Pie day is a big deal these days. I have a friend who has been celebrating it for some time.
He is amazing and makes tons of handmade tossed crust veg pizzas for all his guests.
This weekend was the party and it was aces.
Du Nord Distillery
A few weeks ago, my friend took us to learn how to make vodka at Du Nord Craft Spirits.
I've had cocktails here before but this is the first time I've gone on the tour.
I really like their version of the Moscow Mule....onto what we learned that day!
Lessons learnt include:
Not many people know who Ernest Hemingway is-(just us)
Even fewer know who F. Scott Fitzgerald is-(again, just us)
Even though it seems obvious that Du Nord seems like it means North, lots of people could not put that together. (Obvious to...us!)(We are proof drinking vodka makes you s-m-a-r-t)
Making vodka is not particularly safe.
Vodka is pretty much poison.
We are better at drinking vodka than making vodka.
Of the three things Du Nord produces, we all agreed the Apple Liqueur was the best. By a lot.
We are all too lazy to make vodka.
Check them out if you're in town. It's a cool, unique place complete with games and a shuffleboard table.
How to Order Vegan: Part 1
I get asked a lot about how to eat vegan when I go to a restaurant. More often than not I suspect that being intimidated and simply not knowing what to ask keeps people from trying to make their diet more vegan-friendly for themselves. There is a fair amount of helpful advice out there so I am going to break this up into a few posts.
Some places now will clearly mark on menus what is vegan and what is not. However, that is not as commonplace as this girl right here would dream. Be that as it may, you can generally find at least one or two things on nearly every menu that can be made vegan. Not all places necessarily have something, but a lot of them do.
*photo credit unknown but obviously someone awesome
Truth be told, the best way to eat vegan (besides going somewhere you already know is vegan-accessible) is simply to go to small, local businesses. This tends to up your chances significantly for not only vegan food but also fresh food. An added advantage to altering things on the menu is that you will often get something made-to-order, not something that has been cooked since the early hours of the day. You may have to pay a little more for it (not always) but I generally think that is worth it.
Keep in my mind this by no means covers all the things that can make your choice veg-friendly, but my goal here is to help you get a little closer to vegan. And likely healthy too (except the donuts) (well, they are cholesterol free… so, that’s something)
The very first thing I am going to say (because I know this is something people ask A LOT and why people are often nervous about speaking up) is about the server and not wanting to be a pain in the ass. Fair enough.
Here’s the deal: I have never had a server be rude to me about my dietary requests. In fact, it is my estimation that if a server has been rude to me about anything (I can’t really think of too many examples here) I have not been rude back. That’s because I worked in customer service for a very long time and have strict rules about always being the best customer I can be, regardless. If someone is being rude it’s likely they had someone be awful to them, and being a dick is just going to compound the problem. A simple smile and thank you can change the entire dynamic of a situation… including your dietary requests. Now, servers don’t always know and most will go and check with the chef for you, often coming back with definitive answers. If they can’t give you one, it’s your decision whether or not to go forward. The only time I would suggest not taking chances is if you have an undoubtable allergy. Servers, like anyone, generally want to do the best job they can. And simple rules apply here: Don’t. Be. A. Creep.
Now to the food!
We can start with something that seems like it’s an obvious vegan choice but actually often is not: SALADS!
Don’t be fooled by the idea of nothing but colorful veggies. Unless labeled, most salads in restaurants are not vegan. A lot of them are not even vegetarian. The first reason why is obvious: Many salads are topped with meat or cheese. Some are topped with eggs.
Other reasons include: Dressing having dairy in it, and croutons being made with butter and/or cheese.
It’s generally easy to ask for these things to be left off or substituted. A vinegar and oil dressing is almost always available and the croutons might have been made with oil. If they are made with margarine, that one is up to you. A lot of butter substitutes contain whey, which is a dairy derivative. You can’t always know if whey is in something and neither can a sever. The choice is your discretion.
-Salad from the magnificent salad bar at Q Cumbers-
Next up: ASIAN FOOD such as Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
Eating in Asian places, it is my experience that you can usually easily find something to eat but here are things to be aware of:
There is a cultural difference that seafood and seafood derived ingredients are vegetarian. Being vegan means that this is not the same belief.
Sometimes vegetarian stir-fries are cooked with fish sauce or oyster sauce. They can usually be substituted with something animal-free. If that is not the case, as sometimes things are made in advance, I have had a dish made especially for me. A meat-free diet is not so uncommon in Asia that this is an unusual request.
Fried rice almost always has egg in it unless otherwise specified, and Korean street food style dishes tend to be topped wth fried eggs as well.
If you’re not familiar with a place, or it’s not marked, simply asking if the vegetarian dishes are cooked with fish sauce or oyster sauce will generally solve most of the problems. Stir-fries that are served with chicken or beef can be made veg by asking for tofu or mock duck instead.
Awesome places like Evergreen Chinese have a lot of fun meat subs that I love (Lemongrass mock beef, Pepper fried mock pork - YUM). They also serve Buddhist vegetarian dishes, and those are completely free of animal products.
-Buddhist Veggies and Three-Cup Tofu from Evergreen Chinese-
Thai curries can contain shrimp paste - another thing that is usually easily subbed with coconut milk.
Bubble tea can also be vegan but make sure to ask for a milk-free one.
Japanese food is a bit tougher at times. You would want things that don’t contain fish flakes (it is referred to as Bonito flakes), and you will want to ask if the miso soup is veggie, as the Dashi used to make it might not be animal-free. Tempura can be a good bet, but again just ask if the batter is vegan.
I LOVE potstickers, dumplings, spring rolls, pretty much anything I can eat with my hands like a little kid and dip in something. I would suggest that, unless it is clearly marked, asking if the item in question is veggie-only and if the dipping sauce is vegan. On occasion, peanut sauces and the like have had animal-derived sauce mixed into them. When this has happened it has been quite simple to get something else to replace it. It’s one of the great things about Asian food: all the fabulous sauces.
The potstickers, dumplings, etc… may have a mixture that contains pork or something such as that. It never hurts to check.
-Tofu Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce from Jasmine Deli-
OK! This is a good amount of ground covered in this first post. I’ll be back soon going over ideas for ordering Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian and who knows what else because I love to eat out.
The St. Paul Hotel
There is a beautiful, historical place in St. Paul, Minnesota by the name of the Saint Paul Hotel. It is a lovely place to stay and I've been lucky enough to be able to stay twice in the Park Suite. The most recent time was for New Year's Eve in which there was a small celebration and bubbly all through the night. The staff is very kind and the space is so gorgeous. It's in a great location for visiting famous spots in the city as well.
2015 Favorite Vegan Foods (Twin Cities)
One thing that certainly stands out about last year is a lot of really great things put into my face hole known as a mouth. Eating vegan has never been easier and the Twin Cities especially Minneapolis is turning into a haven for good vegan food. This is a picture heavy post because well, there's a lot of good stuff around now!
My favorite breakfast in town is hands down at the Modern Times Cafe. It's kale, tempeh, tofu covered in garlic tahini sauce. They also have a solid soy mocha.
My favorite new discovery is Nico's Taco Bar. I love the cactus tostada! Make sure to get salsa trios as well.
A dish at my favorite fine dining restaurant, Jasmine 26. The Basil noodles are light and flavorful. Make sure you also start with the Salt-n-Pepper Tofu, you'll be glad you did.
Truth be told, my love for Glam Doll Donuts has been tested this year. The maple vegan bar (shown above) is amazing but more than once I have gotten terrible vegan donuts there. Tiny, undercooked, dry. I am trying to cut them some slack as they learn to adapt because having a donut shop I like is fun.
The mind-blowing food revelation in town this year was learning you can get vegan gelato at the Mall of America. Paciugo has a fabulous Limoncello gelato as well as many other soy and water based flavors. What a great surprise!
This completely amazingly yummy waffle dessert comes from Kitty Corner Cafe. I can't decide whether I wish I lived closer to it or further away. I want to go here more often. I shouldn't. You should.
I love veggie sushi and Japanese food but most places are terrible at the vegan versions. This year I found two places I liked. The first is Masu. This is the veggie caterpillar. It's cute, delicious and the wasabi is actually strong. Often it is not. I like it ass-kicking. I wouldn't say it's that strong but it's better than most.
The second Japanese place I liked this year was Midori's Floating World Cafe. First, the name...lovely. Second, the food was fresh and perfect. Third, the service was pretty dreadful. It took forever to get our food and we didn't get to eat together. There are pretty decorations to look at as you grumpily wait so there's that.
Honorable mention Japanese is Unideli at United Noodle. The tiny spot in the store has great Vegan Shoyu and there's tons of it.
Favorite new fast dinner spot (or lunch) is Hot Indian Foods in the Midtown Global Market. The Vegan Channa is surprisingly delicious. I say surprising because Indian food is such an art and I don't expect too much from a tiny stand. My bad. You can get it in a fried bread wrap which is insanely decadent(or without like pictured here) but it melts in your mouth. The Indi-frites have a unique spice on them. The sauce they are served with is not vegan but ask for hot sauce with them instead, they make their own and it's out of this world.
This thing of beauty is an artful vegan pizza from Pizza Nea. My newest pizza discovery lead me to a long time spot that is perfect for a date with wine and romantic lighting. They teamed up with local vegan butcher shop The Herbivorous Butcher to make most of their pizzas available in vegan versions. The faux mozzarella is the best I've ever had.
I had two rediscoveries this year. The first being Harry Signh's. This simple rice and beans dish is so good and so hot you would not even believe it. There is a lot of vegan options here and I will warn you: my tolerance is very high and I find this food spicy as hell. It's really AWESOME.
My second rediscovered spot is Sen Yai-Sen Lek. I love the Tofu Peanut Satay. They are a community minded place with a seasonal menu and lots of good intentions. The Tofu Basil dish is also worth having.
There are plenty of places I could add but these were the new stand-outs this year for the most part.
As the new year starts and lots of people try out being vegan especially here: There's tons of places to go out.
Minnesota Monday, United Noodle Delights
When I first moved here I used to explore grocery stores. For some reason, I stopped. I don't really know why but recently I went back to one I used to really like and was very happy by what I found. I will no doubt be going again. United Noodle is a wonderland of treats(and real food too) and gift items. I very quickly found a bunch of snacks and tea to take home with me as well as tea tins. I will most certainly put this place back on my list of shopping stops, especially since so much Asian and Indian food is vegetarian friendly. Here are some pictures of the snacks I bought, the tins I loved and the veggies that became part of a fabulous Pho made for me. Have a delightful week!
Parley Lake Winery
As my exploration of Minnesota Wineries continues, I find that I am surprised how each seems to be a different experience. My visit to Parley Lake Winery included seeing llamas, tractor rides, a band and someone making pizzas in the back of an old fire truck(which I didn't get a picture of...boo!) I might add the Frontenac wine=YUM. I also very much enjoyed all the white wines they made. I seem to like white wine in the summertime quite a bit.
