-Interstate | Veggin' Out And About

Ming’s Asian Cuisine, Johnson City, TN

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 21, 2013 in Asian, I-26, Japanese, Johnson City, TN, Thai | 2 comments

Correction! Originally I posted that this is the only Chinese restaurant we’ve discovered to date which uses organic ingredients, no genetically modified ingredients and no MSG in the preparation of their food. However, I visited Ming’s again this week and discovered that some of their commercial soy sauces, which are available on individual dining tables, are not organic and are likely to contain sodium benzoate and GMO soy. After speaking with a member of the restaurant staff, I learned that this same soy sauce is used in the preparation of the food. Unless this is changed, we can no longer tout this as a non-GMO restaurant. Sorry, readers. We work on the honor system and unless we discover something to the contrary, we have to trust our restauranteurs to give us the facts. We do believe in this case it was an honest mistake of the ownership, which is the only reason Ming’s is remaining on Veggin’ Out and About’s list of recommended restaurants. We take these claims very seriously. While Ming’s is not entirely GMO-free, it still stands above its competitors in freshness and no MSG.

Ming’s Asian Cuisine had been opened five days when Rich and I happened by. It is located off of State of Franklin on Hamilton Place.We thought it must be a new chain restaurant but we were certainly mistaken about that. Ming is the owner. Ming’s Asian Cuisine prides itself on using seasonal fresh vegetables from local sources. They use no canola oil, which is a highly genetically modified product. Instead, they use sesame oil and olive oil. (more…)

Elite Eats at Caliza in Alys Beach

Posted by FullDISHclosure on Jul 14, 2013 in Alys Beach, FL, American, I-10 | 1 comment

by Amanda Trevelino

If it’s true that we eat first with our eyes, it hardly would matter what food is served at Caliza. This architecturally award-winning pool and al fresco restaurant in Alys Beach, Florida, is all about limestone, lanterns, glitz and glamor. It’s such an indulgent-looking destination a person might be surprised to find a vegetarian menu among the surf and turf sophistication. The veg menu exits, I promise, but you’ll probably have to ask for it. Better yet, request it when you make your reservation, because sometimes the helpful staff actually has to rummage through drawers to locate it among the wine lists and the full menu of richer options. Don’t worry; it’s worth a little extra effort to enjoy a clean, sophisticated well-composed dinner at this seriously chic poolside setting. (more…)

Whole Health Center, Abingdon, VA

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 12, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, Grocers, I-81 | 1 comment

by Danielle Bussone

If you find yourself low on organic supplies while tooling down Interstate 81, pull off at exit 19 in Abingdon, Virginia and stock up! Just a couple minutes from the Interstate on Main Street is a small family owned health food store called Whole Health Center. You can find organic bulk items, some fresh locally grown vegetables, packaged items like Bob’s Mills grains, coconut oils, date sugar, Braggs Amino Acids, Coconut oil, essential oils, soaps and the ubiquitous shelves of supplements.

Sean and Donna Bossie bought Whole Health Center two years ago from, Charlie, its former owner of 27 years. They had been visiting Abingdon from North Conway, New Hampshire, where they owned a coop. Their daughter had moved to Abingdon where she teaches school. The winters in New Hampshire on White Mountain were as brutal as the name suggests. Their children were grown and moved away and there didn’t seem to be much tying them to their home in the north. When Charlie commented one day, “You know, if you ever want to move closer to those grandbabies… I’m thinking of selling if you are thinking of possibly buying,” the wheels begin to turn in the Bossie’s brains. After a year of negotiating through snail mail (Charlie was not computer savvy), Whole Health Center became theirs and Abingdon, Virginia became home. (more…)

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…)