Falafel in Boston (Another reason never to leave Worcester)

Last week I set up a veg table at the Grinding Tapes showcase show at Church in Boston. (Not at a church, the venue is called Church.) The show was wonderful. Dylan and The Points North debuted some new songs and I talked to some cool people about why being a vegetarian is a good idea. Lots of people took stickers and some people even signed our Meat’s Not Green petition. Overall, a great night. I do have one pretty major complaint: the falafel in Boston is pretty universally terrible.

falafel-hidyan

I’m not a picky eater. And falafel is my favorite food. It doesn’t take much to impress me when it comes to falafel, or really anything deep-fried for that matter. That said, the falafel wrap I got from Hidyan was probably the worst I’ve ever eaten. It was goopy and tasted a little like soap.

Let’s back up a little bit. Towards the end of the night, the table at the show was going a little slow, so I ducked out of the venue to check out what food options there were nearby. Hidyan Cafe was right across the street and it looked promising. It looked like it was mostly a take-out pizza and falafel place. These are usually the spots to find killer falafel. Pro-tip: you’re probably not going to find amazing falafel at some fancy-pants Middle Eastern restaurant.

So I walked across the street, pysched to try some new falafel, but the whole affair started off on the wrong foot. When I ordered the wrap, I asked if they used yogurt in their tahini. She assured me they did not, but after a couple of minutes into constructing the wrap she told me that they do put dairy in the hummus. Weird. Who puts dairy in hummus? I’ve never heard of that. Apparently the guy next to me was thinking the same thing, because he asked the woman behind the desk about it. She explained that she thought chickpeas hurts your stomach, so she adds milk to the hummus. Why would anyone ruins such a wonderful food by putting dairy in it? So I got a falafel wrap without any hummus or other sauce. Bummer.

As far as presentation goes, the wrap looked pretty alright. But after the first bite, I was done with it. There was some weird chemical after-taste and a questionable white substance dripping out the bottom. On the bright side, the root beer was pretty satisfying.

Maybe I’ve been spoiled by falafel in Worcester. We have so many places in town that sell kick-ass falafel for dirt-cheap. Plus we are home to Bay State Bakery, so our falafel joints get the freshest of the fresh Syrian bread. You just can’t beat falafel in Worcester.

Do you know of any good falafel places in Boston?

July 2, 2009   Posted in: Bay State Bakery, Worcester, boston, deep fried goodness, falafel, tabling, veg advocacy  No Comments

Quan Yin is closed for good. New vegan biz opening in its place.

We knew it was coming, but I didn’t realize it was going to happen so quickly. Quan Yin is now closed.

heartbreak-city

Here’s the funny part: A new Quan-Yin-style vegan restaurant is opening in its place. Apparently the new people are from the same religious group as Joanne and Tye (who run Buddha Hut). So it seems to me like it’s not going to be very different than before…

June 30, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Farmers Markets Everyday in Worcester, Summer + Fall 2009

main-south-farmers-market

When the Main South farmers market launched in early June, I asked: Are you getting your food from one of Worcester’s farmers markets? Well, now all of our city’s farmers markets are in full swing. You can find more info about the Main South market and the details for the other 5 markets in the new issue of Worcester Magazine.

Worcester’s 2009 Farmers Markets:

Mondays
June 15-Oct. 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler St., Beaver Brook parking lot

Tuesdays
July 7-Oct. 27, 1-5 p.m.
51 North Lake Ave., Umass Medical

Wednesday
June 15-October 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler Street, Beaver Brook parking lot

Thursday
June 18-Oct. 29, Noon-5 p.m.
215 E. Mountain St., Salem Covenant Church

Friday
June 15-Oct. 30, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
306 Chandler St., Beaver Brook parking lot

Saturday
June 6 –Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Corner of Benefit & Main streets

We’re lucky here in Worcester, because you can find a farmers market open every day of the week (except Sunday). They’re a great way to get affordable, fresh, locally-grown fruits and veggies. Plus you can get some vegan pastries from Barely Legal Treats at the Main South market. Yum!

June 25, 2009   Posted in: Barely Legal Treats, Worcester, Worcester Mag, artichoke food coop, community, events  No Comments

Big Y Features New Veg Sandwiches + Wraps

Big Y on May Street in Worcester is now featuring some vegan wraps and sandwiches in their deli section. Here are some recon photos taken by a VegWorcester field agent:



A couple weeks ago, I heard a rumor about them, but when I stopped by the Big Y I didn’t actually find them myself. I asked the woman behind the deli counter about them. She had ordered one batch to see how they sold. Apparently they were popular because by the time I got there they were all gone! She told me they would re-order more and they now appear to be back on the shelf.

I wonder if this is a company-wide change or just this store adding more veg options. If you shop at a different Big Y, check out their deli section. Comment below with what you find.

If you do visit a Big Y and don’t find any, be bold. Ask the person behind the counter if they’ll order them for you. More vegan options means more people eating vegan. That, in turn, means fewer animals abused and killed in factory farms and significantly less greenhouse gases heating up our planet.

Have you tried these sandwiches? I’d love to hear a review.

Thank for the photos, Agent Beckx!

June 24, 2009   Posted in: Worcester, more veg options, rumors, veg advocacy  No Comments

Buddha Hut hosts all-you-can-eat buffet to benefit VegWorcester

It is now official. On July 11, 2009 Buddha Hut will host a $10 all-you-can-eat vegan buffet. Come anytime between noon and 7pm and one dollar from every purchase goes to support VegWorcester programs. This is how we’re celebrating the release of our 2009 Vegetarian Dining Guide to Worcester.

buffet

Help spread the word

June 19, 2009   Posted in: Worcester, buddha hut, community, deep fried goodness, east asian, restaurants  No Comments

Who Wants to Represent Worcester for International Vegan Bake Sale Week?

peanut-butter-stars

photo cred: Greg Opperman

Worldwide vegan bake sale week starts this Saturday. It runs June 20-28. Do you want to put together a vegan bake sale in Worcester?

So far there are only three happening in Massachusetts: one in someplace called Byfield, one out in Northhampton and one down in Falmouth.

So who is going to step up and pull one together in Worcester?

June 18, 2009   Posted in: Worcester, cookies!  No Comments

Quan Yin is closing

Bad news, everyone. Joanne, the owner of Quan Yin, is closing up shop soon. At this point she may only have Quan Yin open for another week or two. This is a big deal for Worcester. To many people outside of Central Mass, Quan Yin is the vegan restaurant in our area. Yeah, it’s tiny. Yeah, it’s not the best atmosphere. But it is great vegan food for very little money.

She plans to collaborate with her brother, the owner of Buddha Hut. They will continue to cater events, have booths at festivals, and make yummy food at Buddha Hut.

So here’s an interesting aside: After Quan Yin closes, there may be another vegan-type business opening up in their old location. So Hamilton Street may still have a veg restaurants even after Quan Yin closes. The only way to know what’s going to happen is to wait for it to unfold.

I encourage you to stop in Quan Yin in the next week and tell Joanne how much you’ve appreciated her work running Quan Yin. And be sure to go to Buddha Hut. Did you know there there is going to be an all-you-can-eat buffet at Buddha Hut on July 11? You know, it’s a fund-raiser for VegWorcester. :)

June 16, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  5 Comments

Best mock-meats in Worcester?

Worcester’s vegetarian Renaissance continues…

Definitely pick up a copy of this week’s Worcester Magazine. There is the second installment of Soy de Worcester, a column about vegetarian dining and culture in our beautiful city. This week’s topic: Top places to get mock-meats.

If you’ve ever wondered where you can get a good vegan mock-meat dinner in Worcester, this article is for you. You’ll find 5 good tips.

Read it online: http://www.worcestermagazine.com/content/view/4190/36/

June 11, 2009   Posted in: Worcester, Worcester Mag, deep fried goodness, restaurants  No Comments

Photos from June’s Vegan Meetup at Maple Farm Sanctuary

June’s vegan meetup at Maple Farm Sanctuary in Mendon was a blast. We hung out with some cool animals, shared a nice potluck lunch and caught some sun. Here are some photos:



The next social meetup will likely be on July 11 at Buddha Hut in Worcester. There’s going to be an all-you-can-eat buffet fund-raiser for VegWorcester. Check back here for a flyer and more news about the Buddha Hut buffet. The best way to make sure you hear about it is to subscribe to the VegWorcester blog.

June 9, 2009   Posted in: Worcester, animal rights, buddha hut, community, events  No Comments

Want to help plan Worcester’s vegetarian renaissance? Come to the VegWorcester General Meeting on June 11

UPDATE: Sorry about the typo in the title. This post was about the June meeting, not the July meeting. The July meeting is July 2 @ 7pm, same location.

The Details

We’re having our monthly VegWorcester general meeting this coming Thursday at 7pm at 266 Olean Street, Worcester. It will be a potluck, so bring  a vegan dish to share. Need some recipes? Check out the post punk kitchen .

What’s on the agenda?

We finished our 2009 dining guide, so we need to book some more events where we can distribute it. We’ll also be planning a fund-raiser for July, discussing our restaurant outreach program, check-in about our new veg starter kit stands, get an update from the writer’s group, plan some neat events for the summer, make plans to move forward with the second incarnation of the reading & discussion group, talk about beginning to plan for the Veg Fest, maybe talk about adding new programs, etc. There’s lots of stuff going on!

Newbies welcome

Is there something you want to talk about? Bring your ideas. Or maybe you just want to volunteer? This is a great time for new-comers to get involved with VegWorcester.

Hope to see you there!

June 8, 2009   Posted in: 2009 Vegetarian Dining Guide, Worcester, activism, community, events, veg advocacy  2 Comments