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.

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