So it seems that the Mr. and I will be moving to Athens, Ohio over the next several months. I'm not sure what's going to become of this website (I might continue to maintain it, or I might hand it off to a trusted individual, or it might become "Vegan Ohio" or something) but at least I don't worry so much about what will become of me. At least, not since I found the Veggin' Out in Athens blog. Also corroborating some of the restaurant recommendations is the vegan-friendly blog of omni grad student Jasmin, called Graduate Students Guide to Athens, Ohio. Incidentally they both make use of the same, very green, default Blogger layout. So far I can't personally vouch for their recommendations, but here's a quick list of what I've heard about so far:
- The Village Bakery and Cafe – this place seems to be wildly popular. Our realtor loves it, my fiancé's new colleagues love it, and it's got great reviews all over the internet. It's not a vegan bakery but it does have a strong emphasis on local and organic foods, and word on the street is that it features many vegan selections. Update: bmcclary and I ate there yesterday for lunch. I found the tempeh really delicious. I ordered the "wakeup call", a breakfast tortilla available in either a vegan version or an omni version on the menu. Bmcclary had a "No. 3" which included almond-based "parmezano", a thick roasted tomato-tofu spread, cooked kale, kalamata olives, and probably some other things I'm forgetting, all on a fresh, warm baguette. We also got hand-mixed italian sodas, available in fruit flavors as well as flavors like lemon-ginger (which I got and loved). Just make sure you keep them stirred up – they have real flavorings in them, not just artificial syrup like most fountain drinks, so they can settle. If yours tastes a bit watery, all the flavor has just sunk to the bottom. The Village Bakery is also attached to the "undercover market" where both fresh, local foods and microbrewed beers are available, along with fun accessories like decorative aluminum water bottles and cute bike bags shaped like cartoon characters. The only disappointing thing was the lack of vegan pastries. Among the beautiful cupcakes and brownies, the only vegan offerings were a couple of sort of dry (but still tasty) oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies.
- Della Zona – gourmet pizza place owned operated by the same people and under the same philosophy as the Village Bakery. Also happens to be next door to it. Just as wildly popular as its breakfast-oriented sister, as well. The Veggin' Out blog linked above says that they have vegan almond-based "parmesan cheese" and vegan tempeh sausage available as toppings.
- Burrito Buggy – fair-style trailer selling burritos, often parked in the downtown vendor parking area. Doesn't look like much but I've heard it's good.
- The Farmacy – hippie-looking natural food store. They have groceries and also a small deli, which is omni but serves a few vegan treats like hummus, smoothies, vegetable curry, and other things that change daily.
- China Fortune – also known simply as "Joe's" after its owner (who I think is actually at home in China right now) this little Chinese restaurant a few doors from the Farmacy has some of the best tofu dishes I can remember having at a Chinese-American restaurant (second only to the Mandarin at Oberlin, but that's a story for another day).
- Bagel Street Deli – word has it that this place has good vegan sandwiches and offers tofu.
- O'Betty's hot dog shop allegedly offers their own very delicios tofu dogs with a variety of available toppings. Update: my fiancé and I ate at this place recently. We each had the "shy gypsy" which is just your basic tofu dog with relish, onions, ketchup, mustard, and lettuce. They were out of vegan buns but they had vegan whole-wheat bread slices, which were a little crumbly but still pretty good. We also ordered fresh-cut fried, which judging from the boxes of potatoes we saw spilling out from the back room, were REALLY fresh-cut. The decor was cute (vintage hot-dog cooking apparatus displayed among a weirdly sumptuous, but also cozy, atmosphere), the fries and shy dogs were delicious, the staff was friendly and helpful, and the lettuce was really green and fresh and not iceberg.
- Ali Baba's Buggy – mobile food stand serving Mediterranean style food to the Athens populace. Omni, but with good vegan options. Last time I saw it, it was actually in Nelsonville.
- There are countless other restaurants around the area. Chains like Chipotle and Pita Pit are present, as are a slew of Mexican restaurants that I haven't tried yet. I passed an Indian place as well last time I was there. So this is far from comprehensive.
I'm off to Athens right now, so I'll update with reviews if I get time to try any of these places this weekend.
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