Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's Day was yesterday so my boyfriend, Timmy, took a trip down to Monmouth to visit me for the weekend. Whenever we visit each other we try and find the best places that have both vegan and non-vegan options for us both to enjoy. He is very open to trying new vegan food which works perfectly in our favor because he is always researching new places.

For Valentine's Day we decided to try this place in Asbury park called Cross & Orange. It had plenty of vegan options on their menu for me to be able to pick my favorite. I went with a Vegan "Chicken" Marsala. I have to say this was one of the best imitation chickens I have ever had. It was tender, flavorful, and the mushrooms were perfectly sautéed. Mushrooms are one of the favorite foods, I can eat it in and with almost everything. I would 10/10 recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a good vegan/non-vegan place to eat. The atmosphere was very on-trend with string lights hung from the ceiling and a rustic feel to the set up. It was on the more expensive side, if you are looking for a semi-fancy date night idea this is the place to go.

After we finished dinner we already knew we needed something sweet to finish off the night. Coney Waffle Ice Cream is a place I have been to many times before with the best vegan ice cream selection in the area. The worst thing is when a place says they are vegan friendly than have one lame option to chose from. Coney Waffle has about 10 different vegan flavors to chose from. Not all the cones are vegan so make sure to ask which ones are, I tend to go with the plain, original sugar wafer cone with "Coffee Royal" ice cream. It is a cash only ice cream shop and the vegan flavors are a little more expensive than the regular flavors so make sure you have cash on hand.

Today we decided to go for a little brunch outing in Asbury Park. Asbury Park is a great place to find cute, trendy, brunch restaurants perfect for vegans and non-vegans. Timmy had researched this place on Instagram about a month ago and we have been DYING to try it out. Cardinal Provisions was the best decision we could have made for this weekend. They had plenty of vegan choices from waffles to bagels to lunch bowls. I got Smore's Waffle, it was topped with house-made marshmallow, graham crackers, and hot fudge. This had to have been the best waffle I have ever had. I was tempted to try the everything bagel with vegan "eggs", cashew cheese, vegan mayo, and avocado but that will have to be a next time choice because I am 100% going back. The place was right off the main strip of Cookman Ave, it was small and a little crowded but we only waited about 15 minutes to sit. It was not too expensive but we also didn't order any drinks or starters. The atmosphere is lively, eco-friendly, and trendy. Definitely a 10/10 recommendation for anyone looking for the perfect brunch place for a weekend out.