Expecting the Unexpected: The Problems with Pesto

Small town or big city, it pays to speak the language...

My first few months driving in Los Angeles many years ago, a brand new Thomas Guide riding shotgun, drivers pulled in front of me when I least expected.  They stopped at the light when I thought they would go and went through when I thought they would stay.  I felt ill at ease, like I didn’t speak the language.  Finally, the solution came to me.  Expect all drivers to do what I least expected them to do.  At last, I knew when they’d zig or when they would zag; it was always when I thought they wouldn’t and therefore knew they would.

This same kind of circuitous logic is what I sometimes resort to when eating in places known more for their tenderloin than their tempeh.  Dishes that are vegan by nature in L.A. may be served with melted cheese or fried chicken’s eggs in other towns.  Of course, regardless of the location it’s important for diners to ask questions, but it seems that especially when traveling, there are even more questions than usual.

While perusing restaurants online on my last vacation, imagine my surprise when I discovered that along the Mississippi River in the small town of LeClaire, Iowa is a fairly new restaurant with a few menu items listed on their website as being great for vegans.  These vegan offerings have been publicized in news articles and on vegetarian websites as well, and so my husband and I ventured to LeClaire and The Crane and Pelican Cafe.  The cafe is a renovated mansion with a view of the river and a gift shop upstairs.  The interior is homey and sophisticated while staying true to its Victorian design.

I perused the menu and quickly found three vegan offerings:  the Avocado Dream sandwich with hummus served on focaccia with a side, a dish called Greenie Linguine, which is a pesto-based pasta dish, and a Waldorf salad made with soy yogurt.  When the server arrived at our table, I ordered the Greenie Linguine. It’s listed on the menu as “a divine vegan friendly recipe.  Very tasty.”  Remembering my Los Angeles traffic lessons, however, I proceeded with a question to the server.

“Now, this says that it’s good for vegans, and I am vegan.  So I just wanted to make sure, it doesn’t have any cheese in it, right?”

“No, it doesn’t,” she said.

And a few minutes later, she was back.  “Um, I asked the chef, and there’s cheese in the pesto.”

“Oh,” I said, not really that surprised.  “On the menu it says that it’s vegan friendly.”

“Yeah, that’s a typo,” she said.

I’ve seen other articles and write-ups from many months ago on the Crane & Pelican who mentioned the vegan Greenie Linguine specifically, and so I know the menu has been “misprinted” for some time.  It’s too bad that instead of viewing their menu as having “typos” they haven’t decided to serve actual vegan pesto instead.  Pesto is extremely easy to make without cheese.  It’s really just one simple omission.  The basil, garlic, and lemon juice are the most prominent tastes anyway.  The heart-healthy fat in the pine nuts gives a full mouth feel.  Considering the fact that 102 million Americans have cholesterol over 200, I’d say more options with less saturated fat would do everyone good.  (Not the least of whom are the animals, of course.)

In lieu of the linguine, I ordered the Avocado Dream sandwich.  “Are any of these sides vegan?” I asked.

“Well, the cottage cheese, no.  The mashed potatoes…  No.  The pea salad is made with mayonaisse…  I know!” she said excitedly.  “We could give you a side salad with no cheese.”

The sandwich of hummus, avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, and pepperoncini peppers was on the small side with balsamic vinegar splashed a bit overzealously on the bread making it pucker-worthy.

Even considering all of this, it was still worth the visit.  The view was nice, the server was sweet, and the small town of LeClaire itself has a quaint little main street for walking along with arty stores and knickknack shops.  You just have to remember what Iowan Meredith Willson said about his home state.  ”You’ve got to know the territory.”