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.

Happy Birthday to Me (Again?)

I'm finally done celebrating my birthday. Well, it is almost 2010! On a very cold, blustery night, why not take a culinary trip to Mexico?

My friend treated me to a belated celebratory dinner at Pancho's Burritos in Westwood. To drink, a non-alcoholic strawberry margarita.

Vegetarian enchiladas. Your eyes aren't deceiving you - that is sour cream. But tofu sour cream! They offer soy cheese as well, but they were out that night. Sob.

Treating each other to a meal at a local restaurant is one of my favorite gift exchanges. Restaurants employ so many workers - cooks, servers, busboys, dishwashers, suppliers and so on. It's a great way to support the economy without going to the mall and buying a clutter gift. Spending time with my friends and sharing great conversation is the best gift of all.

Visit Pancho's Burritos, 20 Jefferson Avenue, Westwood, NJ, or check out their New Milford location (which I prefer atmosphere-wise) on 214 Main Street.

Flashback to my budget travels in Mexico, including my yummy vegan eats. Oh those grilled vegetable and pineapple fajitas!

Is it possible to be in love with a restaurant?

If they have outdoor dining, non-dairy options like soy cheese and tofu sour cream, and reasonable prices, I say sí! Well, it would be perfect if it was organic.

A virgin mango margarita, $4.50, and sangria, $6.

Sweet fried plantains with cinnamon sugar, $6.50, to start. Like an appetizer and dessert combined into one.

Vegetable fajitas, $14.50. Definitely enough to share. Luckily, my dining companion, my mom, loves vegan food. Who would want to pollute this meal with chicken or beef?

Request non-dairy, and you'll get tofu sour cream, brown rice and a whole wheat tortilla. Although I do prefer Spanish rice with my Mexican. Craving sour cream for your at-home Mexican dinners? Try Tofutti sour cream.

The visit before this, I had the California tostados (pinto beans, shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado), with tofu sour cream, $7.75.


Visit Pancho's Burritos at 214 Main St., New Milford, NJ

Eating Vegan Food for A Good Cause

I went, I ate, I mingled, all for a great cause: supporting local environmental groups. If only I could figure out a way to nap for a charity...I'd make millions.

First, I hit Blue Moon Mexican Cafe in Wycoff to support the Community Night to benefit Hackensack Riverkeeper. This place is no Pancho's. The manager came over when I had questions for the waiter about what was vegan, which was a perfect opportunity for me to mention they should consider offering soy cheese and tofu sour cream. She didn't even know tofu sour cream existed.

A virgin peach margarita and a cup of black bean soup. Both $4, and both just okay. The margarita was a bit slushy.

A house salad with corn, black beans, cucumbers, tomatoes and tortilla strips, $6.95. This salad was just screaming for an avocado. Next time, I'll just dine at Pancho's and write a check to the Hackensack Riverkeeper. Sorry, Blue Moon!

Then I hit Bergen SWAN's fundraiser at the Hillsdale, NJ borough hall, with tasty food supplied by Veggie Heaven and my favorite, Trader Joe's. There were a few preparations of Trader Joe's meatless meatballs, including two vegan (BBQ and chili sauce) and non-vegan (vodka sauce).

There were also river poems recited and a silent auction, where you could bid on, among other items, cute reusable totes filled with eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Why the reusable grocery bag trend has yet to catch on is beyond me. They sell them for as little as 99 cents at major supermarkets, and everyone in suburbia where I live has a car where they can easily store them.

As a young teenage activist, I participated in a fundraising walk to support Bergen SWAN's efforts to protect land surrounding the local reservoir...a dream that was realized. They have been working to maintain this land and promote environment education for over two decades. Learn more about Bergen SWAN.

Learn more about Hackensack Riverkeeper, which offers paddling activities, bird-walks, and many volunteer opportunities for river clean-ups.

Pancho's, You Never Let Me Down

It's always so good, I had to go back. Can you blame me with food like this?

A virgin mango margarita. $4.50


Sweet fried plantains, served with cinnamon sugar. $6.50


Grilled portabella burrito. $11.50. Filled with Spanish rice and choice of black or pinto beans. Ask for non-dairy, and you'll get soy cheese, tofu sour cream and brown rice. Portabella mushrooms are nature's mock meat for me. But can we talk about portion size here? I got three meals out of this.


Pancho's Burritos, 214 Main St., New Milford, NJ. Or visit 20 Jefferson Ave., Westwood, NJ.

PETA's VegCooking site offers up easy-to-make Mexican recipes, including black bean soup, guacamole, pepper quesadillas, limeade, Mexican chocolate cake and flan. Vegans just eat tofu, right? All those carnivores are really missing out.
Search by cuisine type (German, Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern and more) or by food type (appetizer, salad, entree, dessert, etc.)

Pancho's Burritos...As Close As I'll Get to Mexico

While I can't make it to the Mexican Riviera anytime soon, I can get to Pancho's Burritos, my local Mexican haunt in New Milford. They have outdoor seating in warmer months. I love alfresco dining. But it's January, so I digress.

Pancho's excitingly offers soy cheese and tofu sour cream. Does your Mexican hang-out offer these? I like to put in a verbal request for soy products when I can. If no one asks, they won't realize there's a demand.

A virgin strawberry margarita, $4.50. I haven't felt like imbibing lately (no particular reason), but they offer alcoholic ones. The mango and peach varieties are delicious.


Veggie enchiladas, $11. I got two meals out of this. Green tip of the day: Bring your own take out containers with you for leftovers, and avoid their Styrofoam containers.


Visit them at: 214 Main Street, New Miford, NJ or 20 Jefferson Ave., Westwood, NJ

Or make your own Mexican feast at home. My Trader Joe's has everything I could possibly need: refried black beans, organic brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, multi-grain tortilla chips, salsa (varieties include pineapple, smokey peach and more). And, of course, the veggies: avocados, bell peppers, onions and portobello mushrooms. Finish with one of their frozen "Fruit Floes": strawberry, Caribbean, mango or lime. So refreshing!