Two Brunches in New Jersey

I am delighted to kick-off the first V.V. report that highlights the vegan wonders of my neighboring states: the Tristate area. As you may or may not know, New Jersey has a lot to offer a vegan.  To start, take these two wonderful eateries…

Vital Dining, a vibrant new take on Jamaican in pleasant downtown Montclair, New Jersey, has some pretty spectacular vegan options on their clearly marked menus… the kind that merit a short trip from New York City because, honestly, this isn’t happening anywhere else. 

Vital embraces ital principles. The food oozes life, vitality. We started with the black-eyed pea hummus which was the perfect appetizer–mostly because of the pile of fresh, housemade plantain chips. From the crispy crunch of their narrower tips to the soft starchy bites of the thicker torsos, these plantain chips were textural heaven. An appetizer demonstrates a bit of foreshadowing, a sign of things to come. In this capacity, this dish had me anxiously awaiting my Sunrise Breakfast.

Ackee, as our waitress explained, was a fruit whose flesh was the texture of eggs. It sucked in flavor, but itself, was a salty. Bite after bite, we wondered: Why on Earth hadn’t ackee swept the vegan nation? The texture was soft and curd-y. It was naturally yellow. And it contains no thickeners or science processing to maintain its texture and color. Also on the plate, cassava dumplings. Or should I say soft, creamy pillows of deep-fried cassava heaven. The perfect refuge from the salty ackee and sauteed kale. I proceeded in this fashion until it was all gone. Delicious!

Veganized Foods in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey is all-vegan. But there is so much more…

Firstly, Veganized service is above and beyond. Our waiter was authentically caring, affable, and attentive. He was delighted you (and the others) were there, truly. This kind of passion for service is rare. It would have certainly compensated for lackluster food… but it did not need to. Not one bit. So it was a bonus. Veganized has a wonderful menu of housemade eats. It does not rely on packaged cheese or meat analogs. Nope. Zilch. Nada. Just real food crafted in a comforting way. Our two brunch dishes, the Flaky Biscuit (No-buttermilk biscuit, aioli, smoked shitake sausage, avocado, tomato, charred onion, simple salad) and the 5 Stack (five medium-sized pancakes, blueberry lavender sauce and banana slices) highlighted Veganized’s attention to detail, quality, and deliciousness. This, on top of the other dishes we saw arriving at the surrounding tables, sealed the deal. I had to come back.  This was a special place I discovered… and that feeling is why I love to seek, travel and report.