Actual Food. From Vegans.

Hol-eee Shee-it.

Once every couple of months, I decide to become a vegetarian (again).
But because I am as fanatical as a cult member, being a vegetarian always seems like the sissy way out. After a couple of days, I try to be a vegan.
It never works, though, because vegan food tastes like doormat. A few weeks into my new vegan leaf-turnover, I get angry and belligerant, say, "Fuckit", and order me some baby back ribs.

But on Wednesday night, I went to the Chicago Diner, whose slogan is "Meat-Free since '83" (where can I get a t-shirt?) and had the BEST GODDAMN VEGAN MEAL OF MY LIFE.
It was amazing!!

Get the rueben. It looks like a rueben, smells like a rueben, and tastes exactly like a greasy, corned-beefy, glorious rueben. But it's vegan! It slops all over you. And it comes with gorgeous sweet potato fries. And then I had a peanut-butter cookie dough "milkshake" that was actually better than any real milkshake I've ever had!

And the waitresses are hot.

Chicago Diner is in Boy's Town, downtown Chicago. Go go go!

I could actually be a vegan if I could eat here every day.

Another Reason to Love Charlottesville

So maybe they stole the WSU coach, but Charlottesville isn't all bad (especially if you're a Dawg, haha!). If you're at the Holiday Inn near the University there's an Indian restaurant with a tasty lunch buffet, Milan Indian. Don't be like me and try to get your fill of the rice pudding without remembering that rice goes *puff* in your stomach about 20 minutes later. I found their vegetarian options to be better than their curries honestly, but their kabob chicken (which looked like a giant fajita platter sizzling away) was succulent and tasty.

The Place: Milan Indian, next door to the Holiday Inn

The Food: Indian Lunch Buffet

The Price: Under $10

Great Groceries: Wegmans

KN and I found out that taking photos in grocery stores is verboten, so sadly I only have the one illicit photo of the candy display that got me yelled at by a cashier on a power-trip.

If you are at the Embassy Suites Hunt Valley, outside of Baltimore you can enjoy a tasty lunch by simply traipsing over to the Wegman's Grocery near the shopping center across the street. The have anything and everything a hungry PM could want... salad bars, fresh panini bar, greek yogurt, olive bar, cheese case, organic fruit... It's like Whole Foods on steroids. There is an actual eating area in the store, and so many ready-to-eat foods you'll wonder why you ever ate at an Applebee's. Just don't look for wine there, evidently Maryland is one of those states where alcohol sales are restricted to liquor and wine stores only. There are Wegman's in other places (and you should make a point of going to one if you find one), although I think they are limited to the east coast at this point. This one just happens to be right across the street from the hotel.

Ethiopian South of the Mason-Dixon Line

Here's a good option if you find yourself in Richmond with a same city and some adventurous presenters: Nile Ethiopian will provide you with a platter of what looks like dog food, but which tastes like heaven. I convinced a crew of six of us to head there one evening when there was a massive pileup of seminars in the city, and we were not disappointed. If you're there to share, I'd recommend getting an order or two of something meaty and then splitting the vegetable dish medley. It's perfect to get you out of an all-cracker-barrel-all-the-time rut.

The Place: Nile Ethiopian

The Price: most dishes are under $15, and designed to share. You could do a large feast for two for around $20-25 each.

Fabulous Fare in Madison

Ok so I wish I had pictures but there is a wonderful place downtown Madison really close to the Capitol and only a few blocks from the Edgewater. It's called "The Old Fashioned" and it's on Pinckney Street. The website is: www.theoldfashioned.com

They have Lazy Susan's with different small plates, Wisconsin cheese plates, a ton of beers on tap as well as a good wine list! The prices are really good to for what you get!

Check out the website for specific details.

Thank God for Bethlehem

OMG. You better thank your lucky stars if you're gonna be in Allentown, Pennsylvania because staying at the Comfort Suites in Bethlehem gets you THATMUCHCLOSER to a few of the best restaurants ever. EVER.

The Restaurant #1: Bethlehem Brew Works
The Food: You must get their 1) Wit beer (it's got chamomile and lemon), 2) Christmas spinach salad (cinnamon dressing), 3) Mac and Cheese (fucking amazing). Be warned: This is the best mac and cheese I've ever had in my life. (But it's no good the next day. Eat it all when served.)
The Price: Under $20 per entree (totally worth it, you're gonna die)

Restaurant #2: Looper's Grille and Bar
The Food: No food, folks. Only drinks. They have over 400 different flavors of martinis at this place. You've gotta go if just to see their list (in a binder) and the hottest bartender I've ever seen. (Ask for JT.) Start with the Happy Hollydays and move to the Purple Buddha. Trust me. Bonus: This place is 3 blocks from the Comfort Inn and Suites. Walking distance for when you get TRASHED.
The Price: Under $10 for each drink

The Restaurant #3: Vegan Treats
The Food: I don't care if you're not vegan because it doesn't matter. You can't even tell. You need eggs to make baked goods? Not here, apparently. This place is the best bakery I've been to on the east coast. For sure. You can't go wrong with the peanut butter mousse brownie or the peanut butter cup brownie. The raspberry crumble bar is pretty bombass, too.
The Price: Under $5

Ask Matty D about this place. He loves this shit.

Chain Gang #1: Potbelly

Yeahyeahyeah, chainsarethedevil.com, but I thought this might be a good time to expound upon my love for certain restaurants with multiple locations scattered across the United States. And I thought we might cleverly call the series the Chain Gang. OMGPUNZ! So here is entry #1:


Inspired by AH's gentle nudge, I'm going to debut on the PM food blog with a post about my favorite sub shop in the entire universe, Potbelly Sandwich Works (which I incorrectly refer to in the possessive as Potbelly's, just like grandma used to do). The first restaurant started out as an antique shop on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, and since 2003, Potbelly's has been adding locations both in and outside of Chicagoland. According to their website, the PB's empire currently reaches 12 states and one national capitol.

Anyway, ABOUT the FOOD. Potbelly subs (and acoutrement) are so good, I have been known to drive as many as 30 miles out of the way when a craving hits. Most of the subs are served hot (don't worry, this is no Quizno's, which I loathe and is a whole 'nother story), but a few, like the PBJ and chicken salad, are cold. My favorite is the classic Turkey Breast served with melted swiss, but the perennial favorite, especially for MEAT-LOVIN' MEN, is the Wreck, with salami, roast beef, turkey and ham. They've also got an I-talian with mortadella, capicola, pepperoni and salami. All of it is sliced nice and thin and positively LOADED on the yummy, fresh-baked bread. PB's has only got a few veggie options (including the aforementioned PBJ, which is not just for kids), but those they do offer are d-lish-us, just like the rest of the menu.

Ok, so we've got our meat, and bread (I recommend wheat for the road, of course, for regularity), which is all hunky dory but this kinda sounds like 'Bway, right? So, devastatingly wrong. The thing that sets Potbellies apart are the mmm mmm good fixins that complete your scrumptious sando (I know, right, why aren't I writing ad copy for a living????). Of course, you can choose from the classic lettuce/tomato/onion/pickle/mayo/mustard/oil/vinegar/seasoning, but I heartily recommend the hot pepper mix that keeps me coming back and back and back and back. OMG! They are so good! It's basically a mixture of carrots, cauliflower, red peppers and jalepenos that are more or less "pickled" to make the sandwich pretty darn spicy. But something about this mixture brings out the flavors of the individual elements of your sandwich more than mask them like plain jalepenos tend to do. So pretty much Annie+hot peppers=LURVE.
***WARNING: if you have tastebuds like a baby, these might be too hot. If I were to rate them on a scale of 1 to 7, I'd give them a 6***

BUT IT DOESN'T STOP THERE! In addition to amazing sandwiches and pretty darn good salads (with unconventionalforfastfood yet tasty toppings like artichoke hearts and chick peas), PB's also has to-DIE-for desserts. Think hand-dipped shakes and malts (whuzzat? asked one of my Seattleite friends in college...drinkable Whoppers, I told her) and delectable almost-raw oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I love these cookies so much, I made the cashier bake a little of the next day's dough when they had run out yesterday. I'll wait, I said. They're almost raw anyways.

So there you have it: America's best sandwiches, accompanied by America's best cookies, all for the low price of under $10.

Dino-Mite!

Hi PM's~

It's Drew again with another suggestion for good eats. Once again I am in up state NY and am finding the notquietyet spring weather depressing and the bevy of blah chain restaurants depressing.

So much to my delight I stumbled upon a restaurant that Kyle H and the lovely Jaimie Bailey brought to my attention.

DINOSAUR BBQ!

So good! They are a true BBQ with pits and grills in the parking lot and a roadhouse ambiance certainly adds to the kitch charm.

They have pork, steak, and all the fixins, not too mention a killer list of sides that would do any texas joint proud, and a great beer list only sweetens the pot.

I ordered the Rueben Sandwhich with mac n chz and to top it off I got a piece of sweet potato-pecan pie. I think they cater to the northern/western taste buds as they didn't over sweetn' it like they do in the south. It was sweet and spicy just like pumpkin pie!

Check it out ya'll.

A Packable Wonder

Here's another idea that I think we all can use: food items that can be easily packed without worrying about perishability. I'm going to post some of my favorites under a "Packable Food" tag, and invite anyone who packs their own lunch from time to time (or sees their low-maintenance presenter eating something from his or her suitcase that looks tempting) to do the same.
Not to be a brand whore, but Healthy Choice (and potentially Marie Callender's as well) has released a new microwavable pasta dish that actually cooks up really well and requires no refrigeration. The "Fresh Mixers" taste decent, and while they do take up a significant amount of space and cannot be carried on (due to liquid sauce, LAME), chuck one in your suitcase or snag one at your local Target or grocery store. It's better than a frozen dinner, and surprisingly filling. They're around $3 a pop, but pretty nice to have on hand when you get to your middle-of-nowhere hotel only to find the restaurant closes at 8pm.

Another Free Breakfast Worth Paying for

El Paso is a rough town. Ask the front desk at the Radisson where to wander around to find a meal and they'll tell you that even thinking about looking around downtown is a good way to get mugged. They'll send you to a nice Mexican restaurant with fishbowl margaritas and decent food (and they'll drive you there in the shuttle if you ask nicely), but the real secret is their own free breakfast. Order the huevos rancheros. Your tummy will thank you.

The Place: El Paso Radisson
The Food: Huevos Rancheros
The Price: Free