Food and Drink in the Midwest

I've been meaning to write several posts about my almost-two-week trip back to Iowa and Wisconsin, but time just hasn't permitted it. There are several other things I should be doing right now, but I don't feel like doing any of them.

So, food in the midwest.

It can be difficult being a vegan in the midwest. My family are really great about me being a vegan and they are amazingly accommodating. I have learned which fast food places are vegan friendly, and I stopped in Madison and Iowa City to pick up vegan-friendly food at various times. Even at the Large Family Gathering with my cousins, it was never an issue.

I did have to make some adjustments (as is to be expected), and I ate Boca Brats at Lambeau (and they are not vegan). But, for the most part, it was pretty easy.

So... some highlights...

Iowa

Spotted Cow. What I did on my vacation. 

I purchased the Spotted Cow in Madison (at the Hilldale Sentry--wow, how things have changed) before heading to Iowa. To say I love this beer is an understatement. I took this picture at my brother's house... it's a good representation of what I did on my vacation. I bought two 12-packs at 9:30 AM, threw them in the car, and carted them around with me for te rest of the trip.

Millet Salad from Leaf Kitchen in Iowa City. It was supposed to have feta on it, I think. This was pretty great on a hot summer day. 

Cantelope and star anise sorbet, The Leaf, Iowa City. Refreshing.

Red velvet cupcake from Fair Grounds Coffeehouse, Iowa City.
My response when I saw this: Holy Shit.  

Red velvet, eaten. The cupcake was so red, it stained the
plate--as it should.

Fair Grounds is an all-veggie/vegan restaurant with an all-vegan bakery. When Mom first described it to me she said it was "granola." Living in granola headquarters, I needed a break from it. But when we got there, it was really more college hipster than hippie. And when I found out all the baked good were vegan, I became physically overwhelmed. There were so many choices I didn't know what to do. Mom told me to get whatever I wanted and get it to go... So I chose four cupcakes. This one, a red velvet "muffin" (a cupcake without the frosting"; a lemon-raspberry cupcake (lemon sake with a raspberry filling); and a s'more cupcake.

There is an amazing restaurant in Iowa City called the Red Avocado. If you are in the Iowa City area, go. it is all vegan and all amazing. Every time I go I have amazing food that I try to take pictures of, but they never turn out. The Red Avocado is in the basement of a house and it is very dark... meaning bad pictures. But... the jalapeno  bruschetta I had that was so hot I could barely eat it... yet I couldn't stop.

My grandmother'c coffee cup.

My grandmother used to drink watered-down coffee and hot tea (made from instant iced tea) from this cup. While I was at the family cabin I found her coffee cups in the back of the cabinet, and I used them the entire time I was there. My stepmom sent them home with me. Interestingly enough, I spill out of them just like Grandma, proving the spilling was due to the cup, not the user.

Sour cream, dill (I think), and potato waffle from Fair Grounds Coffee in Iowa City. I stopped on my drive from Iowa back to Wisconsin. 

Wisconsin

Taco plate, Pasqual's, Madison.

Pasqual's is now at Hilldale Mall. Well, the original one is still in the same general location (it moved a few blocks), but they expanded. I swung through Madison on my way to LJ's house and I stopped at Hilldale to look for something at Macy's (they didn't have it) and grab lunch. Mmmm.... Pasqual's. It was good, but not quite the same without the multi-colored walls and mismatched furniture. I'll admit there is better food in Madison than Pasqual's, but there is something very comforting about it. Plus, Hilldale was easy to get to (and about a block from where I lived), and since classes had just started, I didn't feel like getting even remotely close to campus.

Vegan pasty from Honeypie Cafe, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Pasties aren't exclusive to Wisconsin, but to me they will always be a Wisconsin/Upper Michigan thing. They are a remnant of the (mostly) Cornish miners that settles in the UP and southwest Wisconsin--where you will find pasties on the menu of almost every restaurant. After I graduated from college and moved in with my mom in Wisconsin (how I ended up on the state, if anyone was wondering), I worked at a local museum for the tourist season. It was a museum that highlighted the influence of both the mining history (predominantly lead and zinc and much of it done by Cornish immigrants), and the two local men who bought several of the old mining cottages and turned one of them into a restaurant called Pendarvis (also the name of the museum). What was on the menu at Pendarvis? Pasties. Pasties are normally a mix of beef and root vegetables. In the UP they are served with gravy, in southwest Wisconsin they are served with chili sauce. This was a pasty of just root vegetables and it was so very good and so very Wisconsin. Washed down with a Spotted Cow, of course.

Vegan mixed berry and peach pie from Honeypie Cafe, Milwaukee. I want this right now. 

Curried carrot soup from Kavarna in Green Bay.  

A very simple hummus pita from Kavarna. it was lovely in its simplicity. 

Baked falafel wrap from Kavarna. 

Kavarna is Green Bay's only veggie/vegan restaurant. There used to be a vegan raw place, but they closed. And the Green Frog is veggie-friendly, but I didn't make it there this time around. But LJ and I couldn't find Kavarna  because it had moved to a larger location (just down the street). This made me happy to see. The food was amazing--this soup was spectacular and I had it two days in a row)--and it was always busy.

Pabst Blue Ribbon, Nomad World Cafe, Milwaukee. 

There's a long story behind this can of PBR. I hate shitty beer. Hate it. I can afford better, so why drink it? When I got together with JC for our annual drinkfest, we started at The Comet, a place we both like a lot. I had intended to eat there since they are very vegan-friendly, and I know JC wanted me to try their vegan ribs. However, after drinking multiple Spotted Cows I was somehow talked into going to some hipster bar down the street. They had Spotted Cow on tap, because most Wisconsin bars do, but they also had a special: one PBR, one shot of Jameson, and a Camel cigarette for $5. I stuck with Spotted Cow (and water) while JC hit the PBR/Jameson special. After a few hours, I caved and went with the $5 special. How was it? The Jameson was good. The PBR was disgusting. I only drank part of it, though, since JC and I shared most of it as we stumbled back to his place after what ended up being a marathon day-drinking session. But when I announced I would get the $5 special and drink the PBR, JC looked genuinely shocked. While this could have been a photograph of any can of PBR, I know it is the shitty beer I drank--and that is JC's hand holding a candle next to the PBR so I could get a better shot of the disgusting beer I was about to drink.