When you think of the Midwest you may not immediately think “hip vegan cafes.”

I certainly didn’t. The truth is some of my Midwest dining experiences have been challenging as someone who doesn’t eat any meat or poultry.

When I found out I would be spending a significant amount of time in Cleveland, Ohio I wondered what a veggie loving lady was to do…

Cleveland offers an impressive restaurant scene with big-time restaurateurs like Michael Symon of The Chew and Rocco Whalen each providing several five star restaurants.

But, during my time in this city I’ve noticed that they loooove their pig – and put it on everything from greens to fish. This is tough for a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian as it’s not unusual to order a fish entree or side of sauteed greens and find yourself with sausage and bacon “garnish” on the plate. Fail.

Luckily, good news comes in the form of the Flaming Ice Cube. This vegan cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner – offering a fairly diverse menu with a selection of salads, wraps and entrees. Noteworthy items I’ve sampled include the hot buffalo appetizer, pulled “barbecue”  made with chik’n ,and the pesto pizza.

Oh, and the Flaming Ice Cube desserts are fantastic. I’m not exaggerating when I say these vegan treats rival any traditional baked goods I’ve ever tasted; I was able to fool my husband and his co-workers with a vanilla cake with luscious chocolate frosting they never suspected was vegan. It was dubbed one of the best desserts they’ve ever tasted. And, their most popular item-  the peanut butter crunch bars are no joke.

My only request? I’d love to see the menu change with the seasons. As some of the salads seem to lend themselves to spring and summer produce.

The bottom line: If you’re ever in the Cleveland or Boardman, Ohio area The Flaming Ice Cube is a must try.

A final note to our Green Philly Phans: To expand on my comment regarding spending extended time in Cleveland… due to my husband’s job we’ve had to relocate for a bit. However, my heart is always in Philly!  Not to mention our house and mortgage!  I’m back quite often – every chance I get 🙂

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Beth is a Health and Wellness expert who believes sustainability goes hand-in-hand with self care. She’s the girl whipping up kombucha cocktails at parties, and extolling the benefits of canning vegetables to anyone who will listen. View all posts by Beth Funari