Traipsing and Tasting: Girl Trippin' While Vegan
Mel and her girls ate through Washington D.C. and here's what happened.
Happy Friday, love!
How have you been? What have you been eating?
If you've been looking for a reason to eat your way through a city, here's your sign to book the ticket, plan your route, and/or call your friends.
Late last month, me, my twin sister, and our good girlfriend embarked on a journey to Washington DC for a comedy show. The show was great but the eating, the eating was elite! We spent roughly three days in D.C. and about 24 hours in transit and it boils down to the fact that food makes or breaks everything—your mood, willingness to deal with folks, etc.
In this issue, I'll share some highlights and lowlights of what I ate while girl-tripping as a vegan. Everything from airport finds to dining fails and triumphs!
Buckle up this is going to be a helluva ride.
The Food
Major Highlights
TaKorean - a Mexican-Korean fusion restaurant was a delicious fast-casual option that put Chipotle to shame with its seasoning, fresh ingredients, and excellent customer service!
Hoisin-glazed tofu, lime, and garlic marinated broccoli with your choice of brown or white rice, 6 healthy slaws, crispy garlic and shallots and so much more it was outstanding. The guy behind the counter made me his favorite vegan option while the others had meat and vegetarian options that all looked equally delicious. This is one place where everyone should get their own bowl because you won't want to share.
Rating: 5 stars
PLANTA Queen DC deserves every jewel in its crown because every morsel of food was finger-licking good. My mostly carnivore friends met me there for brunch at 11:30 am and we rolled out of there at minutes to 5 pm, stuffed and contemplating ordering more food to take home. I am still having dreams about the eggplant nigiri.
They used a sesame-based sauce on the nigiri and it was a perfect bite of umami. It was absolutely savory and balanced but not off-putting. The bang bang broccoli, dragon roll, and eggplant nigiri were all delicious. The things they do with broccoli are otherworldly. It tasted completely different, interesting, and exciting in each preparation. The kimchi and truffle fried rice dishes and those crispy garlicky Brussel sprouts left us breathless. The Vietnamese iced coffee and fresh juices were also sleeper hits amongst our group. This place is a MUST try.
Rating: 5 stars +++
Major Lowlights
Creole on 14th—my major gripe is that they advertised having a vegan option and it was TERRIBLE. The Vegan Cajun Jambalaya (available with pasta or rice)—I chose pasta that tasted like ketchup and pasta with canned vegetables.
They should just say try the non-dairy sides or eat elsewhere. To the restaurant manager’s credit, he did not charge me for the meal. If your friends want to eat here, eat before you go or try the fried plantain and rice and peas. I can’t vouch for those either but they have to be better than what I had. My non-vegan friends enjoyed their meals, this place just isn’t set up for plant-based eaters.
Airport/Travel Eating Tips
If you're in DCA (Reagan Airport) and you're plant-based head to CAVA for a tasty satisfying falafel bowl, you won't regret it.
If you're in a space with limited options, lean on healthy snacks. Most of the gates will have an overpriced convenience store close by with a few accidentally and/or intentionally vegan snacks. Don't frustrate yourself by trying to veganize a dry or boring veggie sandwich. It’s more costly and disappointing than its worth. I’m looking at you, Schlotzky’s.
Try using a vegan food app like Happy Cow to locate plant-based options wherever you might be.
If you’re really unsure of what awaits you, pack snacks from home for your plane ride.
In a pinch, most airport fast food joints’ fries will do the job. Nothing beats hot Chick-fil-a waffle fries and a side of Polynesian sauce.
Every single day wasn’t a great day to be plant-based, but 90% of them were. If you’ve been thinking about taking a trip with friends but were afraid you couldn’t find food, don’t be scared. Be sure to choose a destination that has at least one or two vegan or plant-based friendly spots and make sure your companions are open to trying them with you. Find non-vegan restaurants with at least 2-3 vegetarian options that they’d be willing to veganize—call ahead.
Most of all plan to have a great time and share this issue with a friend that needs convincing!
Until we meet again, remember, you deserve good food wherever you go and you should seek it out!
XOXO,
Mel
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