Veggin’ Out and About Gets A Little Love From The Press!

Mountain Times of Boone, North Carolina has featured Veggin’ Out and About in an article by food reporter Jesse Campbell. Click on Mountain Times to read the article. Also featured are my yummy Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce!

 

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Cam Ranh Bay in Banner Elk

by Danielle Bussone

One of the most delightful eateries you’ll find in the High Country is a Vietnamese/Japanese restaurant in Banner Elk, NC.  Vietnamese native, Nancy Nguyen, moved to the mountains eleven years ago and now considers Banner Elk home.  Since immigrating to the US after the Vietnam War, Nancy has worked in both Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants and knows both cuisines well.

Until recently, Cam Ranh Bay was known as Tokyo Express. Nancy changed it’s name to reflect her origins, having grown up  in the town of Cam Ranh Bay, Viet Nam.

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup

I first became acquainted with Cam Ranh Bay when I attended a dinner for Nancy created for our vegan group, VegBoone, of 49 attendees.  The food was amazing and the service flawless.  To illustrate how much the community embraces Nancy, several Banner Elk residents showed up to work as voluntary servers for the event!  We recently held another event at her restaurant and it was even better than the first, if that’s possible.

Vegan Sushi Rolls

Vegan Sushi Rolls

Nancy also has a great deal of experience working with plant-based clientele.  She worked at a Vietnamese restaurant in Boston where all employees were required to be vegan.  She is fully versed in the concerns of the plant-based diner. (more…)

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Angkor Bistro, Cambodian & Thai Food In Johnson City, TN

 
 

by Danielle Bussone

 

Angkor Bistro has not only recently supplanted Jade’s Market and Eatery as Johnson City’s premier Thai restaurant but has also added Cambodian Cuisine to the original fare. The Thai food we’ve come to enjoy at Jade’s Market is still a major part of the menu and has not changed since new owner, Phally (pronounced Pauly) Mein, purchased the restaurant. Her brother, Phalla (Paul) Nop is her manager. Together they have put together a flavorful menu unique to the Johnson City area.

 

Angkor Bistro

 

Maria is their full-service employee who stayed with the restaurant when it changed hands. Her engaging smile is usually the first thing you will notice when you walk into the Angkor Bistro. She is always pleasant, knowledgable and eager to make your experience an enjoyable one.

Angkor Bistro is named after a famous Cambodian temple, Angkor Wat. Most of the dishes offered can be made vegan by substituting tofu as the principle protein or by adding more vegetables instead. The ambiance is quite casual, with cafeteria-style seating.

 

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat


 

Here we were introduced to our first experience with Cambodian cuisine. Nestled on the southern border of Thailand, Cambodia shares a lot of the ingredients of Thai cooking. The flavors, however,  are entirely unique and the cooking method is different from Thai cuisine. We will experience this first hand when Angkor’s chef prepares a meal for us on video this week to share with our readers. (more…)

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Canyons Is Now Veg-Friendly!

by Danielle Bussone

Canyons is located in Blowing Rock, NC. When I say it is right off Highway 321, I mean it is right off 321. Continue past the road into Blowing Rock until the highway curves to the left. Steer slightly to the right and you’ll find yourself in Canyon’s parking lot.

Canyons Restaurant

The restaurant stretches precariously on the precipice of John River’s Gorge with a sheer drop of  nearly 2,000 feet.  The view extends 12 miles across five mountain ranges including the view sought after by most tourists to this region, Grandfather Mountain.

The_Big_View

The last time I dined at Canyons, I was not a vegan. The food was quite good though I don’t remember a plant-based option. The fare was gourmet sandwiches and classic burgers and fries.

Many years have passed since then and times have changed. Canyons now offers a delicious plant-based menu with daily specials which can be tailored to be vegan at prices which are more than reasonable. The requisite salads and soup of the day are always offered, however, we went straight to the heart of the menu. (more…)

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We are sorry to report that Uncanny Kitchen is now closed for business. Uncanny Kitchen – Southwest Virginia’s Most Socially Responsible Restaurant!

by Danielle Bussone

 

Not the tiniest detail was overlooked in creating Uncanny Kitchen, hands-down the most socially responsible restaurant in the region. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

The secret to the appeal of  Uncanny Kitchen is in the partnership between owner David Basinger and his girlfriend of three years, Lisa Sykes. If David is the chef and the creative culinary mind behind Uncanny Kitchen, Lisa is its social conscience and marketing force. Aside from their talents, experience and market savvy, these two are a couple of seriously nice people!

David with freshly baked bread

David with freshly baked bread

David, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Western Culinary of Portland, OR, has had opportunities to work in large restaurants and run the kitchens of high-dollar establishments in other areas of the country. He preferred, however, to bring his talents home to serve the community he grew up in, offering wholesome, delicious food at affordable prices.

It is important to David to connect with the farmers in the area. When he was at culinary school, one of the things he liked best was the opportunity to join the co-op. He was instrumental in the development of the Farm To Table program in Portland. He often volunteered at Sauvie Island, where the school had some land. He peeled potatoes or turned compost on his off time.  He’d pick berries and volunteer with Sauvie Organics who gave him plants to grow at the school. He came to see the value of working within a community of agricultural entrepreneurs and he liked this model of doing business. (more…)

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