speedvegan

i don’t usually blog about my weekend adventures because i’m a slacker when it comes to writing about my trips, regardless of how interesting they turned out to be. India is a recent example. i’m still working on that blog entry, by the way, but i doubt i’ll ever finish it.

i have to make an exception about this past weekend, however, because everything about it was absolutely wonderful. part of it had to do with the company. i was in Atlanta with Geoff and one of his co-workers and dear friend of ours, Carl. they were both there for a trade show and i tagged along. we flew in a day early to enjoy a full weekend in the city.

being a vegan nerd, i did some homework last week. i found a few veggie places and picked the one that sounded best. Geoff and Carl agreed to go there on Saturday night. i also found Inman Perk, a cool coffeehouse for Geoff, the coffee-aficionado.

it was a nice walk to the coffeehouse with a few restaurants along the way. among them Highland Bakery, a hip and very vegan-friendly cafe. we went there both days and i had the tofu scramble each time. yum !

Inman Perk was another winner. the shop is artsy, cozy and inviting and the coffee is excellent. i noticed the words “vegan treats” on the menu board so i inquired at the register. the guy behind the counter replied with a heavy sigh. i panicked, but then he said “we have all sorts of vegan treats” and went on to mention half a dozen kinds of muffins and other baked goods, all of which sounded yummy.

along the way, i must have seen dozens of cyclists. there was a massive group of them parked next to a pizza place across from Highland Bakery. on the other side of the pizza place was a vegan shoppe that carries vegan shoes, purses, belts, etc as well as vegan treats and cookbooks. i wanted to buy one of the condos for sale in the area and move in.

that night we made it to Cafe Sunflower, the vegetarian restaurant i had looked up. it was relatively close to the hotel. the food was AMAZING. i can’t say enough about it. if you’re ever in Atlanta, you HAVE TO go to this place. we ordered the appetizer sampler and everything was delicious. we also ordered three different entrees. i tried and loved all of them but my favorite was Carl’s peanut noodle dish. even though i was stuffed after dinner i couldn’t pass up on the many tempting and ALL vegan desserts they have. Geoff and i split the carrot cake. Carl had a peanut butter/chocolate pie. both were delicious.

after dinner we went to Fado, an Irish pub, for beers. there was a really good cover band playing that night. i had a great time.

on Sunday we decided to try Chow Baby, a create-your-own-stir-fry place we found in a restaurant book in the hotel. i used to go to a place like it in California and really miss having one close to where i live in Ft Lauderdale. it turned out to be another great find. there are labels next to each of the sauces on the menu to indicate which ones are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. you pay $11.99 for a stir-fry and get unlimited trips to the bar, so you can be as creative as you want, as many times as you want. my friend David who lives in Atlanta met us there. he wasn’t planning to eat but changed his mind once he saw all the yummy ingredients at the bar. after dinner we walked across the street for beers but headed back to the hotel quickly because i had to wake up too early for a 7am flight.

i wanted to stay in Atlanta and explore more vegan options and spend more time with Geoff (he won’t be back until Friday), but in the end i had to be responsible. bah ! the show is in Vegas next year. wahoo !!