Vegas Vegan Travels East

And there they go! The Vegas Vegan and child take to the skies on July 15th for a week long visit with family & friends on the east coast.

First stop: Albany, NY, to visit her one and only brother.

My brother was kind enough to purchase foods that I could eat: soy milk, Cheerios, fresh fruit, rice, broccoli, and even a trip to the store to indulge in some soy ice cream!

The problem came on Thursday morning when my brother suggested we go to the Saratoga County Fair. I didn't panic: before we left his house, I helped myself to a banana & a small bowl of cereal expecting that I would not find anything suitable to eat at the fair.

So where is a vegan going to find actual vegan food at a county fair? Just follow the big sign that says "Vegetarian Gyros" to a trailer with a guy making....gyros... After a quick ingredient check with the cook behind the grill, he proceeded to show me that the flat top grill was only used for bread & vegetables, the open flame was for the meats. (I'm not sure I 100% believed him, but I did not get sick after this meal, so I'm guessing he was telling the truth) He built me a beautiful gyro with green & yellow zucchini, broccoli & cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers & onions, cooked with olive oil & wine, served in a soft-grilled pita. He held the masterpiece in his hand before asking me: "The sauce has yogurt in it, do you want that or extra oil?" Be still my heart... I'll take the oil please.

Mediterranean carnival food:

After NY, we rented a car & drove to Williamstown, MA, to spend 3 days with my in-laws. The main even would be my husband's cousin's wedding. This had me the worried: would I find anything to eat??? Turns out, I had nothing to worry about!

Hors d'oeuvres were served, and I stood away from the food. Chicken satay, spring rolls, and various other animal related finger foods were circulating among the guests. One waitress walked up carrying a tray of corn cakes. "Do you know what's in these? I'm vegan and I'm just worried about eating something that isn't appro...-"

"Don't worry! I'll ask the chef what we have for you!" And off she trotted to the kitchen tent to confer with the chef. From this point on, I kid you not, I had my own personal server. She would make a line straight from the kitchen to me with the corn cakes (which turned out to be completely vegan - no eggs, either!) and samosas. Yumm-O! As we were finding our seats, she approached me with a plate. It had a pile of tomato/watermelon salad. "The chef wanted me to send this to you because the one that everyone else will be served will have feta cheese."

The buffet was vegan friendly! Sauteed vegetables and couscous were yummy and satisfying! The wedding was catered by Mezze, so if you're ever in the Berkshires looking for great food, check them out!

Mezze catering:
Read the entire account here!

Mezzo Bistro Italiano

It was our 11th anniversary yesterday. It started quietly like most anniversaries I can remember in the recent past: Matt waking in the early hours of dawn to go to work, waking me up with a kiss and a "Happy Anniversary" whispered in the dark. Usually I try not to say it back too loudly because I haven't brushed my teeth yet, but he doesn't seem to care. He left for a morning of cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary College in a traditional Hawaiian Luau cooking class. I heard a rumor that my banana smoothie was better than the tuna sushi he had for breakfast.

He returned home around 2pm asking if I wanted to try this new Italian restaurant he'd heard a review of on our local public radio station a few weeks ago. I was game for anything! But of course, being Italian & cooking "vegan" Italian is very different from going out for Italian where things are either covered in cheese or cooked w/a meat bone at the bottom of the pot.

He assured me he'd call ahead & talk to the manager about options. It wasn't the manager that got on the phone, it was the Chef himself: Chef Marcus Sgrizzzi! Matt told him that he was taking his vegan wife out for dinner and he was concerned that there wouldn't be anything for her to eat that wasn't appropriate. Chef assured Matt that there was a wonderful beet salad that he could make without the goat's cheese & that the kitchen would whip up anything I could think of - on or off menu. Whoa! Matt quickly made reservations for 5:30pm.

When we arrived at Mezzo, the host said to me, "Oh! You're our vegan tonight! Don't worry, you're going to have a great meal." Excitedly, we sat in our seats near the open kitchen and awaited our server. The waiter read off the specials to Matt then turned to me & said, "The chef has recommended that we start you with the beet salad, then he wanted to make you Linguini Aglio with oil, garlic & spices or a marinara sauce." I thought long & hard... I had just made homemade sauce last Sunday, let's go for the aglio - something I wouldn't make at home because I just don't have access to quality olive oils to make this dish. Eventually, I settled on the aglio, but would the chef add some porcini mushrooms to the mix? Of course!

Beet salad arrived - beets served w/frisee lettuce, balsamic vinegrette reduction & lots of cracked pepper. Simple ingredients, simple presentation, rustic Italian foods just the way I would make them at home. The bread was warm, soft, crusty & served with a dish of olive oil & lemon. After the appetizers (Matt had a bowl of Pasta Fagioli) arrived, the Chef appeared at our tableside.

"You're our vegan! I'm Marc," he introduced himself & shook hands with both of us. He apologized that there wasn't much to offer tonight, but hoped I would like the aglio his cooks were preparing for me. "It's not much, but the next time you come in, call the day before & let me know you're coming. I'll make you something spectacular!"

Ooooh.... two great things here: 1) he wants to make something extra special for me and 2) he's confident enough in his skills tonight to know I'll come back a 2nd time. Yay. I already like this guy.

The Aglio arrived with plenty of chopped garlic, porcini mushrooms and fresh pasta (traditional "pasta" from Italy cannot use anything other than semolina flour & water, salt & oil, to be classified as "pasta" - did you know this?) cooked perfectly al dente!

We did not stick around for dessert - we had big plans for gourmet chocolate at Caesar's Palace.

Mezzo is located just a few miles from our home so we are certain to patronize them again! The prices were spectacular: entrees were $12 each, appetizers under $10. We walked out of there for $54, but left a hefty tip to show our appreciation to our attentive waiter, host & chef.

If you're coming to Vegas, please rent a car & take a trip up to Mezzo Bistro Italiano. And of course, let me know you're coming so I can go with you!!!!

MEZZO BISTRO ITALIANO:

Mezzo Bistro Italiano
4275 N. Rancho Rd.
Las Vegas NV
702.944.8880
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