Ottawa - Zen Kitchen

Last but not least, for our final holiday meal, I took Jay out to Zen Kitchen a vegan restaurant in Ottawa. Again, by this time I was very lazy, so the photos are kind of crap sorry. However, the food was wonderful - perhaps not quite as good as Fressen in Toronto, but not far behind - and probably much more required, as Ottawa really isn't the mosst vegie-friendly place.
Jay had the Thai Lemongrass Curry for main.

While I had the Sopé - basically a mexican syle dish with tortillas, black beans, mushooms, chipolte-tequila sauce, salsa, guacamole and rice. Yummo!

For dessert, we had a tasting plate which was not as good as the main courses. Peacan pie was great. Chocolate brownie was a bit too full on for me. And try as I might, I just cannot appreciate vegan cheesecake!

Ottawa - Urban Pear

I went to dinner again in Ottawa (Glebe) at the Urban Pear restaurant with three of my favourite people, and had an amazing evening.

The photos really don't do it justice as I couldn't be bothered to take my camera - but as usual the food was fresh and tasty, and the service was brilliant. The Peargaritas were also heavenly and must be made! (tequila, triple sec, pear juice, lime).
 We started with an antipasti plate to share - with all ingredients sourced locally and just beautiful.

Jay then had his final salmon meal...and I had a fabulous vegetarian terrine type dish, with potatos and a sweet cherry tomato salad.

It is strange having a favourite restaurant which is more than 30+ hours travelling time from home, but this is one of them :)

Quebec City - the food

Two more cities to go and then I can stop annoying you all....Quebec City was one of my favourite places on our holiday, but food wise, not so great due to my dietary restrictions. They appear to have a lot of cute bars/restaurants where they basically sell the same things, most of which I can't eat, and omlettes and tomato/mozarella salads get dull after a while...perhaps I really was in Paris afterall!

But QC did have a branch of Commensal and amazing vegetarian buffet restaurant that is in Monteal as well. Phew!  You basically go in, get a tray, get what you want, and then they charge you by weight. Its like Sizzler but actually good and you don't get sick.

Plus the best thing in QC is really just to go shopping at the markets and sit on a balcony drinking champagne and eating cheese (life is tough). There is also lots and lots of different beer for boys...including with knut on the glass :)

Montreal - the food

Vegan/vego and find yourself in Montreal? go to Aux Vivres....my mobile phone photos really sucked, but the food was incredible and the staff lovely (and English speaking).  Jay had the Mumbai plate and I had a yummy bowl of vegan chilli (which thankfully did not have meat in it, like most of the "chilli" in the USA urgh).

There is a courtyard out the back which you can sit outside as well. I could give up cheese if all vegan food tasted like this. I can't believe they even do home delivery - Australia please catch up!

(BTW there are some awesome goth and rockability clothing shops just around the corner as well).

Montreal - brunch

Well clearly its not only the USA that has ridiculous portion sizes, this was our first brunch in Montreal...and I came back thinner. It really doesn't make sense! (mental note: tubs of M&Ms at work are not good for you).

We also had brunch at a place call Eggspectation. I just couldn't resist due to long history of Milfull/Annabel egg jokes. I had a really yummy  Egg-Chilada, basically an omelette with jalapenos and salsa, which I accept looks pretty grose in the photo, but it was yummy and spicy :)

Prince Edward Island - the food

I will always remember Prince Edward Island for my first ever gluten free waffles at our B&B...OMG yum! They clearly felt guilty for serving me bread and bacon the day before, but it was worth it.

I will also remember a beautiful lunch that Jay and I had at a place call Shipwright's cafe. The cafe (and bakery) are in a farmhouse built in 1880s, sort of in the middle of nowhere, near a town on PEI believe it or not called Kensington. The food is so fresh its amazing - you even eat looking out at their amazing vegetable garden. Its not vegetarian, but there are lots of vegetarian and gluten free options. For the first time on our trip, I got some GF bread to start with as Jay got the standard basket of bread that you get at restaurants all over USA/Canada. It was a scone and so light and beautiful and un-GF like. Went perfectly with a fresh strawberry frappe thing...

Jay then had Vegetarian Chilli Tostadas and I had a GF vegie burger. Serving sizes were ridiculous, but it was all so fresh and tasty. Highly recommend this place. And the bread smelt just fabulous...

Halifax - the food

Next stop on our journey was Halifax, a much smaller and gorgeous town in Nova Scotia. You wouldn't think the food here would be fantastic...but we still had some really yummy meals. First off, we thought that some pub grub was appropriate, and went to the cute little English pub a block away from our hotel called the Henry House. Here we started off with the amazing artichoke and spinach dip that you fine in most places that I grew quite in love with but made me fat. I had a yummy vegie currie soup for main, while Jay had an almost artistic looking salmon sandwich.

Unfortunately, I was quite sick in Halifax so we didn't get to explore too much here, but we also had a lovely meal down on the waterfront at a cafe/bar called....Highly recommend this place.

You can't get much better than fabulous cocktails, good vegie pasta/polenta in the sun, looking over a goregous harbour with good company. I must work out how to make their white sangria though, absolutely perfect. It would be fabulous for spring/summer drinks in Canberra. It had the following ingredients: Bianco Vermouth, Limoncello, Fresh Strawberries, Basil, Homemade Lemonade, a splash of Prosecco.

 

Vegie Poutine in Toronto

I suppose I should put up one photo of Poutine on this blog...though as this one was vegetarian and gluten free, I am sure my Canadian friends would say it doesn't count :p

Back in the land of pop :)

Toronto - the beer....

As you will have seen from my photos, Toronto has an amazing historic distillery district with some gorgeous architecture. Jay was probably, however, more impressed with the brews on offer inside at the Mill Street Brew Pub :) I had to settle for more yam fries after explaining to the confused waiter that I don't drink beer despite being at a brewery.

Toronto - the food

Time to finish my food blog posts from Canada.....if I can remember where we went...oops sort of rand out of steam at the end there.

We had probably one of the best meals of our trip in Toronto (and no Jay didn't have to eat cabbage). It was at a vegan restaurant called Fressen - which was also helpfully a few blocks away from the local 80s/goth/industrial club. 

To start with, we shared the eggplant manicotti. I must try and make these. Quite similar to an eggplant cannelloni I make.

Then it was on to mains...with crusted tofu for Jay and a gluten free corn pasta for me. Jay's looked like an art work that he really shouldn't haven't eaten. Mine though less beautiful tasted absolutely incredibly, and was definitely the best GF pasta I have ever had at a restaurant.

Despite Jay's cabbagetown-angst, I must also just report that there is a fabulous pub there, amongst the crazy junkies, called House on Parliament - probably more for meat eaters, but great looking pub fare, cocktails and of course beer....

I had a brilliant Pimm's Cup with a golden beet salad (never had those before, very yum!). This was also the only place in North America that Jay and I saw a wine class with a line as in Canberra....

New York - the food - Part 2 or something...

Two more worthy restaurants to report on from New York before finishing my USA food adventure stories..
 
After a day of following the ghosts of my ancestors to Ellis Island, I wanted to go to a Russian restaurant (as they always close down in Australia) - always a risk for someone GF and vego, but I was pleasantly surpised. We went to Onegin, a restaurant based around the poem by Pushkin. The staff were very helpful and we had a fabulous meal...although Jay was rather overwhelmed by the extent of the pickling in the case of the pickles, and alas the potato salad had meat in it :( The decor was fabulous. The beetroot salad was sublime and the vodka wasn't bad either :p They have burlesque shows here on Fridays, me thinks Melinda Farenheit would fit in just fine :)

Last but not least, vegetarians in New York make sure you go to Bhojan, or one of the other numerous vegetarian Indian and kosher restauarants at "Curry Hill". Its always exciting being able to choose pretty much anything on the menu, but the food was absolutely fanastic - and really rivalled some of the expensive Indian food we got in DC (although definitely simpler and less "fancy"). Simla aloo gobi was so yum!

New York - Eat Italy

Eat Italy in New York gets its own entry into the blog because Jay and I absolutely loved it and even ate here twice as a result. Its sort of like the David Jones food hall in Sydney, but filleed with fabulous fresh Italian food and wines, plus there is a rooftop brewery for those people amongst us who like beer. Its right near my fabourite Flatiron building too :)

We ate at the vegetarian counter here called La Verdure twice. The food was incredible. Some of the dishes seemed so simple, like our tomato salad, but were just amazing (I really must get my vegie garden going when I get home).

Jay had some amazing cannelloni and lasagne, while I had some very tasty polenta with mushrooms (sorry Pulp Kitchen you are so outdone here), and the 2nd time, zucchini cooked three ways (take that masterchef). The wine didn't hurt either...

 

On our last night in New York we just had to stop past the cheese counter as well...

 And how could I not love a place that has GF take away panna cottas and yummy raspberry desserts. 

New York - GF vegie burgers....

In New York, GF or vego and feel like a burger? Go to Bareburger in East Village. Best GF vegie burger I have ever had in my life! I had a California burger with yummy coleslaw on the side. The bread was amazing and all the ingredients were so fresh. Was particularly great after 5 weeks of watching Jay enjoy the most amazing gluten-full vegie burgers (standard veg option for Anerican pubs it seems).

New York - the food - part 1

New York is going to take more than one entry in this blog as if its one thing that is good here. Its the food.

Most people seem to either love or hate New York. Me being me and being difficult, I don't think I really fell into either categories - though at times I explored the extremes of both emotions. It is certainly a remarkable place, but perhaps a little less remarkable than I had been led to believe. There are some amazing things to see and do there, but for a claustrophobic girl who likes here green trees and space, and hates lifts, its a bit of a nightmare (except for the absolutely beautiful central park). 40 degree heat certainly didn't help either. But I did love the different character of the many parts of New York (when I was starting to feel like US cities were built a bit like franchises - Ionic Columns plus liberty). I loved East Village and Greenwich Village, the Flatiron building, the Empire State Building, and had some amazing experiences. And then of course there was the food.... 

First, one must record that below is a picture of lemonade, brilliant fresh raspberry lemonade at the MoMA to be exact. If Jay had a jug of this waiting for me after work, I really could give up wine (well perhaps...). Sprite is not lemonade in North America.

Below is an artistic salmon sandwich that Jay had for lunch near the Rockerfeller centre...and my fresh and very delicate heirloom tomato salad.

Second lesson - this one for the Americans. Plastic food should be used to tempt the customer into the restaurant, not make them run away...

Third lesson - Canberra needs to stop opening more cocktail bars than there are public servants, and open a proper wine and cheese bar (and not burn it down). The photos below are from Casellula in New York. They made up a platter of cheese for us to taste, and it was just scrumptious. And I must work out to make those caramlised pine nuts. Wow.

Fourth lesson -  even crappy take away in NY is amazing.

Fifth lesson - vegan food can be elegant, tasty and beautiful. Not that I needed to be convinced of this, but you meat eaters should try Candle 79 in New York. As you see below, the food is amazing (all GF too!), remarkably they also seem to have hired some of the old Lithium DJs to pick their songs for the evening...and yes the dessert was orgasmic.

Sixth lesson - don't eat a knish from a street vendor. Yuk.

Seventh lesson - art galleries have good food, museums bad food (yes I mean you the MET cafe). We had a fabulous indulgent lunch at the Guggenheim. The restaurant felt like part of the artwork.

Eighth NY lesson, before I give up until later - you don't need to go to snooty Michelin starred restaurants to get great food in NY. A friend of a friend had given me a list of her favourites, but I decided that I would rather go to restaurants which are harder to find in Australia and reflected the multicultural heritage of new york. Yes I know fancy modern Australian restaurants are not the same thing as a michelin starred restaruant in new york - but really when you a GF vegetarian, often you get a much better meal elsewhere. So anyway, one of my first choices was a Swedish restaurant given Jay's scanidnavian obsession. So we went to Smorgas in West Village, and it was just gorgeous. As it was restaurant week, they also had a brilliant 3 course set meal with matching wines. The food was also so fresh...they have their own farm in New York state and grow all their own vegetables. Yum. I also had one of only two panna cotta's for this whole trip so far (I know what is wrong with me!).