Thursday, August 16, 2012

Where To Eat Vegan: The Nile - Richmond, VA


You would think that a girl who has access to DC's thriving Little Ethiopia wouldn't need to go all the way to Richmond to get good Ethiopian food. But then I had dinner at The Nile. Unlike some of the uniformly mushy piles of spicy vegetables I had tried in the past at other restaurants, the vegetarian platter at The Nile was flavorful and fresh tasting.

With 10 different vegan dishes to choose from, it is impossible that you won't be impressed with at least one of them. As usual I had the discerning taste-buds of an omnivore present to validate my claims of deliciousness. Omnivore's verdict = no meat necessary!


On this trip we tried the Yemisir Wat (red lentils), Gomen (collard greens), Dinich Wat (potatoes), Inguday (mushrooms) and the Ater Kik Alicha (yellow split peas) served over the traditional Injera bread. Also of note - all of their food is gluten free. And did I already say delicious?


Richmond is a cool little city with a thriving vegan scene, cool street art, and tons of cute little used book stores and vintage shops. I'll be back for more Nile for sure.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Somewhere New: Gwynn's Island - Virginia


This past weekend I went to Gwynn's Island with my old friend Chelsea. Staying on the island was a bit like going back in time. There is no wifi. It's almost like you don't have a cell phone because it doesn't work. And I was surrounded by such lovely antiques and comfy beds that it was all I could do not to totally indulge myself and nap all day.


This was my first time staying on the bay and I have to say: I like it. It's silent, absolutely silent at night and the island gets so black that you forget where you came from and just look up at the sky. The combination of the stary sky and the warm bay water were enough to distract me from the mosquito bites and I happily spent my time reading and snacking on fruit these few days Chelsea and I spent together.