Positive Press

At the Veggie Grill

Today I had to visit Kaiser, on the other side of town, for some routine items. The “had” is a misnomer, because I work from home, so when I get to go out with my wife on the weekends, or run my own errands, it’s a chance to get out of the house and see the wide world.

The freeway entrance was closed, so I went to a nearby alternate and mapped the way on my phone. I’ve lived in San Jose for around thirteen years, but I seldom drive, so while I have a general sense of place and direction, my phone sometimes helps me out.

Kaiser was uneventful and the people were nice. I headed out of the medical campus to visit the library nearby, the West Valley Branch. I knew how to get there, and it was in my old neighborhood, so I needed no maps there.

I returned some items, and scoured the shelves, but did not find anything I specifically wanted. There were a few, ‘maybe’ titles, but no standouts. I wanted to try the book sale going on, but they didn’t accept my form of payment, so I relinquished that idea and moved on. I did get an audio CD, and returning the items was helpful. I like to go to most of our local libraries, and it was still a pleasant time.

Now it was time for lunch. I had been to the Veggie Grill (Westgate, San Jose location) several years before and found it to be a greasy spoon, but I ordered mac ‘n’ cheese and fries, so what did I expect? I decided to give the place another try.

I ordered the Chipotle Harvest Bowl, carefully checking the ingredients, as my kidneys are sensitive: Asada mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, turmeric cauliflower and red beets, served over ancient grains and chipotle marinated power greens. Everything passed the test.

After I paid, they gave me a plastic drink cup and an order number on a stand, and I chose to mix strawberry lemonade with lemonade and iced tea, which tasted thankfully delicious.

The food took a little while to come, so I sipped my drink and read my phone. I had Dick Francis’ classic mystery, Reflex, on my phone, and it is one of my favorites, for decades, but in the end, I settled in to enjoying young genius writer, Ella Smyth, and her debut novel, Looking at the Stars, a vibrant and well-written sci-fi romp, penned when she was about thirteen years old.

The food got to my table, brought by a friendly woman of small body size. I looked, and tasted, and was amazed by both experiences. Perfectly prepared veggies, luscious beets, zingy dressing with spicy undertones, squash, kale, and what may have been quinoa. It looked so good that I took a photo with a view to blogging about it…

I pushed the food gently but persistently into my craw, and liked every moment. The meal done, I moved on to my last two tasks, sated and not overfull.

I highly recommend the Veggie Grill (Westgate, San Jose location); it was a little over-air-conditioned for my taste, but everything else tasted wonderful.

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