on the way down to Austin, we stopped in Nashville. this was my second time in Nashville, seeing as how I stopped here on the way up to Maryland. We Visited Grin’s cafe, which is a vegetarian cafe located in the Ben Shculman Center for Jewish Life at Belmont University. I got a wrap, which was pretty good. I’d stop there again if i were in Nashville.

We also went to my favorite coffee shop in Nashville, Bongo Java. Bongo Java actually owns Grin’s cafe. I thought the cup sleeves were cute; they read, “practice safe coffee. always use a bongo coffee condom”.

The week before I moved, I decided to make the 3 hour trip out to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to visit the infamous Vegan Treats bakery, because I figured it might be the last chance I have for a while. If I let the east coast without seeing this place, I’m not sure I could live with it. I’ve really admired their pastries for a long time now; Their vegan cheesecakes are probably the most accurate one’s I’ve had so far. Anyways, when I got there, I was really impressed with the place. It was so cute, and If I ever have a bakery, I would be proud if it looked anything like this one. It was so random, too; it’s this little punk rock vegan paradise, tucked away in a small Pennsylvania town about an hour outside of philly.

That last shirt design was my favorite out of the 8(?) designs they had. Too bad they were out of stock, or else it would be mine! Still awesome, no?

Instead of cupcakes, they had these mini cake like pastries that went for $6 a pop. It was enough for 2-3 servings, though. I can put away some cheesecake, but I was only able to finish half of my brownie chunk cheesecake. They also have cookies, donuts(!), and soft serve. I picked up one of my favorites to-go: the raspberry cheesecake. If you’re ever near Bethlehem, PA, please do yourself a favor and visit Vegan Treats Bakery to see it in person (and send a boston cream filled donut my way while you’re at it)!

Since I just moved to Austin, Texas a month ago, that means that I am no longer within driving distance to Washington D.C. anymore. DC was one of my favorite places to escape to, when I got the chance. I didn’t take as many pictures of cool places as I should have, but I figured I’d highlight some of the ones I frequented.

Sticky Fingers Bakery: I used to go here as often as possible. They have THE BEST vegan chicken salad sandwhich I’ve ever had. I make my own version at home sometimes, but it never tastes quite as good. They have a lot of really good pre-made food items, like tempeh reubens, Tempeh BLTs, pastas, etc. My favorite of the baked goods are the cowvin cookies (like an oatmeal cream pie), and of course, the huge sticky buns. The cakes were too dry for me every time i tried them, but I did have some cupcakes that weren’t as dry once. I’ll stick to my cowvins, though. This is also where I would buy Teese from. and the fact that they stock virgil’s cream soda to drink is just the icing on the… cinnamon bunn?

Pangea Vegan Store: Pangea does most of it’s business online through mail order, but for those who live near DC, they have a small retail store in Rockville, Maryland. Pangea was best for when I wanted something really rare. This is where I found my first carton of mimic cream, and other goodies. I didn’t go very often, though, because I probably would have spent all my money there. It’s still really cool that there is a 100% vegan store near DC.

Ba Le is just a small vietnamese deli in Rockville, but it was the only place anywhere near where I lived (still about an hour away) that had Banh mi. Banh mi is a vietnamese deli sandwhich that normally is made with meat, but most delis have a vegetarian version made with tofu. It has pickled veggies on it, and generally comes with mayo (so you have to make sure to as for it without). I had my first banh mi experience when I lived in Houston, and I couldn’t find them anywhere near where I moved. The best part about banh mi is that they’re generally really cheap ($1-2 for a sandwich). Ba Le actually offers a buy 5 get 1 free deal, too…so take some home for later! The Banh mi chay (tofu banh mi) is definitely not as good here as Les Givrals in Houston, but it was good for a quick fix if I was in the area.