Dining Out in New Hampshire - Cafe Indigo (Part Two)

Sunday Brunch Sampler Plate - Cafe Indigo

I've posted about Cafe Indigo before, when I took home one of their mini vegan carrot cakes from the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. Well, I finally had the chance to dine at the vegan restaurant in Concord, NH this past weekend. On the way home from a snowboarding trip my boyfriend and I took a detour, and I really mean detour. Unfortunately Cafe Indigo is not in an ideal location, it's not far from the highway, but it's hidden in an industrial-looking office park. The space itself is small, with a little storefront area for their desserts and a dining area with mismatched tables and chairs. Hopefully with the success of their baked goods they can relocate, as I can guarantee they'd get a much higher volume of visitors. 

Sunday Brunch (Vegan) Buffet - Cafe Indigo

We went for Sunday Brunch, which they only offer twice a month. It was a great deal - for $15 per person you get your choice of entree and all-you-can-eat appetizers, side dishes, and desserts (includes their well-known Carrot Cake) and coffee and tea, set up on a side table. It was a treat to have a whole spread of dishes to choose from and serve yourself - there was pea salad, coleslaw, hummus, salsa, chips, raisin bread, and a peanut noodle dish. They offer wheat-free versions of their menu options, too.

Carrot Cake, Chocolate Cake & Lemon Poppyseed Cake
- Cafe Indigo

For my meal, I ordered the Sampler Plate, because why not try it all at once. It came with cinnamon french toast, lemon rosemary potatoes, tofu scramble, a cornmeal pancake, and a homemade soy sausage patty. Overall it was very satisfying. I excitedly proclaimed, "this is the first vegan french toast I've had!" It was delicious, probably my favorite thing on the plate. My boyfriend ordered the Cornmeal Pancakes which also came with homemade vegan sausage patties and potatoes. Whenever I take my boyfriend to an all-vegan eatery I'm a little uneasy, wondering if he'll enjoy his meal or come out of it thinking "you owe me one."  He loved the cornmeal pancakes and the potatoes, but when he bit into the sausage patty he reached for his water, and then his coffee to um, wash it down. You win some, you lose some. 

Cornmeal Pancakes - Cafe Indigo

After our meal, we dragged ourselves over to the dessert case to take home some goodies. As I've mentioned before it's difficult to find vegan baked goods in Boston so I was eager to stock up. We took home a Whoopie Pie, Blueberry Muffin, Mini Donuts, and slices of the cakes from the breakfast buffet. Reasonably priced and so yummy, particularly the Whoopie Pie. The cream filling was outstanding!

Vegan Carrot Cake - Cafe Indigo

Vegan Whoopie Pie - Cafe Indigo

Vegan Blueberry Muffin - Cafe Indigo

Vegan Mini Donuts - Cafe Indigo

I was happy to read recently that Cafe Indigo got a deal with New England Whole Foods stores to sell their cakes. Later that day I happened to be grocery shopping and spotted their products on the shelves!

I'm going to be craving their desserts now, guess I just have to stop in to my nearby Whole Foods to satisfy my taste buds.

Cafe Indigo Cakes on the Shelves at Whole Foods!

Cafe Indigo

128H Hall Street 

(Corporate Office Park, Building #3)

Concord, NH 03301

Cafe Indigo Website

Dining Out in New Hampshire - Waterville Valley Resort

Say It Ain't So, Joe - Waterville Valley Resort

Winter is upon us. It's off to a promising start with more snow than last year, which means time to hit the slopes! I got back into snowboarding recently after a long hiatus and have had the opportunity to stay at a beautiful lakehouse in New Hampshire during the winter. My boyfriend and I enjoy spending a few weekends each winter there, visiting the nearby ski resorts. We try to keep our trips to the mountain simple and easy - no packed bags, no lockers, only one break in the lodge for lunch. Becoming vegan and still trying to avoid a packed lunch was sure to be a challenge. 

I Spotted a Vegan Option!

Our first time through I got lucky. We visited Waterville Valley Resort in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. It was a great day of snowboarding with lots of fresh snow. We took a lunch break at the Base Area Restaurant called T-Bars. The menu had an indicator for veggie-friendly options and I quickly spotted one without dairy, the Say It Ain't So, Joe Sloppy Joe. I double checked with the kitchen on this, just to be sure. It's made with lentils, onions, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, a little chipotle pepper served on a bun with sliced red onion, tomatoes, and pickles, and comes with a side of broccoli salad and fries. I was happy with my meal, which stayed true to its name - sloppy. I felt like I was getting a filling, satisfying meal that was still very healthy, and for those who are used to seeing the typical ski resort cafeterias filled with chicken fingers, pizza, and fries (okay, guilty on this one) you know this isn't easy to come by. Kudos to Waterville Valley for offering up choices for vegetarians and vegans!

Veggie-Friendly Menu at T-Bars Restaurant

T-Bars Restaurant (Base Area)

Waterville Valley Resort

Rt. 49 to Resort Village

Waterville Valley, NH 03215

Waterville Valley Resort Website

Dining Out in New Hampshire - Cafe Indigo

Carrot Cake - Cafe Indigo

Carrot Cake Ingredients & Nutrition

While I prefer to bake for myself at home, I can't say no to trying new vegan desserts when I'm out and about. Unfortunately vegan baked goods are hard to come by in Boston. At the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival I was delighted by the variety of vegan desserts for sale and sampling. Cafe Indigo, a Concord, New Hampshire-based bakery, had prime real estate by the entrance. They had a poster up describing themselves and on it it stated VegNews recognized them for having the "Best. Carrot. Cake. Ever." (supposedly this was in 2007, so I'm curious if this is still accurate). Regardless, I immediately jumped at the chance to sample their carrot cake. 

It was delicious and tasted just like a regular non-vegan carrot cake, probably even better. The cake is moist and spiced and the "cream cheese" frosting was sweet enough to balance it out. I brought home a mini cake (for $3) to continue the cake bliss. You can order muffins, cookies, cupcakes, and cakes online from their website, but you have to buy a large quantity and pay shipping. I was glad to have the opportunity to taste test without a big purchase, but now that I know I might visit their site in the future, or even better visit My Thai Vegan Cafe in Boston where they sell Cafe Indigo cakes! You can read other Cafe Indigo reviews on Yelp. 

Cafe Indigo

128H Hall Street

Concord, NH 03301

Cafe Indigo Website

Dining Out in New Hampshire - Cornucopia Bakery

UPDATE: Sadly, Cornucopia Bakery is no longer in business. What a shame :(

The Cornucopia Bakery - Bristol, NH

My boyfriend's family has a beautiful lakehouse on Newfound Lake. During a winter weekend spent snowboarding, we discovered this place, even before my transition to a vegan diet. It was so refreshing to find a health-conscious eatery in New Hampshire among so many pizza, wings, and sub shops! The family-run Cornucopia Bakery is more than the name suggests - it also includes a deli serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, smoothies, and a small market stocked with natural foods. Now as a vegan, I'm here each weekend we visit "The Shire". I've tried a couple of delicious, vegan smoothies (After Yoga, Green Smoothie), some yummy vegan chocolate chip cookies, and my go-to deli choice is the Marinated Tempeh Wrap (see below).

Marinated Tempeh Wrap
Marinated Tempeh, Vegan Garlic Alioli, Greens, Sprouts,
Carmelized Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Whole Wheat Wrap

I highly recommend this place - check out my review (and other five-star reviews) on Yelp!

The Cornucopia Bakery

26 Central Square

Bristol, NH 03222

The Cornucopia Bakery Website