One Time I Ate Meatloaf at a Vegan Restaurant

2007_02_karyns_orange_inside.jpg

2007_02_karyns_bar.jpg

2007_02_karyns_meatloaf.jpg

2007_02_karyns_leaving.jpg

2007_02_karyns_outside.jpg

This popular post on Chicagoist about an oldtimer and a young flamboyant gay man getting into it about Karyn’s Fresh Corner Cafe on “Check, Please!” reminded me that I’ve been there, but that I never posted on it.

From what I understand, Karyn’s has this whole center of things. There’s a vegan restaurant, a raw foods restaurant, and a whole learning center with books and lifestyle joint to do yoga and whatever else… I’m not even sure.

The reason that I went was we had a FeedBurner client visiting Chicago and she’s vegan. We were meeting up for lunch and Traci thought it’d be a good place to take her. Jessica and I were up for anything, so we went. Looking at the menu beforehand, I figured I’d get something sort of normal, like a grilled portabella or something that I’d normally eat but just not really think about it being vegan. When I got there I was feeling a little more adventurous, so I went all out and got the meatloaf. Mostly I was just curious about how they’d serve an entirely meat entree at a restaurant that didn’t serve meat.

And so it was. You can see the photo above. It doesn’t really look that appetizing though. My ruling was that the potatoes were not that bad and the broccoli was good, but the meatloaf just wasn’t doing it for me. I don’t want to bag on anyone and I have no bad feelings towards any vegans if that’s your thing, but it’s just not for me. I can understand vegetarians who don’t eat meat for ethical or health reasons or whatever.. but once you cross over into veganism, I don’t really understand. I eat plenty vegetarian meals in any given week, but soy cheese and fake eggs and faux meat just aren’t my thing.

Btw, if you’re vegan or into the raw food movement, this place must be the shit. In the “Check, Please!” segment it was revealed that Karyn’s is the longest open raw food restaurant in the country.

8 thoughts on “One Time I Ate Meatloaf at a Vegan Restaurant

  1. I have a vegan friend I haven’t seen for several years. When we lived in the same town, I came to the conclusion that vegetarianism is a potentially rational diet choice, but veganism is a cult.

  2. Wow, neither of you seem at all educated about being vegan. In many ways it is simply an extension of the vegetarian movement, which both of you seem to accept. If you eat eggs, baby male chicks are often thrown in the trash to die. If you drink milk, the veal industry is an off shoot of the dairy industry. Not only that, but animal fat is quite unhealthy for you, almost as bad as meat. Anyway, I could go on all day. This just popped up on my google alerts. If you actually want to have an informed opinion on veganism read a book like John Robbin’s Food Revolution.

    Cheers,
    JJ

  3. RE: “Btw, if you’re vegan or into the raw food movement, this place must be the shit.”

    I’m vegan, but I think of it less as “the shit” and more as “teh shitty.” If only we’d talked before you ordered the meatloaf, I could have warned you! At least you got a good headline for a blog post out of it.

  4. I have never been to Karyn’s, but you should try Chicago Diner on Halstead near Roscoe. Their Peach Margaritas are the bomb! I recommend going when it’s warm out again, the back patio area is pretty nice. I’m not even a vegetarian and I enjoy their food.

  5. There are a lot fo reasons to go vegan!
    It is better for the enviornment.
    Milk and eggs really hurt the animals a well!
    It is REALLY good for your health as well!
    Wow, I could go on FOREVER! My point is, if it is a cult, why do i not know any other vegans? I mean I have seen some on the internet but never met a true vegan in person before.

  6. As long as you don’t mind comments on your two-year-old posts, your post is great. Veganism is nice in theory but doesn’t always work out in practice. A better goal (and more realistic and attainable) is to encourage humane farming practices so animals aren’t cruelly abused in factory farms.

Leave a Reply to anonymous Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *