So, it's been a while, and I haven't had a chance to fill you in on all the delicious foods I've been eating, but tonight's dinner deserves some spotlight.
Anyone who has spent at least a little time in Rochester, NY knows that the garbage plate is the quintessential Rochester dish. Not the prettiest, let me assure you, but it's perfect after a hard workout or a night out drinking.
Vegans are lucky in that Rochester also happens to have an amazing veggie dog joint. Dogtown Hots is one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the city, despite its many meat options. You can get veggie dogs, veggie burgers and plenty of vegan sides. Some of their specials are also vegan. The best part (in my opinion) is that their chili is vegan--always. That means that whenever you want a chili dog (sans cruelty), it's never further than Monroe Avenue. So, when I go to Dogtown for a plate (which has been exactly once), I get fries, baked beans, a veggie burger and chili sauce on top. Now the only problem with this is that, traditionally, garbage plates have macaroni salad ("mac" salad for short. These are New Yorkers, for heaven's sake). Dogtown of course has mac salad, but it's not vegan. They also traditionally serve "Dogtown Sauce", which is a Cincinnati chili--no beans, just meat and a savory/sweet red sauce. I've never had it, but I've seen it at the restaurant and except for the nasty dead animal aspect to it, it looks tasty.
Tonight, I was craving a real garbage plate. Mostly because I wanted mac salad. And trust me, making a garbage plate is a bit of an undertaking just for mac salad, but I was up for the challenge. I bought some frozen steak fries and looked up some recipes for the Cincinnati chili. The mac salad was easy--elbow macaroni, Vegenaise, shredded carrots and some paprika. For the chili sauce, I followed this recipe exactly (except for the dead cow part--I used Nate's Meatless Meatballs, and they were perfect). Because I only had half a bag of meatless meatballs, I halved the recipe, which worked fine. The fries were simple, I just followed the directions and sprinkled them with salt when I took them out of the oven. You really don't need a whole lot of fries since there is so much to this dish.
All of this preparation went into making the plates (we skipped the burger part because we didn't have any, but don't tell anyone). However, once Adam and I sat down to eat, I sat back in wonder as he WENT TO WORK on his plate. First, he had to have chopped raw onions. Then he got out the ketchup, mustard, and Vegenaise. Then he heaped up the mac salad (I didn't give him enough), drenched everything in ketchup and mustard and began cutting it up and mixing everything together. Now that, friends, is a true Rochestarian. I tried to follow along but he said mine was "too orderly". I guess I still have a lot to learn about how to make a real "plate".
Sitting down to this meal made me feel so good about my choice to be vegan. There was nothing I had to sacrifice to make a delicious and traditional Rochester meal, and no one was hurt (or slaughtered) in the process. Sometimes as a vegan you have to recreate restaurant favorites at home, but there is something so satisfying about learning how to make a new dish and getting to enjoy it in the comfort of your own home, with all of your own condiments. I would REALLY encourage you to try out this delicious (and not so terribly unhealthy) meal when you're really feeling the need for true comfort food.
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