Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant

Padmanadi is impossible to pronounce, and located way the heck down in what I presume to be Chinatown. No matter. This is the first time I have ever seen a restaurant posted on yelp that exclusively had 5 stars. They've earned it. The menu is entirely vegan, but please don't let yourself beleive that means lacking in taste. I have never in my life tasted a better, more full bodied coconut curry. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I dove into my fake mutton curry with coconut rice and ordered the roti for our appetizer.

The staff were incredibly pleasant and helpful, the tea was delicious, my food was gorgeous and oh so tasty, and we got to sing an asian-style happy birthday to one of the other patrons. If I lived in Edmonton, this is where I would want to be on my birthday and christmas and passover and dawali too. My presenter announced it was the best restaurant ever in her seminar the next day, so don't be surprised if its not flooded with middle aged, slightly overweight teacher ladies.

Canada's answer to Whole Foods

While in Edmonton, I made my way up to Planet Organic Market. This place has the same flavor as a Whole Foods, complete with lovely prepared foods section. Prices are about the same as home, but as every program manager knows, fresh fruits and veggies are just about the greatest thing you can find whilst far far from home.

Cow town's veggie little paradise

Sweet sweet beans and (tempeh) bacon! I think its safe to say that after this job is over (in about 2 weeks thank GOD) I will never again have reason to visit Calgary. Indeed, a town best known for its faux space needle and a yearly event called the stampede was not really of interest for me.

Until I found the Coup. This incredible little restaurant in the trendy 17th avenue neighborhood will require a car to get to (esp if you are staying at the Port of Call Best Western), but just stick it on the central bill and be done with it. Absolutely worth the shabby explanations if you are even asked to explain yourself.

The Coup is a very fine vegetarian and vegan restaurant that I learned about through the WestJet magazine. They have everything you could want, from intensely flavorful appetizers, big bold dark-green salads, and main dishes that leave you absolutely satiated and yet still curious enough to try dessert. I ordered the balsamic vinegar marinaded eggplant dip with house-made lavash and whole wheat focaccia bread. This sent me to a very happy orbit and i felt compelled to finish the entire HUGE bowl and all the dippers. For my main, I had a truffle cream and portobello mushroom pasta dish and a nice local microbrew. With absolutely no room to spare, I decided to go for dessert. Their frangelico chocolate mousse with hazelnuts was effing crazyshit delicous. To sum up, just GO. You won't be disappointed.

Appleton

Nakashima is a sushi and hibachi place who's looks are deceiving from the outside. Once inside there is samurai decor, and a back sushi room that gives off the illusion that you are going to be sitting cross legged on the floor, but this is not the case. The sushi is more on the commercial side, but delicious none the less. An extra bonus to this place is the toilets, with heated seats and a bode option, they make you feel like you are actually in Japan if only for a quick second.

Yet Another Bar in Bethlehem

Those Lehigh University students sure do love their beer...this is the second good pub to make an appearance on the food blog from Bethlehem, PA.

Machs Gute Pub and Grille is not too far from either the Comfort Suites or the Best Western there in town, so it's a good choice if you're looking for typical pub fare (really tasty chicken cheese steak sandwiches) at reasonable prices. Decide beforehand how you're getting home because the daily beer specials are cheap, including the daily $2 pints. Thursdays are $0.35 wings and $2 draught beers (forgot which ones), too!

It may be a cheap college bar, but with recent renovations, this place now has a fairly modern look to it and, during my dinnertime visit, was very clean and quiet. Everyone in the bar (all five of us) were watching Jeopardy on the big flatscreen TVs above the bar, hah!

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Pizza, beer, and green thinking

Scattered across Wisconsin, the Glass Nickel Pizza Company has some incredibly tasty pizza as well some pretty inventive sauce/topping combinations. They have at least seven different locations, which include two in Madison and one in Milwaukee, so you've got multiple opportunities to eat and drink there.

To the left was my 10" small pizza with 1/2 chicken alfredo and 1/2 their 'famous' fetalicious (many reviews on Yelp mention this one). 'Twas mighty delicious with very fresh toppings, the ability to do half-and-half on even a small pizza (including sauces, which most places won't do), and some mighty good fresh-minced garlic on the alfredo half.

It may have been one of the many microbrews they have on tap talking, but I very much enjoyed my pizza at the Madison East (Atwood Ave.) location. It was some of the best pizza I've had in recent times, so I'd suggest swinging by if you've got time; heck, it's even a few minutes' drive from the capitol building!

Also, from the "Growing Green" section of their website, it looks like they're putting in some decent effort into changing their operations to be a little more sustainable and energy-efficient. They've got my vote.

Midland Munchies

Formerly a bank and then a steakhouse, Chug N' Chew is right across the street from the Valley Plaza and the Best Western hotel in Midland. Apparently open for business since June, 2009, this place stands up to the reputation its sign out front creates: "good food, huge portions, low price."

The main lobby has a futon facing a large flat-screen TV next to an old-school arcade machine, not to mention the still-installed vault door from the building's previous purpose as a bank. The decor is an amalgamation of Mexican, Halloween, midwest Americana, and other random kitsch.

The food is great, though, and cheap! I had the Southwestern Burger combo with waffle fries (an extra $0.50) that came out to less than $8 after tax, holy cow. The bun and fries were both delicious and were both crispy to perfection. The burger itself was a half-pound patty with cheese, pico de gallo, red onions, and slices of avocado; a unique take on the American classic.

If you're passing through Midland, think about stopping by this joint for a great bite to eat at an incredibly low price. My only qualm is that they don't serve alcohol; only a nice cold brew would've made this experience any better.