northstar burgers, dirty frank's and cucumber sake sorbet, oh my!

i have some GREAT food updates! and then the downside...

we went to cbus to escape our closing nightmare last weekend. we had a blast and ate a lot of wonderful food. our first day we went shopping in short north (cbus's artsy/college/out-skirt of downtown area). very hipster. very wonderful. (side note: columbus, OH is like a little chicago, IL in my book. you just have to look.) for breakfast we had drinks from sonic. mmm... rt 44 diet cherry limeade. real cherries and lime wedges and, of course, their famous ice! then shopping and coffee! for lunch we met our friends at a fellow herbivore's recommendation, Northstar. they are a local chain with about 3-4 stores and growing. i had their northstar burger. brown rice, black beans, spices and beets!? it was DELICIOUS! a slightly sweet taste, but the perfect texture. the beets seemed to really hold that grilled flavor. we shared some guacamole and salsa. also, very good. my wife had there buddha bowl. fresh veggies, rice and meat or tofu with a peanut sauce. very tasty. chelsea had a flat bread pizza that everyone loved and could also be done vegan/vegetarian. after eating way too much for lunch, we walked it off with more shopping! the next couple days we spent at nick's family lake house. we had some grilled boca burgers, more wonderful guacamole, salsa, and lots of fresh fruits/veggies. when we came back to the city we resumed eating more wonderful foods! we ate dinner at dirty frank's in downtown. let me preface this with the information that i have NEVER been a fan of hot dogs. even before my eating changes. these are incredible... some of the best flavors i have ever tasted. good news for all my carnivorous friends, too! they had MANY options for both! they had most of their menu available vegetarian or vegan. i had the hot bollywood (spicy hot indian mango chutney), a chicago (fresh tomatoes, diced onions, Vienna® Sport Peppers, pickle relish, dill pickle, yellow mustard, & a dash of celery salt) and a fire on the rhine (spicy sauerkraut grilled with sriracha, chile paste, garlic, & onions). all using there Tofurkey dog option. i also had the delux vegan tater tot-chos. so delish! for desert the girls wanted to go to jeni's for ice cream. reassuring me, they said,"they have sorbets, too!". "wippy!" i thought. more sorbet... :/ at first taste, i realized i was sorely mistaken. it was so unique and different. i tasted their 2 regulars, Riesling Poached Pear and Cherry Lambic. both very creamy with a hint of tart. then i had the seasonal Sake Cucumber! i was floored. i ended up with a scoop of sake and a scoop of riesling. very good combo. before we left, we of course stopped at patty-cake's! an amazing vegan bakery (ALMOST as amazing as my wife's!). chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, chocolate chip banana muffins, hoe hoes and a big 'ole slice of vanilla cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting! uuuuggggghhhhhhh... we could barely breathe on the way home. (another side note: they had t-shirts that were super cool/cute. my birthday is sept. 11th and i take a xxl if they fit small. ;] )

after all of this wonderfulness, i felt like crap. given, it was a lot of food and richness for anyone. i was on vacation. i had been stressed out all month. i was in vegan food option overload. i am still sick. i have a health issue. not an animal issue. (well, i have both. but the first is my priority.) i am happy to visit and have so many options. i would be in the same boat i was 3 months ago if i lived close to all those options. i have been getting lazy with my eating habits either way. it's not JUST vegan. i am trying to be healthier. i need less processed food. more fresh. hopefully a house with a garden will be inspiring. it did re-inspire my love and passion for food. for awhile i have only seen food as a source of energy and have lost my want to create wonderful dishes. this past weekend definitely helped me regain part of that back.

go. try new. try vegan!