I took a little holiday & I’m a few days behind!
On Wednesday I headed up to Duluth to spend Thanksgiving at my sister’s house. Mini-lesson for all the non-Minnesotans: Duluth is Minnesota’s 4th largest city, is located way up in the northwoods of Minnesota on the shore of Lake Superior, and is a major port for the iron & taconite industry of the nearby Iron Range.
Anyhow…not wanting to cook the eve of the big feast, my mom, sister, 5-year-old nephew & I went out to dinner at The Zeitgeist Arts Cafe. It’s housed in the newly-renovated & eco-trendy Zeitgeist Arts building alongside a 120-seat black box theater and 2 indy movie screens with daily showings. The entire building is beautiful, and I was especially impressed by the cozy urban atmosphere of the cafe. The exposed brick walls & gorgeous lighting were a definite departure from the wood-paneled cabiny Agendas of more typical northwoods establishments.
The menu was simple & organized and the easygoing server pointed out several vegan options (not just salad!). I settled on the Vegan Red Lion, which is a house-made veggie burger. (OK, urban people: it is exceptional that they used the word ‘vegan’ on a menu item here. And, double bonus points that it’s not just a Boca burger with fixins). The patty was a mix of grains, nuts, herbs & spices, and there were generous layers of raw & grilled vegetables on either side of it (think cabbage/sprouts; eggplant). All this was served on a super tall & fresh bun, which I must believe was also baked on-site. The Vegan Red Lion also comes with a vegan aioli, but I opted out & cannot comment on that (I don’t like messy, gooey sandwiches).
We all loved our food & had a relaxing time. Be advised that this place is not cheap (though I don’t have a basis for comparison here), but the quality is good and it’s worth it (especially if you’re used to city prices).
I’ll also note that though I wouldn’t say The Zeitgeist Arts Cafe is the #1 recommendation for families, they do have a kids’ menu & tiny cups of crayons to keep the little ones busy. My 5-year-old nephew had a pretty good time — and the server even seemed to get a kick out of having a kid constantly address him as ‘sir’ with his requests for more water, crayons, cheese, what have you. I think polite kids are probably welcome :)
I would definitely go back to the cafe — and I want to pair my meal with a movie or show in one of the adjacent theaters next time.
