Champs Diner in Brooklyn, NY

Hey guys! Hope you are all well, safe and healthy. Today's post is definitely something special because I had wanted to try this restaurant for a long time. Anyone that has been to this region will know that diners are a big deal. We LOVE diners and they are EVERYWHERE. Since going vegan it has been difficult to indulge in diner fare but we are lucky enough to be able to do so thanks to Champs Diner in Brooklyn. In December I went to visit Doug's grave with two of my friends and we decided that the best way to honor him after would be to enjoy a meal for him. Doug was a foodie so he definitely would have approved of the plan so we decided to head over to Champs Diner after we spent some time with him.

There were 4 of us in total (my friend's son came as well) and I got most of what we ordered except for one of my friend's entrees and my friend's son's entrée. I'll share the photos that I did get though.

We all really wanted to try the biscuits and gravy and OMG are we glad we did. We all LOVED it!! Biscuits are one of my favorite things and their sausage gravy was absolutely delicious. We didn't really eat the hash browns because we all had some sort of potato with our meals but omg those biscuits were amazing!

This was by far my favorite part of the meal. I had been craving a Caesar salad for months at that point so we ordered a chick'n Caesar salad to share. It was absolutely delicious and exactly what I had been wanting. Everyone else enjoyed it as well.

This was my meal. Breakfast was always my favorite at the diner so I ended up getting a breakfast plate. It looks delicious but was sadly only ok to me. I wasn't really impressed by the tofu scramble (I ate maybe half of it) and I decided to get all sausage because I have always hated bacon. I ate one of those and was kind of over it. The star of the plate was the French toast which was so surprising to me! I normally don't eat sweet breakfasts in the form of French toast or waffles or pancakes (I like them but I just don't really eat them), but this French toast was seriously delicious! It kind of made me wonder why I don't eat it more often but it's probably for the best that I don't, ha! It was definitely the star of the plate though.

One of my friends got the same thing as me but she got hers the way it comes on the menu which is with both bacon and sausage. 

I didn't get a photo of my other friend's meal (she has a really amazing looking burger) but I did get a photo of her dessert!

She ordered the birthday cake sundae and holy shit you guys, how amazing does that look! I was so full I couldn't fit another bite in my facehole but it just looks incredible. It had ice cream, whipped cream, funfetti cake bites, sprinkles and a cherry. It may have had syrup but I don't remember. It looked amazing and I really wish I had space for a bite but I just couldn't do it.

I have been back one more time since this outing and decided to go for the chicken Caesar salad for my meal and it was just as delicious. We also tried the nachos and holy fuck were they good!

Bottom line is that Champs Diner in Brooklyn is seriously amazing and I can't wait to get back there after this damn pandemic. Everything on the menu looks and sounds incredible and there are so many more items to try. I'm glad that I was able to go with my friends and share a meal in Doug's honor. It was really a bittersweet day but I'm so grateful for the amazing people that I met through him.

So that's all for today. Stay well and stay safe my friends 💚

Vegan MoFo 2019: Stuff My Friend Ate!

Hi friends! I can't believe we are almost there! The first two weeks were quite easy for me. I had a ton of ideas and a lot of energy to get it all done and to get these posts out! This week has been a little more difficult because I'm running through my ideas and also because I've had something going on behind the scenes that I'm ready to share with you. I have been looking for a new job for a while now. Financially, I really needed to move on and I had just outgrown this position. I've been here for 11 years and have been stagnant for most of them. It was time.

So, last week I was offered a position for a new job and I happily accepted! I was waiting to announce it until it was 100% locked in and here we are! I start on September 3 and I'm so thrilled. It will be a significant improvement for me financially and it will be more challenging and busy. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm so excited to share this news with you. It was time for something great to happen and it did. 

So that is a little of the background of this past week. I've been really busy between the interview and clearances and things like that so my ability to get posts out has been more difficult. Luckily, I have an amazing friend that eats amazing vegan food and I thought it would be fun to share her meals with you! She enthusiastically agreed to let me share her pics and meals. I love this idea too because a lot of it is stuff you wouldn't otherwise see here because of my own taste preferences. Her name is Karen and if you agree with me that her food looks freaking incredible you can follow her on IG @vegan_atheist71.

This is penne a la vodka with Victoria Vegan vodka sauce, Violife Mozzarella, Go Veggie Parmesan, MorningStar Popcorn chick'n (which I recently found and purchased and can't wait to try!), and a leftover garlic knot from a dinner she had previously (which you'll see soon). As you know I am not a pasta person but this has me DROOLING. Holy crap!

This beautiful creation is Eat Nice Creamy Ricotta Ravioli, Gardein Meatless Meatballs, and Go Veggie Parmesan. Also a delicious looking pasta dish!

This beautiful plate is the No Evil Chick'n Fajitas with guac, corn salsa, Tofutti Sour Cream and rice and beans. 

You know I'm not into bell peppers so I'd probably never try this product but she loved it and it looks awesome!

This was a gorgeous Buffalo Tofu Pesto Pizza from a restaurant called Pazzo Ristorante in Wading River, NY. I certainly hope to join her and our other friends there someday because their vegan menu looks incredible!! Her garlic knot from the penne a la vodka meal was leftover from this restaurant.

I also told her I'd be at her house for brunch after seeing this plate! How amazing does this look?! That is a beautiful tofu scramble with toast, vegan sausage and a perfect avocado!

This came from a small cafe in NYC (I don't know the name, sorry!) and it is a quinoa with veggies dish that looks awesome.

Look at her sweet pup!! I can't with this picture. This is Maywah ginger chick'n with rice. I love that face so much.

Finally, her lovely daughter made her this sweet breakfast in bed for Mother's Day! It's so cute and it made her so happy 😀💚

So, I hope that you enjoyed seeing stuff my friend Karen ate! I thought it was a fun change of pace to share her meals because they are different from things I normally share here. She makes amazing food and I wanted to show it off! I'll be back tomorrow with ANOTHER LONG ISLAND RESTAURANT WITH VEGAN OPTIONS! Who am I?! 😂💚