Vegetarian Combo Plate @ LaPita Restaurant

I had the night off from cooking yesterday because last night was kind of special; my fiance and I picked up my engagement ring from the jeweler! We had it custom designed and it turned out beautifully! To celebrate, we went out to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, LaPita Mediterranean Cuisine in Dearborn, Mich. This restaurant is where R and I had our second date, and it's been a favorite ever since. He usually orders the lamb chops. I, of course, go veg. The menu has plenty to offer vegetarians, going so far as to mark each veg entree on the menu to make choices easier. Last night, I ordered the vegetarian combo plate #2, which is my favorite. Lots of food for $9.99. Sides of salad and rice, as well as grape leaves, spinach pie, falafel, hummus and baba. The food is always excellent. However, last night the service left a lot to be desired. We've never had such bad service there and it was unfortunate since we were trying to celebrate a happy occasion. :( I told my fiance the restaurant should be glad we've eaten there before, because if last night's dinner had been our first there, we would not be returning.

Vegetarian dining at Andiamo Italia

This week I was fortunate enough to have dinner with a friend visiting from out-of-state. We chose to dine at the more upscale Andiamo Italia restaurant.

I had not visited this restaurant since going vegetarian, so the online dinner menu was a big help in determining ahead of time what I might or might not be able to eat. As lacto-ovo vegetarians know, Italian restaurants usually are not a problem for dining. However, lately I've been trying to eat as vegan as possible for several reasons, which I won't get into at the moment so I don't detract from this review. ;)

The service at more upscale restaurants is often top notch, and this location was no exception. Our waitress was very attentive and helpful, with one flaw -- she thought vegetarians ate seafood. :( After I informed her that I did not, she quickly indicated that the chef often will prepare a non-menu pasta primavera, which sounded absolutely delicious by her description. However, the downside was that I ate pasta for lunch, so I really didn't want to have pasta again. I'm getting married in 378 days so I've decided I need to start watching my portions more carefully in an effort to get in better shape. Since the restaurant seemed so eager to accommodate me by whipping up a non-menu item, I felt it was safe to ask for the Insalata d' Autonno (mixed greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, topped with apples, walnuts, dried cherries, turkey and fried chevre cheese) without the turkey and cheese, and maybe some extra walnuts and dried cherries. :) Our server was happy to oblige, but when my salad came out, it did have the fried cheese. Thankfully, it was in the shape of a ball so I just left it there and ate around it.

The salad was good, but I usually prefer my dressing on the side and I totally forgot to ask them if I could order it that way. So, the mixed greens were drenched in the balsamic vinaigrette, which was just a bit too much for me. I'm not sure if I would order this salad again. In terms of more upscale salads, I'd rather have something like the gorgeous salad I had at the Henry Ford Estate this summer. It was cheaper too! Andiamo's Insalata d' Autonno will put you back $11. In the future, I'll make sure to plan better so I can order the spaghetti with marinara sauce.

Overall, it was a great dining experience. The service is outstanding and efforts were made to accommodate my veg*n eating preference.

In a situation like this, though, it's not really about the food. The night was about catching up with a friend, and boy did we do that! Our reservation was for 6:15 p.m. and we didn't leave until after 11 p.m. What can I say, we like to talk! :) And, my friend was gracious enough to pick up the tab. Thanks, Sue, for a wonderful dinner. It was so great to see you again. Let's hope our next talk fest will be sooner than later!

Eating out at the "Mo's"

I fibbed a bit; yesterday's post won't be my last for the week because I almost forgot that I wanted to mention my recent restaurant meals.

Thursday night I saw a Dave Matthews Band show, and my BF and I stopped at Montana's for dinner before the show. We had eaten there once before; I had a pasta dish which was pretty good but sun-dried tomatoes were part of the dish's name, and I remember there being very little of them on my plate. I wasn't too impressed.

This time, I ordered the vegetarian fajitas. I love vegetable fajitas. And surprisingly, Montana's did not disappoint. I wish I had my camera with me because the presentation of their fajitas is really nice. Even my BF said "Wanna switch?" before he dug into his salmon. The grilled veggies consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, onions and celery. I got four flour tortillas and sides of toppings: salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce and rice. The amount of sour cream they give you is unreal; my boyfriend agreed that it was a pretty disgusting amount of sour cream. I used a tiny bit of cheese and sour cream on my first fajita, but ate two more without the dairy and I actually preferred it that way. Next time, I plan to ask them to hold the cheese and sour cream and instead give me extra tomatoes and salsa. :)

On Saturday, my BF and I ate at one of our favorite 'fast' food places: Moe's Southwest Grill. I like Moe's because they have various vegetarian options on the menu, and you can customize your burritos. For instance, Sunday I asked them to hold the cheese and sour cream (the woman looked at me like I was nuts for not wanting these items on my burrito!) but they added black olives, onions and cilantro to my "Art Vandalay." Plus, their burritos are huge so you definitely get your money's worth!

'Nuts About Spinach' salad

Doesn't this look fabulous? It tasted just as fabulous too! This is the "Nuts About Spinach" salad on the menu at The Pool Restaurant, located inside the Henry Ford Estate in Dearborn, Mich. You may remember that I did a previous blog entry about the restaurant at the mansion earlier this summer.

This salad was BIG, and it better be for the $9.95 price! LOL Baby spinach leaves were topped with melon, strawberries, mandarin oranges and Michigan dried cherries. Underneath all the fruit were the almonds, walnuts and soy nuts. Raspberry vinaigrette came with the salad on the side. I couldn't resist... I poured the whole cup of dressing on top cuz the vinaigrette was divine! It had a nice, thick texture to it, not runny at all. Tasted very fresh, too.

To my delight, my dining companion--an omnivore--ordered this gorgeous salad, too! And, I discovered through our conversation today that he has a secret longing to be a vegetarian! Go ahead, R... you know you want to go veg! ;-p

Bahama Breeze for Veg*ns

My boyfriend and I dined out at Bahama Breeze yesterday. We've eaten there before, so I knew there was something I could order from the menu. And, that dish was the Sun-Drenched Portobello & Vegetable Sandwich. Per the restaurant's Web site, the sandwich features char-grilled seasonal vegetables, tomato, asparagus, pepper-jack cheese and fresh basil, hot-pressed on Cuban bread. I enjoy this sandwich. I think it's pretty darn good! I never finish it though, cuz I feel it's pretty big, especially when we start off with an appetizer like the Roasted Cuban Bread (fire-toasted with vine-ripened tomatoes, parmesan cheese, fresh cilantro and basil) which can easily feed four people as an appetizer if you don't want to spoil your dinner. So it's always a to-go box for the second half of my sandwich. :)

Other veggie options on the menu include the "new" Vine-Ripened Tomato and Basil Flatbread, soups [though I don't know if they contain animal stock...the recipe they have posted for their Cuban Black Bean soup calls for bacon :( If it's soup you're after, stay home and make the recipe yourself, minus the bacon! hehehehe] and salads.

Double dose of dining out

It's been an eventful week... which means I've been eating out more than I normally do, and cooking less at home. Rather than blow off my blog, I hope you don't mind that I'm posting veggie meals I've eaten at restaurants.

Last night, my sis and I went downtown Detroit to see alt-country artist Ryan Adams for an intimate gig at the Gem Theater. Just a hop from the theater is the Elwood Bar & Grill, located on the corner of Adams and Brush. It was a nice day, and they had outdoor seating, so we grabbed a table on the patio and perused the menu options. As you can see, they are veggie-friendly!! Yay! I ordered the Veggie Roll-Up, but in retrospect, I should've tried the Portabella "burger," because the wrap wasn't anything special. It wasn't terrible, but I've had better veggie wraps elsewhere. The one just didn't make me go "Mmmmmmmmm...." like I do when I find an exceptional veggie treat in a restaurant. Still, this restaurant is right smack in the middle of Comerica Park and Ford Field, so if you're ever in Detroit for a Tigers or Lions game, this grill does give a veg*n some options.

On a side note, the Ryan Adams show was stellar. This guy is a musical genius in my book. He's an all-time fav and a somewhat 'undiscovered' jewel because he doesn't have the mass following of a huge celebrity. He certainly deserves all the fame and fortune that other, less talented artists (in my opinion), 'stars' receive, but I kinda like the closeness you feel in attending a Ry show. Anyhoo, check him out if you're into really good music. :)

Eating veggie at the M&M Cafe

Had lunch with a colleague of mine this week. We went to this little cafe my boss is always raving about--The M&M Cafe, located on Michigan Ave. in Dearborn, Mich. Cozy lil' place. I ordered the grilled veggies, hummus and rice. Doesn't it look amazing? It tasted just as good as it looks! The meal and a glass of water came to $8.22, tax included. A word of note: the cafe does not accept credit cards. Many kudos to my buddy R for spotting me the cash for lunch. He's a lifesaver!

I apologize that I can't report on the other veggie options available at the cafe; I was so engrossed in conversation with my friend that I didn't analyze the menu like I usually try to. My boss had given me the tip to order this particular dish, so I didn't look at the menu that closely. Never fear, though. I enjoyed this dish a lot, so I'm sure I'll be back there and I promise to give a better review at that time!

A place where veg*n food is always 'Inn Season'

One of my favorite, exclusively veg*n restaurants in southeast Michigan is Inn Season Cafe in Royal Oak, Mich. There’s nothing particularly “wowing” about it, but I think that’s why I like it. The restaurant is small and quaint. The decor is modest yet comfy-feeling. And the food is a veg*n’s delight! All items on the menu are considered vegetarian, which does include dairy. But, vegans never fear! Inn Season Cafe clearly marks which items are completely sans animal products with an asterick, making the dishes easily recognizable while perusing the menu.

This past weekend, I opted to try the vegan-marked Cashew Ginger Stir-Fry. This dish was chock FULL of a variety of tasty veggies, served over brown rice. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, snap peas, cauliflower, cashews… I know I’m forgetting some of the veggies! The bowl was HUGE. The picture above does not do the bowl justice! The meal completely filled me up, and I took home a carry-out with enough leftovers for a light lunch the following day. Not bad for $10.50.

Inn Season Cafe offers daily specials, and my dining companion opted for one of those–Bourkeri at $15.95. She enjoyed it very much. I made my first faux pas of restaurant-review blogging–ALWAYS take a pen with you to jot down details! I thought memorizing the name of the dish would be enough to find it on Google later on, for a basic description. Wrong. So, I apologize for that. I will do better in the future!

In addition to stir-fries and daily specials, the Cafe offers items like appetizers, pizzas, burgers, burritoes and wraps.

Overall, Inn Season Cafe is a must-stop for veg*n dining when in the Royal Oak, Mich. area. It’s located at 500 E. 4th St., about three blocks east of Main St. There are plenty of shops within walking distance of the Cafe, including a Salvation Army shop, if you’re into browsing for items to recycle!