Tuesday, September 16, 2008

you don't have to say a word to me

Okay so the cooking is still not going so well, but with classes and work and homework..it can get difficult to find time to go to the store and get the stuff and make something delicious.
this past weekend i went up to Syracuse, New York for a football game. The football game was the downside, since syracuse lost, however, I did find my possible new favorite vegan restaurant?
I looked up on happycow before I left to see if there were any vegan places in the area..and only a few showed up, one being the Strong Hearts Cafe. I looked over the menu online and it looked really good, not to mention they had quite a list of flavors for milkshakes as well! Soo I wrote down the address and we luckily got a chance to go there after the game.

The cafe was inside of a building, which looked to be perhaps an old office building? I'm not sure really..but it was a good size, and had a bunch of tables for eating in. The menu when you first look above the cash registers and such was for all of their beverages..they had hot cocoa, brewed teas, many different coffee drinks(think cappucinos and machiatos with tons of different flavor shots!), and an extensive list of milkshakes, which i'll get to :)
The food menu was on the other wall across from when you come in, with a few salad options, a bunch of sandwich options including options like seitan, blt's, chicken and chickpea salad sandwich, etc. Not to mention an impressive looking breakfast menu, which is served all day, including french toast, waffles, pancakes, tofu scramble..etc..
I knew that after I ate I would want a milkshake, so I didn't want to fill up too quickly, so I chose a "chicken" caesar salad.

I was really excited to try the dressing, since I used to really enjoy caesar dressing. It was a darker color, but absolutely delicious! It had just the right amount of garlicy-ness to it that made it taste great. The croutons were also really crunchy and delicious. The chicken strips on top were very familiar to the morninstar chickn strips...I'm not sure if that's what they really used though, but I love morningstars so I loved these! The only thing missing is it would've been sweet to have some vegan parmesan on top, but hey..it was really good without.

This is the sundried tomato seitan sandwich with tomato and vegan mayo on it. I only had a bite, but it was really good! And the toasty-ness of it made it perfect.
So after eating, and trying to decide on which milkshake flavor to get, I decided on a favorite, Chocolate Peanut Butter

I've had a lot of milkshakes..before being vegan, but actually I haven't had one since being vegan. But this by far was the best milkshake, vegan or not, that I've had! It was soo perfect. I also got to try the chocolate coconut milkshake, which was also really good..especially if you love Mounds bars or just the combo of the two in general..it was really coconut-y but not too overly fake sweet coconut tasting. just right.
They also had plenty of baked goods at the front that the guy told me they make most of them there, such as mocha cupcakes, mint chocolate cupcakes, scones, whoopie pies, etc.
So if you're ever in the Syracuse area, definitely make a stop at the Strong Hearts Cafe. You will love it, i'm sure :)
Oh, and the best thing? On Fridays & Saturdays, they're open until 2 AM. oh I would kill for a vegan milkshake at 1 in the morning ;)

11 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

OMG, I *thought* you made the right decision when I read that you ordered chocolat peanut butter... but then I read further and saw the words "chocolate coconut". HOW DID YOU CHOOSE?! And why do they not have one of these places here in Texas?!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Hang in there with your schoolwork, Lauren!! Hope that the cooking gets better, and is fun :0)

Oooh, SENSATIONAL smoothie!!

I haven't been to Syracuse in YEARS - I need to visit a.s.a.p.!!

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Yum! That salad looks so good! I bet you had a hard time deciding which milkshake to order - good choice tough, you can go wrong with chocolate and PB!

Anonymous said...

I would not be able to choose between all those milkshakes..I would order like 5 at a time hehe

Bianca said...

I've never actually had a vegan milkshake! But the first chance I get, I will snatch one up! The salad looks great too! Good choice.

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Oooh, milkshake! I have heard good things about Strong Hearts!

tofufreak said...

lucky lucky lucky!! i so want to go to stronghearts!

Good luck with school and homework! :)

Anonymous said...

Ahh! ha milkshake sounds amazing! I love chocolate/coconut combo!

Theresa said...

Vegan milkshakes at 2 am? Sounds amazing. Of course, given Syracuse's long and awful winters, it's probably only amazing for about 6 months a year!

Unknown said...

I've never had a vegan milkshake before or thought to have coconut in one! The one you chose, as well as the dinner, looks amazing! I wish there were more all-vegan restaurants in Fort Worth...it's so nice not having to SEARCH on a menu for something to eat! Mmm and those baked goods sound delicious! Have a great week, girl! :0)

Tami said...

Oooh! I love Strong Hearts. We stop whenever we are traveling up to the Northeast. I love that seitan sandwich and you are so right, it's the crispyness that makes it.

If you go again, try something with cheese. They use Teese... if you have't already tried it, it's awesome!

Good luck with school!