Food @AS220

Food@ AS220
103-105 Empire St
Providence, RI 02903
401-831-FOOD
website

Food is the reincarnation of Taqueria Pacifica.  I'm pretty much in love with their philosophy of cooking from scratch and working with local farmers and vendors.

The setting is funky and the crowd is a random mix.  AS220 is the non-profit community arts and performance space in the area, so that makes sense. 

When you get there, pick up a menu and order at the counter.  Once you pay, they'll give you a playing card that serves as your number to pick up your food.   You have to love that they say, "We are an equal opportunity eatery.  Please alert us of any food allergies or aversions and we will administer appropriate alchemy to accommodate you."

Just about everything on the menu has a vegan option.  I've been there four times now and have enjoyed almost every dish.  I'm not a huge fan of the vegan Spicy Portuguese open faced sandwich though.  On the other hand the Herb Roasted Chicken Seitan with lentils and veggies is awesome.  I also highly recommend the vegan Cauliflower Empanada and the Crispy Chickpeas side dish.

 Cauliflower Empanada

Crunchy Chickpeas

There's plenty of on street parking available in Providence!

*Note about AS220: This performance space is unique. They have artists in residence and various shows throughout the week. There is almost always graphic art or photography in the gallery. Nights you find poetry readings, musicians, and film presentations. Thursday the Poetry Slam takes place and the show is a must see. Saturday afternoon in the cold months, AS200 hosts a winter farmer's market.

Peace o' Pie

Peace o' Pie

487 Cambridge St

Allston, MA 02134

617 787 9884

Website

Sunday, I headed into Boston to visit the SOWA (South End Open Market). Since I was already in the city, I decided to try one of the new vegan restaurants.

Peace o' Pie opened up in the old skeleton of TJ Scallywaggles, near Grasshopper in Allston. They did a great job cleaning up the store front. Seriously, it no longer looks like it was designed by elementary school kids. The counter is redone with with sustainable bamboo and the kitchen area is spotless. There are handful of nice tables and chairs for customers who stay to dine in.

The menu is definitely more upscale and gourmet than the old digs. They use Follow Your Heart cheese, though it can be upgraded to Daiya for a small fee. In addition, both Dandies vegan marshmallows and Daiya cheese is available for sale.

I checked out the menu and opted for "The EP" which is: Smoked tempeh, sundried tomatoes, sauteed spinach, and garlic. Based on what I'd heard from other folks, I also ordered a side of breadsticks. For my first visit, I chose to stick with FYH. Next time, I'll give Daiya a try. While waiting for my pizza, I got a feel for the atmosphere.

The new owners are really great folks. They checked in with any of the tables, cleared plates, and delivered orders to folks who were waiting. The vibe was a lot different than the self service attitude of TJ's.

When my pizza was done, I grabbed it to go and headed home. The car smelled wonderful and I ended up sampling one of the breadsticks on my way back. They were full of garlic and "buttery" flavor and the texture was just great. At home, I gave the pizza try. The crust is a far cry from the cardboard base that their predecessor used. The topping mix they came up with was wonderful and the sauce was just right. All in all, I was very impressed and can't wait to visit again the future.

They have daily specials on the board, so check those out. On the counter, they had some mighty fine looking desserts. One of the customers was gushing about how great the cinnamon peanut butter roll was. I'll have to snag one, next time.

Plenty of free on street parking available.

Below is a pic of my pizza. It doesn't really do the pie justice!

Prana Raw

Prana Raw Cafe
292 Centre St
Newton, MA
617 527 7726
Website

Prana is the newest raw restaurant to the Boston scene. I've enjoyed Organic Garden in Beverly, but the food is definitely a little on the "granola" side. Grezzo is amazing, but it is very high end. Prana falls right in the middle. This includes price as well as food.

The restaurant is very bright and cheery. There is a children's club house/seating area and a children's menu. Since the family that owns the restaurant has 3 young children, they definitely know how to cater to a more picky palate.

The staff was extremely friendly even though we showed up shortly before closing. We were never rushed at all. I had the burger with kale chips. It was very good! On the way out, I ordered the chocolate torte to go. When I dug into it later, I found a very creamy chocolatey pie.

Prana is great and I'm looking forward to when they are open in the evening too. For now, you can only stop in for breakfast or lunch!

Lots of on street parking is available. The closest public lot is on Pearl St.

United BBQ

United BBQ
146 Ives St
Providence, RI
401 751 9000
Website

United BBQ is a chic new BBQ joint. They try to use local produce, recycle their cooking oil, and offer many vegetarian and vegan options on their menu. Plus, they deliver using a Smart Car!

The first time I tried their food, my office was placing an order for delivery. I got the Red Beans & Rice withe Vegan Sausage and Cole Slaw. This was a great meal. My more omnivorous co-workers also raved about the food.

The other night I stopped in at United with some friends. The restaurant is small, but there are picnic tables outside for nice summer nights. You can see the kitchen where they cook which is always a plus for me. This time I got a the Seitan Tamales which were absolutely amazing. If you are a fan of BBQ, stop by!

Plenty of on street parking is available.

Malachi's

Malachi's
134 Ives St
Providence, RI 02906
401 861 2977
Website

We stumbled upon Malachi's after we stopped for dinner at United BBQ next door. This is a cool coffee bar with lots of vegan options. They serve organic fair trade coffee and offer either soy or hemp milk for those looking to avoid dairy.

The night we stopped in, there was a sign outside advertising vegan brownies and cookies. The brownies were very good. The menu listed vegan lentil soup, Tofurky sandwiches, hummus, Tofutti cream cheese, Earth Balance, and even soynut butter. They also have smoothies!

The owner was super nice and told me all about the vegan offerings and chatted with us for quite awhile before we headed out to the movies. As we left, he told us to stop by and tell him about the film on our next visit!

Fiore's Bakery

Fiore's Bakery
55 South Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617 524 9200
Website

Fiore's is a standard bakery that happens to offer a large amount of vegan treats. You'll find cookies, tarts, truffles, pies, cup cakes and loads of other goodies to appease your vegan sweet tooth. They are located just a short way from the Arboreatum in Boston, so you can easily make a stop at Fiore's into a a day trip.

On our visit we tried an orange spice cookie and two of the tarts (gluten free, BTW) Both the peanut butter and the chocolate tarts were delicious. The cookie was mighty tasty as well.

Kafe Lila

Kafe Lila
The Grant Building
250 Main Street
Pawtucket, RI
401 305 3050
Website

Kafe Lila is a funky little Italian coffee house in downtown Pawtucket. Honestly, it is a great place to just kick back for a few hours. Cool antiques adorn the walls and mismatched vintage sofas and chairs make up the lounging space.

They are veg*n friendly, offering soy milk in the beverages and at least one vegan sandwich. While there today, I noticed they had vegan zucchini chocolate bread available along with some other not so vegan pastries. Guess what else they serve? Vegan ice cream! Yes, the folks at Kafe Lila make their own small batch ice cream and generally offer 3-4 vegan flavors. This afternoon the vegan flavors included: Strawberry Ginger, Rhubarb, Coconut, and Vanilla Lemon Ice. We tried the Coconut and the Strawberry Ginger which were fabulous. If Lila's hours don't work for your schedule, you might find comfort in the fact the Nice Slice also sells KL's vegan ice cream until 2am.