Positivitea Reboot

Positivitea was closed for renovation for a while, but they're back and the food is better than ever.

 

The rebooted interior, however, is- and I hate to say it, a little less inviting than it had been previously. The seating is newer, more modern: slicker overall. But, gone are the large scale menus on the walls and the bright colored ceiling. Now, even on a sunny day, the interior seems a little dark- particularly in the kitchen area, which is not especially inviting for a fast casual dining establishment- specifically if you wander in out of curiosity rather than destination.

Thankfully, we already know the food is delicious and lovingly prepared- not to mention award-winning. There were minor changes to the menu too, though- gone were the pretzels buns, which were replaced by equally delicious sesame and oat-studded buns. The fryer wasn't working on the day we visited, so we were unable to try the cauli buffalo wings that sounded fantastic.

Blue Sky seems to be the requisite soda at establishments of a certain tenor; from Red Bank's Down to Earth, to Lula's Sweet Apothecary. Eep! I hope that's not an omen.

We shared a Bean, Jr., because- obviously.  The black bean patty is the perfect base for the gooey trifecta of cheese, miso mayo, and special sauce. With the addition of grilled onions and pickles, you have a hearty and decadent burger.

For our less traditional choice, we also shared the the Mexicali. This burger boasts the same patty, but swaps cucumber for the pickles and adds creamy, ripe avocado.

And if you think I didn't bring home the VEGAN toothpicks to stick in my own bun, you'd be wrong.

But, we'd really come for the vegan softserve. I'm pretty positivitea this is Chicago Soy Dairy vanilla; the topping options aren't listed anywhere, so you have to ask.

VM got hers with chocolate sauce (kind of between syrup and fudge), walnuts, and marshmallows.

Mine had chocolate sauce and vanilla & chocolate cookie pieces.

The menu isn't all burgers and ice cream; there are salads, bowls, smoothies, sides, etc. IMO, all they're missing is a little pizzazz so that the atmosphere matches the menu.

Definitely go out of your way for a Positivitea experience; you won't regret it.

Sweet Hazel's Frozen Desserts is what you've been missing

It's been some years since the incomparable all vegan ice cream shoppe that started in the East Village as Lula's Sweet Apothecary and departed too quickly after returning without a name left a cone-shaped void in our collective stomachs and hearts.

If you're like me and have been missing their original, delectable treats something fierce, you'd do well to get thee to Sweet Hazel's Frozen Desserts. My spidey sense tells me they just might have exactly what you've been missing.

an original Lula's confection

 

Wishing Sweet Hazel's heaps of happiness and tons of success. xo

Vegan Ben & Jerry's Waffle Ice Cream Sundaes for VM Day!

Got a little sidetracked with the Philly rehash; we're now back to our regularly scheduled programming, starting with Mother's Day!

Making Mother's Day brunch is kind of my thing, so I began preparing months in advance- truly. The first step was to acquire a waffle iron. I'm not really into kitchen gadgets, so I didn't want to spend much money. I bought this little Oster Belgian waffle maker and it's pretty much the pits; don't be fooled by the fact that it's an Amazon best seller. Unfortunately, I'm a dummy who waited too long to take it out of the box and actually try it, so once I finally did it was too late to return. All this is to say, don't buy that one! You can make do with it, but it's FAR from ideal.

But, don't worry about us; we were fine. I monkeyed around with it long enough to figure out how to get a relatively decent waffle (NOT Belgian as advertised) with as minimal mess as possible. I used this recipe for waffles and then crisped them up in the oven for a few minutes before assembling and serving.

And, by "assembling and serving", I mean WITH ICE CREAM. Yeah, that's right: Mother's Day waffle ice cream sundaes.

Freshly made waffles with ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and this really amazing syrup.

Lately I've been eating a lot of Nada Moo, but on this day we partook in the three new, vegan, Ben & Jerry flavors.

 
Shown here, sans waffles. Caramel almond brittle up top, coconut 7-layer bar to the right, and cherry garcia at the bottom. All three flavors are a vast improvement of the original four vegan flavors they released last winter; I especially loved the brittle & the 7-layer. In case you're wondering, I do know that Ben & Jerry's (and parent company Unilever) are problematic- not the least of which because some flavors contain palm oil and the chocolate is not Food Empowerment Project approved; feel free to let me have it in the comments. Please note, though, that I don't necessarily have a problem with non-vegan companies making vegan items; instead, I think it's a sign of progress. But, I digress.

 You-know-who got her own 89-size waffle sundae; see her chowing down here.

 

As you might imagine, this meal held us over for quite some time. We spent the day chatting, watching movies, and being amazed by a sudden hailstorm.

Well, we were amazed. Petri Hawkins Bird not so much.

Also, VM brought a present for 89. Not sure how that works since 89 already has 2 personal holidays, but there you go.

Of course that didn't stop her from trying to gnaw her way into VM's gifts because she's a humongous glom.

Eventually we got hungry again and had Ethiopian food for dinner.

Aaaaand, luckily there was plenty of brunch leftovers so that we were able to repeat the sundaes a few days later as if Mother's Day never ended!

Orchard Grocer is Open for Business!

While most of you were huddled under the covers during yesterday's sleetstorm, this professional vegan was trekking through the elements to Orchard Grocer, the all vegan deli and food market that finally opened next door to MooShoes last week after much anticipation.

Why? Because I could not wait another day to check it out. I took this photo during one of many stalking occasions while they were under construction.

The interior is a sight to behold: shelves upon shelves of vegan staples, snacks, and delicacies.

There are beverages, candy, and more vegan cheeses than you can imagine.

I'm sure that in my excitement I missed seeing more than a few things, but I specifically appreciated the inclusion of typically hard to find items like Ranch Gordo beans and vegan nutella.

There's a deli area in the rear of the shop with a considerable selection of baked goods and prepared foods- both traditional and inventive. Check out the vegan lox (made from carrot)! I got some for OD and will report back.

The deli also serves made-to-order sandwiches.

So many varying choices; it was really difficult to decide.

 

Since it was early, I chose The Bowery. That's a lie; I love a breakfast sandwich and would order one anytime- thankfully this one is available all day.

Filled with [just eggy enough & perfectly pressed] turmeric tofu egg, [impeccably seasoned] tempeh bacon, and [smooth and creamy] Chao cheese on a [pillowy] potato roll; this is officially my new go-to, eastside, sammie shop. I mean, a potato roll? Come on!

My only complaint was that some members of the staff were a little pushy about their namesake sandwiches, making it slightly uncomfortable to enjoy my sandwich of choice in peace at the window seating. Perhaps someone can address this issue sooner rather than later? Just because you're cute doesn't mean you get to dictate what my tastebuds are craving.

*please note: kitty is next door in MooShoes, not in the market

Self-promotion notwithstanding, I managed to pick up some new and/or new-to-me items, as well as personal staples, and elusive flavors of longtime favorites- what more can you ask for upon a first visit?

Oh, you know what else? VEGAN SOFT-SERVE! That's right, Orchard Grocer is not messing around: vanilla, chocolate, and twist with optional toppings...cup or cone. The combinations are endless!

OG, we're going to be lifelong friends; I just know it.

Best of luck!

Father's Day treats (mostly for me)

We usually spend our Father's Days barbecuing by the pool, but this year the pool was giving my dad a run for his money, so we rather indignantly stayed inside. I chose this exceedingly warm card from 89 and I, because that's how we do.

Without poolside fun & frolic, there wasn't much to do but to hang out in stripes and play endless games of rummikub.

Then VM made her famous sauce and we dined on piles of pasta.

Of course there was some of my signature cheesy, roasted garlic bread on the side.

 

And, dessert.

Three new to us cakes were the main event: chocolate speculoos, white chocolate blueberry cheesecake, and coconut caramel cheesecake.

Full disclosure: because we went to pick up the these cakes in person from Vegan Treats, we also picked up some donuts. Boston creme, powdered jelly, s'mores, triple chocolate, and chocolate-encased angel's food cake. You know what they say, "If they all fit one one plate they count as one serving." Or maybe that's just me.

And ice cream. Did I mention ice cream? I mean, none for my dad; I just got some for myself when we were picking up the cakes: cotton candy and blue raspberry with rainbow sprinkles. Pretty spectacular!

 It's always a party when you include Vegan Treats. How much of a party depends on you. ;-)

ICYMI: Ben & Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream Flavors!

In case you missed it, I did a review of Ben & Jerry's new vegan ice cream flavors over on Vegansaurus! Please note that I've since procured and sampled the elusive 4th flavor, chocolate fudge brownie, and was- surprisingly, not a fan. As a tremendous chocolate lover I'm a little flabbergasted by this development, but I found it bland in flavor and a bit off in texture. S'okay; 3/4 ain't bad!

Read this and all my Vegansaurus contributions here.

 

Updated to include my favorite comment on the Vegansaurus post:

No idea what I'm talking about? Catch up!

Goodbye, Lula's Sweet Apothecary

If you've been a fan of this blog for any length of time, you probably know that out of all of the ice cream I've consumed since the inception of A (soy) Bean, Lula's Sweet Apothecary has been my demonstrated favorite by a landslide, which is why I dubbed it The Best Ice Cream Shop in the Universe. TBICSITU was not only a fitting description, but it also helped bridge the awkward reference gap between the original Lula's shop 2009 - 2013 and the eventual "Blythe Anne's" 2014 - 2016.

A little known fact that's been hiding in plain sight, unchanged since 2009, is that the proprietor of Lula's, Blythe, had no small part in this blog coming to fruition. More than that, though, is that I came to Lula's in the first place rather out of character- having been suffering through a depression for some time that included not eating very much as an unconscious side effect. There was just something about the promise of all of my childhood (and, let's face it: adulthood) dreams coming to fruition- vegan style, in a quaint but stately little shop in the East Village, that immediately drew me in. More than once I found myself (and, oftentimes my family) sitting outside the shop waiting for 3:00pm when the black curtain would be lifted and the shop opened for business.

 

Ironically, it was at Lula's counter: first running front to back and then, post renovation, side to side, that I began making friends again. Having lost many when I couldn't be a very good one myself, these friends were the catalyst to my current community, for which I am extraordinarily grateful.

All of this is to say that Blythe Anne's, formerly Lula's, has just shuttered for good and what that means is that we've lost a gem in this vegan world of ours.

Sweet Ritual- Vegan Austin TX

You didn't think I went all the way to Austin and skipped Sweet Ritual, did you?

 

WHO:

 

WHAT:
The menu has a list of (rotating) flavors and toppings, as well as pre-determined sundaes and specials. "Everything is Vegan Always."

WHERE:
Sweet Ritual shares a building (what looks to be a re-imagined gas station) with Juiceland. I spent a lot of time chuckling over whether I'd get a juice or an ice cream, but I have to admit that there were plenty of people on the juice line while we were there.

not my Prius

 

WHEN:
You know I'm behind; let's not go there...

WHY:

 

Sweet Ritual is colorful and quaint; I loved all of their original details. They've added edible glitter to the menu since my visit and I can't think of anything more appropriate.

 

After a significant amount of deliberation I chose chocolate and toasted coconut ice creams in a peanut butter cup sundae with chocolate sauce, peanut butter shell (!), salted peanuts, and dark chocolate chips. And then, as if all of that wasn't enough, THEY LET ME GET MY SUNDAE IN A WAFFLE CONE!

 

Peanut butter shell? Sundae in a waffle cone? It was almost too much to handle. Almost. I handled it.

They serve Sweet Ritual ice cream in local restaurants and sell it by the pint both at the shop and at Wheatsville Co-op. As always, I recommend going straight to the source.

But wait, there's more. A few months after I returned from my trip, Sweet Ritual started selling their salted caramel sauce in a bear! I got a bunch online from Rabbit Food Grocery and it was just as good as you are imagining. Okay, maybe better.

Good news: Rabbit Food Grocery is now a storefront as well as an online merchant!
Bad news: I haven't been able to find the caramel sauce selling online anywhere recently.
Possibly good news: Just yesterday Sweet Ritual announced that the bears are back, so hopefully they'll be available sometime soon!

 

For some reason, 89 was really not into the cute little bear army and that made it even funnier.

I don't mean to belabor it, but along with pouring it on ice cream, I also made amazing samoa fronch toast for VM with the caramel sauce for Mother's day:

Obviously Sweet Ritual is an absolute MUST VISIT if you're in Austin.

Please bring me something back.