Vegan is in vogue and Green Seed Vegan is a new, hip hangout for the foodie looking for fresh, raw and different vegan spins on oldschool classics. The menu includes clever names and health-conscientious options with an emphasis on glutenfree, raw and dairyfree ingredients. Tucked away in the Third Ward on the corner of Almeda and Wheeler streets, Green Seed Vegan attracts all types: athletes coming from across the street at Peggy Park, after-school children coming for a healthy snack, people vouching to start healthier lifestyles and vegetarians looking for cheaper alternatives to Ruggles Green and Whole Foods. The restaurant has a cafe-style vibe: Customers order at the high-stooled counter and can seat themselves either outdoors or indoors at tables that fit the overall "green" theme with their grass centerpieces. Compared to vegan options at other Houston restaurants and specialty grocery stores, Green Seedis affordable. Sandwiches and paninis are priced between $6 for the "pb&p" which is layered with caramelized plantains, spinach and nut butter, and $7 for others, such as the "zen" which boasts lemongrass garbanzo tempeh with arugula, carrots, cilantro, jalapeno and lemongrass aioli. Collard or brown rice wraps can be substituted for seed bread and sides can be added for an extra $1-2 for those craving cauliflower nuggets or kale chips (dehydrated, not fried). Other highlights on the menu include the "rawritto" which is wildly different from a classic burrito with its seasoned coconut meat, zucchini bacon and sunflower sprouts. The menu sounds intimidating and almost too healthy for those who do not wear Teva sandals or hair bandanas, but the options are equally exciting and flavorful for those with palates more ac-customed to meat and potatoes. The dessert menu has ice cream, cheesecake and other classic sweets, though maybe not in the exact way mom used to prepare them. The cheesecake of the day last Tuesday was Raw Blackberry Basil and the soft-serve ice cream options were Cacao+Vanilla and Persimmon Mintade. The waitstaff at Green Seed are knowledgeable about the ingredients used and are good at recommending options for those of us intimidated by a plethora of choices. Local ingredients abound, there are more elixer and juice choices than one can find at Central Market and it all comes at very reasonable prices. Make a visit to try maca root in your smoothie or to see what a burger named "fungus amongus" would taste like. Bring both your vegan and carnivorous friends and discover the fun and eclectic atmosphere of this new restaurant just north of campus.
David Shields is a novelist, though some would prefer to say he writes manifestos or nonfiction. In his own words, his writing is described as "meditations on reality." Shields seems to fit into a genre of his own. His works include the New York Times best-seller The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead, Black Planet: Facing Race During an NBA Season, Enough About You: Adventures in Autobiography and Handbook for Drowning: A Novel in Stories. Frequently piecing together worldly observations with personal memories and life experiences, his work is redefining the way people think about and ?view nonfiction.
Contrary to this year's Mavis C. Pitman Exhibition's title, "This and That and Bacon Fat," the Visual and Dramatic Arts Gallery, tucked inside the Rice Media Center, lacks any evidence of bacon or its fat. While lacking in some of its title's labeling, the exhibition, which features the works of visual and dramatic arts majors Claudia Casbarian, Christine Cooper, Ivan Perez and Elliot SoRelle, does inspire viewers with its collections of some of "this" and some of "that."
Spanish telenovela meets slapstick comedy in Will Ferrell's (The Other Guys) latest film, Casa de mi Padre. The movie, which debuted in theaters March 16, is Ferrell's first Spanish and first subtitled film.
Poetry hides in the basement of downtown Alley Theatre. The Nehaus Stage, an underground treasure with limited seating and a stage that is flush with the floor, offers an intimate setting for audience members. On Feb. 27, the theater showcased a night of poetry, featuring Rae Armantrout and Christian Wiman.
In the battle between plants and their insect predators, it's a caterpillar-eat-plant world. But while plants may seem to be an easy target for insects, plants have their own mechanisms of defense, similar in many ways to those of the human immune system.
