March 17, 2019
Arya is one of my favorite characters on Game of Thrones. She is a petite spitfire who makes lists and takes care of business, just like me. She also cooks up a mean pie of Walter Frey’s moron sons in Season 6 right before cutting his throat, giving us a Read more…
February 22, 2019
A few confused turns into the heart of an automotive industrial complex in Travis and you will find a winery, Staten Island Winery. A lively passion project for proprietor Bob Rando, the space is a unique place to stumble upon. Punctual teachers with an itinerary, we set up at the Read more…
November 10, 2018
This is the numerical expression I use to decide on how many dim sum plates to order when x represents the quantity of diners. This is how I know that the dim sum dishes at Dim Sum Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn are smaller than traditional dim sum plates, like in Read more…
October 13, 2018
My partner in special ed combat and ultra-rare fellow INFJ is a Staten Islander. So today she was my expert guide, uncovering the best of all the things on the island I like–abandoned stuff, scenic beauty, and vegan options. First, we split a quick lunch at Dosa Garden in Tompkinsville. I was Read more…
August 23, 2018
The V.V. Manhattan tag count is pretty darn high on this here blog. And though I have been escaping into Manhattan since I was just a girl, there is always more to see. And though we’ve grown apart, I would spend a day with her, tucking our past away and welcoming Read more…
May 27, 2018
I am very excited about Fogwood & Fig getting their own space. So excited I went to their Grand Opening! You see, “Grand Opening” are hostile words for an introvert. It means people. But people in Port Jervis are far less to endure than say Brooklyn. So we braved our Read more…
February 21, 2018
Today I heading back north from Roswell, New Mexico towards Albuquerque, I came upon these two cowboys having a squabble across Highway 285. Now, if I pulled over for everything that piqued my interest on the road, I would never get anywhere! Colors, textures, abandoned and decaying buildings, old neon Read more…
November 26, 2017
It was kind of hard for me not to hum the intro to House of Cards during my visit. It is kind of the best part of the show. The Capital building peeks out. The White House. Whoopie. Washington’s phallic monument The National Mall, Lincoln’s Memorial in the far distance. My Read more…
November 23, 2017
I love to cook for hours. It’s true. Give me time, space, and the radio and I’ll happily create numerous dishes from scratch with loving care. This Thanksgiving my goal was to use a lot of the ton of pumpkin puree I have. So I started with using it in Read more…
October 29, 2017
Mother of Pearl on the LES is such a pretty place. I was happy to join a group of old friends to celebrate getting older. The scrumptious Char Sui Buns with roasted mushroom and celery root and fresno chile. Sweet and succulent. Is there nothing more perfect than a well-balanced Read more…
October 15, 2017
An hour from Philadelphia is the lovely borough of Phoenixville. Once the site of iron and steel mills, Phoenixville now has a thriving downtown strip containing diverse eateries, watering holes, and breweries. And some vegan eats! It is one of those places that feel like a mix of home and Read more…
October 7, 2017
It’s been a while, I know. But there are NYC vegan burger happenings that have brought me out of “retirement.” Here are a few notes on the updated brackets above. These are entirely new* burgers from my last battle. And there are many more. Ok, so the “*” is for Read more…
August 5, 2017
When I was a kid I loved ravioli. Meat ravioli. I remember joining my mother when she picked it up from the Italian market. I knew that the ritual was different than going to the generic grocery store a few doors down. And the meat ravioli were square, I knew, while Read more…
July 17, 2017
Beautiful Places Close By, Beautiful Places Far Away, Eating Out, Nostalgia, Photography, Wanderlust
{ A crème brûlée donut from Donut Friend. } { Plant Food + Wine‘s Polenta + Hash: wild mushrooms, sweet potato hash, harissa } { Their potato-heavy Breakfast Burrito } { And their Chickpea Fritatta, dressed to the nines. } { A side of barbecue tempeh with very bitter micro greens. Read more…
October 3, 2016
Fogwood & Fig vs. No. 7 Veggie It’s not surprising that Diane Bezanski has a background in photography. If the images of her veggie burgers, under the name Fogwood & Fig, were all I had, they might still win a few battles. It is true that you eat with your eyes Read more…
August 18, 2016
Everything in Jackson, Wyoming revolves around the Tetons. And proving this, I spent my day finding a variety of ways and circumstances in which I could see the Tetons. Starting at the crack of dawn. The striking hues of a beautiful sunrise can do pretty fantastic things to the sky, so I knew Read more…
July 29, 2016
Without the Empire Pass this year, I am not getting to the beach as often as last year. I am stealing the EZ-pass to go, however. This was some mushroom. I wanted to buy it and sit on it with a hookah. The butterfly bush started getting some action. This Read more…
April 28, 2016
The day’s activities would involve a pitchfork and a wheel barrel. But first, a bit of breakfast: great coffee from Archive Coffee Bar, which has vegan donut holes from Bigwig delivered Tuesdays & Fridays (bummed I missed them!) and a strawberry and chocolate-stuffed vegan crêpe from Oregon Crêpe Cafe & Bakery. Read more…
December 18, 2015
On Tuesdays there are all-vegan tacos from Los Veganos Hermanos at Good Co. Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After we watched los veganos make the tortilla from scratch and sipped on some cocktails, I ate one of each of their tacos. From left to right, Mushroom “Carnitas” Taco with smashed avocado and shredded red Read more…
November 11, 2015
I went to Dirt Candy back in 2012 when they were a tiny, dark, bustling space. Sadly, the tiny, dark, bustling space was all I could remember years later. But now–Dirt Candy is in a much, much larger space. It was quiet and relaxed on our Tuesday evening visit. There Read more…
September 26, 2015
**Updated for 2020** This post has received a lot of traffic since I first posted it in 2015, but more so recently. I have since discovered that it is now a retail “community center.” Considering the continued interest, I unearthed more shots from my visit in honor of the now Read more…
September 23, 2015
With the start of the school year, I am in Brooklyn everyday again. Urban machinery and subterranean air have united me with 8 million more parts. I remember why I love her. And I remember why I hate her. She’s like me–impractical and strained while magnificent in her own norms. She has Read more…
August 29, 2015
With one more day of being vegan on Holland America’s Oosterdam, I made sure to try everything I could for you, dear blog. And because I would have loved to been able to know this vegan intel prior to boarding, I’m going to lay it all down here on this Read more…
August 19, 2015
Hitting the corners of the V.V. Burger Showdown brackets, it’s time for Match #3: M.O.B. vs. Pickle Shack This is going to be a doozy. I have loved the M.O.B. and Pickle Shack veggie burgers separately–but for some of the same reasons. Restoring my lost hope and representing a turn in veggie burger Read more…
August 11, 2015
The Burger Showdown continues with the first Brooklyn showdown: Toad Style vs. Champs Family Diner Just when my burger brackets were set, along comes Toad Style‘s all-vegan menu, batting its housemade cheese and sage butter and lime aioli. Those kinds of words indicate an eatery who not only make but love food. Throw Read more…
August 5, 2015
Travel tucks you into new environments, which facilitate different experiences. And experience is the basis of all learning, all growth. So, travel is enlightenment…. Luckily, there is no need to head to an ancient Buddhist temple to derive this wisdom. There is plenty of beauty, adventure, inspiration, oddity (and vegan eats) just a couple of hours away. Read more…