Brunch: It’s hard to believe but we are on vacation! I mean a real vacation, without working. Well without too much working. Take this blog for example. Is this work?? As usual, we went to bed late, got up too early and took a 6:24am flight to Fort Lauderdale. We were so hungry when we landed. We found a place that was heavenly, located near where we were going to be staying: the Gourmet Garden Cafe. We sat outside to soak in the Sunshine State’s best asset. We each ordered some Green Heaven with parsley, cilantro, cucumber, celery, broccoli, green apple, spinach and kale. I asked for “no apple” as usual. When they both arrived they tasted identical, both “sans la pomme” but Gary had no trouble getting it all down without the splash of sweetness. This was a good juice.
My dish was delish – with Portobello Mushroom Slices,Sweet Potato and a fabulous Kale/Apple/Cabbage/Almond Slaw.
Gary got the Baked Falafel Wrap with freshly made tahini and hummus.
But it wasn’t enough. We were feeling bottomless. We got a side of Hummus. Okay that did it. It was great hummus, not too salty like so many of those store bought brands including Sabra, the worst hummus on the planet, IMO.
Dinner: Later after settling in we set out to discover the area of Lauderdale-By-The Sea. If you can believe it, we were still hungry. Lucky for us we discovered we were very close to the Green Bar Kitchen location on Galt Ocean Drive. It has a smaller menu than the 17th Street location and is considered their test kitchen. We were ready for the test! Coconut Burger?? Okay, I got one, with slaw. Wow, what is this?? It’s amazing. It reminded me of the Filet O Fish sandwich I used to get when I was a kid only it didn’t have the fishy taste. Maybe that’s because this coconut burger was light in color and DEEP FRIED. It’s been forty years since I’ve had a deep fried fish sandwich and I haven’t missed the experience one bit. However, after eating this I am confident those looking to transition off of the animal and onto a plant based lifestyle will find the coconut burger at Green Bar Kitchen a welcome splurge.
And speaking of splurging, Gary ordered the Traditional Straight-Up Pizza with Tomato sauce, mozzarella, garlic, basil, olive oil, and a soy based vegan spicy Italian sausage crumble. I tried a slice and it was really flavorful but, again, way too greasy for me but Gary loved it and said it reminded him of a the sausage pizza he used to get many years ago in his pre-vegan days at a local pizza parlor in San Francisco. Here’s to making new cruelty free traditions!
Evening: We found some essential food favorites for cooking “at home” at the local Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. I forgot to pack some of our teas so we picked up a box of Trader Joe’s Well Rested Herbal Tea. It has Chamomile Flowers, Lemon Grass, Spearmint Leaves, Tilia Flowers, Peppermint Leaves, Passionflower Leaves, Blackberry Leaves, Orange Blossoms, Hawthorn Berries and Rosebuds. This is officially our evening while-on-vacation tea.
The coconut burger looks beyond! And ……….. “Local SF hood sausage pizza” = North Beach Pizza!!! Fond memories of some of the best pies this side of the Atlantic!