Pattycake Vegan Bakery

Thankfully, there are some people in this world who are capable of making delicious, non-stomach-ache inducing vegan treats. (unlike me, that is) The folks at Pattycake Vegan Bakery in Columbus fit into that category.

I first read about this all vegan bakery in the last edition of Veg News a few months back. They were nominated for vegan bakery of the year or something similar and I was really impressed when I checked out their website. They make vegan and raw desserts that they sell in their adorable looking store and online. I can justify making road trips in the greater Cleveland area for gluttonous food (Melt, anyone?), but making a trip to Columbus seemed a little bit unreasonable. So I placed an online order. A sort of big order. I got a pumpkin whoopie pie, tollhouse cookies, a chocolate xo cookie, spelt fudge brownies, and a carrot cake cupcake. (Don't worry...I shared them...and what I did eat, I spread out across a few days.)

I could include pictures of nearly everything that I bought, but I don't want to make your mouth water. But I do want to point out that Pattycake recently won an award for using "green" packaging. The packaging on the cookies and whoopie pies is 100% biodegradable. Neat, huh?

My favorites were definitely the whoopie pie (who knew vegan cream could taste like, well...cream!), with its pumpkiny spicy flavor and the chocolate XO cookie. I love double chocolate anything and this cookie was fantastic. The brownie was fudgey and delicious and the tollhouse cookie tasted just like what mom used to make. (If you have a vegan mom, I guess.) The carrot cupcake tasted more like a muffin to me...a muffin the size of my head! I generally dislike anything with raisins in it (which this cupcake had), so that turned me off immediately. Like any decent carrot cupcake, the frosting was delicious, though. I was very pleased with my purchases.

Now that I've found a place to get my mail-order vegan treat fix, I need to find some local vegan goodies. Dear readers, do you have any suggestions on where I can get some delicious vegan grub closer to home?

Another Glenny's 100 calorie snack

Awhile back, I talked about Glenny's 100 calorie peanut butter brownies. And how I thought the little 100 calorie snack was just ok. If I'd tried the 100 calorie chocolate chip brownie, I think I would have been more impressed.

Granted, it's not the prettiest brownie I've ever seen, but what do you expect from a 100 calorie brownie? If you say a slightly healthy taste, you'd be dead on. But it also has a nice, rich, chocolate flavor. Years ago I used to eat Snackwells cookies, and I remember eating a type of chocolate cookie that tasted like this brownie - slightly decadent with an undertone of healthiness.

The next time I stop at Giant Eagle I'll be sure to pick a few more of these babies up. They really do make a good snack when you're craving something sweet. Although I'm not sure that I buy into the Glenny's claim (on the company's website) that these brownies can be used to help you lose weight. Maybe if you sub a 100 calorie brownie for a regular brownie? I dunno.

New favorite patio in Cleveland - L'Albatros

Last week my boyfriend and I decided to start out our long weekend with a trip to L'Albatros Brasserie and Bar. I'd read a favorable review on Yelp which indicated that there were "multiple" vegetarian options, so I felt I should give L'Albatros a try. (Especially after I looked at the menu online and saw that there's an entire section of the menu devoted to vegetarian items. Yay!)

So...I made my reservation through Open Table for 9:00 and arrived a smidge early. The hostess was extremely friendly and told us that it would be a few minutes until a a table outside would be ready and then escorted us to a really nice outdoor lounge to wait for our table.

I was really impressed with how nice the patio was. I really felt like I was in the backyard of a home pictured in Better Homes and Gardens or on a TLC show.

Needless to say, the ambiance scored major points with us.

We started out our meals with beverages. I had the L'Albatros - which consisted of absinthe, pineapple juice, lime juice, mint, and lemon lime soda. I think that combination of ingredients might be an acquired taste, but it wasn't horrible. My boyfriend had a beer. A beer is a beer to me since I don't drink them, so I have nothing to say about that.

Feeling extra hungry, I decided to order the mixed greens salad to start. It was a good salad. But I think it's fairly challenging to make a bad salad. When it came time to order our entrees, our waitress was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, asking questions about our preferences to see what entrees might best fit our taste preferences. My boyfriend got the hanger steak and frites and thought it was excellent. I decided on the root vegetable cassoulet, a creamy, mix of vegetables with goat cheese and breadcrumbs. It wasn't quite what I expected when I placed the order but it was definitely very good.

However, the highlight of our entire meal, besides the amazing ambiance and on the spot service was dessert. I've blogged about brownies more times than I can count, but I can honestly say that the warm chocolate brownie dessert that I shared with my boyfriend was the best brownie I've ever eaten in my life. Hands down. It was really a masterpiece. If it hadn't been too dark to take a picture, I may have framed the image to look longingly at whenever I'm hungry. Why was it so spectacular? First of all, it was a dark chocolate brownie, which made it extra rich. Secondly, it was perfectly warm - so the chocolate melted in your mouth leaving a rich chocolate flavor. Partnered with vanilla bean ice cream, the chocolate and vanilla flavors really left a great lingering sensation desserty goodness. That's the best way I can describe it. It was really quite incredible. Think delicious lava cake but a thousand times better.

I can definitely say that I'll go back to L'Albatros to enjoy the fantastic patio and the amazing dessert. I love supporting local businesses that recognize the importance of good service and also providing vegetarian options. (Hats off to you, Zachary Bruell!) If you're looking for a great place to have a relaxing and delicious meal, please run, don't walk, to L'Albatros.

Sweet Melissa's Brownies

So, last weekend I went to Sweet Melissa's for lunch with some of my friends and got two brownies to go. I purchased them on Saturday and patiently waited for my boyfriend to get home from a golf trip on Sunday so we could devour them together.

I bought two different kinds of brownies - the chocolate chip:

And the turtle:

I've been on a major brownie kick lately, and I'd have to say that these would rank pretty high on my list of delectable brownies. I liked the turtle brownie a little bit better because of the combination of nuts and sugary sweet caramel sauce on top. Sweet Melissa's offers many other dessert options - everything from cheesecake to brownies to torts. If you happen to be in the neighborhood and have a craving for dessert, be sure to stop by and check out their bounty of baked goods.

Rubber Hose Brownies

A few days ago, I talked about my most excellent brunch at Vine and Bean, but I didn't talk about the brownie I took home with me. Actually, brownies - plural. I don't like to share, and I thought it would be mean to scarf down what could be a delicious brownie before my boyfriend got home. Especially since he's been kind enough to pick me up brownies from White Flower Cake Shoppe before. These brownies looked delicious, and since they were lovingly made by Heather Haviland of Sweet Mosaic, who is known for making some of the most delicious and decadent pastries around town, I was pretty excited.

After our Sunday dinner, and after a nice, leisurely walk around the neighborhood, we sat down in front of the tube with our brownies. I'd followed the instructions that the girl at Vine and Bean had given me - I'd taken the brownies out of the fridge a good 15 minutes before we sat down to eat them. (She said that since the brownies were made with real butter, cream, etc., they needed to warm up in order for the "fats" to get to the appropriate taste levels.) So my boyfriend and I each took a forkful of brownie and hoped for the best.

What a let-down.

Our brownies literally tasted like a rubber hose. Which was not only unappetizing but a little disturbing. I'm not sure if we got some old brownies, or if they'd been too close to some rubber in the refrigerated case at the restaurant, but they tasted absolutely awful. (Something I hadn't expected after my excellent meal at Vine and Bean.) Since I've heard nothing but rave reviews about Sweet Mosaic's pastries, I'd definitely give another dessert a shot...but I don't think I could stomach another brownie. (Which is so sad because I LOVE brownies.)

Dandelion Soup is Surprisingly Delicious

After Running Like a God in the Hermes 10 Miler yesterday and then volunteering at Berea ARF as I do every other Saturday, I decided to treat myself to a vegetarian feast at Treehugger's Cafe in Berea. Many times, after working a shift at the cat shelter I'm either too tired or covered in fur to feel comfortable dining in, but I decided that I needed a little "me" time and took my place at the single seats at the "bar" and placed my order.

The 3rd best thing about Treehugger's after the delicious peanut butter brownies and the amazing chicken free chick pea patties is the great service. I noticed that the soups available were broccoli (which I've tried before - I thought it was good but not great) and dandelion. One of the super bubbly servers told me about all of the ingredients in the soup (dandelion, squash, carrots, zucchini) and let me know that it was vegan. I must have still looked indecisive because she got me a sample to try. And I'm SO glad she did. It was surprisingly delicious, so I ordered an entire bowl.

It had a little bit of a kick to it while still maintaining a slightly sweet flavor. I couldn't pick out all of the spices in the soup, but I definitely saw some dill floating around. I know, I know...this sounds like a wacky combination of spices and foods for a soup but it was really great. And not "vegan tasting." I've had plenty of vegan soups in particular that have been really bland and difficult to eat because of their lack of flavor.

I followed the soup with my favorite chickpea chicken free patty. It was delicious as always. Sometimes it comes on a hamburger bun (which I don't really care for), but this time, it came on some herbed bread from Breadsmith. I was so excited about my sandwich, I forgot to take a picture of it until after I'd eaten my Cuban rice side dish and half of my sandwich! I was also distracted by the live musicians who were in the house. Don't get me wrong, they were a good alternative-ish rock band, but I felt a little odd being 3 feet away from them.

After my organic food overload, I got a peanut butter brownie "to go" and headed home. I think if I ever have to have a last meal, I'll need to have one of these brownies for dessert. It's so decadent with a fudgey brownie layer and a thick, peanut buttery layer.

After eating delicious meals like this I always wish that 1. I lived closer to Berea and 2. that I weren't too lazy to make delicious meals like this on my own. Until then, I'll enjoy my bi-weekly feast.

Baker Babes Bakery

I've talked many times about my love of cupcakes and brownies. Through the power of the internet, I've discovered another local cupcakery (sort of) called Baker Babes Bakery. They started following me on Twitter so I decided to check out their website. After just one click, I was practically drooling. They make cakes, cupcakes, bars (brownies - yay!), muffins, breads, and more. Their website features pictures of some of their delectable delights and their blog shows even more of their products.

From what I can tell, these gals sell directly to consumers without a storefront. Orders must be placed at least 48 hours in advance and can be shipped nearly anywhere or delivered locally. Since I'm a self-proclaimed brownie monster, I think I'll have to place an order and see if their bars taste as good as they look...