By Ivy Grob

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital,
and I dedicated the day to becoming a true tourist. When I stepped
out of the metro at the Smithsonian station, I knew I had the entire
day ahead of me to submerse myself in the history that is present
in Washington DC. I headed first in the direction of the Lincoln
Memorial, stopping along the way to see the Washington Monument and the
World War II Memorial. After saying hi to Honest Abe, I turned around
and briefly stopped to see the White House, then continued on the way to
the Smithsonian museums. This alone took over three hours and lots of
walking (good thing I wore comfy shoes!). So I decided to take a break
and head over to Native Foods Café for lunch. I heard about this
all-vegan chain restaurant from VRG coordinator Debra Wasserman and I
knew I had to try it while I was in town. What’s even better than an
all-vegan restaurant? An all vegan restaurant that’s only a ten minute
walk from the Air and Space Museum!

When I arrived I was happy to see the colorful décor and was
impressed that the employee explained to me that the menu was 100% vegan
(he actually said no meat, fish, dairy, or honey) when I told him this
was my first time eating there. I ordered the ‘Chicken,’ ‘Bacon’ and Avo
Club with Seasoned Fries, a Watermelon Fresca, and an Oatmeal Crème Pie.
The food was served very fast and I immediately dug in. The ‘Chicken,’
‘Bacon’ and Avo Club was full of zesty flavor from the chipotle sauce and
the meat substitutes were hearty and crispy. This sandwich paired with
the Seasoned Fries quickly filled me up, and washing it down with the
Watermelon Fresca was a fresh and sweet accompaniment. I didn’t save any
room for dessert so I took my Oatmeal Crème Pie with me to go and ate it
later on after I returned home to Baltimore. This was the true cherry on
top for the whole meal. The cookie itself is huge, and reminiscent of
the ones I used to eat as a child. I ate the whole thing at once and
didn’t even find myself regretting it; it was that good.

If you ever find yourself being a tourist in DC, give Native Foods
Café a try. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, or just looking for
something new to try, they are a fast and easy option conveniently
located nearby to all of the tourist destinations.

For information on more places to eat, see:
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Ivy is interning in The Vegetarian Resource Group office this summer and attends college in Florida.