MangeTout in New London, CT

Hi DB Readers!

Apologies for the absence from posting- in all honesty, I just haven't been all that inspired. The apartment is too hot, I've been away, my camera is being a pain, and I have a lot of music to work on. Also, my new bicycle has been getting a lot more attention than my blog. Oh well. Delicious Bytes shall continue on, but probably on a smaller, less-frequent scale.

I've just returned from performing at the Connecticut Early Music Festival. This concert was at Connecticut College, which is so awesome for me because I went to high-school on this campus! The Williams School is a little private school set up on the hill, and we used to perform our Christmas concerts and have academic ceremonies in the arts center auditorium of the college. Singing here as an adult brings back a lot of fun high-school memories. My French teacher and her husband (who taught English, although I never had the honor of being in his class) ushered and attended and concert, and I performed with a bunch of my Boston peeps. Fun!!

During our few days there we tried several restaurants, two of which I've eaten in for years. Margaritas in downtown Mystic might be a cheesy Mexican chain, but I love it! My sister and I always chose this place for our 'report-card dinners'. Everyone's meals looked awesome. I had the Quesadilla Vegetariana... and a classic Margarita on the rocks with salt, but my girlfriend and I ate way too many of the complimentary chips and salsa and were sick the next day!For dinner one night we headed to Singapore Grill in New London. This place has BANGIN' sushi!! We ordered tons of rolls and it came to us on an elaborate giant sushi boat. The Dynomite Roll was pretty amazing- imagine a maki roll with cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna, crab, and DEEP FRIED! The owner is super friendly and is always smiling and cracking jokes with the customers every time I come in. Compared to Boston, it is extremely affordable, too.

My favorite meal of the week has to be the Tofu Walnut Burger and Apple Tarte Tatin from MangeTout on State Street in New London, though. This lovely small cafe features an organic menu, heavy with vegetarian and vegan options, with freshly baked breads and pastries. There wasn't anything not to love about this place, including the owner who greeted us, took our dessert orders, and told me she used to work at Puritan & Genesta in Mystic (the area's small business natural food store). I love Puritan & Genesta! :)Check out their website! It states:

Mangetout Organic Cafe is committed to providing fresh, organic food prepared simply with the goal that hunger and curiosity should be simultaneously satisfied.

My meal started off with the cold Squash Soup with Peppercorns. On a hot day, this refreshing soup hit the spot, although the peppercorns were a tad overpowering. I was really looking forward to the Tofu Walnut Burger, though I was torn between that and the Tempeh Reuben Wrap. The bread for the burger was AMAZING!! A homemade vegan whole wheat focaccia! YUM YUM YUM. The burger also was great, and had a yummy dressing which they call Le Pink. :) It was a rather small portion for $7.25, but worth it for the organic ingredients! My girlfriend loved her frittata: Also... I think it's all a ploy to leave room for dessert... which at MangeTout is a NECESSITY. Holy moly. I wanted to try everything. I opted for the Golden Apple Tarte Tatin- buttery and delicious! Wow! I also tried the Black & White Chocolate Macaroon Tartlet, which is also out of this world, and gluten-free. The Almond-Orange Yogurt Cake was incredibly moist, and I had to take two bites off my girlfriend's plate! :) I cannot wait to head back to Connecticut and go back to MangeTout!