Willows Plant-based Eatery

 

It’s March 30 and I’m in Concord, New Hampshire on business. I like to check out local establishments when I travel and with a little luck and a google search, I can usually find options to fit the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle. Last night’s experience at a local Applebee’s won’t be repeated. I have a friend who lives in Concord and since I was in town on business, I arranged to pick him up to meet for dinner. My mistake was allowing him to pick the restaurant. I dimly remembered that one of the chains (TGI Friday, Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday) had a sparse vegetarian menu and it turned out to be Applebee’s. Hey, it’s their restaurant and they can (obviously) choose to serve whatever they want. I just find it strange that there is not a single vegetarian option on the entire menu. Page after page of sandwiches, burgers, salads, and entrees and not a single thing a non-meat eater can chow down on. You’d think that there’d be something by accident!  Nada! I asked the waitress if they had a vegetarian burger patty. No, sorry…. How hard is it to keep a box of frozen Black Bean burgers in the corner of the freezer? Cross that restaurant chain off the list.

In between meetings the next day I decide to check out a restaurant called “Willows Plant-Based Eatery” located at 55 South Main Street. I’d driven by it on other trips to Concord but had yet to stop in. For whatever reason, my usual routine had included a veggie burger at “The Common Man”. Good thing I stepped outside the routine.

It’s a mild spring day (unlike today with snow falling as I write this). There’s some construction happening on a good stretch of Main Street but don’t let that deter you. It’s worth the effort. I park on the street and walk a block up to the restaurant. The outside façade is nondescript and the inside is nothing fancy but we’re here for the food, not the décor, right?

 


The menu has a surprising variety and all the items are vegan. You could eat here every week and it would be a while before you ran out of options. I’m happy to see seitan entrees in addition to tofu. In my opinion, seitan tastes better and is more versatile than tofu. I like the consistency better than tofu, as well.

I start off with a cup of the Tofu Noodle soup. One mouthful and I immediately regret not getting a bowl instead of a cup. It’s nice and spicy with what appears to be black pepper. I finish it off by upending the cup to get the last of it. Hey, it’s called a cup for a reason.

I’m tempted to go with the Tofu Scramble special displayed on the specials board outside the restaurant but at the last minute I go with the High Vibes. This has seared seitan, sautéed peppers and onions, garlic and spinach. It shows up with a handful of tasty blue corn chips. The wrap tastes as good as it looks and I leave the restaurant satisfied and wishing I had come here sooner.

Next time you find yourself in Concord, I recommend you stop at Willow’s. You won’t be disappointed.