Margaritas and May Happenings

Weekend goal: have a margarita. Friday night: mission accomplished!

My sweetheart's Corona, $5, and my raspberry margarita, $7.


We (and half of Bergen County) thought it would be splendid idea to dine at Pancho's Burritos in New Milford, which is now twice the size of its original location after taking over the hairdresser next store.



After a wait at the bar, we scored a coveted outdoor table. I feasted on a cup of black bean soup to start, and a mini-vegetarian burrito filled with veggies, pinto beans, Spanish rice and soy cheese, with a side salad.

Unexpectedly, I dined al fresco again Saturday evening with my parents. With a bottle of wine in hand, we ate at the cheerful Garden Cafe in New Milford. Frank Sinatra music was piped into the background.

I took this photo Easter weekend when my boyfriend and I finished dining at Jersey Boys Grill next door, and resolved to come back here.

I had a wrap: a spinach tortilla filled with grilled portobello mushrooms, zucchini and roasted red peppers (hold the mozzarela cheese), served with homemade chips, $7.25. Gardenburgers are usually available, but they were out that night.



Disappointingly, they don't have soy milk for their coffee drinks.

I may have to go back for their Thursday all-you-can-eat pasta night, $9.95, which comes with salad and dinner rolls. I like patronizing these local, community-minded restaurants. Extra points for BYOB status and outdoor seating.

May goals:

Have spanikopita at the St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church's annual Greek Festival, May 13,14,15, and 16, in Paramus, NJ. More info. Find a Greek Festival near you.

Participate in another Hackensack Riverkeeper Clean-up. Check out the full list. Done it! More about that later.

Attend Pinkster Fest: A Colonial Celebration of Spring. This Bergen County Historical Society event takes place Sunday, May 23, at Historic New Bridge Landing in River Edge. $7 adult, $5 children, BCHS members free. Check out all their events.

Veg Dining in Woodstock and Phoenicia

After two hours on the road, sitting outside at Brios in Phoenicia was so relaxing. There are only a few options in town for dining. There was Mexican cuisine on the opposite side of the restaurant, also with outdoor seating.

A side salad, $2.50. Isn't it amazing how small salads are more than enough for two?

A personal size vegetarian pizza (hold the cheese), $7.99, paired with a lemonade.

There's only one vegetarian game in town in Woodstock: the Garden Cafe. A pleasant outdoor seating area is open after 11:30.

Breakfast enchilada (tofu scramble, refried beans, soy cheddar and salsa in a whole wheat tortilla), $8.50. One of my favorite cuisines, Mexican, combined with the most important meal of the day? Love it! Guacamole for breakfast just seems so...so...forbidden.

Cinnamon French toast with a warm strawberry peach compote, $6. Order this! I had it with an iced coffee and...

...a side of vegan sausage patties, $4. While I was there, a couple sat down, but walked out after the waitress explained what vegan was. Sad. And boy did they miss out!

I pass by hot dogs stands in New York City regularly, but I can never indulge since there are no humane options. At the Woodstock fleamarket, I could!

A veggie hot dog with mustard, ketchup and relish, $2.50.

Back to the Garden Cafe for dinner. I so wanted to sit outside, but it started to rain. Inside...an asparagus and cashew tart, $8, to start. This was by far the best of the four courses. This could even be a great entree if they made it bigger and paired it with a simple green salad.

Tuscan arugula and white bean salad, with roasted garlic dressing and croutons, $9. Good, easy to recreate at home for much cheaper.

Pan fried rice and vegetables with leek sauce, walnut mushroom gratin with horseradish sauce, tempeh with caramelized onions and sautéed greens, $20. The rice was the best, but overall, eh. I wouldn't order this again.

I shared the prior three dishes, and barely had room for dessert, but couldn't resist. Strawberry shortcake, $7. This was definitely a "splurge" dinner. But how often am I in Woodstock?

Back in Phoenicia, Sweet Sue's had quite a few tofu dishes on their lunch menu. For breakfast, options are simple: toast with jam, home fries, fruit cup, and granola with fruit (just request soy milk instead of yogurt). They also have vegetarian bacon and sausage on the menu, which the waitress (who happened to be vegetarian) said was vegan, but I googled the brand, Worthington, and it looks like it does have animal by-products. Still a small sign of some progress that vegetarian bacon is on the menu at all, and I always make sure the servers know how great it would be to have more vegan options.