Blog #7 for the vegan MoFo 2010 Challenge!
In September, I went on a work trip to Madison, WI. I have mentioned before that I like this particular trip and client (actually, I like all of my clients). Madison is a nice city. It is a college town and a capitol all in one. It is also particularly vegan friendly. There are several restaurants that have large vegan menus. When planning for my trip this year, I found an all vegetarian place, mostly vegan called The Green Owl.
In between planning for the trip and getting ready to leave, I received the news that I had Celiac's and had to follow a strict gluten free diet. It was one of my lowest times. I felt despair, wanting to crawl up in a ball and hide. Reality set in and I had to go on this work trip. The trip was extremely difficult, but The Green Owl felt like a safe haven for me. Not only was the place mostly vegan, they had a huge gluten free menu.
I walked a couple of miles from the hotel to the restaurant. Madison is such a nice city to walk around and I have always felt safe there. I got to the place without any trouble and was greeted by a friendly wait staff. After being seated, I began to review the menu and was so delighted about all of the gluten free, vegan options.
For my dinner, I ordered the BBQ Jackfruit on their homemade gluten free bread. The sandwich was described as young jackfruit, to imitate pulled pork, simmered in a BBQ sauce served with a layer of dill pickles and topped with creamy vegan slaw. For my side, I chose the crunchy kale chips. Before long, my food came out. The kale chips were crunchy and slightly salty. I could see these chips becoming addictive! I loved the texture of the pulled jackfruit and the flavor of their BBQ sauce. In addition, their homemade bread was better than any commercial gf bread that I have tried. It didn't crumble and that says a lot for gf bread.
During dinner, the woman next to me struck up a conversation as we were both dining alone. We chatted for most of dinner. I even ran into her again during my second night in Madison. I wish I would have gotten her name to keep in touch. She seemed like such a nice person. She recommended that I try a dessert. Surprisingly, they had a vegan and gluten free dessert that night.
I asked for my dessert to go because I was too full to enjoy it at the restaurant, but I knew when I finished my walk back to the hotel, I would dig in. The dessert was a coconut cream pie with a gf nut crust. The toasted coconut on top of the pie was a perfect pairing with the creamy coconut pie filling. The crust was rich and crumbly as any pie crust should be. I hardly noticed that it was not a traditional gluten crust.
I had such a nice dinner at The Green Owl, that I am sure to go back next time I find myself in Madison, WI. The wait staff was very kind and accommodating and the fellow customers were friendly. The atmosphere was modern, clean, and cute! I highly recommend this restaurant and am looking forward to my 2011 visit to Madison!
In September, I went on a work trip to Madison, WI. I have mentioned before that I like this particular trip and client (actually, I like all of my clients). Madison is a nice city. It is a college town and a capitol all in one. It is also particularly vegan friendly. There are several restaurants that have large vegan menus. When planning for my trip this year, I found an all vegetarian place, mostly vegan called The Green Owl.
In between planning for the trip and getting ready to leave, I received the news that I had Celiac's and had to follow a strict gluten free diet. It was one of my lowest times. I felt despair, wanting to crawl up in a ball and hide. Reality set in and I had to go on this work trip. The trip was extremely difficult, but The Green Owl felt like a safe haven for me. Not only was the place mostly vegan, they had a huge gluten free menu.
I walked a couple of miles from the hotel to the restaurant. Madison is such a nice city to walk around and I have always felt safe there. I got to the place without any trouble and was greeted by a friendly wait staff. After being seated, I began to review the menu and was so delighted about all of the gluten free, vegan options.
For my dinner, I ordered the BBQ Jackfruit on their homemade gluten free bread. The sandwich was described as young jackfruit, to imitate pulled pork, simmered in a BBQ sauce served with a layer of dill pickles and topped with creamy vegan slaw. For my side, I chose the crunchy kale chips. Before long, my food came out. The kale chips were crunchy and slightly salty. I could see these chips becoming addictive! I loved the texture of the pulled jackfruit and the flavor of their BBQ sauce. In addition, their homemade bread was better than any commercial gf bread that I have tried. It didn't crumble and that says a lot for gf bread.
During dinner, the woman next to me struck up a conversation as we were both dining alone. We chatted for most of dinner. I even ran into her again during my second night in Madison. I wish I would have gotten her name to keep in touch. She seemed like such a nice person. She recommended that I try a dessert. Surprisingly, they had a vegan and gluten free dessert that night.
I asked for my dessert to go because I was too full to enjoy it at the restaurant, but I knew when I finished my walk back to the hotel, I would dig in. The dessert was a coconut cream pie with a gf nut crust. The toasted coconut on top of the pie was a perfect pairing with the creamy coconut pie filling. The crust was rich and crumbly as any pie crust should be. I hardly noticed that it was not a traditional gluten crust.
I had such a nice dinner at The Green Owl, that I am sure to go back next time I find myself in Madison, WI. The wait staff was very kind and accommodating and the fellow customers were friendly. The atmosphere was modern, clean, and cute! I highly recommend this restaurant and am looking forward to my 2011 visit to Madison!
5 comments:
I was on a business trip to Madison in September, and fell in love with The Green Owl as well. Did you notice the vegan billboard and outreach on the back of the metro buses?
Very cool city!!!
For this of us left to wonder just what is jackfruit, Wiki brings relief.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit
I guess I should have posted a link to show jackfruit. I had never had it before.
VH- I didn't notice the vegan billboard on the back of the buses. That is AWESOME!
I would love a slice of that coconut pie!!
Oooooooooh that sounds tasty! I am so curious about jackfruit. Homemade gf bread is the best! I wish we had a restaurant like that here. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
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