I recently tried to have lunch at Hounddog’s Pizza in Columbus, Ohio. A friend says they have the absolute best pizza around and they even have some good meatless options so my mouth was watering by the time we arrived. Tragically, they were closed when we were there so I’ll have to return another day.
Meanwhile, I did snap this photo in their parking lot. Anyone with a fabulous piece of art like this is worthy of a second trip!
Want to drool over their menu? Click here.
It’s called Yellow Bicycle Canteen and it was one of so many fun discoveries we made on foot in Philadelphia. We were immediately charmed by the curb appeal. The pops of yellow, sweet cafe tables and nifty signage were enough to pull us right through the door.
Guys, they specialize in vegetarian food! It was such a delightful, heart warming experience to walk into a restaurant and have an entire menu of food just for me!
Plus, every menu item can be made vegan with just a few swaps or omissions. This is the sort of thing you mostly find in cities. Given how many dietary needs have become mainstream, it’s shockingly difficult to eat in a restaurant in this country if you are gluten free or plant based.
Where I live, most restaurants cook green beans in pork and add beef to vegetable soup. Some restaurants offer a black bean burger or pizzas you can customize but I almost feel like many places don’t want my business.
But I digress. This place is incredible because you can get soups, wraps, and all kinds of fun sounding dishes. We were there for breakfast so I indulged in something called Y.B. Cheesy, a bagel with two eggs, American cheese and some kind of herb cream cheese spread.
We took our sandwiches across the street to sit in a quiet courtyard and enjoy our sandwiches and lemony Italian sodas.
They are not at all skimpy on the ingredients – it all was high quality and well worth the $7 price tag.
Small businesses are the backbone of our nation and our neighborhoods. These are the folks who are working to provide services and products and food that appeal to you and your sensibilities rather than the lowest common denominator that the chain stores and restaurants focus on.
If you’re walking down the street and spot a little cafe or cute store, do more than window shop if it can. Go in, see what they have and maybe spend a little cash with them. That’s how we get to keep these special places.
My only regret about this cafe is that we only got to go for one meal. Want to see their fabulous menu? Click here.
My adventure pal Saturday left it up to me to find a good restaurant. So I googled unique restaurants in Dayton and located a place called Jimmie’s Ladder 11.
It’s a neighborhood joint located in an old firehouse that dates to 1892. It is believed to be the last of Dayton’s firehouses to use a horse drawn apparatus. The firehouse continued in use until 1987 when a new facility opened down the street.
The decor is pretty spectacular with lots of gorgeous repurposed wood, tin ceiling, a beautiful bar and some historic firefighter memorabilia. We had a great waitress who saw to our needs without hovering and the food was magnificent.
While they have a ton of options for all you meataterians out there, they have several vegetarian options too. It wasn’t an easy decision but, after going back and forth a good bit, I opted for the grilled veggie sub with cheese and a house dressing on a yummy toasted roll.
I would absolutely go back and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. There’s a lot to do in the Dayton area but I’ve really just scratched the surface on my quick trips through. Perhaps this is something I can rectify this year.
Meanwhile, I would encourage you to head that way and do some exploring. If you’re near Jimmie’s, you’re just a couple of blocks from a neat series of murals. We didn’t have time to stop and explore but they certainly caught my eye so you should look for that too.
Find Jimmie’s Ladder 11 on Facebook for current hours, menu and address.
Williamsburg, Virginia is home to a great little restaurant called Food For Thought.
In addition to an interesting variety of delicious dishes on the menu, the atmosphere here is fantastic. It feels a bit upscale without seeming snooty. More importantly, the place is designed to get you thinking and talking.
Quotes on the wall set a positive and thoughtful tone. Conversation cards on the tables provide fun quotes and thought provoking questions to help get the conversation started. They want you to put down your phone and actually talk to your dining companions.
I was there with someone I knew well but still learned some things about him thanks to conversation starters that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own.
Interested? Click here for details.
In case you’re wondering. I had no trouble finding vegetarian options here and they offer a gluten free menu too!