Reviews

Are you smarter than a 3rd grader?

It is important to educate our youth about the importance of environmental efforts. Mark at the Veg Head is not only doing his part (and then some) to keep his business on the cutting edge of green but he’s helping the local youth to understand this as well. Mark offers educational tours for children’s groups such as this tour from the Loveland Girl Scout Troop #45620.
Scout leaders Ann Callahan and Julie Orth brought their scouts to the The Veg Head in an effort to show the kids something they probably won’t find anywhere else, a business that incorporates as many green concepts as possible daily.

Mark starts with teaching the kids the different ways to recycle the waste from the products they use at home and how he recycles the waste from The Veg Head. After that he explained how composting works and how composting is used at The Veg Head to help a local farm grow tea. The kids were surprisingly adept at understanding the concepts and techniques. That just goes to show that even elementary school children have the basic understanding of what green means in today’s world. Too bad wealthy adult business owners don’t have the common sense these kids do.

The kids were then taken outside to see the composting up close and personal. Despite it’s decomposing aroma they indeed got right in there and checked it out. Next to the compost pile the children were shown first hand the difference between a business that uses their dumpster for only the absolutely necessary waste and one that just chucks everything they can in the thing. Marco’s Pizza had recently filled The Veg Head’s dumpster to the brim with nice clean cardboard boxes. The scout leaders were very surprised to see the dumpster was loaded with the boxes and even pointed out that putting cardboard in the trash was unacceptable. They seemed more upset about it than even Mark did (he’s used to it by now).

After the tour the kids were left with more to digest than just a few basic principles of going green, they were also fed a nice plate of The Veg Head’s organic, hormone, preservative/additive free chicken nuggets with carrot and celery stick sides and dipping sauce. The kids certainly enjoyed their meal and that just goes to prove kids don’t actually prefer fast food, it’s just all their parents offer them so that’s what they get used to.
We would like to say thanks to the scout leaders. Their insight in showing these youngsters what it is going to take to live in the coming years deserves applause.

We’ would also like to thank the kids for showing us even 3rd graders have more common sense than many adults. With this kind of education in their lives, they are certain to become far more green conscience adults than the generation we have running things now. They give us faith things can get better.

____________________________________________

Green as grass.

As usual the greeniacs over at the Veg Head (in Loveland) have come up with one more way to make certain they stay in the forefront when it comes to being truly green. Instead of using plastic utensils they began purchasing only the best bio-utensils. The utensils from Jaya© are made of 80% potato starch and 20% vegetable oil. It’s not just the utensils either, all the plates, cups and bowls are 100% biodegradable. The disposable (and biodegradable, and compostable) dinnerware pieces are strong, attractive and the perfect solution for avoiding all that nasty trash.. They’re unbleached, FDA-approved, food-safe, and they’re much sturdier than standard paper plates. Not only are they made from renewable resources, they’re microwavable, freezer safe, oil resistant, and handle hot or cold foods and beverages.
After use, the Veg Head recycles these locally. They are used in compost that later fuels tea plants. You can even get a cup of this tea while your there waiting for take out. It all comes full circle. Maybe that’s what “what comes around goes around” is supposed to mean.

__________________________________________

From Trash To Tea

We all know the Veg Head in Loveland is the most Green conscience restaurant in town. Now the Veg Head has hooked up with Neumann’s Someday Farm to help create an even higher standard of recycling!
Neumann collects waste from the Veg Head for compost that he takes to his farm and mixes with his existing compost. Then he uses the finished compost to grow tea which you can order with your meal at the Veg Head.
Now if that’s not full circle bio-business I don’t know what is. This is just the kind of thing I expect from the Veg Head, owner Mark Metcalfe is downright vicious about the green concepts he incorporates into his restaurant. He’s been studying recycling and alternative restaurant food concepts since the 70’s so he’s pretty much seen and done it all.
Order a cup of the Veg Head’s local grown tea next time you stop in for a meal. You won’t need to worry about your trash when you leave.

_____________________________________________________

Pizza, Pizza

Pizza, no other single culinary creation has been so popular and so debated. Who has the best, who has the original, who is the king?
All these are common questions in every town and every city. It’s still a matter of taste.
Veggie folks probably look at pizza as a fast food savior. Not many food joints really have any truly good choices for the anti-meat eater.
Pizza can be ordered in any combination of veggie toppings so it’s palate pleaser for carnivore and vegheads alike.
Speaking of vegheads... Our own little Loveland eatery “The Veg Head” turns out some pizza that would make the hardest core vegetarian proud. The Veg Head has graced our pages before and by now you should already know they are so green even Woody Harrelson would give his approval. I mean think about it, they don’t have a grease container or even trash! In fact they have no grease at all. So how are you going to make a great pizza without oil?
Everybody knows some local favorites are famous for that precious shirt staining grease that runs down your fingers with every bite. What would a great pizza be without the grease? Well, it would be a Veg Head pizza. The Veg Head pizzas are absolutely greaseless and definitely great. In fact, they offer toppings I doubt any of those other local favorite joints will ever have like curry, hummus and grilled tempeh. Now, curry I know, hummus I know, grilled tempeh on the other hand was a bit of a mystery. I tried it and delightfully found out it’s veggie sausage... so to speak. Actually, it’s soy bean loaf crumbled and sauteed with garlic & secret seasonings until it’s magically transformed into a sausage-like creation. It’s good I’ll tell you that.
Check out the bottom right picture, that’s a tempeh, black olive, onion, mushroom and marinara pizza. Crispy thin crust and toasted cheese and toppings... it turned out perfect. If your looking for a traditional tasting pizza that’s all veggie, completely greaseless yet still delicious and served in a bio-pack container, here you go.
Maybe traditional isn’t on your mind, well the menu also offers a “Curry Hummus Za pizza”. This pizza is as delicious as it is unusual. The same crispy crust is layered with diced tomato, onion, green pepper, mushrooms, olive & garlic relish covered in mozzarella and spread with ranch dressing in place of the marinara.
It’s tough to decide between the two pizzas we sampled but I think while the traditional pizza (with the tasty tempeh sausage) would be a no brainer crowd pleasing pizza for anyone (veggie or not), the unique flavors of the silky curry hummus za pizza was our personal fave. The hummus and curry flavors dominate the palate, the other toppings sit nicely in the background and round out the flavors in harmony.
You can create your own pizza or just let the Veg Head do their thing but either way you go your going to be very surprised at what a fantastic piece of pie you can get at the Veg Head.
The fact is... it’s all green and it’s all good.

_________________________________________________

Loveland is nicknamed “The Sweetheart” of Ohio and has quite a reputation for as small as it is. About a dozen or so businesses support most of the dining and entertainment in town. There are those that just suck, and others that are quite nice. One such gem among the field of rocks is the Veg Head.
The Veg Head personifies a small business built from the ground up with only one thing in mind...quality. Well not only one thing. In fact, you‘ll find everything about the Veg Head pretty special. For one I doubt anyone has paid close attention to the quality health conscience goods the Veg Head has. For instance, not only do they not use any chemical products in the food, they also use bio cleaning products for the restaurant itself! All the ingredients are organic and even the sodas are “refined sugar free”.
The chef/owner Mark Metcalfe has been a chef for thirty years. He explained to us that the Veg Head’s menu came about because his daughter is a vegan but her husband is not. So he set out to please both palates yet sacrifice nothing in the process.
In an effort to create a menu to satisfy both choices he incorporated the meat dishes into the menu yet still kept the same quality standards. In fact, he uses two separate grills, one meat, one veggie. No cross contamination of the two anywhere in the kitchen. Tell me that isn’t quality conscientious.
One look around the interior and you can tell this place is hospital clean, actually probably much cleaner than any hospital. The surfaces may be almost sterile but the room has an artistic country charm. The decor gives you a feeling of an old country bed and breakfast. Even if you were on vacation at an expensive B&B I bet they couldn’t do a better job than these guys at the service, the food, the cleanliness, or all the impressive information about the dishes and ingredients offered by the Veg Head. Not to mention the prices.
One thing the Veg Head prides itself on is the Black Bean Veggie Burger. It’s won awards and has even been voted the best in Cincy. This I had to try. I’m not a veggie-vour but even I really liked the taste, texture and overall appearance of this burger. At a glance you would never know it’s actually a mix of soy, black beans and other secret ingredients. It’s filling and delicious. It comes complete with red cabbage and a bag of “Ms. Vicky’s” chips which contains no trans fat. These are good chips too. I have had them twice now in two days and it’s hard to believe I’m impressed by a freakin’ bag of chips. All for $5.95. Mc Crap meals are $5.95....Mc Crap!
The Veg Head also has good soup. I mean the good soup people. On my visit the choices were steeped kale or seafood chowder ($3.25). I love chowder so I went for that right away. I expected creamy white chowder, “New England” style, I was surprised to see it was actually a tomato based chowder “Manhattan” style if you will.
I used to eat this kind as a kid, it’s so rarely served I almost forgot about it. It was rich in crab and seafood chunks smothered in a light veggie broth, served with whole grain toast rounds. Marvelous Manhattan chowder!
I couldn’t resist the carnivore cravings that dominate my palate. Fortunately Veg Head doesn’t ignore us meat eaters either. After much deliberation between the Open Faced Roast Beef served with mixed veggies and side salad ($8.95) and the Philly Cheese Steak ( $5.95) I opted for the Philly. Not because of the price difference, (after all where can you get a gorgeous gourmet dinner for $9) mainly because of the filling chowder I ordered as an appetizer. The Philly is fairly traditional with the exception of the whole grain hoagie bun. It’s served with sauteed peppers and lots of melted cheese. It comes complete with red cabbage and chips.
The Philly was just as impressive as the rest of the meal and as the rest of the menu I’m sure. That’s probably why the Veg Head was making a lot of to-go orders. I bet when they really get the word out you’ll pretty much have to get your food to go. There is dining seating for about 8 or 9 inside. So if you find yourself last in line at the counter your getting your food to go. Many people get their grub at the Veg Head and walk over to the Buzzthru and vise versa so you can always get a seat somewhere if your trying to make a day of it.
I wish I could better explain how personal and attentive the service really is. I wish you could smell the food through the pages and feel the small town charm of the surroundings. I wish I could invite the whole Loveland area or the whole Eastside for that matter to come and sample the Veg Head’s delights. Well actually I guess I just did.
The Veg Head is another well deserving Mom & Pop business out there just trying to
make the products they love and make them with loving care to boot. It’s hard to believe there are so many people still sitting in the stinky drive-thru across the street instead of at the Veg Head. Oh well, the Veg Head is doing just fine and I’m certain it’s going to do even better as the word spreads around town. We’ll be doing our best to help out with that as well.
In Real Estate the saying goes that the three things that matter most are “location, location, location”. In the restaurant business it’s “quality, quality, quality”. If it’s not it should be. After all, how often do you eat out and know what your eating? The answer to that is surprising for most people. That’s sad. There was a time in America long ago when everything was organic. They probably didn’t even know what the name meant but they knew what good tasted like. They grew it, cooked it and loved it. Now you can relive the good old days one bite at a time at the Veg Head.