...My Very Vegetarian Weekend, Part Two: The Zenith

Quirky.

People throw this word around a lot - so I again refer to dictionary.com for a definition: 

quirk·y

   /ˈkwɜrki/ Show Spelled[kwur-kee] 

adjective, quirk·i·er, quirk·i·est.

having or full of quirks. 

Ugh, ok.  So what is a quirk? 

quirk

   /kwɜrk/ Show Spelled[kwurk] 

noun

1. a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism: He is full of strange quirks.

2. a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.

3. a sudden twist or turn: He lost his money by a quirk of fate.

4. a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.

To continue my Very Vegetarian Weekend, James had asked me earlier in the week if I would like to do Sunday brunch at The Zenith in the South Side with him and another friend of his, Amy.  I had been to The Zenith before, which is famous for its vegetarian/vegan Sunday brunch buffet.  In addition, it is an antiques store with many unusual items for sale, including the tables, chairs, and decor in the dining area.

Quirky.

Entrance to Zenith Antiques

 There are a few staples on The Zenith's menu: apple and gouda plate (which is fantastic, and is the reason that I totally got hooked on smoked gouda), vegetarian grape leaves, house salad, and an extensive tea list with around 100 - I'm not exaggerating! - different types of tea.  Each week, the type of hummus (jalapeno, garlic, red pepper, etc.), soup, specialty salad, sandwiches (hummus wrap and two sandwiches), and entree (two different ones) change.  You can join their email list to have the menu sent directly to you each Wednesday, as they are only open Thursday through Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday for brunch.

I used to go to The Zenith occasionally with my ex-boyfriend (hence the "used to go") and his vegetarian friend, and my absolute favorite entree there is the tofu lasagna with vegan basil cream.  It only appears on the menu three to four times per year, and the last two times it did, I couldn't go at all that week.

Major disappointment to me.  Their tomato sauce with the vegan basil cream is heaven.

I had never been to The Zenith for their Sunday brunch, which includes an entree, coffee or tea, and an array of side dishes and vegan pies and cakes - all for only $10. 

Best deal in town!

James and I arrived before they opened and waited for them to unlock the door, but we had to wait for Amy before we could be seated, so we looked at some of the antiques:

Patriotic lamp display

Antique wall hangings

Amy arrived not long after, and we were seated right away.  We had a hard time deciding on our main entree, as just about everything sounded intriguing: 

Zenith Brunch Menu, 12/18/11

Can you guess what I chose?  Yup, Black Bean Burrito (or maybe you thought the Red Bean Soft Tacos - nope! - burrito > tacos).  James went with the Seitan Pot Roast, and Amy stuck with breakfast and got the Scrambled Eggs.

As we waited for our entrees, the buffet beckoned, so we made a beeline for it.  

View of the buffet from my seat.  Tease.

Holy massive amount of food.  I tried to take a little of everything - there were so many things that looked fantastically tasty!  

Tex Mex hummus, stuffed grape leaf, peanut noodles, black bean salad, chickpea salad, pesto noodles, artichoke salad...I think that's everything (I could be wrong!)

The peanut noodles and the pesto noodles were the best things that I had from the salad buffet.  I could have survived on the buffet alone, but then my entree came...

Black Bean Burrito

Thank goodness I love garlic and cumin, because this burrito was full of both - I'm not complaining at all, but if you don't like flavor, this burrito is not for you!  I loved how flavorful it was - the chef seems to be all about creating fantastic flavor combinations and does it so well.

I tried James' Seitan Pot Roast - it was quite tasty, but the texture was unusual.  It definitely had a lot of flavor, too, but I'm glad I got the burrito.

Then...this:

Vegan cake table

Every cake and pie on this table is made without animal products, such as eggs and milk, just like the vegan cupcakes that I have made myself with the recipe from Dozen Bake Shop.  They contain a lot of oil, which makes them incredibly moist.  

Each cake is cut into small slices, so I sampled two - Vanilla Chocolate Chip and Raspberry Lime.

Vanilla Chocolate Chip and Raspberry Lime Vegan Bundt Cakes

Moist.  Rich.  Delicioso.  I think the Raspberry Lime was the better of the two.  James kept raving about the Peanut Butter Vegan Bundt Cake.

He has good taste.  So I got a piece.  

Peanut Butter Vegan Bundt Cake (sorry so dark!)

The man still has good taste; however, I still think the Raspberry Lime was best.

What a great Sunday brunch - great food, great company, and all at a great price - remember, all of that was only $10!

Dinner?  Well, I had to work at Kennywood again (one last time until May!), so I ate another banana and apple before going, and an enormous Asian pear while I was there - and then one of the ladies that I work with brought in a cookie cake for the last day.

Paratrooper on my last night at Kennywood for 5 months

 That cookie cake - some, not all of it - was my dinner.

I spent the entire weekend not eating any meat.  It really wasn't intentional at first, but after eating no meat on Saturday and knowing that I was going to The Zenith on Sunday, I figured, "Why not?"

I can't wait to try recipes from Vegetarian Times over the cold winter months.  Vegetables and other plant-based foods will help to keep me healthy to train for the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon in May...

The Zenith

86 South 26th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Website: http://www.zenithpgh.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zenith/96647850188?ref=ts 

...My Very Vegetarian Weekend, Part 1: Tin Front Cafe

I like meat.

Despite my fondness for meat, I also like to try vegetarian dishes as well.  When Weight Watchers changed over to "Points Plus", and all vegetables (with the exceptions of starches, like potatoes and peas) became zero points, I added a lot more vegetables to my diet - and vegetarian recipes helped me to accomplish that.

Over the summer, I received a free issue of Vegetarian Times magazine - and I loved almost every recipe in it!  I had to subscribe, and I look forward to reading it.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to cook, but after the holidays, I will.  YAY!

This past weekend, I unintentionally had a Very Vegetarian Weekend (henceforth to be known as my "VVW".)  James suggested going to the Tin Front Cafe, right across the street from Smoke BBQ and Taqueria in Homestead.  We had gone there for Sunday brunch on our second encounter, after having a great meal at Smoke on our first encounter a few days earlier.

 Cue the flashback music...

I had passed the Tin Front Cafe several times, just like I had passed Smoke several times before going there - and never even gave a thought to trying it.  You can imagine my surprise, too, when I found out that it was a vegetarian restaurant.

Vegetarian?  In Homestead?  Really?

They have a Sunday brunch with a great setup - order a main entree, and the rest is buffet - chili (vegetarian, of course), mini-muffins, potatoes, fruit, and coffee.  For my main entree, I ordered spiced pear pancakes.

I didn't take pictures because it's not a Hispanic/Latino place, and I wasn't reviewing anything other than that type of restaurant at the time.  I totally regret it.

The pancakes were so moist and delicious, I don't think that I could ever replicate anything like them in my own kitchen.  I also tried everything on the buffet except for the chili.

Yet another regret.  Everything else on the buffet was great, though - especially the mini corn muffins.

Cue present day music...

Tin Front Cafe Menu, December 17, 2011

I was relieved to see "Four Bean Chili" on the menu at Tin Front this past weekend, as I wanted to try their chili so badly.  I have made vegetarian versions of chili myself before, and I think they're better than any meat version.

Four Bean Chili

Oh, wow.  This was like the vegetarian version of Aztec Chili at The Franklin Inn.  Spicy, but not too spicy, and full of flavor.  Carrots, corn, and four types of beans (black, pinto, chickpeas, and maybe kidney?  I wasn't sure) make up the bulk of the chili, along with some soy crumbles.  The piece of bread was so fresh that James asked if they make their own.

Yes, they do.  It shows.

For our entrees, James and I both chose grilled cheese sandwiches, which are paired with an arugula salad: for me, Griddled Pear with smoked Swiss (I'm always a sucker for smoked cheeses!), and for James, Grilled Portabella with spinach, red peppers, and gorgonzola.  

Griddled Pear with Smoked Swiss Sandwich, arugula salad

Grilled Portabella, Red Pepper, Spinach Sandwich, arugula salad

 After sampling both, James and I both agreed that mine was by far the best.  His looked prettier, because of the different festive colors (red and green - it IS almost Christmas, you know!), but mine tasted fantastic.  I knew from my first experience that Tin Front does amazing things with pears, and this sandwich continued the trend.  James had never had gorgonzola melted, however, and he was surprised at how well it melted into the sandwich.

The arugula salad was simple, yet it was a great accompaniment to the sandwiches.  I'm not sure exactly what the dressing was, but it added great flavor to the arugula and shaved (Swiss?) cheese combo. 

When the check came, we were given some chocolate-covered espresso beans as an after-lunch treat, just like the first time we went together.  They are also sold at Annex Cookery, the kitchen store adjacent to the Tin Front Cafe, which sells typical and unusual kitchen tools and gadgets.  We took a look around before we left, and agreed to keep it in mind when looking for great kitchen gifts!

My favorite part about the Tin Front Cafe (besides the food) is the tin sculptures that adorn the outside (see first pic) and the patio area.  Across the street, right by Smoke, you can see what looks like a studio where these tin sculptures are made - but I have no idea who runs that or how you can buy them.  If anyone has any info, please advise!

Tin sculptures on the back patio

With Smoke right across the street, it is difficult to pass up tacos, but when we need a break from tacos, Tin Front is our best local choice (more so than any chain restaurant 2 blocks away in The Waterfront).

How was my dinner vegetarian, you ask?  Well, before I went to work at Kennywood that night, I ate a banana and an apple, but when I came home, James had bought some great Middle-Eastern goodies from Pitaland in Brookline, which we discovered on the Burgh Bits 'N Bites Food Tour - he arranged me a plate full of hummus, tzatziki, sleek, tabbouleh, and pickled turnips, along with some warm, freshly-made pita bread.  No animal flesh involved, and it was amazing.

That was Saturday.  Stay tuned for Sunday...

Tin Front Cafe

216 East 8th Ave.

Homestead, PA 15120

Website: http://www.tinfrontcafe.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinfrontcafe

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/tinfrontcafe