Cadry's Kitchen

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.”

What I love most about Iowa City is that it is always evolving.  Perhaps it’s a product of being a college town.  Like the youth who appear there every fall, it grows with the times.  While one may think that we want our beloved places to stay the same, I love Iowa City because it changes, because it is revitalized, because when I visit I have something new to discover.

A liberal anomaly in the middle of farm country, Iowa City maintains bustling bookstores, coffee shops where friends mingle over hot beverages, and the smell of curry wafts out of Masala Indian Vegetarian Restaurant.  The downtown pedestrian mall, which bustles with students and locals in the spring, was rather empty on the frigid December day when I visited.

While on holiday I had the pleasure of dining at The Red Avocado, the state’s lone vegan restaurant.  In the daytime the restaurant is earthy and comfortable; at night with candles lit and a fire burning, it becomes moody and romantic.  We were there for happy hour, and they were serving a limited menu, in addition to wine, hot teas, tisanes, and coffee.

A cup of Lentil & Tomato Soup: $3.75

A cup of Coconut Corn Soup: $3.75

We ordered a deliciously creamy soy latte and cup of tea to thaw the chill of winter in our bones and followed that with a hot cup of soup for good measure.  I had the soup of the day, which was a lentil and tomato soup.  A cup of soup is $3.75 and a bowl is $6.50.  The spices were reminiscent of chili with just the right amount of seasoning.  Usually at home I make chili with several kinds of beans, but I’ll definitely be making my own lentil chili in the future after trying Red Avocado’s.

David had the Thai-inspired, Red Avocado-original, Coconut Corn Soup.  This sweet and creamy soup had bites of heat as it blended rich coconut milk with sweet corn, hot sauce, and tamari.

Iowa Barley and Black Bean Salad: $9.00

We then shared the Iowa Barley and Black Bean Salad.  A small salad is $5.00, and the full salad is $9.00.  On a bed of salad greens rested black beans, corn, tomatoes, and onions spiced with cumin and garlic, lime juice and jalepeno.   The salad was delicious, but on that icy day it would have been even better if the toppings had been warm over the salad greens.

After our bellies were satiated and spirits revived, we meandered across the street to the New Pioneer Co-op, the town’s natural foods store.  (Isn’t it telling that we call these types of places “natural foods stores”?  I think we should start calling conventional grocery stores selling products laden in high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, and hydrogenated oils their more appropriate name instead:  unnatural foods stores.)

The Co-op has a small deli counter in the back with both vegan and non-vegan options.  At their Coralville location they have a full seating area as well.  The Co-op sells freshly baked bread, fresh produce, a wide array of hummus, dolmas, dry and frozen goods, alcohol, and vegan specialty products.

I’d heard online about Vegan Cow cheeses, which are cashew-based cheeses made locally and sold at the Co-op, and I was eager to try their brie.   The brie is reminiscent of the Real Food Daily cheese in their cookbook.  Because of the agar-agar used as a coagulant it has a slightly gelatinous look, but the texture is creamy, especially when served warm.  The cheese is fairly mild on its own, and I think it would be best served with caramelized onions and thinly sliced apple or persimmon in a quesadilla or covered in preserves and warmed in a puff pastry.    (Vegan Cow cheeses are made at Fair Grounds Coffee, where they also serve vegan pastries.  Unfortunately, they were closed while we were in town, but I look forward to visiting them next time.)

Vegan Cow brie is also available on the pizza at The Wedge, which has two Iowa City locations, and they deliver.  We ordered from the The Wedge for dinner and were told on the phone that both of their crusts are vegan.  I was impressed by the variety of toppings offered, and we opted for a cheeseless pizza with artichoke hearts, red bell peppers, fresh garlic, tomato slices, and extra sauce.  The crust was chewy and the toppings tasted fresh.

No visit to Iowa City is complete without hitting the Iowa Artisans Gallery.  They sell handmade goods made by regional and national artists.  In a time when so many cities are cookie cutters of each other, the Artisans Gallery feels special and unique.  It’s a great place for buying handmade gifts, supporting artists, and finding something unusual.  While there I purchased a wooden salad serving set that will serve as a lovely reminder of a cold December day in a small town with a metropolitan air.

Cadry’s Kitchen has been quiet while I took to the skies and went to my hometown, Des Moines, Iowa, to visit family and unwind.  I’ve heard it said that our perceptions of a location say more about us than the place itself.  That’s certainly true when it comes to going home again.  There was a time in my life when every visit back meant hitting up the same old haunts I frequented in high school, going to the same places that resonated with me at seventeen.  After a while those places didn’t fit me anymore.  Just as I might feel rather conspicuous wearing clothes that were favorites in 1993 or teasing up my hair in the same way that was all the rage in the halls of my high school, as adults we have to rediscover our hometowns or else they can seem stale, as if they’re stuck in a time warp.

After toying with the options of bike riding on one of Des Moines’ many picturesque bike paths or taking a boat ride on one of the state’s human-made lakes, we landed instead on the East Village. With my mom as tour guide, we ventured to downtown Des Moines.  The East Village is full of quaint shops selling clothes, kitchen gadgets, and the work of local artists, eateries, and also includes the state’s Historical Building.  We browsed the Historical Building’s gift shop and then caught a trolley-shaped bus that runs every ten minutes.  The D-line is a free and fun way to explore downtown Des Moines.

Outgoing locals chatted with us as we rode to Ritual Cafe, a coffee shop with an all vegetarian menu and a relaxed vibe.  We started our meal with chips and garlicky salsa and then shared a delicious grilled vegetable sandwich on fresh bread from the South Union Bakery.  The roasted red pepper hummus smeared on the sandwich gave an almost pizza-like quality.   Finally, we capped the meal with a peanut butter cookie.  The staff was friendly and laidback, and Ritual Cafe seemed like one of those places where you could easily linger playing a game with friends, reading the newspaper, or in my case, bonding with mom.

After clicking pictures of Des Moines’ impressive capitol building, we left downtown and made our way to New City Market on University near Waveland Park to stock up for that evening’s dinner.  Few places make me feel more at home than a local natural foods store.  New City Market is cozy but very well stocked.  In addition to a nice selection of organic produce, they have a bulk section that includes bulk spices, which is great when visiting from out of town and buying a whole bottle of spices would be unnecessary.  They also have a good selection of specialty foods like Coconut Bliss, Earth Balance, Vegenaise, and Tofurky sausages.

Groceries in hand, I went to my best friend’s home to spend time with her and her family and treat them to a homemade dinner.  When cooking for non-vegetarians I think it’s good to stick with something familiar.  I made Butternut Squash Risotto with Toasted Sage from Vegan Table and served it with spinach sauteed in garlic.  This traditional comfort food took a bit of attention as I ladled in spoonful after spoonful of warm vegetable broth while the Arborio rice became tender and creamy.  It gave my friend and I time to reconnect in the kitchen before sitting down over a hot meal, laughing about the days of helmet hair and Guess Jeans and feeling thankful for the present.  Spending time with family and dear friends is the best thing, after all, about going home again.  Dorothy was right.  There’s no place like it.

If you plan on heading to the Des Moines area, other vegan-friendly restaurants that are worth a visit include Cool Basil and Jason’s Deli in Clive.  Cool Basil serves spicy and flavorful Thai food and has tons of easily veganizable options.  Just tell them no fish sauce or oyster sauce and that you’re vegan.  Lots of their menu items can be made with tofu or extra vegetables.  Jason’s Deli also has a few veganizable options on their menu and a really nice salad bar with many organic offerings.  I especially enjoy their chickpea, kidney bean, and edamame salad with cilantro.