Public Vegan: Vegan Dining Out Well Beyond the Usual Veg-Friendly Spots

Vegan Shoes for Summer

2007-05-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

In case you're looking for a nice breathable summer pair, I've been wearing the canvas "vintage old-school skate casual lace-up oxford" called DVS Doughboy. The shoe is light and airy, perfect for a balmy day. Plus, it's of a simple design. The shoe also comes as a slip-on and in a sturdier-looking model that I've just ordered - to accompany nice trousers - called the Rico (update: the Black/Gum color has a suede heel cap, but the Brown/Houndstooth and Black/Patchwork colors appear to be veg after speaking with Podium Distribution, which handles the DVS Shoe line - and Lakai Footwear).

There are plenty of other vegan shoes around, too. Many athletic shoes have gone synthetic and dress shoes are all over google results for "vegan shoes." Of course, the lovely Dan Korman will be opening his Park + Vine in Cincinnati this Friday, June 1 with some vegan shoes, too.

Enjoy your fresh feet.

Cities of Bicycles

2007-05-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

JC Decaux's bicycle rental system in Lyon, France courtesy of Chicagoland Bicycle Federation

Imagine, you pop out of a café, work or an 'L' station, swipe a card at an electronic kiosk and pedal off with a rental bike. The City of Chicago was looking for proposals in March for such a setup (PDF showing a "Request for Proposal (RFP) for Self Service Bicycle Rental Program"). JC Decaux, which brought us our bus shelters, runs Lyon, France's 117-station rental network, called Vélo'v, of more than 2000 bikes serving an average of 10,000 rentals per day with 60,000 members. JCDecaux is set to bring 20,600 bikes across 1,450 stations to Paris after prevailing in a challenge by Clear Channel. Similar programs exist in London, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Helsinki.

Of course, Denmark and the Netherlands are experts on using the bicycle to get around town - with rather ingeniously practial designs that are starting to pop up in the US.

CDOT's Bike Program page can get you pedaling around Chicago today, perhaps to avoid CTA's construction and slow zones (PDF).

To see what the future may hold, check out the City of Chicago's Bike 2015 Plan, "to make bicycling an integral part of daily life in Chicago."

I'm in Love

2007-03-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

No, it's not a woman. Nor a man. It's a woman's Web site: http://www.101cookbooks.com/.

Veggie Bike and Dine Hits Pullman District: July 14

2007-03-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

Explore Chicago's southside vegan-friendly eateries with friendly bicyclists when the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and EarthSave Chicago host the fourth annual Veggie Bike and Dine on July 14, 2007. The Veggie Bike and Dine celebrates healthy dining and the diversity of Chicago’s neighborhoods while celebrating bicycling's vital relationship to food, socializing, and civic life. The menus are entirely plant-based and exclusive of meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and other animal products.Registration is $50 for Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and EarthSave Chicago members and includes a tour of the historic Pullman district. Non-members pay $55. This event will sell out. For more information, or to share your suggestions on vegan-friendly south side eateries, please contact Arline Welty, Director of Development, at 312-427-3325 ext. 237 or arline@biketraffic.org.

Links:

I covered a planning ride my pal Arline and did for this ride in South Side Ride: Planning a Veggie Bike and Dine on Gapers Block.
Neighbors Project mentioned this event as an opportunity to Meet your neighbors: vegetables.

Posting to Gapers Block

2007-03-21T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm currently working on articles for Gapers Block's Drive-Thru food section. Please look there for my latest dining out episodes.

Thanks!
Chris

Vegan Weddings. Simplified.

2007-03-14T19:30:00.000-05:00

This wedding suggests that weddings can be simple. Or at least this vegan one was.

India Delivered

2007-03-11T22:22:00.001-05:00

I've just returned from an amazing three weeks or so eating may way through India. Three sets of photos: one for food, another for bikes and transport, and finally scenes. Find these sets on my Flickr starting with "India 2007".

Here's the backstory (my amazing pals showed me around).

XO

Loop Muffins and Tea

2007-03-06T22:56:00.000-06:00

The locally owned Argo Tea in the Loop has a great location, very nice interior and has tasty vegan muffins. Read my post today on Gapers Block.

Photo: Christopher Brunn

In the post, I mention the old Ronny's Steakhouse building. Here's a photo with it hiding between the Oriental Theatre and the building with the blue facade, taken in January 1999 from State and Randolph featuring the buildings that previously existed where the Art Institute dorms and Borders now sit.

PS: I'm happy to be posting again after an amazing three weeks or so in India.

Cupcake and More Brunch Sessions at Bleeding Heart

2007-02-07T02:11:00.000-06:00

Bleeding Heart Bakery: (Ukrainian Village) Chicago
2018 W. Chicago Ave.
www.thebleedingheartbakery.com

Rose with Cupcake (photo: Christopher Brunn)

Chris with Cupcake (photo: Rose G.)

Rose with Cupcake (photo: Christopher Brunn)

Vegan Biscuit and Hash at Bleeding Heart for Brunch (photo: Rose G.)

Wide-Bottom Pants at Bleeding Heart (photo: Christopher Brunn)

Chilaquiles Jalisco (front), Rose (back) (photo: Christopher Brunn)

Maybe Not "The Best Middle Eastern food in town!"

2007-02-01T22:22:00.000-06:00

Kabob 2: (Loop) Chicago
21 N. Wabash Avenue
(312) 781-9441

Why not ride your bicycle today?

Telling a family owned and operated restaurant that their falafel sandwich is too dry wasn't the easiest thing for me to do. The first time, I ate it up; their stiff and hearty pita bread allowed my mouth to deliver a rather consoling and satisfying hard tear. Instead of stuffing pita bread, they wrap a larger than usual pita around falafel, tahini, lettuce and tomato.

On my second visit, I asked specifically for my falafel not to be dry and to add extra tahini. My third visit almost didn't happen, but I like supporting local businesses and typically want to see them do well; and I think customer feedback can be an important part of the process. They're up against several Middle Eastern spots in the Loop, including the classic Oasis Cafe that used to be in their spot before moving one block south.

On my third visit, yesterday, I told them. I'd like a falafel sandwich, but I think you make them too dry; would you load it up so it's nice and wet? The man about to make my sandwich in the back answered back for the cashier: Just tell me what you want. I asked for it with hummus, hot sauce and extra tahini, plus the usual lettuce and tomato. The man told me that they usually just eat the falafel right out of the deep fryer. Just when I thought we might have a dialog about to go, I mentioned how Sultan's Market in Wicker Park makes their sandwiches with hummus and dripping wet Jerusalem salad by default, ensuring a pleasant moisture content. They didn't seem to know of the place; and they should if they're going to have their menu and outside sign declare, "The Best Middle Eastern food in town!"

My third falafel from Kabob 2 was quite tasty. The added hot sauce, hummus and extra tahini made it happen, but also made it messier than Sultan's, starting as I pulled out the long wrapped sandwich from its brown paper bag that they had folded into the shape of a long tube like you'd get from a deli. Still, very tasty.

Jon's 60-Minute Chicago Layover with Upscale Vegan Dining

2007-01-30T22:02:00.000-06:00

Andiamo: (Chicago Hilton O'Hare) Chicago
O'Hare International Airport
(773) 686-8000

Jon and the pasta (photo: Chris)

Mommy-O and Daddy-O (photo: Chris)

Chris and Jon (photo: Mommy-O)

A gift from Mommy-O: home-molded heart-shaped chocolates (photo: Chris)

A blur of Jon; he had his flight (photo: Chris)

The Blue Line took Daddy-O and I straight into O'Hare, steps down a few corridors from the hotel lobby that's a floor below the restaurant named Andiamo where we met up with Mommy-O and got the table Mom had reserved for us.

Andiamo's menu includes the roasted vegetable and sun-dried tomato hummus wrap (mushrooms, onions, peppers and zucchini) Daddy-O enjoyed and a bruschetta starter; but despite having just one vegetarian pasta on the menu, they didn't have any trouble with my use of their menu as a vegan shopping list. They gladly tossed bowtie pasta with tender sundried tomatoes, small broccoli and baby zucchini sliced down the middle in olive oil and garlic. Of course, it was simple; but they knew how to make it tasty, so we rolled with it.

Jon went off to his plane just a bit after he sat down with us; Mommy-O gave both of us some of her signature heart-shaped home-molded vegan chocolates; and one of the Blue Line trains that always seems to be waiting at the O'Hare stop was ready to let me on for home. My stomach was full of warm crusty bread that we'd been lapping up olive oil and salt with before Jon came. A touch of salt is key to bringing out a bit more of the olive flavor; and with salt, Mommy-O told us, the oil doesn't taste so green.

Don't Go Home Before Going Out: Hema's Kitchen and Neo's New Wave

2007-01-29T22:05:00.000-06:00

Hema's Kitchen: (Lincoln Park) Chicago
2411 N. Clark Street
(773) 529-1705

Above: Phil (left) and Dan (right) with heart-shaped potato cutlet

Dan's learned that it's best not to go home before going out (to avoid feeling like staying in once you get home). Thursday, Dan and his fabulous goodbye team took it to Hema's and then to Neo for a night of Planet Earth, "where everything revolves around classic new wave/new romantics music from the late 1970s, early 1980s," as Dan put it.

Hema's took care of us, lining up as many tables as needed to fit us together and making sure to thank us again and again as we left. A quick dash a few doors down took care of BYOB wine, and Hema's took care of making everything vegan so we could share - everything except the dishes with meat and cheese. Deep fried heart-shaped potato cutlets with peas, onions and coriander were quite tender soft on the inside with the crispy outside you'd expect from fried food. The samosas were classically crispy with a similar inside, and everything else was wonderful, too.

Neo took care of the rest - for the first time since 1983 for one of us. Afterwards, bicycling home was speedy as could be.

Photos: Christopher Brunn

“Punk Rock Pastry”

2007-01-28T17:00:00.000-06:00

Bleeding Heart Bakery: (Ukrainian Village) Chicago
2018 W. Chicago Ave.
www.thebleedingheartbakery.com

Original post: 14 December 2006

Mom out front Bleeding Heart with a Chicago Police car passing in the extreme foreground

Owner Michelle Garcia out front her shop

"The Specials" of Bleeding Heart hang on the wall, taken on a previous trip

Punk rock music plays and the checkered stripe, font and text placement used by the punk and 2 Tone band The Specials mark a board hanging on the wall indicating “The Specials” of Bleeding Heart, quite in line with their Web site’s claim of “Punk Rock Pastry.” Owner Michelle Garcia rolls up just as my Mom and I do and I ask for a shot of her for the blog. We know each other from my many visits, in my various states of great excitement, to her bakery and her stand at Green City Market, and our discussions on bicycling, community and vegan goodness. She suggests snapping a shot outside, telling me we should do something different from the usual inside photos. Inside, you can see why people like to photograph here. Pink, red and cute all over, the place is dressed up in a well put together combination of vintage display cases, tables and chairs, thoughtfully presented treats and smiles from the staff.

Their treats are tops, giving a place to Bleeding Heart in Chicago Magazine’s best of Chicago issue this year (2006). Mom and I enjoyed a gluten-free vegan chocolate chunk cookie. Michelle told us she uses rice flour instead of wheat and the girl working the counter told us how the gluten-free cookie feels softer. It is much more tender than the crispy wheat-based vegan one. All of the options might have paralyzed me had I not been so familiar with their vegan offerings: raspberry pecan bars, Take A Hike scones, fudge-like walnut or plain brownies, corn bread, chocolate chunk or molasses cookies, banana tea cakes, and many more seasonal and occasional offerings. Michelle’s husband, Vinny, makes some savories (sandwiches and soups, some vegan) for the case, too. And their weekend brunch continues the vegan offerings.

They sell and brew coffee roasted on the North Side at Metropolis Coffee in Edgewater, along with various jars of sauces from River Valley Kitchen (a Green City Market vendor) like the spicy olive bruschetta, wild mushroom burgundy pasta sauce, and portabella salsa with cilantro and key lime. The work of River Valley tastes so fresh it put smiles on my face.

I’m always excited about Bleeding Heart because their treats are so very good and because Michelle is fun and tirelessly full of life. But it’s not just me that’s excited about his place. Looking at packages of their “Holiday Cookie Collection”, one customer exuberantly exclaimed “oh my God.” Everyone working here seems in to the scene, too. I overheard an employee say how she was looking forward to baking gingerbread cookies at home. Bleeding Heart and the people the bakery brings in are nothing short of vibrantly amazing.

Pre-Cafe Brunch: December 30, 2006 update

Update: My bro Jon enjoying a cup of spicy vegan hot cocoa.

This morning, I had just come to Bleeding Heart for their garage sale of dishes, baskets and miscellaneous kitchen gear when I accidentally met up with my pal Sherry. The Bakery will be closed for a week on January 1 to change in to a full cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm very much excited to anticipate more savory choices after sampling this bakery's vegan brunch options over time, especially their magnificent implementation of chilaquiles jalisco this morning. Vinny, the husband of baker and owner Michelle Garcia, brought it out to my table dressed in his white apron. My plate was loaded with tortillas sautéed in volando sauce and refried beans. I'm used to refried beans that come uniformly smooth and homogenously colored; but it looked like Vinny had made these to order. A little of some of the beans' individual identities were still recognizable, adding a much welcomed variation in texture and color. Pico de gallo cooled it all off. Other vegan brunch options include: biscuits and mushroom gravy, "Plain Jane" pancakes, tofu and avocado soft tacos, and of course, Michelle's bakery.

photos: Christopher Brunn

Brunch with Laura Photo Update: Sunday, 28 January 2007

Chilaquiles Jalisco (front), waffles (back), Laura (further back) (photo: Christopher Brunn)

Chris out front Bleeding Heart (photo: Laura R.)

Almost the Lula Cafe of Ukrainian Village

2007-01-27T13:00:00.000-06:00

Dodo: (Ukrainian Village) Chicago
935 N. Damen Ave.

Original post: Saturday, 20 January 2007

The moment I walked in I liked the place; and it wasn't just because of the bike rack that I locked to directly out front. Dodo holds a warm eclectic feel that reminds me of Lula Cafe - the Logan Square vegan-friendly brunch institution that I've loved ever since they were on the first Veggie Bike and Dine in 2004 (as a matter of disclosure though, I have co-produced these events and am a big fan of supportive restaurants). Dodo sports vibrantly colored walls, cooks partially visible from the tables, well hung local artwork, and small unpretentious tables with well presented food. Dodo doesn't have a liquor license, but from talking to the co-owner, William, it sounds like they'd like one if they decide to open for dinner. William's co-owner stood behind the counter cooking up her magic besides another cook, and the hot pans turned around from the stove and came up to the counter to finish plates for the servers.

The place was jumping when I rolled in just about 11 a.m. on a Saturday. I got the last good two-person table, and as more groups flowed in, William nicely asked them to "hang out in" the gallery that runs beside Dodo. My server told me the art here is mostly from people in the building, and some is from one of the owners. The art refreshed me; some of it looks ambiguous and colorful, with roughly outlined characters. My server kept me happy with seemingly endless strong coffee.

Dodo tries to do one vegan special on the weekends, my server told me. William added that sometimes they have seitan; but this time, it's tofu scram tossed with, as the specials card puts it, "an abundance of crisp veggies, toasted grains & sunflower seeds." In other words, it's no ordinary tofu scram. Their core menu (available on weekdays, too) offers more vegan choices: McCan's steel cut Irish oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar (sounds like it's made without milk by default), fresh seasonal fruit, house granola with banana slices, various toasts plus a toasted ciabatta with tomato and cucumber (hold the cream cheese), and maple sauteed banana (hold the yogurt). William told me that today the hash could be made vegan, too (hold the pancetta).

They're not kidding about the goodness of the tofu scram; mine floored me. Tiny slices of mushrooms, Asian flavors, a hint of citrus, and just the right amount of oil to lightly coat the tongue with each bite finish the scram quite brilliantly. It's an incredibly generous serving of tofu, millet and quinoa (sometimes they use rice), and perfectly sized shreds of red onion and leeks. The kale is ripped small enough to make it all toss together quite evenly. The eighths of red potato root the dish along with discs of carrot and parsnip. It arrived quickly garnished symmetrically with tiny cubes of chilled tomato on both sides of the plate.

Dodo is almost the Lula Cafe of Ukrainian Village. Sure, Dodo is less refined, and I don't know if their non-vegan options are as impressive, but if they made bakery like Bleeding Heart does, they might take over the world.

Bringing Mom and Dad: Saturday, 27 January 2007 update

Mom loved Dodo. They're very accommodating; she got just what she wanted. After our server checked in with the cooks in the prep room behind us - one whose wall-lined shelving units make it look like a warehouse of food that happens to have a prep table in the middle and whose door was always open for inspection during our visit - they were glad to give her the french toast topped with their waffle's mango compote. Mom commented on Dodo's extensive menu and that everyone here of far-reaching ages looked well put together. I loved the dodo pictures on the bathroom's walls, the casual two-person grey-topped tables put together to make space for four, the boxy camelback sofa along the wall as a booth, and the thick and dark warm-looking wooden floorboards.

Service was great down to their astute passing in tight areas, softly pulling aside to let you go first just as good hosts do, and just like Lula Cafe has perfected. The staff operates charismatically, too. A kind man with a green bandanna around his neck came to pick up Mom's plate before she was ready; after Mom finished and he returned, he joked "finally" with a full smile that I think all of us appreciated.

I'm glad I came here the first time a week ago; I almost didn't. The co-owner, William, didn't make it sound very vegan-friendly on the phone; but I think he knows how much they offer now. This time, the vegan special was a seitan burrito topped with twisted tomato slices and avocado pouring out, filled with seitan sliced thick like gyro meat, herbed lemon potatoes and a twig indicating fresh thyme in case you couldn't taste it, radicchio that came with a warning of its bitterness as I ordered it, over bed of tabbouleh with adzuki beans and greens. Their tea menu describes each option, and the variety of tea leaves you'd find in Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, and all the others.

Photos: Christopher Brunn

Shan Restaurant: Roadside Indian in Chicago

2007-01-23T23:41:00.001-06:00

Shan Restaurant: (Uptown) Chicago
5060 Nhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif. Sheridan Rd.
(773) 769-4961

Satya and Oakley above the spongy injera sour bread you scoop an Ethiopian meal with at the bottom of the shelf (above).

Take-aways from a previous trip: Gram masala (second from bottom) with onions and cilantro for $1.50; apples, grapes, bananas and chili for $1 (bottom).

My friends tell me that in India, dhaba (Punjabi) refers to a roadside restaurant that serves tasty authentic food suitable for someone who drives for a living. In Chicago, dhabas are pretty much the same, and Shan Restaurant certainly fits the description from the moment you walk in past a lot full of taxi cabs.

The last few times Satya brought me here, I remember feeling, as I sat in the cafeteria-style dining room, that the other diners knew each other and the restaurant crew. This time Satya, Oakley and I were told we could sit in a new dining room. It's a bit nicer as cafeteria seating goes, but it was much emptier, and didn't invoke, like the other room does, the feel of - for an instant - being a part a street cabbie food culture that I'm obviously not really part of. Ironically, in a place where the surroundings made me feel perhaps as far away from American politics as I could in Chicago, President Bush's State of The Union address was tuned in on the TV in this room and the real dining room.

We ate well, using roti we ripped into pieces to pick up very authentic (Satya, who grew up in Bombay, told me) chana masala (chickpeas, ginger, garlic and onions), aaloo mutter gajar (potatoes, green peas and carrots) and bhindi masala (okra). Pickled pepper kicked it up a bit. Satya told me how Shan's is a favorite for post-cricket game traditional Pakistani breakfasts of halwa puri (sweet semolina and puffed fried bread (recipe)).

As we left, we walked through the attached grocery aisles stocked with spice mixes, the spongy injera sour bread you scoop an Ethiopian meal with, and Red Label black tea labeled in Arabic and English. I picked up plenty of cookies and bags of chaat (savory snacks served roadside in India) for my hard working colleagues: cumin, pistachio and cashew cookies and bags of channadal (fried and salted spit chickpeas with red chili powder and paprika), chevdo (a crunchy fried mix of salted rice flakes, moong beans, split chickpeas, peanuts, cashews and raisins with red chili powder and a bit of sugar, turmeric and fennel, mustard and coriander seeds), and dal mooth (a mix of fried and salted lentils, chickpea flour sticks and masur beans with red chili powder, paprika turmeric and black salt).

I can't wait to taste Street Food in India.

Photos: Christopher Brunn

A Homey Bourgeois Pig Café Warms a Winter Chill

2007-01-21T17:31:00.000-06:00

Bourgeois Pig Café: (Lincoln Park) Chicago
738 W. Fullerton Pkwy.
(773) 883-5282

I'd just locked up my bicycle and ducked into the Bourgeois Pig Café with my pal Oakley for a bite just as the new snow began accumulating. We sat in one of many wood-detailed rooms on the Café's second floor. Inside, this old brownstone looks like it could have been someone's home. It feels like it almost still is. A painting of a jester hangs under a candle-topped fireplace across a sofa from our table. The warm feel, even cosier in the other rooms - they lack southern light coming into this one - lends itself perfectly well to cap an amazingly long day of exhausting work. The counter on the first floor - with espresso machine, tea jars to pick from, and bakery cases below chalkboard menus - takes orders in back of small wooden tables in the front.

Upstairs, someone calls out my name, I answer and my sandwich arrives with a pickle. My Veggie Panini on focaccai is super crisp with cheeseless basil pesto, artichoke hearts, slightly savory black olives, tomatoes, red onions, spinach and cilantro (omit cheese for vegan). Another panini, the Peppernini, with roasted red pepper pesto and roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, garlic, and grilled portobellos mushrooms (hold the goat cheese and ask about this pesto for vegan) reads "Marvelous darling!" on the menu.

East of Eden tastes brilliant on its sundried tomato bread with avocado, alfalfa sprouts, "lots of fresh homemade vegan basil hummus," black olives, tomatoes and spinach (hold the Swiss cheese for vegan). If somehow you could pass up the full mouthfeel that hummus gives a sandwich with avocado, the Secret Garden still has avocado but no hummus, plus alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, and cucumbers on multigrain bread (hold the cream cheese for vegan).

You could forget bread altogether if you'd nix the pita in the plain or basil hummus plate that comes with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion and celery and carrot sticks.

I cycled back past many beautiful brownstones just as the snow started accumulating on the side streets I coasted along. As I turned from one calm street to another, I slowed with a squeeze of the back brake to forget about sliding in the snow. The Cortland Avenue bridge's non-slip bike lane works brilliantly, as does leaning against the angle of the railroad tracks crossing before it. Bicycle fenders kept the snow away from all of me but my boot tips. At Oz Park, I hopped onto the snowy path past smiling snowbound pedestrians and a hill full of happily sledding children as could be in some winter wonderland where small soft flakes forever drop and give all of the townspeople bliss.

Winter Bike to Armenian Food Day: Sayat-Nova

2007-01-19T23:00:00.000-06:00

Sayat-Nova Armenian Restaurant: (Streeterville) Chicago
157 E. Ohio St.
(312) 644-9159

Photo of Chris from a previous visit with Sujata, Satya and Amod (Photo: Sujata B.)

Today was Winter Bike to Work Day, celebrating bicycling despite cold weather. It was also my good pal Dan's last day in an official position advocating for bicycling in Chicago; and the day of a 28-person lunch with him down the middle of Sayat-Nova just off Michigan Avenue. Our group overflowed to booths lit through geometric cutouts in the walls they sunk into - perfect to get lost in with a date and a bottle of wine. Dan's getting ready to open his vegan general store in Cincinnati (Park and Vine), and judging from all the laughs, hugs and admiring words, every single person sitting with him will be very sad to miss him.

Vegan options at Sayat-Nova include the typical hummus (perhaps nicely a bit more tangy than usual with lemon), yalanchi sarma (similar to dolma: grape leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas, pine nuts, onions, tomatoes and cooked in olive oil), eggplant fried in olive oil and served with sautéed peppers and onions, baba ghannouj (smoked eggplant blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic), and a very smooth plaki (great northern beans and onions in an olive oil sauce that has a touch of tomato) - of course with pita bread.

Indian Delivered

2007-01-19T22:42:00.000-06:00

For a late night, we ordered in the office from CEO Deliveries, a delivery service to The Loop - if not other areas, too - from a number of nearby restaurants. Klay Oven (414 N. Orleans St. in River North, Chicago) took care of me with hearty unleavened roti and chana masala (spiced chick peas with a couple big potato chunks and slivers of fresh ginger), but it needed to be moistened with some sauce from my colleague's peas, onion, garlic, ginger and cumin in tomato sauce. On a previous dinner, CEO Deliveries brought me a chana masala from India House (58 W. Grand Ave. in River North, Chicago) that tasted incredibly wet and savory; but this time, Klay Oven's version seemed to have considerably less oil and salt.

Cycling back home in the sub-freezing cold refreshed me. I kept warm under a few good layers and the pedalling was my meditation, relaxing and processing thoughts of the day.

On a Cold Day, Oasis Warms Me Through My Stomach

2007-01-18T18:22:00.000-06:00

Oasis Café: (Loop) Chicago
17 S. Wabash Ave.
(312) 443-9534

On the way to a lecture on Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago - one installation of Landmark Illinois' monthly Preservation Snapshots at the Chicago Cultural Center - I stopped in Oasis Café for a quick lunch. They're in a new home next to three buildings that are being torn down - all except for the windowless historic faces that an exterior rig holds up - one block south of their previous location in the back of a jewelers' mall, a spot that's been reclaimed by another Middle Eastern spot called Kabob 2. If you overlook Oasis Café's new food court location aside a few chains, you might taste some really good food in a relaxed crowd, from hipster students to workers in dress slacks and others in jeans.

Thursdays they serve a portobello mushroom pita sandwich special, but I had the moussaka pita sandwich (roasted eggplant, tomato, garlic and spices blended together). The new location lets you see through a glass sneeze guard to the steam table. I asked the fixer behind the counter what the beans I saw were. Foul, he told me - Egyptian broad beans with vegetables and "special spices." These beans, also known as fava beans, make an appearance on my friend Michael's official family cookbook. Michael told me this is "THE classic Egyptian dish," but that different people make it different ways; some use tomatoes or garlic, and his mom uses good amounts of cumin with lemon and Kalamata olives - they're "key". Foul sounds a little like "fool", as in the fool I was for not ordering a full plate of these. So I came back later for one and got a taste of their tender portobellos, too. These beans can warm you from the inside out on a cold day. Of course, Oasis Café also serves the Middle Eastern classics falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj and tabouleh.

Burnham's Plan was to make Chicago beautiful - a destination place. And so it is. After leaving the Cultural Center down a grand staircase, through a gallery and with a stop at the water fountain, I thought of Chicago's majesty as I walked down Clark Street in front of the Art Deco La Salle Bank Building. This building's streamlined lobby is a hallway that tunnels through to La Salle Street past elevator banks with catwalk-style bridges crossing above and endless Art Deco finishes.

Berghoff Cafe rocks Portobello and Avocado on Olive Bread

2007-01-17T19:10:00.000-06:00

Berghoff Cafe: (Loop) Chicago
17 W. Adams St.

Many don't think of great vegan food when they imagine a German restaurant like Berghoff Cafe, but that might change if they would try Berghoff Cafe's juicy grilled portobello and asparagus, roasted red pepper, and avocado between slices of olive bread toasted in a panini press.

Walk down a flight of old stairs that are open to the sidewalk, and find a revolving door at the bottom. At the long and wrapping cafeteria-style counter inside, call out an order for a "portobello, no cheese but avocado instead." I highly recommend a side of their thick and crispy potato chips. This place runs a tight operation, from the person in charge of the line to the very effective bus staff. They're friendly, but zippy, so make sure you're ready to order. They have pasta, too, but I have seen absolutely no reason to stray from this amazing sandwich.

Garlands with small white holiday lights flow along the tops of the golden wood walls in the dining room that's lit through stained plastic or glass panels and shades. You'll see diners in suits and business casual. The formal suits and elegance of the wood remind me of an old Chicago, the kind I imagine bustling with street cars and pedestrian traffic around 1933, when Berghoff received Chicago's first post-prohibition liquor license.

Inside a side room at the Berghoff Cafe: an old photo of Berghoff with a streetcar passing down an old Adams St. teaming with well dressed people.

Photos: Chris B.

A Big Bowl of Vegan Noodles just off Michigan Avenue

2007-01-16T19:27:00.000-06:00

Big Bowl: (River North), Chicago
60 E. Ohio St.
www.bigbowl.com

After joking about chain restaurants, Dan asked what we were both thinking, "don't you want to go to those places to make sure chains keep up the vegan options?" Apparently, PF Chang serves "really good tofu," but we rolled into Big Bowl, part of the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant empire. They have an explicit vegetarian menu; plus, they are a few blocks closer to all of the usual rave that goes on about the general love of Macs at the Michigan Avenue Apple Store that we had just left surfing for inspiration. As we walked in Big Bowl, we got excited about the locally roasted Intelligentsia fair trade coffee on the chalkboard.

This wasn't my first trip to Big Bowl, but tonight the service was especially good. Our server seemed sincerely attentive, frequently tiding the table, and offering sharing plates to "family style it," as Dan put it. Kung pao spinach comes with seared tofu that brilliantly matches its pan-fried thick noodles, roasted peanuts and blackened chilies. Dan enjoyed it quite well, too. The sichuan eggplant was a respectable choice - very tender and caramelized, but no match for my love of seared vegan food. Servers can flag the order as vegetarian for the kitchen, and ours offered to steam the tofu instead of searing it in a pan also used for meat; but we wouldn't have it. You can walk up to the back counter and put your own combination together, too.

As we were about to leave for groceries, Dan smiled and held up a flyer from San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: "Waving Wednesdays. If you're on a bike & it's Wednesday, then Wave!" The back answered common questions: What is it? You wave to them and they wave back. Does it cost anything? 3 calories per wave. What counts? Moving your hand back and forth three times; nodding or saluting do not count. And my favorite: Do I really have to do this? Yes, you have to. Dan finished, "too bad it's not Wednesday."

After stocking up on groceries, I felt like putting my bicycle on the train. I didn't want the cold outside. But I wanted to lug bags of groceries on a train I'd likely need to wait for even less than simply putting them in my bicycle's carriers and pedalling off. As I cycled home, Arrow Messenger's billboard showed 22 degrees F, but - as lofty mittens, a thickly woven office button down shirt and a glass of red wine kept me warm - I was glad I hadn't let the cold take charge over me. I was even a bit too warm once inside my home. My dad calls later and tells me he walked to the train today from his home in the suburbs, about 3 miles each way.

Photos: Chris B. and Dan K.

Chicago Diner: Vegan Institution

2007-01-14T18:24:00.000-06:00

Chicago Diner: (Boystown in Lake View) Chicago
3411 N. Halsted St.
www.veggiediner.com

I love the Chicago Diner, so much that I got excited when I had been spending a short stint in their kitchen. Tonight, I was taking down one of The Diner's - as they're affectionately know - super thick and rich cold vegan cookie dough and peanut butter shakes in a comfy booth, sitting across from my pal, Amod, drinking a fresh carrot juice. I thought, it's been all too long since I've had one of these shakes; but now that I am crushing on someone who lives on this side of town, perhaps it won't be so long before the next time.

Chicago Diner's menu reads of almost entirely vegan comfort food, from macaroni and cheese to hearty breakfasts. Amod and I shared spicy jicama "fries" - not fried but thick and long sliced raw jicama generously dusted with cayenne. As the hot pepper burned, I asked Amod, are these spicy for you? You're used to eating spicy Indian food, right? "Not this spicy," he smiled at me with a serious face. After diner, with a water glass quickly emptied by the fries, Amod lobbied for some pie to wash the spice away; but neither of us was anything less than full.

We talked about food: from the deep fry session that was the last Family Style to finding vegetarian versions of andouille sausage in the supermarket. I explained how making fresh donuts starts like making bread. You let the yeast rise your dough, then divide it into donuts, then let it rise again, and then put it in the deep fryer, where the yeast really gets crazy and puffs the donut as it becomes golden and rises. My family's donut sessions began last Thanksgiving, with tradition beginning as my brother and his lady, Kerry, took it home to Durham, North Carolina.

We split the enchilada pie special, a brilliant combination of soy chorizo, soft tortillas, wet with tomato sauce through and topped with soy mozzarella aside a lot of guacamole. I ate most of the food - Amod had just eaten - but we split the bill anyway. "Next time you're not hungry, call me," he joked.

Now, I'm all jazzed up to start snapping photos of inspiring magazine photos of tasty looking food. If you want to feel like this at home, find the same non-dairy frozen dessert used in The Diner's shakes, Temptation brand - made by a few people from the vegan community in the suburbs - in area Whole Foods and Sunflower markets.

Viceroy of India

2007-01-12T22:02:00.000-06:00

Viceroy of India: (Devon Avenue in West Ridge) Chicago
2516 W. Devon Ave.
773-743-4100

Eating out vegan isn't just about enjoying good vegan food; it's about enjoying everything: the dining experience as well as details about the day that contains it, especially the people you're with.

The day began with the most gentle cab ride - the way it should be: no nail biting wondering if you're going to arrive before or after crashing - and started to close, after a long day working to better banking, riding in the seat next to my friend who was driving through the alleys behind Devon Avenue Indian restaurants looking for place to park.

Earlier in the Day

The Gustavo Rodriguez that the cabbie was cruising to provided smooth grooves perfect for waking up - reminding me of bossa nova gently thumping me out of bed. I met Dan and his pal at Bleeding Heart, where Anita told us as we ordered coffee, "obviously, I'm going to give you guys the bottomless cups." They know us - seriously. We talked about Dan's new vegan store that'll be opening in Cincinnati this year, called Park and Vine; and we talked to Michelle Garcia, the owner. I can't believe we know her; she's amazing. I loved everything about the morning, including Bleeding Heart's vegan cream cheese on scones and bagels, their "Legalize Frostitution" sign, and that they're making even more of their items vegan, including the previously not vegan pumpkin scone.

Going to Viceroy

My pal drove, making me laugh and think I'm living in an episode of Seinfeld as she told me how she had to shop for something to wear on the way to her office. She had stopped off at the doctor's wearing yoga gear and left her change of clothes at home. She wore a shirt out of the store with tags still attached. None of this affected the taste of the food at Viceroy, but it did set an amazingly fun mood.

Just after we sat down, they brought us papad (crispy bread) with chutney. Viceroy was elegant and relaxing, including the friendly and hospitable way they brought out the candle holders that rested under and warmed our entrees: aloo gobi masala (cauliflower cooked with potatoes, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro) and bengan bhartha (eggplant barbecued in a clay oven and sautéed with onions, tomatoes, ginger and coriander). The flavors were smooth and deep, a good following to the smooth potato samosas we'd just enjoyed. My pal challenged me to eat with just my right hand, in preparation for my trip to Bombay and Bangalore in India - where the left is reserved for restroom duties. Ripping roti and scooping food with it using just one hand was quite simple so long as I didn't care how neatly the roti tore. As we rolled out, with two power adapter plugs for India (2 for $1) in my bag from one of many general stores on Devon, we stopped in Viceroy's adjoining cafeteria to be treated to a couple of afters: a coconut burfi for my pal and a jalebi for me. I think they recognized my pal from her take-away a dozen samosa days. I'd gone from a little treat in the morning to a little treat at night, wrapping up the day just as perfectly as it had begun - with amazing people.

Coming Home to new DIY Clothes

Just before I walked up the stairs to my apartment, I picked up a bag Katy Keefe had left on top of my mailbox with the jogger she had prepared for me. She buys them wholesale from American Apparel, dies them in a pot of boiling water on the stove (in this case, colored terra cotta) and screens them (for mine, with the brown coffee pots I loved from her T-shirts at The Lot). The jogger goes perfectly with the Alison Rose cruiser bicycle T-Shirt I'm wearing as I write this.

Photos: Chris B. and Rose G.

L'Appetito with Dan and Michael

2007-01-09T23:36:00.000-06:00

L'Appetito: (River North) Chicago
30 E. Huron St.
www.lappetito.com

It took under 10 minutes to cycle to this Italian Café and Deli from my office in the heart of the Loop. I untucked my slacks from my socks - this kept them out of the bicycle chain (tight rolling also works) - and I was ready to ask L'Appetito's deli staff to make me a custom Tostino, one of their "signature grilled sandwiches .. drizzled with extra virgin olive oil." Roasted eggplant, olives, roasted red peppers and arugula - all picked from descriptions on various items on the overhead menu boards at the deli that's tucked behind a row of groceries on the other side of the seating nook - were all brilliant together. The olive oil brought it all together. Walking down the street into sight of the historic Medinah Temple and the lower flowers of the incomplete Trump Tower, Dan told me "that's the way to eat .. all those oils are key."

Photos: Chris B. and Dan K.

Lunch Break: My Thai Restaurant with Rose

2007-01-04T19:25:00.000-06:00

My Thai Restaurant: (Loop) Chicago
333 S. State St.

This place fills up with a lively Loop lunch crowd, so I'm glad we made it in effortlessly at about 11:30 a.m. What doesn't have fish sauce? They came back to tell us lard nar, cashew chicken, mixed vegetables, and a few more. We got the first two, with tofu instead of the non-fish animals. Our food came in just minutes and was quite refreshing. Nicely, it tasted like it didn't have nearly as much salt as I'd expected. The great natural lighting was perfect for snapping photos. My Thai advocates family style meals, giving each person an empty plate to incite sharing. I love variety and love sharing vegan food with my meal pals - except lollipops. Soon we went back off to work, but not before a stop at Intelligentsia Coffee in the historic Monadnock Building. The hip barista taking orders wearing a nicely knotted tie - with a fuller knot than I know how to tie - volunteered a moment to demonstrate how to tie such a knot when the line died. This gesture made my day. Then, I was back to work at the bank to change the world.

Two food lovers. Rose snapping another photo in the background.

Menu with note from server indicating options without fish sauce (click to enlarge).

Photos: Chris B.

Coming Weekday Lunch at Handlebar Needs a New Menu

2007-01-01T12:32:00.000-06:00

Handlebar Bar & Grill: (Wicker Park) Chicago
2311 W. North Ave.
www.handlebarchicago.com

The word is that Handlebar will soon open at 10 a.m. during the weekdays, earlier than the current 4 p.m. They started opening early for brunch on the weekends long ago, and I'm a big fan of the simple vegan items that their brunch menu offer up -and their proximity to my apartment. When my parents and I rolled in yesterday, the vegan soysage and avocado burrito filled me well.

In case Handlebar hasn't firmed their weekday lunch menu, I'd like to see them bring some new types of vegan food to Chicago. Someone recently mentioned making chicken soup to me, "like all Jewish women know how to make," and I became once again inspired to bring more culturally traditional flavors to the vegan table in Chicago. Herbivore in San Francisco has offered an incredibly succulent and flavorful vegan shawarma as a special. Shawarma is all about slowly roasting flavors from a fat, onion and tomato in to some conduit, dressing it up with sauce like tahini or hummus with cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg, and serving it up fast food style. Herbivore just changed the conduit from meat (usually lamb, chicken, turkey or cow) to seitan. The conduit's purpose is to delivery the flavor that this food all about, and seitan works just fine. Shawarma at Handlebar would well accompany the falafel that Sultan's Market very successfully serves a few blocks down.

Chicago could also use vegan versions of the poor boy and muffuletta, seasoned like they just came from a kitchen in New Orleans; and messy grilled panini - one overflowing with vegetables, juicy tomatoes and nut and seed based sauces - like falafel's friend the tahini.

Since they opened in February 2003, Handlebar has been known in the Veg Community as a reliable source of quality vegan food. As vegan options expand on the Chicago scene - including Bleeding Heart Bakery due to re-open on January 8 after one week closed to change to a full cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner - I'd like to look to Handlebar to give us more new vegan options. All of this should go quite lovely with a drink pulled from Handlebar's coming espresso machine.

Filter's Killer Vegan Scone while waiting for Reckless Records

2006-12-31T16:11:00.000-06:00

Filter: (Wicker Park) Chicago
1585 N. Milwaukee Ave.
(773) 227-4850

I took Mom and Dad to Reckless Records on Milwaukee Avenue to help Mom look in to selling records. We sipped tea at Filter while they were looking through Mom's soundtracks from All in the Family and The Bickersons.

At Filter, you can find vegan options like their tangy black bean veggie burger and sweet potato fries, but we had just eaten brunch. I didn't need anymore food, including the vegan scone I had. Loaded with seeds and dried fruit, it's made by Bleeding Heart Bakery and baked at Filter - and so crispy on the outside that the crumbly inside seemed so airy. It was hard to save any for later. Filter's sofas and lounge chairs are comfy, but the window seats are key to watching trendy clothing go by in bohemian and upscale styles. Filter's sister, Gourmand in Printer's Row, serves up very similar food with a very similar hip vibe from the nearby colleges, but I have seen vegan bars instead of the killer scones there.

19 June 2006 photo with Wicker Park's Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues intersection in the reflection behind a utility bicycle and Filter's sign luring with "Vegan Slut" and "Dirty Girl Scout" coffee drinks.

photo: Chris B.

Russian Tea Time and Art Across the Street

2006-12-30T08:31:00.000-06:00

Russian Tea Time: (Loop) Chicago
77 E. Adams St.
www.russianteatime.com

Mom, Dad, my bro Jon and I were off to a day of museum going, with a reservation at Russian Tea Time for some lunch. Some of us had flavored vodka, some of us the deep house tea with continuous refills, but all of us shared two vegetarian platters for 2. Make sure to be clear that you only want vegan items if that's what you expect; you'd need to omit some items. By default, the setup comes with an appetizer plate of potato dumplings, stuffed mushrooms, carrot salad, beet caviar, hummus, tabouhlie and vinaigrette salad followed by a platter of stuffed eggplant, stuffed bell pepper, a vegetarian layered stew called Domlama, mung bean stew, chick pea and onion stew, rice pilaf and kasha. Their hummus tastes much thicker and heartier than the Mediterranean variety I'm accustomed to, and the bulgar in their tabouhlie feels much more moist and full.

photos: Chris B.

Soul Veg at Loop Barnes & Noble

2006-12-28T19:11:00.000-06:00

Barnes and Noble Cafe: (Loop) Chicago
State St. and Jackson Blvd.

In the middle of some serious trip chaining, my bro Jon and I found many tasty options from our old South Side favorite Soul Vegetarian Restaurant boxed up and ready to go in the case from the cafe at Barnes and Noble in the Loop. We took the jerk steak wrap (a moist and manageable mess of wheat gluten, peppers, onions, spinach, lettuce and tomatoes) and a Garvey burger (a firm but tender textured vegetable protein patty on a little wheat bun with catsup and mustard). Other options include a BBQ twist sandwich and lunch packs of black beans over brown rice with kale and BBQ wheat gluten roast, lasagna with kale and wheat gluten roast, and macaroni and cheese with kale and BBQ tofu - all vegan.

The impromptu vegan afternoon continued as we saw a "She needs her Fur more than We Do" ad on the Red Line from Mercy For Animals; checked out hot vegan not leather bags by Montréal's Matt and Nat at Akira and Shebang in Wicker Park; and spotted a station wagon advertising "Taste of Vegan Meals on Wheels" with Indiana agricultural education plates on its windows on North Avenue out front Bucktown Fitness.

photos: Chris B.

Osaka brings vegan Sushi to Chicago

2006-12-26T20:01:00.000-06:00

Osaka Sushi Express & Fresh Fruit Smoothies: (Loop) Chicago
400 S. Michigan Ave.
(312) 566-0118

The softness of the avocado in their avocado (and sesame) rolls is very impressive for this time of year. The (shredded) carrot supreme rolls taste quite clean. And the Kanpyo roll features a sweet caramelized gourd (and sesame) that's just a little bit chewy. The meal's a little lighter than the meals we're been having for the holidays, my bro reminds me as we're staring out the counter windows at the Art Institute and a partial skyline behind it, but still satisfying -especially after cycling to a breakfast of sharing three vegan treats at Bleeding Heart Bakery. Osaka's Inari is quite classic, especially with enough wasabi mixed in to your soy sauce to make you cry. Everything seems quite fresh. Other presumably vegan options include the miso soup, cucumber roll, inari roll, vegan roll combination, edamame, seaweed salad, cucumber salad and sushi rice. Good smoothies? Try them and let me know. I was too taken by the rolls. Thanks Rose for showing me this place. I loved our treats here as well! A frequent must for Loop lunches.

Cycling back home after lunch

Faces: all that's left of the buildings behind this scaffolding on Wabash Ave. in the Loop

photos: Chris B.

Indian in the Loop, for a Couple More Days

2006-12-21T17:28:00.000-06:00

Indian Express: (Loop) Chicago
122 N. Wells Street
(312) 251-1770

Hipsters, Loop business people and Indians gather at Indian Express for lunch. I asked my South Indian colleague who came with me, how authentic is it? A little bit, you get a taste, he told me. He rolled in there and tried to order speaking in Hindi, but the server behind the counter spoke Arabic; so my friend ordered in Arabic (they both spoke English, too). For less than $8, I ate a plate full of yellow rice, chana masala and curried vegetables with a chapati to scoop it up with and a drink to wash it down. It's quick oily food you line up to get, slightly over cooked but very savory and filling, and a great change from everything else in the Loop. It's too bad the owners are said to be changing the name, and the menu, to Mashawy Healthy Mediterranean Food in a few days. The loss is sad, because Mediterranean counters already serve the Loop falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and other favorites like grape leaves and lentil soup; but apparently the Loop crowd didn't make Indian work here. I imagine the hot Bollywood music videos will stop, too.

photos: Chris B.

The Jetsons' Mediterranean Restaurant

2006-12-20T20:52:00.000-06:00

Tizi Melloul: (River North) Chicago
531 N. Wells St.
www.tizimelloul.com/

From the moment I found charmoula grilled tofu steak on their online menu, I knew I had to try Tizi Melloul; and there was absolutely was no disappointment. They seared the tofu hard, with lines burnt deep in to its flesh. Its bed of perfectly cooked, tender and firm, grilled asparagus and amazingly sultry ratatouille took it to the next level, just like Daniel Craig just did in Casino Royale. Our server Alexis completely accommodated us, suggesting and ordering us a special vegan root vegetable tagine (over couscous). We couldn't have ordered coffee with more ease. I had a great time chatting up the vegan-friendly restaurant scene with Alexis and my electrifying pal Dan; I could have carried on all night. The warm bread topped it all off. "I'm loving this dip," that the bread came with, Dan told me.

Tizi Melloul had a late 20s to early 30s ad agency kind of crowd in a space that looks like it was put together by a an interior designer living in the Mediterranean during The Jetsons' time. Dan called it a "very photogenic space." Their staff is completely gracious and natural, checking my cast iron skillet at the door with fun and excitement. They were playing music that sounded like a cross between Ultra Chilled and Natacha Atlas. If this wasn't fabulous enough, cycling home on Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park, I passed a tall bike decked out with Christmas lights riding with a cargo bike with a cargo box in the front.

photos: Chris B.

Drinks Just off the Michigan Avenue Madness

2006-12-20T20:40:00.000-06:00

Fornetto Mei: (Michigan Avenue) Chicago
107 E. Delaware Place
(312) 573-6300
www.thewhitehallhotel.com/restaurant.html

Just before dinner, Dan and I sat drinking wine in an extension protruding from the Whitehall Hotel building made off glass walls and a glass ceiling. I felt protected from the Christmas shopping madness outside, one block away on Michigan Avenue. We had rolled in this "pan-Italian" restaurant with our bicycle helmets, past the front bar through the dining room to a table aside their second bar. I felt like a local, completely accommodated as one who might come back frequently, among the others in this Hotel District. A gust of cold blew through as one couple exited through a door marked closed for the winter, and they made it a point to go out of their way to come to us and tell us it wouldn't happen again. It's a good place for people watching outside and warming up in sight of their pizza oven on a chilly rainy day like today.

photos: Chris B.

North Kedzie brings us the Middle East

2006-12-16T17:44:00.000-06:00

Semiramis: (Albany Park) Chicago
4639-41 N. Kedzie Ave.
(773) 279-8900

Semiramis had run out of the night's special vegetarian (and vegan) moussaka just as we ordered it, and even though Amod said, "it's been [a] really long time since, you know, a waitress had a special which I really wanted to eat," we still got excited about the menu. Semiramis offers the often seen tabbouleh, lentil soup, hummus and baba ganoush, but they go quite farther. They serve tasty sounding lubieh bel zeit (grean beans cooked with garlic, tomato and olive oil), fattoush (salad of cucumber, tomato, green onion, green pepper, radish, mint and pita in olive oil, lemon juice and sumac), and warakenab belk zeit (grape leaves suffed with rice, green pepper, green onion, tomato, mint, parsley and olive oil; but we ordered somethings entirely different.

Green olives and turnips slices pickled in beet juice and vinegar came first, to help us get through all of the menu choices. We ordered everything vegan to share. Getting excited about the menu, Satya exclaimed, "This is really good."

The small stovetop kettle of coffee with cardamom that came to our table just as I returned with a bottle of wine from next door was just for table service, strained from another but larger stovetop kettle used to brew it. I would like to come back and watch them brew this sweet and smooth Intelligentsia Lebanese style (presumably Intelligentsia from the insignia on the demitasses), perhaps while sipping some of the fresh carrot juice from the menu.

A bright lemon flavor on the long wide French fries from the sumac they dusted on was quite brilliantly different for me; and so was the gentle garlic spread served with.

The fava beans with lemon juice and olive oil (ful moudammas) -most of them so soft that they had lost their individual identities- and their cubed tomatoes, four mint leaves and onion slices scooped up quite well with ripped up pita. They satisfied as well as any comfort food, just without a heavy onset. Amod smothered the last of our fava beans in the fries' garlic sauce. At least one bumpy techno softly thumped in the background.

Our falafel wrap, the "falafel special", came loaded with (or course) falafel, eggplant, pickle (Satya took one out to eat), red cabbage, tomato and tahini sauce, with a scoop on the side of cool and refreshing mashed potato colored with tomato sauce with specs of green onion. As Satya took more fries, she told me, "I think I'm going to die on these ... I need to buy sumac now." I can't wait to get a hold of some, either. As I commented on my love for the fries and we thought of how great it was to come here instead of somewhere else for dinner instead, Amod told me "I think it was a good idea coming here."

Long crispy onion slivers gave a very welcomed crunch to the soft lentils and rice (moujaddara) -so full they felt like more comfort food, heavily distracting from the a side salad anchored in tomato and cucumber wedges. I think everything we ordered felt like the Lebanese version of comfort food.

Looking at the curtains dividing the dining room, Satya comments, "these are so tasteful," and decided to hang a rug in her home, like the textiles hanging the walls here.

The meal was much more elaborate than we would have prepared on any of the hiking trips we talked about (days in the Grand Canyon or day hikes through tropical waterfalls outside Bombay). The falafel alone would require an utterly obscene backpacking edition deep fryer, and carrying oil might be a burden, not to mention a terrible fire hazard in desert brush when the oil is hot. Perhaps Amod could take such a fryer on his upcoming bus ride over the Andes in to Argentina from Santiago.

The bill: $24.03 (including a $3 BYOB charge). Amod excites, "I can't believe this." Satya continues, "Can you imagine?" It's hard to believe they give 20 percent off to college and university students on lunch. And they're open to 11 on Friday and Saturday and 10 other nights.

As I've been writing this, I've been listening to the jittery pop punk group The Dials. So I've gone back to their site, hitting play over and over on the four songs I see they have up. It goes well with Chicago squad cars racing by my window, making me feel even more alive that this amazing night already has.

I love dining with Satya and Amod because I feel they get just as excited about good food as I do. "I'm so glad we came here", Satya told me, "this food is exactly what I was looking for." We moved on, walking across the street-level Brown Line tracks to window shop at Alkhyam Bakery (4744-46 N. Kedzie Ave.). I've bought their whole-wheat pitas (with "king of pita" on the bag) at Sunflower market on Clybourn. When they're open, I would like to explore what's beyond their stacks of canned bab ganoush, gallons of olive oil, bakery cases and the bags of just-made crispy bread I see from the windows.

Next Stop: Turkish Coffee at a Diner

Mataam Al Mataam: (Albany Park) Chicago
Kedzie and Lawrence Avenues

It's a smoky late-night diner (24-hour I hear), or ethnically called a shaan (literally "pride"). I felt like I stumbled in to a hidden world of both community and decor not easily findable anymore. Locals, if not the owner(s), seemed to switch between a table and the bar; a "God Bless America" plaque with the flag and Twin Towers on the back wall near one for Elvis; ketchup and mustard colored walls; vinyl chairs tacked around the top; simulated wood-grained laminated tables with rubberized edges; low-back dusty rose vinyl bar stools with foot rings; a flower clock on the wall that has petals and a pot base for a pendulum; an empty chrome and glass rotating pie case; and a kids cartoon on the TV that reminded Satya and I of Sesame Street. When we walked in and looked for a table, a man at the bar motioned us to take whichever one we wanted.

Satya read me the special menu written in English and (presumably) Arabic over the bar:

Monday: eggplant and white beans
Tuesday: potato and spinach
Wednesday: okra and white beans
Thursday: green beans
Friday: fava beans

I really didn't need more coffee, but I needed more food even less and we wanted to stop here; and the coffee did come in demitasse cups and on saucers with softly appealing gold line art depicting flowers with a gold weave capturing the edges. The Turkish coffee ($2 and not the default coffee) Amod and I took felt sludgy and nuttier, thicker, grainier and rougher than the Lebanese version at Semiramis. But it tasted sweeter -more appropriate for dessert. Satya took on a yogurt dairy shake ($1) and topped it from a shaker of sumac on the table.

As we walked back to their car, we looked in one more shop -with isles of packaged Middle Eastern food I would like to return to explore, and sets of demitasse cups that would look quite nice on my table when filled with strong coffee on a lazy morning. I loved this exploration with my pals, and the vigor and curiosity it has brought to me, but coming back to Wicker Park made me realize North Kedzie seemed to lack the street crowds, bicycle traffic, and late-night stops that vitalize me. I felt invigorated among the Saturday night energy here. After all of this stimulation plus Wicker Park two movie stops, leaving with a bag of incredibly chili covered crispy lima beans, Nine Queens on VHS from Earwax and Good Night and Good Luck on DVD, I feel like I won't want coffee in the morning.

photos: Chris B.

Seafood Stop serves up Vegan Food after our Happy Hour

2006-12-16T12:56:00.000-06:00

Fonda del Mar: (Logan Square) Chicago
3749 W. Fullerton Ave.
(773) 489-3748

My roommate Liz and I had just wrapped up a three-hour happy hour at our place Friday, and we were off to a friend's birthday dinner at Fonda del Mar, a clean BYOB stop on the west side of Logan Square. To our party, I had caught a ride from the Loop with my pal Rose. Driving was an exception -we both take transport- that cost us 45 minutes instead of 30. And we went straight west from the Loop and then up Western to North to avoid traffic. Rose and I laughed listening to Beautiful South's "36D" and got excited about mini-chocolate cupcakes Rose made especially for tonight. Rose had pastry bags of "butter" cream frosting to top them on location: peppermint, organic lemon zest lemon (and coconut to top), and eggnog (made with Silk nog along with cinnamon and fresh nutmeg to grate on top). "Sorry I narrowed it down to only three flavors of frosting," Rose said as she told me she had throught about peanut butter and Mexican chocolate flavors, too. She was thinking about lavendar truffles, too, but then told me, "I have so many things I want to do." Asking if I could quote her, she told me, "I'll take any publicity I can get." For the record, I'm a big fan of her peppermint frosting; it brought refreshment to all of my mouth.

Liz's idea for the happy hour was brilliant. She used her super powers to bring together incedible food. We only got to giving away one of the gifts we set aside, but Liz seemed to have had a smashing time of wrapping them as she had told me earlier, "I just want to wrap things". The place was jammed with really good, fun and virbant people.

Fonda del Mar was simple: walls unadorned expect for framed photos, a brightly colored painting of a stylized pig, another of a fish, and some exposed brick. Food came from behind a red small-tiled wall topped with a black small-tiled counter mostly hiding the line cooks but showing off the stainless steel walls above them. Wood tables with cloth napkins, bottles of hot sauce and bowls of a spicy snack mix of coated peas, peanuts and other fried tasties on the table hinted a casual atmosphere. Across the many BYOB bottles on our long table of twelve, a kid leaned over his table to meet his dad in the middle with a warm kiss that could make some melt. It felt warm and loving, a starck contrast from the dark Fullerton Avenue outside, like the closed for the night "Tienda" seen through the window.

Guacamole came, and as the chef in our group pointed out, it lacked adequate salt. The guac was flatter than the richness that could have been. Had I smashed up the chips with it, it would have been brilliant.

I asked, "I know the menu says no substitutions, but would you mind making something up vegan for me?" They were lovely about it and modified one of their usuals: tortillas stacked and filled with potatoes and carrots in a tomato chipotle sauce, topped with avocado instead of filled with cheese. The flavors were smooth and the tortillas soft, but could have used more salt inside.

photo: Chris B.

Natatorium Food

2006-12-14T17:20:00.000-06:00

Swim Cafe: (West Town) Chicago
1357 W. Chicago Ave.
www.swimcafe.com

Swim Cafe Owner Karen Gerod showing off a vegan jam bar (on front right in tray)

Modified tri-color veggie panini, Mom in background

We had had our sandwiches for just a few minutes when I dropped half of mine on my lap trying to snap a good shot of my tri-color veggie panini with my Mom in the background. We each took this panini the way it came, minus the feta and plus avocado and tomato. Red Hen Bread down the street makes the focaccia, and they do a superior job of it –fantastically crunchy with little indentations from where I imagine the baker pressed down to make wells to trap olive oil. A little wet mess of goodness lied inside two pieces of the bread. The red peppers felt so tender, the spinach very crisp and fresh and the tomatoes gave it the moisture it needed. I found the side salad a special treat -especially since I didn’t spill it- of dark greens, the same tasty red peppers and a house balsamic. Refreshing orange slices on the side boosted up the refreshment, adding to the moisture of the tomatoes and a little avocado.

Swim Cafe’s simple white-topped tables, cutout wavey table dividers and small blue bathroom tiles reflect Eckhart Park’s Ida Crown Natatorium across the street –but they still don’t make me feel like swimming. The laptops spread out across the cafe work better here than in the pool –especially with free wireless. Swim Cafe seems to pride themself on their fair trade coffee; but they also gladly change up paninis how you’d like; and as a bonus, they have a few vegan treats. Owner Karen Gerod told my Mom and I about their vegan jam bars, and that they’re not just vegans who eat them; and her Mexican wedding cookies, dusted in powdered sugar with either cinnamon or powdered walnut. I imagined a wonderfully brittle shortbread; too bad they were out. Karen seems to get excited about the vegan bakery –or at least accommodating her customers- so much that I might feel like coming back just for that even if the food wasn't good. Last time I was in with some pals, she told me how they often sell vegan treats; they just don’t always have them when they’re wanted; and none were available that time. Just then, she kicked off peach cobblers in ramekins for us and baked them in the toaster oven behind the counter.

Mom's shot of me in my Chicagoland Bicycle Federation T-shirt with my good friend the coffee

photos: Chris and Rita B.

Indian Vegan Buffet Extension

2006-12-13T23:46:00.000-06:00

Gaylord India Restaurant: (River North) Chicago
678 N. Clark St.

When I rolled in to Gaylord this afternoon to meet colleagues for lunch, I instantly recognized Nassir at the front counter. I haven't been to Gaylord in ages, but Nassir remembered that I am vegan and came to me to guide me through the buffet. The chana masala, yellow and white rice mix, and pakora are fine. He volunteered to bring me extra from the kitchen. I remember trying to unsuccessfully refuse before, so I rolled with it. And loved it. Then came a plate of tender carrots, potatoes and pea pods. Second came a soup of creamy dal with obvious cumin seeds. Everything was quite savory and lightly spicy, but the dal nicely left a bit of heat in the mouth -more than the other items. The special service was a very nice touch that left me, as in all my other trips to Gaylord, feeling very well accommodated.

Veggie Burgers at Veggie Bar

2006-12-13T20:46:00.000-06:00

Lelia Jane's: (Lincoln Park) Chicago
1008 W. Armitage Ave.

I raced home on my bicycle, popped an espresso filled chocolate in my mouth and started writing about Lelia Jane's -a bar with all vegetarian bar food. My pal Dan and I had been bicycling about looking at the dramatic changes to the South of Amitage corridor that Susan Chandler described in her October 8, 2006 article in the Chicago Tribune. We thought, we haven't been to Lelia Jane's in a while; why don't we stop in? Maybe five minutes after we got there and made ourselves very comfortable, we realized they hadn't opened. Still, they took care of us very well.

Dan and I each ordered an avocado veggie burger that they served on bread from Signature Breads (5806 N. Milwaukee, Chicago). A lemon, basil and olive oil sauce made them brilliant. Later the owner, Gregg Wynne, sat down with us. Gregg cuts their fries (that came with our burgers) with a knife, or a blade as he said, and fries them in a mix of canola and olive oils. "I usually buy everything fresh," Gregg told Dan and I. He goes to Stanley's Fruits and Vegetables and other local shops.

I remembered my last Lelia Jane's visit. A friend and I had ordered, but the cook (the owner's lady, Christa) wasn't in yet. Apparently, Christa was stuck in traffic. Later after we had our food, Christa took some time with us and told that they make their hummus from scratch -not from canned chickpeas but dried ones with lemon, pepper, basil and olive oil. She told me they're tastier that way. You can also get vegan pizza, garlic and olive oil flatbread or a veggie sandwich. Christa and Gregg look very fitting together, both relaxed, slender and seemingly very into food.

Gregg told me how he cooked Ethiopian (lentils, zucchini, squash and fresh green beans with "quartered up garlic cloves") at home with Christa, "it's so easy to make. Just look online." Dan and I got excited about it, and Dan reminded me that we have to try a Nigerian place we've heard of, Vee Vee's. I took napkins to jot down more quotes. Gregg is working at home on his injera (spongy Ethiopian bread used to scoop up food), using nutmeg and allspice to darken it, and soda water so it bubbles. He reminded me to use ingredients "as fresh as possible."

I think Dan and I both relate to freshness. Dan told me of his guacamole makings this morning for breakfast on a veggie patty with toast. He told me, "You know when you open up an avocado and it's perfect? It's not too early or too late." Three avocados later, he had his breakfast.

Dan I had sat down in the little round table in the front at the window. Dan had taken a spot on the long booth upholstered with dark curly lines along the window. A colorized episode of Casper The Friendly Ghost from 1947 had projected on a screen on the sidewall absorbed us. Gregg told us, "it's good to play when the Jazz Cats are playing." Casper cuddled a little bird, then took off flying with it -injured with a sling on his wing- as a passenger. Dan appreciatively mentioned that the episode is very pro-animal, then told me, "I could sit here and watch this all night and I'd be happy." And that was before we saw a zebra and an elephant come on. Dan excited, "It has animals in it." We both love our animal friends. Then, as somehow I remembered seeing in my childhood, Casper tied a knot in the elephant's trunk. The elephant exhaled in to its trunk as it filled into a balloon that lifted the elephant into the sky for a reason that might have been apparent had I not been taking so many notes.

Even when Casper is not playing, Lelia Jane's feels great. The dim lighting, large medieval-looking chandelier, DJ table and hanging bicycling jerseys chill the place out and give a scene of the owner's taste. A reggae song with lyrics "time is the master" had played, starting like a Pink Floyd cover. Depeche Mode came on, too. It was a great and total mix up. Thinking about the atmosphere, Dan told Gregg, "you nailed it here." Gregg talked a bit about freestyling on track bikes -Chicago Free Ride stuff, he told me; and how he rode a 1971 Schwinn Paramount, a nice old race bike. (I've heard you may bring your bicycle in to Lelia Jane's when it's not jammed). Dan told me that Lelia Jane's reminds him of a place called The Comet in Cincinnati known for their veggie burrito. And that if I check out The Comet, I've got to check out Cincinnati's glorious Findlay Market dating from 1852 and "Ohio's oldest surviving municipal market house."

Gregg put his hair up as Dan put on his winter head wrap to leave, tied in a knot at the top looking like it was hiding a ball of hair like Gregg had up. I asked Gregg if the popcorn is vegan (they have a machine full of it by the bar at the back). Just olive oil and kosher salt he told me. "I love it," I said; and he told me, "it's easier."

God, I Ate A Lot of Pizza. Plus pancakes later.

2006-12-07T23:14:00.000-06:00

Pizza Metro: (East Ukrainian Village / Wicker Park) Chicago
1707 W. Division St.
www.pizzametro.com

My pal Rose and I were going to go to Oysy Sushi in the South Loop tonight before Conscious Choice's celebration at Funky Buddha Lounge, but pizza overcame me. Plus, I can't imagine Oysy giving us a whole raw potato to go with a potato pizza. I think we chose wisely this time. We ordered a full size ("whole sheet") pizza that's said to serve 4 to 6: potato rosemary with onion, extra sauce and no cheese. The extra sauce is key, and it doesn't make their crust soggy. I sipped a 250 mL bottle of San Pellegrino and Rose took on the brand's Limonata. "Refreshment in a bottle," it has sugar instead of corn syrup, she said. Later, she snapped photos of the bottles embracing. But they were just friends.

We chatted about sweets -how there's a little shop on Columbus in San Francisco called XOX Truffles that makes up incredibly rich vegan truffles, and how Rose's Simran Bakehouse is due to make vegan ginger cookies this weekend. When the pizza came, it looked large and lovely, especially with its red sauce against the green plastic cutting board they served it on. I asked our server across the counter, do most people order the big pizza (instead of the half sheet or a slice) for just two people? The place is long and narrow with ripped stools and a counter down the middle, a few tables and chairs across from it, and ranges and ovens behind it. "No, not really," she said while probably smiling, but she told me she's seen two people eat one. Jerseys hang on the side wall and an "It's great to be Italian" banner hangs on the back wall. It's perfect, especially considering Rose was telling me later how she knit her scarf on the train in Italy.

Rose asked me to put the Parmesan cheese shaker out of her sight: I'm trying to be vegan, she said. We loaded our square slices up with dried pepper flakes, and in the spirit of potatoes as Rose pointed out, salt and pepper. Rose snapped off shots trying to capture our excitement. Oh, this is a lot of peppers, but I like it, she told me. I dumped peppers on my slice like mad. A little too many, I thought. But then Rose reassured me: that's going to be a good one. There was still a lot of pizza left and we weren't as hungry as when we walked in. Rose told me, I really don't want to eat this whole pizza, but it's just sitting here. Rose snapped more photos as I helped. "The only thing keeping from me overeating right now is taking photos," she told me. She got excited about a large mixer's paddle hanging about the range, "you know what that goes to?" A huge Hobart (a large, restaurant mixer, perhaps one with a 20 quart capacity). "I want one." Back to the pizza, we finally came to terms. I told Rose, "we are going to eat all this," and she told me "I know. It's sick," and laughed. I loaded my next slice with hot pepper flakes and felt like I couldn't get enought of them. My mouth didn't yet feel like Madonna's Burning Up. Rose liked the pepper, too: "I can't stop. I don't want to stop." But we were going to have a few slices left to take away.

We asked how many potatoes it took to make our pizza; perhaps three or four? Just one or two, they said, but we were still imaginging more. A man behind the counter went to bring us a whole potato and put it on the counter aside our pizza. It was a rather large one. It seemed more plausable now that it took just one to cover our entire pizza.

I ran out of room on the sheet Rose had given me to take notes for this blog. Luckily, she told me she had more. Quickly, I exclaimed, asking for another. I felt my head full of all the magic of Pizza Metro and didn't want to loose any of it. We remembered Rose emailing me earlier asking if it'd be OK if she didn't bring the camera, and me saying it would be. As Rose kidded, I don't know what we would have done. "Sat in silence," she joked. The wondeful aroma lingered.

We stopped off to upload the photos. Then, we were riding in a cab to Funky Buddha, I got a call from a pal at Chicagoland Bicycle Federation as part of their year end appeal phone drive. I'm a big fan of advocating so I donated. I kidded myself that the dontation would offset my cab usage tonight. At the Buddha, we met up with some others and together checked out a couple of books depicting trendy outrageous street fashion in Japan: Shoichi Aoki's Fruits and Fresh Fruits. These make me want to redo my wardrobe.

Hunger Pancakes

Rose's pal Jen dropped me at home and her, Rose and I made up some quick pancakes to quench our not-so-late-night hunger. Rose and I guessed the measurements and Jen assured me that we really can't mess up pancakes. We quickly mixed up a bit (maybe two tablespoons) of chestnut flour from Green City Market, maybe 1/2 cup oat flour, maybe 1/2 cup wheat flour, a small handful of sugar, maybe 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, a couple splashes of peanut oil and enough soy milk to make this pour like pancakes. I poured the batter on a hot cast iron pan on low with enough hot peanut oil to give the bottom of the pan a high gloss. The batter made 4 pancakes, using more oil each time to make the pancake sizzle. When the pancake looked dry in the middle, I flipped it. In a small pan, Jen mixed maple syrup and cashew/macadamian nut butter before we heated it. The pancakes were thin and crispy on the edges and the syrup was creamy. It was all quite a wonderful nighttime snack with some new pals.

photos: Rose G. and Chris B.

Quick Loop Falafel: Haifa

2006-12-07T02:07:00.000-06:00

Haifa Cafe: (Loop) Chicago
318 W. Adams St. (with additional Loop locations: 163 N. Wells, 19 N. Wells, 410 S. Clark)

On my walk to Haifa Cafe through the valleys of the tall buildings in Chicago’s financial district, I counted seventeen signs on my side of the sidewalk warning of the danger of falling ice. What exactly should one do about such dangers? Walk while continuously looking up only to look back down to avoid cars racing stale yellow lights? I didn’t want to take time for such madness. This was a quick lunch jammed with three errands: drop used batteries for recycling at Walgreens, purchase screws at the local Ace Hardware and drop into the shoe doctor to see about resoling shoes. An affirmative lady at the shoe doctor took how I felt about getting the most of my lunch break to the next level of efficiency. It went something like this:

Lady: We can't resole them.
Chris: But they’re supposed to be resoleable.
L: Who told you they can be resoled?
C: The manufacturer.
L: Then you tell the manufacturer to resole them.

At Haifa Care, I enjoyed a sandwich that could have contended for messiest falafel in town -at least after the pita ruptured. They had added grilled eggplant and hot pepper mix like I asked for. I sat in one of three stools at the counter by the window next to a 30-gallon trashcan –the only place to eat in this long and narrow take-away (their Clark St. and one of their Wells St. locations have more seating). I looked outside and caught people looking at me eat as they walked by. Just as I would notice, they would turn away. I felt like I could have been a window ad for Haifa featuring one of their tasty sandwiches if only I could lure people in. Construction scaffolding above the sidewalk went well with the trashcan inside. A messenger watched me eat as he unlocked his bike from the scaffold. He nodded to me when I noticed him. Perhaps I should have been nodding to lure the sidewalk people in. Maybe I’ll try that next time.

Another Visit: Friday, December 8, 2006

I returned to Haifa and, this time, tried nodding at a sidewalk person. I was eating Haifa's vegetarian kalya, a seasoned combination of zucchini slices, lima beans, carrot slices, broccoli and pea pods with garlic over yellow rice. I'm quite glad that the cashier asked me if I wanted the homemade tomato sauce. I told him yes and he sent the Styrofoam container back to the line. The sauce's tang helped distract me from the sogginess of the overcooked veggies. One falafel piece, pita and hummus come with and round out the meal. Unlike my previous visit, I nodded at a sidewalk person who I noticed might have been watching me eat and they walked into Haifa. Perhaps they were coming here anyway. As I was leaving, the cashier asked me how the food was. I told him they should do something about the Styrofoam. I wish, I wish, he told me.

Other vegan options: falafel sandwich (with tahini, lettuce, tomato and Jerusalem salad), grilled eggplant sandwich (seasoned and topped with tomato sauce, lettuce, tomato and Jerusalem salad), falafel plate (falafel, hummus, salad and pita), freshly squeezed orange, carrot or apple juice, various smoothies, baba ghanouj, tabuleh salad, hummus, Jerusalem salad and bagels with or without peanut butter (breakfast).

Old World European Snack in the Loop

2006-12-05T21:54:00.000-06:00

Hannah’s Bretzel: (Loop) Chicago
180 W. Washington St.
www.hannahsbretzel.com

Nothing conjures up Old World thoughts quite the way a carry-out eatery from a company that aligns itself (on their Web site and coffee cup sleeves) with the text “since 1477” does (turns out, or so I've heard, it's their Bretzel recipe that's that old) -except Hannah's has been laid out in a clean contemporary style. The place runs as narrow, deep and lacking of seating as you might expect from an efficient Loop carry-out. But Hannah’s selection of chocolate bars is quite extensive –including many of the dark chocolate vegan variety, lining the right wall as you come in. They can make a sandwich on hearty bread, too –small and about the same shape as the store. Torn between muesli and such a sandwich, a gentleman with a European sounding accent, pinstriped slacks, a black turtleneck and dress shoes explains that they make the muesli to order. It takes about five minutes; they heat it on the stove in the back -this time with soy instead of dairy. The gentleman goes on with some colleagues to discuss menu details and take measurements of the store. Mommy-O grabs the last of the place's four seats and tells me about her expedition to the Loop for lunch with Daddy-O at the Christkindlmarket (at Daley Plaza until December 24). I stand and enjoy my snack: a thick warm moist mess of whole grains, raisins, sunflower seeds, fresh apple cubes, and whole almonds whose toasted taste pleases my mouth with full-on nuttiness.

Hannah's Bretzel provides for recycling but goes farther. The December 2006 Conscious Choice reports Hannah's Bretzel to be Chicago's first LEED certified "green" retail building. According to the article, Hannah's uses biodegradeable containers and cleaning materials and makes other reduced-impact decisions.

Photo: thanks Mom for letting me use your camera and emailing me the pix. XO

Serenity for Lunch in the Loop

2006-12-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

Spa Café: (Loop) Chicago
112 W. Monroe St.
www.spacafe.com

By the time I met my pal Rose for lunch at 11:30 a.m., I’d been thinking about food for a while, but Rose helped me over the edge. Ideas of a bake-off came up a few times. I’d brought the recent book Vegan Cupcakes, Take Over The World (Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero) and we were paging through getting excited over close-ups of toasted coconut cupcakes with buttercream frosting, peanut butter cupcakes and banana split cupcakes. Too bad there wasn’t an oven for us to use. I’m more into deep-frying homemade donuts today. Rose and I agree on our love of the yeast-risen donut over the chemically leavened variety. Does deep-frying make a home smell like oil? I don’t know, but I’m going to close my closet before I start.

Spa has been a favorite of mine ever since the chef, Patrick Cassata, had vibrantly told me that he’d cut the dairy out of some of their soups, wanted to sell vegan bakery and try out a tofu scramble in the morning. His occasional gifts of coffee or a vegan cookie helped. The place is an oasis right in the middle of the hustle back to work Loop. The water tricking down the small wall-hung waterfall takes me away, as do the green plants and parts of the walls laid with soft blue tile squares or rocks. And they separate plastic for recycling.

Rose seemed to share my love of for the marinated tofu pita: “I love eating tofu in public. I don’t do it too often.” She laughed as she said this and as I left for the counter to borrow a pen to remember this quote. We both enjoyed thick purple sweet potato and chipotle soup. Spa plates modest portions; get a combo if you’re hungry. Say yes to the crackers with your soup; they’re coated with seeds.

As I’ve been writing this, I’ve finished a glass of Seedling’s pear juice from Saturday’s Green City Market. The pear flavor came through so clean and crisp. This juice enjoys a splash of coconut rum, too -perhaps even better with fresh donuts.

Photos: Rose G. and Chris B.

Late Night Gnocchi: 11:10 p.m.

2006-12-03T22:59:00.000-06:00

Enoteca Roma: (Wicker Park) Chicago
2146 W. Division St.
www.enotecaroma.com

Christopher sent me a text to invite me out last night. The temperature had dropped well below freezing, but after staying in much of the Saturday afternoon, I felt like a little invigorating bicycle ride would pick me up a bit. Christopher and Laura didn’t recognize me when I arrived and walked by the restaurant window in the snowboarding helmet. I’d switched from my bicycle helmet for warmth. Inside, the three of us sat at the bar catching up. Enoteca Roma’s lit glass bar cases made it obvious how much dimmer the main lighting was. Combined with the invigoration of the ride, this atmosphere relaxed and stimulated me into very soothing conversation.

After sipping a round of brandy, my stomach pressed for food. Enoteca Roma had provided bruschetteria and a good sampling of olives before, but I felt something more substantial was in order. That’s where a quick check-in with the kitchen led to finding that the gnocchi seemed vegan. A couple obvious changes to the Boscaiola (no cream, butter or Italian sausage) left me with a combination of whole-wheat gnocchi, crimini mushrooms, peas, garlic and olive oil that hit my spot. Laura liked the peas.

Thanks to Laura for letting me snap photos on her camera and for emailing them to me.

I Heart Beirut

2006-12-03T18:30:00.000-06:00

Sultan’s Market: (Wicker Park) Chicago
2057 W. North Ave.
www.chicagofalafel.com

The temperature seemed to be dropping below freezing; I wanted nearby cost-conscious comfort food for lunch; and a savory falafel sandwich and zatter bread (a traditional mix of sesame seed, thyme and sumac rubbed on flat bread with olive oil) sounded like it’d fill me up quite well.

It was just after 1 p.m. yesterday -a Saturday afternoon. Inside Sultan’s, a line of hip looking customers waiting to order curved from the counter towards the door. As the person in front of me got their food and moved up the line towards the register, my turn came. Menus on the counter clearly identify the vegan options: spinach pie, falafel, zatter bread, hummus, baba ghanooj, tabboule, Jerusalem salad, lentil soup and rice and lentils. A salad bar adds dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice), roasted Brussels sprouts, pickled turnip and more. Once, I asked if the lentil soup was vegetarian - knowing it's one item that would most likely be vegan if it was veg - and got a solid, "it's vegan," back.

I got my food, paid and sat down to take the scene in and eat. The register displays an I heart Beirut sticker and a computer jamming remixes of Arabic sounding music holds a booth. Behind the counter, pans hang aside the burners and someone mechanically scooped fresh light-colored falafel –soon to be dark and crispy- into the deep fryer. Middle Eastern groceries line the shelves under the counter: bags of large or red lentils; sesame seeds; herbs and spices like sage, cinnamon, fenugreek, cardamom, and sumac; mixed nuts; Jordan almonds (candied as pastels and whites); cans of chickpeas, fava beans and stuffed grape leaves; bottles of olive oil, rose water, tahini; and various hot sauces.

Above the tables, hanging strings of colored beads circle stylized light fixtures. A cusped archway fronts each booth’s concave canopy. Many tables extend beyond the boundaries of their booths, with chairs surrounding the extensions, and take on groups yielding lively combinations of talking and eating.

A neighborhood moment came upon leaving Sultan’s. I ran into an acquaintance I’d run into in the morning at Green City Market. He had been bicycling home with bamboo plywood for a desk from Greenmaker ("Chicago’s green building supply store") in the bags of his Xtracycle. We looked at the wood’s striking streaks. He told me that some of the pieces in the plywood had been baked, which brought out a caramel color that provided great contrast. Seeing this bicycle delivery the day after the season’s first snowstorm made me smile. Having Sultan’s in my belly kept my face happy all the way home in the cold.

Update with Jon and Kerry: December 29, 2006

Is the baklava vegan? Oh yes, they said. This was the perfect post-falafel treat to have just after my brother's girl Kerry rolled in on the Blue Line on a suprise layover from O'Hare airport. On the walk out to return a movie at Earwax, we ran in to my good pals Satya and Amod and their friends from Bombay. Could we have found a better to show Kerry around Wicker Park? The next day cycling to a coffee break with my roomie Liz, I ran into Satya and Amod again. This time, we
were at the same cafe, sipping coffee in the extra room at Alliance Bakery that you get to from the sidewalk, and ended up chatting about projects.

Live Piano and Wine with Rigatoni and Olive Oil

2006-11-30T22:48:00.000-06:00

Orso’s: (Old Town) Chicago
1401 N. Wells St.
www.orsosrestaurant.com

Orso’s takes me back to one of many dinners out with Grandpa. It was Phoenix many years ago, and Grandpa would secure a table for the family from where we could hear the live pianist. It’d be one restaurant that seemed to be from a selection of Grandpa’s favorite spots –where I think he knew everyone very well.

Tonight, Orso’s did it right for me: vegan-friendly service from the door and tableside piano in a room with Old World Chicago charm. The live pianist smoothed my wine away in a setting that warmed me up to the cold outside: wood walls partially wrapping the outer wall tables, tinned ceilings, glass chandeliers and a wooden bar in soothingly dim light. The staff didn’t flinch at cooking a good vegan Rigatoni (I love the fat noodles) loaded with olive oil, garlic, fresh broccoli, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Loaded. When the plate came, it looked like more veggies than pasta. Before dinner was over, I was able to taste some of a friend's tasty red sauce. The vents in the floor below me had been warming my jacket –perfect prep to wait for the North Avenue bus in freezing rain that’s due to bring us the season’s first snow storm. My smoke-hating pals might not have liked what was coming from the nearby bar, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from going back to days with Grandpa.