Green Owl Anniversary Dinner

Today’s post is the last in a rather long series of restaurant review posts. I swear, S and I aren’t restaurant-hopping spendthrifts, throwing fistfuls of money at every dining establishment with a vegan option! We happened to be traveling for work at the same time in February, and then it was our two-year anniversary and I had a Groupon for The Green Owl, so we just had to get dinner there! But I promise – I’ll get back to basics soon and cool it with the restaurant posts*.

I’ve mentioned The Green Owl more than a few times, but I think I’ve only blogged about it once. The Green Owl is Madison’s only vegetarian restaurant, and a high percentage of their menu items are either already vegan or can be made vegan with ease. I love supporting the place, but I do think that some of their dishes are overpriced considering the portion size and the quality. There are standouts, however, that are totally worth their cost: the Crabby Cake Po’Boy and BBQ Jackfruit sandwiches are top-notch in my book, while S prefers the Italian Beef sandwich. And you’d be a real idiot if you passed on their kale crisps, which are always crunchy, flavorful, and highly addictive. Where The Green Owl really stands out is its dessert menu… but I’ll get to that soon!

Our anniversary fell on a Tuesday, which is (apparently) taco night. I couldn’t resist ordering the tacos, which featured a soy-based chorizo, lettuce, and avocado in corn tortillas. They came with a side of beans and rice and small bowls of vegan sour cream and their house pineapple pico de gallo.

Taco Tuesday!

To be honest, the pineapple pico was probably the best part of this dish. The tacos weren’t anything too special; I could easily make them at home with little fuss. And the “beans and rice” was disappointing – it was literally a pile of barely seasoned black beans alongside a scoop of brown rice. Again, totally fine for something I’d make at home when I wanted a simple dinner, but not what I particularly want to receive as a paying customer at a restaurant! At least I had a pomegranate cocktail to keep me in good spirits.

S ordered the TLT with avocado, served on locally made bread.

TLT!

 

I’ve had this before, and it’s perfectly serviceable but nothing mind-blowing. S chose roasted red potatoes as a side – a wise choice, second in quality only to the kale chips! S also ordered a Manhattan. You can see it in the corner, inexplicably served in a small tumbler. When he ordered the drink, our waitress said, “Hmm, I think she knows how to make that!” Not exactly confidence-inspiring, and a Manhattan is not exactly an exotic drink!

Although our meals didn’t boast the most inspiring flavors or quality, our desserts made the entire dinner worthwhile. I ordered a margarita cheesecake that was truly phenomenal.

I’m drooling right now.

Bursting with fresh lime flavor, this luscious, creamy cheesecake hit all the right notes. I absolutely loved that it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. The head pastry chef at The Green Owl constantly produces some of the most creative and consistently drool-worthy vegan cheesecake creations I’ve ever created, and this one was one of my all-time favorites. She doesn’t just do cheesecakes, though – all her desserts are equally delicious. S took the cake route and ordered some sort of mocha cake.

Served with chocolate-covered espresso beans!

Although I preferred my cheesecake, this was definitely a standout dessert too. Cakes at The Green Owl are always perfectly moist, with just the right frosting-to-cake ratio.

While not every dish at The Green Owl is a winner, those that are winners win big. No omnivore could try a dessert at The Green Owl and think that vegan baked goods are inferior to their traditional counterparts, and the favorites I listed earlier are consistently high-quality dishes. Even though I have some qualms with The Green Owl’s prices, I’ll still be back for more! Here’s hoping the margarita cheesecake is on the menu next time…!

Do you have easy access to any delicious vegan desserts?

*Sorta. I’ll be in Rhode Island next weekend, and on Sunday my friend is holding a birthday brunch at a restaurant with multiple vegan breakfast options, soooo………

Guest Post: Everlasting Life Café Review

Today I’m sitting back and letting someone else do the talking! My dear darling S (whom I most definitely did not just call an overly mean name for running the dryer instead of the washing machine and then wondering aloud why the clothes hadn’t gotten wet…) spent his Christmas holiday in Maryland. He made a few jaunts up to D.C. for some friend-visiting, and one night he emailed me a couple of food photos with the caption, “I can’t wait to take you here!” Three weeks later, he’s still talking about the meal that inspired that email, and now he’s going to share his review of what’s probably his new favorite restaurant. So – here’s S!

***

I chose to go vegan for entirely ethical reasons. That’s why you’ll find me wolfing down an entire slice of Chicago Diner cake while Kelly watches in awe, fork dangling from her fingers.

That’s also why I devoured a huge plate of food, plus half of my friend’s sandwich, on a recent trip to the vegan soul food restaurant Everlasting Life Cafe in Washington, D.C.

The restaurant itself is almost aggressively unassuming–at night, with the blinds drawn, it looks from the outside like it could be abandoned. I walked right by the first time. But inside you’ll find a spacious dining area, bar, and in the back, a beautiful cafeteria-style spread:

Free samples, you say?

On the left you’ll see a hot bar serving an ever-changing array of entrees and sides. Choose from main courses like shepherd’s pie, barbecue tofu, or country fried chicken, and sides such as collard greens, macaroni and cheese, or black-eyed peas. On the right is a cold bar with a mind-bogglingly huge selection of fresh salads like marinated kale, seaweed, and mung bean.

Not pictured is a juice bar hawking nogs, shakes, and smoothies sweetened with agave and molasses, and a sandwich bar with offerings like a fried chicken sandwich and a steak and cheese sub. More on that chicken sandwich later…

When I approached the counter, I had a momentary flash of fear–what if I’d misread the menu? What if this was the wrong place? But the server, perhaps a mind-reader, greeted me with a smile and a reassurance: “Everything here is 100% vegan.” What a statement! As a newbie vegan, precious few are the restaurants I’ve visited where everything is vegan. It’s so nice to be able to relax and choose based on what looks good instead of what looks like it doesn’t contain fish sauce.

It was also great to be offered a barrage of samples in tiny paper cups; a sign declared only three were allowed per guest, but our server seemed to want us to sample the entire menu. After trying the macaroni and cheese, kale salad, and sweet potatoes, I wanted it all. I settled, however, on the lasagna, with collard greens on the side.

Lasagna as big as yo face.

Wow! This meal blew my mind. The lasagna was packed with a great non-dairy ricotta, TVP-esque meaty bits, and plenty of delicious spinach. As you can see, the portion was huge, as was the helping of collard greens, which were deliciously savory with a strong smokiness.

Despite the abundance of food, I didn’t have any trouble scarfing it down, and when my friend offered me the rest of her chicken sandwich, I accepted with very little prodding. Sorry I don’t have a picture, but it was a breaded seitan chunk slathered in vegan mayonnaise and topped with tomatoes and lettuce. In other words, exactly what a fried chicken sandwich should be!

I cannot wait to return to D.C., hopefully with Kelly in tow, and pay another visit to Everlasting Life. It’s not fine dining–you grab your own silverware–and you should steer clear if you’re watching your weight. As Wikipedia notes, soul foods “tend to be very high in starch, fat, sodium, cholesterol, and calories.” But if you’re looking for a hearty, indulgent vegan meal, look no further than Everlasting Life.

Restaurant Review: Julians Restaurant

I think I broke my mom’s heart a little tiny bit when I visited last week. On our first night in RI, my parents wanted to go out to eat – but not to our veg-friendly standard, the Garden Grille. Instead they wanted to hit up a local establishment that offers a variety of Asian cuisines. Our conversation went something like this:

Mom: So I was thinking we could meet at Seven Moons for dinner.

Me: I’m not sure Seven Moons has vegan options…

Mom: Yes, it does! They have pad thai! I get that all the time!

Me: Really? They don’t use fish sauce?

Mom: …fish sauce?

Needless to say, it was all downhill from there. Mom called the restaurant, they confirmed that fish sauce is everywhere, and my poor mother suffered a severe case of disillusionment. I might have spied a tear on her cheek when she hung up the phone.

Luckily, though, a quick Google search advised me of a promising but yet-untried (by me!) veg-friendly joint in Providence – Julians Restaurant. (And yes, there is a lack of apostrophe in their name. I know.) So, that evening, we all met up there to see what Julian had to offer.

While Julians isn’t a vegetarian restaurant (the menu includes various meats), it does offer more than a few meat-free options. And we’re not talking about your token Boca burger, either – these are creative, thoughtful dishes worth ordering. All of my family members chose something meat-free (if not vegan), and I passed the camera around the table and had them photograph what they ate. We’ll start with the Vegan Steak & Cheese Wrap, which both S and I ordered because neither of us was terribly hungry.

Wrapped!

Our wraps included house-made seitan, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and vegan cheese, and they were the perfect size for our less robust appetites. The house-made seitan was juicy and tender and they included just the right amount of soy cheese. My only complaint was that the seitan was just a bit too salty for my tastes.

After being foiled in her earlier craving for pad thai, Mom decided to go with a different flavor palette entirely. She ordered the Mediterranean Spice Fried Seitan Skewers.

Definitely not pad thai.

Fancy, right? These featured more house-made seitan alongside saffron-olive-portobella bulgar, pea tendrils, preserved lemon, and paprika roasted cauliflower purée. See what I mean about the creative dishes here? Mom enjoyed these, although she agreed that the seitan was a bit salty.

Finally, here is the last dish that got photographed. I’m not sure if it was dad’s or my brother’s – I thought both of them had snapped a shot, but apparently not!

Moar seitan!

I think this is my brother’s dish. He chose a special of the day, which was a seitan-based dish in a spicy peanut sauce. He liked it but commented that it wasn’t really all that peanutty – the spiciness overpowered the peanuttiness. Alas.

I’m not totally sure, but I believe my dad ordered the  House Corned Beef Seitan, which is served with roasted fingerling potatoes, maple glazed carrots and caraway stout braised cabbage. He gave me a taste, and I can vouch that it was quite tasty. My sister ordered the only non-vegan meal, another special of the day. Hers was some sort of tofu-based sandwich; I think it included cheese.

Beyond pleasing my taste buds with its yummy food, Julians pleased my eyes as well. The restaurant is decorated with all sorts of art and knick-knacks in its the cozy interior. The bathroom features a collection of action figures alongside an art installation – a TV showing images and sounds of trains. I’m not quite sold on that one.

If my praise doesn’t convince you that Julians is worth a visit, let me also add that S is 95% sure he saw Ted Leo (of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists) enjoying dinner on Julians’ patio. He was slightly starstruck but decided not to say hello so as not to make an unwelcome dinnertime intrusion. I didn’t need the star sighting, though – the food was good enough to bring me back! In fact, the weekend after I left, my mom and aunt headed there for brunch. And Julians has some amazing-sounding vegan brunch options – Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cashew Cream Cheese?! Holy smokes! I know where I’m eating breakfast next time I’m in RI!

Have you spotted famous folks out and about in the wild? What’s your favorite local veg-friendly eatery?

This is a pre-scheduled post because I’m currently on vacation. If anything looks funky, blame the scheduling feature in WordPress.

Restaurant Review: Lazy Jane’s Café

Left to my own devices, I’d go out to eat very rarely. I’m frugal by nature, and I have a hard time justifying the hit to my bank account when I can make my own meals for so much less money. I want my restaurant excursions to be special! I think this is partly because my parents didn’t have a whole lot of money when I was a young kid, so any time we went out to eat, it was a memorable and notable experience, so I still have a lingering (if diminished) sense that going out to eat should be special.

When I started dating S, though, I found myself hitting up restaurants more often. Although we enjoyed making dinner together at one of our apartments, there’s also something uniquely enjoyable about sitting in a totally different place and focusing on one another, not on preparing your meal. Plus, it reduces the tension that often arises in the kitchen – I’m a bit of a control-freak when it comes to cooking (stop laughing, family and friends who might be reading this!), and have a hard time biting my tongue if someone’s doing something in what I consider a less than optimal manner. Although I’d never have called S out on a perceived inefficiency when we were first dating, we’ve been together for well over a year now, and all bets are off. But eating in restaurants precludes the temptation to criticize S for not putting water to boil while chopping veggies, which I’m sure we can all agree is a huge inefficiency.

Anyway, a few months ago I decided we should further cut down our eating out, preferably to only once or twice (or thrice) a month, and that we should plan it and not use it as a fallback for lunch when we’re out running weekend errands or something. So, a few weeks ago, I told S we should go out for brunch at Lazy Jane’s Cafe on a Sunday. We’d been there once before, and I was pleased with my meal and wanted to return to try something else. S loves brunch, so he was more than amenable to the idea. Last time, I ordered a seitan hash, which usually comes with eggs. I replaced the eggs with more hash and received a giant plate of savory, tasty seitan and a side of potatoes. Yummy and incredibly filling.

This time, we both ended up ordering the Curry Tofu Scramble, which comes with a huge side of potatoes and toast. S recently decided to take the vegan plunge <insert fist pump here>, and the scramble is actually the only menu item that’s totally vegan without modifications.

Scramble, scramble scraaamble!

It was a quality scramble. The curry flavor was just spicy enough, with a complex blend of spices and complementary crisp, fresh, perfectly cooked veggies. The potatoes and toast were equally yummy. Lazy Jane’s uses bread from a local bakery, and even though S unknowingly chose a non-vegan bread for his toast, one of the cooks noted his vegan scramble order and kindly toasted up one of the vegan bread options just in case and then asked him which one he wanted – score one for customer service!

Despite its tastiness, I could barely eat a third of my scramble – we’d split a vegan Lemon Cream scone (!) while we waited for our meals, and between it and my delicious mug of coffee, my tummy was getting full when our order arrived. But it was totally worth it – the scone was a lemony dream, and I had scramble leftovers for lunch the next day.

All in all, this visit to Lazy Jane’s was a worthy use of one of our restaurant meals for May. It’s a cute, cozy fast-casual restaurant, so there’s no tip required, which saves a bit of cash. It is, however, always crowded and there’s always a line to order, but I don’t mind – it gives you time to drool over the pastry case, which allegedly always contains one vegan baked good. I do wish there were a few more vegan meals on the menu, though – it’s one of those places that advertises itself as being vegan-friendly, but having only one (and a half) vegan options really just makes you sort of vegan-semi-friendly, y’know?

How often do you go out to eat? What’s your favorite brunch food?

Restaurant Review: Macha Tea House

“Ooh, have you been to Macha?! They give you free cookies if it’s your first visit!” This is what I inevitably hear whenever Macha Tea House comes up in conversation. Needless to say, the thought of free cookies doesn’t thrill me as much as it does my non-vegan friends – odds are slim to none that the cookies are vegan, so I knew that the most pleasure I’d get out of them would be the selfless thrill of giving mine to S and watching him devour two cookies while I sipped my tea. Ho hum. But after hearing more than one friend rave about how cute and quaint and cozy Macha is, S and I decided to check it out for ourselves. We like tea, and we like trying new places – even ones without the allure of free cookies.

Macha is located on Monroe St., a hip neighborhood not quite downtown that still feels bustling and busy. You might recall that I cited it as the location of Pizza Brutta, where I ate my birthday pizza. Macha is set back from the street a bit, in what looks to be a renovated house. This enhances its cozy feel and makes it possible to have a few small tea rooms upstairs, set apart from the more traditional restaurant seating below. The tea rooms are raised slightly, so you have to step up to enter them. You’re encouraged to take off your shoes before entering, which S and I did after ordering at the front desk, receiving our pot of steeping Yunnan tea, and proceeding upstairs.

Each tea room has a low table and a few cushions on the floor, along with bamboo floor mats and Japanese-inspired wall decor. It’s a pleasant, calming atmosphere. S and I chatted and watched the sand in the timer drain as we waited for our tea to steep.

I'm a little teapot, short and square...

When it was done, we poured our tea and sipped it, enjoying the warm sunlight while waiting for our food. The Yunnan tea was delicious – I’m so used to drinking Irish and English black teas that I sometimes forget that there are other varieties out there! Unlike the one-note, almost bitter flavor of an Irish or English black tea, the Yunnan was nuanced and deeply satisfying. And when our food arrived, we eagerly dug in. S ordered the miso soup with tofu, while I enjoyed the donburi bowl with tofu.

Donburi for lunch!

My rice bowl featured jasmine rice, scallion, black sesame, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and daikon. I ordered it with a sweet, soy-glazed tofu, which came in large chunks. The whole dish came with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil on the side, but I found the sauce almost unnecessary – my bowl was well-seasoned as is. For such a seemingly light and simple meal, I found it surprisingly (and happily) filling. And the price was right – just $6.50 for a tasty lunch. Next time, I’ll forego the tofu and save a dollar.

And there will definitely be a next time – S and I both enjoyed our visit, especially getting to sit in a more private room. Macha also offers tea services, where you can reserve space for a party and receive lots of tea, baked goods, and delicate sandwiches and nibbles. Delightful!

Oh, and those free cookies? Nobody mentioned them! Where did that rumor start?!

Loans & Pizza

Hello! I’m on the other side of 25 and feelin’ fine. In the twoish weeks since my birthday, I’ve already accomplished one of my goals – I paid off a loan! Granted, it was one of my smallest private loans, but it’s GONE. Woo! That rush of minimal-exertion accomplishment felt so good that I’ve decided to pay off my Perkins loan next month, I think. I have the money – I’ve been shoring up my savings account for the past couple years, and even though it’s hard to drop a couple thousand dollars at a time, it’s saving me money in the end because, hello, that interest accrues mighty fast! Anyway, I’m excited to already cross one thing off my list. I’m so productive now that I’m old and mature! Ha ha ha.

So, what did I do on my 25th? Well… I ate pizza. Yes, for my big birthday dinner, I chose pizza. What can I say? I’m a little tired of the vegan options in Madison (appreciative though I am of their existence!), and S had raved about the delectable pizzas that are birthed from the wood-fired ovens at Pizza Brutta on Monroe Street, and I’d been craving a simple, thin-crust pizza with garlic and marinara sauce… so pizza it was. And it was good.

So simple, yet so delicious.

Ahh, the pizza marinara. A perfectly baked crust topped with vibrant crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and garlic – exactly what I was craving. Perfection!

Although the pizza was definitely a highlight of my birthday, I also really loved my gifts and talking with my loved ones. I have the best family and friends. They know me so well – many of my gifts were kitchen-related, from the homemade vanilla extract (made with organic vodka!) from my dear friend Nicole to the gorgeous cast-iron pan from S and the double boiler/steamer from my parents. My parents also framed a truly adorable picture of my mom and baby-me, and it now sits in a place of pride on my windowsill, nestled between my basil plant and a photo of me with my best ladyfriends from college. I could go on, but nobody likes to read a litany of someone else’s gifts. Suffice it to say that my 25th birthday, though low-key, was wonderful – a great way to usher in this year of Actually Accomplishing Things and Figuring Stuff Out.

Would you prefer an all-out birthday bash or something quieter? And what should I make to showcase the flavor of my new vanilla extract?!

Restaurant Review: Kabul

Whenever a friend visits Madison for the first time, I always take her on the requisite amble up and down the [mostly] pedestrian-only State Street. Its eight blocks  offer something for every dollar-doler or window-browser, from your standard Gaps and American Apparels to smaller shops with kitschy clothes and accessories. I’m a big fan of Tellus Mater, a locally-owned store packed full of eclectic home goods – their selection of fun kitchen items always elicits at least a few outbursts of delight from me. But perhaps the most alluring aspect of State Street for locals (well, for me, at least) is its selection of eateries. Sure, you can eat at boring ol’ Taco Bell and Chipotle and all your typical chains, but more intrepid eaters appreciate State Street’s glut of more diverse eateries. From Nepalese to Japanese to Greek food, there’s a cuisine to tempt nearly any palate.

I recently rounded out a State Street shopping expedition with a dinner at Kabul. It was a cold, blustery, rainy night, and S and I were more than happy to escape the wind and sit at a cozy table together. Kabul offers Afghani and Mediterranean food, with a dedicated (if small) vegetarian section of its menu. Although many of the vegetarian options feature a yogurt sauce, based on their customer service, I’m sure they’d be more than willing to customize a yogurt dish for vegans. After I asked about the veganness of my meal of choice, my server – unasked! – let me know that there’s egg in their house salad dressing, and she offered to bring me oil and a peach balsamic vinegar instead. How thoughtful!

For my meal, I ordered the Tunisian Spinach Stew, described as fresh spinach cooked with a roasted blend of spices, potatoes and carrots, served with seasoned rice. I received this wonderfully large dish of hearty stew:

Including spinach in the title of this dish is a bit misleading, as spinach takes a back seat to the potato and carrot. Spinach dearth aside, this is an absolutely delicious meal. My plate was filled with giant chunks of perfectly cooked, fork-tender carrots and potato, with chickpea and spinach friends to round out the flavors. This wasn’t quite a stew, but there was just enough liquid for bread-dipping. The flavor was terrific – spicy, but not overpoweringly so, with an aromatic blend of spices I couldn’t quite identify. Dill was definitely one (I cheated with that, though, because the dish was garnished with a large fresh dill sprig), and I think there were some sweeter spices like cloves. Whatever they were, they made for a complexly flavored, warm dish, perfect for a cold, rainy evening.

S ordered the Vegetarian Ashak, described as scallion-filled steamed dumplings, topped with green beans and yogurt sauce, sprinkled with mint. He enjoyed them, although he thought the dish was a little heavy on the yogurt sauce. We both rounded out our meal with many cups of delicious, hot tea. It was a fantastic meal, perfect for a blustery night!

What’s your favorite style of food? Do you have very diverse restaurants where you live?

Somewhat Simplicity Sunday: Roman Candle Pizzeria

Oh dear! I’m sneaking in right under the wire for this one. I’m just jumpin’ in with a quick review of Roman Candle Pizzeria, a vegan-friendly local pizza joint. Their make-your-own pizza option is great, as they have a variety of delicious toppings and a really tasty spicy fireworks sauce that livens up any creation you come up with. But my go-to option for those times I’m too lazy to create my own concoction is the Vegan Destroyer, which is topped with spinach, toasted pine nuts, mushrooms, red onions, red pepper puree and fresh basil.

Pizza 4 me!

I usually get it with the fireworks sauce, but my most recent encounter with the Vegan Destroyer (pictured here!) featured their regular sauce because the spicy sauce always make my nose run, and  S and I were dining out with another couple and I didn’t have a Kleenex with me. It was good, but not quite as tasty as it is with the fireworks sauce. Still, I enjoyed my dinner last night and my lunch leftovers today. That’s the best part of ordering pizza, isn’t it?

Do you have a vegan-friendly pizza place near you? What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Restaurant Review: Lao Laan-Xang

When S and I first started dating, we went out to eat fairly often, once a week or more. As a naturally frugal person (I spent my first six months or so in Madison making only the smallest of purchases), this began to stress me out a bit, so we’ve cut back on our meals out. We enjoy cooking together, and it’s fun to pick recipes and make them throughout the week. But every couple weeks, I definitely do enjoy a Saturday lunch downtown.

Yesterday we joined another couple for lunch at Lao Laan-Xang, self-described as “Madison’s first authentic Laotian restaurant.” S and I ate here months ago, and I was pleased to discover a vegetarian section of the menu with the following header: “Please inform us if you are vegan.” Don’t mind if I do! The first time we ate at LLX, we both had the Khua Curry, a vegetable and tofu curry with a peanut sauce. It was tasty, but nothing amazing. Yesterday, S had fried rice while I tried the Spicy Tofu Peanut Curry (the name on the online menu is slightly different than the paper menu we saw).

Not-so-peanutty tofu.

Don’t worry, that wasn’t my entire portion – our server delivered a giant steaming bowl of curry, and I started with a small serving. I loved that the curry was bursting with broccoli, and not the pitiful, overcooked, limp broccoli you often find in such dishes. Instead it was vibrantly green and crisp. The tofu was equally well cooked, but unfortunately the sauce itself was a bit lackluster – it really didn’t have much of a peanut taste at all, and I think it was a little heavy on the coconut milk. Some curry sauces turn me off a bit when they have a sort of buttery sweetness to them, a taste that gets into my nostrils and makes me feel vaguely ill. This one toed the line with that sensation, but ultimately it was okay. Just okay, though – again, nothing amazing. But S said his fried rice was really good, and our dining partners enjoyed their dishes, so maybe I just chose unwisely.

If you’re in Madison and want something a little different, Lao Laan-Xang is definitely worth trying. I’ve only eaten at the Atwood Ave location, but there’s one on Willy Street as well. The Atwood location is colorful and cozy, and it’s right by Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, another veg-friendly establishment. In fact, we’d originally been planning to go to Monty’s yesterday but ended up walking across the street to LLX when Monty’s had a 30-minute wait. LLX had just a few patrons, so we didn’t have to wait at all. I’m sure we’ll be back, and maybe I’ll discover something more than okay on my third visit!

Have you ever had Laotian food? Do you dine out often?

Restaurant Review(ish): The Great Dane

I’m playing hostess to my BFF at the moment, so I’m going to keep this short. I just have to share with y’all a delicious discovery I made tonight: the Inner Warmth Peanut Stew at the Great Dane in Madison. The Dane is a well-established local pub and eatery, serving local beer and all sorts of food, including quite a few vegan-friendly options. I’ve enjoyed falafel and a burrito on past [separate!] visits to one of its three locations, but this was my first experience with this stew. Now I’m kicking myself for not trying it sooner!

I don’t have a photo, but here’s the description from the menu: A stew of butternut squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, hot peppers and cilantro in a zesty peanut sauce. Served over rice with beer bread.

A quick inquiry revealed the rice isn’t vegan (?!?), but they substituted Israeli cous cous, which I think I preferred. I also passed the beer bread on to my friends, but I didn’t need it – the portion size was perfect, and I was utterly satiated after my meal. It’s truly a warming and filling dish that avoids seeming too heavy. In other words, near perfection! I think I detected some cauliflower in my stew, and heaven knows I love anything with cauliflower.

So! If you’re ever at the Dane, definitely give this stew a try!