Dining
The Granville Inn, located in the quaint Columbus outlier of Granville, and their chef, Chad Lavley, knows exactly how to serve vegans, and anyone looking for a healthy, delicious, satisfying and sustainable meal. The “Good Good Salad” on their tavern menu was loaded with nutrient dense, omega-rich, “brain food” in the form of; baby spinach and kale with quinoa, apples and blueberries tossed with carrot, red onion and sprouts (Yes! SPROUTS! THANK YOU!) in a pomegranate vinaigrette and topped with toasted chia and hemp seeds.
The Guild House, located in the Short North is certainly THE most vegan friendly of Cameron Mitchell’s variety of fine dining restaurants in Columbus, just let the team know you are vegan. The Guild House gets veganizing their tantalizing artisan culinary American cuisine right.
You will be delighted as Carlo, a dining room manager, JP, their executive chef and severs such as Alexa, effectively embody their objectives of genuine hospitality, and ensuring their culinary guild delivers “a lot love in every plate.”
The Well, located in the southeastern outlier of central Ohio city of Lancaster, is a fantastic gem that rivals the best of local socially just dining experiences. The Well gives careful consideration of where and how the food they serve is produced (non-GMO, organic, locally sourced), and prepare it with nutrient dense and deliciously creative, and yet familiar flavor combinations. The menu is predominantly vegan or veganizeable, entirely gluten-free, low to no sugar, low to no oil, and includes probiotic rich foods.
The atmosphere, energy and food speak to wellness, with their consideration for the various health concerns and sensitivities people may have. They have even attempted to mitigate potential contamination of chemicals and plastic by using all glass, and metal food service products (even stainless steel straws) and bio-degradable to-go containers. If you are traveling southeast of Columbus during the work week, you must stop in here.
Oddfellows Liquor Bar in the Short North launched into the scene and created more vegan community buzz for bar food options. Cara Woodhouse has made great strides in developing a surprisingly comprehensive vegan brunch food selection in her “Classy Brunch Party” buffet for an affordable $8 that runs 10am to 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday. You can find uncommon vegan options that include home fried potatoes, pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, and if you need a gluten-free accommodation, there is a quinoa and kale green salad and often a soup or chowder.
One of the most beautiful holidays I can remember since I became vegan happened in the earlier days of my vegan advocacy. It was 2002, and a non-vegan family I had been recently introduced to, made the most heart-warming and functional suggestion a non-vegan family could possibly make to welcome a vegan into their family. They invited me to share the holidays with them, yet the invitation alone, wasn’t what blew me away. It was the fact that, not only were they curious about veganism, they wanted to know ALL about it. It was also the fact that they asked me to share with them all my favorite vegan holiday recipes, and most amazing, was that they volunteered to get ALL the ingredients necessary, and to all pitch in to make a completely vegan ThanksLiving dinner! It was a fantasy come-true. If that fantasy family does not happen in your life, you can always go to meetup.com (and/or Facebook) and join The Columbus Vegan Meetupgroup and attend one of the many gatherings that are happening in throughout the holiday season.
The Columbus Coalition of Reason (Columbus COR) is hosting their fifth annual “Flying Spaghetti Monster Benefit Dinner,” featuring -what else - a delicious spaghetti dinner with vegetarian, gluten-free and take-out options. The event will take place Thursday, November 10 from 6 until 8:30 pm (serving food until 8:00) at the First UU Church, 93 West Weisheimer Road in Clintonville.
Admission is $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for children aged fourteen and under, with proceeds going to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. In addition, there will be people collecting canned and boxed goods for the Foodbank. Guests can also participate in both a silent auction of handmade pieces by local artists, and a raffle for items donated by community members and local businesses.
Entertainment for the evening will include live music and brief comments from community members. For the children there will be a variety of supervised games and activities.
Café Bourbon Street’s Pierogi Mountain, located in the North Campus area on Summit, has a seasonal variety of delicious, Eastern European Style, filled dumpling called Pierogi topped with caramelized onions. When you are buzzing around town looking for a vegan midnight meal, some music and great service, this dive-bar might just be the hive you were looking for.
Paulie Gee’s, located in the Short North on High Street, has just broken through the cheese barrier by introducing the Columbus restaurant goers to a creamy and absolutely deliciously decadent, house made, cashew-based, vegan ricotta cheese for its socially-just pizza toppings. Paulie Gee’s also offers other vegan alternatives such as house vegan sausage and breadcrumbs.
They have also strategically partnered with the recent expansion of another local sociallyjust dining favorite, The Angry Baker, to cover fabulous vegan dessert offerings. The evolution of restaurant food must shift to plant-based favorites, as our global consciousness adapts to the reality of a human population at 7.5 billion people that has limited planetary resources.
Alana’s, located in the north campus area on High Street, has a delightfully comprehensive dining experience for the socially-just diner. You can start with a crisp, tasty greens salad with quinoa and citrus overtones that can be veganized, and if you like beets, you can choose a colorful, cold, savory beet soup with lavender and chives.