Vegan Culinary Tour of New Haven

What do you get when you combine 5 of the best places in New Haven for vegan eats into one 4-hour gustatory extravaganza?  The Vegan Culinary Tour of New Haven!!  Twelve lucky participants gathered together Saturday morning to tour the finest establishments in town and sample some heavenly vegan treats including slow-drip coffee, vegan danish, tofu scramble breakfast wraps, vegan fudge, specialty pizza with vegan cheese, bacon and pepperoni, vegan sushi and hand-crafted Japanese knotweed sake.  They also received goodie bags packed with coupon books for Tofurky artisan  sausage (YUM!) and Attune Foods Erewhon Cereal (my favorite breakfast!), and some handmade raw cacao hemp seed truffles.  Yes, indeed, this was a fabulous way to spend the morning.

We gathered together bright and early on June 7 to begin our whirlwind tour.  First Stop:  The Coffee Pedaler (605 East Street).

Owner Ryan Taylor gave us the history of this young coffee shop which has only been on the scene for 8 months.  He utilizes a slow-drip technique to produce a heavenly, rich coffee like no other in the area.  The shop also offers delicious vegan breakfast danish made exclusively by Bread & Chocolate in Hamden as well as a light vegan lunch menu.  Future expansion plans include lectures and workshops and a mobile bicycle cart serving up their unique brew.

Stop #2 brought us to Fuel Coffee Shop (516 Chapel Street) in Wooster Square.

Owner Courtney Ciesla treated us to some amazing tofu scramble wraps, which are a customer favorite (ours too!!), and some decadent Mister Sister Classic Fudge.  This casual and comfy eatery is hopping on a Saturday morning as visitors to the nearby Farmers Market stop in for a quick bite.

We headed north for our next destination which brought us to the all-vegetarian health food store, Edge of the Woods (379 Whalley Avenue).  This independent grocer has been bringing good health to the New Haven community for decades.  They have an extensive organic produce section, an array of packaged items, abundant bulk goods, an entire upstairs devoted to health supplements and body care, and an almost entirely vegan bakery.  This is where we headed for some delectable treats.

Our lovely kitchen assistant brought out a huge platter of vegan baked goods including brownies, chocolate chip blondies, blueberry cake, cinnamon coffee cake and linzer cookies.  It's amazing to see how quickly vegans can ravage a plate of goodies!

After recovering from this sugary binge, we headed down to State Street for some pizza. Diehard pizza fans know New Haven's thin crust pizza is the best around, but what's a vegan to do at these regular places?  Sure, we could ask for no cheese and load up our pies with veggies.  That's ok, but nothing compared to what you'll find at Da Legna's.

We indulged in two huge pies loaded with such toppings as vegan bacon, vegan pepperoni, Daiya "cheese," fresh spinach and fresh basil.  There is no sacrifice here, and even the nonvegans in the group were won over.  Nothing makes us happier than to be able to enjoy pigging out on pizza like "normal" people do. ;-)

Our final stop on the tour brought us to Miya's, the home of creative, sustainable sushi.  Owner Bun Lai has won numerous accolades for his interpretations of sushi, serving up invasive plants and even insects in his rolls.  We stuck with the plants.

My favorite is the Voompa roll, which is made with roasted eggplant, avocado and jalapeno cashew cheese, then dipped in a spicy fenugreek spice mix.   I also enjoyed the little ball of rice stuffed with Mugwort, a common garden weed that had an earthy, floral taste.

We toasted the Vegan Culinary Tour with a bottle of Japanese Knotweed sake, foraged and crafted by Bun.  It had a refreshing, citrusy flavor reminiscent of lemonade which was perfect for dining al fresco.

Though our tour had reached its final destination, I believe there were many new beginnings as everyone who attended vowed to return to these fine establishments.  I am truly honored to be part of this amazing and supportive community and know the hardworking people behind the scenes who make vegan dining in the city such an enjoyable experience.

A special "thank you!!" to the tour hosts for welcoming vegan customers and for being so generous:  Ryan Taylor (The Coffee Pedaler), Courtney Ciesla (Fuel Coffee Shop), Peter Dodge (Edge of the Woods), Dan Parillo (Da Legna Pizza), and Bun Lai (Miya's Sushi).  

Proceeds from the tour will be donated to Locket's Meadow Farm in Bethany which rescues farm animals and PMU horses destined for slaughter.  

Thank you to all for making this such a successful event!  I look forward to hosting the next Vegan Culinary Tour later this summer.  Contact me for details!

More fun photos from the tour:

Restaurant Review: G-Zen

It's been awhile since I've visited G-Zen, an organic vegan bistro in the shoreline town of Branford, CT.  The last time I was there was to attend the launch of their Saturday "Buddha Brunch" and sample some breakfasty foods, so I was looking forward to returning for dinner with friends.

The occasion was the 40th birthday party of a friend and animal activist who arranged for 20% of the night's proceeds to benefit the Greater New Haven Cat Project where she volunteers.  I was happy to support this fantastic organization and celebrate the birthday of a very hard-working woman.

I started with the Fire Island Sake-tini, made with pineapple juice, coconut water, banana, and sake.  It was refreshingly tropical for a sultry summer evening.  The price ($12.50) was a little steep, but since the juice was fresh and organic, it was understandable.

For our appetizer, the four of us shared the Vegan Artisinal Nut Cheese Platter special which was served with baguette, champagne grapes, and dates on a bed of mesclun.  The three cheeses were made from pureed raw cashews in varieties of goat cheese, herbed cheese, and peppercorn brie.  All of these were tasty, but the portion would have been more appropriate for two instead of four people to share.  At $20, this also was a pricey menu item which would have been even more of a splurge had we ordered two.

One positive note is that I requested gluten-free bread which at first my server had said couldn't be substituted, but then she came to the table with a plate of puffy little flat rolls.  I neglected to take a photo, but these were the highlight of my evening:  it's rare to get soft, pillowy bread that is not only gluten-free, but also vegan.  I asked our server if these were made in house but was informed they came from Dee's One Smart Cookie, a gluten-free bakery in Glastonbury.  I highly recommend this bread if you can't eat gluten and are tired of those frozen bricks that taste like cardboard when you toast them.  The gluten-free pizza crust at G-Zen also comes from Dee's.

It was tough to decide on an entree since I've eaten nearly everything on the menu on prior visits to G-Zen as well as when they were served at Chef Mark Shadle's previous incarnation, It's Only Natural restaurant in Middletown, CT.  One item I hadn't ever tried was the Black Bean Burger, but since I didn't want it on a bun (although, in retrospect, more of that Dee's bread would've been pretty awesome!), I decided to order the Garden Guru, which is any 4 sides for $20.  I chose the burger, mashed potatoes and gravy, sauteed greens and grilled asparagus.

When the food arrived at the table, my server notified me that they were out of grilled asparagus and had substituted more greens.  Now, I'm a huge fan of greens, but when I order something that's kinda what I expect to get, so I was a little disappointed I hadn't been informed of this asparagus outage in order to pre-empt the substitution.  I think she kinda sensed my surprise and offered to bring me a different sub, so I asked for the mixed veggies... which ended up being more greens, plus carrots, broccoli, zucchini and turnips. Everything else on the plate was ok, though I kinda like my mashed potatoes drowning in gravy, which also would have been nice to slather on the somewhat dry burger.

I did not order dessert, but my dining companions enjoyed some Nice Cream and Carrot Cake.  Ultimately, the best part of the evening was the good company and conversation which lingered well past closing time.  It was a pleasure to be able to enjoy a leisurely meal with friends and not feel pressured out the door.

Red Lentil

It's always exciting when a new vegetarian restaurant opens, and when it just happens to be in downtown New Haven, I feel as if all my culinary prayers have been answered.  So, when Red Lentil opened its doors a couple of weeks ago, my expectations were as high as my appetite.

I've been there twice now, once for lunch on opening day and once for dinner a week later, and my experiences were dramatically different.  I'm hoping that as the kitchen staff and servers get accustomed to the menu, the end result will be more consistently positive.  I really want them to succeed in this difficult location so that I can have a restaurant to take family and friends who come to visit, and that I can happily recommend to anyone contemplating a vegan diet.

On my first visit, I met a friend for a late lunch on opening day, and we sampled several appetizers from the extensive menu.  Sweet Potato Fries always tempt me, so I had to try their "Belgian Fries" since I was curious to see how they compared to other dining establishments' versions.

The large portion arrived at our table with a smokey barbecue sauce for dipping.  I was eagerly anticipating that first crunch, but I'm disappointed to say that these must have been sitting for awhile after coming out of the oven (they were baked, not fried) because they were lukewarm and soggy.  The outside had gotten chewy and tough, and the sauce just clung desperately to the limp fry.

We moved on to the Gobi Manchurian, a chickpea batter-fried cauliflower with mildly spicy red sauce.  Although this was flavorful, it also suffered form that texture of sogginess.  It's a hefty portion, too, and could easily make for a filling entree.

We were also curious to try the Beet and Sweet Potato Latke, which was served with a handful of mesclun greens and topped by an apricot sauce and a cilantro sauce.  Again, I was assuming these would be pan-fried and crisp, but instead there was that soggy theme.  It's really too bad because these could have been delicious if they had been served straight from the pan.

For my second visit, I met a large group of vegan friends for a 6:00 dinner.*  We ordered several appetizers, including the Gobi Manchurian, which I'm happy to say arrived hot and the cauliflower still had some crispy crunch.  Other apps sampled were the Nachos (can be made vegan with Daiya cheese), Bruschetta (pretty presentation), and the Latkes (still soggy).

The most popular entree choice of the evening was the Pistachio and Herb Encrusted Tofu with Corn Cake, which came accompanied by a cilantro chutney.  This looked and tasted delicious.

Another favorite was the Shepherd's Pie, which was a generous portion topped by a vegan bechamel sauce and drizzle of balsamic reduction.  I heard that it was filling and flavorful, though perhaps a little too sagey.

I was intrigued by the Millet Loaf with Ethiopian Spiced Tempeh and Carrot Sage Bechamel.  This also was a big stack submerged in a rich and flavorful sauce.  Although it was delicious, I am just now noting that the promised "Summer Ratatouille" accompaniment was nowhere to be found on the plate.  huh.  Not only that, but I'm also realizing that all of the entrees were lacking significant portions of vegetables.  strange.

Several of our dining guests ordered desserts, but since none of the cakes were gluten-free, I had to pass.   The crowd favorite was the Carrot Cake, although everyone agreed it was more like a "tease cake" since there was more frosting than cake, though it was nonetheless delicious.  Others tried the Pistachio Cake (good, but more like a vanilla cake with crushed pistachios on top) and the Triple Chocolate Cake (which seemed to be missing a couple chocolates).

*All in all, the second time around was an enjoyable dining experience.  I put an asterisk there because some friends who dined on the same night but arrived later in the evening were very disappointed by confused wait staff, poor quality of food, and warm water in their glasses.  Again, I hope this is just a matter of working out the kinks because inconsistencies like this make me uncomfortable recommending this restaurant.  If you're thinking of trying it, I'd say give it another couple of weeks and be sure to go early.

Cafe Romeo

I was tipped off a few months ago that this little hole in the wall in the East Rock neighborhood of New Haven had vegan pizza on their menu.  With actual vegan cheese.  And since then, a friend of mine had heard the same thing, along with rumors about vegan desserts as well.  This was enough to get me in the door for a visit this week.

Cafe Romeo is a sweet little cafe which features a fiery brick oven for pizza, a decent selection of paninis and sandwiches, a cozy seating area inside plus outdoor sidewalk patio, free wifi, and plenty of hot and cold beverages.  Their grilled tempeh with apple and butternut squash panini was what caught my eye, and when I saw that they also offer gluten-free wraps, I knew that's what I would order.  I was all set to rave about my selection until the young gentleman at the counter announced there were no more gluten-free wraps.  Then I asked about gluten-free bread.  Nope.  Same thing.  So I suggested, why not make it as a salad with some arugula, to which my server obliged.

I also ordered a cup of the escarole and white bean soup which together made a nice light lunch.  The bread went home wrapped in a napkin for Zinny.  At around $11, this was slightly more costly than the average lunch, though I'm always willing to pay a little extra to be able to order tempeh at a restaurant.

My vegan friend ordered a personal vegan pizza which came with spinach and olives, along with a soy latte.  The vegan cheese was by Follow Your Heart, which melts up nice and ooey gooey in those hot ovens.  Again, she was just happy to not have to drive 2 hours to Peace 'O Pie in Boston and be able to order vegan pizza at a restaurant in New Haven (Sally's and Pepe's take note!).  We also agreed that we're kinda happy it wasn't over the top amazing like Peace O' Pie.

Cafe Romeo is just a 5 minute drive from my house, and in the warmer weather it will be less than a 10 minute bike ride, so I can see myself having a weekly business meeting here.  Anyone care to join me, just ask!