Introduction, The Seed and Rice and Noodles

This is experimental, I was frustrated by the lack of Lancaster-focused food blogs, seeing one only updated two years ago and the PA Dutch blog that isn't solely food-based and reads more like an advertisement than reviews - which is okay! Sometimes you want advertisements to find new places! So then I thought why don't I just start my own? Because I am incredibly lazy, that is why. And how is this going to help me? But I do like food, and maybe this will help someone else eventually. I might also talk about food I’m making with my food share or whatever else interesting and food related.

A small cast of characters: I’m vegetarian. Bryan, my husband, eats meat and is moderately non-adventurous with food, and my sister, Sara, is the quintessential picky-eater. These are usually the people I take out to eat, and help with determining the whether places are worth re-visiting.

2/23/13

The Seed for lunch. http://www.facebook.com/theseedlancaster

So after ignoring the hype in the world about kombucha, I then go to the Seed and decide that I actually like the peculiar taste of it. And they make their own! Freshly brewed! The Seed is also delightful in its vegan-friendly offerings, a pleasant surprise in meat-and-dairy heavy Lancaster. I love, as a vegetarian, occasionally going somewhere where I can actually eat everything on the menu and don't have to try and figure out whether a substitution/omission is possible and/or if I am going to be deeply obnoxious in asking for one.

I haven't brought Bryan or Sara here yet, but there are lots of "normal" menu items like peanut butter and jelly panini, grilled cheese, or bagel if words like quinoa or seitan are scary, so am not avoiding taking them either. Personally, I love the creative combinations that arise from working without meat, and the Seed does not disappoint.

2/25/13

Rice and Noodles for dinner. http://riceandnoodlesrestaurant.com/

Oh, I love this place. This is truly one of my favorite places to go around here, Bryan and I went there the day after our wedding, and will continue to go all the time. One reason being there are a number of vegetarian options, you can bring your gluten-free friend along and the staff is really devoted to being informative about gluten-free or vegan or whatever, and it won't disappoint one's "but.. beef?" husband. They also do take-out, which is nice. I nearly always get the tofu spring rolls, and usually one of the stir-fries. They do the most lovely creative drinks too, iced Vietnamese coffee and salted lime juice amongst them. BYOB. I almost invariably box half of dinner so I can enjoy their desserts, of which they have homemade ice cream now, in addition to Vietnamese tiramisu parfait, taro pudding, and macarons. Caveats, if one doesn’t like say, basil and cilantro, and if hopeful of some ‘regular’ food like say just a nice salad with ranch or a grilled cheese, that is not available. Would not take Sara here.