Vegan on the Road: Franklin & Farmington Hills, MI

On a recent business trip to the Detroit area, I was delighted to find not only some wonderful vegan-friendly restaurants and stores in that area of Michigan, but such fresh, delicious food that I wanted to analyze their recipes and try to make them at home!

The first destination my host took me to was the Franklin Grill & Tavern, in the quaint historic shopping area of Franklin -- "The Town that Time Forgot." There I had a sandwich called The Art of Sicily (minus the cheese) and it was artful indeed: an open-faced focaccia sandwich piled high with marinated portabellas, artichokes, red onion, and spinach. Delicious!

Dinner that evening was at Camelia's Mexican Grill in Farmington Hills. Now, I have high standards for Mexican food, and any attempts at it I've tried in Northern climes have rarely gone well. Camelia's was the exception! I had the vegetable fajitas -- a sizzling platter of peppers, onions, tomatoes, and portabellas served with guacamole, pico de gallo, and lime wedges with freshly grilled tortillas and a side of the most delicious pintos and rice. It was fresh, light, and not over-seasoned at all so the flavors of the vegetables came through.

My final stop the next afternoon before heading to the airport was Plum Market. It breaks my heart that this store, similar to a Whole Foods, is only found in the Midwest... their prepared foods were outstanding! Much fresher at 4:00 in the afternoon than the dried-out goods you'll find on WF's hot bar at that time of day, for sure. I had a kale salad that blew my mind. I'm already trying to replicate it at home (without success so far). I also had a cucumber, onion and corn salad, some marinated white beans, and the most wonderful wrap. It was called the Mediterranean wrap, and was hummus, tabbouleh, and stuffed grape leaves wrapped in spinach lavash. Guh. I want one now.

So, you'll notice the lack of photos here. Like a dork, I didn't think to take out the camera once while eating. But here's a photo of the leaves changing to make it up to you!