The next morning we rented some bikes and took a trip back to Help Yourself to get some of the veganized French Toast we had seen on the menu the day before.
We sat at the little nook overlooking the cash register and juicing zone. It's pretty cool to watch the ladies that work there pull the wheat grass from trays lining the counter and throw it into the juicer. So fresh! And the smell is terrific! Certainly a great way to wake up in the morning.
We ordered the french toast (make sure to specify to make it vegan!) and a sprouted whole grain bagel with cashew cream cheese, tomato, and avocado. We also grabbed one of their house-made bottled lemonades!
Our first breakfast at Help Yourself was pretty impressive. The french toast was thick and the syrup had a great flavor. The large green grapes and other fruit topping was a nice touch as well. The bagel was fresh and the cashew cream cheese was a delight. The slices of tomato and avocado were cut thick so even though it was just a bagel it was quite filling. Their house-made drinks all seemed really interesting so we had to give one a try. We settled on the strawberry lemonade and man was it tasty! A little pricey, ($4.50 for 16 ounces) but very refreshing!
After getting pretty full over there we jumped on our bikes and rode around the town to do some shopping and see the sights for a few hours before bumping into another place we had heard of (and one that came highly recommended from our hosts at Deer Run) called The Cafe.
The Cafe is located at 509 Southard Street not too far from the corner of Southard and Duval. It is also not fully vegan/vegetarian but very vegan friendly!
The atmosphere is cute and laid back with fabric covered benches and small tables. The waitstaff is helpful and answered all the questions we had.
Unlike Help Yourself, The Cafe has full table service- so it is much more suited for a sit-down lunch or dinner than a quick-service breakfast.
Unlike Help Yourself, The Cafe has full table service- so it is much more suited for a sit-down lunch or dinner than a quick-service breakfast.
We weren't crazy hungry when we arrived but really wanted to try a few snacks so we ordered the spring rolls and truffle fries.
Everything is marked on the menu with a cute little star if the item is vegan (also a boxed letter G if gluten-free) and the truffle fries happen to not have an adorable little star by them. That's because they typically come with parmesan cheese. We asked to go sans cheese and the waitstaff assured us that that would make them 100% vegan. He also told us that if they hadn't been out of Daiya that day he would have offer it as a replacement. Cool!
Now, let us tell you... these spring rolls... wow, they will knock your socks right off! We consider ourselves experts in the spring roll field and these were just out of this world delicious. Very crispy, thicker than most spring rolls, and filled with an array of flavors and paired with a spectacular sweet chili dipping sauce- they are a must order at this joint!
The truffle fries were pretty good as well. Great flavor and good portion. But the springs rolls really took the vegan snack cake for this visit.
After our snack we spent some time at the welcome party for Womenfest and met some really interesting ladies then headed back to our hotel. We had planned to do a little sit down dinner at Amigos but after getting settled in we figured take-out would be just as much fun.
(This place also delivers. Not that we knew that until after we walked the four blocks to go pick it up!)
Everything is marked on the menu with a cute little star if the item is vegan (also a boxed letter G if gluten-free) and the truffle fries happen to not have an adorable little star by them. That's because they typically come with parmesan cheese. We asked to go sans cheese and the waitstaff assured us that that would make them 100% vegan. He also told us that if they hadn't been out of Daiya that day he would have offer it as a replacement. Cool!
Now, let us tell you... these spring rolls... wow, they will knock your socks right off! We consider ourselves experts in the spring roll field and these were just out of this world delicious. Very crispy, thicker than most spring rolls, and filled with an array of flavors and paired with a spectacular sweet chili dipping sauce- they are a must order at this joint!
After our snack we spent some time at the welcome party for Womenfest and met some really interesting ladies then headed back to our hotel. We had planned to do a little sit down dinner at Amigos but after getting settled in we figured take-out would be just as much fun.
(This place also delivers. Not that we knew that until after we walked the four blocks to go pick it up!)
We're glad we took the trip to check it out though. It was very cute inside. Lots of atmosphere and tons of sauces all over the dining area labeled with intended spiciness. There's even a sign on the wall marking all the vegetarian and vegan friendly options they serve.
Stars=vegan, again. Are they trying to tell us something? We must all be stars!
We ordered corn tortillas with our veggie quesadilla and burrito because they were marked as being vegan while the flour were not. Unfortunately, we were then informed they were out of corn tortillas. The server seemed very knowledgeable about the veg options and then informed us that the flour tortillas were vegan aside from a final step where they were quickly sauteed in butter before being served. She offered to tell the cook to omit that step and make them vegan. Sounded good to us!
We walked the four blocks back and got settled into the hotel room to enjoy our food. They had given us all sorts of side sauces and salsas to dip our food in, and they were all quite good. The quesadilla was packed with black beans and lots of sauteed veggies. Very filling. And the burrito was overstuffed with rice, beans, sauteed veggies, corn, lettuce, and tomato.
This is another place that is open later than the other veg-friendly places and is great for a late night snack. It was reasonable price/portion wise. We got our two meals for under $20 and had left overs for the next day.
If you're craving some late night Mexican this is the place to go for sure. Well priced, right on Duval street, and extremely veg-friendly.
Day three coming tomorrow!
With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies
