picking favorites (and they're alll favorites) in Door County

So this past week it might’ve been a little quiet on my side! Spent a little weekend with the fam up in Door County (plus food stops in Milwaukee and Green Bay). 

WISCONSIN DISCOVERIES!

Green Bay- 3 vegan friendly restaurants. 1. Vita Rawstaurant- a raw vegan restaurant that is (sadly) closed on Sundays and Mondays, or else I would have gone!! Yelp! page here. (you know how much I adore yelp!) 2. Kavarna- a vegetarian coffeehouse, the adorable kind! But not many breakfast foods so… we decided on our way from Ann Arbor to Door County, to stop here: 3. the Urban Frog- a co-op with a vegan breakfast wrap and some great fresh juices (I enjoyed the body cleanse- apple, beet, cucumber… so fresh & so clean clean!) It’s super cute in here, and I guess the whole city has city-wide Wi-fi? This came in handy at our time-traveling stop next door…

the Somewhere in Time Antique Shop (in Green Bay)! Let alone being named after one of my all time favorite movies (I remember my dad watching the park scene when I was 5, for my wedding my brother in law transcribed the score for 5 violins for my entrance…. yes yes I really like that movie a LOT), At 159 N Broadway, this puts most resale/antique shops I’ve been to to SHAME with original Betty Grable movie posters, an old working glass bottle soda pop vending machine, and my favorite- a whole corner of vintage cameras!!! (enter excited face here!) I haven’t taken a class (yet) but I do adore photography. And as I can’t afford a fancy camera just yet, I’ve become quite enthralled with how old cameras sometimes allow you to see the world in a different way. That they have their own perspective, their own glasses for you to wear as you see the beauty that was there  20, 50, 100 years ago… Anyway blah-di bah blah you don’t want to hear me blab on but hey! I brought the laptop in and used that town-wide wi-fi to find out which cameras they had that film was still available for, and as it narrowed out the super cool 1950’s expandable and super heavy metal Polaroids (sold for over $100 at the time- how much is that today? a gazillion? ok, a lot. so although no one makes the film for it, you can convert it to take handmade film if you are- um- a camera genius? yeah, not me. hehe.), and decided on a beige and black all metal Revere Eye-matic EE127, from the 1950’s, for $32. Can’t wait to try it. 

whheeee! twirling in the wisconsin state park

DOOR COUNTY (DELIGHT!) So, the final destination (mwa-hahaha) for our trip, let me just say as a vegan girl/guy, you would not come here for the food. ever (fish boil city!). But, suffice to say there are options if you are here for say- the Cherry picking, wine-tasting, lush and never-ending state park, and lovely lovely plays (worth the sunset at intermission alone- come early with sandwiches!). Or if, perhaps, the smell of the town reminded you of your grandma’s house mixed with band camp, yes two of my favorite memories, and those might bring you here alone… TO EAT to survive- Greens & Grains (grocery store and cafe): had a vegan sandwich/wrap or two. Julie’s Cafe: is impressively accommodating for a town of 250 (!!) and will put a veggie chicken patty on pretty much anything on the menu, also has veggie breakfast sausage and an oatmeal breakfast that looked pretty yum. the Village Cafe- has a vegan burger, as well as garden & black bean (vegetarian)- veggie fajita, and a veggie bagel (minus the cream cheese) is “the local favorite.” 

Destroyed by Design- available at Brilliant Stranger in Door County or Online ($18-24)

Wisconsin Shopping Find! ::BRILLIANT STRANGER:: Not tucked away, but hanging out in the midst of all the rest of the cute, mom-and-garden focused Door County shopping is the Brilliant Stranger, a handmade renegade style shop of adorable fashion, jewelry, and resale. I felt right at home as I spotted Christy Robinson “not a nugget” necklaces and copies of How it All Vegan in the literary corner… and bought a Destroyed by Design cupcake bunny necklace for myself. (I haven’t taken it off yet- um, would you? check out the fawn to the left, to the left— the cutest necklaces come in a box to the left!)

Oooo and on the way back I discovered the BEST BEST BEST Pit Stop for vegans heading back to Chicago. The National in Milwaukee. Vegan breakfast burrito and french toast to die for- less than five minutes off the expressway. 

City-mouse has left the country. Over and out.

warmest,

soul veg at the taste! gyros-bbq twist-tamales-sweet potato pie

 If someone says “Chicago in the Summer” what’s the first thing you think of? in one word? and go! …and leanne’s word is–FESTIVALS! I had no idea other cities weren’t as fest obsessed as us until I visited others’ dog days and said- something’s missing!! I think it’s our way of making the most of every day of our short-lived hot weather by having 20 or so huge community gatherings every weekend and I love it (okay, maybe not twenty but lots! check out the city fest guide here, and suburb guide here)! Oh how I love it. I love the crowds (no, really!), the sun, the tents, the music…. ahh but what about the food?  The one thing that I didn’t jump for was a lack of options, though I never really minded enough to stay away.  The Taste became an annual tradition of watermelon and those fresh potato chips, then Nate and I would hop a bus to Chinatown for veg mushu and sesame almond milk drinks… 

Upton's Vegan Ribs at Ribfest (via Delicious Cafe) were Deelish-fest!

But this summer has turned a new page for veg-heads in chicago! 1. Rib Fest offered up a Vegan Rib option- created by the fabulous and local Upton’s, served up by the wonderful new Delicious Cafe (which I have YET to visit because our schedules just don’t jibe! soon though! soon!) 2. And this past week, the Taste became a feast of Soul Veg- gyros, tamales, bbq on a stick, all finished off with sweet sweet sweet potato pie. The tent was like it’s own little Meatout revolution with Chicagoans trying veg for the first time. It made me smile.

10/10 at the Pulaski Fieldhouse

Oh and hey! Besides normal fests going veg-friendly, there are two Veg Fests I’m getting excited for! 1. Veggie Fest in Naperville- August 8th and 9th- including the Diner, Karyn’s, and lots others. and Chicago VeganMania, which will be a huge Vegan Fest of food and fabulousness on October 10th at the Pulaski Fieldhouse in Wicker Park. You can join their facebook to keep in touch!  

SO YAY! What’s your summer obsession? If I visited your city this summer- let me know what not to miss!

warmest,