One of the highlights of a recent trip to Burlington, Vermont was a stop at The Daily Planet, which is just a ten minute walk from scenic Lake Champlain. Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately greeted with a big smiling welcome from Frances, who turned out to be not just our server, but a wonderful host, and ambassador as well. 🙂
We started off with a bottle of Pellegrino and a tasty Watermelon Smash (a spirit free mocktail containing watermelon, basil, lemon, & syrup). We then added an order of Nikki’s Nachos (which contained non-GMO corn chips, vegan cashew nacho cheese, black beans, house pickled jalapenos, salsa taquera, guacamole, scallions and cilantro), an Einstein Burrito without the shell (Beyond Meat vegan sausage, Just Egg (vegan), vegan cheese, roasted red peppers, and scallions), and a Vegan Asparagus Leek Frittata with local oyster mushrooms. Due to the cozy atmosphere, and Frances’s cool, generous spirit, each “comfort food” dish really hit the spot, and we started talking about the possibility of returning for dinner.
After enjoying a summer afternoon walk around the beautiful waterfront area of the lake, we were hungry once again and tried to mix it up by looking at the menus of a few other restaurants in town. None of them had the warmth and appeal of The Daily Planet. So, we returned for another round and once again, we were not disappointed. We quenched our thirst with a tall glass of Citizen Cider (vegan friendly, according to Barnivore.com), and a bottle of Modelo, and quickly dug in to some fun vegan options, which included the Patatas Bravas (crispy Maine grown potatoes, bravas sauce, and parsley), Spicy Baby Bok Choy (sesame fried ginger, garlic, scallions, and red pepper flakes), Seared Cauliflower (tomato pumpkin seed hummus & pickled beets), and an order of the Vegan Bolognese (non-GMO pasta, housemade tomato sauce with roasted peppers, leeks, Beyond Meat sausage, and fresh basil). Each selection was delicious, except for the bok choy, which was a bit too spicy for my dining partner.
We learned from Frances that The Daily Planet is female owned (co-owned), and that it is a great place to work because it’s a “collective” and everyone gets along really well, despite being “really different”. She explained that the menu is constantly changing and improving as it is regularly tweaked by the staff, and that the name, “The Daily Planet”, has no connection to the Superman comic book series (it was just the name of the building when it was purchased). Frances revealed that she loves the people she works with, and that her favorite part of living in Vermont is also its people. She added that even though she doesn’t always agree with their views, Vermonters typically respect each other, and always try to at least listen. In other words, Frances loves people, and I bet that her warm energy resonates with everyone she meets. 🙂
The Bottom Line? The vegan food and service at The Daily Planet was a delight, as was meeting Frances, Kate (the bartender), and the other members of the The Daily Planet staff. We will be back for sure! 🙂
Sources:
Click here for The Daily Planet website.
Click here to learn more about GMOs.
Click here to learn more about Burlington’s Waterfront Park.
Click here to learn more about the Burlington Bike Path.
Click here to learn more about the best waterfalls in Vermont.
