RESTAURANT REVIEW - Zen Zero, Lawrence, KS

Zen Zero
811 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 832-0001
Hours: Sun-Mon: 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
, Tue-Sat: 11:00 AM-10:00 PM



Before we leave Lawrence completely, I should mention Zen Zero. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do a full review, since I ate there during last year's trip, and I don't remember much. I *do* remember that it was very good, and that there were plenty of vegan options.



They have bubble tea, though I didn't get it last time, so I don't know if they have soy milk for the milk teas. They also have quite a selection of hot tea, and sorbet for desert (which I'm pretty sure is vegan).

We won't be making it back to Lawrence this time around, but the next time we're up there, I'll do my best to write a proper review of Zen Zero. Readers, do you have anything to add?

Browsing Around Lawrence, KS

Yesterday, after Mark and I had finished with lunch at Esquina, we decided to make the most of our trip to Lawrence and browse around the rest of downtown. We started at the Dusty Bookshelf (708 Massachusetts St.), where Mark picked up a compilation of fantasy short stories and I got Steve Martin's autobiography. I greeted the shop cat, though she didn't really want to have much to do with me. We then strolled down the street to the Yarn Barn (903 Massachusetts St.), a favorite of mine, where I oohed and aahed over all of the looms, spinning equipment, yarn, and fiber. Unfortunately, we didn't have any spending money left at this point, but if I had, I would have bought some bamboo fiber to use with my drop spindle and some dye to make it pretty. Yarn Barn has a lot of 100% animal-free fiber and yarn, from bamboo and cotton to hemp and tencel. They even have fiber made from seaweed! After Yarn Barn, I went to Calamity Janes (927 Massachusets St.) (while Mark went back to the car to put more money into the parking meter), which had some lovely clothes with a romantic bohemian feel to them. After Mark got back, we went next door to Brits, which pulled us in with the full-sized dalek and cyberman cutouts in the front window.


Besides having several British television shows and films for sale on DVD, they also have a full rental section in the back, which has pretty much the entirety of Doctor Who (old and new) as well as Torchwood and Red Dwarf.


Brits also has a ton of food, including many vegan items. There's a whole set of shelves with nothing but jelly, jams, and preserves, made out of almost every fruit you can think of (and a few I wasn't familiar with at all!) Other vegan offerings include drinking chocolate,


Irish and Scottish oatmeal and yummy-looking granola,


scone mix (this one only; the other mixes all had dairy in them),


and even vegan haggis (yes, you heard right).


Brits
929 Massachusetts St.
Lawrence, KS 66044-2869
(785) 843-2288
Hours: Sun 12:00–5:00pm; Mon-Wed, Sat 10:00am–6:00pm; Thu 10:00am–8:00pm; Fri 10:00am–7:00pm

After we left Brits, we got back in the can and drove to The Merc, which is a grocery co-op like Wheatsville in Austin. We needed to pick up some marinara sauce for the orzo we were going to have for dinner, and we got a delicious chocolate chip peanut butter vegan cookie from the bakery case as well. (I did notice that, out of the three varieties of muffins in the case, only the vegan variety had sold out. Perhaps it's a sign that they should make more vegan muffins? Just a thought.) The Merc has a good selection of items, including a few that I haven't seen anywhere else, like loose leaf chocolate chai made with pu-erh tea. They also have a deli and a food bar, and a good-sized bulk section.

The Merc Community Mercantile
901 Iowa St.
Lawrence, KS
(785) 843-8544
Hours: 7am-10pm

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Esquina, Lawrence, KS

Esquina
801 Massachusetts Street
(at the corner of Eighth and Massachusetts)
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 856-1625
Hours: Sun-Mon 11:00am–9:00pm; Tue-Sat 11:00am–10:00pm

A couple of the other performers at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival happen to live in Lawrence, Kansas, so Mark and I like to drive up there once a year during the weeks we spend in Kansas (between festival weekends) and have lunch with them followed by shopping at the many awesome stores downtown. Today, we had lunch at Esquina, which I've been told is a relatively new Mexican restaurant.



The entire menu is written on blackboards on the wall, and the gal behind the counter can check everything to find out what is (or can be made) vegan.



There were so many different things that looked good, but I decided to go basic and get a sampler plate of three soft tacos. I was told that the last three on the board were all vegetarian and could be made vegan, so that's what I got. The Peruvian taco had purple potatoes, roasted garlic potato puree, and a sort of coleslaw-like mixture of shredded lettuce and cabbage, the Calabaza taco had roasted zucchini and squash with butternut squash puree, and the Tobago Tofu taco had tofu marinated with West Indies spices, rice, and toasted almonds. The Tobago Tofu taco was a bit bland, but the tofu was done extremely well; being crispy-chewy on the outside and soft on the inside. The Calabaza taco was likewise on the bland side, but was very fresh and juicy. Since the Calabaza originally had goat cheese crema and the Tobago Tofu originally had coconut-lime cream, and both were left off in order to be vegan, I'm assuming that may have been the main reason for the slight blandness of the two. Next time, I may ask for an alternate sauce for those tacos. The clear standout was the Peruvian taco; the potatoes were extremely flavorful and had some good spice and heat, and the "coleslaw" provided a nice crunch.



Now, I say that I might try to get a different sauce with the Calabaza and Tobago Tofu tacos, but I'll probably end up trying something new, like the Paella (saffron rice & veggies), the enchiladas (with potatoes, guacamole, cactus salad, and salsa verde and a side of rice and beans), or the Mexico Salad (pineapple, jicama, avocado, radish, pickled onions, and cilantro-lime vinaigrette). The Adobo Tofu sounds awesome as well.




Tomorrow, I'll be posting about the rest of my jaunt around Lawrence. Stay tuned!