Review: Vegetarian Friendly Grub and Green Juice at Town Hall

A couple weeks ago I met up with my friend Heather for a quick after work birthday dinner at Town Hall in Ohio City. She has a baby and he's on a pretty strict schedule, so it can be difficult to schedule an appointment with her. For months I've been trying to take her out in honor of her July birthday but something kept coming up. (better early than late, right?) We always try to go somewhere new or different for her birthday, so...off to Town Hall we went.

I don't drive myself to Ohio City all that much, and I happened to stumble upon the free parking lot directly behind Town Hall. I got there right before 6:00 pm on a Thursday and the lot was pretty full because of happy hour, but I got a spot pretty easily. (that wasn't the case when I left closer to 8! it was packed!!)

I waled through the back patio entrance and walked past some lounge-y looking vinyl couches, huge high top tables, and a large rock wall/water feature. It was definitely pretty back there and you didn't feel like you were practically sitting in a parking lot in Ohio City. Then I walked through a huge door into the restaurant in an attempt to find the hostess. It's a little confusing to figure out where to go because there's a bar to the right, a bar to the left, and all sorts of seating everywhere. But I found her way at the front of the restaurant and asked for a patio seat. She told me there weren't any available...I protested and said I'd just walked through a somewhat empty back patio and she explained that there was a private party going on. I told her I work in a cubicle and would kill to see some sunshine, so I'd wait...but then suddenly a couch in the back patio area became available.

It was cougar central on the back patio. Made me laugh a little. The vibe outside and in was definitely "this is a place you go to meet people and be seen." But that's ok by me. I obviously wasn't there to meet anyone, so while I waited for Heather, I ordered a super delicious (and super cheap at only $4.50) green thumb green juice drink made out of kale, celery, lemon, ginger, and apple. It had just the right mix of greens and apples so it didn't taste like you were drinking fresh cut grass. It was actually pretty refreshing.

Green Thumb juice

 I did have to laugh, though, when a server delivered my drink to the table. "Kay-leee juice? Who ordered the kay-lee juice?" I assumed she meant kale (siiigh) so I took the drink. I had to laugh. I guess I just assume that kale is super popular and everyone knows how to pronounce it, but...apparently not.

I check out menus before I head to any restaurant and I was really happy to see that Town Hall has a clearly labeled AND vegetarian friendly menu. There are a ton of gluten free options, too, along with many vegetarian items that can easily be made vegan by omitting cheese, etc. There's everything from burritos, to rice bowls, to salad and pizzas. I love it when I can order more than just the token vegetarian salad on a restaurant's menu.

Thai bowl with tofu

I ordered a Thai bowl with tofu. I looked pretty promising, but...it was mainly rice with a small handful of veggies and tofu doused in a peanut sauce that could have used a little something. It was ok but not great. (my friend had a burger that was just ok, too...but she loved her fries) I won't hold that against Town Hall, though. When I went, I don't think they'd been open for even a month, and I know it can take a little while to get the recipes just right on a menu. I still give them an A for effort for offering delicious juice and lots of vegetarian options. 

I've read a ton of Yelp reviews for Town Hall and many of them talk about bad service. We didn't have that experience. We had to flag someone down to get silverware and I might have liked some more water but nothing was terrible. Again, I can cut a restaurant some slack when it's new and overflowing with people during happy hour. 

I bought a discount gift certificate through Cleveland Independents (there are still some available!) and I hope to go back sometime soon to see how everything is coming together over at Town Hall. I think it's a great addition to Ohio City and has the potential to be the new hot spot in the neighborhood. 

June Dinner in the Dark at Good 2 Go Cafe

Have you heard of Dinner in the Dark? Held monthly, these mystery dinners feature 6 courses created by 6 different local chefs. (and are paired with 6 drinks, but that's less important) When you purchase your ticket to a Dinner in the Dark event, all you know is where you need to show up, and the theme for the night. I've always, always, always wanted to go to one of these mystery dinners but the upcoming Dinner in the Dark event on June 17 is THE first all vegetarian event that they've held.

The upcoming Dinner in the Dark event is being held at Good 2 Go Cafe in downtown Cleveland. Tickets ain't cheap - $87.05 per ticket including Eventbrite fees - but I don't think they should be cheap. You're getting 6 courses of quality food paired with drinks. I know I've spent more than the cost of one ticket on 6 drinks in a night. Easily. And although this event is pricey, the proceeds from every Dinner in the Dark event benefit a charity. In this case, the selected charity is Veggie U, an Ohio organization dedicated to combating childhood obesity, teaching children about healthy eating choices, and also promoting sustainable agriculture.

So as I like to say, I'm putting my money where my mouth is and I purchased two tickets. I'm excited to finally get a chance to go to a Dinner in the Dark event...because any organization in Cleveland that wants to embrace/encourage/support vegetarianism is ok by me. (and now I can finally stop tweeting to them asking them to hold a meat free event...for at least a little while!)

Will I see you there?

Recap: Mad About Mushrooms Cooking Class at The Chubby Cook

In January, I blogged about the fantastic raw foods class I took at The Chubby Cook in Beachwood.  I have been traveling like a maniac for work and have missed out on quite a few other classes I would have liked to sign up for, but this past Monday, I had the opportunity to take another class.  It was called Mad About Mushrooms and featured a smorgasbord of mushroomy dishes. 

My prep station

I realize that not everyone likes mushrooms.  Which, as a girl who can eat an entire container of sliced mushrooms in one sitting, seems crazy to me.  But I know that we all have our own tastes.  I've learned over time to ask people if they enjoy eating mushrooms when I have them over for dinner, because more than a couple people have turned their noses up at what I consider to be the best recipe I've ever made - Heather's Mushroom Gnocchi.

The fruits of our labor. And what we had for dinner.

In this hands on class, we all got to try our hands at making a variety of mushroom dishes - everything from Caesar salad with grilled mushrooms (minus the Worchestire sauce, obviously), to polenta with mushrooms in a fig and port wine sauce, to mushroom Bolognaise (which I plan on making for Sunday dinner this week), and baked mushrooms in a rich gravy.  I got a bunch of great recipes to take home and I learned two very important things - 1. I should never use a normal sized Santoku knife because I will probably lose a finger and 2. you shouldn't scrub mushrooms - just lightly wipe them off with a damp towel.  Why a damp towel, you ask?  Because they absorb lots of water (which can make them rubbery when you cook them) and the dirt they is on them really isn't "bad" dirt.  Mushrooms are grown in a sterile environment, so even if you don't get every particle of dirt off, it's not going to hurt you.  This was a life changing revelation for me and my mom.  She's made fried mushrooms for holidays for as long as I can remember, and collectively, we've spent hours peeling and washing mushrooms to get the dirt off.  D'oh!



I think they need bigger plates. I could have eaten so much more. Oh wait, I did.

If you're not familiar with The Chubby Cook, it's an excellent cooking school/catering company/homestyle meal provider in Beachwood.  There are always vegan and vegetarian cooking classes on the schedule, as well as some more traditional, meat based classes.  I know this bothers some vegans and vegetarians, but it doesn't bother me.  And although you might not agree with me, I think it's a little ridiculous to not attend a class at a school that doesn't exclusively offer vegan and vegetarian classes.  (Although if you are looking for something like that, check out Foodgazi.)   The Chubby Cook himself, Scott, has been nothing but supportive of the vegan and vegetarian community in Cleveland.  But to expect him to try and run a profitable business offering only vegan and vegetarian classes in meat and potatoes Cleveland right now seems unreasonable right now.  But that's just my $.02.  I like to put my money where my mouth is, and I will continue to take classes at The Chubby Cook, and I will encourage my vegan and vegetarian friends to do the same.  Change doesn't come overnight.  Cleveland will probably never be an all vegan or vegetarian city, but we need to support the people who are helping our cause and encouraging people to be more open minded about eating plant meat based meals.