contain my little bursting-with-joy heart?

Answer: I couldn’t! I didn’t! I unabashedly still don’t! (Okay, maybe a little abashedly – I’m still working on that little low-self-esteem thing.)

I brought Lagusta's tart, made with Taza chocolate. Published in Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa & Terri Romero.

Though I run a little meal delivery now and have a decent blog following, I’m still that same geeky girl who adores her teachers. I fiercely look up to anyone who gives of herself – through a blog, books, video tutorials, long phone calls, or else – for the sake of others. I can’t think of anyone who has done this for veganism more than Isa. (Lagusta said something similar – a zillion times better - here.) From providing the best forum for recipe-swappers, cookbook-reviewers, and vegan gossip; to coining the term “baketivism“ and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for good causes; to yes, teaching us all how to make a decent scone: can you even imagine where we’d be without her?

With "The Chubby Vegan" John

So yeah. I trembled a bit, smiled wonkily, and tried not to float away on a little cloud. I soothed myself with the acknowledgment that we’re all in this together. As I said to a friend recently: we exist to inspire one another. Standing around in a tight little circle mean-mugging the shiny smiley people might feel superior for a minute, but it doesn’t make our shared world any better and it sure as fuck doesn’t save any animals. Reality is relational: none of us can do anything without the generous and undeserved help of others. Acting like you’ve somehow managed to do without just makes you look like an ass.

Being with Isa, like hanging with Lagusta this summer, steeled my resolve towards sharing what I know and opening myself to others even when it’s inconvenient. It reminds me that a big heart enables extraordinary things, and that at the end of the day, I’ll always prefer to share my straw with an activist. So press on, friends! Goofy, giddy, giving big hugs and big ups, palm against palm – today, tomorrow, always.

Hey folks! All month long I’m blogging about Atlanta’s noteworthy vegan-friendliness. It’s my hope that, through the power of MoFo, I’ll be able to break through that Ghostbusters-like gunk clogging up everybody’s perception of vegan livin’ here. As we’ve seen so far this month, it’s really quite lovely and easy and delicious! With your help, fellow bloggers, maybe next year we’ll see ATLANTA as an option on VegNews’ survey about favorite vegan-friendly cities.

Today I want to talk about Atlanta’s vegan Chinese choices. We basically have three:

• Harmony Vegetarian at 4897 Buford Highway is a vegan restaurant.
• Green Sprout at 1529 Piedmont Ave (midtown) is a mostly vegan restaurant. Twelve of their 150 dishes contain egg, and egg can always be removed. No milk or meat (beef, pork, chicken, seafood) is served.
• Chinese Buddha at 100 10th Street NW (midtown, near Georgia Tech) serves all meat & seafood, but has a separate vegetarian menu. A number of items on the vegetarian menu are vegan or can be made vegan.

I recommend our restaurants in the order listed above: Harmony first, Green Sprout second, Chinese Buddha last. In fact, I don’t really recommend Chinese Buddha at all, except for the fact that they’re open til 6am (seriously) and they have vegan (not vegetarian, vegan) eggrolls. Sadly, they failed their health inspection in July AND played host to a really “confusing” shooting in September. Aaaand the food is just so-so. I ordered the “Buddha’s Mushroom Lo Mein” ($10) one very late night and found one – ONE! - mushroom buried in the mass of noodles. ONE MUSHROOM!! WTF.

In this post I’m going to focus on Harmony since it is by far my favorite. But since I’ve noticed that the Atlanta vegan scene is very divided on the issue – you either love Harmony and think Green Sprout is so-so, or you LOVE Green Sprout and think Harmony is just okay – I’m gonna post Green Sprout’s menu at the bottom for those who are interested.

It’s not that I don’t like Green Sprout, it’s just that I think Harmony is consistently better. The service is kinder & more attentive at Harmony, the prices are better (usually by a buck or more), the food is much, much faster, and it’s a totally vegan restaurant. There are also “freebies” at Harmony: they don’t charge you for rice (GS does) or pots of good-quality tea (comes with the meal, all you have to do is ask). Each meal begins with a simple, complimentary cabbage salad with condiments. The restaurant is more spacious with tables instead of creaky old booths and the occasional table. If you’re a regular they’ll remember you and treat you like family – often with even more little gifts of food and Mandarin lessons. It’s just about the closest you can get to dining in someone’s home while still paying for the experience. :)

Green Sprout gets no points from me as far as service, speed, prices, and lagniappe are concerned, but the food is tasty.  I like the sesame tofu (not the sesame chicken, it’s a fried mess) and the mushroom soup. Oh, and one time I was sick and got the udon noodle tofu-vegetable soup and they were really generous with noodles and broth (not so much with tofu). It made me happy! Atlanta folks: Since a lot of out-of-towners are keeping up with the series, do be sure to defend your favorite in the comments and I’ll add it to the post later!! Thanks!!

First, Harmony’s menu. These are pictures from the take-out menu, but the dinner menu is almost identical.

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Looking over the menu, I realize Nate & I have tried a lot of dishes – but we still have a ways to go. My old favorite used to be the “lamb” with string beans (I’ve never actually had flesh of animal lamb) which was made of trumpet mushrooms. But the trumpet mushrooms became too expensive and they had to change the recipe. Now it is not my favorite. :-(

Lately I’ve loved the vegetable beef with orange peel. The crunchy beef pieces stay crispy amid a sea of sweet orange sauce. The orange peel itself is abundant but mild – not bitter/pithy. Chicken with string beans is a long-time favorite & good as a lunch special. One of Nate’s favorites is the bean curd skin roll with pepper & bean sauce, but he always substitutes broccoli for the pepper because it’s better that way. The item I hear ordered most often is the fried crunchy chicken with spicy salt. Really, you can’t go wrong with the House Special menu. And don’t forget the lunch specials – just $5.50 for a large entree with white or brown rice, two curry pockets (MMMMM) or a spring roll AND a bowl of soup! It’s so. much. food.

We rarely don’t like something, but I didn’t enjoy the chicken with cashew nuts and Nate wasn’t a big fan of the “spare ribs” dishes.

My old favorite:

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All of the soups are out-of-this-world yummy and a great value, too. For $4.25 – $5.50 you get a giant bowl that serves two people two bowls each! When my Chinese history professor from college joined me at lunch one day, she was most impressed with the Buddhist’s delight soup. “It takes a lot of skill to make such a delicious broth,” she said.

It’s worth it to order the appetizer platter. I think it’s in the six dollar range for four curry pockets, two fried shrimp pieces, and two “chicken” on a stick. The “chicken” is the same that’s served in the ever-popular “fried crunchy chicken with spicy salt” dish, just seasoned differently. The curry pockets have this totally mysterious creamy sweet curry center. I’ve never tasted anything like them before. I’ve noticed that kids seem to LOVE these.

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the interesting wallpaper

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a recent freebie, savory and scallion-y

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Sadly, Harmony is often mostly empty. I think it’s because they’re “way out” on Buford Highway, about a twenty minute drive from downtown – whereas Green Sprout is always busy because they’re in midtown Atlanta. (Maybe that’s why service is always so harried and slow?) They’re great at accommodating large parties because they have so much room and flexible seating (tables and chairs). Let me know if you’re ever in town and want to join me – or if you’re a local and want to get a cheap lunch!

I promised – here’s Green Sprout’s menu :)

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Happy Monday, y’all!!

All month long I’m blogging about Atlanta’s vegan-friendliness in the hope of dispelling the national misconception that it’s a crummy place to be vegan. As you’ve seen in earlier posts, that’s so not true! But as I ramble on about all the great things we DO have, I’m acutely aware of something we don’t.

Yep, it’s a sad fact that Atlanta lacks upscale vegan restaurants. Locals like Cafe Sunflower as a treat, but I think both locations are pretty casual (decor &, especially – sometimes excessively – the service). The menu almost never changes; the food can be pretty, but it doesn’t delight, excite, or teach me. It’s just nice.

If you want fancy fine dining, you have to go to a non-vegetarian restaurant with good vegan choices or special menus. Thankfully, Atlanta’s restaurateurs excel in this regard. You might already know about the entirely vegan menu I enjoyed at Abattoir. Vegans are also enthusiastically accommodated by “Top Chef” Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, Asha Gomez at Cardamom Hill (forthcoming Nov 2011), and the teams at Empire State South and Restaurant Eugene, among others. (NOTE: since we’re southern, and everything’s a bit more laid-back in the south, by fine dining I’m thinking well-informed and polite servers, a beautiful, unique setting, tasting/prix fixe menu availability, silverware that gets changed with courses, and expertly-prepared food made with locally-sourced (often organic) ingredients. Or at least most of these. :))

Two tips for a successful vegan experience at higher-end restaurants: 1) make a reservation a few days in advance (you’d do this anyway) and 2) carefully explain your dietary needs to the person taking the order (usually the host/ess answers the phone, NOT a server or cook). Don’t just assume that they’ll know what vegan means – be clear by saying something like, no birds, no beef, pork, fish, eggs, dairy products, or honey. I also often ask the person taking my reservation to mark “no gelatin” since a lot of fancy folk use it in foams, sauces, and gels. (There are vegan alternatives, of course, and creative cooks know ‘em.) The clearer you can be with the person taking the reservation, the better luck you’ll have when the message gets to the person in charge of your food.

Happily, there’s (at least) one place where you don’t have to call ahead for a special menu, because the chef-owner writes her seasonal menus with vegans in mind. I’m talking about Ria Pell of Sauced & Ria’s Bluebird, of course! I recently had the pleasure of trying the new fall menu just a day after it was printed – and I’m excited to share my thoughts here.

Reason 9: Ria Pell’s vegan-friendly fine-dining at Sauced Restaurant & Lounge

Logo photo by Robin Henson, source: restaurant Flickr photostream.

Step inside... (photo by Robin Henson, source: restaurant Flickr stream)

Photo by Robin Henson, source: Sauced's Flickr photostream

Above, Sauced logo and views of the dining areas & bar.

This isn’t what I had for dinner, but it IS a great picture of a vegan menu Ria made over the summer. I tried the branded tofu steak at MondoHomo’s lunch in the park. Pictured here: tofu t-bone, succotash and black-eyed pea fritters.

As you can see, there are a number of vegan or can-be-made-vegan choices on the starters menu. The first offering, wild mushroom napoleon, is vegan.

Nate awaiting our first course in a dimly-lit corner. Sauced is a sexy restaurant with a sexy vibe – just-enough-light-to-see-your-food-and-swoon-over-your-sweetie kinda place.

And here it is! A crispy, rich, gooey yummy little slice of heaven. I couldn’t get enough of the cashew goat cheese on top!

We helped ourselves to house-made seitan skewers with two of the sauces du jour: tofu-orange and homemade relish. We’d planned on only ordering one skewer, but it was so good we had to order a second… and a third!

Earlier that day I saw Ria at Sevananda buying unsweetened rice milk by the case for the rosemary bechamel, so I was really excited about this one. It did not disappoint. Tender parsnips, carrots, and fingerling potatoes suspended in a creamy sauce, nestled underneath luscious mashed potatoes: a comforting final course, as the new vegan dessert had not been added to the menu yet. (I should check in and make a reservation soon – wanna come with?) Nate noted with appreciation the fact that the shepherd’s pie wasn’t marginalized or simply set-apart from the other choices with a “vegan” notation. It’s simply another choice that happens to be vegan. I like that, too. Do you?

I like the house rules page. It's not overly long or pushy and acknowledging your farmers always looks good. I wish more places stated a preference for cash. Let's take our country back, y'all - three percent at a time. :)

I hope more Atlanta-area vegans will support Ria at Sauced & Bluebird. It’s great that other restaurants react positively to our ethics, but Ria deserves our thanks for her proactiveness. She is well-known for her inclusiveness. At the MondoHomo meal, most of the choices were vegan – two vegan entrees, one non-vegan; several vegan sides, only a couple non-vegan. (Revisit those glorious photos here.)

Our favorite Ria, hangin' in the garden, checkin' out some habaneros. We love you!! Photo by Robin Henson.

Sauced also holds the honor of hosting THE VERY FIRST Atlanta Vegan Drinks Meet-up (details, menu, pictures here). Just over a month ago the restaurant offered a four-course prix fixe benefit dinner for the Plaza Theatre, Atlanta’s longest continually-running independent theatre (which just happens to be owned & operated by two amazing vegans).

So clearly, the Sauced & Bluebird families are all about making us feel loved, appreciated, and well-fed. Next time you’re seeking a special night out, I hope you’ll choose one of Ria’s cozy spots.

SAUCED: 753 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta GA 30307; (404) 688-6554; Facebook, Twitter; 5:30pm – 1am Weds-Sun.

RIA’S BLUEBIRD: (legendary brunch) 421 Memorial Drive, Atlanta GA 30312; (404) 521-3737; Facebook, Twitter; Open every day from 8am-3pm.

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Alright folks, I’m back! I apologize for the absence. I foolishly thought I’d only miss a day or so of posting, but then Nate’s ultra-mega birthday party starting rolling towards the big surprise like a snowball down an embankment, getting bigger and messier and funner and more decorative and delicious and AWESOME til I was like aaaaaahhh!!! No time for blogging til it’s over!!!

The big day has come & gone – and it was perfect and I’ll tell you more soon – so we can get back to business, or at least this month’s VeganMoFo theme: Atlanta, the vegan-friendly jewel of the American South! This post is kind of like two others, in that 1) it’s a grocery store tour and 2) it focusses on exciting veganness that’s not quite in Atlanta proper. Of course, I’m talking about

Reason number 8: Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe!

Quick: think of an entirely vegan grocery store run by a family of cool vegans. Time’s up! Food Fight come to mind? VeganEssentials? Somewhere else? Whatever, those places are great, but since I learned of their existence in 2007, Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe has been my go-to for vegan goodies. Online shopping is fun and all, but like opening a menu at a vegan restaurant and sighing with joy at the knowledge that you can order ANYTHING, there’s something special about walking into Cosmo’s retail location in Marietta, Georgia. Their selection is vast: cookbooks, personal care items, wallets and accessories, companion animal food & accessories, lots of local products, and of course, a giant grocery. You can buy all the things!!

BREAKING: World-famous cookbook author and all-around awesome person Isa Chandra Moskowitz is going to be at Cosmo’s on October 30th, promoting her new collaboration with Terry Romero, Vegan Pie in the Sky. Order your copy now if you haven’t already. (I’m excited to try my pal Lagusta’s chocolate raspberry tart.) You’d better be there!

Owners Leigh & Ken are long-time vegans and importantly, super-duper nice people. Here’s an example: so Cosmo’s is only open to the public on Saturdays these days, and Nate & I *really* wanted to stop by en route to my cousin’s wedding reception last Saturday.

my lovely cousin Laurel & her perfect new husband John on their wedding day!

Unfortunately, a late start, terrible Atlanta traffic, and yes, even a little fender-bender (not involving us!), had us getting out of the city later than usual. Nate called Leigh and said we were on our way, but we’d probably be there right at 6 – is that okay? She conferred with Ken, and yes! No prob! And then we had to call back because it was going to be 6:10, and they were all like, see you soon, drive safe! Isn’t that something. (NOTE: This little anecdote should not encourage you to push boundaries of Leigh & Ken’s kindness. Don’t be jerks like us, get there between 10 – 6!)

As a yummy thank you, I brought them one of the grasshopper cupcakes I’d made for Laurel & John’s reception.

Based on recipes from Isa's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Walking in, I spied the seasonal candy display of Sjaak’s, Yummy Earth, and Sweet & Sara products. Sjaak’s is a great little organic chocolate company in Petaluma, California. Cosmo’s introduced me to their products years ago and I have been a fan since.

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You know, cuz they’re vegan, AKA not made with gelatin, which is a partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the boiled bones, connective tissues, organs and some intestines of animals such as domesticated cattle, pigs, and horses. Yuck!

Turn around to greet the candy shelf:

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general grocery stock

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Angel Food products: marshmallow kits & vegan meringue cookie mix. Made by my friend Alice, imported from her shop in New Zealand!

Vegan chicharróns – “pork” rinds.

The elusive white chocolate chip! Imported from Israel.

Let’s walk back towards the cold cases, where we’ll find lots of interesting things.

Passing by a great stock of meaty mixes, TVP, and Soy Curls…

We come to a freezer. Gardein burgers, May Wah products (chicken nuggets, tuna, fish sticks (?!?!), citrus spare ribs, ham, bacon…), even vegan calamari?!?! (All the links are to Cosmo’s, but you should check out May Wah’s website too, just to see all the crazy things they’ve veganised. Like LOBSTER.)

The other freezer has slightly less-weird vegan choices: seitan-based products by Atlanta locals gutenfleischers.

The MATCH meats:

Cosmo’s carries MATCH brand Mediterranean-style stuffed vegan chicken, New England-style crab cakes, vegan ground beef, ground breakfast sausage, ground chicken, ground crab, ground Italian sausage, and ground pork. I haven’t tried MATCH products but all the folks I know who have just love ‘em. Honestly, while I absolutely agree that meat analogs can help ease the transition to veganism, I don’t really use them. I’m more of a tofu/tempeh/seitan kinda gal. In fact, typing all this “ground” chicken/crab/lobster business is really weirding me out! Even if my freezer isn’t stuffed with it, I’m still glad it’s an option.

Nate was possibly most excited about this from Vegetarian Plus brand:

After thawing, I whipped it up with Vegenaise, sweet relish, dijon mustard, and a little black pepper. (My first “tuna” recipe in fifteen years, and somehow I never forgot the “proper” components.) It was absolutely too fishy and “real” for me, but Nate LOVED it. I broiled Daiya on a piece of wheat bread for him so he could have a tuna melt like the one he got a Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch in NY over the summer. He was in pieces. This box comes with two rolls and makes enough tuna salad for 4-6 sandwiches.

When you tell people you’re vegan, one of the most common (non-bitchy) responses you get goes something like this: “Oh, I could probably/definitely do vegetarian, but I could never go vegan – I couldn’t give up CHEESE.” Setting aside the fact that cheese is absolutely horrible for the environment, (in terms of carbon emissions, cheese is third only to lamb & beef. Seriously, go look at this chart from the Enviromental Working Group’s Meat Eater’s Guide right now.), and the fact that most of the “cheese” people squee over is total crap anyway, there are SO MANY DELICIOUS MELTY CREAMY TANGY YUMMY VEGAN CHEEZE CHOICES THESE DAYS. There’s simply no excuse anymore.

Teese by Chicago soydairy in mozzarella, cheddar, nacho cheeze, and creamy cheddar; Wayfare Foods’ “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese” dips and spreads in cheddar, hickory-smoked cheddar, cheddar-style dip, and mexi-cheddar.

My favorite vegan cheeze is Dr-Cow, made of cultured cashews! Daiya is another that’s generally beloved by all, renowned for its stretchy, melty texture.

And then there’s Sheese by Bute Island Foods, in gouda, mozzarella, smoked cheddar, blue, medium cheddar, cheddar with chives, and strong cheddar.

Owner Leigh & shopper Nate discussing the Teese.

Moving on from the cheeses, we can go play with makeup: Beauty Without Cruelty and

and Herbs of Grace Mineral Makeup both have displays.

Browse the t-shirts and “Cupcaprons” by Atlanta crafter (& friend!) Becky Striepe of Glue & Glitter (etsy shop ; blog.)

Wallets…

And stickers, too! they always have a great selection of stickers. Guess which two of these Nate picked up at Cosmo’s?

Ok, so you know how earlier I said this place is not actually in Atlanta? Cosmo’s moved from N. Highland (Atlanta) to Marietta a few years ago. Atlanta really isn’t a very big city – wikipedia tells me our population is about 400,000. (Please don’t laugh.) Include the “metro” area and it zooms up to several million. So, there are cool things outside the border that is interstate 285.

We have this little joke around here: ITP vs OTP, Inside The Perimeter or Outside the Perimeter. The Perimeter is defined by interstate 285. If you’re inside, the joke goes that you’re a hipstery urbanite, all loft livin’ and Whole Foods shoppin’. You value a walk (or short bike ride!) to Trader Joe’s, independent movie theatres, clubs, adventurous restaurants, and take public transit. Outside? You’re defined by suburban values: an emerald front yard, coupla cars, coupla kids, and the latest-model flatscreen you can afford. You like fast-casual chain restaurants, Hobby Lobby, volunteering at church or with a civic organization, and you live in your car (thanks to a soul-crushing two-hour+ commute to & from your intown job).

THESE ARE HUGE STEREOTYPES OF COURSE, but for some reason, some folks get a kick out of them. If you *do* decide to make Atlanta your home, don’t think anyone’s gonna look down on you if you choose to live outside the perimeter. It’s not my choice, but you’d definitely be closer to Cosmo’s – and that’s a huge plus. :)

Another? Our two Loving Hut restaurants are located OTP! (Norcross & Kennesaw.) Do you know about Loving Hut, the worldwide vegan chain nurtured by the Supreme Master Ching Hai?

Reason 8.5: Loving Hut!

If not, all you basically need to know is that they make one of the best veggie burgers around:

I have dreams about this burger.

My stomach is tying itself in knots of longing over this picture. If only you weren’t so far away!

If you’re already an in-towner, make a Saturday trip to Cosmo’s and be sure to stop in at Loving Hut in Kennesaw for a burger. Think of it as a mini-vegan road-trip. Yum!

Hi folks! All month I’m blogging about Atlanta’s vegan-friendliness. See why here.

I had hoped to post every day of VeganMoFo, but then I went out of town and was blissfully away from internet, e-mail, and social media. I didn’t even check my phone because I wanted to preserve the battery. It was great!

Yesterday’s destination was northeast Georgia, about an hour and a half from Atlanta proper: the small town of Homer, a little ways off 1-85N, where I picked up my best friend Jessica (remember her?). We spent most of the day in the nearby Sautee-Nacoochee Valley area. (Locals say “saw-tee” and “Nah-cooch-ee”.) Perhaps you’ve heard of Helen, GA, the touristy “Alpine village”? It’s about a half-mile from where we were, and yeah, we passed. As teenagers we gamboled around, teeth sticky with freshly-made candies, but now we avoid the beer-&-brats-breathing crowds for artisan pottery, museums, & an old-fashioned granary.

We lunched lakeside at The Gourd Place, a unique gourd-impressions pottery spot and one of my favorites. We shared vegan Mellow Mushroom pizza, Podponics lettuce, a home-made dressing (by me!), and lots of fresh fruit. I’d post a picture of the beautiful piece I went home with, but it’s a gift to a probable blog reader-family member. :) This one from the website will have to do:

the Gourd Place is also a substantial gourd museum, with functional and decorative gourds from around the world!

Little red birds in little gourds. Light as a feather!

Next, Nora Mill Granary. Nora Mill was is an operational gristmill that sits alongside the Chattahoochee River and primarily makes corn and wheat-based products, though there are a few flours of other grains there. A bit of history, from the literature: “The mill itself is a large four-story building that was built in 1876 complete with 1,500 pound French Burr Mill Stones and a 100 ft. wooden raceway that feeds water to a water turbine – not a vertical water wheel. The mill was constructed in 1876 by John Martin when he came to Georgia to mine for gold. Unlike most miners, Mr. Martin made Sautee-Nacoochee Valley his permanent home. In 1902 Dr. Lamartine G. Hardman, governor of Georgia from 1927 -1931, bought the mill and named it “Nora Mill” in memory of his sister Nora. Nora Mill remained in the Hardman Family until 1998, when it, along with 300 surrounding acres, was purchased by a group of investors associated with Nacoochee Village, Ltd.”

This document goes on to explain the various changing-of-hands and family names involved in the business, which is so very southern of them to do. (“What’s your family name?” is a weirdly common question ’round here.) It was fun to see how excited the proprietors still get about their granary, and while I appreciate the history, I’m mostly in it for the food. I bought a two-pound bag of white corn grits to share with Nate’s family when we visit in December. I also picked up a pound of maple sugar at a reasonable price (not local, though).

I love grits and just couldn’t wait til Christmas, so I made some up this afternoon:

sweet, AKA “yankee”, with maple sugar and cinnamon

and savory, with Daiya and freshly-cracked black pepper.

Which is your favorite:

It was pretty much against the rules to dump sugar on your grits in my parents’ house, but I think my brother and I did it once or twice just to see if we’d like it. Nope: just salt, butter (that was then, olive oil now), and freshly-cracked black pepper. My dad disdainfully referred to sugared grits yankee grits, though I’m pretty sure I saw him spooning on the sweet stuff more than a handful of times. I grew up on Aunt Jemima’s quick grits in the red bag, stored in the freezer, and it was a common cheap breakfast. Stone-ground grits are much healthier than the refined stuff, but I’m not sure folks know just how nutritious grits are – so here’s the label!

Three-quarters of a cup of grits is a pretty darn filling meal, with only a half gram of fat (leaving room for you to add oil or Earth Balance :)), NINE GRAMS of protein, TWENTY PERCENT of your daily iron, and even a little bit of calcium and potassium. Dream food! Y’all let me know if you want me to pick ya’up a little sometime, ya’hear? /southernisms

After the granary we zoomed over to Jaemor Farms, where I purchased discounted pumpkins for carving (still have no idea what was “wrong” with them) and an assortment of muscadine and scuppernong-based jellies and preserves to give as holiday gifts. Here’s a picture of a day’s worth of loot and the pumpkin I carved!

Unfamiliar with muscadines and scuppernongs? Muscadines are plump, juicy, seedy grapes with thick skins, and they’re native to the southeast United States! Scuppernongs are just a cultivar of muscadines. They tend to be quite tart with golden skins. I prefer the richly-colored and less-astringent sweet muscadines. When I was a little girl I sought both in the forests with my dad and brother. There’s nothing like a wild grape!

Parting ways with Jessica, I drove to Lilburn where my bestie Elizabeth hosted the bi-weekly co-op dinner of friends I mentioned in another post. It was thrilling to see the barn doors thrown open and the inside ablaze with lovely white string lights: she had set up the barn for us to do pumpkin carving!

The chili dinner was super, too – Elizabeth’s first vegan chili & cornbread!

Her squirrels are growing up so fast (psst, she’s a wildlife rehabber, remember?):

And I was pleased as punch to see her kitty Ping, who I call Furry-Worry due to her distinctive markings above the eyes that make her look a bit concerned!

See? Worried! And so furry!! Gah.

But, of course, the best part was pumpkin carving.

hanging around the barn, enjoying our work.

And gossiping. Always gossiping.

Never one to resist a pun, Christin made Cthulhu – the Elder Squash. Here we all are together:

Top row, left to right: me, Christin, Elizabeth, Jacquie. Bottom row, left to right: Carol, Sarah.

Perfect day! Move to Georgia and hang out with us!!