Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats in Columbia Heights, DC

There are a few habits you pick up when your best friend is vegan.

Now, I have nothing against omnivores (or carnivores even) but I have noticed that I am slowly starting to eat less meat. In fact, I stopped cooking meat for myself altogether: I'm saving money and spend less time in the kitchen. And where do I get my protein? Eggs and greek yogurt have become mainstays in my diet. 

That being said, I do think that veganism is an extremely difficult lifestyle to pull off even in a city as health conscious as DC. Add onto that vegan baked goods? Good luck finding a place fully catering to all of your dessert needs.

So of course, I have to give the credit of finding Sticky Fingers all to my best friend. Who would have thought that vegan baked goods (and vegan brunch) would be so tasty? 

French toast // french bread + nutmeg + cinnamon // 5.5 

Brunch & munch is served exclusively on the weekends from opening to 2:30 PM and offerings are pretty standard for a typical brunch setting. You'd never know that it was vegan. Oh and let me just go on for a minute about the french toast: it tastes just like the Eggo French Toaster Sticks that I used to have for breakfast in elementary school. Even normal french toast doesn't taste like that! For bringing back that nostalgia? +1 

If you're feeling like getting the whole brunch bang, you can opt for the platter version of any brunch entree and includes hash browns, vegan usage, and scrambled tofu. 

Buiscuits & gravy // light & fluffy biscuits + southern style gravy + gimme-lean sausage // 5.5 

When I talk about gravy, it's probably good ol' sawmill gravy and there is absolutely nothing vegan about that stuff: flour and butter (or if bacon drippings) roux, breakfast sausage, and cream. It's absolutely heavenly and makes me want to hop onto the next plane back home. Sticky Finger's version isn't quite so stick-to-your-ribs heavy and has a heavy mushroom flavor that is smothered over two of the flakiest, most moist biscuits imaginable. You really won't be missing your butter here. Though I do miss the sausage. 

In addition to food items, Sticky Fingers also carries a selection of baked goods including cupcakes, brownies, and cookies as well as vegan prepared foods from local vendors. Yes, any vegan would have an absolute field day here and meat-eaters would be pleasantly surprised at the variety that veganism offers. No, they don't just eat salads all day. 

Dispelling vegan myths? +1
Making kick-ass food? +1
Making me super nostalgic? +1

I think that's a winner in my book.

Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats

1370 Park Rd NW
Washington, DC 20010

Souper Jenny in Atlanta, GA

The old standby soup + sandwich + salad lunch combo is probably one of my favorites. I am unabashedly a huge Panera fan (the summer poppyseed salad - yes please!) but I'm also always out to try new casual lunch spot.

Maybe I've just been away from home for too long, but Souper Jenny's concept is something that I generally associate with DC dining: a little mix of casual, hipster, farm fresh, simple food with particular attention towards local ingredients and seasonality. 

Super Jenny's menu rotates a selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, and dessert items such as cookies, bars, and brownies. Soups are also sold by the pint for eating at home. 

The pricing is a bit high for Atlanta standards, but not much different from what I would typically pay for in Atlanta. 

One thing that short of irked me (given the price) is that nothing is made to order. Instead, Souper Jenny operates on a conveyor belt-like system where your order is simply plucked or scooped out of a master batch and put on a plate. However, everything I had did taste extremely fresh despite having a line out the door, I was able to move down the line fairly quickly. 

My friends and I ordered a mix of salads and soups. The kale salad (pictured below) was augmented with bits of sweet, crisp pear and rubbed thoroughly to get rid of any bitter bite. It definitely was the highlight of the meal! Even though the food was extremely simple and something I could make myself, if I lived in the area, I would definitely be back again for a quick bite or to pick up a few pints of soup for an easy weeknight dinner. 

Souper Jenny


1082 Huff Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318

Café Mangosix Coffee & Dessert in Duluth, GA

I am much, much too late to the hype.

You know when you return to your hometown during a break with a solid list of places you need to visit and things you need to do? All business, no survivors. That's me. I had been seeing pictures from Mangosix pop up on my personal instagram feed since last September so naturally it made it onto my all-too comprehensive list. 

Located in what I describe to my non-childhood friends as Atlanta's Ktown or Asian-central, Mangosix is a Korean café situated right next to Iron Age (for all your post-KBBQ dessert needs) serves a mix of desserts, drinks, frozen yogurt, and café foods like soups, salads, and sandwiches. It's quite spacious and has seating that accommodates groups of two all the way up to 10+.  

If I were to sum up Mangosix in two words they would be: bubblegum K-drama. The interior is trendy and modern, but I can't help but feel as if it was pasted straight out of a Korean drama, not that it's a bad thing. I actually quite enjoyed myself there. DC, don't get me wrong, I love all the eccentric independent coffeeshops, but this is one thing you're missin'.

Mangosix is most popular for its all-fruit based drinks and at $5.45 for a tall, they aren't cheap. My friend and I ended up splitting a mango+honeydew juice, which I found to be quite delicious and refreshing, but I'm still a bit apprehensive about the price tag. 

Pesto chicken panini // basil pesto + sun dried tomato + feta

Basil chicken sandwich // basil pesto + mayonaise + chicken breast + tomato + red onion + swiss cheese + romaine  

My friend and I ended up getting incredibly similar orders, both sandwiches served warm with a side salad. My biggest gripe with Mangosix was the service. There were only two other tables, but even then it took about 20 minutes for our sandwiches to be ready. In fact, they didn't even start making them until we went to the counter and asked how much longer it would take.

The sandwiches though were quite tasty and filling. I wouldn't come here for a protein-fix, for sure, but they were everything a café sandwich should be: light and relatively healthy.

I enjoyed my visit to Mangosix and I can see why it's so popular with the 20-something crowd, but quite frankly, I don't think the food quite lived up to the hype. The drinks are delicious, but with nearby drink places like Quickly's and Boba Mocha (and soon Sweet Hut) that are much cheaper, I can't see myself visiting just to buy a juice. However, I do think that it's a great spot social spot for groups, catching up with friends, or a post-dinner dessert fix. 

Of course I had to throw this shot in here. Thanks Umeki for buying me lunch. I had a great time (as always) catching up!

Café Mangosix Coffee & Dessert 

2131 Pleasant Hill Rd
 Duluth, GA 30096

Chobani SoHo in New York, NY

I think I've just taken my love for greek yogurt to a whole new level.

Chobani SoHo is every health-food-loving hipster's dream come true. A simple yet sleek cafe located in one of the most chic New York neighborhoods, it is the perfect place to stop by for a chic snack. 

The cafe menu takes Chobani's greek yogurt up several notches from grocery-store mass produced mediocracy and presents it in a upscale, artisanal way that makes me able to justify the hefty price markup. While it's not something I can afford as a daily afternoon snack, I would gladly come back for it again and again. 

The menu isn't too large and is comprised of sweet and savory yogurt creations, sandwiches, coffee, and tea. What I like most is that they use what I suspect to be full fat yogurt as the base, which has the creamiest, most full-bodied mouth feel imaginable. Trust me, try out full-fat greek yogurt; you'll never go back to 0% ever again. 

Pistachio + honey // pistachios + dark chocolate flakes + sliced orange + fresh men + clover honey // 4.75

I had never tried mint with my yogurt before and absolutely loved it. The decadence of the creamy yogurt base, rich dark chocolate, crunchy pistachio pieces, and bright mint notes harmonize in the most divine yogurt masterpiece. This is a combination I plan on making again and again at home.

Word on the street is that you can actually take the glass bowl home after you're done with it as a cute little souvenir. Unfortunately I didn't know at the time of my visit to try it out, but I'm definitely doing that next time I visit!

Chobani SoHo 

150 Prince St
 New York, NY 10012

Dessert Story in Fairfax, VA

It's like I never left home.

Colorful bubbly decorations + cute drawings + adorably strange wall decorations + random english phrases, you know you're in a bubble tea shop. Growing up in Atlanta, this is where all the young Asian hipsters hung out. You can keep your hand-roasted fair trade coffee beans because we're living the boba life. Sensing a pattern here? Clearly I love the Fung Bros.

Dessert Story is a recently opened Asian dessert shop that serves coffee, tea, bubble tea, and various desserts and pastries. Located in the same shopping center as Bonchon Chicken and Hot Spot, it's the perfect place to end an epic Asian-food saga. 

It's clear that the main attraction here are drinks rather than food. There is a small refrigerated section with a few dessert options including Swiss rolls, mini cakes, puddings, and cake pops and while they were really cute to look at, they looked extremely generic. Or maybe I've just been spoiled by specialized patisseries lately. 

One thing I really like is that Dessert Story really takes care of its lactarded folks (guilty) and while the default base for any of the drinks is milk, you can also opt to use almond or soy milk for an additional price. 

 Thai tea + mango // 4.95

My group and I ended up buy four or five drinks for ourselves and then getting another three to take back to other friends. Between use we got mango, coconut, thai tea, strawberry and black tea. I only got to try the thai tea, coconut, and mango though and my favorite was the coconut. It's just vaguely sweet, but very rich with tiny pieces of shredded coconut scattered throughout. For any coconut lover, this is a must. 

The bubble teas here are more Korean style than Taiwanese, meaning that there is little if any tea base in the flavored teas and they are a slushy rather than a liquid drink. While I prefer Taiwanese style drinks better, it was still a nice change. 

It makes me sad to say that I will probably not go back to Dessert Story again unless I'm going to get Bonchon or Hot Spot. It's simply too far of a trek out just for some tapioca and for someone who prefers coffee to tea, just not worth it. However, I am extremely impressed with Dessert Story and it looks like a very promising spot. If you're in the area, definitely give it a try!

Dessert Story

3238 Old Pickett Rd
 Fairfax, VA 22031

Sidamo Coffee & Tea in H Street Corridor, DC

Pro tip: next time you have to catch a ride at Union Station, do yourself a favor and plan to arrive at least an hour in advance and swing by Sidamo. You're welcome.

A family-owned small coffeeshop roasting its own fair-traid (mostly) Ethiopian coffee in an eclectic but homey setting, Sidamo is a bit far from me, but I'd gladly spend a whole afternoon lingering around over a cup of their artfully brewed coffee. 

 Bacon, egg & cheese muffin // 4.95

The breakfast sandwiches here are simple but tasty. Everything is made to-order and one of the employees brought it out directly to me rather than putting it on the counter and calling out my name. It's the little things that show a business cares about its customers.

Maybe it's because I went early in the day or because its location is a bit out of the way, but Sidamo is much slower-paced than the typical DC independent coffeeshop. Most patrons had their coffee to go, so I was easily able to find a table leisurely spend my Saturday morning.

And the caffeine quality - absolutely delicious. It's velvety, bright, and fruity while still maintaining a rich body, a bit different from the Brazilian coffee that I usually get, but of flawless quality nonetheless.

My friend ordered a white chocolate mocha, which I managed to try a few sips of and enjoyed as well. While the milk and flavoring did dull down some of the more complex notes, I could still detect a distinct flavor that unmistakably comes from expertly roasted and brewed beans. I especially appreciated that the sweetness did not completely overwhelm the delicate bitterness of the brew. Nope, not a "want-some-coffee-with-your-cream-and-sugar" situation here. Faith in flavored espresso beverages restored.

Fueling my inner-hipster needs; Sidamo, I'll be back.

Sideman Coffee & Tea

417 H St NE
 Washington, DC 20002