Falafel Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA - Eating Out Vegan

I do not usually eat out as much as I have lately. The school break has been the catalyst for this. The door will be closing on this fun shortly; however, I am determined to keep a crack open for Fun to sneak in as much as possible, when school resumes.

Yesterday, on my way to the historical town of Windsor, CT, I had a two-hour lay over in Springfield, MA. It is a relatively short commute on the Amtrak train from Boston. I have to also mention how excited I was to hear Amtrak offers a vegan burger as one of its dining options. Rock on!

In case you end up in Springfield, MA, be sure to check out the town's most famous attraction: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Yes boys and girls, basketball was invented in the town of Springfield. If you are as big of a basketball fan as I am - did I convince you of being a fan? - then this is a must see place for YOU.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is about 15-20 minute walk from the train station. 

Once you are done learning about the history of basketball, be sure to be on the look out for The Simpsons family. I did since they live in Springfield, the state is unspecified.

I beg to differ. I really enjoyed hanging out in Springfield. 

But alas, I was not able to chat with any Simpson family member. I did manage to get this photo of Bart though…

You could not be more wrong Bart! I think tofu would complete this sentence beautifully. 

On my way back to the the train station, I stopped by Nadim's Mediterranean Restaurant and Grill located in Springfield, MA, for an early dinner.

They start you off with pita bread and an oil infused dipping sauce.

It was quite good. 

I had a falafel plate served with rice and lentils, topped with fried onions. It comes with a side of hummus and tahini sauce. The tahini sauce is usually infused with yogurt. They will accomodate non-yougurt preference, and the sauce tastes great without!

It was excellent! I had it with pita bread, not pictured. 

There are other vegan options in this restaurant. You can also have a hummus wrap with french fries.

I did not have it, but it received excellent reviews by its consumer. 

Cheers Springfield!

Eating Out Vegan in Brooklyn Yo!

I went to NYC recently to visit peeps and to soak up the City's energy for my upcoming final school semester. Yikes!

I took the Megabus from Boston to NYC, about 4.5 hours each way, and made an amazing 24-hour trip out of it. You can get a lot done while traveling in a Megabus, but sleeping is most likely not one of these activities.

When I got to NYC, I walked around a bit, visited the Chelsea Market - I used to work there many moons ago. It is a great place to hang out and taste good food.

They offer vegan options in most of the eateries located inside the Chelsea Market. While hanging out, I purchased a souvenir at one of the Italian specialty stores found inside the market. Are you curious to find out what it is?

What? No good? 

Near the Chelsea Market, you will find the High Line Park. It is a park built on old rail tracks. I have visited the High Line Park often when I lived in NYC.

High Line Park.

The hotel, depicted to the right, has a reputation of tourists exuding their nakedness in front of its large, uncovered windows. New Yorkers are up to speed with this inside information. Consider yourself warned.

After a few hours in the City, catching up with good friends from the olden days, I headed to Brooklyn, to meet up with another lovely friend. There she is and there we are….

Peace! 

Then I ended up at the Thistle Hill Tavern in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The tavern is frequented by hipster and non-hipster humans alike. No matter where your allegiance lies, you will fit right in. I had the vegan burger. It was fantastic! I could tell they make it onsite and put some creativity into making this dish.

My picture does not do it justice - I took it with my phone. And yes, I am trying to be "artsy fartsy" about it.

Here is the vegan burger in color and increased in size. Cheers!

White bean, cracked wheat and mushroom vegan burger served on a potato roll with salt and pepper french fries. 

Eating Vegan at Boston's North End

I enjoy cooking, and trying out new recipes - don't look so astonished. Conversely, eating out is also fun and enjoyable. There are a lot of vegan options out there. Even in the most unexpected places, you can find something vegan from the menu. This may require using some trickery and borrowing ingredients from one course and transferring those to another. Most restaurants are happy to accommodate you, just be sure to be polite when you choose this route. Go out there and explore. Go on, I will wait. 

Last night after an intense tour of the Harpoon brewery in Boston, MA, on the way back home, I stumbled upon Gennaro's Restaurant at the North End. Before I delve into the description of the restaurant, I would like to mention that Harpoon brewery is great destination for a Bostonian or a traveler alike.

   I ordered a vegan friendly sampler. 

The tour is $5, but don't frown if you don't get a chance to participate, in case it is sold out, during the time frame you are there. You can drink all the beer you want at the brewery's Beer Hall. The Beer Hall is fantastic because you can choose to either sit at the bar or share a table with a bunch of strangers - both equally fantastic options!

Cheers!

Now onto Gennaro's Restaurant at Boston's North End. The have a VEGAN MENU! Say what? While the restaurant does not advertise the vegan menu option on their web site, be sure to ask for it. The only reason I knew about it was through reviews on Yelp.

Check it out! There are no veggie burgers involved. I love a good veggie burger, but I want more out of my dinning experience. Don't you? 

Rigatoni with fingerling potatoes, peas, and pesto. I am going to try replicating this dish one of these days. 

The restaurant is a little fancy pants, but the prices are decent and you don't have to wear fancy pants to dine there. Ok, I am out! Cheers!