Restaurant Review: Grasshopper

Grasshopper
Allston, MA

So funny, I think
VeggieBean and I
were shadowing one
another at various
Boston area restaurants
this past spring. We
visited Grasshopper on
Mother's Day, and
clearly Sarah had just been there too since a review of the restaurant popped up on her blog just the week before. And of course we both gave a nod to the ubiquitous veggie "chicken" fingers that most everyone loves--the pinnacle of battered deep-fried junk, but oh you just must find a way to rationalize them once or twice a year. So scrumptious.

If you haven't guessed,
Grasshopper is a vegan
asian restaurant. There
are a few around Boston,
but my kids have really
taken a liking to
Grasshopper. The menu
has all the Chinese
restaurant standard
fixtures: spring rolls,
wonton soup, lo mein. Plus
they have many unique
items, even desserts--can you say vegan strawberry cheesecake?!

The menu is ginormous,
and then they always
have delicious specials
every day on top of the
usual selection. It's
hard to choose! Luckily
we have a big family so
we can order a lot to
share. This time I tried
a kale, mushroom, seitan
& veggie stir-fry that
was excellent.

So is there anything NOT
good about Grasshopper??
Well, yes, actually there is:
They don't deliver! You can
eat in, or take out, but they
don't deliver AT ALL. But
it's worth the trip to eat in,
and they have great hours:

11am-10pm daily, except
noon-10pm on sundays.

So if you haven't already,
get yourself over to the
Boston borough of Allston
and have a good meal.

Grasshopper is located
at 1 N. Beacon Street.

617-254-8883

And check out their website,
because you can order online!

restaurant review: Peace o' Pie

We had 30 minutes to waste
until Peace o' Pie in Allston
opened at noon on a sunday.
Luckily the boys were happy
to sit outside next to the
nearby fire station and play
their DSi. It was a sunny fall
day. They were not about to
complain. They were dying
to try this pizza!

The counter towered over
the boys, displaying various
vegan treats like cookies,
peanut butter cups, and
Dandies marshmallows. We
ordered a large pizza and
paid $1.50 extra for the
Daiya cheese (which I
reviewed here) that we
recently tried and the boys
really loved. The usual cheesy topping is Vegan Gourmet, which is my personal favourite so I'd like to order it some time cooked in a proper pizza oven.

The boys dragged a few chairs over to the counter to see over the top. They didn't want to miss the pizza making action! And AJ was very intent on keeping track of the timers affixed to the side of the oven keeping track of everyone's orders.

AJ was
thoroughly
impressed
by the
dough
tossing.
He has
added
pizza to
his future
bakery
menu
he wants
to own
when he
grows up.

Ahhhhh....
fresh hot vegan pizza (topped with spinach & black olives)!
Ryan was almost drooling
with anticipation. His
favourite "soda" Izze and
a certified vegan pizzeria
pizza. A first for all of us!

There were leftovers to
bring home for the rest
of the family to enjoy,
though I'll admit I had
seconds as soon as I got
home.

Not sure when we'll
get there again, but I'm
hankering to try the
cheesy breadsticks,
calzones, and other
pizza toppings such as portobello mushrooms, smoked tempeh, pesto, and sun-dried tomato. Come on thursdays and you can even order your pizza gluten-free!

Now only one complaint...the lack of a public toilet within the restaurant. Sure, you can go nextdoor and beg to use theirs, but that's rather of annoying, especially when you've got kids in tow.

Peace o' Pie is located in Union Sq., 487 Cambridge St., Allston, MA. It is T accessible with on-street parking, with close access to I-90. 617-787-9884
Closed on mondays, the restaurant opens at noon on weekends, 5pm on weekdays.