the other day, i saw an applebee’s commercial for some sort of bacon-beef-cheese concoction, and i turned to my roommate, and was all “do you think there’ll ever be a day when i can order a vegan burger with vegan bacon at applebees?” and she was all “no. but we should go to Herban Fare, the new restaurant in Woodstock. I hear they have vegan food.”
and we did.
and it rocked.
I ordered the:
Black bean & lentil pureed lentils and whole black bean, curry spices, served with pickled fennel and onions, on a multigrain roll
it didn’t taste like meat, so don’t go in expecting that, but it did taste d*mn good. it was full of flavor and totally filling.
i also got the onion soup minus the cheese topping, which is made with vegetable stock instead of beef stock, so it’s vegan. and my roommate got us some hummus to start out the meal, which was super flavorful.
for you carnivores out there, they do have tons of meat options, one of which my roommate ordered:
Tamarind-chili beef and pork, herbs and spices, with a tamarind chili sauce, and stone ground oats, oven roasted with smoked bacon, and white cheddar cheese
she said it was “really good.” and i believed her.
from an atmosphere standpoint, the owner was super approachable and said he used to be a raw vegan himself for a few years, but now just uses it to balance out his diet. as a result though, he was super accommodating, and totally understood my fears about eating out as a vegan. well, minus the part where came up to the table and was all “oh. sorry. don’t eat the hummus. it isn’t vegan.” and i was like WHAT?! and then he was all “i make it with bacon fat” and i was like OMG.OMG.OMG!!!! and then he was like “ha. just kidding.” and i was like, “ya, you probably shouldn’t joke about stuff like that.” 🙂
and then my phone rang with my new 24-ring tone, and the owner was all “are you a 24 fan too?!” and i pretty much decided right then and there that i will now pray every night that this restaurant can triumph against the odds in this sucky economy.
in conclusion, anyone who comes to visit, should now expect to eat at least one meal here with me. just sayin.
