Watercourse Foods, Denver, Colorado

My trip to Denver ended on a high note. The Denver food scene surprised me again with a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, Watercourse Foods. Their tagline is "Eat the path of least resistance", which was apropo for the meal we enjoyed. Everything was creative, fresh, and delicious.
 
 
 
 
There's been a trend in vegan "cheese" made from cashews, but this was my first time trying it. Watercourse offered a three or five selection of house-made "cheeses" as appetizers. We chose the jalapeno cheddar, lavendar and herb encrusted chevre, pistachio fennel chevre. These "cheeses" were served on a platter with toasted baguette, apricots, beer mustard, olives, and pickled beets. My favorite was the pistachio fennel chevre, it had a pungent flavor that resembled a really great cheese.

 As an entree, I had the Thai Stir Fry since it sounded like the healthiest gluten-free option. It was seasoned just right for my palate. It had broccoli, carrots, cabbage and onions in a spicy peanut sauce served over brown rice with a huge and perfectly grilled chunk of tofu on top. The sauce was perfectly light and hit the spot. The dish was huge, but I managed to eat most of it.

 Stuffed to the gills, I couldn't leave without ordering dessert for later, so I got a carrot cake to go. Watercourse serves a plethora of vegan cakes and pies, which I'm going to have to try on my next trip to Denver.

Mici, Denver, Colorado

I had the evening off and ventured out to the Cherry Creek area which is within walking distance of my hotel. I stepped into Mici, a family run pizzeria. They have gluten-free pizza dough so I got the Giardino with tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, garlic, roasted red pepper, fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, and zucchini.  

Great Harvest Bread Co., Denver, Colorado

We had some downtime during the week and made a quick run for supplies. The Great Harvest Bread Co is located in a nondescript shopping center, but the fresh loaves of bread beckoned us in. 
Everything about this place looks like a family-run operation, so we were surprised to find that there are over 200 locations of Great Harvest across the country, including two locations in the Atlanta Metro area!
 
I made my own Arnold Palmer from the fresh lemonade and ice teas.
 
Then I tore into one of the best sandwiches I've had in a very long time. I ordered the Veggie Sandwich on 9 Grain bread with avocado, hummus, cucumber, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, and pumpkin seeds. It was pure joy.
 

Pho 95, Denver, Colorado

Yelp reviews continue to be a credible source of great eats. I didn't have much faith in finding great food in Denver, but I was proven wrong with Pho 95.

 
I ordered this amazing bowl of Pho with a vegetarian broth.
 
My colleague and I were so enamoured with Pho 95 that we returned the next night, and I got the vegetarian Bun. 

Phoenician Kabab, Denver, Colorado

The beginning of a weeklong business trip in Denver started at the Phoenician Kabab.
 Spicy Lentil Soup

 Sauteed Vegetables with Rice

The Brickstore Pub, Decatur, Georgia

 Cup o’ Curr “ey” with sweet potoatoes, garbanzo beans, cilantro, traditional indian spices, and basmati rice

Leon's Full Service, Decatur, Georgia

 Beet Hummus with Pita and Summer Succotash

Mana Food Bar, Chicago, Illinois

Since I lived in Chicago for close to two years, I had the opportunity to eat at most of the vegetarian restaurants. Mana Food Bar is a newcomer to the vegetarian restaurant scene, so I had to give it a try, especially since it is so highly rated on Yelp.

 
 
 
I made it a point to get to this spot, even though I had to take a really roundabout way to get here. It was totally worth it. My server was really helpful and recommended the watermelon lemonade. Great combination!

 
The menu is broken down by Cold and Hot, so I ordered this Five Spice Tofu salad from the Cold section. Another one out of the park! The flavors were so right on.

 
The only disappointment was the Mushroom Saute over Creamy Polenta. It was good, but the flavors were a bit too strong for my liking. It was also really rich, and I couldn't finish it.

 
I really love this place, and I can't wait to come back on another visit to my adopted hometown. The menu looks incredible, as with any restaurant there are hit or misses. I loved the ambiance, the size, the friendly service. Everything about it was so right. Mana, you complete me!

Melrose Restaurant, Chicago, Illinois

Post-workshop I was famished and headed up to my old neighborhood, Lakeview, which is just a few miles north of Downtown. I got up there as Joy's, my favorite Thai restaurant, was closing, so I visited Melrose instead, another old haunt of mine. The diner hadn't changed at all, so I ordered their famous sour cabbage soup. I also had their homemade veggie burger, but I didn't get a photo of it.

 
 

Argo Tea + Corner Bakery, Chicago, Illinois

I attended a one-day workshop in Chicago, the home of my alma mater, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was an all-day workshop with no breaks, so I stopped into my favorite cafe, Argo Tea, to get a green tea in the early morning. They have wonderful graphics and packaging. I almost brought the cup home. Then I had a few minutes and stopped in Corner Bakery to fill up on steel cut oatmeal. It was really good! I'm not a big fan of chain stores, but I ended up having breakfast there two days in a row.

 

Ping's Place at Great Wall Supermarket, Duluth, Georgia

Sunday is typically our family get-together day. This week we decided to try the newly opened Ping's Place at the Great Wall Supermarket on Pleasant Hill Road.

 
They serve common taiwanese breakfast items like Shao Bing You Tiao (燒餅油條) and Dou Jiang (豆漿). Dou Jiang is freshly made sweet soy milk. It tastes nothing like Silk, because it's a lot less processed. You stick the You Tiao in the Shao Bing then dip it into the Dou Jiang. It's really greasy but oh-so-good.

 

Sheik Burritos n Kabobs, Atlanta, Georgia

 
Third time's a charm at Sheik Burritos! I got the Dog Style Tofu Burrito Bowl with the Bad-Man-Jon sauce and a bowl of their Angry Vegan Soup. It was so good, I wanted to come back and eat the same thing the next day plus we got 50% off a burrito on our third check-in on Foursquare.

Vegan Celebration

My Mom, who is a Restaurateur/Vegetarian/SCUBA diver/Cookbook Author, celebrated her 55th birthday this year. With the help of Chad Greene, a Chef at Park 75 at the Four Seasons Atlanta, we put on an intimate 6-course dinner complete with cakes from Dulce Vegan in my parents' home.

 
I created flower arrangements using flowers from Dekalb Farmers Market.

 
 

Chad had prepped most of the food at his house and completed the rest of the cooking in my parents' kitchen.

 
 
Braised tofu in tamarind, pineapple syrup with fava beans, scallions and cilantro.

 
Local green beans and wax beans with shallots and spring onions.

 
Zucchini and oyster and shittake mushrooms with fresh lemon juice and gremolata made from chopped parsley and fresh lemon zest.

 
Sauteed Brussels sprout leaves with toasted almonds and soya sauce.

 

My parents.

 
Right before we all dug in!

 
Romaine steaks with carrots, red wine pickled fennel, cucumber with vegan dressing made from potato puree, apple cider vinegar, and mexican oregano.

One dish I didn't a photo of was the roasted corn on the cob with coffee & paprika, it was gone before I had a chance to take a picture.

 
Chad and my sister, Annie.

 
Turning 55!