This weekend my little sister came to visit because she is looking at attending Appalachian State as well. (Roll 'Neers) So while she was up on the mountain we decided to grab lunch. Some backstory: where we're from there isn't a lot of vegetarian or vegan options. This was never a problem back home because it wasn't something that people really do, but in Boone the availability of absolutely delicious options is endless! We decided on Wild Craft Eatery, which is located right next to Boone Bagelry on King Street in Boone, North Carolina. Co-creators Michael and Nova Nelson have made it their mission to highlight the bounty of the high country and BOY have they succeeded!
From left to right, we had the Avocado Tempeh Melt, an amazing slice of chocolate cake, and the Tempeh Gouda Tacos. For my lunch I had the tempeh melt and it was insane, the textures of tempeh, onions, and avocados hit every note especially on top of their thick cut homemade bread. The fresh cilantro sealed the deal (I may be obsessed with cilantro but lets keep that our secret.) On the side I had a cup of the tomato smoked gouda soup, which I had higher expectations for, but anything beside that sandwich has a lot to live up to. My sister had the Tempeh Gouda Tacos and was blown away by how much she loved tempeh. For those who don't know, tempeh is an Indonesian soy bean product that serves as a meat replacement. The star of these tacos in my mind was the purple cabbage slaw and their house salsa! The crunch and sweetness these two elements brought to the dish were undeniably genius and created balance in a spicy heavy dish.
So I'm sure ya'll are wondering about this gorgeous chocolate cake? It held and amazing secret. . . TOFU! Hidden in the thick Kahlú laced chocolate icing was actually packed with protein. You would never know it to taste it so I'm SO glad that or waitress filled us in so that I could share it with ya'll! I am confident that anything at Wild Craft Eatery will blow your mind and leave you feeling super connected to the Boone community and environment. Go forth and learn to love some soybean products!
