Dining Out: Remedy Diner (Raleigh)

Remedy Diner of Raleigh has a famous sandwich called the Tempeh Tantrum. But I can only go on weekends, so I was stuck with their brunch menu. I resigned myself to the embarrassingly named "Hot & Gooey."

It is an oh-so-delicate Southern sandwich composed of fried chick'n and veggie bacon
smothered in Daiya cheddar cheese and a white gravy. This filling is decked between biscuit halves to form a little mound of mimicking-heart-attack-food.

Well hot dang! For once, I ain't gon' eat with mah hands, but grant myself permission to eat a sandwich with fork & knife. Fancy brunches and shit!

Note that the portion is the correct size for someone who loves to eat carbs and "meat" smothered in gravy and who needs to be restrained. However, I do not like the metal plate thing. This food isn't an individual pan pizza; it's not going to cover the whole plate and hold in its warmth. My food got cold while I chatted with my friend, and cold glue gravy is certainly not appreciated.

Meanwhile, certain bites of whatever creamy stuff (melted daiya?) they used to situate the vegan bacon onto the biscuit made it taste like I was eatin' a country ham biscuit. I welcome this, would eat it again, and demand y'all bring on the salt!!

I also love the decor. If I had money for more than just the occasional dining out, I'd buy all those vulture paintings. Every single one. They'd be hung on the wall in my bedroom, each staring cheerfully out of their one eye at whoever dared enter my lair. It'd be great. #EveryDayIsHalloween

DC VegFest 2016

Ah, VegFest. A place to sample all kinds of delicious free goodies (including the latest innovations in vegan cheese--they're getting close!), buy vegan food and wares (especially t-shirts), and to see oodles of dogs.

There's humanity of all stripes: all ages, all ethnicities, all gradients of veg and non-veg. People of all abilities and gender identities. People who dress mainstream, people who dress alt.

All of these people love nachos. There were several places to get nachos. DC VegFest: come for the nachos....and the cannoli, and the samosas, and somewhere there were popsicles, but I never found where and I'm reducing the sugar in my diet anyways.

My point is, that if everyone brought their own forks and some cloth napkins, plus petitioned for organic waste bins to compost the event's waste, then we'd basically have a frickin' utopia. (See how much I've softened in my old age?)

Anywho, there were some nifty improvements this year. For one, they moved it to Sept. instead of Oct. so that you weren't shivering. They had lots of hand sanitizing stations. They had printouts of the vendors map attached to their large maps on wooden stilts. The goodies in the freebie bag seemed to be stepped up a notch. Apparently they're makin cereal from beans, and concentrated vegan "chicken" stock, and there's such a thing as packets of veg parmesan...Take a look for yourself:

All the vendors I wrote about last year where present, in addition to well-known veg places like Busboys and Poets, but I wanted to sample the available savory delicacies widely. I do not regret this.

Three Twisted Vegans

First off, you need to know that this was delicious. Second, you need to know that I accidentally squished it and made it ugly in terms of presentation. Third, ugly food often tastes the best.

While I waited in their swarmed line, I read a DCist article on them. They've gotten some good press, and they definitely deserve it.

ATTENTION omnivore America: those vegan weirdos are making some amazing burger patties. As a former carnivore, I am actually rather blown away. If I gave this burger to my hillbilly daddy, he'd think I'd found knock-off McD's. Their "OG sauce" is a good replica of a certain secret sauce. Bonus: their pickles are properly thick pickle slices; none of that limp, paper-thin shit. Herald in the golden age of vegan junk food already.

Pep Foods

I'd never heard of them. Apparently they are "a collective of vegan businesses in the Baltimore, MD area." They had vegan cheese steaks and offered jalapenos on the side. I don't need to be called twice.

Since this was the first thing I got, and I was very hungry, I forgot to snap a pic of the vegan sliced beef. Hence, it looks like a veggie sandwich instead of a cheese steak. Don't let anyone ever tell you hunger doesn't inhibit concentration and priority-setting.

Everlasting Life Cafe 

The food truck version of Woodland's Vegan Bistro. I know I said earlier I wanted to sample widely, but I sure as hell don't want to miss out on vegan collards and mac. A familiar dinner is highly necessary.

Here are some nifty stickers I collected:

DC Dining: Woodland's Vegan Bistro

Woodland's Vegan Bistro--they're just too damn delicious.


Chick'n drums with some cayenne I sprinkled over the whole plate. Sides of vegan mac and collards, because I'm just southern af.

Need a second angle just to make you drool

The texture of the interior-- to form the chick'n drums the faux meat is wrapped around sticks, so be mindful not to bite too voraciously.

You'll wonder if you're eating actual tender chicken

DC Dining: Teaism

"wastED is a community of chefs, farmers, fishermen, distributors, processors, producers, designers and retailers, working together to reconceive "waste" that occurs at every link in the food chain. Our goal is to celebrate what chefs do every day on their menus (and peasant cooking has done for thousands of years): creating something delicious out of the ignored or un-coveted and inspiring new applications for the overlooked byproducts of our food system. " [emphasis added]

Taking a page out of the book of wastED, a DC restaurant called Teaism developed their "Trash or Treasure" menu. Only using the soft middle of the focaccia for the restaurant's burgers? No problem. Take the leftover bread crusts and make panzanella. Need only the soft parts of the leaves of Napa cabbage or chard? The remainder of the perfectly edible bunch can be stir-fried in a delicious sauce or deep-fried with a coating of panko.

Helps your restaurant's bottom line. Reduces the amount of methane that would be produced from the organic wastes going into a landfill. Prevents the wasting of the embodied resources within the food product (i.e. water, energy, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon footprints).

Making the dish you design from food scraps accidentally vegan? EVEN BETTER! Don't have to worry about meat or dairy spoilage. The stale bread will be freshened by the sauce. The veggie scrap bits are likely to hold up well in the crisper section of your fridge.

Teaism's Bread Salad in orange-fennel vinaigrette with sunflower seeds and a few cucumber bits.

I decided to do a "soup & salad" lunch. Teaism has coconut-miso sipping broth, with kale shreds and chunks of acorn squash. Fear not the acorn squash's tough skin, for they softened it to an enjoyable degree and it serves as a welcomed break from sipping the broth.

"[...] we actually have the power and creativity to take what you deem un-coveted or refuse and turn that into the deliciousness." Dan Barber (chef) in a PBS News Hour video on Scholars Talk Trash

DC Dining: Afterword Cafe

A lovely independent bookstore in DuPont Circle has an adjoined restaurant called Afterwords Cafe.

Their Veggie Curry appears to be the only vegan thing I spotted, but they have some vegetarian options (which, alas contain parmesan cheese) and everything that comes out of the kitchen is prettily plated. The curry is pretty good, not out of this world because they have to appeal to all palates, but also not over-priced.

A small serving of white rice (gotta watch those carbs anyhow) surrounded by a moat of curried carrot, peas, potato, squash, and chickpeas, then topped with a cauliflower "steak."

NYC Dining: The Cinnamon Snail

While visiting NYC for a few days, I had to go to The Cinnamon Snail at The Pennsy (mid-town Manhattan, next to Madison Square Garden).

Beastmode Burger Deluxe - "Ancho chili seitan burger grilled in maple boubon bbq sauce with jalapeno mac n cheese, arugula, smoked chili coconut bacon, and chipotle mayo on a grilled pretzel bun"

Several elements of umami. Textural contrasts. Thick, robust, and bustin' out the bun. THIS is how you do a vegan burger!!

I briefly considered eating the paper it came wrapped in, but then I regained a fraction of dignity.



Thai Basil Coconut donut -- I loved that glaze and was obligated to lick it from my fingers in publilc.

Delectable donut interior

I would have tried more of their donuts, but I'm not wealthy enough to stay in NYC for long periods. Their display during May 2016 is below.

NYC Dining: Beyond Sushi

Beyond Sushi - Too bad I don't live remotely close to NYC, as I could eat this style of light, fresh lunch every single day. The ambience was also great--very much the "tidy minimalist" in terms of decor and with classic rock playing in the background (I heard Black Sabbath, Metallica, AD/DC).



"Fun Guy" Dumplings - "Braised porcini, shiitake, portabella, baked tofu, and spinach topped with micro arugula and chili panko. Sauce: Spicy bean and shiitake truffle"

'Twas just the right amount of spicy. I wanted a whole tray of these, but eating them in small sessions is probably best for not over-doing it and making myself sick with dumpling glory.


"Mighty Mushroom" Roll - "Six-grain rice, enoki mushrooms, baked tofu, braised shiitake, and micro arugula. Sauce: Shiitake truffle"

"Chic pea" Roll - "Black rice, roasted eggplant, artichoke, and English cucumber topped with saffron chickpea pureé and parsley. Sauce: Tahini"

Up-close look at that craftsmanship.

DC Dining: Amsterdam Falafelshop

The Amsterdam Falafel Shop in DC, offering you spices in your sauces and spreads.

Delicious falafel in a (compostable) bowl, surrounded by pickled things and charred eggplant. A lot of food for not much money! Also, the falafel is actually flavorful and texturally perfect.

Perfectly crispy fries, fitted into the holder holes in the table. Make sure you get the curried ketchup!

The 14th St location's guerrilla-decorated meter box out front.

DC Dining: Busboys & Poets

Busboys and Poets - They're well known and have several locations around the city, and for good reason.

Vegan "Beef" Sliders - "grilled onions, vegan chipotle mayo, garnished with sweet potato chips."


I liked the mayo, there were insufficient onions in this batch, and the burger reminded me of the taste of Boca althought the burger patties appear to be house-made. Could've used some cremini mushrooms to make it taste more beef-like. I'd still eat them again, though.



Coconut Tofu Bites with plum/red pepper sauce


These were great--firm and crispy! The restaurant is watching your weight for you by not giving you too much of that sweet sauce. After a while I kinda wanted some Sriracha, 'cause it got a little dry.

DC Dining: Evolve

Billing itself as DC's only 100% vegan restaurant,  Evolve's menu is based in soul food--which happens to be my favorite. It is also very affordable and literally right at the Takoma Park metro stop of the green line, thus making it convenient as well.

Vegan fried chicken with a side of mac and greens, also some BBQ sauce. It was delicious! The only downside was that my tongue was picky and didn't feel like having sweet BBQ sauce that evening.



Casserole-style mac. It's the creamiest and smoothest vegan mac I've eaten thus far. There must be silken tofu and a bit of reserved pasta water involved!



Chick'n cutlet detail - they use a fairly thick mock meat; toothsome enough to appease an omnivore.

Here I've asked for a side of hot sauce. I, like many people, have always liked my fried chicken with hot sauce. Actually, I like it on the mac and greens too. Fuck, just let me drink hot sauce...