I've noticed plenty of people wrinkle their noses at the mention of eating something vegan, as if it must be bland and horrible. In reality, sure there are plenty of boring vegan dishes out there, but a chef that knows flavor can bring it to any dish. TownHall is proof that you can eat vegan and eat happy. Aside from having plenty of daily vegan options, they have a special vegan menu on Mondays. You don't have to be a vegan to enjoy vegan dishes. What's wrong with taking a break from meat once in a while? There are plenty of health and environmental benefits to eating less meat. The world's current meat consumption isn't sustainable so at some point meat won't be as available as it is now. Thankfully, there are chefs out there working hard to make vegan dishes enjoyable to the masses.
TownHall's Black Bean Hummus is a dish vegan and non-vegans alike can adore. If you like hummus and jalapenos this is a must try. I really loved the heat; it creeps up on you and stays with you, but packs tons of flavor too.
I was certainly surprised to see a Cesar Salad on a vegan menu, but it was an awesome side to this meal. Townhall's vegan friendly Cesar has all the creaminess of the traditional dressing with these wonderfully light croutons and very fresh, crisp lettuce.
The Pan Roasted Corncake came highly recommended and it was incredibly delicious. Crispy on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside. The avocado creme fraiche brought the whole dish together. The corncake rested on a bed of quinoa, which is one of those things that can give a vegan dish a bad name. Most of us have met a health buff or two who eat quinoa for every meal and it never looks appealing. I've certainly had plenty of bland quinoa, to the point that I don't look for it on a menu, but this was great! I'm always impressed by a chef that makes it well.
Cheese is something a lot of vegans miss. Thankfully there are some good vegan cheeses on the market these days, but to walk into a restaurant and be able to order a grilled cheese that anyone would love is a rarity. These Grilled Cheese Bars were some of the best grilled cheese I've ever had. The roasted roma tomatoes brought so much sweetness to the bars and worked very well with the sourdough. The tomato soup is worth a mention too. It was slightly sweet and very fresh; it tasted straight from the garden.
The Faux Pho: the name alone makes it fun to order. I was blown away by the chili marinated tofu. It had such bold and fresh flavor I could eat it everyday. The loads of fresh veggies were a great touch to this dish too. What I liked about this dish, and this went for all the vegan dishes, is that it isn't just a copy of Pho, it's a reinvention of it.
What a unique dish the Tofu Etouffee. I don't believe I've ever had blacked tofu before. It was very enjoyable. Another reinvention of a traditional dish; it had lots of bold flavor, but still had a wonderful balance.
Balance was a common thread for the entire meal. Each dish was perfectly balanced, not only in flavor, but texture as well. The produce was so incredibly fresh and high quality. Even the decor was balanced. From the long bar to the people watching heaven of the front patio - the place is beautifully designed.
Eating dessert out can be another pain for vegans. Milk and eggs are common in a lot of desserts. TownHall carries Samadhi Love's Vegan Gluten Free Desserts! Avoiding diary, eggs and gluten and still making a dessert taste amazing is a feat, but Samadhi is up for the challenge. She replaces those things with love and it shows. We tried her chocolate cookie that was so soft and light for being gluten free. If you've tried gluten free bread products, they are often rock-like in texture. We also tired the brownie that came with ice cream and caramel drizzle. The brownie had a great texture and creaminess from oats and avocado. The ice cream was made from coconut water and the caramel sauce was made with cashews.
I hope to see more people embracing vegan food. TownHall certainly makes it easy to eat vegan and still be a foodie. Do your part and skip the meat/dairy every now and then. If you're eating these dishes you'll enjoy it!
