East Meets West Veg

I was very excited when I found out that Cafe Muse had vegan options since it is supposed to be one of the best places to have breakfast / brunch in Metro Detroit. I went with some non-vegan family since this is a restaurant that caters to herbivores and omnivores alike.

They have a large menu of beverages which pair well with brunch, including a large tea selection to keep the tea drinkers happy. There is always at least one vegan burger, scramble, and several vegan muffins. Any scramble can be made with tofu for a small extra charge.

Blueberry Muffin

All of the muffins at Cafe Muse are vegan. The Blueberry Muffin came out warm and had a fantastic aroma. It was fresh and absolutely delicious. I would go back just for the muffin.

Pepper and Tofu Scramble with Salsa and Mashed Sweet Potato

There is always a vegan scramble option on special and it seems to be creative and seasonal. I got the vegan scramble that was on special at the time. I don't remember the name of it, but it had tri-color bell peppers, jalapenos, and salsa. The tofu did not appear to be marinated and I thought that it was a bit bland by itself. I had to make sure that I had a bite of salsa in every bite I took in order to give it some flavor. This was slightly tricky because they did not give much salsa so I had to ration it out to make it last through every bite. On the plus side, the texture of the tofu was good. I found myself hoping that this wasn't another customer's first introduction to tofu scramble since it was obviously not my favorite. The components were very good and the texture was good. This could have been an excellent scramble if the tofu had had more flavor.

The Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Vanilla were good. I really appreciate the fact that there are vegan options at this restaurant. The muffins alone are worth heading to Cafe Muse to try. Yes, they're that good.

Buddy's Pizza Carry-Out Location

Buddy's Tuscan Vegan Pizza

Buddy's is one of the most celebrated pizza places in the Metro Detroit area. "One of the top 25 pizza spots in the U.S." according to Food & Wine and recognized as "one of the nation's best 5 pizza places . . ." by the Food Network, Buddy's pizza has won it's share of awards and accolades. Buddy's has had a vegan cheese option for a little while now, but has recently stepped up their game by offering a signature 'Tuscan Vegan Pizza.'

Buddy's Tuscan Vegan Pizza has daiya cheese, cannellini beans, parsley, oregano and garlic on Buddy's multi-grain crust with tomato basil sauce. It's drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and served with a lemon wedge. I thought that squeezing fresh lemon juice on this pizza would not make a big difference, but boy was I wrong. Once I had a bite with fresh lemon, I could not go back. The toppings work very well together and I absolutely love that the pizza has the whole-food, plant-powered protein (and vitamins) of beans. Beans are an excellent protein source on their own, but combined with the plant-based protein power of the multi-grain crust, you get an even better proportion of the various essential amino acids that make up proteins in the human body. If you're not a fan of daiya cheese (though most vegans are), I believe that this pizza would taste great with no cheese at all.

The Tuscan Vegan Pizza may not show up on the menu, but there was a poster advertising it right on the counter at my local Buddy's Pizza, and when I inquired at other Buddy's locations, they knew what I was talking about when I mentioned the Tuscan Vegan Pizza.

One of the great things about this new offering at Buddy's is that it opens up the vegan food options for Metro Detroiters who may sometimes feel they are in a 'Vegan Food Desert' as they travel through certain neighborhoods or parts of the city. Buddy's has locations throughout the Detroit Metropolitan area and you are likely to find one within driving distance of wherever you happen to find yourself.

Buddy's Pizza is probably the most celebrated pizza in Detroit

Buddy's Pizza Tuscan Vegan Pizza with light cheese