Veggie Galaxy, an indulgent experience in Cambridge

Hungry as I was, I took my time getting settled before venturing out on the streets of Boston. I needed to find my Airbnb, figure out how to get in, and learn the public transportation system. It's pretty simple, really, except that to get a week-long pass, I had to go to a Star Market grocery instead of the station.

The subway dropped me on Massachusetts Ave. in a section of Cambridge called Central Square. In Boston, the sections have sections. The walk down the avenue was pleasant. Wide sidewalks, good lighting, and a mix of chain and interesting independent storefronts. I would have stopped in Cheapo Records, but they had just closed. Just as well; there were loads of one dollar records that would never fit in my suitcase.

Next, I popped into a food co-op. At least that's what they called it. The place was not a grungy space with veggies crammed into any available crevice like co-ops I've seen in Tacoma Park, MD and Berkeley, CA. (Hi Kitty Jones <3 I hope you're loving my blog!) This was a full on grocery store, nicer than any Trader Joe's I've ever been to.

Pretty great for them, but weird for me so I just did a quick lap and left. I crossed Pearl Street, which made me think of my daughter. I miss you, sweetheart! 

In fact, missing SPC is why I ordered a masala chai tea. But I'm skipping ahead. 

I walked past a few other storefronts until I reached my destination, Veggie Galaxy. (In my head, this is spoken in dramatic scifi announcer voice, with an echo at the end.) I was seated at the counter, and my waitress, Nikole (with a k), answered every question I had, about the menu and about Boston. She was sympathetic of my plight of living in the beautiful but very vegan-unfriendly town of Annapolis. 

The sympathy, by the way, was for being put in the position of having to make a choice rather than opting for the one thing on the menu that could be made suitable--the norm in Naptown. She explained that everything on the menu was vegetarian, most were vegan, and anything non-vegan could be improved to vegan status. I considered Buffalo wings and a Rachel sandwich. (Hi Rachel. Jeffery's covering for me tomorrow--'cuz I'm in Boston.)  

Ultimately, I ordered the Loaded Mac & Cheese, the vegan option, natch. Macaroni, housemade vegan cheese sauce, seitan, mushrooms, peas, broccoli, panko, and I don't recall it being listed, but sausage.* It looked amazing. See for yourself.

First bite started deliciously as expected, with lots of wonderful flavors playing off each other harmoniously. But into the second chew, a surprising sweetness joined the chorus, and my tastebuds were dancing to the beat.

I had noticed at my Airbnb that the tap water in Boston is quite good. I was going to stick with water at Veggie Galaxy but the drink menu was right under my nose and the masala chai tea made me think of Sofia more than I had been already. I had let steep longer than necessary, even for my predilection for strong brews. I took a few sips black, and was pleased, but Nikole had brought some soy creamer, so I thought I should have it Sofia-style. That was an unfortunate decision. I quaffed the ruined drink down slowly until the cup was nearly dry, then poured more creamer in. Maybe I needed to go all in. Nope, no better. I downed the remainder quickly and poured a new black cuppa tea. Much better.

Nikole came by and took my nearly spotless dish. (Though tempted, I did not lick it clean.) A few minutes later, she came by again and asked if I wanted the dessert menu. Thinking back to the Airbnb, and how I had managed 150 each of push ups, crunches, oblique crunches, and squats, I decided it would be okay to indulge. 

That may have been a poor choice. Everything on the menu was vegan. Everything. Even the hot fudge brownie sundae. It was amazing. Nikole explained that the ice cream they use is from FoMu. Of course FoMu is already on my list (even though Janice failed to mark it on the map--hmmm). But I let Nikole tell me all about their store, delighting in her words and the thought of dozens of flavors to choose from.

The brownie was as good as any I've had. The FoMu ice cream was as creamy and smooth as the reviews had promised. The only problem now is that I feel like I should walk an hour back to my Airbnb instead of taking the subway, to burn some of these calories away.

Bottom line, Veggie Galaxy is a wonderful place to indulge in Boston. If you are not vegan, go anyway. You'll love it. 

Wow. I've been writing this whole time. I'll try to keep future posts a little shorter and easier to digest. Yes, Janice, pun intended.

*In this blog, if I say things like "sausage" or "ice cream" or other things that I'm eating, I mean the vegan analog. Also, "vegan analog" is a term the cool vegan bloggers use.