I’m wrapping up my Twin Cities posts with two of my favorite things – Ethiopian food and donuts. Whenever I’m in a town with either of those things, I’m a very happy vegan. When I get both? Oh, man. I’m on Cloud 9.
Fasika – St. Paul
One night David and I dined at Fasika, which is a non-vegan Ethiopian restaurant in Saint Paul with plenty of vegan offerings. The restaurant is of the no-frills variety with low lighting and thick plastic tablecloths covering the tables. That didn’t keep people away, though. Folks kept coming in all night, and by the time we finished our meals, the tables were pretty full.
We started with an appetizer of lentil-stuffed sambussa. They were served crisp and hot on a bed of salad. The salad added a nice freshness to the fried dish.
For our main course, we shared the veg sampler. The injera-covered platter was topped with piles of wots or stews. There was the expected greens-based gomen, lentils, split peas, chickpea flour-based shiro wot, and vegetables aplenty. There was also the unexpected in the form of a beet dish. I’m not typically a beet fan, but there is a warm beet dish at Demera in Chicago that made me re-think that. However, the beet dish at Fasika was served cold, and didn’t appeal.
My favorite wot of theirs was the atkilt with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. It was slow-cooked and fell apart in the mouth. David couldn’t stop reaching for the collard-rich gomen.
Glam Doll Donuts – Minneapolis
After dinner, we decided to drive to Glam Doll in Minneapolis to pick up donuts for the next day. Glam Doll has a fun 1950’s aesthetic with lots of pink, tables with games like Chutes and Ladders, and artwork from local artists.
Glam Doll has both vegan and non-vegan donuts. They are open until 9 pm Monday through Thursday, and until 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays. By the time we arrived around 8 pm on a Wednesday, the vegan options were pretty slim. There were just a few cake donuts remaining, and I’m not a fan of those. So if you’re heading to Glam Doll, I recommend going early in the day for maximum options and freshness.
We left empty-handed, but I returned the next day in the afternoon. The vegan options were a little picked over but considerably more plentiful then.
I got a couple of glazed, three cream filled, and one that was peanut butter and chocolate. I couldn’t leave without devouring one with a soy latte. The cream filling was more like a Boston cream, similar to a pudding, as opposed to a whipped cream filling. My favorite of the bunch was probably the glazed. There’s just something about its simplicity with a slightly crisp exterior and soft inside.
That finishes up my posts about Minneapolis and Saint Paul! The Twin Cities really impressed me this trip with stops at mostly-vegan Reverie, wheat meats aplenty at Herbivorous Butcher and Pizza Nea, plus donuts and Ethiopian food. If you’re looking for a place to visit within the months of May and October, keep Minneapolis in mind. (The rest of the year, go at your own peril.) 😉
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