- May
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Craving Something Vegan in Williamsburg, Virginia?
Posted by Robin Soslow at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Planning to be in the Williamsburg area soon? I'm happy to report that there are some terrific places to find healthy, cruelty-free fare.
My first choice: Food for Thought, which offers many vegetarian and vegan dishes derived from healthy, sustainable, locally produced foods. Owner Howard Hopkins has also harvested dozens of wise quotations to decorate his usually packed Williamsburg restaurant. Some of his dishes, such as a cashew cream-based veggie bisque, are inspired by The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen. The Ultimate Vegetarian Platter features steamed pine nut-vegetable medley in spaghetti squash shell. The roasted red-pepper hummus also rocks.
Vegan-friendly choices are also found at Nawab Indian Cuisine and Gabriel Archer Tavern, where you can also take an $8 wine tour.
Another find: the lunch buffet at Williamsburg Lodge. Executive chef Rhys Lewis plans menus around seasonally available Chesapeake and Virginia produce. Spring mushrooms flavored two of his simply great animal-free dishes. Learning of my vegan diet, a server dished up a refreshing lemon sorbet topped with fresh berries. My omnivorous companions happily helped devour it.
Lodging choices range from Colonial Williamsburg historic residences to nearby Kingsmill Resort and Spa, which offers comfortable condos with fireplaces, James River views, and three championship golf courses that employ green practices. The resort's food outlets have plant-based options.
Historic Jamestown Archaearium exhibits artifacts of America's first permanent English settlement, and you can watch current excavations in progress at this historic site. In addition to park entrance fees, there's a $20 ticket for the fascinating 90-minute Curator's Artifact Tour, conducted at 3 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays from April through October. Details are available at http://historicjamestowne.org.
For visitor information, contact the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance at http://visitwilliamsburg.com or 1-800-368-6511.
Do you know of any more vegan options in Williamsburg?
Posted to Travel | Posted to Tags: Food for Thought, Gabriel Archer Tavern, Kingsmill Resort and Spa, Robin Soslow, Tal Ronnen, Virginia, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Lodge
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vincent says...
May 22nd, 2010, 2:14 pm
robin…I just looked at the food for thought menu!!!!…you consider…pork ribs, chicken..shrimp..seafood beef…a humane cruelty free restaurant??? you actually are convinced because this disgusting..cruel restaurant which promotes the killing of animals..serves one or two vegetarian dishes is a humane restaurant!! and you would actually recommend it to a vegan…a true vegan/animal lover wouldnt eat in any retsaurant that served meat/fish or cheese….your one and dont know that by now??
robin says...
May 24th, 2010, 8:16 pm
Vincent, it's Robin. I'm glad for the virtual face-slap. But first, I thought I'd clarified cruelty-free fare….not cruelty-free restaurant. I sure wish there were more vegetarian (and of course vegan) eateries, and believe one day there will be. I eat out with work colleagues when I travel, and the venues aren't ones I'd pick. At home, my husband and I eat out only at a vegan restaurant. He cooks better than most chefs. I am not happy eating elsewhere, but decided for now, I would eat with my work colleagues and make it an opportunity to 1. let chefs, managers and waiters know there is demand for vegan and vegetarian fare, and 2. to talk veg benefits in front of my colleagues, and 3. when I am served something good, to prove to omnivores that VEG is good!
As for Food for Thought, it now does have several veg selections, and the owner (having begun reading about food/animal issues) said he planned to add more veg options, and try to buy more ethically. I agree with you upon reading the online menu; I am hoping we can help encourage people to make a transition, or else they will not even try to change. But you have given me more potent food for…contemplation.