I am in love with Willis (Street)

I realized today that I have not written about my FAVORITE lunch spot.  On the corner of Willis Street and Cass Avenue in Detroit's Midtown lies two gems - Goodwell's Natural Food Market and Avalon International Breads.  

It is really a fight inside my brain as to which one I will get my lunch from almost every day.  If I go to Avalon, odds are I will get the Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad, a Cosmic Cranberry Kombucha and a Vegan Granola Bar.  If I go to Goodwell's, odds are I will get a Famous Vegan Pocket Sandwich with Avocado a Cosmic Cranberry Kombucha and either dried mango or kale chips.  This is pretty standard unless I grab something off of the day old shelf at Avalon (I scored and hit the jackpot one day and there were four Vegan Granola Bars in a bag for $2…a total bonus) like date bars or scones.  Or, I change it up and get a soup from Goodwell's, which can happen on any given day depending on the choices.  Or I go crazy and go to both!

Photo credit AvalonBreads.net

The reason I love these two places is because of their food, ingredients, taste and local nature.  Avalon makes everything right there.  Goodwell's makes everything right there.  Each uses quality ingredients and since that is important to me, it works out well.  PLUS, the staff at each establishment is awesome.  Case in point…I was having a particularly ruff day at work when I arrived at Avalon for my lunch, late and tired.  I got my usual and noticed that the woman behind the counter gave me a little smile.  I smiled back not thinking anything of it.  When I got into my car, I decided to eat my granola bar while in the car because it was that kind of day.  When I opened the bag, there were two granola bars inside.  I was so happy!  It turned my day around completely and I have the woman at Avalon to thank for that!

Avalon is a bakery and makes wonderful breads and desserts, but they also carry coffee, salads, soups and sandwiches as well as some local products.  Their breads are sold all over Southeast Michigan.

Goodwell's National Food Market carries a variety of organic and natural grocery items as well as organic produce as well as soups, sandwiches, salads and other grab and go items.

Two musts!

Vegan Granola Bar from Avalon

Famous Vegan Pocket Sandwich from Goodwell's.

Eat It!

Que Seva Seva...

OK, I know the real words, but I had to do it.

Instead of painting my whole night for you.  I am going to get right down to it. 

Seva's General Tso's Cauliflower is like crack.  Once you start you can't stop and you want to eat it every day. 

So good.  So good.  So good.

General Tso's Cauliflower-Photo Credit: detnew.com

I was at Seva for a party where the the food was chosen for me, which is good because I may not have chosen the same thing and then missed out.  The other stand out for me was Rennie's Peanut-Kale Salad (kale, carrots, butternut squash, red peppers in a peanut-cider marinade).  I Love Kale, so this is a natural win for me. 

Seva Detroit  *  66 E. Forest Ave.  * Detroit, MI 48201  *  (313) 974-6661

The other thing that I realized is this…I HAVE TO GO BACK THERE AND EAT MORE.  I looked at the menu while I was there and there are so many things that I want to try…Mushroom Sliders, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadilla, Yam Fries, and their Spinach Salad…I need to try them all.

In addition to their regular menu items, they have weekly lunch, dinner, drink and appetizer specials that also sound fantastic, like Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup, which contains three of my favorite things all in one.

Now, you should know that Seva is a sister restaurant to the original Seva in Ann Arbor.  Each establishment specializing in Vegetarian Cuisine and has a full bar. 

I am upset with myself for not eating there sooner. 

At any rate, I am going there for lunch this week and I can't wait!  OH!  And, for those of you who like Kombucha, they serve Unity Vibration's (located in Ypsilanti, Michigan) Kombucha! Bingo!

Research Tonight

Consume Detroit will be out on the town tonight to consume and I can not wait to share my findings with you. I will be hitting a few new spots and I know I will have good things to share. So make sure to check back tomorrow.

Where am I going? It's a secret.

In the meantime, I leave you with this simple breakfast yogurt treat...
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
A pinch of Stevia
Two dashes of cinnamon
2 drops of pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup raw slivered almonds

Stir it up....YUM!!!!

I would post a pic but I ate it already! So here is a picture of a homemade Dutch Baby instead...just because it's pretty

Now off I go for a long run to make room to c o n s u m e.

Ode to the Everything Bagel

The bagel that tempts me on the file cabinet...you know I hate you right?

I ate a vegetable laden, healthy lunch followed by a dream to hit the streets for a run, but then you looked my way and now I can't forget about you.

So, I gave in,  I did it.  I couldn't help it.  I ate you and now I hate you. 

I didn't need you...not at 3pm in the afternoon.  Nope.  But you sat there staring at me all day. 

Everything bagel, your ego is large as you try to be all bagels at one time.

You have won.  

Sweet and Spicy Jazz and Seaweed Salad

Jazz is in my ears and everything is right.  Each night (no kidding, ask my kids) I turn on 90.9 WRCJ to listen to the sweet sounds of Jazz.  Nothing is finer than ending the day with the sweet sounds of the instruments that sound so good together.  Weekday evenings are my favorite with Tony Mowad, who is the President and Founder of the Pittsburgh Jazz Society and also serves on the board of the American Federation of Jazz Societies. He plays great jazz (Pub Jazz) and has a great voice.  I love it.  My grandfather, David Saad was a true lover of Jazz.  He loved to sit and listen to live and recorded jazz, and used to tell stories of seeking out jazz overseas when he was serving in WWII.  I like to think I have his ear for music, especially Jazz.

While I sit and listen to Jazz this evening, I am eating seaweed salad and it occurred to me that Jazz and seaweed salad have a lot of similarities.  The are both silky yet have some texture and depth, they can be both sweet and spicy at the same time and they don't fill you up too much, so you always have room for more.

Try the two together or apart.  But if you get a chance, turn on WRCJ, close your eyes, lay back and enjoy the sweet sounds...

Barbeque, Baklava and a Bike

I realize it is the middle of January, but I was day dreaming of Spring the other day (yes, already) and all of this came to mind....
There is no doubt in my mind, I seriously love barbeque.  And, I am sure the thing I love about it the most is eating smoked fat.  Sure the meat part is good too, but I really like the fatty ends of just about everything, so chicken does not fit into my world of barbeque at all...unless I am eating the skin (Slow's has some smoked wings that are very good) then forget the chicken.

That being said, I have been to my fair share of Detroit barbeque establishments and I have one problem.  I like different things at each one.  If I were to build my perfect meal, I would have to go to several restaurants to do so.  And, maybe one day I will.  So, here is my ideal barbeque meal, complete with beverages and dessert.

My vision is this...me on a bike (basket on front) in the spring, traveling around the city, filling my basket with all of my barbeque meal components.  Once they are collected, I will take my goodies to the Detroit Riverfront, on the patch of grass next to Milliken State Park where there is a large hill.  I will sit atop the hill on a blanket and devour my meal while watching the freighters go by. Ahhhh....dreams.

The meal:

Beverage:  Since there are seasonal beers on tap everywhere, I will just put my favorite here. LaGunitas IPA.  It is very hop-py but very delicious! (It has been on tap at Green Dot Stables in the recent past)

Appetizer: Slow's BBQ Wings and Burnt Ends (Brisket) from RUB BBQ Pub.

Main Course:  (I am making my own combo meal here) Texas Style Beef Brisket from Slow's BBQ and a half rack of St. Louis Style Spare Ribs from Red Smoke Barbeque.

Dessert:  Baklava from Astoria Bakery-Greektown

Enjoy!!

Baklava from Astoria Bakery

St. Louis Spare Ribs from Red Smoke