East/West (Even) | Veggin' Out And About

Raw and Juicy Organic Juice Bar and Café

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 12, 2013 in American, I-10, Organic and/or Non-GMO, Raw and Juicy Organic Juice Bar and Café, Santa Rosa Beach, FL | 0 comments

by Amanda Trevelino

There was a time when Seaside, Florida was known as the town Jim Carrey made famous in the movie The Truman Show. But these days, people might instead say, “You know, it’s the little resort town with all the Airstream food trucks.” True enough. But those who pass by the barbecue and hot dog hawkers will be rewarded with fresh, raw juice, smoothies, gluten free sandwiches, sophisticated lunches and packaged vegan treats worthy of any movie star or health-conscious vacationer. The Raw and Juicy Airstream has been keeping it real at the corner of the town’s amphitheater along Scenic Highway 30A for years, and it never disappoints.

Well, okay. It might at first seem a little disappointing to hand over $8 for a Green Goddess juice, but that’s only until you go home and try to blend your own concoction of organic, locally grown kale, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon and parsley. Afterwards, you not only will be grateful to buy these invigorating, unpasteurized, unprocessed sips of health; you will probably want to do it as often as possible. (more…)

Ariana Grill Kabob House, Charlottesville, VA (Sadly, it has gone out of business)

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 2, 2013 in Afghani, I-64 | 0 comments

by Danielle Bussone

En-route to the Richmond Vegetarian Festival we decided to try Ariana Grill Kabob House in Charlottesville, VA. We are ever so glad we did. Ariana’s is the first experience we have had with Afghani cuisine. The restaurant is located on busy the busy Main Street which divides the University of Virginia’s campus. Further down, the street is lined with restaurants of all varieties catering to the university crowd.

Ariana’s is a small narrow restaurant, what we in the South used to refer to as a shotgun style building. (You can shoot a shotgun in the front door and the pellets will exit out the rear door.) There are tables on either side of the door terminating at the kitchen where you can watch the chef prepare homemade Afghani bread (which unfortunately is not vegan-there is a little milk in it). I’m afraid I couldn’t resist trying a piece which is my mea culpa for the year. I’ve been so good until yesterday and I’m ridden with guilt. There is a hot bar in the kitchen where you can see large warming vats of vegetable stews which comprise the bulk of the vegetarian menu. Of the seven stews, six were vegan if you asked them to omit the yogurt topping on the sweet potatoes. (more…)

Richmond Vegetarian Festival, June 15, 2013 was a blast!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jun 25, 2013 in Features, I-64, I-95, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA, Veg Fests | 8 comments

Richmond Vegetarian Festival was all a vegetarian festival should be. Rich and I drove the 300 miles from Abingdon, VA with our monster, Phoenix, happily settled in the back of our Subaru Forester. We stopped en-route in Charlottesville, VA and reviewed a marvelous Afghani restaurant called Ariana Grill Kabob House (see post). We sat outside and enjoyed our meal while Phoenix basked in the attention of passersby, her favorite activity. After checking into our clean, dog-friendly hotel, (Candlewood Suites near the airport) that evening, we visited India K’Raja, renown as Richmond’s best Indian restaurant since 1995, and for good reason (see post).

On the day of the festival, which took place in the verdant Azalea Gardens at Bryan Park, we arrived just before noon, which is when it was scheduled to begin. The gods were smiling on us as the weather could not have been more perfect with lots of sun, shade trees and a cool breeze. The event was free of charge and parking was plentiful. Even the parking lot was lovely. We were immediately greeted by animal rescue groups which had plenty of trained and health-certified adoption ready animals to take home. They had children’s bathing pools of ice for animals to help themselves to a cool drink at this pet friendly event. Towards the end of the event we saw a Labrador climb in and make use of this pool’s original purpose! We had to walk past these groups quickly and with resolve as we already have our maximum limit of monsters (the collective name for our beloved animals) in our home. (more…)

Jade’s Market Has Changed Hands!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on May 28, 2013 in Cambodian, I-26, Johnson City, TN, Thai | 0 comments

Jade’s Market (see post under Thai Cuisine) has changed owners. For now the menu will continue to be Thai and will carry the identical menu items as when owned by Tara. In time, the name will be changed to Angkor Food and will serve Cambodian and Thai Cuisine with a significant vegan and vegetarian menu as well as their non-vegetarian fare.

The new owner is Phally (pronounced Pauly) Mein and her brother, Phalla (Paul) Nop is her manager. This lovely Cambodian team promises to bring something new and exciting to the experience of Johnson City diners. They also have agreed to allow us to video them preparing one of their Cambodian dishes as soon as their new menu is solidified.

Angkor Food will no longer carry market items for sale like sushi or summer roll wrappers or any of the Asian items Jade’s had for sale. It will be strictly a restaurant. Sorry folks. You can still find your Asian supplies at The Stock Pot in Johnson City near Sam’s Club.

We wish all the best to Tara, former owner of Jade’s Market. Her twins are keeping her busy. She and her husband still own and operate Lola’s in Johnson City.

Stay tuned!

Vegan Meetup in Asheville, NC

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Apr 22, 2013 in Asian, Features, I-240, I-26, Thai | 0 comments

For the vegan and veg-curious, there is no better way to sample a variety of great vegan dishes than by joining a local meet-up group. The best way to find one in your area is to simply google vegan meetups (your city). For example, vegan meetup Butler, TN. This brought up meetup groups in Boone, NC, Asheville, NC and Johnson City, TN, all of which we have become members. Participation in these potluck events are usually free or very inexpensive, depending on whether the group has to pay a fee for a venue in which to meet. I’ve never seen one charge more than $3. You are expected to bring a pot-luck dish which has no animal products in it whatsoever and will feed eight people. Usually, you also bring your recipe as well as your own place setting. This is a great way to experience vegan cuisine, gather new recipes of the dishes you enjoyed and become a part of a supportive group of like minded people. Occasionally, a group will get together to sample the vegan cuisines offered by local restaurants.

Yesterday, we were able to visit for the first time (due to the long drive) The Asheville Vegan Society’s luncheon at Suwana’s Thai Orchid. Suwana’s was one of the first restaurants we reviewed when we began our journey with Veggin’ Out & About. We learned yesterday she is in the process in opening up an Asian Noodle shop very near Suwana’s Thai Orchid. We are excited about reviewing this new find in the coming weeks.

The Asheville Vegan Society is a robust, laid-back group of vegans of all ages. We had such a great time and were welcomed like old friends. The food at Suwana’s was even better than we remembered. It was all so delicious and the service was fantastic. Thank you, Joe W. VeganMan for organizing this great event and this dynamic group!! And thank you, Suwana and her amazing staff for pulling it off so seamlessly!!

Misser Wot (Spicy Lentils) from Sheba’s Ethiopian Restaurant

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Mar 8, 2013 in Ethiopian, Fairfax, VA, I-495, I-66 | 18 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Misser Wot is an Ethiopian spicy red lentil dish. Sheba’s owner (Azeb Gide) and her chef (Adanech Hussen) shared their recipe for this wonderfully spicy and healthy dish. Unfortunately, Sheba’s is no longer in business. It’s a real shame for this was one of our all-time favorite restaurants.

Ingredients