Lotus Cafe, Silver Spring, MD

Seeking an escape out of the city, I met a good friend of mine at Lotus Cafe in Silver Spring. I must say I was a little worried when I saw the outside of the cafe as it looked very rundown, but as soon as I tasted the food, I felt much better.

We opted to sit outside where we walked over brick that badly needed to be replaced and sat at a high-top table near a family that was finishing up. Their vegetarian selection is extensive and they will happily identify what is vegan or not.

With so many choices, it was hard to choose! We started with the Tofu Summer Rolls filled with vermicelli noodles, tofu, basil, and lettuce. The tofu was really flavorful, which overall made the rolls really good. And the peanut sauce was great too.

For my entree, I got the Black Pepper Gluten. The seitan was stir-fried with mushrooms and onions in a rich black pepper sauce and served with veggies on the side. It was absolutely delicious and very filling. I was really impressed with this dish.

My friend got the Veggie Fuzion Noodles that had tofu, broccoli, onions, baby corn, and peas in a curry sauce. He also enjoyed his meal.

The service was attentive throughout our meal and the prices were right. The entrees were only $10 each and were pretty large portions. All in all, I'd say this is a low-key place that you could go with old friends. The decor certainly won't impress anyone, but who needs to be impressed when the food is good. Bon appetit.

Lotus Cafe
8077 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 588-8888

Nourrie Cuisine

With the holidays right around the corner, there's no better time than now to start thinking about catering for your holiday party. Nourrie Cuisine may be a new caterer in the area, but its President is certainly not new to the food industry. Elena Johnson spent years in corporate food service management, training, and sales before moving to the nonprofit sector. She's also worked part-time as a caterer, personal chef, and restaurant consultant before launching Nourrie Cuisine. Today, in addition to catering and prepared meals, she conducts cooking demonstrations at festivals and speaks at national conferences.

Why is it called "Nourrie Cuisine?" Nourrie is derived from the French words meaning "to feed" and "nourished," which is exactly her mission. She dropped off three dishes for me to try and I will say that I was very impressed.

My favorite was the Rosemary Braised Seitan. This meaty and incredibly flavorful seitan was pan-roasted with rosemary and garlic in a scallion pan sauce. Wow! It was served with green beans and mashed potatoes.

The Spinach Rolls were very doughy, but also very good. They were filled with a delicious spinach-tofu mix.

Lastly, I tried the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas. Again, great flavors. I wasn't a huge fan of the long-grain rice because I prefer shorter grain rice, but other than that, it was great.

Nourrie Cuisine offers catering for weddings and events and also sells these prepared meals for $12.99 each. The will deliver to DC, DE, MD, NC, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV or you can pick them up in Ellicott City, Maryland. To learn more about the prepared meals, go here. To get in touch with Elena directly, you can reach her at info@nourriecuisine.com or (410) 419-0504.

I am excited to have yet another vegan caterer in the area who uses organic ingredients whenever possible. And I hope her business flourishes this holiday season!

Full Disclosure: Although the products were provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

The Vegetable Garden, Silver Spring, MD #3

The excitement that The Vegetable Garden reopened seemed to wear off when I realized it was like a 50-minute drive from DC in traffic. Every time we think about going back, we instead opt for restaurants within walking distance because they are so much easier. But, we could only go so long before heading back. This time, I met my brother, Darren, who I hadn't seen in a while.

We were supposed to meet at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday, but I arrived a little early. Well, it appears that this is no longer a vegan's secret because this place was bustling! My brother informed me that he got stuck at work and would be late so I told them I'd wait for a booth. He ended up getting lost and didn't show up until 7:15 p.m. or so, but it took that long to get a booth, so I guess it all worked out!

I started with a burgundy wine, which, as I knew, was not at all good. I wish I could just bring my own wine to this place. *sigh*  The most exciting part of the night was when I discovered that the warm leek bread they used to serve at the old location is back! Oh, how I've missed you!

We both went with the dinner combo special so we could try as many items as possible. You get an appetizer, soup, and two entrees. I started with a Moo Shi Cilantro Roll, which was loaded with tofu and other faux meats and was pretty good.

The surprise of the night was the Hot and Sour Soup. I don't normally order hot and sour soup, but when they told me that was the spicy soup, I was willing to try it. This soup turned out to be fantastic -- it was thick and full of mushroom flavor and tofu and spice. I loved it!

For my two (side order size portions) entrees, I went with one new dish and one I knew I loved. The one I know I love (on the left) is the Garden Feast filled with soy and wheat gluten beef, chicken, and veggies galore! There are snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, jicama, and kale in brown sauce. For the new dish (on the right), I ordered the Asparagus with Oyster Mushrooms and Yuba. It was exactly as described -- asparagus, oyster mushrooms, and yuba (tofu skins) in a delightful brown sauce.

My brother ordered two that I wouldn't normally order. He got the 8-treasure eggplant (on the right), which was surprisingly good. This dish was loaded with diced eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, red bell peppers, lily bulb, pine nuts, cranberries, cashews, and tofu in a spicy sauce. Other than the cranberries, I loved this dish!  He also got the Sesame Beef Taro Root (on the left), which was really good, but a bit too much of the wheat gluten and not enough of anything else. Raw veggies were on the side, but I guess this dish is more for people who don't love veggies and I'm sure there are many people like that!

So, all-in-all, it was a great experience. The food was fantastic and my brother left there thinking vegan food is awesome. The service was great. And the price of the combo was only like $13 so very cheap for what we got. I love this restaurant and only wish it weren't so far away!!

Previous reviews
July 24, 2014
February 3, 2012

Vegetable Garden
3830 International Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20906
(301) 598-6868

Not Your Average Joe's, Bethesda, MD

Today Not Your Average Joe's, a New England-based chain restaurant, opens in Bethesda, Maryland as it celebrates its 11th year in business. With restaurants in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia, this chain is quickly expanding. I was invited to preview this new restaurant's menu before its official opening this past weekend.

Located on Old Georgetown Road right off of MD-270 near Montgomery Mall, this restaurant is definitely outside of the trendy Bethesda restaurant area. And, it is huge. As soon as you walk in, you will marvel at the sheer size of this 7,000 square foot restaurant that can accommodate 200 patrons inside and 75 outside. We were seated at a booth in the bar area.

The black tables and wooden chairs with exposed ductwork gave it a rustic, yet modern feel while the red accents gave the decor just the pop of color it needed. I found it to be a lively atmosphere. The restaurant is known for its seasonally inspired menu, freshly prepared meals, and accommodating those with dietary restrictions and/or preferences. That said, they seem to be much more gluten-free friendly than vegan friendly as the only vegan item on the menu is an appetizer. while gluten-free diners have a separate menu entirely. The VP of Culinary, Chef Jeff came out to speak to us and let us know what our options were. Even though it is a big chain restaurant, all meals are made-to-order so customization is possible.

We ordered some drinks and awaited the appetizers. I have to say that the drink selection is pretty impressive. They have a full bar and a great cocktail menu including one of my favorites -- the Negroni. I went with the Elderflower Sipper -- a light cocktail made with Absolut Citron, elderflower liqueur, lavendar, house-made lemonade, and rose water. It was lovely. But, equally as impressive was their non-alcoholic drink menu that offered a variety of drinks like Cucumber Mint Spritzer and Pomegranate Fizz. My friend ordered the Baby Peach Bellini made with housemade lemonade, peaches, and soda water. It was fantastic.

Our first appetizer is the one that is vegan as-is on the menu -- the Edamame Dumplings. Served in a lime-infused chili broth, these dumplings were filled with some sort of edamame mixture and topped with crunchy fresh peas and carrots, peanuts, and cilantro. They were really good.

Next up was the Bruschetta without the mozzarella or pesto. Fire-roasted housemade focaccia was topped with marinated tomatoes and a balsamic reduction. Crunchy, yet savory all in one bite. I couldn't get enough of this appetizer.

We could have stopped there because that was a lot of food, but we still had our entrees coming. At this time, it appears there is only one entree that can be veganized and that is the Gluten-Free Green Machine Chicken Penne without the chicken, of course. The pesto has cheese in it so you'd have to request that they make a fresh batch of pesto without the cheese -- FYI. This gluten-free penne is tossed with kale, green peas, and asparagus in an arugula pesto with a lot of olive oil. It was a fine dinner and I loved the vegetables, which were cooked well, but I'm not a big fan of gluten-free pasta because I find it not as flavorful as whole wheat pasta. This one was no different. It was a flavorless pasta tossed in a pesto that needed something else with some great veggies. So I came out feeling about 50% satisfied with it.

For dessert, they served us a sorbet with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries with powdered sugar. Mmmm.

Although this dinner was complementary to everyone who dined that night, they provided us with a check so we could see how much the dinner would have been. We were shocked to see it would have been about $70. With $15 entrees, two $8.50 appetizers, an $8 alcoholic and $4 non-alcoholic drink, it seemed pricey for what it was. I felt like that penne would have been better priced at $12 and the appetizers at $6-$7.

So, all in all, the service this evening was great, the drinks were fantastic, and most of the food was pretty good, although expensive. I'd probably go here just for those appetizers and drinks if I happened to be in the area. The menu is seasonal and I'm hoping that if vegans ask for it, they'll add a vegan entree to their next menu. That would be great if they did. They say that the chef can work directly with the guest to craft his/her meal so it seems they can accommodate anyone. I'd agree that Not Your Average Joe's is not your average chain restaurant with its fresh made-to-order meals. Check it out next time you are in Bethesda.

Not Your Average Joe's
10400 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814
(240) 316-4555

Ovo Simply Veggie, College Park, MD

UPDATE: This restaurant has permanently closed.
 
A new vegan restaurant had opened in College Park, Maryland back in January of 2013, but I never made it out to check it out. I recently realized this and decided it was time so I reached out to a friend and we headed over.

The restaurant is vegan and is oddly named Ovo Simply Veggie. "Ovo" means egg in several languages so why one would name a vegan restaurant after an egg, I may never understand. What's interesting is when we asked this question, the guy that was working the front of the house, stated that he didn't know either, but suggested it stood for "Organic, Vegan, and Oogave" (a brand of drink they sell there). It sounded like he made that up so I called the next day and asked if any of their food was organic. They said only some of the teas. So if the food is not organic, then why name it Ovo? I still don't understand.

It is a very small cafe in a college town with a pretty cool decor.  There is a waterfall on the wall when you first walk in, modern art on the rest of the walls, and white chairs with dark tables. It was pretty cool looking, actually.

The menu is unusual in that there aren't set entrees to choose from. Instead, you first choose your protein or veggies: either seaweed yuba, tofu, mushroom protein, soy protein, or field vegetables. Seaweed yuba is made of seaweed and tofu skins -- the filmy skin that develops when making tofu. Mushroom protein is made of mushrooms and soy fibers. Recommended sauces are listed under each protein and vegetable. You can choose any sauce from any category though.  With that many choices, I found it very difficult to choose! You can also choose the combo, which comes with a soup, salad, or beverage. We finally placed our orders and took a seat.

I went with a tea and the combo complete with a soup and entree. The tea was served first, as appropriate. It was a delightful organic fruit and flower tea served in a double-walled glass.

Then my soup and entree were served together while my friend waited five minutes for her meal. That was awkward. So I ate my soup while she waited. I got the wonton soup. Each wonton was filled with soy fiber and scallions.  It was rich and satisfying. I really liked it.

For my entree, I went with the mushroom protein in the black pepper sauce. Oh my goodness, was this good! The mushroom/soy nuggets were hearty and tasty and the sauce was rich with black pepper goodness. Served with the mushroom protein was green peppers, mushrooms, and onions. They gave me some sriracha on the side as well. Served with brown rice, this was a very filing meal. Not to mention that the presentation was quite nice for a $9 meal.

My friend's meal was equally as good. She got the seaweed yuba served with baby corn, bamboo shoots, and green peppers in a coconut green curry sauce. The sauce had just the right amount of flavor and the seaweed yuba was amazing. I was very impressed.

For a small cafe in a college town, this place has exceptional food. The prices are incredibly low as well. I only wish they would source non-GMO proteins. They said their tofu was non-GMO, but they were unsure about the other products, which probably means they are GMOs. I hope they source non-GMO in the future. Either way, I really hope they someday expand to DC, but for now, I'll be making the trek to College Park. This is definitely one of the best vegan restaurants in the DC metro area.

Ovo Simply Veggie
7313 Baltimore Avenue
College Park, MD 20740
(301) 277-0927

Dan's Restaurant and Tap House, Boonsboro, MD

When we arrived at the Inn Boonsboro on a Friday night, we were pretty hungry. From my research, I found that there weren't many places to eat in this small town, but there was a placed called Dan's Restaurant and Tap House next door so we went there for dinner.

The guests staying at the inn told us we'd need reservations, but we figured they were exaggerating -- I mean how many people were really eating out in Boonsboro? Well, apparently a lot. I guess even when you are in a small town, if there is only one place to eat, it can get packed pretty easily. And packed it was. There was a twenty minute wait we arrived and the place was bustling. We went to the bar and grabbed a couple Manhattans as we waited. It was your typical pub-style restaurant with huge wooden bar, television, and lots of commotion.

We were happy when we were finally seated in one of the large wooden booths.

There wasn't much that I could choose from on the menu, but when there is only one restaurant in town, you become thankful that you can eat at all. We started with the hummus plate complete with crunchy veggies and pita bread. The roasted red pepper hummus wasn't very good as far as hummuses and the pita bread was meh as well.

There was a Garden Penne dish marked as vegan on the menu so Chris and I ordered that. It was made with gluten-free penne in a light chablis sauce with squash, zucchini, asparagus, and red pepper. It was a fine dish -- I was just thankful to find something with lots of veggies in it.

So while I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Dan's, it was a great option in a city with no others. The prices were average with the pasta only being $12 and the food was fine. The service, on the other hand, was slow and not that great, but it is a pub-style restaurant in the middle of nowhere.  It was just nice to see that a dish was labeled vegan on the menu -- this is something you don't see very often in the country.

Dan's Restaurant and Tap House
3 South Main Street
Boonsboro, MD 21713
(301) 432-5224

Inn Boonsboro, Boonsboro, MD

Chris and I decided to get away for a weekend. We wanted to do something different and go somewhere that was off the grid, but close enough that it would only be like a two-hour drive. I called lots and lots of bed and breakfasts before I found just the right one -- the Inn Boonsboro in Boonsboro, Maryland. Built by New York Times bestselling author, Nora Roberts, this place is nicest bed and breakfast I've ever seen.

The stone front is adorned with flower boxes while the back is mostly wood. The website describes it as having the warmth and welcome of a bed and breakfast with the luxury of a boutique hotel. I couldn't have said it better myself. Right before they were going to open in 2008, it caught on fire and they had to completely redo the inn with a three-million dollar renovation.

Each of eight rooms is named after literary lovers with the exception of the penthouse. For our first night we stayed in the Penthouse. This suite was amazing with its comfortable bed and sitting lounge.

But, perhaps the coolest part of this room was the bathroom. This huge spacious bathroom has his and hers sinks, a large stand-alone bathtub, lighted make-up mirror, shower with four body jets, and a bidet. The toilet cover opens as you approach it and has a built-in bidet that cleans your front and back. There were also controllable heated floors and a heated towel rack. It made me want to remodel my own bathroom.

The other rooms in the inn include a sitting area where wine and snacks are served for one hour per night for the guests and a library complete with books, DVDs, and whiskey -- all complements of the inn.

For breakfast on the first morning, they were happy to accommodate my vegan preferences. I was served a green salad with tangerines and a delicious, fresh raspberry vinaigrette. There was fresh grapefruit with sugar sprinkled on top. And for the main course, there was blanched asparagus, vegan sausage, and herbed baked potatoes. It was pretty good.

The second night we stayed in the Marguerite and Percy room. This was a smaller room with two double beds -- much smaller than the Penthouse, but still very nice. The headboards were so big that you couldn't reach the blinds so a remote control was provided that opened and closed the blinds.

The bathroom, though smaller, still included heated floors and a towel rack, and a huge shower with body jets.

The breakfast on the second morning was almost the same as the first with the addition of a cup of berries and apple slices on top of the salad.

There were sitting areas on the first floor as well as on the second and third floor porches. You could socialize with the other guests or get away and be alone -- whatever you chose.

The chef and ladies running the inn were very nice and made the entire experience quite pleasant. Though the town of Boonsboro doesn't have much in it, it is only twenty minutes from the quaint town of Shepherdstown, WV so we spent a day there shopping, eating, and relaxing. It is also only twenty minutes from the PIGS Animal Sanctuary, which is the reason we stayed there. We had a tour scheduled the first morning. More about that later.

If you are looking for a unique getaway in a really nice place, I highly recommend the Inn Boonsboro. It is pricey at prices ranging from $255 to $305 per night on the weekend, but I thought it was completely worth the price. From the heated floors to the luxurious beds, you won't regret this getaway. Just be sure to book a tour at PIGS as well.