After taking WOTV Healthy Eats Specialist Marguax Drake’s 28-day cleanse, I had a chance to see our city through a different set of eyes. What I learned is that while the city’s locally owned restaurants are getting better with their vegan/vegetarian choices (often a response to our community’s changing palate and health concerns), there are some places that are clearly out of sync.
So on the heels of new downtown chain restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings and the soon-to-arrive Bagger Dave’s -- where I found nearly vegan zero choices on their website beyond the obligatory salad sans the piles of cheese -- it is very refreshing to see another local restaurant take a dive into the vegan pool for a special one-day-only meal. SpeakEZ Lounge dips its toe in the healthy vegan waters with the assistance of the wildly popular, no-holds-barred restaurant review site for vegans looking to spend money on the town,
VeganGR.com.
The website, after reviewing more than 26 Grand Rapids eateries, has created a bit of a road map out of the vegan desert that used to be summed up by any number of servers as they recited, “Well, we have a salad bar." Oh, how the times have changed, and yet, we still have places that do not understand the trend moving towards plant-based diets and their benefits to not only the body, but to a region’s economic health when it embraces food diversity.
On Sunday, VeganGR begins a brand new chapter with a special five-course vegan dinner complete with five perfectly paired beers.
“Jon (Dunn) and I have been kicking around for a long time this idea of a multi-course vegan meal experience, but as we approached a few business owners around town, we couldn’t get anything off the ground,” says VeganGR co-creator Kolene Allen, who started the site with Jon Dunn. “When we mentioned it to Eric Albertson, the owner of SpeakEZ Lounge, he jumped at it."
In fact, Dunn helped create the menu with their chef and will be preparing one of the courses that day.
This inventive dining experience (with an emphasis on casual since it is a Sunday night) will include a fresh Chilled Cucumber Melon Shooter; Tempeh “Crab” Cakes with sweet peppers and veganaise caper remoulade; Squash Bisque with Walnut Quinoa Salad made from two of the season’s richest vegetables; an autumn puff pastry spiced with bulgur wheat, quinoa, walnuts, and mushrooms; and finally, a Wild Berry Carob Shortcake.
For the low cost of $45 per person, you get all five courses, five beer pairings, and it includes your gratuity. It is such a bargain it is no wonder that it is almost sold out. Rapid Growth has arranged for a few seats to remain open until we publish, but do not delay, this offer is sure to sell out very quickly.
Grand Rapids' tastes are changing and with the help of people like VeganGR, we could actually have a revolution on our hands soon. I feel sorry for those restaurants who don’t catch this wave of goodness growing in a city being defined by people who demand better ingredients. As a result, we are drawing outside visitors because of our commitment to quality food and our inventive ways of preparing it.
Admission: $45 per person, includes five courses, five beer pairings, and gratuity.
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